We have a great Stew for you with a new contributor. Please welcome Adelina Soto Thomas to the Stew Crew! We're very excited to have her on board. We have some wonderful articles, and all of your regular favorites in news, astrology, Pagan Lore, and divinations as well. If you aren't reading the news articles, I highly recommend doing so this week. Are you ready to dig in? Let's get to it, then.
Happy Birthday this week to Kelly Shevlin Bopp (!!!!), Mystal Witchwater, Dorothy Lindberg, Judy McGarrah (!!!), Melissa Renee, Marybeth Adkison, Anastasia Evans, Christine Powell, Tracey Donnelly (!!!), and Cara Elle Bryant Kelley! May this be your best birthday ever and may the coming year bring you joy, peace, and abundance in all the very best things!
Song of the Week with Kestril Trueseeker
This week's song came from a conversation had with some friends on line (check out Loren's section of last week's Stew to get a look at the inspiration behind it; it was a decidedly tongue and cheek response to the absurdity in that article).
When I hear this song, it usually brings televangelists to mind, along with cynical musings about the sincerity of the forgiveness offered. In researching it a bit, I found that it's actual inspiration came from a book written by Priscilla Presley, describing her relationship with Elvis. It didn't sound particularly healthy in my humble opinion. She seemed to elevate his opinions of her well beyond her own opinions. There's always a bit compromise in love, but giving up too much isn't healthy. It's OK to draw some boundaries. Heck, in the case of the folks in the article Loren found, I'd say some healthy boundary drawing is necessary! (Along with the need for a good safe word)
Keep Dancing,
Kestril
In the News
Pagans Embrace Solstice
Lessons in Modern Witchcraft Minus the Broomstick
Kenya: Residents Warned over Witchcraft
Why Wicca is a Misunderstood Religion
Boscastle's Museum of Witchcraft Wins TripAdvisor Award
Witchcraft Fears in Carterton Rape Trial
Pagan Thinking in Anti-Israel Letter
Oklahoma: Minister Wins Appeals Court Ruling over Pagan Imagery on License Plates
Stonehenge Revealed: Why Stones Were a Special Place
Pagan Lore with Karen Szabo
Sunday, June 23
In parts of Ireland and Great Britain, Pagans celebrate an annual festival on this date called the Day of Cu Chulainn. It is dedicated to the legendary Irish folk hero of the same name and to the ancient Pagan fertility god known as the Green Man. Tonite is Saint John's Eve. This night is a traditional time for Witches to gather herbs for spells and love potions, for it is believed that the magickal properties of plants are at their peak on this mystical night.
Monday, June 24
On this date, an ancient Egyptian festival known as The Burning of the Lamps is celebrated in Sais,
a city on the Nile delta. In pre-Christian times, the festival of Fors Fortuna was celebrated annually on this date in the city of Rome to honor and receive favorable blessings from the Goddess Fortuna.
A sun-god festival called Inti Raymi was celebrated annually on this date by the ancient Incas of Peru. Llamas were ritually slaughtered and their entrails were used by priests for divining the future. On this date in the year 1950, Reformed Alexandrian Witch and author Janet Farrar was born in London, England.
Tuesday, June 25
Gay Wiccan Pride Day. This is a time for gay and lesbian Wiccans from around the world to unite and celebrate life, love, and the Goddess. Come out of the proverbial "broom closet" and be proud of who you are! Additionally on this date, a centuries-old women's festival is held in India every year in honor of the Goddess Parvati.
Wednesday, June 26
According to ancient Icelandic legend, every year at noon on the date, the tip of the shadow of Mount Scartaris points to the secret entrance of "Centre Earth", in which dwell giant, human-like creatures and prehistoric monsters. Salavi, the Spruce Tree Rain God, is honored annually on this day by a Native American corn-ripening ceremony. This day is also sacred to the Corn Mothers and the Kachinis.
Thursday, June 27
A centuries old Native American Sun Dance ritual is performed annually on this date by many Plains Indian tribes in honor of the Summer Sun. As part of the ceremony, a sacred crow totem is decorated
with black feathers. On this date in the year 1956, prolific and much-loved Wiccan author Scott Cunningham was born in Royal Oak, Michigan.
Friday, June 28
Every year on this day, the birth of Hemera (the ancient Greek Goddess of day) is celebrated. Festivals in her honor begin at sunrise and last until the setting of the sun. On this day in the year 1916, Reformed Alexandrian Witch and author Stewart Farrar was born in Highams Park, Essex, England.
