Crystal Working Terms

Hello all,

I've been reading up on Crystals lately and I was wanting to go a bit more in-depth in my studies other than just simply this stone in this color has this meaning. There are a ton of books out there about that, I recommend Judy Hall's books, she's awesome, but I needed to know more (there's the Raja yogi in me).

So I've been watching Hibiscus Moon on Youtube, and if you don't know Hibiscus Moon and are into stones and crystals at all you should check out her site and her vids! She's amazing.

In crystal articles and some videos certain terms started popping up for me (probably because I'm finally ready to learn more and eager to listen) - terms like "key" and "Isis face" and "record keepers." I kept hearing them come  up and finally decided to dig deeper into this crystal mine.

Thankfully, I didn't have to go too far as Hibiscus Moon has videos on all of these terms. I figured I'd share them here in case you too were wanting to learn more:

Record Keepers (I am now on the look out for some record keepers at my local shops)
And HERE is a video on how to Open and Close Records and how to use them from UnderWorldClassroom.

Keys (I have attracted a couple of these unknowingly and I love the feel of them on my fingers when meditating. I originally thought it was just a tactile relaxation thing but now I know better)

Lemurian Seeds (and the difference between seeds and star seed and pink lemurian)

Phantom Crystals (turns out I attract a lot of these randomly enough and didn't know it until I watched this video and looked at my crystals)

Rainbow Crystals (Plug into the energy and feel the rainbow)

Cathedral Lightbraries (and the crystal featured here is just beautiful! For those of you interested, you can commission HM to look for crystals for you and tell her the features you want, the type of crystal, and your price range and she will give you a hand.)

So there's a few vids for you all to answer some questions I was asking and you might be too.

Also, in my crystal research I took HM's recommendation and bought The Crystalline Transmission by Katrina Raphaell and the book is not for a light reader, I must say. This is a book that you might want to take in spurts or tuck up with some tea, a blanket and your favorite meditation quartz and read for a while when you won't be interrupted. There is A LOT of info in this book. I haven't finished it as I just bought it but I'll try and remember to post my reflections and what not later when I do finish.

Crystal Blessings
HW

Been Busy: A Picture Blog Post

 I've been super busy for the past while and thought I'd post a fun picture update.

Here is a protection and healing altar for my girlfriend. You can read about the healing and protection grid I did on my new website HERE

 This is a gift I was recently given by my dear Aunty Flanna who uses it for divination. This table has a specific style set up for it using the 4 elements as well as 4 aspects - Death or Change, Time, Chance, and Love. It was part of a Collection of  New Divination Tools from her.

 I've been using the table also to do my Wheel of the Year readings as there are 8 sections. It works perfect.

 My new Sekhmet Matron Deity Altar featuring 2 figurines that I received also from my Aunty Flanna.

 A healing altar for a dear friend of mine. It is still in place and if you would like to send love, light, reiki, prayers too it I would appreciate it.

 A travel altar for my girlfriend who is currently in the lower 48 to visit her godson and his family.

 Just a little glimpse at my library in my newest bookcase.

Some books on tarot and oracle decks.

Books of shadows.

I hope you've enjoyed this little glimpse at my life and what I've been up to.

Much love

HedgeWife

40 Enochian Questions

The Enochian Workbook by Gerald and Betty Schueler

Comes with 43 lessons and the lessons are split into 11 different sections:
Section 1: The history of Enochian Magic and the basic sources for all Enochian information
Section 2: The Angelic Alphabet: how the language is spoken and gematria methods
Section 3: The main terms and ideas of Enochian Magic such as Watchtowers and Aethyrs
Section 4: Magical weapons and how to make and use them
Section 5: Talismans and magic squares and how to make them
Section 6: Nine rituals of Enochian Magic and how to conduct them
Section 7: Two magical techniques of skyring: skrying using a crystal and skrying in the Spirit Vision
Section 8: Enochian Chess: history of the game, its purpose and how to play
Section 9: Enochian Tarot: description, several spreads for divination and new meditations
Section 10: Enochian Physics: the laws and models used to determine the laws behind how the magic works
Section 11: How to call on an Enochian Angel: a step-by-step method

I’ll probably share more about the tarot methods in later posts as I get to them.
Each section is followed by a collection of questions (answers are in the back to check with after finished). I thought it would be really fun to ask some of the questions here and see who can get them right!

