Children's Yule Party

Last night, Lancer and I attended a children's Yule Party hosted by our friend Tiff and her family.  There was home made pizza making, cookie creating, and making our fine feathered friend feeders! 

We had a blast and Lancer was talking about it all the way home about how much fun he had.
Thanks for a wonderful evening Tiff!

Sincerely,
Crystal

Wow, Time flies when you are having fun!

Hello Everyone!

WOW what happened to November?  I don't really know.  I have not been online much due to Samhain, Thanksgiving, and my husband's college graduation this Saturday!  (Yeah!!!! No more school!)

We are once again starting the process to put our house on the market.  We decided to put it off last time due to the amount of stress hubby was feeling with wanting to finish his studies.  So its back to major cleaning and learning how to stage. 

Hubby got us a nice Pre-Yule gift, the gift of indoor exercise.  He got us a treadmill.  Its pretty nice one, I will post a photo whenever I have a chance of the new torture device....I mean goal achiever!

Last year I chose a theme for the next coming year during Samhain and it was Year of the Housewife.    I am going to dedicate this next year to a Year of Health.  Not just focusing on losing weight which is the major thing I need to do, but I do suffer from some other illnesses that I have kept quiet for some time that many people do not know about.  Don't worry, I won't clog up the blog with my problems either.  That is not why I started this blog to begin with. 

My cooking will focus on more wholesome and organic ingridients whenever possible.  I will even try to start remembering to take pictures during the process.  Once I found a blog where the person took a photo of every meal they ate for a year and it was pretty impressive.  Maybe the same thing will make me realize what I am eating and how I am eating as well.   I think it would be benefical to see everything as they say a picture is worth a thousand words.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Samhain and Thanksgiving......now onto Yule!

Yuletide Greetings from my family to yours!

Sincerely,
Crystal

Convocation 2011

Well today must be a seriously lined up in the stars for me!

First we received word that our first choice for a location for the Sisters of the Craft Gathering was accepted, and now I have even more great news!

I received confirmation today that I will be presenting at Convocation 2011!  I will be presenting three of my newest workshops!  One of them was tested last year for the first time and received positive feedback that they are bringing it back again!   Sorry for those that wanted the Mad Hatter Tea Party, that one will be on hiatus this year to make way for:

The Pregnant Pagan Priestess!

The Pampered Pagan's Pantry

and

Child's Play (A crafting hour for children to build their own coloring BOS and special salt dough project).

I am so excited to be doing these workshops!  See you next February!

Blessed Be,
Crystal

Sisters of the Craft Gathering - Part Deux!

I am so excited!

I recieved word from Terry this morning, that our first choice for a location to host the gathering is a GO!!!!
They had no problem with us wanting to have it there! 

No on to the other planning stages!  I am so excited! 

The FIRST Annual Sisters of the Craft Gathering will be held on September 16 - 18th, 2011.
It will held during the weekend we will be celebrating Mabon.  We will have alot to be thankful for next year for sure!

Less than a year to plan, we have a lot of very talented ladies on our Planning Committee and I know we can make it happen!

YES!!!!

How do we pay for all this???

The following was written by Shauna Aura Precourt.  I read it today and agree with many of her statements.   I feel this is a topic that is rarely discussed and sometimes the root at a group failing because there are only a few dedicated persons that end in "burn out".  I am a true believer that what you put into something is what you will get out of it.   I asked for her permission to repost it to my blog and was granted to do so.

Thank you Shauna! 

To learn more about Shauna, please visit:

http://www.ringinganvil.org


Facebook Profile: facebook.com/shaunaaura


Sincerely,
Crystal

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How do we pay for all this? Memberships, Tithing, and Pagans


.by Shauna Aura Precourt on Tuesday, October 12, 2010 at 4:54pm
 
This post was written in response to an issue raised on a Pagan community list about the relevant question, how do we pay for the functions of a community organization and services to members? How do we pay for regular classes, clergy, a community center? The group discussing the question is my friends at NIPA, the Northern Illinois Pagan Alliance. They’ve been working for 3 years to bring their local community together and offer services, and doing a great job. They’re having a discussion very relevant to many Pagan communities out there. How *do* we pay for all this, and how do we make it sustainable?

Here are some of my thoughts on this topic.

———————————–

I’m so excited to see the work that NIPA is doing. There are Pagans all over the country who have no place to go for various reasons, and helping Pagans in one area to have a place to connect and find “home” is such important work.

The other is the specific topic of “how do we pay for all this.” This is a topic I’ve been talking about for years to Pagans across the country, and I hear a few similar responses. One is the common myth that “All Pagans are broke” or the other common statement offered, “Pagans won’t pay for things like that.” Many Pagans are broke–unemployed, underemployed, on disability, etc. And, many aren’t. I think the enduring myth that “all” Pagans are broke leads to the fact that many Pagans have issues around money. There’s other factors, but for the purposes of this post, we’ll assume that this is one of the myths of money-related baggage that hampers us, but isn’t the direct topic.


First, let me put it out there that I’m a big fan of “Tithing,” or the similar form, Memberships. That doesn’t always make me popular with Pagans who grew up Christian, pressured to put money into that collection plate. Or Christians who were part of churches where church staff would call them to make sure they “got right with God” and paid up on their tithe. Or even Pagans who are afraid this is the model is where Paganism is headed.

But let’s look at the opposite side.

There’s a lot of smarmy churches out there–but there’s also a lot of churches out there doing really good work for community. UU churches are usually a good example of churches that are open, welcoming to diverse people, and who are working hard to provide a lot of services to their congregation. The church itself (land, building, maintenance) costs money. The salary for the minister, and for church staff, costs money. Even with a paid staff, a church of even a small congregation requires countless volunteer hours to ensure all their programming happens.

Looking at some other models, it’s easy to see how Paganism finds itself in the financial fix it’s in. For a long time, the most common “shape” of a Pagan group was the coven, usually based in some way on the Wicca that came out of Gardner/BTW. Built within those groups was the moral stricture that Priest/esses should not charge for what they were doing or teaching.

I have to imagine that, in these small groups, there was still a method of energetic exchange. I know how much work it had to have been to learn all that they needed to learn, prepare lessons, prepare rituals, teach people. And in a very small group, it’s likely that the other members of the coven helped to take some of the burden of the group as they learned more, or even helped with cleanup, doing dishes, cooking dinner, heck, even helping out with home repairs, gardening, or other things that needed doing.

As one Pagan clergy member once told me–”I don’t need to be paid for my work, but when I’m preparing lessons or rituals and taking 20-40 hours out of my week to teach, I don’t have time to clean my houses, cook, shop for groceries. Who will help me with that?” I have the feeling that, in the form of a small, close group of people of 3-13, these things worked themselves out because when the group is that small, people become close and tend to take care of one another.

But then Paganism became more popular exponentially, and the books started coming out, and now there’s more Pagans than can be served by the coven model. In the past decades, what that’s given rise to is Pagan bookstores, open/public Pagan classes and rituals, and groups with lots of different shapes. There are groups that are larger than 13 people. There are lots of people not in groups but that want to find a group, or that are looking for education. Lots of different kinds of offerings (books, classes, festivals) cropped up for Pagans.You didn’t have to be part of a coven to learn things or connect with Pagan community.

