Tag: Tea

Calendar of the Sun for October 16

Calendar of the Sun

 

16 Winterfyllith

Laufey’s Day

Color: Green
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon cloth of pale green set a miniature willow tree in a pot, a goblet of fruit wine, five yellow and green candles, many mugs of some nourishing herbal tea, and many plates of nourishing oat-cakes.
Offerings: Plant trees.
Daily Meal: Tree fruits, soup and bread, herbal tea from tree-leaves.

Invocation to Laufey

Laufey, Wise Goddess, I hail You.
Mother of Loki, Nurturer of the flame,
I honor You.
You are rooted and ancient wisdom,
The strength of the trees that wind their roots
Deeply into the earth,
Of rich dark soil,
Of solitude, and seasons,
Dissolution and quiet change.
You are patient endurance,
Wise weaver of the threads of fate,
Luck-warder, mother of warriors,
Fierce defender, skilled healer.
All of these things You have been.
You restore and rebalance.
You sustain
And grant to Your children
The enduring strength of the forest,
The quickness of flame,
The swiftness of light, liquid and untouchable.
Lady of the Leafy Isle, no ornament
To Farbauti’s hall but to Your own alone
Wherein You shine, ever shall I speak Your praises.
Hail, Laufey.

(One who has been chosen to do the work of the ritual shall bring forth the oat-cakes and herbal tea, and all shall eat and drink of Laufey’s generosity. The wine shall be poured out as a libation, and then all should go forth from the House to plant trees in some place that is needful of them.)

 

[Pagan Book of Hours}

The Wicca Book of Days for August 28 – Memorable Mint

The Wicca Book of Days for August 28

Memorable Mint

 

The botanical name of mint is Mentha, for a Greek myth tells that the river nymph Mentha (or Mintha) was transformed into this herb following a doomed affair with Hades. The Greeks and Romans dedicated the plant to Mercury, this Virgoan day’s planetary ruler, however, on account of its ability to clear the head and encourage rational thinking. Still the world’s most popular breath-freshener and an invaluable herb to have to hand in the kitchen, it is furthermore a refreshing, cooling agent whose power to relax muscles makes mint tea an excellent digestive.

 

Be Open to Orange!

If you need to remain calm and objective before making an important decision today, infuse yourself with these Mercurial characteristics by incorporating a splash of orange – Mercury’s color – into your outfit, maybe in the form of a scarf or handkerchief.

Green Tea: The Powerfood That Rules the World

Green Tea: The Powerfood That Rules the World

Author
 

“We haven’t had any tea for a week The bottom is out of the universe “

Rudyard Kipling Natural Theology

Why is Green Tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world, second only to water itself?

Why is green tea is the most popular health drink on the planet?

How has green tea has influenced the lifestyles, politics and temperament of world superpowers, including United States, China, Japan and Britain.

1.  Green tea is the king of teas:

There are many different kinds of tea including: green tea, black tea, white tea, and oolong. They all start out as green leaves from the Camielia sinensis plant.

The only difference is which part of the plant is used, where and how it grows and how it is processed. Oolong teas have perhaps the most extensive tastes, green tea and enhansed green tea has the most benefits for the least cost.

2.  Green tea helps you lose weight.

The International Journal of Obesity cites green tea as having polyphenols which produce extra heat in the body and burn calories.

Weight loss experts and dietians agree that this promotion of thermogenesis will help dieters lose pounds.

3.  Green tea has possible benefits for cancer.

The Journal of the National Cancer Institute published study in 1994 indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent.

4.  Green tea has possible benefits for heart disease.

Research shows that research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.

One of the beneficial compounds in green tea is epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant which inhibits the growth of cancer cells, and kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue.

EGCG is twice as powerful an anti-oxidant as resveratrol, a polyphenol found in grapes and wine and which is speculated to protect the French from their high fat diet.

5. Green Tea Cleanses the Body and the Soul

Green Tea originated as a large tree growing in the Himalayan jungles.

It was cultured into the short bushes grown throughout the world now, by Chinese monks who had discovered its many benefits.

The Taoists claimed green tea as an important ingredient of the elixir of immortality.

The Buddhists used it extensively to prevent drowsiness during their long hours of meditation.

The first bowl moistens my lips and throat; The second bowl banishes all loneliness; The third bowl clears my mind of words and books. The fourth cup, I begin to perspire, Life’s troubles evaporate through my pores. The firth cup cleanses my entire being. Six cups – ah, but I can drink no more: I can only feel the gentle breeze blowing through my sleeves, Wafting me away to the Isle of Immortality!

