Site Updates

Friday, June 24, 2016: The moon phase is Waning Gibbous in the zodiac sign Aquarius until entering Pisces at 10:30 PM EST.

Element: Water
Color: Rose
Incense: Orchid (see below for magical uses)

Garden Activities:

• Kill pests and weed

• Harvest fruit and root crops

• Hill up parsnips and carrots

• Plant out asparagus crowns

Herbal Magic – Orchid

(Orchis spp.)

Folk Names: Levant Salap, Sahlab, Sahleb, Salep, Saloop, Satyrion

Thursday, June 23, 2016: The moon phase is Waning Gibbous in the zodiac sign Aquarius.

Element: Air
Color: Turquoise
Incense: Jasmine (see below for magical uses)

Garden Activities:

• Plow, Cultivate, and weed

• Harvest fruits and root crops

• Hill up parsnips and carrots

• Plant out asparagus crowns

Herbal Magic – Jasmine

(Jasminum officinale, Jamsminum grandiflorum, Jasminum odoratissimum)

Folk Names: Anbar, Jessamin, Moonlight on the Grove, Peot’s Jessamine, Yasmin

Wednesday, June 22, 2016: The moon phase is Waning Gibbous in the zodiac sign Capricorn until entering Aquarius at 4:08 PM EST.

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Element: Air
Color: Topaz
Incense: Bay Laurel (see below for magical uses)

Garden Activities:

• Plow, Cultivate, and weed.

• Plant onions, potatoes, rhubarb, grapes, winter wheat, and berries.

Herbal Magic - Bay Laurel

(Laurus nobilis) G

Folk Names: Baie, Bay Tree, Daphne, Grecian Laurel, Sweet Bay, Laurel, Laurier d’Apollon, Laurier Sauce Lorbeer, Noble Laurel, Roman Laurel

Tuesday, June 21, 2016: The moon phase is Waning Gibbous in the zodiac sign Capricorn.

Element: Earth:
Color: Black
Incense: Cinnamon (see below for magical uses)

Garden Activity:

• Plant potatoes and tubers

• Trim to retard growth

• Pick mushrooms

• Prune to promote healing

• Mow lawn

Herbal Magic - Cinnamon

Cinnamomum Zeylanicum, C. verum

Folk Names: Ceylon cinnamon, Sweet Wood

Deities: Aphrodite, Venus

Element: Fire (Courage, Exorcism, Health, Lust, Strength, Protection)

Happy Summer Solstice/Litha to all in the Northern Hemisphere and Happy Winter Solstice/Yule to all in the Southern Hampshire!

Monday, June 20, 2016: The moon is full in the zodiac sign Sagittarius until entering Capricon at 7.55 AM EST.

Element: Earth Color: Ivory Incense: Lily (see below for magical uses)

Activity:

• A great time for sport and adventure

• Tackle things that need improvement

• Plant potatoes and tubers

• Trim to retard growth

Friday, June 3, 2016: The moon phase is fourth quarter (waxing), it falls under the zodiac sign Taurus until entering Gemini  at 11:01 PM EST.

Activity:

• Mow lawn, destroy weeds, and pests

• Harvest fruit and root crops

Element: Air
Color: Pink
Incense: Thyme

Herbal Magic - Thyme

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

Folk Names: Common Thyme, Garden

Powers: Health, Healing, Sleep, Psychic Powers, Love, Purification, Courage

Photo by H Flannery

Yoga

Have you ever taken a few brief moments to breathe deeply or gently stretch your body? Then you actually practiced some natural yoga. Yoga originates from ancient East Indian philosophies and is more than 6000 years old. It can alter consciousness in its pure form. Originally, the goals of yoga were the liberation of the body from earthly desires, as well as cleansing and quieting of the mind. Yoga is a primary source of all mind body fitness programs, it’s a discipline unifying mind, body and spirit.  Hatha yoga (yoga for strength) is most commonly practiced today. It consists of a combination of body postures, gentle stretching, breathing exercises, meditation and relaxation techniques. This helps to balance and attune opposing energy forces in the body generating improved health, well being and inner peace.

Hummus

Photo by Creative Commons

Ingredients:

• One 15-ounce can (425 grams) chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans
• 1/4 cup (59 ml) fresh lemon juice, about 1 large lemon
• 1/4 cup (59 ml) tahini (we used Krinos)
• Half of a large garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt, depending on taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 to 3 tablespoons water
• Dash of ground paprika for serving

Preparation:

• In a bowl or a food processor, combine tahini and lemon juice. Process for 1 minute. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl, then turn on and process for 30 seconds. This extra time helps “whip” or “cream” the tahini, making smooth and creamy hummus possible.
• Add the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin and the salt to whipped tahini and lemon juice. Process for 30 seconds, scrape sides and bottom of bowl, then process another 30 seconds.
• Open can of chickpeas, drain liquid, then rinse well with water. Add half of the chickpeas to the food processor, then process for 1 minute. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl, add remaining chickpeas and process for 1 to 2 minutes, or until thick and quite smooth.
• Most likely the hummus will be too thick or still have tiny bits of chickpea. To fix this, with the food processor turned on, slowly add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water until the consistency is perfect.
• Scrape the hummus into a bowl and drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the top and sprinkle with paprika.
• Store homemade hummus in an airtight container and refrigerate up to one week.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend!

Lisa

Nutmeg

Photo by yumievriwan

Nutmeg is indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas (or Spice Islands) of Indonesia and the tree can grow up to 66 feet tall.  The peach-shaped fruit is known as the nutmeg apple, which is discarded in favor of the aromatic seed inside. The fruit splits when ripe to expose a pecan sized nut wrapped in a bright red “netting” called an aril. The nut and aril are then separated and dried. The nut is nutmeg, the aril (which turns a yellow as it dries) yields the spice mace. Both spices have a long history of use in both Chinese and Indian medicine, nutmeg is more commonly used. Health benefits include; a calming effect, helps to lower blood pressure and soothes digestive upset. It can be mixed with a neutral oil (for use in a massage) to ease joint pain and inflammation.

Sandalwood Oil

Photo by  Cinnamon Vogue

In India, Tibet and China, Sandalwood is used to protect religious carvings in temples. The best quality and most expensive comes from India. These trees are are endangered and protected by the government in one province. The oils from Australia and West India are less effective. True Sandalwood oil is complicated to make and becoming rare. The tree should be 40 years old before the oil can be extracted, and it requires up to 55 pounds of wood chips for 1 quart of oil, then distilled for six months.