Our chefs have cooked up some love, intuition, purification and a happy surprise addition to a chef's household. Sterling's Fudge Emporium has a special deal for you just for today, and we've got a wonderful shameless plug for a new GMO-free greenhouse. Grab your favorite cuppa and let's dig in!
Happy Birthday this week to Chris Simmons Morgan, JayLene Seeley, Enchantresskasha Thompson, Kestril Trueseeker, Rosa Sophia, Heather Embee, Angelique Mroczka, Renee Olson (!!!), Diamond Phoenyx, Vanita Shanti Luxul, Kelly Wilkinson Garrett, Tracey Moore and Bruxa Wicca. May this be your best birthday ever, and may your next year of life be filled with all the very best of abundance.
In the News
Suspected witch crash-lands
Clergy’s wife and daughter caught night-running at a school
Mourners Torch House of 'Witch'
Shetan Noir writes a new page for urban magicians
Celebrating The Diverse Spirituality And Religion Of African-Americans
Special Announcement from Sterling's Fudge Emporium:
TODAY ONLY! We are having a 25% off sale on a 1/2 lb fudge samplers. These are the flavors: Pistachio, Rocky Road, Lemon, Chocolate Mint & “the Louie Armstrong” (lemon blueberry). Hurry and buy now because tomorrow will be too late!
http://sterlingsfudgemporium.com/shop/whats-new/
Pagan Lore with Karen Szabo
Sunday, February 23
On this date, the last festival of the ancient Roman year (the Terminalia) was celebrated annually in honor of the god Terminus, a deity who ruled over boundaries and frontiers. During the Terminalia, neighbors whose lands were divided and protected by Terminus would gather together an pour libations of wine, honey, and the blood of sacrificed pigs on their stone boundary-markers.
Merlin Stone, credited with changing the landscape of religion and with giving women their own spiritual culture, passed away on this date in 2011 after a long illness. Her works include the much-loved books "When God Was A Woman" and "Ancient Mirrors of Womanhood".
Monday, February 24
Shiva, the multifaceted Hindu god of destruction and renewal, is honored annually on this date (approximately) by a day of fasting, followed by an oil-lamp vigil known as the Shivaratri (Shiva's Night) which takes place at shrines dedicated to him.
Tuesday, February 25
In many parts of the Christian world, a joyous pre-Lenten celebration known as Carnival takes place annually on or around this date. In ancient days, orgiastic fertility rites and sacrifices of humans and animals to herald the arrival of Spring were common at this time of the year in many parts of the world.
Wednesday, February 26
Pentagram Night. As a symbolic gesture to reaffirm your dedication to the Craft of the Wise, dip your fingertip into a small cauldron pot filled with Yule-log ashes and then use it to draw the sacred symbol of the Witches' Pentagram (five pointed star within a circle) over your heart at the first stroke of midnight.
Thursday, February 27
On this day in the year 1861, famous psychic and spiritual philosopher Rudolf Steiner was born in Kraljevic (which was part of Hungary at that time). He possessed clairvoyant powers and communicated often with nonphysical entities. In 1902, he was appointed general secretary of the German Section of the Theosophical Society, and in 1913, he established his own school for esoteric research. He died on March 30, 1925.
Friday, February 28
In ancient times, a Chaldean Sabbat known as the Sabbatu was celebrated each year on this date.
On this day of the year, the Earth-Goddesses Ceres, Demeter, Gaia, Ge, and Mauri are honored by many Pagans and Wiccans around the world. Also honored annually on this day is the ancient Pagan deity Zamyaz, who was worshipped and offered sacrifices by the ancient Chaldeans and Persians.
Saturday, March 1
On this date in the year 1888, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (an influential Western occult order and secret society) was established. It offered teaching on ceremonial magick, divination, Kabbalah, and other occult-oriented sciences. Many of its rituals are still in use by modern-day practitioners of High Magick. Aleister Crowley (one of the Golden Dawn's most famous members) was initiated into the Order in the year 1898 but was later expelled.
In ancient Rome, the sacred fire in the Temple of Vesta was rekindled by the Vestal Virgins on this day which, at one time, marked the beginning of the Roman year.
