Herbs, tools, & treasures: House plants.

 Dear Reader,

This week's subject line is a bit vague. That is because I am covering a broad topic that I have only recently gotten into studying. Almost every witch or nature enthusiast is going to have houseplants. They're lovely to look at. They clean the air of our homes. And tending them can be great for your stress levels. 

There's a lot to recommend indoor gardening (as Beloved calls it) as a hobby. It is, however, very important to keep in mind that many popular indoor plants are not safe for children or pets (or anybody) to consume. I'll give you an example. I currently have a Kalanchoe that looks fabulous. It is one of the most toxic plants that I own. When they're in flower, the toxic compounds of the plant are concentrated most in the blossoms. If you have a pet that likes to nibble on green things, this can kill them deader than a door nail. Kalanchoe poisoning causes stomach cramps, vomiting, and heart failure. If someone or something gets into the plant, you have about 24 hours before it's lethal. Beautiful plant with jade green leaves, very easy to take care of and propagate, and absolutely toxic.

If you have plants in your home that you're not sure are toxic to your family or pets, you should investigate them before you put them at a level where they can get at them. It was only by pure luck that I stopped my son (when he was a toddler and thought all things green equal lettuce) from eating a leaf off of my Golden Pothos. This could have made him extremely sick and put him into the hospital. Since then, I have my plants hanging and have taught my kids that the plants that they eat are the ones that we give them out of the fridge or from the garden. It was a scary moment when I learned later just how sick my 3 yo son could have been.

Now, when I look into purchasing houseplants, I don't just look up how to care for them but also how toxic they are. This determines where I put them and if I allow my children access to them. Some of my plants, if the stems are broken, will exude a sap that can cause an allergic reaction. So, I handle the watering of those plants while the boys handle the watering of the ones that are safer. It is a bit of extra work to find out if that pretty plant in the grocery store is safe but it is completely worth it to prevent a hospital trip or worse.

I love my houseplants and they make me very happy. At the same time, I handle them with care and respect for the potential danger that comes with them. It is funny, to be honest, 98% of the plants in my apartment are somehow toxic where as 98% of the plants growing out in the garden are edible. I think I somehow got it backwards.

Practical Witchery: Spice cupboard = Spell supply cabinet.

 Dear Reader,

I apologize for this post being a day late. Family business had me running about town and getting errands done most of the day. Kitchen witchery is more than a cozy aesthetic. It can be an inexpensive and highly functional way to get spell work done. Many of the spices in your cupboard have magical associations that have been forgotten about.

I can't give you a full list of spices and associations because I don't have a complete collection of herbals. What I can do, however, is point you in the direction of some good resources. Before I do that, I want to explain why spices and herbs are a great tool to use in your magical work. First off, they're easily accessed from your local supermarket or grocery store. You don't have to go foraging and worry if what you're collecting is an endangered plant or not. Secondly, unless someone has a specific food allergy, they're safe for use in all forms of spell craft, including things that are going to be consumed or put upon the skin.

A well stocked spice cupboard is going to include things like Tarragon, which is a plant known to help with psychic abilities and ease with sleep. An older name for Tarragon is Mugwort. You may have seen things that call for Mugwort. There is multiple plants that go by this name, Tarragon is the safest to use and is very gentle in its effects. Other items in your spice cupboard can be used to create incense, which can save you big money down the road. (I have an incense blend for Loki that is a combination of clove, cinnamon, and dried ginger. I put a pinch of the ground spices onto a bit of smoldering charcoal and it smells wonderful.)

It is important to recognize if you are using herbs and spices as alternative medicine that you should consult with your doctor. Almost every herb and spice has some form of medicinal use at correct proportions. Fenugreek, for example, is known to help with gas and is said to help nursing mothers increase their milk production. It can, however, interact with medications that you are on. Don't worry about bringing up the use of herbs and spices in your efforts to be proactive in your health. Today, there is a legion of doctors, nurses, and pharmacists who are trained to know what herbs will interact with what medications. (This includes food too, as I'm on one that I had to give up grapefruit because it causes liver problems with the medication I'm on. It was my pharmacist who explained that one to me.)

Looking up the uses of herbs and spices in a magical and medicinal purpose is challenging. There's a lot of conflicting information out on the internet. I would recommend one begins with actual books that have been published on the topic. While Culpepper's Herbal is interesting, it should be regarded with some caution because it was written long before we understood how medicine worked. M. Grieve's A Modern Herbal (it's two volumes) is a bit dated because it comes from approximately the WWI / WWII era. It does, however, contain a great deal of information on how to use a wide range of plants, including herbs and spices in your work. The best book I can recommend is The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants from Andrew Chevallier. This book covers the science and the history of the use of a wide range of plants (a large number of them being herbs, spices, and edible ones).

