Tag: Drink

Calendar of the Moon for February 11th

Calendar of the Moon

11 Nion/Anthesterion

Anthesteria Day 1: Pithogia

Color: Purple
Element: Earth
Altar: On a purple cloth set a bottle of wine that has not yet been opened (preferably last year’s homemade), a chalice of water, many cups, a wreath of pruned grapevines, and three purple candles. All should enter the sanctuary bearing the model of a Greek ship with purple sails, entwined with grapevines, which should be carried with all ceremony to the altar and set thereon.
Offerings: Libations of wine to Dionysos. Opening yourself to experiencing Him.
Daily Meal: Goat or lamb. Lentils. Greek food. Wine.

Pithogia Invocation:

Behold the ship of Dionysos!
He sails into each safe harbor
Like a wind of change that cannot be denied.
Be warned, you who have become
Too comfortable, for he will cast up
Your safe life and show you
All the thorns you have pretended not to see.
Honor the god of the Lesser Madness
Lest the Greater Madness swallow you whole!
Taste his gift and wonder, that raw juice
Left to age can slowly ferment
And turn into that which gives delight
And terror both.
Tremble, for he is coming for you!
Whether you drink his gift
Or give it back to him,
It matters not; your days of
Blind unquestioning comfort
Are numbered none, and end today.

(Each comes forward and selects a cup, into which is poured equal parts water and wine. Each may taste of the wine, if they wish, and then pour out the rest as a libation, or they may pour it out entirely. As the pour the libation, each says, “Io Dionysos!” The ship remains in the sanctuary for three days, until Anthesteria is over.)

Chant:
Flower of the vine
King of the wine
Dancer in the soul
We gladly pay your toll

Calendar of the Moon
11 Nion/Anthesterion

Anthesteria Day 1: Pithogia

Color: Purple
Element: Earth
Altar: On a purple cloth set a bottle of wine that has not yet been opened (preferably last year’s homemade), a chalice of water, many cups, a wreath of pruned grapevines, and three purple candles. All should enter the sanctuary bearing the model of a Greek ship with purple sails, entwined with grapevines, which should be carried with all ceremony to the altar and set thereon.
Offerings: Libations of wine to Dionysos. Opening yourself to experiencing Him.
Daily Meal: Goat or lamb. Lentils. Greek food. Wine.

Pithogia Invocation:

Behold the ship of Dionysos!
He sails into each safe harbor
Like a wind of change that cannot be denied.
Be warned, you who have become
Too comfortable, for he will cast up
Your safe life and show you
All the thorns you have pretended not to see.
Honor the god of the Lesser Madness
Lest the Greater Madness swallow you whole!
Taste his gift and wonder, that raw juice
Left to age can slowly ferment
And turn into that which gives delight
And terror both.
Tremble, for he is coming for you!
Whether you drink his gift
Or give it back to him,
It matters not; your days of
Blind unquestioning comfort
Are numbered none, and end today.

(Each comes forward and selects a cup, into which is poured equal parts water and wine. Each may taste of the wine, if they wish, and then pour out the rest as a libation, or they may pour it out entirely. As the pour the libation, each says, “Io Dionysos!” The ship remains in the sanctuary for three days, until Anthesteria is over.)

Chant:
Flower of the vine
King of the wine
Dancer in the soul
We gladly pay your toll

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Enhanced by Zemanta

A Little Humor for Your Day – Irish Joke

Irish Joke

John O’Reilly hoisted his beer and said, “Here’s to spending the rest of me life, between the legs of me wife!” That won him the top prize at the pub for the best toast of the night!

He went home and told his wife, Mary, “I won the prize for the best toast of the night.”

She said, “Aye, did ye now. And what was your toast?”

John said, “Here’s to spending the rest of me life, sitting in church beside me wife.”

“Oh, that is very nice indeed, John!” Mary said.

The next day, Mary ran into one of John’s drinking buddies on the street corner. The man chuckled leeringly and said, “John won the prize the other night at the pub with a toast about you, Mary.”

She said, “Aye, he told me, and I was a bit surprised myself. You know, he’s only been there twice in the last four years. Once he fell asleep, and the other time I had to pull him by the ears to make him come.”

