Green Man: Welcoming the Green Man Post

For many of us who come to the Pagan Path, we are refugees of the Abrahamic faiths; & because of this many of us go years before we are willing to work with the raw energy that is the God.

Sometimes He comes looking for us, and sometimes, we find Him when we really aren't seeking, or know what it is we are seeking.  His energy is different from the Goddess, and just as essential to the turning of the wheel.  

Green man in Rosslyn Chapel

One of the oldest depictions is the Green Man, this universal face, can be seen hanging out in the eaves of many a church in Europe, and Asia.  No one knows exactly how old the concept of the Green Man is but, he seems to be depicted in many different cultures and artwork. Our most current concept of the God is mostly from the Middle Ages, and their many depictions within the newly constructed Christian houses of worship.

The God, has begun to make a massive return in the last few decades (at least in my experience). In some cultures the Green Man in his many guises has never left, in the British isle, He can be seen at May Day festivities as Jack-in-the-Green, or Jack-in the Bush, in the guise of a mummer dressed in green leaves and fresh boughs. He can also be seen throughout Europe in many of the old architecture, especially in the houses of worship. He can be seen depicted as well in many of the newer statues throughout Europe dedicated to him.

In his book 'The Green Man' by John Matthews, he gives many ways in which to seek the Green Man and celebrate him. I will share with you the ones I have used, and the ones which have made the greatest impact for me. Much like the Goddess, the God also has many aspects to himself, according to Matthews, the aspect of Spring is "Robin Hood, the Guardian of the Forest".

Green Man dancing 

on the May-blossomed Earth

Sings a small song

of the joy of being

"I am the centre, 

I reside not in stone,

but in grass, in leaves

behind which smiling 

I keep my council"

In my home, hanging always in my room is the small Green Man which came with the package, He is always on the altar whenever I set it up. He watches over the house from his advantage of the front wall and acts as a barrier to the rest of the home.

This statue seems happiest when He is near plants, especially if He is resting in the plants, my bamboo plant seemed to have great difficulty (which it shouldn't it''s like a cactus, you really can't go wrong) growing, I changed the vase it was in, I moved it so that it could be nourished by the light coming into the room, which happened to be closer to the God, it flourished I moved it where it got better light and even though it did well, it didn't do as well as it did before I moved it right on back. (the fae thanked me and my bamboo grew like crazy).

You can do the same as every home has that one spot that no matter how black your thumb, you seem to be able to keep the plants in this spot alive, you can place the God or a symbol of him there, You can also create a sacred space on your altar just for Him, try to use local plants and flora to decorate his space, and help make it more magical use plants that are living not fresh cut.

I also have images of the green man which are made from ceramics which sit outside in the garden during the spring, summer and late fall. Even if you only have a small space, then make the most of it, by placing a small figure of the green man or something you have made there along with your plants and you will notice them flourishing.

According to the Fairy Ring tarot, the other aspect  of Spring, which John also referenced, is the Woodwose, which also where the Green Man stems from, one of the early images is from 1250 in Norway from a piece called the King's Mirror.(image above).

The Woodwose is the raw primal energy of the forest., sometimes called a wildman or a woodwouse. They are powerful spirits who hide from human contact, their basic appearance is naked, with long shaggy beards, & hair,& they normally don't speak.

Within the Celtic myths their are several Woodwose, including the High King of Ulster who was driven mad, and he roamed the forest as a wild man, "The Madness of Sweeney" if we look to the Arthurian legends, Merlin at one point became a woodwose, after losing a battle.

"The Welsh told a similar story about Myrddin Wyllt, the origin of the Merlin of later romance. In these stories Myrddin is a warrior in the service of King Gwenddoleu ap Ceidio at the time of theBattle of Arfderydd. When his lord is killed at the battle, Myrddin takes to the Caledonian Forest in a fit of madness which bestows him with the ability to compose prophetic poetry; a number of later prophetic poems are attributed to him."

Much like the shaman of many cultures, Merlin was able to gain powers by returning to the forest and secluding himself for a time from the regular society. to see the Woodwose, is a call to embrace the wildness of your own spirit, to harness it for change.  It's a desire to leave behind the known and seek out the unknown. He is gust of fresh air, and indicates the rejection of established values (which may not be your own values) and the optimism of a life overturned. Changes are coming embrace them.