The first day of Marc is celebrated in Bulgaria as Granny March's Day. (Granny-March is an old Witch-Goddess who presides over the month of March). It is believed throughout the country that if any woman works on this sacred day, Granny March becomes angry and uses her magickal powers to destroy the crops with storms.
And with that, we've entered into March already! Have a wonderful week, everyone! See you next time with a new edition of Pagan Lore!
Karen
Sparkle & Shine with Sosanna
Love – An intense feeling of deep affection
Last and certainly not least, I love my hubby. We met just under 12 years ago. He is my world. I have to say that when I met him, I was not looking for a relationship. In fact my life was really coming to an end. My x-husband had custody of my kid and I was miserable. I was on a bag of prescription medications to treat various personality disorders that were completely out of control. I was sad, depressed and alone.
I had left my family behind across the country without even telling them where I was going. I stopped on the trip from Virginia to California in Kentucky to see my kid for the last time. I had thought about stealing her but I felt that it would only make matters worse. So I said my goodbye and headed west.
While on my drive I stopped smoking completely. Cold turkey. I made the trip in four-five days. It is really hard to remember. I know I woke up with the sun behind me and didn’t stop until it dropped below the horizon in front of me. My life completely empty.
I arrived in San Diego greeted by an old friend, who let me move in with him. I didn’t have a plan for life, but instead was contemplating suicide. I visited La Jolla shores and watched the seals walk around the beach, too scared to jump but afraid of what would happen if I didn’t.
Just into September a message arrived in my email box from my hero. We talked a while via email, and then on the phone, finally agreeing to a face to face meeting. When we met, I knew I could be in serious trouble over this one. As each date passed, I grew more and more eager to see the next one come. On one of these date nights I was given a special gift. By my hand, I was led out to an opening in the trees just outside Scripps Ranch where up in the sky a full moon shimmered brilliantly in the night. With arms around me, I heard these words whispered in my ear. “I got this for you.”
From that day to this, my world has revolved around that one special person. I will always and forever ben completely dedicated to my wonderful hubby.
After all… he gave me the moon.
Be sure to reach out to those you love and tell them every single day how very important they are to you. Be they friends, nature or your soul mate. Don’t wait for Valentine’s Day or birthday’s to tell them they are important. There’s no time like the present.
Namaste & Blessed Be
Sosanna
)O(
My shop – www.facebook.com/sosannascloset
My Blog – www.confessionsofamodernwitch.blogspot.com
Tiffany's Gumbo with Tiffany Newson
It's been almost 2 months since my goal to PUSH.
P.ush U.ntil S.atsified wit.H.in.
During this time. It's been interesting to say the least.
Two weeks ago, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl that I had absolutely no idea I was carrying. She is my Aene. My hurricane. She brought with her a change . Not just within the house but within me.
During these two weeks I've had to deal more with my father and his wife. Something I don't enjoy but rather tolerate for my kids.
As a bit of background, for the last 3 ( to include my daughter) generations have had a family acceptance problem. My mother never knew/still doesn't know her father's side of the family. That history of who we are is completely lost. I don't know many people on my mother's side because I was either deemed spoiled or the lies my mother told on me and them believing it rather than getting to know me. Now it's my daughter who has both sides of her family either purposefully or does a benign neglect of her existence till it suits their personal needs.
With my Aene, I realized that things had to change. So for a week, I tried to show my father that things needed to change. I bit my tongue. Instead of seeing the damage he was doing he started attacking me. He wanted me to change who I was in order to love me.
At this moment I had a choice.
Change to what he wanted in order to give my daughter what I didn't have. Family who was her own biologically. Or tell him to shove it and block him and his instigating wife from my life.
I chose the latter.
My daughter is loved by my husband's family. They don't criticize who she is or who her mother is. They love and accept more than bowing my head and biting my tongue would have every gotten her.
My goals to PUSH myself has shown me I need to also have more self love and self acceptance. That if they can't love me and my quiet, dominant, blunt, resilient, loving, generous, non traditional self they don't deserve me.
Saga's Spirit with Loren Morris
The month of February gets its name from the Latin februum, meaning Purification. The ancient Romans dedicated the month for closures and prayers and purification. The purification rituals were held on the 15th, which was the full moon.
I consider snow to be cleansing to the planet. This month has been pretty snowy so far, so it is holding to the idea of purifying in the month of February (in my mind anyway, lol).