Turok’s Cabana

Enhanced by Zemanta

Herb of the Day – GINGER

Herb of the Day – GINGER

Acts as an aid to ingestion or colds (tea form). Also in tea form, good for cramps, to stimulate the digestive organs, migraines and nausea, external stiffness. Can be added to the bath as a way to ease pain and increase circulation, but only use a few sprinkles, not too much, like cayenne, ginger quickly brings the blood to the surface of the skin. For pain you can also soak cloths in ginger tea and apply them directly to the painful areas. A good healing tea is made from a pinch of peppermint, a pinch of ginger and either a pinch of clove powder or 2 bruised cloves, add 1 cup of hot water and steep. Ginger tea sweetened with honey can help alleviate cold symptoms.

Enhanced by Zemanta

To The Ancestors…..

Witchy Comments & Graphics
To The Ancestors…..

The Winter fire was an echo of the Sun–of life itself. During the Winter, our ancestors gave thanks to the slowly increasing power of the Sun as the year made its steady climb toward Spring and Summer. To do this, they’d raise a glass of beer or ale before the Winter fire as a sign of respect. Using your favorite beverage you can continue this custom.

No matter if your Winter fire consists of one candle, or a roaring blaze of oak and hickory logs, let is power you magic with its light.

Let’s Talk Witch – Let’s Make Some Spicy Wassail, Yum, Yum!

Let’s Talk Witch – Let’s Make Some Spicy Wassail, Yum, Yum!

Wassail was traditionally a hot drink made of ale, sherry, sugar, and spices, with pieces of toast and roasted apples floating in it. It is the legendary drink served on the Feast of the Three Kings with an oversized, decorated sweet yeast bread. The word wassail is derived from the Anglo-Saxon toast waes haeil, or “be whole.” On Christmas or Twelfth Night, revelers would carry a large bowl from door to door, asking for it to be filled, a custom known as wassailing. There are now many versions of wassail, and the palate for hot strong beer is limited, so it has evolved into a spiked juice toddy. The antique French Api apple was probably the apple of choice of the day. It is now called a Lady apple; look for it at Christmas, but any apple will do.

Ingredients:

2 quarts unfiltered apple juice or apple cider

1 quart cranberry juice cocktail

1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

27 whole cloves

15 allspice berries

4 (4-inch) cinnamon sticks

5 small firm cooking apples of your choice

1/2 cup water

1 medium orange

2 cups Calvados

Combine the apple juice, cranberry juice, and brown sugar in a 6-quart slow cooker. Place 12 of the cloves, the allspice berries, and the cinnamon sticks in a small piece of cheesecloth and tie with kitchen twine to make a bag. Add to the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 375°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Stud each apple with 3 of the remaining cloves and place in an 8-by-8-inch baking pan. Add the water and bake until the apples are just a bit tender when pierced with a knife, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

After the juices have stewed for 4 to 5 hours, add the apples to the slow cooker. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the orange peel in wide strips, making sure to avoid the white pith, and add the peels to the slow cooker.

Remove the spice bag and stir in the Calvados. Serve hot (leave the slow cooker on to keep the cocktail warm).

Calendar of the Sun for October 9th

Calendar of the Sun

9 Winterfyllith

Day of Tuonela

Color: Black
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon cloth of black lay five black candles, a tankard of beer and a tankard of river-water, and many figures of toads, frogs, and serpents.
Offerings: Fears
Daily Meal: Poultry.

Tuonela Invocation

(One who has been chosen to do the work of the ritual steps forward with the tankard of beer, raises it, and says:)
Hail to the Island of the Dead!
Hail to the Land of Tuonela!
Hail to Lord Tuoni, who waits at the center!
Hail to Lady Tuonetar, who waits at the hearth!
Hail to Surma who guards the borders,
Along the river with its rushing waters
And its black swans, the harbingers of Death!
Hail to Kalma who brings plague,
May she forever pass us by!
Vanamoinen came to your shores
Searching for words of power,
But found all words silent in the Land of Death.
He was served beer laden with frogs and serpents,
Which were only the fears that he brought
Unbidden to the hearth of Tuonela!
Will you drink now of your fears,
And leave them in the Deathlands?

(They carry the tankard about, and folk may drink of their fears, if they feel that now is a good time to face them, or they may refuse. Then another steps forward with the tankard of river-water, lifts it high, and says:)
Will you drink, then, of the River of Death?
If it is not time for fears, will you face loss?
Or, if you are brave, will you take both
And so honor the Gods with your courage?