You can also check out John Matthews other books "The Quest for the Green Man" which has several different ways in which you can incorporate the Green man into your life.
Enjoy dancing to pipe songs of the Green Man
Be Blessed

Oh to be a Bard

I come from a long line of story tellers, when I was younger, I would be left with my Great Grandmother, who always without fail even when we seemed to have ‘surprised’ her, (she was never surprised, can’t surprise a woman who has deeper connections than can be described) had candy in her pocket (just the one you loved too) and a story to tell. If she had stopped a story when you left she picked right back up as if no time had passed. My Great Grandmother's mother was a house slave who 'educated' the Masters children. Most of the Jamaican slaves are excellent storytellers as this was the way to pass on important information as well as keep the history of the family going.

My aunt is the family historian and can tell you without looking at anything the entire female line of her mothers side then do the same for her father's side of the family. She knows all the marriages, names and deaths of most of the family. I have been recently encouraging her to write them down. many of our family members are fourtunatley buried in the same church plot.  

When I used to go to my dad's farm in the country, he used to share many of the traditional Jamaican stories about Broda Nancy (Brother Anazi) which where tales passed down to him from his Grandmother.

Many of the traditional tales speak of morals, and explain how the sky became the sky, why cat's and dogs don't get along. And they all stem from this one little Spider named Anazi. It's only later in life that I learned that the beloved character was actually a God from the coast of West Africa (where most of the Jamaican slaves came from), this wonderful Spider God was a trickster God who taught many valuable lessons. 

My love of turning a great tale comes from those moments of sitting beside my Great Grandmother, or listening to my dad's baritone mimic the voices of the different characters in the story.

In all the Jamaican tales, we start & end the story with:

" a so mi pick it up as so mi puti down" 

Which basically means this is how you learned the story, you didn't change it, and you passed it on the same way you received it.  This is to make sure the true meaning of the tale gets passed on, and the whole story of Broda Nancy gets passed on and learned by a new generation.

Recently in my studies amd decision to continue on the Druid path, I subscribed to the lessons from the Order of Bards Ovate and Druids. they sent me package of tales to learn. I thought it very fitting considering Druids were required to learn over 1000 tales, and know the cures for 100s of diseases. 

In the most ordered lesson plans, one starts as a bard, learns all the lessons of creating poems, how to tell tales, and learn all the mythology of the people; the next step is the ovate, who knows all the herbs, and the lore behind each herb, then finally advances to druid where all the lessons culminate and allow you to be an excellent druid.
Each phase or stage lasts for seven years, which is light considering in the olden days one would start as a child and only reach druid in their elder years. There are even tales of druids planting their trees as children and gaining their first wand after the tree has matured a certain number of years.  

When I received the packet, I placed it aside for a while and recently came back to it and realized even though I love the Celtic mythology and already know most of it, there is still much I didn't know.  I want to learn it, but I also don't want to lose my heritage, so I am blending the two, both the Bard and the history of my people is an Oral history, a language of tales told from one to the other.  There is something grand about being the one who can turn a phrase and invocate a certain emotion as you tell a tale. 

I can't wait to be able to share with my own children and grandchildren the tales of my youth and the many various tales of the Celtic Gods of my ancestors.

Yes it will be grand to be a Bard.
Year one of seven begins
I will be sharing as many of the tales that I can with you, these will be on Thursday, so if you are looking for tales to share with your kids, that would be the day to stop by and check them out.

Of course if you have any tales to share please let me know and I will swing by your blog as well.

Be Blessed

Updates and Progress

Hi my loves,
ohhh how I have missed you. It's March and already the month is almost over, and still I haven't had time to really sit down and do a proper post. i miss typing up a post and finding images to go with it, I miss seeing comments from those with similar outlooks and similar situations. I plain miss blogging (never thought I would say that). This is better than plain journaling, this helps you let go of your feelings and discover your not alone in them.

I have seen so many good posts from my phone (but for some reason am not able to post via phone, I tried it didn't go well). To several of my readers and fellow bloggers who have recently lost love ones, I am truly sorry for your loss. There are no words that will make your pain lighter, but know you are in my thoughts.

i am participating (Im making the time ) in the Welcoming the Green Man blog party on March 28th so do stop by and check out my post then.

