Tag: Recreation

Earth Witch Lore – Caves

Earth Witch Lore – Caves

 

Most caves have local folklore surrounding them, with one common theme; they are inhabited by spirits or dragons and are forbidding places, desolate and dank. So many legends tell of ghosts haunting caves. These legends were perpetuated by pirates and the like to scare people away from their hiding places and thereby keep their loot hidden. They also stem from ancient days when bears and lions might be found in the caves.

 

For ages, the members of ancient tribes lived their entire lives in caves. In Sweetwater, Tennessee, there is a cavern known as “the Lost Sea,” which features an underground lake with its own variety of plant life (which only grows underground). It is said to be the home of the white jaguar. This cavern is a world within the world. The hauntingly beautiful columns of stalagmite drip healing waters upon those who stand beneath it. Not surprisingly, this cave is also thought to be haunted. It was sacred to the Cherokee tribes.

The Earth Witch knows and understands that caves actually relate to the process of birth. Spirit haunts a cave as a “pregnancy,” or a continuation of life. Therefore, a cave is sacred ground. All that it holds within relates to life and death, as it all stems from the cave. The cave is the birth canal of Mother Earth.

Special Kitty of the Day for January 10th

KitKat, the Cat of the Day
Name: KitKat
 Age: Nine months old
Gender: Female
 Kind: Maine Coon
Home: Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA
KitKat came into the veterinary clinic I work at when she was around three weeks old. Someone had found her dangling from underneath a truck by her paw. She was so tiny and had a bent arm from being stuck under the truck for so long. I took her home with me, where I bottle fed her and bandaged her leg back to health. She’s now almost a year old and is one of our more vocal and active cats in a family of three cats total. She kept growing and growing, and is now nine months old, and as she’s probably a Maine Coon from the looks of it, may get even bigger, but she could not get any sweeter, or more loved.

KitKat and I would like to remind everyone to thump their engine on cold mornings this winter, just in case someone has crawled in there for warmth, so they can jump down and escape safely before you move the vehicle.

The Meaning of the Number 9

The spiritual meaning of number Nine bring us to the very height of vibrational frequencies in this number sequence. Nine represents attainment, satisfaction, accomplishment, and our success to achieve an influence in our circumstances. The spiritual meaning of number Nine deals with intellectual power, inventiveness, influence over situations and things. Nine beseeches us to recognize our own internal attributes, and extend these abilities out into the world to make a positive, influential difference.

 

The Spiritual Meaning of Numbers

Your Daily Number for January 10th: 9

You’re operating at a slower speed today, and may feel a very real loss of momentum and drive. Guard against moodiness by surrounding yourself with people you love and respect. Your ultimate comfort today comes from people who know you best.

Fast Facts

About the Number 9

Theme: Encompassing a love for all, Compassion, Patience, Selfless
Astro Association: Virgo
Tarot Association: Hermit

Calendar of the Sun for Jan. 9th

Calendar of the Sun
9 Wolfmonath

Baubo’s Day of the Midwives

Color: Red
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon a red cloth place a single red candle, a chalice of fresh milk, and a Sheela-Na-Gig.
Offerings: Give aid to a midwife.
Daily Meal: Center around milk or dairy.

Baubo Invocation

Hail Baubo, Mother of Laughter,
Great open door upon your belly,
You who open all things,
The woman’s womb, the hard-bound heart,
The eyes shut tight in fear,
The belly full of mirth repressed,
All these you tear open like a child
Reveals their holiday gifts with glee.
We are your packages, your presents,
To undo as you will!
Today no weeping will sound through our halls,
And only mirth shall walk our paths,
O Baubo upon the bridge!
You watch those who walk down to the dark places,
You see those who weep their sorrow
Like Mother Demeter trailing in the dust,
And your great heart of understanding
Knows that no word of sense will ever help
When the shadows are darkest.
Only absurdity, only paradox
The extravagant, the foolish, the incredible,
The outlandish and preposterous,
Only these can make their way
Under the tight doors of desolation,
Through the cracks of misery.
A small thing, laughter, yet without it
We drown in the rivers of our own self-importance.
Hail Baubo, Mother of Mirth!

(One or more who have been chosen to do the work of the ritual come forth to do Baubo’s job. They must shed their clothing, and naked wear faces painted on their bellies, and tell jokes until laughter is rampant. Finish with the chant listed on Ilithyia’s Day.)

