Pagan on a Diet

That's right folks, even pagan's go on diet's. =)

I spent the month of January purging my body of all the things of that I love... namely, anything that falls under the carbs, dairy, fat, and sugar categories (can anyone say Cheese Danish?!). This diet, called the HCG diet, took my normal 2000 calories a day diet and dropped it to a mear 500 calories a day. Yup. 500. So, now that I am off the drops and starting to up my calorie intake, I feel compelled to write a little something for my fellows who find themselves in need of shedding some pounds, regardless of it being for health reasons or just the desire to loose a few. And besides, let's face it, pagan's like to feast! I don't know about you guys, but when my circle gets together for a ritual we always have a potluck styled feast (everyone signs up for dishes in advanced so we don't end up with 3 cakes and a a thing of rolls!), and it is a very grand affair, with most people bringing two or three dishes with several servings available for everyone. It always ends with people taking home "doggie bags" of everyones food offering so it can be enjoyed again later.

So, to begin with, if you want to use the drops and check out the system I used, go to http://www.hcgkey.com/ . It really does work well, as I lost 12lbs in just over 3 weeks.

On to the recipes! Hope you enjoy!
Here are a few that I found to be lifesavers"

Mock Chicken Nuggets:
1 chicken breast
Yellow Mustard
3-4 Garlic Melba Crackers
Italian Seasoning to taste
a pinch of Cayenne (if you like some heat)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Take your chicken breast and cut it into nugget size piece then throw them in a zip lock baggies with just enough yellow mustard to cover them. Let them sit in the mustard and continue on...
Crush your Melba crackers (I use my mortar and pestle) so that they look like bread crumbs then add the seasonings. Mix well then use these "bread crumbs" to coat the chicken. Put the nuggets on a baking sheet and cook at 400 for 15-20 minutes (depending on nugget size).
Serve and enjoy! (recipe makes enough for 1 person at about 170 calories).

Whey Protein "Pancakes" (especially good when you want to eat bread, but can't):
1 scoop whey protein powder
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
Sweeten to taste (if desired) with Stevia

Mix all of it together, adding just enough water to get a pancake like consistency. Cook on a skillet that has been lightly dusted with Pam or some other cooking spray. Eat with fresh fruit or a sugar free/ low calorie syrup. (The whole batch is roughly 200 calories, depending on the brands used).

Chocolate Strawberry Shake:
1 Scoop Egg White Protein Powder (I used Egg White Protein Vanilla 24 oz from Jay Robb).
6 large strawberries (de-stemmed)
1 tsp baking cocoa

Blend it all together and enjoy! (about 150 Calories)

Beef "Taco":
4 oz Lean ground beef
1 Tomato
Taco Seasoning
Cabbage leaves

Cook the ground beef in a medium skillet and add in the taco seasoning. If you're worried about sodium, use the "less sodium" variety that's available in most stores or simple make your own. While the beef is cooking, take several large cabbage leaves and rinse them off, just lightly patting them with a towel to dry, and place them on a plate. Chop the tomato and set aside. When the beef is cooked through, add it to the cabbage leaf (like it's the taco shell). Put your chopped tomatoes on top, garnish with a little hot sauce if you want, and enjoy!

A time of enlightenment

My path is unique, and I most certainly dance to the beat of my own drum. Sometimes, that dance leads me to a book or a song or some other form of divine expression in which to meditate on and subsequently learn and grow from. At the present moment, my dance has lead me to The Temples of Light: An Initiatory Journey into the Heart Teachings of the Egyptian Mystery Schools (Book & CD) by Danielle Rama Hoffman. Being a Priestess of Isis, this book naturally appeals to my desire to become closer to the mysteries of Egypt and the powerhouse of knowledge within. I received the book today and have thus far read through the intro, how-to, and general areas of this book. I have decided, after reading this material, that I will take you all on my sacred journey through the temples of Egypt as I work my way through them on a personal/spiritual  level with this book as my medium.