Lu ton, Eight-century Chinese Poet, from In Gratitude for a Gift of Fresh Tea

6.  Green Tea is MONEY:

In the twelfth century when China began exporting tea , TEA BRICKS became the often preferred form of currency. It was light, valuable and in desperate need you could even eat the bricks. Tea contains, along with its many other nutrients, small amounts of protein.

7.  Green Tea Transformed Japan’s Culture

Green Tea was said to be introduced into Japan in 1191 by the monk Eisaid when he returned to Japan with Buddhism. The cult of tea began after Eisai helped cure the famous shogun of Japan Minamoto.

The whole culture of the country evolved around the Japanese Tea Ceremony which uses very finely ground green tea leaves in an elaborate ceremony lasting many hours.

The Tea Ceremony was a worship of the art of life,  an appreciation of refinement and purity, a process to go beyond the dreary waste of existence.

8.  Green Tea Transformed British Culture

In Britain, tea rapidly replaced much of the beer, ale and alcohol consumption with a beverage that was actually good for you. The British were transformed from an aggressive, meat and bear drinking mass to a more gentle, civilized people.

For the middle class of Britain, the tea parties and tea gardens allowed women and children to get out and socialize for the first time in their history. Many movements such as missionaries, charities and the girl guides started as tea groups.

For the lower class of Britain, tea breaks made life bearable –  the tea gave them energy and a lift of spirits which other beverages could not. They spent HALF their food budget on tea (and sugar to put in it) for good reason.

9.  Green Tea is Patriotic.

For Americans,  tea is a reminder of the Boston Tea Party,  a key event in the the American Revolution. Americans resisted  the taxation by the British of tea and other goods without representation. This resistance was symbolized by throwing a shipload of black tea into the Boston harbour.

10.  Green Tea is Loved By Everyone:

What happened to my green tea?”

Joe Torre  famous former Professional baseball player and current Major League Baseball’s executive vice president of baseball operations.

From hard working workers needing energy to homemakers wanting health to professionals wanting mental clarity – green tea can be enjoyed by everyone.

Sip for Success Tea

Sip for Success Tea

While sipping this tea, envision yourself succeeding at a current project you are undertaking. Use tangible images such as  seeing the project complete. Feel yourseld doing your job successfully. This tea works best when working with specific projects or situations. Don’t just  imagine yourself successful—define what success means to you.
4 parts clover flowers
2 parts lemon balm leaves
1 part ginger root

Calendar of the Sun for Sunday, July 1

Calendar of the Sun

1 Haymonath

Day of the Mother of Volcanoes

Color: Red
Element: Fire
Altar: Upon a red cloth set the figure of a mountain, with incense coming out the peak, a piece of obsidian, and a bowl of cayenne tea.
Offerings: Sip the cayenne tea as a sacrifice. Deal openly with your anger. This is a propitious day to bring up difficult subjects that may spark argument, as long as the issues are actually resolved, and purifications done afterwards.
Daily Meal: Spicy food.

Invocation to the Mother of Volcanoes

Goddess of fire and earth
Goddess of sharp black rock
Goddess whose source is far under the earth
Goddess whom we dare not approach too closely
Goddess whose joyous dance
Broke an island from the sea,
Pele of the ocean islands,
Fuji of the high mountain,
Help me find the best place in my life
Where my rage may spring forth
And build more earth on which I may stand,
And someday grow green and fertile in memory
Of that moment of blazing truth.

Song: Rise with the Fires of Freedom

(All should pass the cayenne tea around and take a sip, and offer their discomfort to the Mother of Volcanoes. None may drink or eat anything else until they have left the room. The rest of the tea is poured out as a libation.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Nobody Loves Me Tonic

When life has let you down and no one seems to care; have a cup of tea and wait for things to come your way.

1    tablespoon skullcap leaves and flowers
1    tablespoon passionflower
1    teaspoon lavender flowers and leaves
1    teaspoon chamomile flowers
1    tablespoon lemon grass

Combine all and steep in 2 cups of boiled water, covered, 15 minutes. Strain and surrender.

Relaxation Tonic

This is a soothing tea to enjoy when the mind can’t slow down.

2   tablespoons hops
2   tablespoons chamomile flowers
2   tablespoons lemon balm or spearmint leaves (peppermint is too stimulating)
1   teaspoon chopped lavender leaves

Steep in 2 cups of boiled water, covered. Strain after 10 – 15 minutes and drink 1/2 – 1 cup to relax.

Sinus and Allergy Tonic

This tea may also be used as a gargle for sore and tickling throats or as a compress on the forehead to relieve a stuffy head.