I have so many posts, and ideas floating around my head, and as soon as this semester is over I will sharing them ALL with you, I have them all written down. I have been seriously enjoying my classes, and as with everything academic, hitting my grades out the ballpark.  So now that I know I'm in no real danger of failing out, I think I can now start taking 1 hour each day to update and share with ya'll.

Congrats to all the readers and bloggers whom I follow who have made major changes in their lives, by purchasing new homes (it's like a fever around here, very catching, oh come on!! I had to do one, you know you missed it). I can't wait to see all the new and improved altar spaces, and wonderful gardens and the bounties they will bring. Just waiting to hear ll about your new adventures on your properties (do share so I can live vicariously for now PLEASE).

Hope your Ostara was wonderful and looking forward to Spring break so I can really catch ya'll up.
Be Blessed and happy Spring

KWW: Artichoke Lemon Chicken

This is one of my favorite meals, it's fast and it can be cooked and stored up for later.  The best part? You don't need a lot of items to make it so delicious.




and here is the final video showing you how to set-up the plates.



The recipe comes from the Clean Eating Magazine.

Bon appetit

Lover of Food and History??

Well in Britain there is a food critic names Giles who has made it his decision to run through the dining habits of the last 500 years. It's like a Supersize me for the last few centuries of diets.

The first show is hilarious as he and a friend Sue Perkins makes their lives for a week all about eating and living in the times. They talk to about us what they are eating and what it does to their bodies. If you live in the British Isles you can check it out on BBC, but for those like me who can't get this on the telly, check it out here on YT.

Not only do they highlight the many different diet  ,and how many popular meals came to be, they also discuss the role of women at the time and their lack of options during these different ages. Many different things are also discussed like the beginnings of coffee house and where the women of the Suffragist movement would have met and even the many different fads about diet through the ages.

Here is a look at the first video:



There are several more episodes do check them out if you can.
Happy Eating and Happy Ostara

Yule- Ostara To Do List

This is the list that I have been working on, click on the links of the completed projects and see my adventures.

 Once the Winter aspect is done the page will come down and another will replace it. the goal is to keep doing these until all the bucket list is done (so basically hopefully not for a few years). To see my posts about each adventure click on the blue completed ones.

Some info about the colors:

1. pale blue: tracking to completion, when done I will change it to dark blue and place a link to the post about it, 
2. red is the number of items completed in that one item's list.
3.  if the link has turned purple you have read the linked post already.
4.  the one's which are deep red are items which can't be completed due to expiration of the item or items not done by the end of the list date (ostara) and they will either be rolled over to the new list or have to wait til the appropriate season comes around again.

Winter to Do list:

• Learn to skate 8 weeks of lessons at the local Rink is $150.00 starting Dec 20th
• Snowshoeing
• Skiing
• Cross country skiing
• Rock climbing
• See the Rockettes, Christmas music spectacular
• See the Nutcracker NYC ballet (season ended move to next winter list)
• Start bottom half of the Met

Craft Section

• learn to sew
• learn to quilt
• Wood carving
• glass staining (on actual glass not just Yule decorations)
• Imbolc candles Jan 31
• Sabbat soaps
• Complete scarf for guy,
• ,hat for girl,  Jan17,2011
• complete baby blanket Feb 2
• blanket for god-daughter and hat, 
• scarf for sister, 

Spiritual Stuff

• daily yoga practice
• Complete 28 day Yoga challenge.
• daily meditation
• go from 1 min, 5 min, 10 min to 20 min meditation
• Imbolc esbat ritual
• Finish Buddha books

Cooking:

• bake bread for the week 01/05/11
• bake our own bagels 1/26/2010
• make our own butter
• purchase from more local markets during the winter
• try to do as many recipes from the hundred mile diet
• find a local source for beef
• find a local source for mutton
• find a local source for eggs
• find a local source (other than my garden ) for some herbs
• go to the NYC green market gardens at least twice this winter
• NYC foodie event
• Meet-up foodie events in the local area
• cooking class in CT at Jones Farm
• use clean eating cookbooks more often
• use as many of the recipes from binder (toss those I don't like or won't use)
• share cooking wins and disasters on blog :)

Gardening

• select garden plan this year 2/10
• purchase seeds from mountain rose herbals and heirloom seeds from Johnny Selected seeds
• start seeds indoors in Feb (too cold )
• look for a local apiary club and classes
• local gardening or farming club
• look into  worm composting, cost and how long it will take
• water bin to place under two of the pipes around the house
• return peach tree that hasn't bloomed at all
• chickens??? maybe two or three
• rabbits? angora? cost?