(They carry the tankard about, and those who have not drunk of the beer must drink of the water, although some may choose to have both. The remaining beer and water are poured out as a libation to Tuonela.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Moon for October 7th

Calendar of the Moon

Grapevine Month
Colors: Blue and Purple
Element: Water
Altar: Upon cloth of blue and purple set a great pitcher of wine with many cups, four purple candles, and many wreaths of grapevine and baskets of grapes.
Offerings:
Daily Meal: Vegetarian, with wine or grape juice to drink, and of course grapes.

Muin Invocation

Call: Hail the Month of the Grapevine!
Response: Hail the Month of the Vine-Gods!
Call: Hail the month when sour turns to sweet!
Response: Hail the month when labor comes ripe!
Call: Hail the month when our hands come together,
Response: Hail the month when the cup is passed!
Call: This is the time of bonding,
Response: When the fruits of the harvest lay within our grasp.
Call: This is the call of Joy and Merriment,
Response: This is the time of coming together.
Call: For though we may have forgotten laughter beneath our burdens,
Response: Laughter comes for us at last.
Call: And yet we begin to see the year passing to its end,
Response: And our laughter is the light passing into the dark.
Call: May we go to into the dark like the Children of Dionysos,
Response: Embracing the cycle with open arms!
Call: Like the grapevine, we are givers of ecstasy.
Response: Like the grapevine, we are givers of dream.
Call: Like vines, we yield up our fruit.
Response: Like vines, we yield up for the good of all.
Call: Like vines, we twine towards the Light.
Response: Like vines, we twine towards the Spirit.
Call: We hold the line, we keep the Mysteries true,
Response: We hold the line, we keep the Mysteries true,
Call: I am the vine; the branches, you and you.
Response: I am the vine; the branches, you and you.

Chant:
Taste Joy in the Day
Take Joy in the Night
Touch Joy in your face turned
To the fading light
Ay ay ay ay-yi-hey.

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Moon for October 3rd

Calendar of the Moon

Grapevine Month

Colors: Blue and Purple
Element: Water
Altar: Upon cloth of blue and purple set a great pitcher of wine with many cups, four purple candles, and many wreaths of grapevine and baskets of grapes.
Offerings:
Daily Meal: Vegetarian, with wine or grape juice to drink, and of course grapes.

Muin Invocation

Call: Hail the Month of the Grapevine!
Response: Hail the Month of the Vine-Gods!
Call: Hail the month when sour turns to sweet!
Response: Hail the month when labor comes ripe!
Call: Hail the month when our hands come together,
Response: Hail the month when the cup is passed!
Call: This is the time of bonding,
Response: When the fruits of the harvest lay within our grasp.
Call: This is the call of Joy and Merriment,
Response: This is the time of coming together.
Call: For though we may have forgotten laughter beneath our burdens,
Response: Laughter comes for us at last.
Call: And yet we begin to see the year passing to its end,
Response: And our laughter is the light passing into the dark.
Call: May we go to into the dark like the Children of Dionysos,
Response: Embracing the cycle with open arms!
Call: Like the grapevine, we are givers of ecstasy.
Response: Like the grapevine, we are givers of dream.
Call: Like vines, we yield up our fruit.
Response: Like vines, we yield up for the good of all.
Call: Like vines, we twine towards the Light.
Response: Like vines, we twine towards the Spirit.
Call: We hold the line, we keep the Mysteries true,
Response: We hold the line, we keep the Mysteries true,
Call: I am the vine; the branches, you and you.
Response: I am the vine; the branches, you and you.

Chant:
Taste Joy in the Day
Take Joy in the Night
Touch Joy in your face turned
To the fading light
Ay ay ay ay-yi-hey.

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Moon for October 2nd

Calendar of the Moon

Grapevine Month

Colors: Blue and Purple
Element: Water
Altar: Upon cloth of blue and purple set a great pitcher of wine with many cups, four purple candles, and many wreaths of grapevine and baskets of grapes.
Offerings:
Daily Meal: Vegetarian, with wine or grape juice to drink, and of course grapes.