What that has given rise to is, unfortunately, a very capitalist model of Paganism. What I mean by that is, different classes, stores, and festivals compete with one another for people’s dollars. And, (with some exceptions) only those who can afford to, can go to classes or festivals, or can buy things at the stores.

This at times enforces a polarity for Pagans–many Pagans who can’t afford the expensive classes, festivals, etc, complain that this stuff should be free. The Pagans who are in the middle/upper class, who have better education and more money, seem to gravitate towards closed communities/groups that charge more for events and meet occasionally through the year drawing people from a broad geographic area. These folks are less likely to take part in their local community. I’d go so far as to say a further polarization is that the folks with the most disposable income and education end up gravitating towards the New Age community, where similar events and education to the Pagan community cost 10 times as much or more.

The trap is insidious. As a Pagan teacher and event planner, even if I’m just trying to cover the cost of an event I have to charge for it. If I’m renting space for a ritual, or making copies of class notes, or buying art supplies for an exercise, or my travel cost to get there, there’s an associated fee for that. Even if I believed that classes and rituals should be totally free (I don’t) there’s still the idea that I need to charge a fee to cover the cost. If you compare it to a church, the fee for renting a space is the equivalent of the fees needed to purchase/build the church, and maintain it.

I can tell you–both Mark and I have run events where we had to pay out of pocket because not enough people donated. I can say that, after weeks of organizing, dropping flyers, and planning workshops and rituals and other offerings, having to pay out for the pleasure of slaving over an event, is the fastest way that we as leaders and teachers head to burnout.

I don’t believe that events should just cover the hard costs. I believe that those people who have done the work to learn the professional skills to be able to teach Pagan topics, learn how to facilitate the workshops professionally, and lead effective rituals, should be paid for their time. I believe that people who are putting in the time to organize an event, design a flyer, staff an event, should be paid for their time. I work hard to offer Pagan events, and I should be paid for my time, too.

In the midst of this conundrum–how do you offer classes available to those who can’t afford much, but also honor the value that expenses should be paid, and that teachers should be paid for their work? The Reclaiming tradition (co-founded by Starhawk) came up with using a sliding scale, with no one turned away for lack of funds.

This is blending capitalism (paying for classes) and tithing (paying based on what you can afford). It’s the model I’ve used for every workshop, ritual, and event I’ve offered, and I’ve had great success with it. I think that taking the model further, making it a true tithing model, corrects a lot of the capitalist/competetive flaws that many Pagan classes and groups face. More on that in a bit.

Beyond teaching classes and leading rituals, I also believe that the clergy folks who are counseling people through a crisis should be paid for their time. Mark and I have both taken emergency “clergy calls” over time, and that’s not work we get paid for, even though it can take hours out of our day, or constitute us paying out of pocket to drive out to a hospital and spend time with someone. Therapists get paid for their time. Tarot readers and Reiki healers get paid for their time. Hospital chaplains and Ministers who are available full time to their congregation for their personal emergencies get paid for their time.

I’m not suggesting that, if you have an emergency, I take your credit card info over the phone and have you pay by the minute, any more than a firefighter should collect money before putting out a house fire. But–there needs to be a community support function where those who are getting services, are helping to support the structure that provides them that service. Selena Fox of Circle does a huge amount of clergy work for their community including hospital visits and memorials. And through Circle, she has a structure that makes sure she’s fed and clothed while she’s doing this work.

I should offer the caveat that few Pagan group leaders have done (or paid for) the kind of training needed to offer counseling and spiritual direction to their group members, but that’s changing. This kind of clergy training that we who lead groups, and who take clergy calls, should have. It’s not training that’s cheap, but it’s out there, and more and more Pagan leaders are seeking this education. This is a good thing for Paganism, but it does have a cost.

As Pagan groups change structure, especially in metro areas where groups like NIPA are working to serve the needs of a larger community, this format starts to look a lot more like a congregation (church) similar to a UU church, serving diverse faiths. However, in the case of most larger Pagan organizations, like the ESC group Mark and I used to organize in Chicago, or NIPA, or the various Pagan Unity Councils out there, it’s usually a really small group of people organizing for a lot of Pagans that show up, or don’t show up, depending on what their whim is.

Unlike a church, it’s usually a loose banding of people who have no “stake” in the organization, and they show up and pay the entrance fee for the class, ritual, or event, or they decide to not go to something because they don’t feel like it, there’s a concert they want to go to, they forget, they decide to watch tv, a family crisis comes up, or whatever keeps them from attending. But it’s still a capitalist model where people have other things competing for their attention, and they can decide to attend, or not, and there’s not a co-ownership of the group, it’s just “Do I feel like attending that class/event?”

This model of community organizing has great potential–and, it has some flaws that need to be worked out to make it truly sustainable.

Public groups and Pagan community organizations are not the same shape as a coven, and the inherent energy-exchange of helping out your priest/ess with their dishes and gardening in exchange for training doesn’t apply. I would consider services rendered to a priest/ess in a coven to be a form of tithing. If I’m part of the coven, if I’m getting training, and I want to do something to help the group out and I’m giving my time towards this, that’s tithing my time and energy of my labors.

The old, old models of, paying the shaman/medicine woman/healer for their time with a chicken or a fur or by getting clean water for them, doesn’t really work either. But that’s a form of tithing too. The shaman does what s/he does in healing the tribe or giving counsel. The woodworker offers what he has, the metalsmith offers what she has, the hunter and the gatherer and the farmer offers what they have. It’s an even exchange of skills, a barter. The close-knit community of a tribe or clan supports one another by offering their time and energy and expertise.

With a church, let’s take a UU church as an example again, the whole congregation that is a tithing member is “buying in” to the church. The term “buying in” is both literal and metaphorical–they’re in agreement with what the church is offering and want to be a part of it, and they’re backing that up by putting in their money. It’s more convenient than bringing over a chicken a week anyways.

If organizations like NIPA, Pagan Unity Councils, and other groups serving Pagans want to get out of the trap of either being stuck offering things capitalistically (only those who can pay, and who are interested enough, come to events when they feel like it) or offering things that are only free (choosing inconvenient venues with no cost, or leaders paying out of pocket for events) there needs to be a different model of how we pay for all this.

The model I’m using for my organization Ringing Anvil will be a sliding scale membership fee. In other words, a tithe. Some organizations charge an annual fee that is flat, like $200, to be a member of the organization. I recognize that that isn’t possible for everyone, especially with something like 10% or more being unemployed. So I’m offering membership in our organization on a sliding scale from $1-$100. Those who are doing well can put in $100 a year, or more. Those who are students, unemployed, on disability, etc, can pay in the $1-$25 range. I might even make an exception where people can offer a good or service in trade that could be auctioned off–hand-made crafts, tarot readings, etc.

This kind of membership is a tithe.

It is getting people to buy-in to the organization. They will have co-ownership of what goes on in the organization. I’m trying to engage people not as occasional attendees, but as regular members who care about what’s going on with the group, people who will volunteer for events, attend events, and get all that they can out of it. It’s not about, “I’m not interested in that class so I’m not paying for it,” it’s, “I want to make sure that diverse education is offered to myself and other members of the community and I’m putting forth some money to make sure that education happens.”