40 Enochian Questions
1. How would you define magic?
2. List the primary differences between science and magic
3. List the three Laws of Magic
4. True or False: John Dee was an authority on mathematics, navigation, astronomy, optics, astrology, and natural magic.
5. True or False: the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn adopted the magical system developed by John Dee and Edward Kelly.
6. Who was the first person to visit all 30 Aethyrs?
7. What are the Cosmic Planes of Manifestation?
8. Name the 5 most important Tablets of Enochian Magic
9. True or False: The Mental Plan is the Watchtower of Air.
10. List at least four signposts for the Lesser Squares of Earth of Earth.
11. Name the planet that is associated with each of the four Watchtowers
12. True or False: Egyptian deities are only found in the Lesser Squares of the four Watchtowers
13. True or False: Demons are only found in the Lesser Squares of the four Watchtowers.
14. Who is the Egyptian Goddess of the Dog Star?
15. What is the name of the 10th Aethyr and why is this Aethyr so important?
16. Name the Angel who designed the Enochian magical ring.
17. What Egyptian deity governs Square N of OPNA in the subquadrant Earth of Earth?
18. What are the names of the 4 main Kerubic Angels of the Watchtower of Air?
19. What is the difference between a talisman and an amulet?
20. What is a Magical Dragon?
21. What Calls should be made to address the Angel PALAM in the subquadrant Water of Air?
22. What is the Call for the 29th Aethyr, RII?
23. What does the Sign of Rending the Veil signify?
24. What magical sign should you use when vibrating a name?
25. Why are signposts necessary when skrying the Watchtowers and Aethyrs?
26. Which subtle body corresponds to the Watchtower of Fire?
27. How many Governors are in TEX? What are their names?
28. What is the first Aethyr every student should enter first?
29. True or False: the Tarot deck is a powerful tool which is capable of harm if used in too light a manner.
30. How does the Enochian Tarot deck mirror the Magical Universe?
31. Each Cosmic Plan is divided into how many subplanes?
32. What is Fohat?
33. What is the First Enochian Axiom?
34. What is the first Ordeal of the Enochian Dragon?
35. True or False: It is easy to invoke Enochian Angels.
36. What are the Names of Power that are spoken during an invocation?
37. What are the names of the two Sephirothic Cross Angels of the Earth subquadrant of the Watchtower of Earth?
38. What is used to determine the sigil of a Watchtower Angel?
39. What color do you trace the invoking pentagram for an Earth Angel?
40. True or False: If an invocation is successful, an entity will appear before you and converse with you.

If you answer these questions and want to compare them with the answers in the book, just e-mail me the request at
Hedgewife (at) yahoo (dot) com
I’d be happy to give you the book answers and discuss them with you.

Lucky Mojo

For those of you interested in updates about my goings on...

I just ordered the book
Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic by Cat Yronwode
This, and reading her articles on Hoodoo in Theory and Practice are the first steps in taking her course on Hoodoo and Rootworking.

I've been wanting to take this course since I heard about it from my friend Edward 2...3 years ago. The homework is in depth, the articles well researched, and the spells...well...seem intense.
I look forward to learning more.

To see inside Cat Yronwode's Lucky Mojo, here is a great video I found online.






After calculating...
Not counting the book, which I purchase via E-bay,
It will cost me $104 for the course (plus $12 shipping, if I read the website correctly)
Plus, the required purchased form her shop will be $157.50 (this includes the shipping cost of $10 x 4 as the purchases must be bought over time).
Here's hoping I get a lot of readings >.<
lol

Hoodoo Blessings,

HedgeWife

What is a HedgeWife

I tried to explain this question when I first started my blog (Here) and I don’t think I did a very adequate job of it so I’m trying again.

I recently read a description in a book and in an article, not necessarily for a HedgeWife but for herbalists, green witches, kitchen witches, herb witches, and hedge riders that I felt more than explained my stance on this term.