Muin Invocation

Call: Hail the Month of the Grapevine!
Response: Hail the Month of the Vine-Gods!
Call: Hail the month when sour turns to sweet!
Response: Hail the month when labor comes ripe!
Call: Hail the month when our hands come together,
Response: Hail the month when the cup is passed!
Call: This is the time of bonding,
Response: When the fruits of the harvest lay within our grasp.
Call: This is the call of Joy and Merriment,
Response: This is the time of coming together.
Call: For though we may have forgotten laughter beneath our burdens,
Response: Laughter comes for us at last.
Call: And yet we begin to see the year passing to its end,
Response: And our laughter is the light passing into the dark.
Call: May we go to into the dark like the Children of Dionysos,
Response: Embracing the cycle with open arms!
Call: Like the grapevine, we are givers of ecstasy.
Response: Like the grapevine, we are givers of dream.
Call: Like vines, we yield up our fruit.
Response: Like vines, we yield up for the good of all.
Call: Like vines, we twine towards the Light.
Response: Like vines, we twine towards the Spirit.
Call: We hold the line, we keep the Mysteries true,
Response: We hold the line, we keep the Mysteries true,
Call: I am the vine; the branches, you and you.
Response: I am the vine; the branches, you and you.

Chant:
Taste Joy in the Day
Take Joy in the Night
Touch Joy in your face turned
To the fading light
Ay ay ay ay-yi-hey.

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Moon for September 23

Calendar of the Moon

Grapevine Month

Colors: Blue and Purple
Element: Water
Altar: Upon cloth of blue and purple set a great pitcher of wine with many cups, four purple candles, and many wreaths of grapevine and baskets of grapes.
Offerings:
Daily Meal: Vegetarian, with wine or grape juice to drink, and of course grapes.

Muin Invocation

Call: Hail the Month of the Grapevine!
Response: Hail the Month of the Vine-Gods!
Call: Hail the month when sour turns to sweet!
Response: Hail the month when labor comes ripe!
Call: Hail the month when our hands come together,
Response: Hail the month when the cup is passed!
Call: This is the time of bonding,
Response: When the fruits of the harvest lay within our grasp.
Call: This is the call of Joy and Merriment,
Response: This is the time of coming together.
Call: For though we may have forgotten laughter beneath our burdens,
Response: Laughter comes for us at last.
Call: And yet we begin to see the year passing to its end,
Response: And our laughter is the light passing into the dark.
Call: May we go to into the dark like the Children of Dionysos,
Response: Embracing the cycle with open arms!
Call: Like the grapevine, we are givers of ecstasy.
Response: Like the grapevine, we are givers of dream.
Call: Like vines, we yield up our fruit.
Response: Like vines, we yield up for the good of all.
Call: Like vines, we twine towards the Light.
Response: Like vines, we twine towards the Spirit.
Call: We hold the line, we keep the Mysteries true,
Response: We hold the line, we keep the Mysteries true,
Call: I am the vine; the branches, you and you.
Response: I am the vine; the branches, you and you.

Chant:
Taste Joy in the Day
Take Joy in the Night
Touch Joy in your face turned
To the fading light
Ay ay ay ay-yi-hey.

[Pagan Book of Hours]

LOVE POTION TEA

LOVE POTION TEA

1 pinch of rosemary

2 teaspoons of black ordinary breakfast tea

3 pinches thyme

3 pinches nutmeg

3 fresh mint leaves

6 fresh rose petals

6 lemon leaves

3 cups pure spring water

Sugar to taste Honey

 

To make another person fall in love with you, brew this tea on a Friday during a waxing moon.

Place all ingredients in an earthenware or copper tea kettle.
Boil three cups of pure spring water and add to the kettle.
Sweetenwith sugar and honey, if desired.
Before drinking, recite this magical rhyme:

BY LIGHT OF MOON WAXING BREW
THIS TEA TO MAKE [lover’s name] DESIRE ME.

Drink some of the tea and say:

GODDESS OF LOVE HEAR NOW MY PLEA
LET [lover’s name] DESIRE ME!
SO MOTE IT BE

On the following Friday, brew another pot of the love potion tea and give some to
the person you want to love you. He or she will soon begin to fall in love with you.

Bath for Clearing Away All Psychic Nastiness: Beer Bath

General Instructions for all Baths

 

Once the bath is ready, sit in the tub, and completely immerse yourself seven times, allowing the mixture to flow into all body openings. (Swish it around in your mouth as well, but do not swallow it.) Stay in the tub for seven minutes, then get out, allowing the moisture on your body and hair to dry naturally.

 

The Beer Bath

This is a great little psychic cleanser with added perks: It relieves mild depression and is actually good for your skin and hair.

