I was using the computer at my boyfriends parents house yesterday; I looked over at the printer and was delighted by what I saw laying on top of it. The Way of Four Spellbook: working magic with the elements by Deborah Lipp was sitting there as if it had been waiting for me to pick it up (okay so I exaggerate a little, but just a little).
When I first started studying Wicca, just over ten years ago now, I was a voracious reader with an addiction to metaphysical books put out by Lewellyn press (even the brightly colored, glittery, bubblegum books). My love for Lewellyn however, faded with time and as I advanced in both spiritual and magickal practice. I have found that this is not uncommon, as many other Wiccans have spoken to me about similar experiences with Lewellyn.
I think that I know the reason for this. First let me start out by saying that I am thankful to Lewellyn because though it was a friend that started me traveling down the Wiccan path, it was certainly Lewellyn that gave me the tools and information to hurtle down that road. With that said I can feel less guilty about pointing out some of the publishers shortcomings.
In my opinion Lewellyn focuses mostly on attracting newcomers to the craft. They do this by marketing mainly beginner books. Many of these beginner books are referred to derisively as bubblegum books by members of the Pagan community. The term basically means glittery books with watered down information meant to attract young people enamored with the movie the craft and the t.v. show Charmed. Some members of the Pagan community are downright hostile towards these books and towards the young, new and often bedazzled people that these books attract to the community.
I disagree with and am saddened by such hostility. After all, we were all newbies once to modern Wicca and paganism. Even those of us that came from family traditions (I did but in my family we certainly didnt call it Wicca, nope we were non-practicing Catholics, lol) were new to the revival, trying to suspend our disbelief while we assimilated the mainstream cousin of our family trads. And for those that came from very strict Christian upbringings, these supposedly bubblegum books served as a great way to ease the transition. Converting to a new religion is hard for anyone, even those who do not come from strict religious backgrounds, and beginner books help ease the transition.
Many people who start out with these beginner books lose interest when they realize that the glittery spellbook that promised them a quick finger snapping journey to happiness and fulfillment was wrong and that Wicca consists of both complex magickal and spiritual systems. And that's all right. In my opinion the experience that these people had and the knowledge that they learned from these books is still highly beneficial to the pagan community. Though these people are no longer members of the community, they often remain friendly to it. Good relations with members of other religions is vital if we are ever to achieve equal rights. These people also often remain open to Wicca as well and have favorable reactions when one of their friends, children or other family members decides to embrace Wicca.
So, before I digress any farther those are the reasons why I think that Llewellyn's plethora of beginner books is a good thing. However, I think that Lewellyn focuses to much of its energy on the beginner books and not enough on more advanced texts.
I know I am not the only one who after making my way through many beginner books kind of felt like I reached a dead end. I was strictly solitary at that time, and Lewellyn and other publishers (there are a few other small presses that market Pagan books) lack of advanced texts left me at a loss as to where I should go next. For many solitaires books are their main form of guidance and once they make it past the beginner stage they start to feel like "Now What?"
For me this ended up being a good thing as a lack of advanced texts pushed me to seek greater involvement and help from the Pagan community. I learned a lot from other Pagans sometimes in better ways than from books and sometimes in worse ways than from books. I also began involvement in Pagan Pride day and found fulfillment in service to my community.
However, I still feel an empty place within me that comes from a lack of involvement with a coven that I mesh with. I know that without that kind of involvement with a coven that I truly fit with I am not reaching my full potential, and my journey is certainly being slowed down. I fully believe that solitary practitioners are Real Pagans, can go very far and can quite often surpass members of established covens in terms of both spiritual and magickal practice. However, I must acknowledge that the journey is simply made more difficult by a lack of trusted, like minded souls around one that can support and enhance ones efforts.
There are also many Pagans who are deeply in the broom closet about their faith. I completely understand this because real world pressure caused me to hide out there for years. Even now I am a quasi-public witch. I will tell just about anyone who asks me what my religion is...but they have to ask. For people forced to hide out in the broom closet, public events (such as pagan pride day) are out of the question. Many times, involvement in a coven is also just too risky for these people. So the lack of advanced texts out there really hits them hard.
But there is hope ahead that this lack of advanced texts will eventually be remedied. First, the Pagan community is growing up, particularly Wicca. And when I say that I basically mean the average age of members. The Wiccan revival exploded in the United States starting about fifteen years ago. And quite often its open minded youth, who haven't been exposed to 3 or 4 decades of religious strictness that embrace Wicca. So to start with Wicca was very young. Its still young, but since many of the newbies who were attracted to the craft ten or fifteen years ago stayed our community is quickly changing and the call for advanced texts is growing.
To help accelerate the growth of availability of advanced texts though, we must all do our part. Next time, you are browsing at Barnes and Noble or other bookstore for a new metaphysical book pass over the glittering spell books and go for the more advanced (if rather more dull looking based on the cover) texts, or just buy them both. Lewellyn, like all publishers, stays in business because it markets books that sell. And the only way they will ever begin really offering advanced texts is if they see a great demand for them. If you really want to help, send Lewellyn an email and tell them that beginner books are not enough and that you are ready for something more than glitter.
And now, that Ive aired all of my thoughts and grievances with Lewellyn I will soon settle in to read the Way of Four Spellbook . It focuses on working with the elements which are some of my favorite components of magickal practice. I also noticed that the book is a companion to Deborah Lippels book The Way of Four. Hmmm....if the spellbook turns out to be good, I may just have to make a trip to the bookstore to purchase the first one.
I have planned, for some time, to write reviews of the many metaphysical books out there such as: Buckland's complete guide to Witchcraft, To ride a silver broomstick, solitary practitioner, to stir a magick cauldron, green witchcraft and others. These books and I have become old friends and I have found that each focuses on and serves a few different specific purposes. I hope that by writing reviews I might assist some Pagans in finding books that will help them achieve their goals.
Check back soon for a review on the Way of Four spellbook. I have found that writing book reviews is easier when I am currently or have recently finished a book, so I will review this one before I start catching up on previous Lewellyn titles.
I am keeping an open mind that The Way of Four Spellbook will be more than just a beginner book. After all I began Green Witchcraft by Anne Moura with trepidation that I might be wasting my time and was more than pleasantly surprised by the information I found concerning magickal practice. I was also thrilled by Moura's depiction of her family tradition, which was very similar to mine in many ways one being that neither tradition called itself Wicca. The book also allowed Moura to demonstrate her way of living, in addition to spells. Information on incorporating magickal and spiritual practice into real life to promote serenity and peace is always helpful. So with that in mind I leave you for a while to dig into this new book. Who knows I may just like what I read.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
marriage is not only a Christian Institution
I read a blog today that disturbed me. I'm not going to post the url because even though I didnt like the contents I'm not trying to send a bunch of haters that blogger's way. The blog was about why the author thought gay marriage should not be allowed.