Spell – A- Day: Murphy’s Magic

Spell – A- Day – Murphy’s Magic

 
One of the more mundane but useful forms of magic is called “Murphy’s magic.” Murphy’s first law goes: “If anything can go wrong,it will.” But the corollary to Murphy’s law is that what you don’t want to happen will happen. So, you can sort of use Murphy’s law to make things happen. For instance, if you wash your car, it will rain (unless you wash you car just to make it rain, in which case, it won’t). If you smoke, and you light a cigarette at a bus stop, the bus will come, and your will have to put out the cigarette. When you go to the doctor’s office, if you don’t bring a book you’ll have to wait for a long time, and the magazines will be unreadable or nonexistant.
 
By: Magenta Griffith

The Meaning Of The Number 5

The spiritual meaning of number Five deals with travel, adventure, and motion. With the highs that come with these attributes, Fives also carry instability and unpredictability, and radical changes. The spiritual meaning of Five draws our attention to the wonder of life, and beckons us to appreciate the perception of chaos all around us. Five has wild vibrations: primitive and erratic. When Five continues to pop up in your life be prepared for some action, like a trip. Remember, trips aren’t all necessarily taken physically. Some of the best journey’s are taken in the mind and spirit.

 

The Spiritual Meaning of Numbers

Your Daily Number for Jan. 8th: 5

Maintain flexibility today, because your plans may change more than once. Your intuition can’t be beat, so don’t be afraid to rely on it and to be decisive. It’s a wonderful day for social interaction.

Fast Facts

About the Number 5

Theme: Resourceful, Adventure, Speculation, Travel
Astro Association: Taurus
Tarot Association: Hierophant

14 Surprising Uses for Vodka

14 Surprising Uses for Vodka

  • Melissa Breyer

Something akin to what we now know as vodka first appeared in Poland in the 11th century. Called gorzalka, the vodka prototypes were used as medicines. By 1534, a treatise on herbs professed that vodka could serve “to increase fertility and awaken lust.” Hot diggity!

Although many still indulge in the “medicinal” benefits of a martini, vodka has a surprising array of alternative uses that can save money and be kinder to the planet than the harsh chemicals it can stand in for. And with so many uses, it makes sense to have one bottle of vodka rather than array of otherwise specific products.

So just what can the versatile vodka do around the house?

1. Febreze without the guilt
If you douse your clothes and home with Febreze to remove odor, you can do the same with vodka…but without the cyclodextrin, and without supporting a company that tests on animals. (I’m talking to you, Proctor & Gamble.) The alcohol in vodka kills bacteria which cause odor, and vodka is basically odorless, as far as booze goes. Spritz your clothes and hang them in a well-ventilated room. (As with any natural remedy, sp0t-test first.)

2. Keep cut flowers fresh
If you’re going to have fresh-cut flowers working hard to brighten up your decor, show some hospitality and give them a little drink. Several drops of vodka and a large pinch of sugar added to the water in your flower vase, changed daily, stunts ethylene production and will extend the vitality of bouquet.

3. Shoo flies, and other pests
I couldn’t harm a fly, or any other living thing. Except…if something is biting and sucking the blood from my children, mamma bear swoops in and goes medieval. DEET is persona non grata in my neck of the woods, and I wouldn’t own a can of Raid if you paid me. But a spray bottle of vodka? Sure. Use it to spray directly at the offenders, it can also be used on your skin as a repellant.

4. Calm the sting of sea creatures
The pain of jellyfish and ray stings is magically dissipated with meat tenderizers (the enzymes that work to break down meat’s proteins also break down the stinging agents in the venom). But if you find yourself at the beach with vodka instead of meat tenderizer (and who doesn’t?)–it can help alleviate the punch those stings can pack. Douse the area with vodka. (And…have a shot while you’re at it?)

5. Give your hair some life
Vodka can make people lush and bouncy, and can do the same for your hair. Add an ounce to your bottle of shampoo and use as you usually do. It helps to break down the oil build-up that can make your hair droll.

6. Remove laundry stains
Treat stubborn stains with a splash of vodka and some elbow grease, then launder as usual.

 

7. Make lavender ironing water
Forget about scented fabric softener for fragrance, be like a cool French granny and use lavender ironing water instead. Mix 3 ounces of 90-proof vodka and 12 drops of pure lavender essential oil and let sit for 24 hours. Then add 12 ounces of purified water and swirl together. Store in the refrigerator until it loses its scent, around 6 weeks.