Materials needed:

1  12 oz. can of beer

1  T. salt

Add the beer and salt to a warm tub of water. Using your index finger, stir the water clockwise until thoroughly mixed.

A Little Humor for Your Day – The Joy of Coffee

The Joy of Coffee

 by Anon

Caffeine is my shepherd; I shall not doze.

It maketh me to wake in green pastures: it leadeth me beyond the sleeping masses.

It restoreth my buzz: it leadeth me in the paths of consciousness for its name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of addiction, I will fear no Equal ™: for thou art with me; thy cream and thy sugar they comfort me.

Thou preparest a carafe before me in the prescence of Juan Valdez: thou anointest my day with pep; my mug runneth over.

Surely richness and taste shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the House of Maxwell forever.

 

Calendar of the Sun for Sept. 13

Calendar of the Sun
13 Halegmonath

Egyptian All Souls’ Day – Day of Anubis

Colors: Black and tan
Element: Earth
Altar: Set with a cloth of tan like the desert sands, upon which is poured a mound of sand with one black candle set within it, a cup of beer, and a figure of the jackal god Anubis.
Offerings: Candles. Incense. An offer to guide someone in need out of darkness.
Daily Meal: Beer. Figs. Dates. Millet. Barley. Lentils. Duck or goose.

Invocation to Anubis

Lord of the desert sands
Who guides lost souls through endless waste
Into a better land
Who brings the Dead
To their final judgment
Into the hand of Ma’at
Great-eared one who sniffs out
All things hidden
And from whom nothing
Can be concealed forever,
Guide us surely and skillfully
Out of the darkness
Of our own blind searching.

Chant:
Dark God of the West
Take me home
I am a wandering soul

Call and response while pouring the beer libation:

Bring us forth out of darkness
Guide us through the waste lands
Find for us the track of Fate
Like all our ancestors
Like all the souls of the beloved dead
We will find a way
We will find a way
We will find a way
Forth out of the darkness
And into the blazing Sun.

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Lighten Up – A Redneck Oil Change

A redneck oil change

The Redneck Oil Change Checklist
1. Go to O’Reilly auto parts and write a check for $50 dollars for oil, filter, kitty litter, hand cleaner and scented tree.
2. Discover that the used oil container is full. Instead of taking it back to O’Reilly to recycle, dump in hole in back yard.
3. Open a beer and drink it.
4. Jack car up. Spend 30 minutes looking for jack stands.
5. Find jack stands under kid’s pedal car.
6. In frustration, open another beer and drink it.
7. Place drain pan under engine.
8. Look for 9/16 box end wrench.
9. Give up and use crescent wrench.
10. Unscrew drain plug.
11. Drop drain plug in pan of hot oil; get hot oil on you in process.
12. Clean up.
13. Have another beer while oil is draining.
14. Look for oil filter wrench.
15. Give up; poke oil filter with screwdriver and twist it off.
16. Beer.
17. Buddy shows up; finish case with him. Finish oil change tomorrow.
18. Next day, drag pan full of old oil out from underneath car.
19. Throw kitty litter on oil spilled during step 18.
20. Beer. No, drank it all yesterday.
21. Walk to 7-11; buy beer.
22. Install new oil filter making sure to apply thin coat of clean oil to gasket first.
23. Dump first quart of fresh oil into engine.
24. Remember drain plug from step 11.
25. Hurry to find drain plug in drain pan.
26. Hurry to replace drain plug before the whole quart of fresh oil  drains onto floor.
27. Slip with wrench and bang knuckles on frame.
28. Bang head on floor board in reaction.
29. Begin cussing fit.
30. Throw wrench.
31. Cuss and complain.
32. Clean up; apply Band-Aid to knuckle.
33. Beer.
34. Beer.
35. Dump in additional 4 quarts of oil.
36. Beer.
37. Lower car from jack stands
38. Accidentally crush one of the jack stands
39. Move car back to apply more kitty litter to fresh oil spilled during step 23.
40. Test drive car
41. Get pulled over; arrested for driving under the influence.
42. Car gets impounded.
43. Make bail; get car from impound yard.
Money Spent:
$50 parts
$12 beer
$75 replacement set of jack stands; hey the colors have to match!
$1000 Bail
$200 Impound and towing fee
Total: $1337

Calendar of the Sun for August 31

Calendar of the Sun

31 Weodmonath

Frey’s Blot

Colors: Green and golden
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon cloth of green and gold set a sheaf of grain, a golden cup of mead, a plate of bread and honey, the figure of a carved phallus, the figure of a boar, and an empty sheath.
Offerings: Mead. Those who partake in ritual sex should do so tonight, in his honor.
Daily Meal: Mead. Bread and cheese. Vegetables from the garden.