What got me was that the man's main arguement for outlawing it was that marriage was an entirely "Christian institution". I couldn't help but think "are you kidding me?" I guess no one got married earlier than the 2,000 odd years ago that marked the start of Christianity. That is the biggest load of crap I have ever read.
Its as bad as that article I read where this Christian lady wanted everyone who wasn't Christian to quit celebrating Christmas and get their own holiday. She was astonished and unbelieving at first when I and many other readers informed her of Christmas' very Pagan roots. Lol, no one stopped there either her illusions about Easter and even Groundhog day were shattered by the time readers were done with her. Even other Christians were laughing and telling her she needed to grow in Christ and become more informed.
I saw that same kind of ignorance at work when I read that blogger's claims that marriage was a christian institution. Marriage is an institution and tradition among people of all cultures, ethnicity's and faiths. And with each group its idea of what marriage should be is a bit different. And that is the way it should be. We should celebrate our differences instead of trying to force people to bend to our idea of how things should be.
I acknowledge that Christianity has many followers. In fact roughly 1/3 of the world's population is Christian making it the largest religion in the world. But what that really means is that 2/3 of the world's population are something else. So why is 1/3 getting to make the decisions for the 2/3?
The other main argument that I see against gay marriage is that Christians feel marriage is the foundation for strong families. I believe that too (not to say that long term boyfriend, girlfriend relationships can't ever be just as stable as a marriage. they can but that is usually not the case. And children born to a married couple that stay together are statistically better off than those raised by single parents or an unmarried couple.).
But I don't see how gay marriage undermines traditional marriage. What are they afraid of? Are they worried that untold number of housewives are secretly lesbians that are going to leave their husbands and run off with their girlfriends if gay marriage becomes legal? lol, i just don't get it.
Even though I am divorced I actually have a pretty traditional view of marriage. I believe that married couples should do everything and anything in their power to stay together, paticularly if they have children. I used to believe this so strongly that I tried to save my marriage even though my ex-husband was severely physically abusive to me. I did everything I could but after many injuries such as cracked ribs, broken teeth and a split scalp that had to be stapled back together I realized that what I had wasn't really a marriage anyway. For me it was a form of bondage that chained me to a man that would have killed me if I'd stayed any longer.
My views about marriage though are why, ten years after leaving, I have not remarried. I have come close but I won't do it until I'm absolutely sure that I have a man worth spending the rest of my life with. And you know what? It won't matter if one or a million gay couples tie the knot by the time I get married again, the sanctity of my marriage won't be affected. I am not threatened by beliefs, views, and sexual orientations that differ from mine. I don't need strength of numbers to stick to my guns.
I also can't help but notice a trend. Anytime one group tries to make another group second class citizens they deny them things that should be theirs by right. Such as the old laws outlawing marriage for slaves. Slaves could not legally be married rather they had their own non-legal ceremonies. These ceremonies actually resembled handfastings. Many slaves even did things like jump a broomstick in their ceremonies. As cool as that is, it was a travesty that slaves were denied the right to marry. Wiccan and other pagan ceremonies used to not be recognized as legal either until Wicca gained status with the IRS as a bona fide religion. Until then people had to go to the justice of the peace at the court house and have a little mini ceremony there in order to be legally married.
I see the idea of "civil unions" as just a way to throw a bone to a group of people that the majority seeks to treat like dogs. Marriage is not the property of any one group, ethnicity or religion. So therefore no group, ethnicity or religion should have the right to define what marriage should be to others.
Phew! Rant done! Bet you all wish i would stop being shy and just come out and say how I really feel, lol.
What got me was that the man's main arguement for outlawing it was that marriage was an entirely "Christian institution". I couldn't help but think "are you kidding me?" I guess no one got married earlier than the 2,000 odd years ago that marked the start of Christianity. That is the biggest load of crap I have ever read.
Its as bad as that article I read where this Christian lady wanted everyone who wasn't Christian to quit celebrating Christmas and get their own holiday. She was astonished and unbelieving at first when I and many other readers informed her of Christmas' very Pagan roots. Lol, no one stopped there either her illusions about Easter and even Groundhog day were shattered by the time readers were done with her. Even other Christians were laughing and telling her she needed to grow in Christ and become more informed.
I saw that same kind of ignorance at work when I read that blogger's claims that marriage was a christian institution. Marriage is an institution and tradition among people of all cultures, ethnicity's and faiths. And with each group its idea of what marriage should be is a bit different. And that is the way it should be. We should celebrate our differences instead of trying to force people to bend to our idea of how things should be.
I acknowledge that Christianity has many followers. In fact roughly 1/3 of the world's population is Christian making it the largest religion in the world. But what that really means is that 2/3 of the world's population are something else. So why is 1/3 getting to make the decisions for the 2/3?
The other main argument that I see against gay marriage is that Christians feel marriage is the foundation for strong families. I believe that too (not to say that long term boyfriend, girlfriend relationships can't ever be just as stable as a marriage. they can but that is usually not the case. And children born to a married couple that stay together are statistically better off than those raised by single parents or an unmarried couple.).
But I don't see how gay marriage undermines traditional marriage. What are they afraid of? Are they worried that untold number of housewives are secretly lesbians that are going to leave their husbands and run off with their girlfriends if gay marriage becomes legal? lol, i just don't get it.
Even though I am divorced I actually have a pretty traditional view of marriage. I believe that married couples should do everything and anything in their power to stay together, paticularly if they have children. I used to believe this so strongly that I tried to save my marriage even though my ex-husband was severely physically abusive to me. I did everything I could but after many injuries such as cracked ribs, broken teeth and a split scalp that had to be stapled back together I realized that what I had wasn't really a marriage anyway. For me it was a form of bondage that chained me to a man that would have killed me if I'd stayed any longer.
My views about marriage though are why, ten years after leaving, I have not remarried. I have come close but I won't do it until I'm absolutely sure that I have a man worth spending the rest of my life with. And you know what? It won't matter if one or a million gay couples tie the knot by the time I get married again, the sanctity of my marriage won't be affected. I am not threatened by beliefs, views, and sexual orientations that differ from mine. I don't need strength of numbers to stick to my guns.
I also can't help but notice a trend. Anytime one group tries to make another group second class citizens they deny them things that should be theirs by right. Such as the old laws outlawing marriage for slaves. Slaves could not legally be married rather they had their own non-legal ceremonies. These ceremonies actually resembled handfastings. Many slaves even did things like jump a broomstick in their ceremonies. As cool as that is, it was a travesty that slaves were denied the right to marry. Wiccan and other pagan ceremonies used to not be recognized as legal either until Wicca gained status with the IRS as a bona fide religion. Until then people had to go to the justice of the peace at the court house and have a little mini ceremony there in order to be legally married.