1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1 teaspoon sage leaves
1 teaspoon lavender leaves

Steep the above herbs in 2 cups of boiled water for 10 – 15 minutes. Strain and drink 1 cup to relieve sinus congestion.

How To Make Red Clover Tea

How To Make Red Clover Tea

 

　

Red clover blossoms can easily be used fresh or dried to make herbal tea. Red clover tea has traditionally been drunk to treat the following ailments: breathing problems, problems of the female reproductive system such as menopause and heavy bleeding, cancer of the female reproductive organs, and to purify the blood. Red clover tea is also used externally to treat itchy skin conditions.

Things you will need:

Red clover blossoms

Water

First Recipe:

Fresh Red Clover Tea

To prepare herbal tea from fresh red clover blossoms, steep 3 fresh blossoms in 1 cup of hot water for 15 minutes.

Second Recipe:

Dried Red Clover Tea
To prepare herbal tea from dried red clover blossoms, steep 2-3 teaspoons of the dried herb in hot water for 15 minutes.

Third Recipe:

Red Clover Tea Without Heat

If you prefer to make red clover tea without heat, you can simply add a cup of red clover blossoms to a pitcher of water and allow it to stand in the refrigerator for 24 hours before drinking.

　

Fourth Recipe:

To Use Red Clover Tea Externally

Prepare the herbal tea as instructed above and allow the tea to cool to room temperature. Apply the red clover tea wherever needed to sooth itchy skin. Red clover tea can also be added to bath water to sooth itching skin.

Warning:

Peppermint leaves or honey can be added to red clover tea to enhance flavor.

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. Waxing = moving from dark or no moon to fullPlace all ingredients in an earthenware or copper tea kettle.
Boil three cups of pure spring water and add to the kettle. Sweeten with 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.

The Wicca Book of Days for May 8 – Soothing Sage

The Wicca Book of Days for May 8

Soothing Sage

Sage not only has many mouth-watering culinary uses, but is valued by herbalists for its antibacterial and antiseptic properties. Astrogically associated with the zodiacal sign of the Bull, which prevails on May 8, sage is often used to soothe a sore throat, and it is thought that its efficacious action is at least partly due to “Taurus’ influence over the throat. So if your throat feels scratchy and raw and you are finding swallowing painful, brew a pot of sage tea (use 1 ounce of dry sage, or 2 ounce of fresh leaves, to 1 pint of boiling water) to gargle with or sip.

Miraculous Manuka?

If you are prone to sore throats invest in a pot of Manuka honey – check that it has a UMF (unique Manuka factor) rating – and you may find that it’s worth its weight in gold. For many people swear that swallowing a teaspooon or two of this New Zealand honey (neat) works wonders.

Faery Tale Magick (Seed Moon)

Faery Tale Magick

(Seed Magick)

Use this spell to encourage dreams of faery land.

You will need a white candle, a chamomile tea bag, a pinch of lavender, a teaspoon of honey, an a cup of hot water. Faeries appear after dark and they dance through the night, cloaked in the shimmering white light of the moon. The magick of faeries runs strong, providing an ideal time for making your life’s faery tale come true with the help of the faeries.

Begin by writing out your faery tale in your journal, starting with, “Once upon a time….” Write down the things that you feel would help your life turn out “happily ever after.” Light the white candle and dedicate it to magickal energy of the faeries by saying:

I light this candle to the fair people

Please come into my circle
Friendly and helpful fae
Bring your moonlight magick
Into my faery tale tonight.
 

Brew your dream tea by putting the chamomile tea bag and pinch of lavender flowers together in the cup of hot water and let them steep. Add a spoonful of honey for sweetness. As you sip the mixture, go over in your mind all of the aspects of your faery tale. Imagine taking the steps and doing the things you need to do to help make your life turn out happily. Give yourself the suggestion to dream tonight about your faery tale. After finishing your dream tea, lie down for bed and repeat the following suggestion while drifting to sleep:

Tonight, my dreams and faery tale are one and the same, and I will remember my dreams when I wake up.
 

First thing in the morning write down everything you recall from your dreams in your journal.

Tranquillity Tea

Tranquillity Tea

You Will Need:

2 tablespoons nettle

1 1/2 teaspoons St. John’s Wort

4 1/2 teaspoons oat straw

1 1/2 teaspoons skullcap

4 1/2 teaspoons chamomile flowers

1 1/2 teaspoon passion-flower

Combine the ingredients throughly and place three tablespoons of the mixture in the filter cup of the coffee maker. Add a full pot of water. As the tea brews and drips into the pot, chant:

Herbs, mix your energies

And flow now into harmony

To soothe and calm and bring new peace

With every sip I take of thee.