8. Get rid of unloved plants
Also known as weeds (poor, misunderstood things)–if you’ve got them and don’t want them, vodka can kill them. Vodka attacks broad-leaf weeds, like dandelions, chickweed, by breaking down their protective coverings which leads to lethal dehydration. Fill a spray bottle with an ounce of vodka, a few drops of liquid dish soap, and two cups of water. Spray on weeds, in the sunlight, and wilt away they will.

9. Quash mold and mildew
Like vinegar, vodka can help combat stubborn mold and mildew stains in the bathroom. Spray it on stained caulk, let it sit for 30 minutes, and scrub with a brush.

10. Wash your mouth out
With homemade mouthwash: Boil 6 ounces of water and 2 ounces of vodka together. Add in 4 teaspoons of liquid glycerin and 1 teaspoon of aloe vera gel. Remove from heat and let cool. When cooled, add 10-15 drops of Spearmint oil and shake the entire mixture together well.

11. Make a tincture
You can make a tincture of botanicals and vodka to use topically for a number of ailments or conditions. Fill a jar with a handful of flowers/roots/leaves and top with vodka.

12. Ease a poison ivy rash
Urushiol oil, the pesky component of poison ivy and poison oak, leads most to an agonizing rash. Before the rash sets in, vodka can be poured directly on the skin where contact occurred to minimize the severity of what’s to come. Rubbing alcohol will work too.

13. Shine your shiny things
Who needs separate chrome-cleaner, glass-cleaner, and porcelain-cleaner when a trip to the liquor cabinet can tackle all three materials at once? Dampen a cloth with vodka, rub, back in the shine.

14. Unstick sticky stickers
I bet 9 out of 10 of you save glass jars and reuse them. How many of you cringe at the gummy label adhesive that clings to glass like a manic starfish? (Or is that just me?) Vodka to the rescue. Dab a scouring sponge with some vodka, scrub, rinse with some liquid dish soap, no more sticky ugh.

The Meaning of the Number One

One primarily deasl with strong will, positivity, pure energy. The number One reflects new beginnings, and purity. The symbolic meaning of number One is further clarified when we understand One represents both kinds of action: physical and mental. This combined with Ones urgency for new beginnings, we begin to see Ones recurring in our lives indicates a time to exert our natural forces, take action, and start a new venture. One encourages us our action will be rewarded in kind.

 

The Spiritual Meaning of Numbers

Special Kitty for January 2nd

Big Ben, the Cat of the Day
Name: Big Ben
 Age: Four years old
Gender: Male
 Kind: Orange Tabby
Home: Stettler, Alberta, Canada
We adopted Big Ben in August 2011 from a wonderful feline rescue organization called Whisker Rescue (Red Deer, Alberta), after losing our beloved Simon — who was also an orange tabby – to Feline Leukemia Virus earlier in the year. We had initially planned to adopt a kitten as we felt a younger cat would get along better with our two dark tabby girls. But we just fell in love with Ben! He really should be called ‘Gentle Ben’ because he is so sweet-natured.

Ben is a very handsome cat, with his big amber-colored eyes and a distinctive orange “soul patch” on his chin. His white underside extends partially down the inside of his back legs so in the rare moments when he shows us his belly, it looks like he is wearing white boxer shorts!

Whisker Rescue did not have much information on Ben but we suspect there might have been some unpleasantness in his past as he is quite shy and uncertain, especially around strangers. We felt he was perfect for us because we have a very peaceful home with no small children. His first couple of weeks with us were a bit rough,though. He was treated for ear mites before leaving the kitty orphanage, then developed a yeast infection in both ears and had to return to the vet clinic to have his ears flushed and then treated with drops for a week. He managed to find some very creative places to hide, but his loud purr always gave away his location.

All that is in the past now. He has become a playful cuddle-bug. Some of his favorite things are playing with his kong, enjoying couch-cuddles with his humans, watching the world from the big living room window, napping in his “man cave” (the comfy little room inside the scratching post), and being groomed by his little sister, Livy. As soon as the lights go out at night, he sneaks into bed with us and goes to sleep. Ben has definitely found his forever home.

Dog-gone Doggie for January 2nd

Bella, the Dog of the Day
Name: Bella
 Age: Two and a half years old
Gender: Female Breed: Black Lab, Border Collie
Home: New Jersey, USA
This is Bella! She is almost three years old, and is a black lab/border collie mix (we think, as she is a mutt). She currently lives with her family in New Jersey, and she loves it here! She prefers her water with ice cubes in the summer time, as you can see, and has a good time with them.

