Thursday, April 29, 2010

Those that Inspire - Dorothy Morrison


Dorothy Morrison



The first book I read by her was titled In Praise of the Crone. When I first purchased the book, I originally thought it was about the Goddess's phase of being a Crone. Much to my belief, it was actually about women becoming a Crone. More "phase of life" if you will. I was in my twenties when I purchased this book, but it gave me a positive prospective of what is to come in the future. Now that I am in the "Mother" phase of my life, with a little more experience of what the Goddess has given me, I do look forward to becoming a Crone, though hopefully its still a far time away. Women in my family do however, experience the change very early on. Right now I am smack dab in the middle of my Mother phase of life.

Another book of her's that I read in the beginning was Magical Needlework introduced me to the craft. I am still a novice at the craft but I keep trying!

I was blessed to meet this wonderful lady on several occassions. My first encounter was while I was pregnant with my first child. I was invited by my friend Wayland to dinner one night with his "circle" of friends. He told me to meet him at a store we frequented called "Beyond the Rainforest". Much to my surprise when I walked in the door stood Mrs. Morrison. She was there for a book signing. Wayland introduced us and and she hugged me like I was her long lost friend. She rubbed my ever growing belly and gave me a quick blessing for a healthy delivery and we were on our way to dinner with the Ravens. That evening I was able to sit next to her and we found out that we both have a love of the hunt! She even told me how to measure myself for my first bow paying special attention to my reach by measuring from the "girls" to the ear which is different than measuring a bow for a man. After that first encounter I have had other encounters with attending Convocation in Troy, MI.

One of the things that Dorothy inspires me to do is be true to yourself. Don't rely on chance to manifest what you want or need in your life. Go forth and create it on your own. She's brutally honest which is a very nice surprise. Her no holds bar approach to magic is far from others that sugar coat it and say you should only use magic for the "nice stuff". I love her book "Utterly Wicked" and laughed out loud while reading it, thinking "Oh no she didn't!!! Oh yes she did!". She will tell you if she is not happy with something and what needs to be done to change it. She is also very gracious and kind. She is also human! Yep that is right. Many people will put their favorite authors on a pedistal (I'm guilty!!!!) and whenever they meet that author, their image of the person ceases to exist. Not with Dorothy. What you see is what you get, her vices of the need of caffiene and nicotine and all. She is a lovely person, and also someone I would never want to piss off. LOL.

Once again, she has inspired me to be myself when it comes to magic. Know what you want, and plan to manifest it yourself. Be true to yourself.

Thank you Dorothy for being a great lady, mentor of the hunt, and witch!

Much love,
Crystal

PS. By clicking on the title line, it should redirect you to her website.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Those that Inspire - Intro

In the next few weeks I will be blogging about those that inspire me. A few people that have visted our website (KOTH's) have inquired how I met some of the people that inspire me. So I thought I would write about my experiences with them. In a nutshell I do meet most of them at larger Pagan events such as Convocation, PSG, etc. Some I have met through others by just knowing someone as well. So be on the lookout for the first entry of many to come. These will include those I have met personally as well as some I hope to meet in the future or the next lifetime.

My first will be posted shortly.

Crystal

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Simple Abundance Giveaway



Here is to hoping I am a winner.
If you click onto the Title of this post, it will take you to Domestic Witch's blog for her latest Giveaway. Trust me, anything she does as a giveaway is well worth it. Now if I can just win one of them! LOL

You can also go to her blog by two other methods on my sidebar. There are two buttons, one for the Giveaway itself and her blog.

Crystal

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Herbal Lessons

Well if you know a little about me, I have become a student of Rosemary Gladstar and I am currently studying the "The Science and Art of Herbology". It took me three months to complete the first lesson and I am now moving onto the second. There are a few things I learned from lesson one.

Rosemary was one of the ladies that started Traditonal Medicinal Teas! A brand that I do currently purchase from Whole Foods and regular grocery stores over the "other" big name tea manufacturers.

My herbal pantry is much more stocked than I have previously realized. I currently have on hand for use:
Raspberry Leaf
Nettle
Lavender
Damiana
Lemon Balm
Rosemary
Bee Balm
Egyptian Basil
St. John’s Wort
Eucalyptus
Black Cohosh
Feverfew
Hawthorn Berries
Lemon Verbana
Patchouli
Angelica Root
Orris Root
Comfrey Leaves
Rose Petals
Rose Hips
Passion Flower
Scullcap
Plaintain Leaf
Pennyroyal

My experience with Infusions and Decoctions will grow to a daily basis as I start experimenting with new herbs and learn about them (along with their tastes as well!)

There are multiple ways to prepare the herbs for infusions and decoctions.
Lunar infusions are more delicate and actually changes the taste of an herb compared to a Solar Infusion.

And my studies from lesson one started out with the Nervous System. Now onto the Liver!

Wish me luck that this lesson does not take three months to complete!
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