Divination: Rune Study - Algiz

 Dear Reader,

Algiz is an interesting rune. It shows up in the Elder and the Younger Futhark. It is associated with the letter 'z' at the end of masculine nouns in the Elder Futhark and the letter 'r' at the end of masculine nouns in the Younger Futhark. It is also associated with the letter 'x' in the Younger Futhark. The meaning of this rune changes when you move from the Elder to the Younger Futhark.

The Elder Futhark name of this rune is Algiz or Elhaz which roughly translates to the word elk. The Younger Futhark name of this rune is Yr, which translates to yew and is in a reversed orientation than what is pictured. This is another problematic rune for all it's fascinating qualities because it was adopted by the Nazis in both orientations. The upright orientation was associated with life and the downward one with death.

Ralph Blum, in his Book of Runes, associated Algiz with protection. He insists this is something he was taught from another. Given that I had seen this association in other places prior to encountering Blum's book which date to before it was published, I think that there is a folk belief that remains that Algiz is protection. This, however, is brought into question by the Younger Futhark rune poem.

The Elk-sedge usually lives in the fen,

growing in the water. It wounds severely,

staining with blood any man

who makes a grab at it. (Source: Wikipedia) 

This gives Algiz some connotations in readings that could be similar to the rune Thorn. In my experience of reading runes, Algiz speaks of protection that comes from one's natural resources like the elk's rack of horns. It speaks of protection given by those around you and of protection that is passive resistance as found with elk-sedge's sawtooth leaves. In a reversed orientation, Algiz speaks of protection being withdrawn, allies departing, and danger. 

Pandemic life is hard and being yourself is just as hard.

 I'm sorry that the video doesn't have a transcript. I just ramble here about how the pandemic life has been hard and the effect it's had on my family, our social lives, and my spiritual life. I also ramble on a bit about how I have been growing to be more authentic in my self presentation. Yes, that is a BDSM collar you see in the cover pic. I've been wearing it off and on for years. Over the course of the last year, a lot of my hesitancy about fully expressing myself has worn off. As a result, I'm transitioning my wardrobe over to goth with pops of color because I've always wanted to dress in that fashion (but past harassment made me reluctant to do what made me happy). I'm also wearing the collar for two reasons. One, it is a comfort item that makes me feel safe, happy, and loved when I wear it. Reason number two: fashion is awesome. I've got that ribbon on not to make the collar stand out (though I don't mind that it has that effect) but because I've worn this thing for so long that the plating on the hardware has worn off and my skin is reacting to the base metal. Metal allergies suck.

The long and short of the video is living through a pandemic is hard and terrifying. Equally hard is working to be your authentic self when you're living in a hostile climate. The boonies of New York state is not as open minded as you may want to think. I've been harassed about my religious convictions since I entered public school and it's continued into adulthood because people suck. I'm upset because the harassment is beginning for my kids and I'm at a loss for how to best support them through it. We're also in an area that proudly declares itself to be 'Trump country' and we are not Trump supporters. We've opposed the man and what he stands for long before he even got into politics. It's a bit hairy at times when the neighbors get going on a tear about how bad 'liberals' are and such. Practicing silence in the face of such things is difficult. But, if you're quiet, people tend to assume that you agree with them and eventually shut up.

But yesterday was a bad brain day and the kids were in need to some help getting their room clean, which is why this video is a day late. I apologize.

Blessed Rosa Mundi & Midsummer

Dear Reader, 

This is a few days late because life got complicated over the last few days. I wish my Filianic and Déanic friends in the Northern Hemisphere a blessed Rosa Mundi. I wish my pagan friends in the Northern Hemisphere a blessed Midsummer. To the Filianic and Déanic community in the Southern Hemisphere, I wish you a peaceful Mother's Night and blessed remainder of Advent until Nativity in a few days. To my pagan friends in the Southern Hemisphere, I wish you all a peaceful and blessed Yule.

♥

Divination: Rune Study - Othala

 Dear Reader,

First, I must apologize for today's post being a day late. I had a ton of family stuff to do yesterday. The post is going to be a little short because I've a fair amount of distractions over here in the form of two young men discussing various topics and occasionally arguing. Life with kids, it makes things interesting for sure.