I see the idea of "civil unions" as just a way to throw a bone to a group of people that the majority seeks to treat like dogs. Marriage is not the property of any one group, ethnicity or religion. So therefore no group, ethnicity or religion should have the right to define what marriage should be to others.
Phew! Rant done! Bet you all wish i would stop being shy and just come out and say how I really feel, lol.
religion and politics
I heard something today that made me very sad. I was talking to my boyfriend's sister about the presidential election. I was surprised, a few weeks ago, to find out that she planned on voting for John McCain. You see, she is young and what I would call an agnostic with pagan leanings. Despite a very strict conservative and religious upbringing she turned out pretty liberal. she is pro-choice and believes in equal rights for gays. So I figured that McCain's anti-gay rights stance and plans to overturn Roe v. Wade if given a chance to appoint conservative judges to the supreme court would totally have her voting for Obama.
So when we were talking about it today I asked her why and her answer astonished me. She said that she just doesn't trust him because he is a muslim and belongs to a radical "anti-whitey" church. The muslim part had me perturbed; its the second time I heard that he was muslim but I didn't think that he was. I asked if she was sure, and she assured me that he was. She said those two things plus all of his funding made her nervous about him and made her not trust him.
I think that she thought there was some kind of conspiracy from rich arab oil people to put an extremist muslim in the oval office. Wow.
I was skeptical about the muslim part because I watched election coverage for hours on election night and the announcers just kept saying that if Obama was elected history would be made because he would be the first african-american president. If he were muslim I'm sure that they would have mentioned that because that too would have made history. After all, every President we have had with the exception of John F. Kennedy has been a part of some branch of Protestantism. Considering the effect that muslim extremists have had on the world since September 11th, 2001 I know that they would have mentioned something. so I looked it up on the internet.
By nature I question everything. And this time I am glad I did because Obama is not a muslim. He is a Christian that belongs to an "afrocentric" church. The church's leader is pretty radical though, i'll give her that. but geez the man cant be both an extremist muslim and a racist christian. it was Hilary Clinton that brought it up during the dem. primaries because Obama went to a muslim school for a couple years when he was a kid living in India. Most people don't realize that there are two kinds of muslim schools, one for secular teachings and the other for religious teachings. Obama attended one of the secular primary schools.
Honestly, the whole thing upset me quite a bit. Because why should it matter if the man were muslim or not? I love her to death but man some religious bigotry has got a hold of her. It makes me sad, really sad because true Islam promotes peace and forbids the killing of innocent people. It in no way justifies, excuses or promotes terrorism. And honestly if you want to compare track records Islam's is a heck of a lot cleaner than Christianity's. After all, it wasn't Muslims storming london during the crusades. Most Pagans I know won't use a cross for any sort of magickal purpose not because it's Christian but because it is a symbol of war. Untold number of murders happened in the face of that symbol in the name of God not Allah.
But because of the actions of a few extremists many now equate the word "muslim" with "terrorist". I feel this deeply since many of these same people equate the word "Wiccan" or "Pagan" with "Satanist". There are plenty of Christian extremists out there too. Man would some of these bigots get a taste of their own medecine if everyone began calling christians "terrorists" or "satanists" because of a few of their whacked out members.
An example of this is the Westboro Baptist Church. That christian church believes that the war in Iraq and many natural disasters happen because God is punishing America for its tolerance of homosexuality. They regularly picket military funerals and the scenes of things like earthquakes, freak landslides and so on with signs that say things like "he deserved to die" and "God hates fags." that's even the name of their damn website. How horrible is that to torment people that are already dealing with the worst pain there is - the loss of a loved one. Oh And on their horrible website they celebrate the murders of gay men such as Matthew Sheppard and encourage more violence against gays.
Would it be fair to judge and label all christians on the basis of these few religious nutjobs? Absolutely not. And its not fair to do it to muslims, pagans or anyone else of any other religion. You can not judge a religion based upon how it has been twisted and warped. It's that kind of attitude that makes me feel like equal rights for Pagans will be a long time in coming. And its that kind of attitude that has me keeping one foot always in the broom closet so i can jump back in an avoid persecution if I have too. I hope I will never have to, but I am not so certain.
I'm not sure what to do really except to continue to raise awareness and work for the cause of religious tolerance by setting the record straight about Paganism and Islam for anyone who wishes to listen (mind you no prosletizing just informing those who would like to know). I also plan to continue to help out with events such as Pagan pride day. But I can't do it alone. so if any of you reading this have a chance to help the cause of religious tolerance please give a sister a hand!!
So when we were talking about it today I asked her why and her answer astonished me. She said that she just doesn't trust him because he is a muslim and belongs to a radical "anti-whitey" church. The muslim part had me perturbed; its the second time I heard that he was muslim but I didn't think that he was. I asked if she was sure, and she assured me that he was. She said those two things plus all of his funding made her nervous about him and made her not trust him.
I think that she thought there was some kind of conspiracy from rich arab oil people to put an extremist muslim in the oval office. Wow.
I was skeptical about the muslim part because I watched election coverage for hours on election night and the announcers just kept saying that if Obama was elected history would be made because he would be the first african-american president. If he were muslim I'm sure that they would have mentioned that because that too would have made history. After all, every President we have had with the exception of John F. Kennedy has been a part of some branch of Protestantism. Considering the effect that muslim extremists have had on the world since September 11th, 2001 I know that they would have mentioned something. so I looked it up on the internet.
By nature I question everything. And this time I am glad I did because Obama is not a muslim. He is a Christian that belongs to an "afrocentric" church. The church's leader is pretty radical though, i'll give her that. but geez the man cant be both an extremist muslim and a racist christian. it was Hilary Clinton that brought it up during the dem. primaries because Obama went to a muslim school for a couple years when he was a kid living in India. Most people don't realize that there are two kinds of muslim schools, one for secular teachings and the other for religious teachings. Obama attended one of the secular primary schools.
Honestly, the whole thing upset me quite a bit. Because why should it matter if the man were muslim or not? I love her to death but man some religious bigotry has got a hold of her. It makes me sad, really sad because true Islam promotes peace and forbids the killing of innocent people. It in no way justifies, excuses or promotes terrorism. And honestly if you want to compare track records Islam's is a heck of a lot cleaner than Christianity's. After all, it wasn't Muslims storming london during the crusades. Most Pagans I know won't use a cross for any sort of magickal purpose not because it's Christian but because it is a symbol of war. Untold number of murders happened in the face of that symbol in the name of God not Allah.