Saturday, June 29
On this date in Appleton, England, the boughs of a large and very old hawthorn tree are decorated with flowers, flags, and ribbons as part of a centuries-old Pagan tree-worship ritual known as Bawming the Thorn. This is a sacred day to Papa Legba, a powerful loa in the Voodoo religion. Originally a Dahomean sun god, Papa Legba is worshipped as the spirit-master of pathways and crossroads, and is the most important deity of the Vodoun pantheon.
And there you have it, all kinds of Pagan tidbits from all over the world! See you next time,
Karen
Sparkle and Shine with Sosanna
I consider myself a pretty informed shopper. When I can I buy organic. When I cannot, I buy food with as little processing and as few ingredients as possible.
From time to time hubby and I treat ourselves to a little treat. Sometimes he will bake brownies. Yes, from scratch. They are heavenly. He chops little pecans for me, because I love them so. They’re not fat free, they’re not sugar free. We use flour, sugar, cocoa powder, eggs and milk. As naive as this sounds, until I met him I never knew you could make brownies without a box mix. Baking is some secret world that only my great aunts or grandma were allowed into. I had attempted making biscuits once. Just once. It wasn’t pretty.
This past week, hubby and I wanted ice cream. As I said, from time to time we’ll go down to the Dairy Queen and get an ice cream cone or a sundae. I decided to check out the ingredient list online.
One small dipped cone is 330 calories and 31 grams of sugar – YIKES
Ingredients:
corn syrup, whey, monoglycerides and diglycerides (emulsifiers), artificial flavors, guar gum, calcium sulfate, cellulose gum, polysorbates 65 and 80 (emulsifiers), carrageenan, magnesium hydroxide and air pumped into the mixture as it crystallizes.
YUCK!
I did a quick google search and found Jamie Oliver talking about the ingredient – Castoreum. What the hell is that?? Well my friends this lovely thing is a NATURAL flavor enhancer. It is also the secretions from the anal glands of a beaver. Yes, you heard me right. A beaver. Apparently it’s used to enhance the flavors of raspberry and vanilla.
So immediately I thought, maybe it’s based on the price of the ice cream. Maybe something from a place like Cold Stone Creamery would be better than Dairy Queen.
Amaretto Ice cream - SWEET CREAM ICE CREAM (Cream, Nonfat Milk, Milk, Whey, Sugar, Corn Syrup, Guar Gum, Cellulose Gum, Carrageenan, Mono & Diglycerides, Polysorbate 80, and Annatto Extract), AMARETTO (Water, Propylene Glycol, Artificial Flavor))
WOW! Just WOW. In case anyone is wondering Propoylene Glycol is in antifreeze. (Link to a study on Propolylene Glycol - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101019084607.htm)
I am a very sensitive person. Usually if a medicine has a side effect, I get it. I have Bipolar Disorder & Borderline Personality Disorder as well as Fibromyalgia. Since I changed my diet and stopped eating processed foods, MOST of my pain had gone and my manias much less frequent. Looking back I can now see how my pain would rise and fall based on when I would “treat” myself to ice cream.
Do you know the ingredients needed to make vanilla ice cream?
Milk, Sugar, Heavy Cream, Egg Yolks, Vanilla
When I gave up loaf bread to make my own at first it was a challenge. But now it’s not that bad. When I gave up canned biscuits to make my own, at first it was rough, but now not so much. You see, when you take the time to make something, instead of tossing a box into a microwave you’re spending time creating something to nourish your body and spirit. Creating something with love and sharing that with your family and friends. These are the things that bring people together around tables. Not additives and preservatives. These are things that will help you Sparkle & Shine.
Stay tuned for the Great Ice Cream Machine Hunt of 2013.
Namaste and Blessed Be!
Sosanna
)O(
Sunshine's Meanderings with Kathleen Lane
WHY?
Today will be a rant and also a question! Can anyone anywhere explain to me why we are subjected to constant bombardments from the media about people who have never accomplished anything.
The news has been full of every detail of Kim Kardashian's pregnancy and now the name of her new daughter. Every aspect has been discussed and tweeted over and dissected like it is a matter of national security. Who cares? What has she done or accomplished? She is not talented in anything but spending huge amounts of money and after listening to an interview on some program I am convinced she has a limited IQ.