Now, some people when they're going over the runes would go in the order known as Futhork. I am not that organized right now (see the line above). Today, we're going to discuss the first rune card on my pile, Othala. Some of you may recognize this rune because there are some unsavory people who have taken it up as a symbol of their hatred. The first thing I am going to tell you is that Othala is not a rune of hatred. It is a rune of heritage. It is a rune of history and the ties that bind us to family and society. Othala is a rune strongly associated with the concept of frith (keeping faith and peace with one's familial unit and social group). 

Othala is part of the third major grouping of runes associated with Tiw/Tyr. Since the late 1980s and early 1990s, the 'standard' definitions of Othala are:

• Separation (reversed orientation)
  
• Inheritance
• Ancestral home

Othala is also known as Odal. It is found in both the Elder and the Anglo-Saxon Futhork. It is associated with the letter 'O'.  The Anglo-Saxon rune poem for this rune is given below (from Wikipedia):

[An estate] is very dear to every man,
if he can enjoy there in his house
whatever is right and proper in constant prosperity.

Unfortunately, Othala was taken up by the Nazi SS regiment as a symbol to represent them. It has serifs (feet) on the bottom of it in their interpretation of the rune. It has been banned in Germany on the basis of this association. If you encounter someone who is wearing the Nazi version of the rune, go in the other direction. Don't expect them to keep frith with you. Indeed, some white supremacists have gone with the older version as part of their iconography. Thus, you must be careful with these individuals because they are not going to be peaceable and accepting of views the deviate from their own.

Video posts resuming Next Week.

 Dear Reader,

I haven't done them in a long time because life got complicated, but I am going to resume my short video posts on various topics. Look for the first of them next Thursday. I apologize in advance for any photobombing done by my children. I will be posting transcripts of what I have up on the videos. There may be occasional videos where there isn't an exact transcript but commentary on what I posted. I'm still working this business of transcripts for videos out. In case you haven't seen it, I'm not the best at working off of a script. I'm sure that skill will improve over time, right?

If you have any special topics you'd like me to cover, please post in the comments on this post. I'll check them Monday (6/21/21) to see what you've suggested.

♥

Shed Your Skin And Grow.

 Dear Reader,

Have you ever had the feeling that your life was too small for you? Or the feeling that everything was just shy of what fit your needs, it was close but not close enough? This means that you're coming into a growth period of your life. I am currently experiencing one right now. Some of it gets the reply of "Oh crap, another learning experience!" and some of it gets an enthusiastic, "Hey, this fits just right!" 

Growth periods are natural part of life cycles. Everything grows and changes in its time. Some of it happens on a geologic scale (hello, mountains!) and some of it happens in the span of a day (hello, sunflowers!). What ever the timing of it, growth periods can be uncomfortable if we resist them. That feeling of life stifling you turns into a version of claustrophobia. The number of things that just don't fit right anymore keeps piling up until the stress of carrying them around gets unbearable. When you hit that point, you have to open your hands and let the pieces fall.

Growing is an awkward process and there's going to be bumps along the way. At the same time, growing is healthy. It is the process by which life continues. It is through the death of the old self that the new, healthier and happier self is born. After all, the acorn must die for the oak tree to grow. A snake can not live in its old skin forever because it continues to grow as long as it lives. Shed the old, tight, uncomfortable skin that is trapping you in the past and grow into the future.

♥

The Children of Déa Version of the Clear Recital: Editorial Notes.

 Dear Reader,

I did keep a log of editorial notes as my team and I were working on The Clear Recital: The Children of Déa Version. Most of them pertained to grammatical concerns and related matters. There are some things, however, that you will find missing from this version of The Clear Recital as compared to others. (Given that there is an established precedent of doing so with respect to the community that The Clear Recital is being contemplated by, I was surprised to see the consternation that arose from this. That, however, is a post for another day.)

In my last post, I explained the linguistic changes. There is some content changes that have been made to reflect the needs of today's communities. The Madrian version of The Clear Recital addressed the needs of the collective households of the Madrian faith communities. They were structured quite differently from the households of today. The collective communities of the Aristasian faith communities were structured quite similarly to the Madrian faith communities. There were a collection of people living under the rule of a Lady of the Household who made executive decisions about how things operated. In some cases, families were living in these units. The section of how to live a harmonious life included in the Madrian and Aristasian versions of The Clear Recital had elements that were problematic for today's households.

Generally, we are not living in collective communities under the rule of a Lady of the Household. We are rather far flung and nuclear households. The instructions for how to live a harmonious life needed to be adapted to the needs of these more isolated households and different community structures. It was with great care and effort that the team and I tended to prune back the language focused upon a communal household structure as seen in the Madrian and Aristasian communities. 