The first is from Goth Craft by Raven Digitalis. I just received my copy of this book for Christmas and have been loving the photos and descriptions thus far. However, the description I most wanted to share with you all was that of a Green Witch:

Green Witchcraft, which is also called Wild Witchcraft or Seidhr in Teutonic, may be the form of the Craft truest to the sense of the word Witch. The words cunning man/woman, hedge Witch, and even kitchen Witch are associated with these earth-based practices. Countryside practitioners in days of old made use of the magickal and medicinal qualities of plants, herbs, stones, and other natural substances. Green Witches work to attune themselves to the cycles of nature, including astrological cycles, especially for purposes of gardening. They create potions, brews, and natural elixirs that heal and transform a person on many levels. The Green Witch crafts charms, amulets, and spells for a variety of purposes. The patterns of the earth are carefully mapped, and the influence of earth changes is recognized as affecting human consciousness both on a global and a personal level. Green Witches pay particular attention to the Sabbats and lunar cycles, and are aware of the environment and its effects on the spirit.

The biggest difference between Green Witches and modern Wiccans is that Green Witches use little formal ceremonialism in ritual. The focus is the earth, her tides and cycles, and has little to do with common forms of Western magickal practice. Many Green Witches are of Celtic leaning – drawn to practices directly from the lands of greenery! Green Witches work with the gods of the green earth, particularly those of harvest and fertility, and the ebb and flow of nature’s cycles. The primary deities of Celtic Green Witchery are the God and Goddess in their nature guises as the Horned God and the Earth Mother.

I felt like these two paragraphs from Goth Craft hit the nail on the head for numerous witches who follow a natural path – Hedge Witches and Herb Wives included. The focus on nature’s cycles and using herbs and plants for transformation are key points in natural witchery, especially my own.

The other two paragraphs I wanted to share are from an article I read in Plant Healer Annual by Rosemary Gladstar – a re-known herbalist that I look up to. She wrote That Night as I Lay Sleeping as a prelude of sorts to another article for United Plant Savers. I don’t think Gladstar had natural witches in mind as she wrote this but it resonated with me and I thought maybe it might touch your heart too, dear reader:

We are born again and again, renewed by the forces of life, each with our own eternal spark. There are those who are called fully into the service of the green unknowingly following a calling as ancient as life on earth. These are the caretakers, keepers of the green, watching over the gardens through millennia. And throughout time, when gardens are in danger, this energy is called home. The plants respond, animals respond, rocks and minerals respond, we respond.

Perhaps this is the real work of herbalists these days. Not to argue politics, create standards, or to set up regulatory boards for which we one day may be sorry, but rather to listen to the heartbeat of the plants, to seek to understand the medicine power that streams from its source, to share that with others and, ultimately, to restore the wild gardens ensuring the continuing integrity of the plant communities.

Wow. When I read this I literally felt my heart grow and energy vibrate in my chest. This is a truth that I simply had to share. This is the purpose of herbalists, hedge witches, green witches, herb wives and this very HedgeWife. Connecting with the earth in my lifetimes, helping the earth and others in my life even as I help my own soul in doing so.

I can only hope that even though I wasn’t able to explain in my own words, that I have finally explained the meaning of a HedgeWife with the words of these wonderful authors.

Green Blessings,

HedgeWife. 

Plant Healer Annual

I just received in the mail the copy of Plant Healer Annual and its companion copy of artwork that I won in a contest held by Herbal Roots Zine. I am probably more excited about this prize than I am about the books given to me for Christmas (which I will get to in another post). Why? I think editor Jesse Wolf Hardin explains the magazine as well as the reason I love it in a short paragraph from his opening article “Plant Healers: A Resurgence of the Grass Roots Spirit in Western Folk Herbalism”

“Finally we are not afraid to make Plant Healer an honest representation of our wild and varied community, just a bit edgy, containing in its garden folds not just backwoods hippie vibe but the dark humor of New York free clinic and intensity of San Francisco guerrilla herbalism, the controversial frontiers of new science and extreme depths of personal experience and resultant reflection, an aesthetic diversity that is not just typical ‘alternative’ but also radical chic and botany geek, cowgirl and punk. A magazine with attitude as well a magazine that cares.”