I find there’s a spiritual apathy that happens when someone has 10 events they could attend, but isn’t a member of any organization and thusly has no community connection reason to attend something. When we tithe together, work together, we become a spiritual family, we have an obligation to one another, and we can connect and grow together.

For an idea of how a tithing/membership-based community organization could look like:

■The organization takes annual memberships on a sliding scale. This builds up a kitty of funds.

■Monthly rituals use some of those funds for space rental, but perhaps donations are also accepted at the rituals. Maybe there’s also a bake sale, auction, or divination done at some of these monthly rituals to raise additional funds. Ideally, each ritual at least pays for the space, and possibly puts a few bucks back into the kitty.

■The group runs an annual fundraiser (Witch’s Ball, carnival, pennywar) to bring in funds for special projects, or to replenish the group funds.

■The community decides that there’s enough new folks coming in that it needs to put on a rolling Pagan 101 class, offering basic skills and tools for Pagans and introducing Pagans to the various different traditions, as well as introducing new Pagans to the 11-12 different groups in the area so that they can help the newer folks figure out what type of Pagan, Heathen, Wiccan, Druid, Shaman, or other, they might be. The community finds teachers who can teach this, and decide on a fee to pay them for their time. Space is rented for the class. This comes out of the group funds. Donations are accepted at the class, but it’s assumed that the classes will lose money. This is decided to be an acceptable loss in order to bring this important education out to all who seek it.

■More advanced classes are planned. These classes are organized by people within the organization who want further learning in a particular topic, or who want to bring in a specific presenter. Let’s say for example that a number of folks in the group want to take some of John and Caitlin Matthews Celtic Shamanism classes.

■Funds are stewarded for this class; those who want the education donate towards this class, and also engage in a bake sale in order to raise additional funds to bring this education. They also reach out to surrounding areas to find more people who might be willing to travel 3-5 hours to attend something like this. Once enough funds are raised to make the class feasible, a venue is chosen and the date for the class is set. Because enough people were committed to attending the class ahead of time and had already paid in, additional registrants from the surrounding area helped the class to make a few hundred dollars to put into the group funds.

■Another group of people want more education on runework. They explore which presenter they might like to bring into town for this, and decide upon Diana Paxson. They follow a similar pattern as the group before, but discover that this class isn’t generating as much interest. They can cover most of the costs, but it looks like the class will operate at a loss. They decide that the education is worth it and operate at an acceptable loss. They also agree that those who learn the runework will do free readings at some of the upcoming rituals as a fundraiser to help pay for the class after the fact and replenish group funds.

■A member of the congregation decides they would like to get leadership training to better serve the group. Perhaps they want to take a class at Cherry Hill Seminary or Earth Traditions online, or perhaps they want to do a weeklong intensive in mediation and conflict resolution. They can’t afford the class all on their own, and the reason they want to take the class is to serve the group. The organization decides to help sponsor this person, taking some money from the group funds, but also holding a special fundraiser. In exchange, once the member has finished the class, they offer a free session for the community on some of the things they learned, and they offer this skillset to the group.

■After a few years, the group has a stable enough tithing membership, and has enough work, that they realize a couple of folks are needed on a full time basis to do the administrative and leadership work of the group. The group has already been offering a small stipend to the folks regularly planning the rituals. They discuss together to find who might be willing to do this work part time or full time, and agree upon a salary for this person’s work. The person is hired, and is now accountable to the organization for their work. Perhaps this person discovers that they need additional training in the clergy arts, such as counseling. The congregation votes and sets aside funds to help pay for this training so that the staff member can better service the organization.

■The organization has been collecting funds in a special account earmarked for purchasing a community center. Community members have already been doing collaborative gardening, growing food to be eaten at community gatherings, and taking the food waste from the monthly potluck and composting that food waste to be used in the community garden. The new community space has enough yard for a more extensive garden. The congregation checks out the space, decides that this is the right space, and engages in some additional fundraising to purchase the space. This group now has a community center–a church–that all can use, and all in the organization have bought into it, whether for the $1 they could afford on unemployment, or for the $1000 they saved after getting a raise at work.

■etc, etc.

This isn’t where many groups are today–but, with groups like NIPA working to bring Pagans together and offer services, it’s a possibility. There are Pagan organizations formed in a congregation model that are pretty close to this place, like Gaia Community in Kansas City, which formed its leadership based on UU principles, as well as through skills and tools learned at Diana’s Grove. Last year they explored buying a church. They currently rent space monthly from their local UU church. Their search goes on for the right church space to invest in when the time is right.

Other groups, like Gaia’s Womb/Earth Traditions, under Angie Buchanan, have successfully fundraised to help get Pagan delegates to the important world interfaith forum, the Council for the Parliament of the World’s Religions.


This model of collaborative fundraising for communities/goals is possible, and would have the opportunity of providing more, and better, services, for our growing communities. It depends largely on our ability in Pagan community to learn to get along and get past the egotism and interpersonal bashing that has gone on in the past; so many of us have been through it, and it happens again and again. It doesn’t have to.

It also requires Pagans reframing how they see money.


Money is a tool, a form of energy. You work for X number of hours, and you have Y number of dollars to show for it. I think that if we respected money as our energy, we’d spend it differently. If you look at a lot of things you spend money on, and actually think about how many hours you needed to work for that, you might wonder if it was really worth it.

I advise people who are working to reframe their relationship to money to operate in cash, with small denomination bills, for a month. Feel the money in your hands, and do the math to know if $10 represents an hour of your time, or two hours, or however it breaks down. For extra credit, factor in the amount of time that you don’t get paid for, like travel to work, and see how your hourly take-home pay is impacted. Ie, an 8-hour day making $10 an hour, is actually something closer to $7 an hour after taxes, and if you add in 2 hours of commute, your 10 hour day made you $56. If you subtract $6 for bus fare/gas money, you’re making $5 an hour. Or something like that.

Did you know that some Pagan/New Age stores count on the fact that a new Pagan will spend something like $200-$500 in their first year buying supplies like athames, statues, cauldrons, herbs, and other things that intro to Paganism books “tell” them they need, and that within 3 years, the amount of money the person spends will drop off as they realize they don’t need all those tools to do spiritual work? The paradox here is, it’s important for us to have Pagan stores, as so many of us doing community work depend on being able to offer classes or rituals at those stores. Those stores make money by selling books, supplies, and jewelry. So again, we’re stuck in the capitalist trap.

I’ve also seen people grumble about donating $25 to a weekend-long (16-20 hours of instruction) class I was teaching on ritual arts, and then drop $25 on a meal during our lunch hour. Mark told me that years ago he witnessed someone attend his class and say they couldn’t afford to donate, but during the breaktime they bought $40 in books and jewelry at the store. I’m not angry at people for this. In fact, I don’t even think that they realized they were willing to spend money on lunch that they weren’t willing to spend on a class.

I fully hold the paradox of, respecting someone’s choice as to where they spend their money, but also feeling sad that some people didn’t realize that they were, by their actions, valuing a meal over the time I spent organizing, preparing, and teaching the class. After paying for venue rental and some supplies, I think I ended up with $30 for the class. It’s a good thing my co-facilitator had a free airline credit, or I’d have paid $200 or so for the two days I spent teaching, and for the weeks of planning and organizing.