But because of the actions of a few extremists many now equate the word "muslim" with "terrorist". I feel this deeply since many of these same people equate the word "Wiccan" or "Pagan" with "Satanist". There are plenty of Christian extremists out there too. Man would some of these bigots get a taste of their own medecine if everyone began calling christians "terrorists" or "satanists" because of a few of their whacked out members.
An example of this is the Westboro Baptist Church. That christian church believes that the war in Iraq and many natural disasters happen because God is punishing America for its tolerance of homosexuality. They regularly picket military funerals and the scenes of things like earthquakes, freak landslides and so on with signs that say things like "he deserved to die" and "God hates fags." that's even the name of their damn website. How horrible is that to torment people that are already dealing with the worst pain there is - the loss of a loved one. Oh And on their horrible website they celebrate the murders of gay men such as Matthew Sheppard and encourage more violence against gays.
Would it be fair to judge and label all christians on the basis of these few religious nutjobs? Absolutely not. And its not fair to do it to muslims, pagans or anyone else of any other religion. You can not judge a religion based upon how it has been twisted and warped. It's that kind of attitude that makes me feel like equal rights for Pagans will be a long time in coming. And its that kind of attitude that has me keeping one foot always in the broom closet so i can jump back in an avoid persecution if I have too. I hope I will never have to, but I am not so certain.
I'm not sure what to do really except to continue to raise awareness and work for the cause of religious tolerance by setting the record straight about Paganism and Islam for anyone who wishes to listen (mind you no prosletizing just informing those who would like to know). I also plan to continue to help out with events such as Pagan pride day. But I can't do it alone. so if any of you reading this have a chance to help the cause of religious tolerance please give a sister a hand!!
Had a rough day
I put a lot of my articles on this blog. I am a freelance writer so a lot of the time I get to choose what I write about. Thats one of the perks of the job as I get to write about things that I like. So whenever I write an article about something relevant to pagans I post it on here. But I also use this blog as many do to relate my thoughts and things that are going on in my life. I tend to limit this to things that are relevant to other Pagans, though. This is one of those personal posts.
I had a very rough afternoon today; an emotionally straining one to say the least. I feel mentally beat up like someone walked up and beat the crap out of my psyche. Yep, a metaphorical curb stomps got me down.
Im not going to get into why I feel that way beyond summing up my issues. It would take too long and as we all have our own problems I dont think anyones going to want to read a few thousand words that detail mine. Besides, what Im going through now is pretty common. I bet most of you will understand with just a brief description.
Financial worries have me stretched to the limit, as usual. I grew up in poverty around dysfunction, abuse, and substance abuse of all kinds. The poverty has proved to be the hardest cycle to break out of. Things that werent a big deal as a child and very young adult are becoming a big deal now. An example: crowded teeth that crack each other, making them more prone to cavities. And when you dont have money to have a cavity fixed you end up needing a crown. Lack of health insurance, no savings and a horrible economy have really taken their toll on me.
I am a single parent living far from all my blood relatives, except my children. Like many women I am solely responsible for providing for and caring for two of my three children. Their father helps in now way what so ever and hasnt seen them in two years. That puts a huge burden on me trying to be mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, aunt and uncle to my kids. I have friends who help me though (thanks guys I dont know what Id do without you!).
Ive slowly been working my way through college. I know I will get through this dark time, I always do and end up stronger for the struggle. But sometimes I must admit, the fight is bigger than me. Today was one of those days. And Im sorry to say that it got the best of me for a while. I broke down crying. Between bouts of tears I was wringing my hands anxiously thinking about everything I need to do to: not only keep going but get ahead at least a little bit. If I dont then my situation wont get any better. But its a very tall order.
As rough as its been, I came to a realization today about personal power. And this realization is an important one. While I was freaking out thinking of all my responsibilities, I noticed that I was having an extremely high amount of negative thoughts. Like "I can' t do this." "It's not possible." "There's just no way." "This won't get any better." "There's nothing I can do."
And being a pagan, I have a strong belief in the power of the mind. I realized that I got in my own way today, many different times. I was sitting there freaking out when I could have been working to make my situation better. How much time did I waste like that? And how often do I waste my energy during the day, because I have so many worries in the back of my mind? But most importantly, how often do my negative thoughts manifest themselves in my reality? And when I consider the run of bad luck I've been having for a while, I think I may have been jinxing myself and attracting negativity to me for some time.
I've been feeling helpless in the face of all of that. But, I should know better. After all, I am a witch, or what?? I mean I've spent years learning magick, ritual and communion with the Gods and Goddesses. Like all learned witches, I can walk between worlds yet here I am feeling sorry for myself and like I have no power. Also, like all people, I have talents and gifts many of them when I stop and think about it. Unfortunately, I haven't been using them all. And the ones I choose to use have been negatively affected by my anxiety and response to stress.
It's time I remembered that I have power and stop dreading the day when I wake up in the morning. I need to start waking up like I used to: excited because with a new day I had another chance to make my life better and pursue both happiness and my dreams. Sure that was easier when I had less baggage, fewer regrets and the endless energy of a teenager. But I have had many positive things come to me in the years between now and then. I am have much more wisdom now than I did then. Sure I was a real go-getter in my teens. A real "go-get-myself-in-trouble-leaping-before-I-look" kind of person. I'm better off now and I need to remember that.
So with all of that in mind, I'm going to bed now (I'll post this later) and in the morning when I wake up I'm going to remember that every new day is a gift, a chance and an opportunity.
I had a very rough afternoon today; an emotionally straining one to say the least. I feel mentally beat up like someone walked up and beat the crap out of my psyche. Yep, a metaphorical curb stomps got me down.
Im not going to get into why I feel that way beyond summing up my issues. It would take too long and as we all have our own problems I dont think anyones going to want to read a few thousand words that detail mine. Besides, what Im going through now is pretty common. I bet most of you will understand with just a brief description.
Financial worries have me stretched to the limit, as usual. I grew up in poverty around dysfunction, abuse, and substance abuse of all kinds. The poverty has proved to be the hardest cycle to break out of. Things that werent a big deal as a child and very young adult are becoming a big deal now. An example: crowded teeth that crack each other, making them more prone to cavities. And when you dont have money to have a cavity fixed you end up needing a crown. Lack of health insurance, no savings and a horrible economy have really taken their toll on me.
I am a single parent living far from all my blood relatives, except my children. Like many women I am solely responsible for providing for and caring for two of my three children. Their father helps in now way what so ever and hasnt seen them in two years. That puts a huge burden on me trying to be mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, aunt and uncle to my kids. I have friends who help me though (thanks guys I dont know what Id do without you!).
