Category Archives: blessings

April 3, 2020 · 6:48 pm

Healing Remedies from the Kitchen

Merry meet all,

Our health is vitally important. Lately I felt ill. I suffered heachaches, an earache, vomiting, and I believed I had a fever (which two doctors confirmed wasn’t true), and a sore throat- which I still have. I went and was tested for the Corona Virus which I don’t have thankfully. I was confirmed negative. I am fine and I happily bought groceries today.

However, I have excellent health remedies that are simple, affordable and available to all. I am happy to share them with you.

Herbal Teas

I know you all want to reach for a cup of joe/ mocha but hear me out. Caffeine can make you more alert and I drink it too. In fact, I just bought a new coffeemaker today. Limit your caffeine intake though. You have to add cream if you do take your coffee that way. That can exacerbate a cold or flu.

Herbal teas are powerful healing remedies. I have a sore throat and I always make sure I have Traditional Medicinals Herbal teas at hand. The Throat Coat variety is the best for truly soothing an aching throat. It is better than cheap lozenges. I am not trying to replace a medical practitioner though. These herbal teas are organic  and full of potent power to help soothe and heal you. Chamomile tea is good too.  Chamomile is anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and has astringent properties. Peppermint tea is healing too. which helps thin mucus and calm sore throats and coughs. Peppermint also has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral properties, which may encourage healing.

Honey is the next best thing to heal your body and soothe a sore throat. Honey is naturally antibacterial. The bees can’t be wrong.

If you are uber muchly into organic remedies. try licorice root for soothing a sore throat. You can try fenugreek and marshmallow root. For an added bonus, these herbs may be in the herbal teas I mentioned above. 

Gargle with salt water. This kills the bacteria present in your throat which can speed healing. 

Dilute 1 to 2 tablespoons of ACV in one cup of water and gargle with it. Then take a small sip of the mixture, and repeat the whole process one to two times per hour. Make sure to drink lots of water in between the gargling sessions.
There are many different ways of using ACV to treat sore throats, depending on the severity of the illness and also your body’s sensitivity to vinegar. It is best to first consult your doctor or healthcare practitioner.

Garlic
Garlic also has natural antibacterial properties. It contains allicin, an organosulfur compound known for its ability to fight off infections.

Studies have shown that taking a garlic supplement on a regular basis can help prevent the common cold virus. Adding fresh garlic to your diet is also a way of gaining its antimicrobial properties. Your grandmother might have told you to suck on a clove of garlic to sooth a sore throat. Because garlic has many healing actions, you might try this, though you may want to brush your teeth afterward to protect your teeth from enzymes and improve your breath.
Cayenne pepper or hot sauce
Often used as a pain reliever, cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, a natural compound known for blocking pain receptors.
Although not scientifically proven, ingesting cayenne mixed with warm water and honey can help with pain relief for sore throats. Remember that an initial burning sensation is common. Cayenne should not be taken if you have open sores in your mouth. Start with just a few drops of hot sauce or a light sprinkle of cayenne, as both can be very hot.

Sore throat remedies for infants and children
Sore throats in infants and young children definitely aren’t fun, but the good news is that they’re rarely the sign of a medical emergency on their own. Still, treating sore throats may be different for infants and children. Here are a few tips and remedies:
Add cool mist or a humidifier to your child’s room. Moisture in the air can help relieve pain from a sore throat.
Keep children hydrated by encouraging them to drink as much as possible. Avoid juices or popsicles with lots of citrus.
Children under 5 years should not be given hard candy cough drops or anything else that might pose a choking risk. Use caution when giving cough drops to children under 10 years.
Don’t give honey to children who are younger than 1 year.
Prevention
To prevent sore throat, stay away from people who are sick with an infectious illness like the flu or strep throat. Wash your hands frequently. Try to avoid spicy or acidic foods, and stay away from chemical fumes or smoke that could cause inflammation.
Over-the-counter treatments
When natural remedies just aren’t cutting it, there are several over-the-counter treatment options. Acetaminophen can be effective for sore throat, and it can be given to young children.
Over-the-counter options like lozenges or numbing sprays can also provide relief. Other potential sore throat soothers include eucalyptus, which you’ll likely find in natural throat lozenges and cough syrups.
Buyer beware
Herbs and supplements are not monitored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for quality, packaging, dosage, or safety. Also, the batches may be different from container to container. Lack of regulation means that each supplement might give you a different medicinal dose. Be careful using these remedies, and be sure to buy from a reputable source.

