Crafty Kitchen Witch

Learning About Chakras Introducing the Seven Major Chakras What is a chakra exactly? Chakras are our energy centers. They are the openings for life energy to flow into and out of our aura. Their function is to vitalize the physical body and to bring about the development of our self-consciousness. They are associated with our physical, mental and emotional interactions. What do chakras look like? Chakras have been depicted as a funnel of sorts with smaller funnels within the funnel. They are also often referred to as looking like lotus flowers. I have intuitively viewed the intake of individual chakras as appearing similar to the blades of a fan or windmill in circular motion. Introducing the Seven Major Chakras In the next seven features we will be focusing on each individual chakra. We will talk about the colors associated with each chakra, learn the physical location of them, explore what purposes they serve, discover which physical dysfunction's are associated ...

The full moons and their names for the rest of this year are as follows: Grain Moon - 22nd July 2013 Blue Moon - 21st August 2013 Fruit Moon - 19th September 2013 Harvest Moon - 18th October 2013 Hunter's Moon - 17th November 2013 Moon Before Yule - 17th December 2013 As you can see from the names of the moons, they correspond very closely with the cycles in nature, and what was being done at these times. 50 Things You Never Knew About The Full Moon So it's not just a matter of superstition. According to a police study, the lunar event coincides with an increase in hooliganism. Jonathan Brown and Rebecca Bowle shed some light on the celestial phenomenon.    1. The full moon is a lunar phase occurring when the moon is on the opposite side of the earth from the sun and all three bodies are aligned in a straight line. Viewed from earth, the near side of the moon is fully illuminated by the sun giving it the familiar circular appearance.  ...

 ~Lammas~ Lughnasadh Rituals Founded by Lugh, in honor of the passing of his mother Taillte, the holiday Lughnasadh came to be the first of the summer harvest festivals. The first fruits of summer and fresh grains are ready for picking at this time of year and the summer days are still quite long and warm. However, this marks the beginning of the waning of the year, with fall arriving shortly with Mabon. One figure found at a variety of harvest festivals was the corn dolly. Alternately spelled as “corn dollie,” this icon is a figure woven from either braided straw or sheaves harvested from the corn fields. A related icon called a “kern baby” is a figure made from the cob of the corn. These figures were dressed or adorned to resembled women, and viewed as an embodiment of the spirit of the harvest or a representation of the Goddess. It was considered necessary to safeguard this fertile spark over the winter to ensure continued and bountiful harvests. In some cultures, all the ...

if you grow herbs and edible flowers then you have many ingredients for making tinctures, if not you can find many herb stores around you I bet or I know you can order online. Here is a simple and inexpensive way to get started. Remember, there’s lots of information out there, so talk to a specialist or do some online research before deciding what you want to use. Everyone’s body reacts differently, so make sure what you choose won’t conflict with any health issues or medications you’re taking. Healing Flowers and Herbs Chamomile: Aids digestion and calms and soothes nerves. Dandelion Leaf: Natural diuretic. Removes excess water and toxins from the body. Helps to cleanse and protect the liver after excess amounts of alcohol and unhealthy eating. (Something we can all use this time of year!) Eucalyptus Leaf: Internally used to relive cold and flu symptoms. Inhale vapors or use in bath to help with chest congestion. Externally used as an antiseptic or an antibacterial and to relieve ac...

Corn Dollies Lammas by Anna Franklin & Paul Mason It was once believed that the spirit of the corn had to be preserved from one harvest to the next to ensure the success of the crops. The cutting of the final sheaf was particularly dangerous, because it contained the life spirit of the corn, which had retreated and retreated into the final stook (bound sheaf of grain). Sometimes the harvesters would approach it reverently with the call, “the neck,” or sometimes the “the mare,” and cut in a single stroke with the cry, “I have the neck.” This was then carefully woven into a corn dolly, or kern-baby, which would preserve the corn spirit safely until the next year. It would be kept in a place of honor until the spring, when at Imbolc ears of corn would be taken from the doll and plowed into the fields to bring them life. The earliest recorded instances of corn dollies date from the eighteenth dynasty of the ancient Egyptians (1570-1320 B.C.E.) and represented Osiris. The...

Now is the Time if the First Harvest, When the bounties of Nature give of themselves So that we may survive O God of the ripening fields, Lord of the Grain, Grant me the understanding of Sacrifice As you prepare to deliver yourself Under the sickle of the Goddess   And journey to the lands of Eternal Summer O Goddess of the Dark Moon, Teach me the secrets of rebirth as the Sun loses its strength and the nights grow cold…   (Crumble grains of wheat and let them fall on your altar or table. Take a bite of the ritual fruit and continue…)   I partake of the First Harvest, Mixing its energies with mine That I may continue my quest For the starry wisdom of Perfection O Lady of the Moon and Lord of the Sun, before Whom the Stars halt their courses, I offer my thanks For the continuing Fertility of the Earth. May the nodding grain loose its seeds To be buried in the Mother’s bre...

Blackberry Cobbler Delicious Blackberries, you can substitute other berries for this if you can't find blackberries or don't like them 4 cups fresh Blackberries 3/4 cups Sugar 3 Tablespoons Flour 1 1/2 cups Water 1 Tablespoons fresh Lemon Juice 2 Tablespoons melted Butter Pastry: 1 3/4 cups All-purpose Flour 2 Tablespoons Sugar 2 teaspoons Baking Powder 1 teaspoon Salt 1/4 cup Shortening 6 Tablespoons Heavy Whipping cream 6 Tablespoons Buttermilk Preheat oven to 350 degrees Place fresh berries in a lightly greased 2-quart baking dish. Combine sugar and flour; add water and lemon juice, mixing well. Pour this mixture over berries; bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes while preparing the pastry. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Pastry: Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; stir in whipping cream and buttermilk. Knead dough 4 or 5 times; roll to about 1/4" thickness on a lightl...