Ive slowly been working my way through college. I know I will get through this dark time, I always do and end up stronger for the struggle. But sometimes I must admit, the fight is bigger than me. Today was one of those days. And Im sorry to say that it got the best of me for a while. I broke down crying. Between bouts of tears I was wringing my hands anxiously thinking about everything I need to do to: not only keep going but get ahead at least a little bit. If I dont then my situation wont get any better. But its a very tall order.
As rough as its been, I came to a realization today about personal power. And this realization is an important one. While I was freaking out thinking of all my responsibilities, I noticed that I was having an extremely high amount of negative thoughts. Like "I can' t do this." "It's not possible." "There's just no way." "This won't get any better." "There's nothing I can do."
And being a pagan, I have a strong belief in the power of the mind. I realized that I got in my own way today, many different times. I was sitting there freaking out when I could have been working to make my situation better. How much time did I waste like that? And how often do I waste my energy during the day, because I have so many worries in the back of my mind? But most importantly, how often do my negative thoughts manifest themselves in my reality? And when I consider the run of bad luck I've been having for a while, I think I may have been jinxing myself and attracting negativity to me for some time.
I've been feeling helpless in the face of all of that. But, I should know better. After all, I am a witch, or what?? I mean I've spent years learning magick, ritual and communion with the Gods and Goddesses. Like all learned witches, I can walk between worlds yet here I am feeling sorry for myself and like I have no power. Also, like all people, I have talents and gifts many of them when I stop and think about it. Unfortunately, I haven't been using them all. And the ones I choose to use have been negatively affected by my anxiety and response to stress.
It's time I remembered that I have power and stop dreading the day when I wake up in the morning. I need to start waking up like I used to: excited because with a new day I had another chance to make my life better and pursue both happiness and my dreams. Sure that was easier when I had less baggage, fewer regrets and the endless energy of a teenager. But I have had many positive things come to me in the years between now and then. I am have much more wisdom now than I did then. Sure I was a real go-getter in my teens. A real "go-get-myself-in-trouble-leaping-before-I-look" kind of person. I'm better off now and I need to remember that.
So with all of that in mind, I'm going to bed now (I'll post this later) and in the morning when I wake up I'm going to remember that every new day is a gift, a chance and an opportunity.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Easy Ways to Volunteer your time
The following piece will be useful to people of all religions. However it will help Pagans tremendously since many sects of Paganism promote volunteer work. I've compiled some ways to fit volunteer work into hectic lifes.
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Many of us view the changes happening in our environment and society with dismay. We realize that our society and environment is quickly becoming toxic in both physical and metaphorical ways. We often wish that there was some way we could help but find it difficult to volunteer our time to society and our environment because our schedules are already frighteningly tight.
It is a shame that many of us can not find the time to volunteer because in addition to benefiting our society and environment, volunteer work of any kind has advantages for the person donating their time. Volunteer work is excellent on resumes and college applications, and is an excellent way to gain job experience, network and learn new skills.
Adults are not alone in benefiting from volunteering their time; it is an especially positive experience for children. It instills good values such as empathy and altruism and also teaches a child that not everyone is fortunate enough to have everything that they need.
The general image that comes to mind when we think of volunteer work is a good Samaritan handing out soup to homeless people at a soup kitchen in a bad part of town. However, there are thousand of ways to donate your time and even money in creative ways that are easy to fit into a packed schedule that can positively affect both our society and our environment.
Here is a list of easy ways that a person can help make the world a better place. This is by no means a comprehensive list. I urge everyone to take a moment to research additional ways to help; it is nearly impossible not to find at a least a few ways to help out that will work for you. If you pass some of these tips on to others you'll greatly add to the impact.
1. Clean up a park or playgroundThis one is really easy because it does not require any scheduling and the only requirements are decent weather and a trash bag. This is also a good activity for children too since it teaches them not to litter. They can also then play in the park as a reward for their labor. If you visit parks or playgrounds often an easy way to always be prepared for this opportunity is to simply keep a few trash bags in the trunk of your car and make a habit out of cleaning up while you are there.
2. Help older neighbors.This one is a small task also, though it is a repeated one. Many older people are in need of help with things like shoveling snow from their walkways. If you have a teenager that you can delegate the task to, it becomes even easier! All joking aside, this one isn't as simple as throwing away some litter at the park but its importance is more than correspondingly larger. It seems that not a winter goes by that I do not hear of an elderly person that suffered a heart attack while shoveling snow or slipped on a snowy walkway.
Even if you are not in shape to shovel snow you can still help out considerably. Many elderly people simply need someone to check in on them occasionally. Sometimes when a person lives to an extended age they have few relations left in this world, and no one to help them when they become sick or injured.
I often read of situations where elderly persons were hurt or became ill and were literally stranded in their home for days before a neighbor realized something was wrong and came to investigate. You could be that neighbor...have you knocked on your elderly neighbors' door lately to see how he or she is fairing? It only takes a few minutes to find out if he/she needs you to pick up a prescription for him/her or just check on their welfare.
3. Provide web support for a good cause.If you have skill with the internet, word processing, or web design your skills are needed by many charitable and community friendly agencies. Many of these organizations need web support to help advertise their efforts and often they simply need people to help answer email requests for information. If you know of any group that is undertaking a community friendly effort that you support and you possess any of these skills make an offer of your time. These activities can generally be done from home with very flexible scheduling making it easy for you to squeeze in time to help.
4. Craft items for needy people.Do you know how to knit, crochet, or sew? If you possess these skills you can make blankets, scarves, and clothing for needy people. You could also craft baby rattles, dolls, or other small toys for needy children. Nearly every domestic violence and homeless shelter has a location where you can drop off donated items. Children in these situations are particularly comforted by items like blankets, toys and loveys as many of them arrive in the shelter with nothing but their clothes.
Pregnant women find themselves in these situations too; the number one cause of death for pregnant women is homicide so quite a few are in domestic violence shelters. Many enter the shelter with nothing for their coming arrival and could use baby clothes, blankets, booties, etc. Your gift could sincerely make a difference. Call your local shelters to find out if they accept donations of this type and where there drop off area is located, you could also ask them what kinds of items they particularly need. You can also increase the impact of this activity by passing along information about it to your friends.
5. Eliminate the tree killing, mailbox invading nuisance that is junk mail.Well, not completely eliminate it but at least reduce it by roughly 75%. This one is convenient as well as easy since the average person finds the seemingly never ending stream of junk mail they receive to be maddening. Junk mail is hell on the environment as well as on your nerves. The paper used for one person's unwanted junk mail for one year is roughly equal to one and a half trees. For a person who lives to be 78 that starts receiving junk mail at 18 that is the equivalent of 90 trees!