When I first started studying herbalism and my friends and family learned about it, I heard the words 'hippie' and 'tree-hugger' bandied about but was a little worried because if you could see me 8 years ago at age 16 when I first started getting into herbs and yoga, aromatherapy and the green movement, I most certainly did not fit the portrait of a hippie.

See here:

I was what most people refer to as a Goth or, in some lesser cases, a Punk or Emo-kid. I died my hair black and purple when I could, considered getting various piercings, and did until I realized I naturally rejected them, and dressed predominantly in black.

So I was worried that maybe herbalism wasn’t really my thing. No one could take some goth kid seriously when they were expecting some thin, ethereal, earthy, hippie toting valerian root and nettles. So I backed off. It wasn’t until college, when my allergies to all things artificial and paraben-filled got the better of me that I decided to move ahead with my desires to dig deep into the world of herbalism and natural healing.

That was when I found Plant Healer and people like Kiva Rose and Rosemary Gladstar, Rosalee dela Foret and Aviva Romm. I fell in love with this world they were writing about, doing seminars about, and even in youtube videos about. I decided, hey, maybe a goth kid really cold get into this.

So…I digress…back to the books

The Art of Plant Healer Magazine Vol. 1

I love this book of art but I think my husband loves it even more. He and I poured over the artwork, pointing out our favorites and even a few that we would love to have as posters in our home.

The ones that we agreed on that we loved the most are the cover art, “Mother of the Tree” and a picture of a woman on a three-eyed horse called “In the Garden by Madeline von Foester as well as the poster in the Diversity in Herbalism series that says “I Shit You Not…not every Herbalist is a Hippie…by any stretch” with a picture of a very attractive tattooed chick. The last one, for obvious reasons, is a poster I would have hanging in the room my family and I have set aside just for my herbalism stuff and small library.

Plant Healer Annual Vol. 1

This book is HUGE! I mean it! HUGE! For only being four issues of Plant Healer in here, it’s HUGE!

I’ve been lugging this book around with me all day, reading and re-reading articles, making notes and I’m not even through the first segment!

There are articles from Rosemary Gladstar, Paul Bergner, Darcey Blue French, and so many more. I am very excited to be reading articles by some of my favorite experts in the field. It’s so inspiring to read these recipes and stories, adventures and lessons. I soak it all up like a sponge and go on a search for more.

Not only have I found inspiration for my herbalism studies in this book but also in other areas of my life including my studies in witchcraft and activism in the polyamory movement (even though there isn't an article about either of these things in the book). 

I guess I just want to end off this little blog post with a big Huge THANK YOU to Plant Healer Annual and Herbal Roots Ezine for all this inspiration. It’s such a blessing!

Love and Light,

HedgeWife

More Magical Hyssop

If you’ve been following my Basic Magical Herbs course posts, you’ll have already read a little about Hyssop in Lesson 3. Here is some information on this fabulous herb from one of my favorite authors:

Hyssop: Nature’s Medicinal Storeroom by Susan Pesznecker in Llewellyn’s 2013 Herbal Almanac

“Hyssop (pronounced HIH-supp)…A member of the mint family, hyssop has a wide range of medicinal uses and is particularly good for winter colds and flu as well as being a potent immune stimulant.”

“Hyssop has a wide range of uses in medicinal herbalism. In ancient times, it was regarded as a general use herb that could treat or cure almost anything.”

The camphor in hyssop helps to “dilate the bronchial tree, easing breathing” while the terpene marrubin “is known to be a strong expectorant…Topically, hyssop infusions are both cleaning and stimulating, making them good for treating circulatory problems, infections, and fatigued muscles and joints…The antiseptic volatile oils in hyssop make the infusions useful in treating simple wounds and wound infections. A strong hyssop infusion also makes a relaxing, restorative bath.” (See more on herbal baths here)

“Taken orally, a hyssop infusion promots calm and relaxation and has generally sedative properties. It aids treatment of lung infections by opening the airways, stimulating mucus formation, and stimulating expectoration.”