Exercise 

• 3-5 times a week working out
• Making clean eating meals 2-4 times per week

Miscellaneous

• re-pierce ears (second hole)
• Complete 21 days of Yule Dec21st
• Complete 12 days of Mithra-mas Jan 6
• Complete 12 days of Yule on Youtube left: 7  completed: 5
• Blog 3-5 times per week
• get new contacts (makes everything else feasible) had to reschedule due to snow 3/21/11
• complete 2010 iwitch reading challenge Dec 31st
• complete 2010 holiday reading challenge Dec 31st 
• Complete 3-6 movies from the list
• Complete 5 books from the "classics list"
• complete 5-10 books from the ichallenge 2011 list  Jan 28
• Complete 15 books for the 100 book challenge  Jan16
• Complete 15 books for the ebook challenge:  Feb 4

Japan Tsunami

Please take a moment to light a candle for the people of the Pacific Ocean(Hawaii, Russia, & the Pacific West of North America including: San Francisco, Oregon,  basin who are under threat of tsunami.  Also take a moment to remember the people of Japan who have been devestated by the tsunamis.
Over a thousand people are feared dead in Japan with many more missing. The devastation is huge.
Please pray that Yemaya, Poseidon, Barinthus will roll back the waves, protect the people and return the fish to the sea.

If you can donate anything at all please do so through reputable companies, the Red Cross is collecting donations and is willing to help if Japan requests it.
Be blessed

Sacred Pampering: Creating the Perfect Sleep Area

Ikea inspired bedroom

Your Bedroom, a sanctuary, a source of good memories, it's where when you were a child you took your friends to sit and gab, maybe you shared with siblings and had the 'side-war', it's where you were sent for punishment, it's where you studied for school, and as an adult(if your lucky) it's where you have some good times.  This is the room you spend a lot of time in, it should be a place that calms you, and helps you relax.

For many of us (especially those sharing apartments) your bedroom, may play many roles, including acting as a 'family room' a game room, where guests come to visit, a office, as well as a room you eat in and watch t.v in.

The way you sleep can be adversely affected by your bedroom atmosphere. Simple things like smell, light and noise can disturb your ability to get a good nights sleep. Not to mention, having piles of clothing, books, or paperwork lying around can distract you and keep your mind working when you should be shutting down. 

Here are some good steps to aide in making your bedroom perfect for sleeping:

Bed is For Sleeping (& Having smoking hot sex)
If your bedroom is a multi purpose room it may be hard for you to switch from work to sleep. To help facilitate the switching of modes, only get into bed when you are tired, reserve it for sleep and sex, and limit the other non-sleep or sex activities.
If you feel the need to watch t.v, surf the net, and read from a comfortable chair, rather than in the bed.

image from ehow.com

Using a Dream Catcher:
Dream Catchers are a Native American tradition, which defers from tribe to tribe. The most common belief is that dreams are sacred and filled with meanings pertaining to the life of the dreamer.  The tribes would have the dream catcher designed, and hung above their heads while they sleep.  The opening of the dream catcher allows dreams to enter and slide down the feathers, and the bad dreams would be caught in the web, which would keep it from damaging the necessary good dreams and messages.

If you are interested in making you own dream catcher here is a good article. I however got mine from a librarian who is Native American, and had her both make it for me, and show me how to repair it when necessary.

A good dream catcher will contain, feathers, crystals, beads attached throughout the hoop.

From using aromatherapy, to your choice of mattress, there are several different ways in which you can make your bedroom a restful place: I have used these tips to help combat my insomnia and they have helped mightily.

Keep it dark, get black-out shades or curtains if you can. Yes, they are a little expensive but totally worth it, because they really help to set the mood for a good nights sleep,  Can't afford them?? get some seriously heavy blinds or curtains. Still too high on the budget?? Several layers of curtains can help. Simple have one curtain on the rod, and another set on a higher rod over the frame of the window. You know like you see in those magazines, but instead of pretty useless valances you get actual useful curtains.