I believe that we need to look at money as a resource to steward. Some of us have more of it, some have less. Some of us spend our money and could reduce spending to give $5 to our local Pagan organization. For me it’s a matter of values–not an abstract philosophical concept, but value–what do I value, what do I spend my money on. If you’re unwilling to spend money on a Pagan workshop, but have no problems spending $50 on a Pentacle necklace with a moonstone, that’s worth exploring. If you find you balk at giving $5 a month to your Pagan organization, but you spend $5 a day on coffee, you might look at what you value. If you’re barely making ends meet and only wish you had $5 to give to your local organization, maybe you can offer something in work trade, like a necklace you’ve made, a book you’re done reading, a tarot reading, to help the organization raise money.

I think that Pagans need to look at what services we want and need, and, how we’re going to make it happen. I think that the model of Paganism that’s coming is collaborative community organizations where people bring in different skills. Some of those are specifically clergy skills–ritual leadership, teaching, counseling, interfaith work, leadership and community organizing, and more. As more Pagan priest/esses find themselves wanting the more robust education of Pagan seminary, and as Pagan seminaries become available, Pagan leaders are finding themselves in the position of paying out-of-pocket for leadership training, when in their local Pagan community, they will be able to use these skills, but not ever be paid for them.

I’m not proposing that Pagan leaders and clergy need a huge salary, but it takes a lot of time to offer Pagan services to a community, and even the reduced cost education available via Cherry Hill and other emerging Pagan clergy training is still a lot of money to put in if you can’t ever make a living doing what you love.

I can speak for myself–I’ve taken a vow of simplicity, which means, I don’t spend money unless I really have to, I don’t spend money on the “expected” amenities or the “Oh, you’re really not a grown up until you have a new couch and drapes and live in your own house” kinds of costs. I spend money on the things I really value. I live as cheaply as possible–a cheap, tiny apartment, thrifted clothes, a lot of things found on Craigslist. I use as little electricity and gas as possible, turning off the lights, line-drying my clothes, and weatherizing my apartment. I try to not spend my money on things I don’t value–fast food, food with chemicals and preservatives, cleaning supplies with toxic chemicals, anything supporting the styrofoam/plastic industry. In general, I reduce my consumption and consume as little as possible both to reflect my values on simplicity, and to reflect my values of ecological sustainability.

If I were able to earn $5,000-$10,000 a year to do Pagan events, classes, and rituals–doing the work I’m called to–I’d be ecstatic. I’d be thrilled. I’ve lived on this, or less, for years now. To earn a living as a Pagan leader, vs. needing income from other places, is one of my dreams, and I’ve given up a lot of amenities to make it happen.

A big place Mark and I spend our limited resources is on gas money and car repairs. That’s not something I value, but it’s the inherent cost we incur based on what we do. We spent this past summer traveling and teaching. In the past year, we’ve traveled a great deal to teach Pagan leadership and ritual arts to help local communities better serve their groups. Sometimes we’ve gotten paid. Often times, we’ve gotten enough gas money to pay for the trip, but not for the car problems that happen from the wear and tear.

When we travel to Starwood or various Pagan Pride events, we don’t get paid gas money, we have to pay for our own travel. For other Pagan festivals that we’ve taught at, we had to pay to attend, or do enough volunteering/work exchange to cover our entrance fee. Teaching these skills and tools is important work to me and I’m excited to be able to offer them. But what it amounts to is, I have spent hours and hours driving around the country, and teaching, and Mark and I have paid for the pleasure of teaching in the form of car repairs.

The wear and tear this past year has amounted to my old minivan being almost undriveable. Traveling to Indianapolis Pagan Pride 2 weeks ago, the alternator died and we almost didn’t make it home. We’re still trying to get enough money to fix the alternator so that we can fulfill our travel obligations later on this month.

Pagan elders across the country face this conundrum. Those like Oberon Zell who gave their lives over to this work struggle to make ends meet; if he didn’t sell his artwork/sculptures/jewelry, they wouldn’t have enough to live on, much less pay for his and Morning Glory’s cancer treatments. Isaac Bonewits did only months ago not able to really afford the cancer treatments and hospice care he needed.

We need a better system than capitalism to not only grow our communities, but to serve the new Pagan seekers, adequately pay the leaders, teachers, and clergy, and ensure that spiritual services are available for seekers at various abilities to pay. It’s possible. It’s happening. And we can be a part of it. And it requires looking at both new and old models of doing things, and shedding some of our cultural baggage around money.

Think about this. If 50 people tithed to a Pagan organization paying just $5 a month, that’s $250 a month. Let’s assume some folks can afford $1, and some can afford $10. $250 can pay for a lot of services and space rental. Over the course of a year, that’s $3,000. If you’re saving towards buying/renting a community center, or putting on a class, a little goes a long way, but it takes that group of people who not only have the vision for the group and are willing to put in the work, but the people who want the services and are willing to buy into the organization and put a little time and money and effort into it too.

As Margaret Mead (and many others) have said, a small, committed group of people can change the world. Or, in this case, a small committed group of people can grow a healthy and sustainable organization that serves their spiritual needs as well ass makes it easier for the new Pagans to come in.

Blessings! -shauna

Sisters of the Craft Gathering

A few friends and I have been talking for some time about hosting a women's only camping weekend. It will take place sometime next Fall in 2011.

It is the first time that any of us take on a task of this size, and frankly don't have much knowledge about throwing such an event.  Most likely our first turnout will be small and intimate and that is ok.  Right now, we pretty much know the "where" we want to have it, its now going to be more of "will they let us" have it.

After we acomplish that goal, then we can try to figure out the other details.

If you live in Michigan (or not but willing to travel) or would just like to be a mentor if you have hosted something like this before and would like to share your knowledge, please join us at our Yahoo Group.  You can either click on the title to this post or go to  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sistersofthecraftgathering  to sign up. 

My first questions is whether or not we should provide food?  Or should everyone bring their own?  What should we ask for the fee to pay for the land we want to use? What would be a good price to ask for donation to our provider for the land we will be using if we are approved and given the "go ahead"?  What would you pay for a weekend of camping?   Do we have to carry insurance or can we do with people signing a Waiver of responsibility? 

Would you attend an event if all the presenters were "Local" or do you only attend events with "Big Names" ?  We certainly do not have the funds to get any Headliners, but is there a headliner out there that would donate their time to present a workshop?  If so, please PLEASE let me know! 

There are so many more questions, but I am glad that we have a year to plan!


Once again, if you would like to either give advice and input of what kind of event you like, please feel free to join our yahoo group and let us know!
 
Sincerely,
Crystal

Bang My Head

So I am trying to work on my book.  I am wanting to submit a completed manuscript over a proposal.  That way, should I be accepted for publication, the writing is done and it is straight into the editing process.

However, this is the first time I am attempting on putting my thoughts to paper.  There are not alot of books out on the market on the chosen subject I am writing about and I am running into a road block.  The category which I am finding difficulty is in the Correspondence for the subject matter.  I realize I am being very VERY vague because I have had some things / ideas taken from me in the past and choose not to expose too much information this time around.   I wish I knew a published author personally so that I can ask their advice.  The few I do know, I have yet to receive a response on my question or advice on which path of structure I should take.  So I am going to ask anyone that is reading this......