 “[Hyssop’s] name translates with almost no change from the ancient Greek, and hyssop is mentioned in the Christian Bible (which identifies it as an herb used in cleansing holy places) and in the works and writings of many ancient and medieval herbalists including Hippocrates, Dioscordes and Galen.
“Hippocrates mentioned hyssop to treat pleurisy and lung congestion, and both Dioscorides and Galen likewise recorded its use for asthma and a number of other respiratory conditions.”
“From the ancient Greeks to medieval folk practitioners, hyssop was regarded as an ideal herb for purification, protection, and cleansing.”

Magical uses include:

• Being hung in bunches for protection against the evil eye
• Being used for smudging
• The Catholics of today use hyssop in the aspergillum to purify with holy water

In cooking and beverage:

• The ancient Romans used hyssop in an intoxicating and fragrant wine
• It is one of the main herbal constituents of Absinthe
• Medieval folks used it to preserve meat (or just hide the smell of slow spoilage)

More Metaphysical Hawthorn

Not too long ago, I eagerly posted information about the metaphysical uses of Hawthorn and how beneficial this plant is. I wasn't able to add the information from the article I read that actually inspired me to use hawthorn but, while packing, I found the book the article is in and I wanted to share some of the information in it with you all.
To read my original post on Hawthorn, please go HERE.

Four Roses: Tree Medicine from the Rose Family by Darcey Blue French in Llewellyn’s 2013 Herbal Almanac

Hawthorn is listed as having cooling, drying, sweet, sour, and astringent energetics as well as stimulant, relaxant, antioxidant, tonic, nutritive, nervine, and cadiac actions.

“Hawthorn is most famous for its use as a heart tonic, addressing both the physical and emotional heart. Hawthorn is a nourishing food and medicine and is generally considered very safe. The fruits are rich in bioflavonoids, vitamins and minerals that nourish the blood and the heart by protecting from free radicals and oxidative damage. Hawthorn has been used traditionally for as a tonic for weak hearts, congenital defects, and general cardiovascular health…hawthorn is a beautiful ally to help protect the heart.”

French feels comfortable recommending hawthorn to people on other heart medications excluding blood thinners with the recommendation that these same people monitor their heart health regularly, especially hawthorn can decrease the need for medications.

“It Is important to remember that hawthorn is tonic and astringent and generally appropriate for folks who lack tone in the cardiovascular system. This may manifest as a weak heart, either energetically or physically. One may be pale, easily winded, or have poor circulation to the external parts of the body, because the tissues are flaccid and weak. Astringent tonics help to tighten, tone, and strengthen such tissues to improve circulation.

Hawthorn is a remarkable ally for what the Chinese call ‘disturbed shen.’ Shen is the word used for spirit, the spirit that resides in the heart and makes up our mental/emotional/spiritual state of mind. We understand this in the West when we speak up heartsickness or heartbreak. What we feel with our hearts can result in a strong physical sensation in that area, such as ache, palpitations, emptiness, and pressure.”

French lists Hawthorn as a remedy for such disturbed shen conditions as “anxiety, restlessness, nightmares, dreaminess/fantasy, insomnia, heartsickness or heartache, fear, panic, or trauma/PTSD.”

“Hawthorn is a powerful ally to anyone suffering in a situation where their heart needs extra protection emotionally and spiritually. This calming nervine brings the heart and spirit back into alignment; improves circulation of blood, oxygen, and life force; and restores balance and strength to the spirit and heart.”

An Air Ritual - Polyamory Communication Invocation

I recently received a fantastic book - Pagan Polyamory: Becoming a Tribe of Hearts by Raven Kaldera
and I wanted to share a wonderful ritual within that uses the powers of Air and an Air invocation that really resonated with me. I also wanted to share it as I recently wrote about Air as the first of the Airts in my First Degree learning (which you can read about Air and its Correspondences HERE).

Communication Invocation

(I wanted to say that before the ritual, Kaldera explains the importance of a group breathing exercise in which everyone sits in a circle and breaths deeply until all are in unison)

"The center space is laid with a fan, a knife, and a talking stick. First, all share in a breathing exercise together. Then the first individual speaks:
Hail, powers of air!
You are the breath in our bodies,
the same breath shared by each of us, 
without which there can be no life.
We come before you strong in our knowledge
that we are on the same side together,
that we are bound by love and are not enemies,
that the happiness of one is the key to the happiness of all.
Breath in and know that this is true.
Hear us, powers of air!