Invocation to Frey

Hail Frey, Lord of the fields!
Lord of the Vanir,
Golden of hair as the fields of wheat,
Bringing riches of heart and hearth
To noble and common folk alike,
We hail you with the corn that springs forth
And falls again to nourish us.
We hail you, mighty boar in flight,
Lord of the phallus that gives life,
Lord of Love that is bound to land,
Love that is bound with commitment,
Love that does not come easily,
As one must toil for the harvest.
Teach us that love is worth working for,
And that work is worth loving,
And that neither lives long without the other.
Lord Frey, Corn God,
Husband of Gerda the etin-bride,
You who can warm the cold heart,
Warrior without a weapon
Who gave your sword for love,
You who make the grain spring forth,
Show us faith in every springtime.

Song: Frey’s Gold

(Pass the mead around, and pour the remainder out as a libation. Those who wish to honor Frey with ritual sex may do so during the first work-hour, or later in the evening if the Hesperis ritual is not inappropriate.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun for July 30

Calendar of the Sun

30 Haymonath

Tyr’s Day

Color: Red
Elements: Fire and Air
Altar: Upon a red cloth lay swords, lined up in a row, a horn of mead, and a single glove.
Offering: Agree to a promise that limits your convenience.
Daily Meal: Red meat.

Invocation to Tyr

Honor is not comfortable.
It demands all you have,
All you are, all you can do.
It wraps you like a chain
That you may only shuffle where others run
And yet that chain will bear you up
When others trip and fall.
It limits you, like the loss of a limb;
You reach, and fall ever short,
Brought up by honor’s limitation,
And yet this limiting hones you sharper,
Like a tool that must be cut down to work,
As every sharpening is removal of some of you.
O Lord of Honor, you whose name
Invoked, seals bargains without
A thought of cheating, you whose
Word is law and law is will,
You who are never afraid
To do what must needs be done
Even when there is no question
That there will be great loss,
May we all have half the steel
That lies in you, O warrior one-handed,
In your spine, in your hand,
And in your soul.

(The mead is passed by one who has been chosen, and as they pass it they say, “May honor bind you.” Each in turn replies, “May honor find you.” The remainder is poured out as a libation.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

8 Tips to Become a Morning Person

8 Tips to Become a Morning Person

by Samantha, selected from DivineCaroline

You don’t have to naturally be an early bird to become one. Make the  following changes to your daily routine and environment and give  yourself a little time to adjust and you, too, can be one who effortlessly gets  the proverbial worm.

1. Go to bed early.

Yes, it’s a given, but it’s important enough to emphasize; in order  to wake  up early and feel refreshed, you must go to bed early enough to  get a full  night’s sleep. Additionally, you should make your bedtime  consistent every  night in order to create a pattern that you will  instinctively follow if  repeated long enough.

2. Wake up at the same time every day.

Just as too little sleep makes you tired, too much sleep does the  same  thing. Plus, if you don’t create a pattern for your body to follow,  it will  resist your early-bird intentions. Wake up at the same time  every day,  including weekends, until your body adjusts and ultimately,  you may not need a  wake-up call at all.

3. Get a relentless alarm clock.

The yin to the above tip’s yang, you aren’t likely to get up early  if you  can perpetually hit the snooze button. Find a fool-proof way to  make sure you  wake when you are supposed to—without delay—and you’re on  your way to morning  person status.

4. Don’t drink caffeine or excessive alcohol in the evening.

All your good intentions will be foiled if you drink the wrong  beverages.  Caffeine obviously keeps you perky, which is great up until  the time you’re  ready to go to sleep. Don’t drink any after noon,  especially when you’re  starting out your new routine, to give you better  snoozing odds. Alcohol, too,  can foil best-laid sleeping plans. It may help you get groggy,  but later it disrupts sleep, causing exhaustion that lingers into the next  day.