In matters of Correspondence to the four elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water
If its a completely new list of items that you have not seen described in book before, would you rather:
Option A - A simple Chart of the four elements with the new items listed under each of them?
Or
Option B - A chapter that consists of a glossary of why each item is in its specific elemental category listed in alphabetical order?

Please give your input....and many thanks!

Crystal

Mabon

Mabon is almost upon us.  Yesterday, I celebrated with my friends from SBS.  We had a small group in attendance, but it was a good one!  The Ligon is such a beautiful place, we are lucky to be able to circle there.  It is a site that I hope to have our "Sacred Sisters Weekend" next year sometime, possibly even during next Mabon.  The weather would be cool with less bugs to deal with. LOL.   I forgot to ask Jen and Terry if they wanted to do it as a joint KOTH/SBS thing.

The food was really good. Ravenswood made some awesome home made salsa that put even Chili's to shame (my fav restaurant chain). 

I look forward to the coming winter as I start to once again prepare my home with a deep cleaning (I do this every season).  Especially since we are trying to declutter, I am starting to use items that I was originally saving for a "Rainy Day".  We received crystal glasses when we were married 10 years ago.  I have kept them in their original box until recently.  I decided to donate our old glasses and put out our crystal ones.  I am tired of saving things for rainy days, I want to enjoy using them now. LOL

Eric and Dave installed our new front door and it looks good.  Coming home last night I noticed the stain glass work because the lights were all on.  It was really pretty. I get to admire my door's beauty.  During the day little rainbows appear throughout the living room floor as the sun shines in. 

Starting this week, its back to the Room by Room cleaning.  I will also conduct a "Swifting of Energy" and House Protection and Blessings for the coming winter.  More to come later.

From my family to yours, I hope you have a Magical Mabon! 

(Hey Tiff, I finally used the breadmaker you have recently gifted to me!  It works great!  THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS GIFT!)

Blessed Be,
Crystal

Support your Favorite Pagan Magazines

Support Your Favorite Pagan Magazines

As a witch and a Pagan, there are few magazines readily available for my enjoyment in relation to my faith. I have few top favorites they include: Circle Magazine which I have been even published by twice, Witches and Pagans, SageWoman, and a friend of mine swears by Crone magazine.

Recently, I decided to support one of the publishers of a few of these magazines. For some time, I was purchasing the previous versions of "Witches and Pagans" magazine. Every month I would walk into my local bookstore and purchase the two magazines off of the newstands. I thought I was supporting the magazine by doing this. I was wrong. For reasons I do not know the details, two of my favorite magazines (New Witch and Pan Gaia) were merged into one, which is now Witches and Pagans.

I do not want to see another magazine fall under because I could not support them fully. I want the publisher to have the money I pay for the magazine, not the giant bookstore conglomerate. So recently, I have subscribed to two magazines. They are SageWoman and also the new Witches and Pagans magazines.

If you currently read these magazines and are not subscribed, please look at their website and consider doing so. In my case, subscribing to two magazines, I received a discount for order more than one magazine. In the long run, it will save you money on the amount you spend on a yearly basis.

Check out BBI Media's website at http://www.bbimedia.com/store/index.php?main_page=index

If you currently read Circle magazine visit http://www.circlesanctuary.org/circle/

Support the magazines you love directly. In the long run, you will be saving yourself money, and supporting a fellow Pagan Business.



Blessed Be!

Crystal

New Haircut

Some people are meant to have long hair.  I don't think I am one of them.  After two years of trying to grow it out and it barely being at my shoulders, I finally got fed up enough during the stressful time when we lost more than one family member in one week.  The stress got to me and I cut my hair off.  I do feel alot better and more like myself.  As promised, here is a photo of the new do.  I usually spike it up more a bit, but that was a was and go kind of day with not a lot of time to put into my appearance.  So what do you think?  Is it me? 

Have a good weekend!

Blessed Be,
Crystal LunaRouge

Full Moon - August

Pending what tradition or  path you follow.  Happy Full Moon to you! 

For KOTH most of us honor this full moon as the  "Wyrt Moon" or the "Corn Moon". 


This is a time to harvest the gifts you have nurtured and give to those who are in need. Collect and store fresh herbs for the coming winter. Bake special breads to honor the God and Goddess of grain and growing things, share them with your family and friends but save some to offer the Earth.  

Now for my husband's Native American hertiage, he would call it the Sturgeon Moon. 

The fishing tribes are given credit for the naming of this Moon, since sturgeon, a large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water, were most readily caught during this month. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon because, as the Moon rises, it appears reddish through any sultry haze. It was also called the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon.

Things I like to do during this time is make Moon Biscuits.
"Moon Biscuits" Recipe


Moon Biscuits are traditionally eaten with wine during various moon
celebrations or rituals. They are made in the shape of the crescent moon,
and the whole hazelnuts in them represent the Full Moon that is to come.

250g/9oz Wholewheat Flour

75g/3oz Soft Light Brown Sugar

175g/6oz Butter or Vegan Marg

A Large Handful of Hazelnuts


Preheat oven to 300F or 150C.


Beat the butter or margarine with the sugar until blended.
Add the flour, and mix together to form a dough.
Knead on a floured surface.
Gently work the whole hazelnuts through it, flatten out to a depth of about half an inch.
If you have a moon-shaped pastry cutter, use this to form the biscuits.
However, you may want to cut the moon shapes yourself with a small sharp knife.
You can even add a few features, or Moon symbols, to the surface.
Place the biscuits on a baking sheet, and put in the oven until light golden brown.


I know alot of people make corn dollies during Imbolc.  I also like to make them during this time of year.  Especially since the husks are readily available. 

I hope your Full Moon is magical, no matter what you call it!

Sincerely,
Crystal

Lammas

Lammas has just passed.  I look forward to the near future of the cooler fall months ahead!  Fall is my favorite time of year.  Here in Michigan the colors are so beautiful!  Even down my own street the colors pop out and makes everything look so magical.  I can't wait to take photos to share.

With Fall, comes Mabon and Samhain, two of my favorite Sabbats! 

This past weekend, I celebrated Lammas with old friends of The Sacred Birch Society.  It was great to be around people I had not seen for such a long time!  I was talking with Terry and the SBS Council and proposed a weekend campout to be held next year.  Be on the lookout for that!  As soon as we research and discuss our options, I will post the info here about it. 

Coming soon is the Perseids Showers in the next week or so.  It will happen from August 11th to the 13th.  So its peak night will be on Aug 12th.  Best viewing will be where there are no city lights.  Due to the date being in the middle of the week, I will try to sneak out that night into my own back yard to see if I can see it.

Getting Back in the Swing of Things

My family and I have had a rough couple of weeks.  We lost two of our Elders in our family within days of one another.  On top of that the baby has been sick and we have been battling his problems trying to get him better.  Finally I think we are seeing the light at the end of the dark tunnel.

With the passing of our family members, it brings me to think of what I would wish for myself.  My husband and I have started to discuss what our wishes would be and decided that we need to talk ALOT more about the subject.  One of my wishes was to have a home funeral and have my husband tend to my body after I die.  He feels really uncomfortable with it.  He thinks he will be too emotional to be able to do it. 