The second speaker takes up the fan and gently fans the next person in the circle. The second person takes the fan and fans the next individual, and so it is passed until everyone has received the gift of wind. While this is going on, the second speaker says:
Hail, powers of air!
You are the wind of change
that blow through our minds.
We come before you open to changing
if that is what is necessary
to keep a balance strong between us.
We will not fear change,
even when it is less than comfortable,
for you are the power of the rising sun,
the glory of dawn,
and all new beginnings.
Hear us, powers of air!

The third speaker takes up the knife between their two hands and presses it reverently to their third eye, and then passes it on. Each in turn repeats the gesture, while the third speaker says:
Hail, powers of air!
You are the knife's edge
separating one thing from another,
untangling the threads of our knotted feelings. 
We come before you ready to feel your edge,
even when it cuts deep,
for the sharp glance of another may see
what we have hidden from ourselves.
And yet, we promise not to abuse that edge,
nor to slash carelessly at each others' souls,
so that every cur made is the sugeon's scalpel,
taken into the service of healing
rather than destruction.
Hear us, powers of air!

Then the fourth speaker picks up the talking stick and says:
Hail, powers of air!
You are the power of words, 
the song of meaning,
the stream of communication,
the many stories of language,
we swear to try our best
to learn each others' language,
that understanding may always flow between us.
Gift us with the knowledge of the perfect word,
the perfect phrase, the right thing
that will resolve each argument
and yet not stifle the flow of feeling
from whence it sprang.
Hear us, powers of air!

The fourth speaker then says:
I come to this circle to speak only truth,
Holding forth only hope,
seeing only friends,
and giving each their say.

Each person, as they take the talking stick should repeat this short verse. The discussion can now commence in whatever order the polyamorous family prefers."

If you've read my article on air correspondences and are like me and always feel that herbs and such can give a ritual a boost, you might consider cleansing the space before the group gathers, lighting incense, or sharing an herbal infusion using the herbs and scents that correspond with Air.

Blessed Be,
HedgeWife

Charity

So many people give to charities during the holidays. Whether its food for the hungry, toys for children in orphanages or foster homes or money to organizations that give relief to many, this is the time of year when people feel the most giving. 

I tend to be wary of many organizations and charities. There have been so many that have been exposed for using the money for selfish reasons or giving false information to those that are kind enough to donate. 

When I do give to charities, I try and give something other than money. Books, toys, clothes, and more are welcome to many and there isn't much of a chance a ceo of a charitable organization is going to make off with a thousand teddy bears as he is a thousand dollars. 

A Charity I am promoting this year...

Witch School/The Correllian Tradition is creating a Pagan Interfaith Library in South Africa. They are requesting books on all faiths and paths as well as divination tools to be sent to Florida where they will then be shipped to South Africa on April, 2013. I think this is a fantastic charity and one that pagans of all paths can get behind with pride. 

As of Dec. 8, 2012 there have been 121 books collected!

Plant Healer Giveaway

Herbal Roots Zine is doing another giveaway. Sign up today and be entered in a drawing to win Plant Healer Annual, announced December 10, 2012.

 the First Plant Healer Annual and the Art of Plant Healer Magazine!

Contributors to Plant Healer Annual include many of the leading voices in folk herbalism and wildcrafting, such as Paul Bergner, Matthew Wood, Aviva Romm, Kiva Rose, Phyllis Light, Samuel Thayer, 7Song, Rosemary Gladstar, Susun Weed, Jim McDonald, Kristine Brown, Virginia Adi, Todd Caldecott, Sean Donahue, John Gallagher, Rosalee de la Forêt, Robin Rose Bennett, Ananda Wilson, Christa Sinadinos, Margi Flint, Katja Swift, Dale Bellisfield, Susan Belsinger, Jane Valencia and Henriette Kress.

Sounds like a great Holiday Gift to me ^_^

The Metaphysical Properties of Hawthorn

According to Scott Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs:

“Hawthorn was once used to decorate May poles. At once time Hawthorns were believed to be Witches who had transformed themselves into trees. Witches have long danced and performed their rites beneath the thorn.”

He goes on to say:

“Hawthorn has long been used to increase fertility. Because of this power it is incorporated into weddings, especially those performed in the spring.