Do you care how many boyfriends Taylor Swift has had and ditched? Or whether LeBron James is getting married this summer? I can understand some interest in people who have done something important but where did we get the idea that people like the Kardashians are worthy of interest or admiration? Is this simply something to fill the hour long news broadcasts? I can't believe that there are no people in our world who have done amazing things that aren't far more worthy of being in the news.
Last night I made a vow to myself that for the entire summer I will simply turn off anything that concerns worthless people being admired. Plus, I am going to send messages to HLN and other news programs that insist on spending hours dissecting every moment of these people's lives. If they can't find actual news to talk about, then find someone who is actually worthy of our admiration to interview.
OK,, enough hostility! Summer is really and truly here and we got amazing strawberries and tomatoes at the Farmers' Market yesterday. Needless to say dessert last night was wonderful strawberry shortcake and then I welcomed the new season in along with the Little Mysteries of Mid-Summer Eve.
Have a glorious first summer weekend.
New Feature! Mid-Air Moxie with Adelina Soto Thomas
For a long time I wandered this world with a big secret: I was ashamed that I could not wholeheartedly belong to or follow one spiritual path, tradition, or belief. I felt like a total fraud! Am I the only one who felt like I was violating some unwritten rule because I could only relate to pieces and parts of any spiritual path?
I've found many things that felt true for me and tons of things I just dumped outright because they didn't fit me at all. What the heck was my problem? Why could I only feel connected to a few aspects of a tradition but not swear fidelity to the whole enchilada? Why could I embrace certain things, but then want to run screaming when someone eagerly pursued me to ‘join’ them? Ugh… Was I just fickle or discerning? When I questioned practices or beliefs and the answers didn't satisfy me, was I just seeking for meaningful answers or was I being cynical and close-minded? I can tell you that very often I was received, not as a seeker of enlightenment, but more like a ‘problem child’ or a ‘pain in the ass’…
So what do you do, when you don’t know what you’re doing? I walk an eclectic, unnamed path. I don’t claim a particular tradition, sect, or dogma. I've been initiated as a Wiccan priestess, shared sacred space with many covens and Pagans, joined Dianic drummers, Druid gatherings, shared Reiki energy, taken classes with many New Age practitioners, blah, blah, blah. No label, title, or tradition seemed to fit me more than any other. Am I a Wiccan…Pagan…Witch…New Ager…Occultist…Spiritual Seeker…Weirdo…Fraud…Nutcase? I just wanted to belong somewhere without feeling like a hypocrite or a heretic. Could I still fit in if I didn't believe everything I was told? Could I still belong if I only practiced part, but not all of the traditions and rituals?
Frustration set in for many years as I kept on seeking. There are so many different things that interest me and that I feel drawn to. Will I ever find the right path, tradition, group, or mentor? Why can’t I find anyone who feels as I do? Where is my group, my coven, my home? Where are my teachers, my ancestors, my friends, and my spiritual family? Why isn't there someone who gets me, my constant seeking, my love of parts of many cultures and spiritual paths, and why I can’t just commit to only one of them? Where are the answers? Does anyone have all the answers? Why does this all seem so frikkin hard! Why isn't there one place where it all comes together? What path should I follow? When will I stop ‘flying by the seat of my pants’ and finally land where I belong??
Well…Duh…
Cue the light bulb over the head: The right path is MY path. Everything I see, feel and experience is part of MY spirit, MY practice, MY path. It fits me, because it’s mine and it’s where I belong. Not knowing is okay…not belonging to someone else’s path is okay…not conforming falsely to what doesn't feel right is okay. It’s better than okay, because spending a lifetime conforming to bullshit you don’t believe in kills your spirit. There is no shame in being you, even if you don’t agree 100% with what other ‘spiritual’ people believe. Could it really be that easy?
Wait, did I say EASY? Shit…it took me over 30 years to get right with that part of myself! Let no one tell you how to be you or how to walk your path. Take the pieces of your life experiences and work with what fits. Then make a mosaic and place it before you. Take pride in your path and all its pieces and parts, for when it all comes together, it is uniquely YOU. That is a true blessing for any seeker on any spiritual path.
Breathe, Believe, and Step Forward…
This Week in Astrology
June 23: Moon Void of Course from 3:08 to 4:08am EDT moves into Capricorn
Supermoon: Full Moon in 7:32am EDT
June 24: Moon Void of Course from 10:23pm
June 25: Moon Void ends at 3:26am EDT moves into Aquarius
Jupiter moves into Cancer at 9:39pm EDT
Jun 26th: Moon Void of Course from 10:32am through the rest of the day.