So I guess I am starting to doubt about what I have already written down.  It's good that I do have my thoughts down on paper, but what good will they be if he (or my future adult children) choose not to honor them?  Hubby thinks that funerals are for the living, not the deceased.  I think it does give those that remain a closure to say goodbye to the one they loved and have lost.  However, I also believe that if a person goes out of their way to write down their final wishes it should be honored.   

Every Samhain, I write my own obituary. I want to know how I could possibly be remembered as.  Each and every year we grow and change as people do.  This year for Samhain, I will re-evaluate all I have put to paper and think what do I really want?  What do I want to leave for my loved ones?  I have seen funerals tear families apart for the struggle of what is "rightfully" theirs, and I have seen families drawn closer together and not give a rat's ass about material things which was a totally wonderful experience.

I hope in the long run that I will be blessed to love and share my life with my husband as long at Uncle B and Aunt P had together.   They were married to each other for most of their life.  They made it well past their Fiftith Wedding Anniversary many many years ago.  I never seen them apart, and they were always showing signs right to the end that they were every bit as much in love as they were when they first met!

May they rest in peace, and give me and my husband the strong foundation of what a good marriage is and what two people can achieve together whenever they have a strong partner they love!

Lammas is shortly upon us. I wish you all well and Happy Harvest!

I will be revisiting old friends from Sacred Birch.  Terry has put together a reunion of sorts for old members to come back and say hello with one another.  It will be good to see old friends and also celebrate my coven sister Katherine's achievement being done with Chemo!  She kicked her disease's butt to the curb! 

"Fall Cleaning" will shortly begin.  We will be putting our house for market next spring, so the Fall clean will be another massive overhall and preparations of what we will need to do prior to putting it for sale.

Sincerely,
Crystal

7-16-2010

Well this has been a very rough week.  We first lost hubby's uncle, now his wife has passed!  Two in three days.  Emotionally I am drained.  We just got back from the emergency room with the baby!  His diaper rash is so bad that he now has blisters and they are bleeding!  Waiting for the medicine to be filled now!

Please Goddess help me!

Sincerely,
Crystal

Food Journal for 7-15-2010

Today is my sister's birthday!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY NETTIE!

Breakfast
1 mug of Community Coffee with 3 tea sugar.  I am starting to think that Splenda and my body are not getting along.  Will stop for one week to get back to "normal" and then try it again to see if it is indeed splenda.  I also had 1 crumpet with Nutella.

Lunch
Ham and Cheese sandwich with one snack bag of Cheese Its.
Large glass of water

Dinner
Last night we ate Trinity Venison (cooked with onion, bell pepper, and celery, then the pot was deglazed with water to make a "gravy") 
1/2 cup of Lipton Chicken Rice and Sauce (Lancer's favorite)
1 small baked potato with two sprays of So you think its Butter.

I did have a late night snack of 1/2 a bag of microwave popcorn.

We received some bad news that there was a death in the family.  So my emails and journaling may be off kinder until later next week while I spend time with my family during this time.
Just pray that I don't over indulge in food.  Its times like this that are my weekness.  I am an emotional eater.  Goddess help me!

Sincerely
Crystal

Food Journal for 7-14-2010

Howdy! 

I hope you had a great day today.  Last night was pretty rough for me.  The baby did not want to sleep.  He was having some serious issues with either teething or gas.  He just could not sleep more than 30 minute intervals.  I did not get a chance to go to sleep until about 2:30, shortly after my hubby took pity on me and got up with the baby when he started to cry at 3am.  Then it was back up at 4:30 due to hubby's alarm clock going off cause he stayed on the couch with the baby.  I have been awake for quite some time now.  I sure hope today/night goes much better.

Here is my log for today:

Breakfast
1 Sandwich thin spread with 2 teaspoons of Nutella. (1 per slice)
1 glass of Splenda sweet tea

Lunch
Romaine Lettuce with FF Mozz Cheese and Lite Ranch Dressing.

Dinner
Tonight Lancer had tball game so it was dinner with the inlaws.  I had 1 Arby's Roast Burger and a diet pop.

Daily Food Journal 7-13-2010

I was too tired to post last night, so I am doing it now before I forget to do so!

Breakfast
1 cup coffee with 2 splenda packets and 1 tbs FF Half and Half
1 Crumpet with 1 tbs of Nutella
Yes I realize that Nutella is not exactly low in calories and fat.  I am using up the food that is currently in my pantry and will try to limit the not so good for your waste foods in moderation until they are gone.  As much as I want to lose weight, I can not afford to throw any food out either.

Lunch
On the road running errands today, so it was two soft shell chicken Fresco tacos with a diet Pepsi.
I have found out that I do not like diet Pepsi.

Dinner
4 oz of Flank steak sauted in Pam. (I dare to say fried very loosely!)
Mushrooms and Green beans cooked with Pam with 1 tbs (in the pot) of Lite crumbled bacon to give it a smokey flavor.  Sweet Tea made with Splenda for my drink.

Daily Food Journal 7-12-2010

Here is what I did today.

Breakfast
2 cups of Community Coffee with 4 teaspoons (2 per) of splenda and Fat Free Half and Half
2 cups of watermelon

Lunch
Caeser Salad:
1 small head of Romaine Lettuce
2 Tablespoon of Fat Free Caeser Croutons
1/4 cup of Romano Cheese
1 Tablespoon of Lite Bacon Bits
2 Tbs of Fat Free Caeser Dressing
(This was actually tasting pretty good!) 

Dinner:
Cajun Chicken "Rice n Gravy"
1 small bone in chicken breast with skin removed
1 cup of steamed white rice
1/4 cup of deglazed pot "gravy" with Trinity (onion, bell pepers, and cerely bits)

I drink alot of water already but did not keep track of it today.  Tomorrow I will do better.  I did change out my brita filter pitchers so I have plenty of good tasting water to drink. 
My biggest change will first to be giving up my sugar habit.  I love (LOVE) sweet tea.  I purposely did not buy any more sugar this past grocery trip, instead I purchased a bag of splenda.  This willl take some getting used too.  I also have a ton of dried Stevia, I just need to learn the proportions of how much to use to brew a natural version of sweet tea.  If anyone has any advice, it would greatly be appreciated!

Sincerely,
Crystal

New Path for the Cauldron - losing weight

Well, I really like journaling....but not been too sucessful with losing weight.  I gained a pretty pound with my last pregnancy and my baby boy just turned one year old.  It's time to get serious about returning to my "old" self.  I have about 100 pounds to lose.  I will be focusing on ten pound goals at a time. 

As of this morning my current weight is 270 lbs.  Yes that is correct.  I stepped on the scale three different times and got the same answer.  These next few weeks I will not be dieting, but focusing on changing how I live my life. 

I will change my eating habits, exercise more, and steadily become the Magical woman I once was.  Lately I have been feeling really crudy and tired all the time.  I need to change that.  I want to have the energy to play with my children.  I want to have the energy to exercise and feel good about myself.  I want to return to the sexy woman at 165 lbs that my husband fell in love with over a decade ago. 

I am going to use this blog as my food journal by entering what I eat on a daily basis.  It will help keep my on track and have a record of where I need to improve on certain areas. 