Reclaim your Bed Kick your children (if you have any) to the curb or at least to their own beds. Co-sleeping is great; even beneficial for children.... when they are younger, but when they are old enough return them to their own rooms so that you and your partner can unwind together. And PUT A LOCK ON THE DOOR, children should really only sleep with you, if they have a really bad nightmare, or during a thunderstorm. As cute as they are, they tend to dominate the bed when in it, and they certainly put the kibosh to any snuggling and sexy plans.

2) Attempt to separate your bed from the rest of the room or at least the other aspects of the room, (this is really for those who use their bedroom for more than one thing like an office space) No papers on the bed.


Right mattress, right bed  If you can please get a good mattress, no springs digging into your back will help you sleep better, you can also help to preserve your bed by turning it every six months; so the mattress 'wears down' at the same time, instead of only one side wearing out. If the support in the mattress, pillows or the bed frame is gone, they can't help you sleep.  Take the time to save if you have to replace them. It won't hurt as much if you have it set aside.

Fresh Air  Try to air the room out, even in the winter, just crack the window a little to help with the circulation of air. Just don't do this on a really cold day.

Temperature try to keep the temp at a moderate level. If it's too hot or too cold it will make it too uncomfortable to sleep. You can actually drop the temp a little lower at night so long as you have enough blankets to cover you.

Dream Pillow You can create dream pillows filled with aromatic herbs like lavender, and place small crystals to aide in instilling good dreams or even psychic dreams.

Happy Dreaming

How To Deal with the dreaded house pest

mice. there I said it.
One of the worst kinds of pests to get (after all they did cause the black plague) in your home, once you have one the fun never stops (for them anyway) they just keep multiplying, which means for you it's just trouble and a half.
I live near woods, I have a huge garden that I plant every year, I have a compost pile,and I have a wood pile, I have many reasons to have pests, and yet each year I manage to maintain a mouse free home and I'll share how with you now.

When I first moved here, every year in the spring we would dig the yard and we would get mice, now mice are freaking clever they can chew through just about anything, and breathing in or ingesting their droppings or urine is detrimental to your health, the deer mouse dropping, urine and saliva carry the Hantavirus, according to the CDC. Take a wild guess which kind of mouse lives in my neck of the woods? Yep deer mice, normally they don't enter domiciles but destroy or disturb their homes and they go looking for the most "safe" locale. HPS is a very deadly disease and doesn't really spare it's victims much, you can find out about the progress of the disease here on the CDC website.

I once stayed over at a girlfriend's house and she had several kinds of mice, due to her neighbor, who was filthy at keeping house (and she was a stay at home mom O_o, what are you doing with your time??), she moved as fast as possible because her son's room seemed to be the place they loved to come up from. Since the many different mice and rats can cause all kinds of different problems she decided not to take the risk to her child's health and beat a hasty retreat, last I heard the homeowner was fined because other neighbors got rodents too.

There are many people who would suggest you use humane methods as mice are part of the cosmic wheel and created by the Goddess, if that's how you feel be all you can be with that. Use live traps if you can, relocate them when possible, and all that jazz.