‘The leaves, curiously enough, are also used to enforce or maintain chastity or celibacy. The leaves are placed beneath the mattress or around the bedroom for this purpose…worn or carried it promotes happiness in the troubled, depressed, or sad.

‘The Romans places hawthorn in cradles to guard the child from evil spells.

‘In the past most Witch’s gardens contained at least one hawthorn hedge.”

In reference to fairies, Cunningham states:

“The hawthorn is sacred to the fairies, and is part of the tree fairy triad of Britain: ‘Oak, Ash and Thorn,’ and where all three trees grow together it is said that one may see fairies.”

In Llewellyn’s 2013 Herbal Almanac, Darcy Blue French writes of Hawthorn in her article “Four Roses: Tree Medicine from the Rose Family.”

“Hawthorn is a wonderful remedy…It will soothe and calm the spirit.” She describes it as aiding those who have asthma attacks, suffer from panic or fear or who have a dream quality and a “tendency to get lost in ‘other worlds’ or appear to be ‘taken  by the Faerie.’”

Ann Moura, in Green Magic: the sacred connection to nature, says of Hawthorn in her correspondences section:

Hawthorn – Protection, Witchcraft power, Otherworld, Beltane, ward negativity, attract Faeries.

She later associates Hawthorn with Creativity, Crone, Dark Moon, Death-Passages, Hunter, Lunar Eclipses, Solar Eclipses, Transitions-Rebirth, Underworld, Purity, Saturday.

Biggest Loser

My day job in a locally owned business isn't as interesting as my dream job as a Hedge Wife but it pays and I will be talking about it periodically on here.
Something that is rumored in the workplace to be coming up soon is a Biggest Loser contest amongst the co-workers. The holiday season is coming up, which means fatty, sugary treats and weight gain for most people. The rumor is, that the competition will start at the end of this month, which is causing some grumbling among my fellow employees.
I take it as an opportunity to keep myself accountable to the healthy eating principles I've adopt throughout my studies in the last year an a half/two years.

To get myself, and maybe some of the coworkers in the right mindset, I've collected a few weight-loss articles and also recommending a few books.

Marc David wrote a really amazing book called The Slow Down Diet that promotes de-stressing your diet and good health will follow. He wrote this article, Losing Weight: 4 Things That Work & 4 Things That Dont on the Institute for the Psychology of Eating website.

Along the same lines of not stressing about the diet and enjoying life as well as food, Kevin Gianni, author of High Raw, wrote this great article about an Unhealthy Meal...and it's not what you might think. (High Raw is one of my all time favorite books btw. It is what encouraged me to get moving on my dreams to become an herbalist and head towards my life goals). Also see his article on emotional eating, which includes an audio interview with Jon and Kevin's thought's afterwards.

Mark Sisson, author of the Primal Blueprint, is ending his 21 day transformation challenge right now with a contest for You (and me lol) to vote on our favorite Primal recipe video. The recipes, plus the free e-books available on his website, are very helpful for anyone who wants to try something new in their dietary experiments. The Primal Blueprint is my husband's favorite idea when it comes to diets and lifestyles. (we're both very into individualization when it comes to eating and usually prefer concepts and ideas over protocols and rulebooks but more on that later).

That's a lot of information for one little blog post. More to come, I promise.

Herbal Give-a-way

Herbal Roots Zine is doing a give-a-way of a Prunella and Golden Birch elixir and Kiva Rose and Jesse Wolf Hardin's book I'm a Medicine Woman, Too!

The Elixir is multipurpose for inflammation and pain relief. "A dropperful can assist with overtaxed muscles sore from physical activity, tension headaches, and even the burning and discomfort associated with mild to moderate urinary tract infections. This combination is also especially useful when there are signs of excess liver heat and tension, including temper fits/outbursts of anger, a red tipped tongue, rapid pulse, frontal headache, bloodshot eyes, and bloating with a band of pain across the top of the abdomen."

The book was inspired by Kiva Rose's daughter Rhiannon and is a children's book to inspire young people to be interested in the healing herbs around them. Also included in the book is the Name That Herb game!

See more about the give a way at the Herb Roots Zine update!