Additionally, we removed a controversial element that involved corporal discipline. The 'willow rod' is a tool of violence. We agreed as a collective team that violence to discipline an errant believer is barbaric. All to often in other faith practices, the codified encouragement of the use of corporal discipline has been used to justify abusive practices. This was removed because it is the team's collective belief that Déa does not use abusive practices to discipline us and it would be breaking with the celestial harmony to use abusive practices to discipline errant members of the community.

How, one may ask, would one discipline an errant member of the community? Well, that's a relatively simple question to answer. Through instruction as to how they have erred and guidance on how to do better. A punitive system does not reform behavior but rather suppresses it. A system that is based on teaching one how to avoid error and guiding them through problematic situations (as demonstrated in the wisdom teachings where Our Lady gently explains to the parent the error of keeping their child from her presence and then proceed to explain the correct way to approach the situation) leads to reform and personal growth.

These two things are the major changes made to the wisdom texts aside from updating language and correcting grammatical challenges that made the document inaccessible to someone with a child's reading level. Aside from these two changes, the wisdom texts remain functionally the same. It is the belief of myself and the team I worked with that these changes were necessary to open up the faith to all believers regardless of household social construction and to promote a more harmonious way of handling problems within the community.

By Independent Filianists for Independent Filianists.

 Dear Reader,

It seems that the Orthodox Filianic community are displeased with the Children of Déa Version of the Clear Recital. They've expressed some skepticism about things included and displeasure with the changes to the language. I find this questionable. A purist would have taken objection with the Authorized Aristasian Version (Also known as The Gospel of Our Mother God) because there were vast amounts of the wisdom texts left out or heavily edited. And there was an appropriation of Sanskrit holy texts on two accounts. Still, I see this upheld as a valid and commendable edition of the Clear Recital. Thus, I question the way that the Orthodox Filianic community have chosen to view the Children of Déa Version.

Some have said that this work has no basis in community revelations. This is because they are not in contact with the Independent Filianic community. In many ways, the division between the Orthodox Filianic community and Independent Filianic community is deep and irreconcilable. The reaction to this edition of the Clear Recital high lights this ideological chasm. The focus of their criticism is upon the language used. This criticism shows that they do not recognize the Clear Recital as a living document, which many in the Independent Filianic community view the Clear Recital as. As a living document, the Clear Recital is subject to multiple interpretations and iterations that are responsive to the times that it moves through.

When holy texts become static, this is where dogmatic adherence to a strict single interpretation from an assumed authority becomes the rule. There is no Pope or similar authority figure in Filianism. If the Orthodox Filianic community wishes to devise a council to encourage and enforce the orthodox perspective, so be it. But, I question whom would take the diversity within the Orthodox Filianic community and condense it down to a single perspective? From what authority comes the guidance and directive to do so? I fear that the Orthodox Filianic community, if they move upon the path of enforcing a specific interpretation of the Clear Recital, will become a cult of personality and become more focused upon adhering to the views of the person who eventually establishes themselves as their would be leader instead of listening to the guidance of Déa as found within themselves and in the Clear Recital.

The Children of Déa Version of the Clear Recital was produced by Independent Filianists for Independent Filianists. It shares a great deal with the previous versions of the Clear Recital, but it has been revised to meet the needs of the Independent Filianic community. It is not 'male centric' as some critics have said. Language has been turned to gender neutral in many places, except where it logically does not make sense. It has had the grammar and syntax adjusted so that the reading level required to get through it is lower, therefore more accessible. The essential messages of the wisdom texts are unchanged. And the changes to the Creation and the Holy Mythos of the Daughter are based upon revelations that were given to members of the Independent Filianic community over the last five years. This is not a book for the Orthodox Filianic community. It does not address your needs. It is for the Independent Filianic community that has a different set of needs which Déa has seen fit to address through what she has revealed to different members of the Independent Filianic community.

Yes, this book has been put under copyright protection. This does not make the book the property of the copyright holder. This protects the intellectual content of the book. It is a break with the traditions associated with the Clear Recital. It is my opinion that it is a wise choice to do so because every single holy book you can go out and buy has copyright protection for every single possible version of it out there (with the exception of a very small number of books). Copyright protection is something that preserves the integrity of the text. Relying upon the honorable conduct of others in this day and age is a fickle thing because there is a large population that do not believe in honor as a code of conduct. The honor system that was adhered to in the past to preserve the Clear Recital is not dependable today.

Indeed, if one views the Children of Déa Version of the Clear Recital as an abomination, it simply proves the necessity for the other versions to have been presented under the protection of copyright.