Mercury Retrograde 9:07 AM until July 20
June 27: Moon Void ends at 4:31am moves into Pisces
Venus moves into Leo at 1:08pm EDT
Good day for business from this point through the rest of the day (caveat: Mercury in Rx)
June 28: Good day for business until Moon goes void (caveat: Mercury in Rx)
Moon Void of Course from 8:09pm EDT through the rest of the evening.
June 29: Moon Void ends at 9:06am EDT moves into Aries
Mercury Rx Articles:
Full Moon Articles:
Weekly Horoscopes from DarkStar Astrology
Weekly Tarot: Four of Wands
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| art by azurylipfe |
Key words: Peace, Tranquility, Joy, Celebration, Family, Relaxation
"A chance to rest and rejoice, having successfully resolved a matter of great import. The initial success of a business venture or creative project. The blossoming of a friendship or romantic relationship. Conclusions drawn based on hard won experience. Spiritual, material, or emotional rewards for diligent effort. May suggest marriage, childbirth, or a victory celebration."~facade
The Four of Wands is one of the most cheerful and encouraging cards in the Tarot. Generally, it indicates good fortune, fulfillment, satisfaction and tranquility... usually after a time of struggle,challenge and difficulty. It is the victory celebration after the war is won, the goal is achieved, the challenge is overcome.
If you are working on a project that isn't complete, you will reach an important milestone. There is a lot of personal gratification at this time. You may also be working on a home project, such as renovation, restoration or purchasing a new home. The four of wands is closely associated with home, as is the Sun in Cancer right now. Family and home are important aspects this week.
The Four of Wands also provides encouragement when you feel overwhelmed. It reminds you that the best things in life don't necessarily come easily. Remember to celebrate your achievements, no matter how small they may seem to someone else. This is your life, and you should be proud of what you have achieved.
With Mercury going into Rx on Wednesday, it will be important to remember this positive energy. Peace, happiness and acceptance are the energies of the week. Relax and enjoy!
Weekly Totem: Lightning Bug/Firefly
Key words: Hope, Energy, Guidance, Patience, New Ideas, Awakening, Illumination
Lightning bugs/fireflies always seem to light up the Midsummer sky where we live. I have yet to meet anyone who can resist their cheerful lights on a summer evening.
From a purely mundane aspect, these small beetles light up to attract a mate. But, not just any mate. Lighting up is intricate and precisely timed to attract the right one. Spiritual lesson: if we want to attract the right people, events, etc...we must plan for laying groundwork, timing, and stick to our principles.
Lightning bugs/fireflies do not produce any heat when they light up. They are energy-efficient. Spiritual lesson: our creativity and productivity should not be causing us to burn a candle at both ends. We need to let them come naturally and in harmony.
These lovely creatures teach us a soul and earth-friendly way to live. Consume less, connect more, light up to attract the things you want, live simply and in harmony with all, and most importantly, rely on your own inner voice for illumination.
Nature note: Please do not encourage catching lightning bugs/fireflies in a jar. They are harmless, lovely creatures who deserve our respect. Let them be wild and light your path naturally.
Oh The Humanity with Loren Morris
I laughed out loud when I saw this one:
Some of you may look at it and go "I don't get it"........If I hadn't had it happen to me so many times (and not with just guys), I probably would have passed it up. He's slowly backing away while still smiling.
I have to admit, most southerners are more forward. I have actually been asked the question "Do you eat babies?" That question was asked to me by a co-worker when she found out my religious preferences.
Let's see:
1. There are no missing babies in this area
2. You are sheriff's wife, you should know better!
3. No.
It doesn't matter how nice you are to someone, how funny, how giving.....this is always going to be a response with some people. And the above question.
At least we can laugh about it.
Do you have a funny encounter to share? Leave a comment here or email me here.
The Shameless Plug
Several concerns have been raised lately by the media in regard to the monitoring of emails, phone calls, etc... by the U.S. government. For those of you who would like to encrypt your emails, FB messages, Google + etc... there is a new, free service to help you. Please visit https://www.encryptfree.com/ . It's encryption for the people. I like that idea.
That's it for this week's Stew. Mull. Digest. Enjoy!
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