A short pause to look at the Moon

This is a reflection on my view on the moon. 

The moon is a representation of the feminine. The moon waxes and wanes in phases that symbolize the cycles of life and time. Accompanied by the stars I feel at home and part of a much greater something then just myself. The moon feels like a second home and has been backed up by science where the moon was made from the left over material of the earth when it collided with another space planetoid.

      The moon has 5 distinct types… Dark moon, New Moon, Waxing, Full Waning and New Moon, each of the types has its own properties. But there is also a blue moon and Black moon. The moon affects so many aspects of our lives. It was thought to believe the full moon use to make a person loose their minds. It has been proven that the moon affects the tides of the sea.

BOS: Burn? Bury? or Pass on?

So I was talking to a witchy sister of mine about Books of Shadows and the ever pressing should ones BOS be a secret book nobody knows, kept and guarded, or should it be able to be seen by everyone. My first comment I must make is that you should do what you feel is right for you. If your not comfortable showing it to friends, family, or strangers then don't.

One popular idea about the BOS is that it should be secret and burned/ buried with the witch when he or she passes. So discussing this with my witchy sister this came up and thinking about this and the times that is was first done, my theory is that because being exposed as a pagan or witch, whatever the term you wish to fill in, could not only damage you but your family and friends. There were so many for lack of better word problems associated with being "exposed" until very recently that it was much safer to take the book with you to the grave as it were. Still to this day even we are met with fear and animosity like the most recent article I had seen about a Arkansas town banning a pagan temple.

That being said, the idea of burning or burying knowledge is a hard one for me. How much information has been lost because of this ritualized burning of knowledge. I have one book that is extremely personal and will have special plans for. As a parent, though, I want to have my child and if I have future children have the opportunity to expand on what I have done if they choose to follow this path as well.

That being said I am not saying that I go showing my BOS to everyone I meet and who come into my home. My books are a little obvious as far as the look of them but no one seems to notice them that much. I have a few and some are more private then others, however, when I pass on I want my children to have the choice. So what I guess I am saying is that even though I see the reasoning of why it was done in the past I feel like that we are in a time that we should start hording our knowledge keeping it and expanding on it.

Ressurecting this blog

Hello everyone,

I am bringing back my old blog... my life has gone been crazy since my last post. The last time I posted I had just found out I was pregnant I think. WOW it is mind blowing lol... well we have had a few moves... graduated from my college and my little witchlet is growing up before me... I also feel like I have grown spiritually... I can't wait to get started.

Greek Mythology: Asteria

Asteria is the daughter of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe. Asteria was the Titan Goddess of nocturnal oracles and falling stars.

Asteria turned herself into a quail and flug herself into the Aegean Sea to escape the advances of Zeus. Becoming the "quail island" Ortygia.

According to the writings of Hesiod Asteria and Perses are the parents of Hecate.

Greek Mythology: Leto and the Birth of the Twin Gods

Leto was the Titan Goddess of Motherhood. When she had an affair with Zeus and got pregnant, Hera was furious. Hera went to her grandmother Gaia (the Earth) and asked her not to let Leto give birth on the mainland, any island at sea, or any place underneath the sun. So Leto was forced from land to land not allowed to rest and give birth. Until she wandered to the floating island of Delos which was mainland or a real island. Leto asked the island to allow her to give birth and in exchange her children would bring wealth to the barren island. The island agreed and Leto gave birth to Artemis right away however, she would be in labor 9 days and 9 nights to give birth to Artemis' twin Apollo. Artemis assisted in the labor which is why she is a Goddess of Childbirth. Later in keeping to her word Delos became very prosperous. Many came to worship on the island where the Twin Gods were born and the island became sacred to Apollo. 

Pagan Parenting: Children's Prayer

 Pagan Parenting/ Pregnant Pagan Series can't decide which one to choose...

Moon and stars in the sky
Watch over me as the sun say bye
Protect me while I lie my head
and close my eyes and go to bed
Bless me now day is done
and tomorrow we will have some fun


...lol

I made it up while I was getting into bed...

Pregnant Pagan: Herbs

So recently getting pregnant has become a new kind of mindset... you have to worry about a lot making sure you get enough calories and water eating right etc. but also being pagan I started to have a whole other number of worries... 1 of which being the herbs that I come into contact with and that I burn and so on... so after doing a lot of research on the internet I found there was a lack of a list of herbs to avoid while pregnant.
SO I went through the entire Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham and made my own list... and I want to share it with all of you... maybe if you get pregnant yourself or are making someone something and want to be careful

Note: This is a list of Poisonous herbs and also ones that Pregnant (P) or Nursing (N) women should not be consuming (x) or using now I must say that other factors go into what maybe bad for the individual this does not take into account many amounts because some herbs though not poisonous should be taken in light amounts and not for long periods of time... Again if you have other factors you need to look up the herb(s) in question... but this should narrow it down a bit... there are some comments about children and toddlers this is not all encompassing for everything they shouldn't have it would have been just an extra comment that was in the book. G is Good also if you are looking at herbs be careful about folk names...