Here is to be a thinner and more importantly a Healthier me!

Cheers!
Crystal

Circle Cemetary

On June 16, 2010, Circle Cemetery became America’s first National Pagan natural burial ground and the first contemporary Green cemetery to be platted and recorded in Wisconsin.




Circle Cemetery is a 20 acre site located at Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve, a 200 acre Pagan Nature sanctuary established in 1983 and located near Barneveld, Wisconsin. Circle Cemetery is owned and operated by Circle Sanctuary, a Shamanic Wiccan church that has been serving Pagans worldwide since 1974. Rev. Selena Fox, senior minister of Circle Sanctuary and founder of Circle Cemetery, is the Cemetery’s director.



Circle Cemetery was founded and dedicated as a National Pagan cemetery in 1995 shortly after Circle Sanctuary paid off the mortgage on its land. Circle Cemetery is one of the first contemporary conservation, or “Green,” cemeteries to be established in North America.



For its first fifteen years, Circle Cemetery took the form of an area on a ridge top where cremains were placed and Green funerals were conducted. In 2005, Selena, along with her husband Dr. Dennis Carpenter, Circle Sanctuary church attorney Chip Brown and others in the Circle Sanctuary Community began the legal process of permitting body burials and expanding the size of the cemetery to 20 acres. Circle Sanctuary minister Rev. Nora Cedarwind Young of Washington State assisted with Green cemetery platting research.



In Spring of 2010, Selena, Dennis, and Chip took the expanded cemetery proposal before local government officials through a series of meetings. Circle Cemetery zoning was approved by the Town of Brigham Zoning Committee on April 20, by the Brigham Town Board on May 4, and the Iowa County Zoning and Planning Committee on May 26. On June 15, Circle Cemetery’s plat was approved by the Iowa County Board, and the following day the remaining official signatures were added to the plat and the plat was recorded, completing the process.



A celebration of the establishment of Circle Cemetery as a Pagan natural burial ground will be held as part of this year’s Pagan Spirit Gathering Summer Solstice festivities in Missouri as well at the Solstice Full Moon evening at Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve in Wisconsin.



For more information about Circle Cemetery and some photos, see:

www.circlesanctuary.org/cemetery



Please help us spread the news – forward this email to others, post on blogs, e-lists, and websites. Thanks!



Circle Times: Thursday, June 17, 2010.

New Website!

Well I did it!  I created a website for my writings as an author!
It's brand spanking new, so I do not currently have a web domain.  I am trying this service out to see if its what I need. 

Please check it out and let me know what you think!  You willl be directed to it by clicking the title link "New Website!" above.

Thanks and Goddess Bless!

Sincerely,
Crystal

Litha Honey Lemonade

On another website that I subscribe too (http://www.pagancenter.com/) there was a post about Lemonade.  It is that time of year when the lemons go on sale, so I thought I would share my fav lemonade recipe.  I don't know where I got it (thinking that the recipe was given to me by an ol' coven sister) so I am not sure if it was an original of hers, or if she got it off the net or out of a book. 

Description:


Litha Honey Lemonade

Ingredients:

6 lemons

1 cup sugar

1 cup honey

2 quart pitcher

ice

1 cup boiling water

water to fill pitcher afterwards

Directions:

Cut lemons. Squeeze out juice and discard seeds.

Place lemons in large bowl and drizzle with 1/2 cup of sugar and all of honey. Let sit for 20 to 25 minutes. Do not exceed 30 minutes or it will turn sour. Add 1 cup boiling water to dissolve sugar and honey on lemons. Stir until dissolved. Remove lemons and and place liquid into pitcher. Add reserved lemon juice into pitcher and add remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Add ice and fill with water until pitcher is full. You may also use another lemon in slices to garnish. Enjoy.

Birthday Bliss

Last night, my coven sister Ravenswood took me out for Sushi at our new fav bistro.  We ate ourselves silly!  Its splurge time whenever its one of our birthdays, the diets go out the door (as they should for the evening).  The gifted me with a silver key chain that says "Blessings".  I know I am blessed that she is in my life.  Thank you for a wonderful evening of Magic and Mayhem! 

This morning I woke to a hand drawn birthday card from my son Lancer.  He drew me a ballerina in a field of flowers.  At school, he decided to make me a paper horse.  As I write this, I await my husband's arrival.  He's picking up a few of my favorite things for dinner.  A "Tailgator" from our fav rib place and then is picking me up some dessert (Pecan Pie if they have it, if not then choclate cake).

Even with the rain and Shaun's teething, its turned out to be a great day for getting older.
Many thanks for the well wishes for my birthday whether it be phone, email, IM's, Facebook, snail mail, etc.  I heard from alot of old friends and some that are brand new.  I am a lucky gal to have so many people wishing me well on my big day.  I must say thank you to my mom for having me, with you, I would not be here or the woman I am today!

Sincerely,
Crystal

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.

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

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

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!

Five Things

I seen this on another blog I frequent and decided to do one of my own so here goes:

Five Things I Love:

1. My Family
2. My Heritage (Cajun)
3. Fleece Socks
4. Helicopter Rides
5. White Water Rapids

Been Busy

Well things have been pretty busy around my house!

Last month I attended Convocation in Troy, MI. It was a blast. I had a very good time as always and look forward to it next year.

Currently my studies of becoming an herbalist are going smoothly. I am taking my time not to hurry through the material so that I have a greater understanding of it all. I am almost finished my first chapter of assignments and will be mailing it back to Sagemountain very shortly. Wish me good luck for my studies being correct!

The Magical Mommies playdate have been pretty productive. This past week as a delated Imbolc and preparation for Ostara, Tiff arranged a Planting Playdate for the kids to plant seeds and seedlings for our future urban crops this year. I personally have a goal of growing at least two food items for my family this year. My hubby has even gotten into the excitement of things on asking if we can have strawberries this year! Lancer wants blueberries, so I will have to do a bit of research on that one. The things he planted at Tiff's were Mesculan (aka Sa-lad), Carrots, and then my fav flower, Snapdragons!

In a few months I will be presiding over a handfasting in May. So I am currently looking for a Ren type outfit to wear fitting a HPS. I do not want to dress in my wench costume if you know what I mean! LOL That would not be fitting for a wedding. I have one outfit that is at my disposal to use but its more a winter outfit than a summer one. It would be way to hot to wear suede and velvet type materials during the month of May.

I am also working on my book! Yep you read that correctly, I am back in full swing typing. The book should be finished by the end of this year. I want to write it completely and submit a finished manuscript instead of being held to a time table for writing it and feeling rushed.

So that is what is going on with me right now, what is going on with you???

Blessed Be,
Crystal

Convocation 2010- Recap

It was an awesome time as usual! Here are a few pics from my weekend at Convocation 2010.

I just wanted to say many thanks to the many people that showed up for my two workshops! This year I think we set a new record for the Mad Hatter Tea Party! I also wanted to once again convey my gratitude to Tess for the loan of her antique tea cups! They were very lovely and were put to good use!



Crystal, Autumn, and Nora at Red Robins!



Selena Fox with KOTH at the Meet and Greet on Saturday.





Getting the Party started! LOL Ravenswood and Nora.

I had a lot of fun meeting so many people. Many thanks to those that attended my workshops!