Drink the tea hot or over ice. Sweeten with honey.

Fennel Tea As A Natural Healer

Fennel Tea As A Natural Healer

Fennel Tea has many natural healing attributes. This article gives several different mixtures and how they can be used to promote the body’s natural healing ability.

 

Fennel tea is used to promote a healthy appetite and good digestion. Fennel tea is so gentle it can be used for infants and children. To prepare fennel tea, take one-cup boiling water and pour over one to two teaspoons crushed fennel seeds. Let stand for ten minutes and then drain. Drink this mixture three times per day, to relieve abdominal cramps, upset stomach, colic or bloating. You can add other herbs such as caraway seeds and anise seeds to this mixture.

Fennel tea is also used to help alleviate symptoms of whooping cough, asthma, bronchitis and other upper- respiratory infections. To prepare fennel tea to aid in alleviating these symptoms, you will need one-ounce fennel seeds, one-ounce anise seeds, and two-third ounce marsh-mallow root and two-third ounce thyme. Take all the herbs and mix together. Then use one teaspoon of herb mixture per one cup of boiling water. Let mixture stand in water for ten minutes and then strain to remove undiluted herbs. Drink this mixture three times per day.

This mixture of milk also helps relieve stomach cramps and abdominal pain, mix one cup warm milk with one tablespoon crushed fennel seeds, let stand for two to three minutes, strain and slowly drink warm milk.

If breastfeeding, an old folk remedy to relieve sore nipples or relieve an infection, is to soak a cloth in warm tea and apply to the infected area of the skin. Apply this compress up to three times per day.

Fennel tea is also good for eye inflammations, to prepare this mixture take one-half cup water and add two teaspoons crushed fennel seeds and bring mixture to a boil. Let cool for ten minutes, then soak a cotton cloth in mixture and place on eye for fifteen to twenty minutes. It is best to do this is a dim lighted room.

Crone’s Corner – Winter Afternoon Tea

Crone’s Corner – Winter Afternoon Tea
……
Ingredients:
1 tsp. dried chamomile
1 tsp. dried mint
1 tsp. dried lavender
honey
…
Combine the herbs in your warmed tea pot and add 2 cups boiling water. Steep for 5 minutes and strain. Add 1 tsp. of honey to each cup of tea. Notes: I put together this simple mellow tea one winter afternoon. I like it with the honey, but lemon would be fine too. This makes 2 cups of tea, but it can easily be doubled and tripled.
…
Courtesy of Brenda Hyde of OldFashionedLiving.com

The Herban Corner – For Your Health

The Herban Corner – For Your Health

 
Insomnia – Chamomile is a very soothing tea to put you to sleep if you’re having trouble in that area. And a magickal remedy is to take garden violet, put it in a silver bag under your pillow, and then lay back and wait for the desired effect: sleep. Dill and dandelion also work on insomnia. Orange and passion flower are other plants that take away the sleeplessness you experience. Primrose and rosemary also may be used in a tea to take away your insomnia but I prefer that you put shavings from a white birch into a white muslin bag and wear it around your neck, or place it under your pilow. You should doze off almost immediately. Wild morjoram and sweet marjoram may be made into teas, too, and you may wish to make a poultice of lettuce and hops and mother of thyme to cover your eyes. Sleep should be induced soon after applying it.
.
Relieving Facial Tension – Every night before you go to sleep, sit in your bed and start making faces — just as small children enjoy doing, make all kinds of faces, good, bad, ugly, beautiful, so the whole face and the musculature start moving. Make sounds — nonsense sounds will do — and sway, just for ten to fifteen minutes and then go to sleep.
 
In the morning, before you take your bath, again stand before the mirror and for ten minutes make faces. Standing before the mirror will help: you will be able to see and you will be able to respond
 
Excerpted From Elizabeth Pepper, The Witches’ Almanac, Ltd.

Feng Shui Tip of the Day for January 3rd

You snooze, you lose, especially on this ‘Festival of Sleep Day,’ a time for sharing tips on getting good slumber! First, be sure that the walls of your bedroom are painted in a soft and quiet color so that your sleep can be the same. As well, it’s believed that if you sleep only on all natural cotton sheets you won’t need to count sheep. Some say that polycotton blends are coated with formaldehyde, a known insomnia inducing substance. This next tip is fairly easy to swallow. Drink a cup of chamomile tea before bedtime and add a little honey to ensure sweet, sweet dreams!

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com