5.  Exercise in the early evening.

While exercise gets the heart rate going and boosts energy, it also  helps  you get seriously restful sleep—so long as you give yourself  enough winding-down time after your workout.  Break a sweat right after work and you’ll have plenty of  time to get groggy before bedtime. Bonus: It  helps eliminate the stress that  might keep your mind busy when it should  be snoozing.

6. Eat healthy early evening meals.

Food hangovers happen all the time. In fact, most of us are  suffering from  one at any given time. Unfortunately, the kind of foods  you eat can disrupt  sleep, too. While you’re not likely to change your  diet just to accommodate  sleep, you can and should eat on the early side  so your body isn’t overwhelmed  trying to digest and dream.

7. Prepare for your day the night before.

Being a morning person doesn’t have to mean you bound out of bed and  whiz  around. Any sleepy shortcomings you have can be overcome with some  advance  planning. Get your coffee at the ready, lay out your wardrobe  for the day, and  make your lunch the night before. Then you’ll have less  to do as you drowsily  get into your new routine.

8. Reconfigure your bedroom for optimal sleep.

Sleep experts everywhere recommend that you make your bedroom a  sleep  sanctuary. That means you should keep stimulating distractions,  such as the TV,  smartphone, or computer, out of the bedroom and focus solely on soothing things  that are conducive to getting your snooze on.

Calendar of the Moon for July 16

Calendar of the Moon

16 Duir/Skirophorion

Selene’s Day

Color: White and silver
Element: Water
Altar: Lay with a white cloth, on which is sewn moons of silver in cycle from new to dark. Set out two white candles rubbed with jasmine oil, a silver tray with round white cakes, a glass pitcher of goat’s milk, a glass chalice of white wine, a glass of clear anise liqueur, a round mirror, and a silver bell.
Offerings: White foods. Milk, poured in libation. A promise to aid those suffering from mental illness or emotional confusion.
Daily Meal: Nothing but milk or rice milk to drink. Rice. Custard. Cream soups and sauces.

Invocation to Selene

Lady of the Full Moon
White Lady whose rays shine on us
Lighting our path through the darkness
Round as a full belly
Pregnant with possibilities,
White as mother’s milk
And snow on high mountaintops,
Moon mother who sings to us
Lullabies of imagination,
Cascade through our dreams,
Sail us through the ebb and flow
Of our heart’s tides,
And light our spirits
With your serene love.

Chant: Luna Lucina Lumen Lumen

(The cakes are passed around, saying, “Eat of the Mother’s sweetness.” Then the pitcher of milk is passed around, saying, “Drink of the Mother’s love.” Then the chalice of wine is passed around, saying, “Drink of the Mother’s dreams.” Then the glass of liqueur is passed around, saying, “Drink of the Mother’s song.” Then the remainder are poured out as libations and the silver bell is rung six times.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun for June 11th

10 Lithemonath

Nidavellir Day

Colors: Red and black
Elements: Fire and earth
Altar: Upon a cloth of red and black lay seven black candles, burning frankincense, an anvil with a hammer, a horn of mead, and many pieces of hand-wrought metal – jewelry, tools, or anything else that has been made by hand from metal.
Offerings: Assess your values. Make a fair trade of something you value for something of equal value with someone you respect.
Daily Meal: Root vegetables. Mead.

Nidavellir Invocation

Deep beneath the mountains of Svartalfheim
Lies the land of the duergar,
The underground home of the dwarves
Whose life is spent making and building
Many wonderful things for themselves
That mortals and gods alike may covet.
The duergar give no gifts;
Nothing comes in an open hand for their work,
Their sweat, their toil, their creative spark.
They value this too much to give away,
And so they drive hard bargains.
When the made the necklace Brisingamen,
Most fair jewel ever wrought,
Freyja the goddess of love saw it,
And her heart cried out for it.
The price laid on it was the most valuable thing
That she owned, in exchange for their
Most valuable thing. So she agreed,
Gave them her body for four nights –
For what is more valuable to Love than this –
And considered it a fair price.
When later she received the mockery of Asgard,
She but touched her jewel and smiled.
And this is what the duergar would ask us:
What is your price? What do you hold most dear?
What would you give for it? The answer rings on every anvil
In the dark heart of Nidavellir.

(Each comes forth, picks up the hammer, and strikes the anvil, speaking aloud what is their most valuable possession, and what would be of an equal trade for it. Pour the mead as a libation.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]