For the second half of this month I will be adding to my exercise and yoga by doing a juice cleanse for 3 days. I love juicing. I've been juicing for around 3 years and it is something I really enjoy. I have a Green Star juicer. One of my most favorite juices is a beet/pomegranate juice. Juicing is not for the faint of heart. New juicers expect it to be like the juice you buy in the store and it is nothing like it. The flavors are much stronger and better and the juice is alive. I found a few cleansing juice recipes:
http://www.thecultureist.com/2013/06/24/10-healthy-juicing-recipes-for-detox-cleanse/
I also recently purchased a new candle water fountain. My old one bit the dust, I could have just replaced the pump, but it was looking pretty rough after almost 7 years of use. I found one similar to it on Ebay, which made me very happy. When it is lit it creates a nice moving watery light on the ceiling and I can really go into meditation mode with it and my mp3 player playing the guided meditations that I enjoy so much.
Continue reading at Saga's Cottage Blog
My store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SagasCottage
My spirit boards: http://www.lapuliabookofshadows.com/Spirit_Ouija_Weejie_Board_s/1856.htm
Mid-Air Moxie with Adelina Soto Thomas
It is common practice for many of us to dismiss our intuition. We have become accustomed to ignoring the guide within and instead seek guidance without. Later we may regret not trusting our ‘instinct’ or sticking with our ‘first guess’ or even lament aloud, ‘I knew there was something wrong but I couldn’t put my finger on it’. These are things we hear every day, and yet the society around us will continue to have us not trust ourselves in favor of obeying the masses (who frequently steer us wrong).
To hone your intuitive skills, you first need to move past your fear. Yes, it is fear that keeps you from trusting your inner guide. Fear of silence, fear of being perceived as crazy, fear of getting it wrong, fear of getting it right and have the world turn upside down, etc. Too often we listen to others opinions and fail to give equal time and consideration to our own inner voice. Why do we do this? I can speak from my own life and see if it sparks anything within you.
For a long time, I believed that my path was to serve others, even at the expense of my own needs. I could not listen to my inner guides because they were ‘selfish’ and more concerned about my needs and not what would be the best for everyone else. I would frequently find myself in situations where I was taken advantage of by the very people I was trying to help. When I did try to voice my own thoughts and feelings, there were those who would be upset with me for straying from the norm. While my ideas were based on my ‘gut’ and were geared toward what I thought was best for everyone, it didn’t benefit some people (who wanted more power) who would promptly talk me down. The more I tried to assert myself, the more I was told I was crazy or selfish. I soon learned that to ‘belong’, I had to Tune Out.
Ignoring that small voice inside is difficult. It is there, always, and we never really turn it off. Instead, we choose not to act on what it tells us. But the signs are all there, persistently sending us signals from our Inner Guide that will get us through the most difficult of times. Think back on some of the times when you had a ‘feeling’ about something. Your intuition was striving to be heard. How will you know when your intuition is reaching out to you? Your inner voice is often accompanied by: Fear, Anxiety, Doubt, Curiosity, Hesitation, or Suspicion. You may feel the briefest tightening in your chest, have sweaty or itchy palms, press your lips together, feel a push to go a certain way, feel a strong desire to speak or-most common-feel a flutter in your stomach. These indicators are the actions that our Inner Voice uses in our own bodies to let you know when it is speaking. It is these indicators that we have come to call ‘hunches’ or ‘gut feelings’.
To begin to listen to your intuition, you must first stop ignoring the signals. Before you can analyze what is wrong, you must begin by actually allowing yourself to ‘tune in’ and pay attention when those signals are coming to you. Consider situations in your life when you ‘just knew something was wrong’. Think back to what was happening in your body at that time. It doesn’t just have to be a negative situation. Reflect on many situations in your life where you felt a ‘push’ to do something different. Focus on that feeling. THAT is your Inner Voice reaching out to you. Before you can learn to tap into the amazing guidance of our intuitive self, we must first see where we may have failed to tune in before. Learning why we ignored our Inner Guide is important in developing that power within as we go forward.