I did not work alone on this version of the Clear Recital, though my name is on it. The others who contributed to it are intentionally anonymous to prevent harassment and abuse. I have seen what happens when internet communities turn ugly. I have placed my shield between them and those who would give them grief sufficient to drive them away from our shared faith. I have done so because that is what Déa and the High Ones demand of me. If you wish to seek out the sources of the inspired content, I'm sure you can find it floating around on the internet somewhere. But the internet is a large place and quite convoluted. Let it be enough that it was revealed and has been shared. Such was the way of things with the Clear Recital in the beginning of things.

Behind on my correspondence, please forgive me.

 Dear Reader, 

I am finding that I have several people who have attempted to contact me over multiple platforms over the last few months. Spam filters are nice, except for when they intercept legitimate communication. If you have sent me an email, I will be replying to you within the next week. I'm still sorting out the mess that got made of my inbox on the email accounts that I have been receiving your correspondence at. I swear that there's got to be a better way to manage this stuff. It probably doesn't help that I have multiple email addresses. 

I am currently struggling to come up with content for you. I've got a few ideas but I still have to flesh them out. If there is something special you'd like me to address, please note it in the comments on this post. It seems that comment content actually gets through my spam filters unlike some of the direct emails. I'm working on fixing this. I'm not so great at tech, but I'm trying.

In other news, if anyone has any suggestions on how to save an African Violet that's been repotted and is now withering, that'd be great! I did something wrong when I repotted it (even though I followed all of the directions in the gardening book as described) and now it is withering and the blossoms are falling off. I don't know if this is normal after repotting or if I just killed my plant.

Joyful news!

 Dear Reader,

Your purchase of The Clear Recital: The Children of Déa Version has funded the charity project that I have been itching to be working on. It was suspended temporarily due to Covid-19, but they're starting to look for preemie hats again. The white hat pictures is the size that would fit the head of a 3 - 5 lb premature baby. Preemies can have head sizes that range from that of a lemon to the size of a small grapefruit. Micro-preemies can have heads as small as a large chicken's egg. I use acrylic yarn because it is hypoallergenic and can be washed normally with out fears of anything bad happening to the hat. I crochet the hats because it makes for a thicker hat which helps keep the baby's head warmer (this helps them with regulating their bodily temperature). 

As I get more hats done I will try to post pictures of the progress I am making. The year before Covid-19 arrived on the scene and the program was suspended, I had produced a little over 50 hats. This year my goal is to double it. I may post my pattern (which can be enlarged to make simple hats for older children and adults by adding more rounds to the crown of the hat) later too. (And yes, my yarn bag says 'Happy Hooker' it makes the people at the spinning guild crack up every time I whip it out.)

Terrestrial Janyati?

 Dear Reader,

It seems I've put a bee into a few bonnets with my mention of terrestrial janyati. This is not some fanciful thing that a bunch of idle minds put together over some tea. In a letter discussing Lady Athene, Sr. Angelina notes that she is a janya that is upon the terrestrial plane. Sr. Angelina further goes on in her letter to state that she does not know how many other janyati have chosen to come to the terrestrial plane to give guidance and aid to Déa's children.

I would love to provide a link to this letter but it has gone missing from the archives that I had found it in. I assume that a technological error has lead to this happening, because the letter is quite valuable in helping us to understand our relationship with the janyati. Lady Athene (alternately spelled Lady Athena) is well known as a goddess of the Hellenic pantheon. It stands to reason that the other deities of the Hellenic (and other pantheons) are janyati that have chosen to come into the world to provide guidance, assistance, and protection for the children of Déa. There is no other reason why they would have deific power if they were not in some fashion beings that embodied Déa's will.

There are some who would be quick to argue that my stance here is overly simplistic and false. I ask them, quite simply, where is the difference between the high ones who performed miracles and intervened in antiquity during the era before the ascension of Christianity and the janyati who perform miracles and intervene? Gender presentation is a foolish argument. Déa comes to us as we may best understand her. If she chooses to appear to us in a form that resembles a masculine one, that is her will and that is her reaching us at the level we might comprehend the teachings she is giving us.

Ultimately, Déa is beyond gender. I know that I am going to anger some with that statement. But gender is a social construct. Physical sex characteristics are an accident of birth. The Divine contains within all potential manifestation. The Divine can present in any manner of method to get our attention. To argue that the Divine is limited to a specific form of manifestation is the ultimate act of hubris. One can not say that an individual rivulet is divorced from the river it flows from simply because it flows in a different direction. Ultimately, all of the janyati lead us back to Déa.