Bacterial infections, such as strep throat, whooping cough, and diphtheria, are responsible for only a small percentage of sore throats. Most doctors recommend calling a doctor only in cases of severe sore throat, such as sore throat with a fever or when swollen tonsils block the throat.
Trying out some of these natural remedies may help you feel better more quickly and save you a trip to the doctor’s office. To feel your best, make sure you also drink lots of fluids and get plenty of rest.

There you have it, Hopefully these remedies prove helpful to you. Be well and stay safe!! 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

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February 3, 2020 · 9:49 pm

Imbolc

Merry meet all,

Happy Imbolc! The first spring Sabbat is finally here! The snow still blankets the earth and the cold nip is in the air. But we are getting closer to spring. Now is the time to peruse seed catalogs. I am already dreaming of what I want to grow in my garden this summer. 

I attended a public ritual the other night. The Imbolc Ritual coincided with the Interfaith Harmony week. A Druid coven also attended the Ritual. I believed the Ritual to be very powerful and emotive. I wish I knew how to utter so fluently in other languages. That is something I just have to master. 

I plan to start plants from seed this week. I want to grow pumpkins (but seriously, wish me luck), tomatoes, cucumbers, dill, amaranth, popcorn (yes, you read that right), mustard seed, purple beans, purple coneflower. I still have seeds saved from last year. Oh this should be fun. I have soil and I need starter trays. My cat can’t get up on the counter. I plan to start my seeds there. The sun will give the starter seeds the light they need. I can’t wait to order mugwort, mandrake, and sage seeds and moonwort. I can’t wait to get them in the mail. I am just as eager to put  my plants out that I have overwintered, such as my ginger, geranium, catnip. I am still fussy about the seeds being natural, otherwise not coated in nasty chemicals. I try to get organic seeds and thankfully, Annapolis Seeds does carry organic seeds. I miss my garden so much. 

You can tell I am eager for spring to arrive. Imbolc brings out my creative side something fierce. I can’t help it. Brigid truly is one of my patron deities. I filled the feeder up with seed. The birds visit the feeder. I saved them from starvation. 

I hope you all have fun planning your garden and ordering seeds. Are any of you ordering witchy seeds? Let me know in the comments below. Happy Imbolc! Happy seed planting. 

 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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May 20, 2013 · 1:36 pm

Seedling Magick

Merry Meet All,

Here is a spell to get your seeds germinating. You will require the following: A plastic ziploc bag, Kleenex, seeds, and water.

Light a candle and open the ziploc bag. Use a beeswax candle to correspond with this spell. Bees work hard flitting from flower to flower and are associated with pollination, so it does mix well with the spell. And if you plant the seeds outside, bees may visit your plants to pollinate. Wet some tissue and put the seeds from the packet into the wet tissue. Turn on the tap and put some water in the ziploc bag, if you want, but not too much. Tuck the seeds into the tissue and wrap the kleenex around the seeds. Seal the ziploc bag and place the baggie on your altar. The energy from your altar may empower your seeds to grow and blossom. Also, leave the seeds in the baggie somewhere out of direct sunlight.

After a few days have passed, check to see if the seeds have germinated. This technique is called pre-germinating and it is an excellent method to start seeds. If they haven’t, seal the bag again and replace it on your altar. After a few more days, check the seeds again. If they have, then fill some flats from a seed-tray with soil. Dampen the soil and let the muddy water drain in the kitchen sink. Once the soil settles, put a dish beneath the seed tray. Gently tear the tissue where the sprouted seed is and place the tissue and seed right in the seed flat. The tissue will compost. This avoids severely disturbing the seed. You need to be gentle as you can be. The seeds will sprout upwards and grow toward the sun.

If there are other seeds that have not yet sprouted, tuck them into the damp tissue again, place in the bag, and seal the bag again. Blow the candle out or let it extinguish itself. Tidy up the kitchen area and place the dish holding the seeds on a sunny windowsill. Thank the Goddess and God for the seeds and the bounty that will develop from the seeds.