Adam and Eve Root ...Poison
Agaric... Poison
Aloe ... dried P N, Fresh (x)
Angelica... P
Anisa... P
Apple seeds in large amounts is poisonous
Alkanet... X
Almond, Bitter... X
Anemone...X
Apricot seeds... X
Asafoetide... P and do not give to children
Avens... X
Avocado seeds ... X
Barley spouted seeds... X
Basil ...PN X  do not give to children or toddlers
Beech nuts... in large amounts X
Beets large amounts of the leaves X
Belladonna... Poisonous
Wild Bergamot... P
American Bittersweet ...Poisonous
Bladderwrack... PN
Bleeding Heart... X
Bloodroot...P, Poison
Blue Flag... P, Poison
Boneset... X
Borage... Herb: X, seed oil G
Bracken... X
Brazil Nut... processed only
Briony... Poison
Broom... Poison
Buchu... P
Buckthorn... PN
Cactus... some are poisonous
Calamus... Poison
Camphor... X
Carrot seeds... P
Cascara Sagrada... PN
Castor... Poison
Catnip...P
Ceder... leaf and berries P
Celandine... Poison
Celery... P
Chamomile, Roman... P
Cherry... Seed and wilted leaf X
China Berry... Poison
Chrysanthemum... Poison
Cinnamon...above food amount : P
Cloth-of-Gold... X
Club Moss... X
Cohosh, Black... PN
Clotsfoot... PNX
Columbine... Poison
Comfrey...X
Cotton... Root and Bark P
Crocus... X
Cyclamen... X in large doses
Cypress... P
Daffodil... Poison
Daisy... Poison
Deerstongue... X
Dodder... P
Dogbane... X
Dutchman's Breeches... X
Elder, American... Ripe fruit G all other parts X
Elecampane... PN
Euphorbia... Poison
Fenugreek... Seeds: P
Fern... Some are Poisonous look up specific
Feverfew... P
Fleabane... X
Foxglove... Poison
Garlic... N
Ginger... Dried root above food quantity: P, fresh G
Golden Rod... P
Golden Seal... P
Gourd... Some poisonous
Groundsel... X
Heliotrope... Poison
Hellebore, Black... Poison
Hemlock...Poison
Henbane...Poison
Henna... X
High John the Conqueror... Poison
Horehound... P
Horse Chestnut... Poison
HorseRadish... above food quantity: X
Horsetail... P
Hyacinth... X
Hydrangea... X
Hyssop... P
Job's Tears... P
Joe-Pye weed... NX
Juniper... P
Kava-Kava... PN
Larch... large amounts X
Larkspur... X
Lemongrass... P
Licorice... P
Lily... some poisonous
Lily of the Valley... Poison
Lobelia... Poison, P
Mace... X
Mahogany, Mountain... seeds and leaves Poison
Maidenhair... P
Male Fern... Poison
Mandrake... Poison
May Apple... Poison
Mimosa... P
Mint (look up specific)
Mistletoe... Poison
Morning Glory... Poison
Mugwort... P
Mulberry... Unripe berries, bark, twig, and leaf X
Myrrh... P
Nutmeg...X
Oregon Grape... P
Parsley...P
Peach... Seeds leaf bark X
Pear... Seeds X
Pennyroyal...P, oil is Poisonous
Periwinkle... Poison
Plum and Wild Plum... Seeds and wilted leaf X
Plumeria... Poison
Poke... Poison
Pomegranate... Root and stem X
Poppy, illegal... X
Potato... Greens X
Prickly Ash... Bark P
Purslane... P
Quassia... P
Ragweed... X
Ragwort... X
Rattlesnake Root... P
Rhubarb... PN
Rice... dont eat raw
Rose... Greens X
Rosemary... P
Rowan... X
Rue... P
Saffron... P
Sage... P
Sagebrush... P
St. John's Wort... Poison
Senna... PN
Sloe... Fresh flowers and seeds X
Snakeroot... X
Snapdragon... X
Solomon's Seal... Berry X for children
Southernwood... P
Spikenard... P
Squill... Poison
Stillengia... N
Sweet pea... X
Tansy... P
Thistle... older plants X
Thistle, Holy... P
Toad Flax... X
Toadstool.... Poison
Tobacco... Poison
Tomato... Greens X
Tonka... Poison
Trillium... P
Uva Ursa... Poison, P
Vervain.... P
Vetch, Giant... X
Vetivert... P
 Wahoo... Poison
Wolf's Bane... Poison
Wood Rose... X
Wormwood... Poison, PN
Yarrow... P
Yew... Poison
Yohimbe... Poison

That's all folks... for now lol...