You do not have to be a tree hugging hippy to think it insane that 90 trees are sacrificed in the effort to bombard one person with unsolicited ads that they mostly have no use for. So write to the address below, reduce the senseless ad driven tree slaughter and contribute to your home's future decrease in clutter all in one fell swoop.
Most direct marketers use mailing lists that they get from the Direct Marketing Association. Write to them and simply ask them to remove your name and contact information from their list. This will reduce your junk mail on average 75% the equivalent of 66 trees saved over the course of a life time. Here is their address: DMA Mail Preference Service P.O. Box 643 Carmel, NY 10512. Do this for everyone in your household to multiply the impact.
6. Conserve resources and be thrifty.There are numerous simple ways to conserve resources that add up over time. This conservation is not only earth friendly but will save you money. Simple efforts like turning the water off while you brush your teeth, recycling, buying in bulk to save money and cut down on packaging, are all examples of easy ways that you can conserve. Being thrifty also helps you save money while conserving resources.
Look around in your basement, attic, garage, or storage shed for items that you can put back to general use in your home instead of buying new items. You could also see if you have any items that you can donate to charity or offer on Freecycle. Freecycle is a service that uses the internet to host email lists where members can post "wanted" messages for items they need or "offer" messages for items they no longer need and are willing to give away.
Shopping for clothing and other items at thrift stores is also an excellent way to save money while benefiting a good cause as most thrift stores are run for the benefit of organizations like the Salvation Army, and many veterans groups.
7. Put your money where your mouth is - buy and invest green.You can have a large impact on the environment by changing your buying preferences. Buy recycled items and be loyal to companies that ban animal testing or promote philanthropic endeavors. Boycott companies that do animal testing or otherwise harm the environment and let them know that they are losing a customer because of their practices.
Buying organic is very helpful to the environment since the majority of pesticides used on non-organic materials run off in to the ground water. Organic products can be found in many areas now including food, beauty products, and even high fashion. In our capitalistic society money often talks and if you demand environmentally friendly products businesses will respond to the earth friendly need that you are creating.
Looking to diversify your investment portfolio, then think about investing green by investing your money in environment friendly alternative energy development. In addition to being earth friendly this kind of investment, when properly planned, is an excellent choice due to the worlds growing determination to develop renewable and clean energy sources. Even some of the big oil companies like BP and Shell are spending a substantial amount of money developing alternative energy sources.
8. Put your workplace to work. Consider suggesting to your supervisor or Human Resources department that the company start a volunteer program that could organize employee volunteer opportunities and perhaps even allow employees limited time off from work to complete approved volunteer work. If you have the time, offer to help implement the program by generating flyers or finding volunteer opportunities for employees to take part in. Make sure to stress the benefits of corporate philanthropy such as good advertising, positive PR, and increased employee morale.
Some of these activities require very little time and do not require your attention on an ongoing basis. The other opportunities will require a little attention and renewed effort over time but can be done in small chunks when you can fit them in to your schedule making it easier for your to help make the world a better place. People often feel powerless when it comes to changing the world because they do not realize that the battle is primarily fought with the little things; all the small acts of good we complete do add up.
Very few of us are put to a choice or given a moment in time so pivotal and important that we can declare our allegiance to right or wrong and do more good than all the harm we have caused in our lives in one amazing act. The real superheros are the ones that keep on grinding it out day by day doing what they can to help whenever they are able to.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Many of us view the changes happening in our environment and society with dismay. We realize that our society and environment is quickly becoming toxic in both physical and metaphorical ways. We often wish that there was some way we could help but find it difficult to volunteer our time to society and our environment because our schedules are already frighteningly tight.
It is a shame that many of us can not find the time to volunteer because in addition to benefiting our society and environment, volunteer work of any kind has advantages for the person donating their time. Volunteer work is excellent on resumes and college applications, and is an excellent way to gain job experience, network and learn new skills.
Adults are not alone in benefiting from volunteering their time; it is an especially positive experience for children. It instills good values such as empathy and altruism and also teaches a child that not everyone is fortunate enough to have everything that they need.
The general image that comes to mind when we think of volunteer work is a good Samaritan handing out soup to homeless people at a soup kitchen in a bad part of town. However, there are thousand of ways to donate your time and even money in creative ways that are easy to fit into a packed schedule that can positively affect both our society and our environment.
Here is a list of easy ways that a person can help make the world a better place. This is by no means a comprehensive list. I urge everyone to take a moment to research additional ways to help; it is nearly impossible not to find at a least a few ways to help out that will work for you. If you pass some of these tips on to others you'll greatly add to the impact.
1. Clean up a park or playgroundThis one is really easy because it does not require any scheduling and the only requirements are decent weather and a trash bag. This is also a good activity for children too since it teaches them not to litter. They can also then play in the park as a reward for their labor. If you visit parks or playgrounds often an easy way to always be prepared for this opportunity is to simply keep a few trash bags in the trunk of your car and make a habit out of cleaning up while you are there.
2. Help older neighbors.This one is a small task also, though it is a repeated one. Many older people are in need of help with things like shoveling snow from their walkways. If you have a teenager that you can delegate the task to, it becomes even easier! All joking aside, this one isn't as simple as throwing away some litter at the park but its importance is more than correspondingly larger. It seems that not a winter goes by that I do not hear of an elderly person that suffered a heart attack while shoveling snow or slipped on a snowy walkway.
Even if you are not in shape to shovel snow you can still help out considerably. Many elderly people simply need someone to check in on them occasionally. Sometimes when a person lives to an extended age they have few relations left in this world, and no one to help them when they become sick or injured.
I often read of situations where elderly persons were hurt or became ill and were literally stranded in their home for days before a neighbor realized something was wrong and came to investigate. You could be that neighbor...have you knocked on your elderly neighbors' door lately to see how he or she is fairing? It only takes a few minutes to find out if he/she needs you to pick up a prescription for him/her or just check on their welfare.
3. Provide web support for a good cause.If you have skill with the internet, word processing, or web design your skills are needed by many charitable and community friendly agencies. Many of these organizations need web support to help advertise their efforts and often they simply need people to help answer email requests for information. If you know of any group that is undertaking a community friendly effort that you support and you possess any of these skills make an offer of your time. These activities can generally be done from home with very flexible scheduling making it easy for you to squeeze in time to help.
4. Craft items for needy people.Do you know how to knit, crochet, or sew? If you possess these skills you can make blankets, scarves, and clothing for needy people. You could also craft baby rattles, dolls, or other small toys for needy children. Nearly every domestic violence and homeless shelter has a location where you can drop off donated items. Children in these situations are particularly comforted by items like blankets, toys and loveys as many of them arrive in the shelter with nothing but their clothes.