Sincerely,
Crystal

Convocation 2010

Well its that time of year! It's CONVO Time!

One of my favorite times of year. This is my third year presenting! I am very excited to see my friend Nora Cedarwind Young (www.thresholdsoflife.org)as we have not been able to see each other since PSG 2008. I was unable to attend '09's event due to my Due Date with Shaun. My DH would not let me go, much less I was too scared to have my baby away from him and my doctor. Good thing too considering the medical problems that arose during his delivery!

Anyways. A few people have emailed offlist asking what I will be presenting this year at Convocation. For my "Mooncycle Magic" Ladies, sorry I am not doing it this year. After being pregnant and still breastfeeding, I am a bit out of whack with my Mooncycle Magic and did not feel right in presenting the material this year since I have not been able to practice "what I preach" so to speak. Possibly, next year, if I decide to teach, I will submit it for consideration once more.

Anyways, here is the info for the workshops I am presenting this year. For information on the other workshops, such as Nora's classes and the other Guest Speakers, please visit Convocation's website by clicking the title above that is linked to their website or by visiting www.convocation.org .

Workshop Title: “Magical Mad Hatter’s Tea Party – Tasseography 101”
Room Set Up: - Suite 118 due to beverage offered
Equipment: Hot Water Supply.
Length: 90 minutes
Category: All

By request, this year’s tea party will focus on Tasseography. What is that you ask? It’s tea leaf reading! It’s a mystical art that has been practiced since ancient times. Reading the leaves is not as hard as you think. In the spirit of keeping green, please bring your own teacup and saucer.


Workshop: “The Pampered Pagan’s Pantry”
Room Set Up: - Open to any style available
Equipment: Table
Length: 90 minutes
Category: All

With today’s economy, things are tough for everyone. One the pleasures you do not have to give up is pampering yourself! Did you know you might have all the ingredients you need to in your own kitchen pantry? Come and learn simple recipes and methods to deal with stress from our everyday lives. Take the time to pamper yourself!


HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Blessed Be,
Crystal

New Studies

Well I did it!

Yep I finally broke down and ordered a correspondence course that I have always wanted to take. I will be studying under Rosemary Gladstar! Last week I ordered her Science and Art of Herbalism class and it came in the mail Priority Shipping today! I am so excited! I tore into the box to find a very (well extremely) large binder stuff with information and lesson books!

Now those that know me I am an herb lover. However I have never had any kind of formal training. My knowledge is from trial and error of learning from books and the internet. After weighing out the pros and cons of several courses and teachers, Rosemary and Sagemountain was the one course I kept going back to. While I was pregnant it was her Herbal Healing for Women that I used as my bible to cure what ailed me from morning sickness to other complications associated with pregnancy.

One of my goals in taking this course is to further my knowledge and take charge of my own health and that of my family. I wish to live closer to Gaia and use her wonderful bounty she already supplies to us without having to depend on chemicals that I can not even pronounce hald the time!

I look forward to learning from this fantastic lady!

Imbolc is just around the corner! I hope everyone has a wonderful Sabbat! And by chance, did everyone see that wonderful full moon last night? She was freakin HUGE!

Sincerely,
Crystal

Cajun in Hell

Ok so this is a joke that my mother sent to me today. It was too cute not to post considering tonight's football.

Cajun in Hell

A Cajun who died went to hell.
The devil assigned him the usual punishment...put him in the mass pit where the heat was melting others. The devil came back sometime later surprised to find the Cajun just sitting around, not even misting, much less sweating. "How come you're not so much as sweating here where everyone else is screaming for relief from the heat?"

The Cajun laughed and said, "Man, I was raised in the bayous of Sout Looziana. Dis ain't nothin' but May in Morgan City to me!"

The devil decided to really put the Cajun through it. He put him in a sealed off cave in the pit with open blazes and four extra furnaces blasting. When he came back, days later, the Cajun was sitting pretty, had barely begun to bead up with sweat. The devil was outraged.
"How is this possible!? You should be melted to a shrieking puddle in these conditions!."

The Cajun laughed even harder than before. "Hey, man! I done tole you. I was raised in Sout Looziana. You tink dis is heat?! Dis ain't nothin' but August in Cow Island !"

So the devil thought, 'Alright, a little reverse ought to do the trick.' He put the Cajun into a corner of hell where no heat ever reached. It was freezing and to add to the Cajun's misery, he added massive icebergs and blasting frozen air. When he returned, the Cajun was shivering, ice hung from every part of him but he was grinning like it was Christmas.

Exasperated, the devil asked "HOW!? How is it possible?! You're impervious to heat and here you sit in conditions you can't be used to...freezing cold and yet you're happier than if you were in heaven. WHY?!"

The Cajun kept grinning and asked, "Don't dis mean de Saints won da Super Bowl?"


WHO DAT SAY THEY GONNA BEAT DEM SAINTS????????????????

Happy Birthday Katherine

Today is a dear friend of mines birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET KATHERINE
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

I am SO blessed by the Goddess to have this wonderful person in my life. We met a number of years ago when I attended an herb workshop at For-Mar. I had seen her in circles prior to that, but that night was the "Smashing" start of our friendship. (Private joke to all that was there that night.)

Since then, she has become one of my closest and dearest friends. She's been there for me accepting middle of the night phone calls from my husband when I was having medical issues and hurried to the hospital to sit by my side so he could take care of our son Lancer. She was with me night and day for weeks keeping me company, changing my surgery dressings and helping me whenever and with whatever I needed, no questions or hesitations. She is a true friend.

Tonight we will be going out to celebrate! Her choice of movie and Sushi. We are gonna have a great time tonight.

I just wanted to write about her and tell her how much I love her! She has stood by me when others walked away. She keeps my head on straight when I think outrageous and outlandish things. She is my muse and can manifest any idea that pops into my head. Most importantly, she will call me on my shit when I am being a bitch!

We may not be bound by blood, but I am happy to call her my sister and my friend!

Happy Birthday Kath!

love
Crystal

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The stress of the holidays is now past and this new year I am focusing on my home. Its the year of this Housewife after all. We will be preparing our home for possible sale in order to aquire a larger one. Yes we know that we will get beat up on pricing for the one we want to sale, but we will make up for it on the one we purchase ourselves.

So now it is onto decluttering and putting away many of my favorite things to not discourage or "offend" future buyers. So I decided to take a few photos of a few of my favorite things.



This is my favorite Kitchen Witch item. She is made of glass and black stain. She was purchased for Samhain a few years back at Crossroads.




My broom. This was gifted to me for my Greenwitch Initiation over a decade ago. It is one of my most prized possessions. She will not come down until the for sale sign goes up in the yard!



This cute beauty was aquired at Pagan Spirit Gathering in 2008.



This is the upper shelf in my kitchen. I am addicted to all things wicker. Baskets, Stars, etc. In the far corner are a few of my most prized cookbooks as well.

This is just a glimpse into my home. There will be major changes as I start to "stage" the home for sale. Maybe I will take "before" pics to get advise from a few friends to see what they can suggest to spruce up the place!

Its time to get to cleaning...today is the Magical Mommies Playdate and my home is a mess!

Happy New Years to you!

Sincerely,
Crystal