Bella is a very special pet because she is incredibly sweet, and has a knack for making people feel better when they are sad. We got her to cheer up our older dog (who is now ten), and she does a fantastic job! She keeps him young with her youth and vigor, but also proves to be a wonderful napping companion. Bella is such a kind dog, and we have literally never heard her growl. She loves to curl up next to any of her humans and cuddle, and she loves going for car-rides and walks.

Bella knows lots of tricks, such as the typical sit, shake, lie down, jump, speak, and roll over. She is also very good at catching treats in her mouth, and we like to challenge her by not throwing them directly to her. She is very affectionate around strangers, but she has a good sense of who is “good” and who is “bad.” Whenever we have guests over, she immediately warms to them, because she can tell that they are “good” people and friends of her humans. She has lots and lots of toys, because she likes to take them into our backyard and collect them all in one place and then bury them. Luckily for us, we know all her hiding spots (mostly), and she tends to forget where she puts them.

Bella is also very brave. Unlike our older dog, who is terrified of rain, thunder, lightning, wind, etc., Bella seems almost fearless. However, she does not like the pool, which is very uncommon for a lab. We have taught her how to swim and where the steps are in case she is ever to fall in, but she continues to hate it, even after two very hot and humid summers. Despite her being black, she loves to spend summer days basking on our deck in the sun. At times, she seems almost cat-like, because of her hatred for water and the way that she stretches (she arches her back up in a cat-like fashion). She is also known to knead her bed before she lies down and walk in circles for a few minutes before finally deciding where to lie. Bella also has lots of very intricate dreams, and she snores quite loudly and often moves her legs, as if she is chasing something. We love Bella, and we hope you do too!

The Meaning of the Number 2

The symbolic meaning of number Two is kindness, balance, tact, equalization, and duality. The number Two reflects a quiet power of judgment, and the need for planning. Two beckons us to choose. The spiritual meaning of number Two also deals with exchanges made with others, partnerships (both in harmony and rivalry), and communication. Two urges us out of our indecision, calls us to unite with like-minds, and like-ideals. Two asks us to exert our natural flow of judgment to do what is best for our souls.

The Spiritual Meaning of Numbers

The Meaning of the Number 9

The spiritual meaning of number Nine bring us to the very height of vibrational frequencies in this number sequence. Nine represents attainment, satisfaction, accomplishment, and our success to achieve an influence in our circumstances. The spiritual meaning of number Nine deals with intellectual power, inventiveness, influence over situations and things. Nine beseeches us to recognize our own internal attributes, and extend these abilities out into the world to make a positive, influential difference.

 

The Spirituality Meaning of Numbers

Good Times Charm

 

Good Times Charm

The next time you pop a bottle of champagne to celebrate a special event or accomplishment, don’t throw away the cork. Cut a slit in the top and insert a coin. If you place it in your kitchen cupboard, it will bring luck to the entire household. The luck will last until the next bottle of champagne is opened. However, if you insert a coin minted in the year of your birth, carry the charm with you at all times. The luck will last the rest of your life.

 

By: Lynne Sturtevant

 

Earth Science Pic for Dec. 30th

Brocken Spectre and Glory from Northern Italy

December 30, 2011

Dolomitespectreepod

Photographer: Vittorio Poli
Summary Author: Vittorio Poli; Jim Foster

When climbing a mountain in the Dolomite Range of northern Italy this past summer, I was pleased to notice that when I glanced down into the layer of mist below, someone seemed to be looking out for me. Of course, that someone was actually me. What I observed at approximately 9,800 ft (2,987 m) was a classic Brocken spectre and glory. The colorful rings make up the glory, and my shadow is the Brocken Spectre. Both result when sunlight is deflected by minute droplets — typically fog or cloud droplets or mist from a spray. When you observe these phenomena, whether or not you can see the Sun, you know you’re looking in the direction opposite of the Sun’s position — toward the antisolar point. Photo taken on August 16, 2011.

What Does The Number 5 Mean?

The spiritual meaning of number Five deals with travel, adventure, and motion. With the highs that come with these attributes, Fives also carry instability and unpredictability, and radical changes. The spiritual meaning of Five draws our attention to the wonder of life, and beckons us to appreciate the perception of chaos all around us. Five has wild vibrations: primitive and erratic. When Five continues to pop up in your life be prepared for some action, like a trip. Remember, trips aren’t all necessarily taken physically. Some of the best journey’s are taken in the mind and spirit.

Spiritual Meaning of Numbers