There and Back A-hen: Just a Bunch of Clucking Nonsense with Melissa Chicky Cassick
I needed more inspiration than my muse saw fit to grant this week. I confess an utter inability to complete a coherent contribution. I wonder if I have been getting enough caffeine to tickle my synapses and dilate my… my… thinking thingummies. I will instead share a parody I wrote for that black magic elixir. It’s based on “Loveliest of Trees, the Cherry Now” but I have seen a lot more coffee than cherry blossoms of late.
“Perkiest of Beans, the Coffee Now”
(Sorry, A.E.)
Perkiest of beans, the coffee now,
Erase the sleep lines from my brow!
French roast, the boldest I could find,
Come to rouse my dormant mind.
Now of the hours twenty-four,
I sure could sleep a couple more.
Subtract the hours spent on the net,
And five's about the most I'll get.
And since to slumber sound and deep,
Five hours are not sufficient sleep,
I'll drown myself in black delight -
And tell myself I'll sleep tonight.
The Spice with La'Trice Lott
Easy Crockpot Cassoulet
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs chopped
1/4 pound cooked smoked sausage, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons water
3 - 15 oz cans of great northern beans, rinsed and drained3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Preparation
Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring until onion is tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in chicken, sausage, garlic, thyme, and pepper. Cook 5-10 minutes or until chicken and sausage are brown. Stir in tomatoe paste and water; transfer to crockpot. Stir in beans into the chicken mixture; cover and cook on LOW 4 to 5 hours. Before serving, sprinkle with parsley.
This Week in Astrology
All Times Eastern Standard
Mercury is in Rx until February 28
Jupiter is in Rx until March 4
Sunday, February 23
Monday, February 24
4:25am-8:50am Moon Void of Course (VoC) then moves into Capricorn
Tuesday, February 25
9:41pm Balsamic Moon
Wednesday, February 26
5:51am- 9:55am Moon VoC, then moves into Aquarius
Great Day for Business after 9:55am
Thursday, February 27
All's Quiet in the Heavens
Great Day for Business, All Day
Friday, February 28
6:58am-9:52am Moon VoC then moves into Pisces
9:00am Mercury Stations Direct
The Weekly Divine with Kallan Kennedy
 |
| Sacred Circle Tarot |
The Chariot represents victory and conquest through confidence and control. Success in any endeavor will be achieved this week through those means. Simply maintain focus and determination and whatever your goals, you will come out on top.Will-power and self-discipline are key during this time. It.might be something you have wanted for months or years. This is your moment of triumph. Stay the course and celebrate!
Weekly Totem: Badger
Key words: Bold Self-expression, self-reliance, keeper of stories
The Shameless Plug
Sacred Greens is a greenhouse where you can order organic/non-GMO seeds and plants. We are just starting out so until we get a handle on shipping the plants successfully, we are going to focus on shipping only seed for the time being and plants will be sold locally.
Over the last two years I have grown my own organic/non-GMO garden and after telling all my FB friends in posts about my awesome yields they asked me if I would sell them any? I decided I could sell any extras and so this is what I did. It quickly became a bigger than I expected business and last year alone I sold over $300 just in herbs to FB friends.
 |
| Sacred Greens Garden |
I decided then that I should have a greenhouse and sell the plants/seeds so they can grow the gardens themselves. The more self-sustainable we are, the better. So, the idea was born and the husband came through again. The greenhouse was 3/4 of the way built in the fall and will be finished in the spring. Until then my home is FILLED with garden plants awaiting their turn to be planted outside and bags full of seed waiting to put into seed packets. Sacred Greens was born. All of my seeds and plants will also be Reiki/Chios energy infused and lovingly nurtured.
We are also planning on branching out this spring with cattle and we will soon be selling grass fed beef. I am toying with the name Honored Meats. ;-)
Since we don't have a website or web presence other than our FB page at this time, we are selling from there. They can contact us directly on the Sacred Greens FB page, through private message to the page or directly to me, or they can email us at sacredgreens@yahoo.com
Prices will be up within the next couple weeks. Please come like and share the page in the meantime!
That's it for this week's Stew. Mull. Digest. Enjoy!
The Sunday Stew is a free, e-publication delivered every Sunday as a loving gift to the Pagan community. All submissions are the intellectual property of their authors, and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the blog owner. All photos are used with permission.
We welcome your feedback! Please be sure to tell us how we're doing and give us suggestions for improvement. Please leave a comment below. We look forward to hearing from you!