It is a wonder of nature how a tree, a shrub, or a flower can blossom from a tiny seed. This miracle has been occurring since the dawn of time. When the seeds are allowed to grow organically, like they were meant to, the bees can pollinate the plants. The bees are endangered and we have to help them. Growing plants that attract bees helps them and helps us. We are nothing without these industrious bees and slave laborers. We may well die if they perish. They are the unsung heroes of the world.

The most magickal act I have witnessed this spring is watching my garden grow and watching seeds bloom into seedlings. It never ceases to amaze me, just how perfect nature is. The shapes, designs, and colour of the plants in my garden are beautiful. Nature is perfect and when we try to mimic that perfection, that is when the hardest fall comes. So remember this summer to walk lightly upon the earth. You will be blessed with a beautiful garden.

Here are some photos of different plants and the amazing intricate design of Nature:

My Leopard’s Bane

Dutchman’s Breeches

Euonymus Shrub

May the Goddess and God bless your seedlings and seeds.
Blessed Be,
Lady Spiderwitch )O(

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Filed under blessings, candles, God and Goddess, Nature, organic, pre-germianation, seedlings

March 13, 2013 · 12:25 pm

Ostara Gardens

Merry Meet All,

This post is about two different topics. One, I want to encourage all of that if you are starting seedlings to grow in your garden, to buy a new bag of seedling soil. I say this because I started with regular dried out potting soil and that won’t help your plants to grow. I tossed out the soil and recycled the egg carton. Now I have a new bag of proper soil for seeds, a tray, and I have turned it into a mini-greenhouse. The soil you choose to use does make a difference on whether you grow anything. The jiffy pots can be purchased at a thrift or dollar store and are so easy to use because you plant them in the soil with the seedling. You want healthy tomatoes or lavender, right? It will hopefully not be expensive but make a huge difference in helping your seedlings to grow.

Now is the perfect time to plan a magical garden. A truly, bewitching and enticing garden that is pleasing to the eye, day and night. I always let my perennials claim their spots before moving in new plants. Some suggestions for a lunar garden are

dusty millers
silver lamb ears
moonflower
silver thyme
mugwort.

Flowers with lunar connections are

Camphor
Eucalyptus
Gardenia
Jasmine
Moonwort
Sandalwood
Willow
Sleepwort

I planted silver lambs ears beneath my Echinacea. It was a beautiful and bewitching sight. You can always arrange plants to enhance other plants. Once you have grown your Moon Garden plants, dry them to use in talismans and charms, or to dress a Moon candle or as part of a purification bath. Use them in herbal blends to enhance your dreams, intuition, and wisdom.

I hope this encourages you to design and dream about your own gardens. May the energy of the Goddess be with you.

Blessed Be,
Lady Spiderwitch

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Filed under blessings, fertile, garden, Goddess, magic, Ostara, power of spring, seeds

March 6, 2013 · 12:30 pm

Energies of the Earth

Merry Meet All,

Crocuses and snowdrops are in bloom. The maple buds on the trees are bursting with ripeness. Ostara is a time when the light and dark are in balance. It is the ideal time to celebrate the rebirth and renewal that spring affords.

Decorate your altar by focusing on what spring is about. Use the bright colours of spring, such as yellows, purples, blues and pinks. Use a pale green altar cloth or light purple. Add yellow and pink candles to complete the effect.

Ostara is about balance. Try using symbols to reflect that. Use a god and goddess statue, a white candle and a black one, a sun and moon symbol, or a yin/ yang symbol.

Use baskets of eggs, a chalice of milk or honey, rabbits, calves, and potted plants of crocuses, daffodils, lilies, and tulips.

Once you have completed dressing your altar, step outside with a bowl of milk and honey. Stand in your garden-if you have one, and feel the stirring of the energies of the earth. Know the wheel of the year is turning. Pour the libation on the ground. Say a blessing for the earth and return inside. Don’t worry, the faeries will thank you for it. Write the ritual down in your Book of Shadows.

Enjoy the coming blessings of Spring.
Blessed be,
Lady Spiderwitch )O(

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Filed under blessing. earth, blessings, energies, Ostara, spring