I however was tired of discovering something else in my garage and home that the mice had gotten to and went about this like it was war.
1) I cleaned EVERYTHING i literally mean everything, I sorted, tossed, donated, re-boxed, and purged the whole house (this admittedly took me a while but I made the house into zones and banged it out in three weeks)
2) I found and eliminated ways that they could get in, I had the fireplace serviced, and the family room redone, to make sure any hole that where there were patched up, I got rid of carpets on the floor and the old heating system got yanked out (since we weren't using it they were nesting there).
3) I declutterd the furniture, Do you really need all those baskets? No I don't, Why do I ask this? Because natural wood is part of their diet
4) I cried when I discovered that they had climbed up my china cabinet and were eating the expensive mahogany wood, then I set traps, and polished all the wood furniture with beeswax and spearmint. (MIX WELL, otherwise the e.o can strip the wood).
5) I made carpet cleaner for the upstairs carpets with spearmint essential oil. I sprinkled the carpets and left it there for a week then vacuumed it and sprinkled it again (they hate the smell)
6) all the doors, and door jams were treated to a nice spearmint cleansing as well
7) i moved the woodpile further from the house, and made sure to lift them of the ground as well as create a better storage place for them.
8) I moved the compost pile away from the house, and got an actual bin which made it harder for them to climb in
9) I cleared most of the plants away from the house, by placing many in pots, moving away things I found out they liked to eat, and anything that could create a warm nesting place esp, during winter and fall.
10) I fixed cracks in foundation of the patio (no place for them to hide) .. Ok I didn't fix them myself but I paid someone to do so :P
11) I had the garage doors insulated and fixed, I made sure any cracks were also fixed. I cleaned and swept the garage and organized everything in there, using plastic storage bins instead of cardboard boxes which they loved to eat.
12) I got rid of the garbage bins which had been stored near the garage I moved them further back and got better garbage bins (the originals came with the house and the lids sucked big time)
13) I NEVER left a dish in the sink, and I routinely put away all dishes and pots at the end of the night, along with that make sure all cupboard doors are closed
14) I use plastic or glass containers to store food in my pantry. Never the container it came in, which helped to eliminate their food sources.
15) NEVER EVER leave food out overnight especially if they have been known to be in your kitchen
16) You can also use the potato spuds that you purchase in the store, (the flakes), drop them in the spots you know the rodents come out from, they will eat it and take it back with them to share, they will die there, so keep an eye out for the smell, this may lead you to the main nest.

Check in any place that isn't being used often, as they love those spaces.
Side note: (we all in live in farm area, so this is pretty common and we talk about it alot)

• one of my friends used cat pee on certain rags and stuffed them in places that the pests would be known to frequent (that stinks really bad, I hated the pests but I wasn't punishing myself also, so I didn't do that one, but I need to share even if it doesn't work for me) 
• she also had a pet python, that she would let loose at night, to say she never had to feed it for two weeks should be enough about how effective this was (although to be fair, one of the rodents got it's own on the snake before it got eaten, too funny). 
• Birds are also effective, you can encourage birds of prey into your garden to help with pest control, the best of these are owls, and eagles are known to hunt mice and rats. Just don't leave the bird food in a place the mice can get to it.

Magickal:

I had been reading and kind of obsessing over the Rat King Raphael (from Anita Blake series), I had been wondering what it would be like to be a were-rat, and being Rafe's girlfriend, once the rodents began to really make their way upstairs from the garage and basement I nipped that in the bud.   (ok to be fair I wasn't really thinking about being a member of the were-rat, but about being Rafe's girlfriend, he's been described as really smoking hot,  @_@ so Don't.Judge.Me.)

I also worked magically with several of the Fae, and asked them to pull their rides out of my home. My sister has a really special talent for working with the Fae and as a favor to me, created a home of natural elements as an offering to the Fae (a little further from the house) so they wouldn't 'store' their pets in the house.

A magical pet can be a great hindrance to pests as well, simply ask the Gods to aide in your pets' ability to catch and chase away the rodents and boom you have a magical pet.

Images courtesy of Bing.com/images, no copyright infringement intended. Information from CDC, and own home personal experience.

However you get rid of them best of luck to you.
Happy Hunting

L&D Obsessed

L&D for those who don't know is Labor and Delivery. For those of you who are like me and obsessed with L&D shows especially those that share natural labor or even the slight labor management ( a little bit of meds used to manage pain) or full interventions (c-sections).

The newest  fix for our addiction is lifetime's new "One Born Every Minute". Now I was never really a fan of the other L&D shows on tv, until they had the midwife led show, which featured a lot more natural births, water births, and a few emergency (true emergency) c-sections. 

I really liked "Bringing Home Baby", when they followed the new parents to see how they were doing with their new child and how they were adjusting, this show was really good for showing the good, the bad,& the ugly side childbirth, and what happens next. I think too many shows focus on the 'good' part of having the baby and never on what happens after that and too many women are unprepared for the shyt-storm that is a new baby ( I mean that literally and figuratively too).

Even though this show only focuses on births, it does show all the sides of labor, and it focuses not just on the Doctors and the laboring women, but on the Midwives,and the Nurses as well. it's a good show so far, and I thought I would share. It's all the rage among my Doula friends because there was an episode with a Doula in it

The Show airs on Tuesday nights at 9pm, check it out when you can. 

Happy watching