Pregnant women find themselves in these situations too; the number one cause of death for pregnant women is homicide so quite a few are in domestic violence shelters. Many enter the shelter with nothing for their coming arrival and could use baby clothes, blankets, booties, etc. Your gift could sincerely make a difference. Call your local shelters to find out if they accept donations of this type and where there drop off area is located, you could also ask them what kinds of items they particularly need. You can also increase the impact of this activity by passing along information about it to your friends.
5. Eliminate the tree killing, mailbox invading nuisance that is junk mail.Well, not completely eliminate it but at least reduce it by roughly 75%. This one is convenient as well as easy since the average person finds the seemingly never ending stream of junk mail they receive to be maddening. Junk mail is hell on the environment as well as on your nerves. The paper used for one person's unwanted junk mail for one year is roughly equal to one and a half trees. For a person who lives to be 78 that starts receiving junk mail at 18 that is the equivalent of 90 trees!
You do not have to be a tree hugging hippy to think it insane that 90 trees are sacrificed in the effort to bombard one person with unsolicited ads that they mostly have no use for. So write to the address below, reduce the senseless ad driven tree slaughter and contribute to your home's future decrease in clutter all in one fell swoop.
Most direct marketers use mailing lists that they get from the Direct Marketing Association. Write to them and simply ask them to remove your name and contact information from their list. This will reduce your junk mail on average 75% the equivalent of 66 trees saved over the course of a life time. Here is their address: DMA Mail Preference Service P.O. Box 643 Carmel, NY 10512. Do this for everyone in your household to multiply the impact.
6. Conserve resources and be thrifty.There are numerous simple ways to conserve resources that add up over time. This conservation is not only earth friendly but will save you money. Simple efforts like turning the water off while you brush your teeth, recycling, buying in bulk to save money and cut down on packaging, are all examples of easy ways that you can conserve. Being thrifty also helps you save money while conserving resources.
Look around in your basement, attic, garage, or storage shed for items that you can put back to general use in your home instead of buying new items. You could also see if you have any items that you can donate to charity or offer on Freecycle. Freecycle is a service that uses the internet to host email lists where members can post "wanted" messages for items they need or "offer" messages for items they no longer need and are willing to give away.
Shopping for clothing and other items at thrift stores is also an excellent way to save money while benefiting a good cause as most thrift stores are run for the benefit of organizations like the Salvation Army, and many veterans groups.
7. Put your money where your mouth is - buy and invest green.You can have a large impact on the environment by changing your buying preferences. Buy recycled items and be loyal to companies that ban animal testing or promote philanthropic endeavors. Boycott companies that do animal testing or otherwise harm the environment and let them know that they are losing a customer because of their practices.
Buying organic is very helpful to the environment since the majority of pesticides used on non-organic materials run off in to the ground water. Organic products can be found in many areas now including food, beauty products, and even high fashion. In our capitalistic society money often talks and if you demand environmentally friendly products businesses will respond to the earth friendly need that you are creating.
Looking to diversify your investment portfolio, then think about investing green by investing your money in environment friendly alternative energy development. In addition to being earth friendly this kind of investment, when properly planned, is an excellent choice due to the worlds growing determination to develop renewable and clean energy sources. Even some of the big oil companies like BP and Shell are spending a substantial amount of money developing alternative energy sources.
8. Put your workplace to work. Consider suggesting to your supervisor or Human Resources department that the company start a volunteer program that could organize employee volunteer opportunities and perhaps even allow employees limited time off from work to complete approved volunteer work. If you have the time, offer to help implement the program by generating flyers or finding volunteer opportunities for employees to take part in. Make sure to stress the benefits of corporate philanthropy such as good advertising, positive PR, and increased employee morale.
Some of these activities require very little time and do not require your attention on an ongoing basis. The other opportunities will require a little attention and renewed effort over time but can be done in small chunks when you can fit them in to your schedule making it easier for your to help make the world a better place. People often feel powerless when it comes to changing the world because they do not realize that the battle is primarily fought with the little things; all the small acts of good we complete do add up.
Very few of us are put to a choice or given a moment in time so pivotal and important that we can declare our allegiance to right or wrong and do more good than all the harm we have caused in our lives in one amazing act. The real superheros are the ones that keep on grinding it out day by day doing what they can to help whenever they are able to.
How to make Herbal Incense
This following piece will help a layperson learn to make their own natural and high quality herbal incense. While there are many incense blends suitable for ritual/spiritual purposes available commercially making your own preperations just adds that extra OOMPH! to spellwork. Enjoy!
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Making your own herbal incense requires time and effort but the results are well worth it.
Perhaps the most important benefit of making your own incense is the confidence you will have that it was made with natural ingredients; making your own herbal incense is also beneficial because you can make it to your exact specifications. It is also less expensive to make your own incense as oppossed to purchasing it.
To make herbal incense start by carefully researching the flowers, roots, oils or resins you want to use. Keep in mind that some plant matter and essential oils while normally safe can be poisonous when burned. So be very careful when choosing your herbs.
Once you have researched and decided what plant matter and oils you would like to use you can purchase them from a health food store or from an online supplier. Mountain Rose herbs is an excellent on-line company to purchase herbs and essential oils from.
After you have purchased your plant material you will need to grind it. You can use a mortar and pestle, food processor, or coffee grinder. Mortar and pestles work well for grinding resins but the process is much easier if you have a food processor or coffee grinder.
Grind each component seperately, taking care to process the material into a powder. I have found it that I save time by grinding extra of each component that I am using; I then store the extra material in a zip lock craft bag (any zip lock bag will do).
Many people find the grinding process to be enjoyable, but it can also be very tiring. It is possible to eliminate this step for some herbs such as lavender and rose since these are readily available in powder form. It generally costs more to purchase herbal powder, but it does save time so do not feel that you must exhaust yourself grinding the material. Resins (such as frankincense and myrrh) and roots (such as comfrey) are more difficult to grind than flowers, so it is also possible to base your recipe on the ease of preparing the materials.
Free incense recipes are available all over the internet, and many suppliers of herbs and essential oils include recipes on their websites as a service to their customers. Once you have finished grinding each ingredient all that is left is to mix them together in proper proportions according to the recipe you have chosen.
Make sure to stir thoroughly until all ingredients are nicely blended. After you have finished this step refer to your recipe to see what essential or fragrance oils you will need to add. Then add the oils, one drop at a time, stirring the mixture carefully between drops. Once you have finished adding the oils stir the mixture once more taking to make sure the mixture is uniformly blended.
Once you have finished blending your incense it is ready for storage or use. You can store the incense in small craft bags, or store in a small and pretty glass bottle. Glass bottles of hand made incense make lovely and thoughtful gifts. For a truly thoughtful gift try making some incense with the intended recipient's favorite flowers and scents. To burn the incense add a pinch of it to a lit charcoal disc. Charcoal discs are available from health food stores and on-line.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Making your own herbal incense requires time and effort but the results are well worth it.
Perhaps the most important benefit of making your own incense is the confidence you will have that it was made with natural ingredients; making your own herbal incense is also beneficial because you can make it to your exact specifications. It is also less expensive to make your own incense as oppossed to purchasing it.
To make herbal incense start by carefully researching the flowers, roots, oils or resins you want to use. Keep in mind that some plant matter and essential oils while normally safe can be poisonous when burned. So be very careful when choosing your herbs.
Once you have researched and decided what plant matter and oils you would like to use you can purchase them from a health food store or from an online supplier. Mountain Rose herbs is an excellent on-line company to purchase herbs and essential oils from.
After you have purchased your plant material you will need to grind it. You can use a mortar and pestle, food processor, or coffee grinder. Mortar and pestles work well for grinding resins but the process is much easier if you have a food processor or coffee grinder.
Grind each component seperately, taking care to process the material into a powder. I have found it that I save time by grinding extra of each component that I am using; I then store the extra material in a zip lock craft bag (any zip lock bag will do).
Many people find the grinding process to be enjoyable, but it can also be very tiring. It is possible to eliminate this step for some herbs such as lavender and rose since these are readily available in powder form. It generally costs more to purchase herbal powder, but it does save time so do not feel that you must exhaust yourself grinding the material. Resins (such as frankincense and myrrh) and roots (such as comfrey) are more difficult to grind than flowers, so it is also possible to base your recipe on the ease of preparing the materials.
Free incense recipes are available all over the internet, and many suppliers of herbs and essential oils include recipes on their websites as a service to their customers. Once you have finished grinding each ingredient all that is left is to mix them together in proper proportions according to the recipe you have chosen.
Make sure to stir thoroughly until all ingredients are nicely blended. After you have finished this step refer to your recipe to see what essential or fragrance oils you will need to add. Then add the oils, one drop at a time, stirring the mixture carefully between drops. Once you have finished adding the oils stir the mixture once more taking to make sure the mixture is uniformly blended.
Once you have finished blending your incense it is ready for storage or use. You can store the incense in small craft bags, or store in a small and pretty glass bottle. Glass bottles of hand made incense make lovely and thoughtful gifts. For a truly thoughtful gift try making some incense with the intended recipient's favorite flowers and scents. To burn the incense add a pinch of it to a lit charcoal disc. Charcoal discs are available from health food stores and on-line.
How to make an infusion
Making infusions is the most basic thing one can do to improve their life through aromatherapy and spiritual practices. The process is actually quite simple once one learns how to do it. Enjoy!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Making an infusion is a quite simple way to use floral and herbal essences for better living. All it requires is the plant matter of your choice (be sure to research the plant and ask your doctor about it before using it) and lukewarm to hot water.
Be sure to use the appropriate temperature of water for your chosen herb. All plant oils have a flash point, which is the temperature at which its essential oil vaporizes. If you are trying to make your kitchen smell good then adding flowers or herbs to boiling water is a good idea because the essential oils will vaporize and strongly scent the air.
Conversely if you are planning on using the infusion to add to bath water or hair rinse it is important to find the flash point for your chosen herb and avoid heating your infusion to that temperature.Once you have finished researching your chosen herb and have determined that it is the right one for your purpose and determined its flash point you're ready to begin.
Coarsely grind your herbs either with a mortar and pestle (useful for resins and roots), food processor, coffee bean grinder, or food chopper. Grinding the herbs first will allow the plants oils to infuse with the water better. Then pour the proper temperature water over the plant and allow to steep for appropriate time (make sure to make a note of suggested steeping times when researching the herb).
Its just like making tea, with the exception that you should cover the container you are steeping the infusion in, to keep more of the vapors in. After you have finished steeping, strain out the herb (depending on how much herb you are using a mesh tea ball can be very useful, eliminating the need to strain).
Keep in mind that infusions are perishable. I suggest adding vitamin E for preservation, and storing your infusion in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Also make sure that your work area and utensils are clean and sterilized, this will help you avoid contamination. You do not want to introduce any bacteria or mold spores that can ultimately spoil your infusion.
You can use your infusion for a variety of things. Floral infusions make excellent and sweet smelling hair detanglers. They can also be added to running bath water to impart a lovely fragrance while softening skin. You can also bottle the infusion in a mist sprayer bottle to make your own room and linen spray.
Perhaps best of all infusions make lovely and unique gifts. Try making an infusion with the intended recipient's favorite flowers to add a touch of thoughtfulness then store the infusion in a glass bottle with pretty ribbon tied around the neck.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Making an infusion is a quite simple way to use floral and herbal essences for better living. All it requires is the plant matter of your choice (be sure to research the plant and ask your doctor about it before using it) and lukewarm to hot water.
Be sure to use the appropriate temperature of water for your chosen herb. All plant oils have a flash point, which is the temperature at which its essential oil vaporizes. If you are trying to make your kitchen smell good then adding flowers or herbs to boiling water is a good idea because the essential oils will vaporize and strongly scent the air.
Conversely if you are planning on using the infusion to add to bath water or hair rinse it is important to find the flash point for your chosen herb and avoid heating your infusion to that temperature.Once you have finished researching your chosen herb and have determined that it is the right one for your purpose and determined its flash point you're ready to begin.
Coarsely grind your herbs either with a mortar and pestle (useful for resins and roots), food processor, coffee bean grinder, or food chopper. Grinding the herbs first will allow the plants oils to infuse with the water better. Then pour the proper temperature water over the plant and allow to steep for appropriate time (make sure to make a note of suggested steeping times when researching the herb).
Its just like making tea, with the exception that you should cover the container you are steeping the infusion in, to keep more of the vapors in. After you have finished steeping, strain out the herb (depending on how much herb you are using a mesh tea ball can be very useful, eliminating the need to strain).
Keep in mind that infusions are perishable. I suggest adding vitamin E for preservation, and storing your infusion in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Also make sure that your work area and utensils are clean and sterilized, this will help you avoid contamination. You do not want to introduce any bacteria or mold spores that can ultimately spoil your infusion.
You can use your infusion for a variety of things. Floral infusions make excellent and sweet smelling hair detanglers. They can also be added to running bath water to impart a lovely fragrance while softening skin. You can also bottle the infusion in a mist sprayer bottle to make your own room and linen spray.
Perhaps best of all infusions make lovely and unique gifts. Try making an infusion with the intended recipient's favorite flowers to add a touch of thoughtfulness then store the infusion in a glass bottle with pretty ribbon tied around the neck.
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