Let the discoveries begin!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Today begins the Year of the Rabbit or XinMao (stem-branch), for you Chinese Astrology buffs out there. =) The animals repeat themselves every 12 years and the stem-branch names repeat every 60! The date of the New Year changes, as it goes by the second new moon that follows the Winter Solstice. During this time, white and black colors are avoided, as they represent mourning, while red and gold are found everywhere to symbolize fire (which wards off bad luck) and prosperity. Much like we honor Brigid of the Hearth and Home, the Chinese offer a  sacrifice to the Kitchen God (Zaowang) who is considered to be the guardian of the family hearth.
There are 15 days of celebration (one hell of a party, if I don't say so myself!)
The first day of the Lunar New Year is "the welcoming of the gods of the heavens and earth."Many people abstain from meat on the first day of the new year because it is believed that this will ensure long and happy lives for them.
On the second day, the Chinese pray to their ancestors as well as to all the gods. They are extra kind to dogs and feed them well as it is believed that the second day is the birthday of all dogs.
The third and fourth days are for the sons-in-laws to pay respect to their parents-in-law.
The fifth day is called Po Woo. On that day people stay home to welcome the God of Wealth. No one visits families and friends on the fifth day because it will bring both parties bad luck.
On the sixth to the 10th day, the Chinese visit their relatives and friends freely. They also visit the temples to pray for good fortune and health.
The seventh day of the New Year is the day for farmers to display their produce. These farmers make a drink from seven types of vegetables to celebrate the occasion. The seventh day is also considered the birthday of human beings. Noodles are eaten to promote longevity and raw fish for success.
On the eighth day the Fujian people have another family reunion dinner, and at midnight they pray to Tian Gong, the God of Heaven.
The ninth day is to make offerings to the Jade Emperor.
The 10th through the 12th are days that friends and relatives should be invited for dinner. After so much rich food, on the 13th day you should have simple rice congee and mustard greens (choi sum) to cleanse the system. The 14th day should be for preparations to celebrate the Lantern Festival which is to be held on the 15th night. (I got this information off of a Chinese celebration web site, but I couldn't seem to find an author. If you know who it is, let me know so I can give proper credit!)

This is an occasion to unite with families and loved ones- enjoying each other and the love and honor you share!
Now go, and feast your face off! (Who doesn't love a good feast!!) Woo-hoo!!

Magic and Illness

There's a lot of opinion and a wide variety of sources that talk about magic and ritual workings while sick (Not sick as in a stuffy nose, but the need to stay in bed and do as little as possible). Well, I figured that I might as well add my two cents in since the hubby is sick tonight and I will therefore be going at our Imbolc ritual solo...

I have never been one to say "no you can't", because, in reality, what gives me that right? The beauty of the pagan path is that it is as diverse as those that walk it and unique to every individual. So, someone wants to cast a love spell on another? Well, I don't agree with that, and I will certainly express that opinion and tell them WHY I don't agree, but I will never say no you can't. It's not my life and therefore not ultimately my decision. The same comes into play when it comes to illness and magic. Personally, when I'm sick, there is little chance that I will want to do anything more than drinking tea, lay in bed, sleep, and potentially read a book. Plus, when you feel that crappy, what is your energy like? It's not full of vitality and life, it's sluggish and sickly. Who really wants to send that out into our world? Not me! And for that reason, I chose to not practice magic when I'm sick. Have I had to sit out rituals with my circle before? No, I've actually been lucky enough to not ever be ill for one of those events. However, I've had to reschedule and re-plan my own rituals, just like I have tonight due to the illness of my beloved. While he won't be walking the house with me as I cleanse, he'll still be with me in spirit, and that is what matters to me. The goddess will understand. =)

So, in the end, it's up to you as the practitioner to make the decision of whether or not it's right for you to practice magic or partake in ritual while ill.

The witching hour has arrived, and I must take my leave and mentally, physically, and spiritually prepare myself for the ritual at hand.

Brightest Blessings to you all on this Imbolc Night!

Happy Imbolc Everyone!

Today is Imbolc, as well as the New Moon! What a delightful combination, I must say. The sun is out for long periods of time, and even though there is still a chill in the air (a delightful 25 degree's here), you can start to feel the warmth of the coming spring. It is time to clean your house and start de-cluttering it, both physically and energetically, from the long nights of winter. Here are a few fun and simple activities for your Imbolc celebration:
Cleanse your house with sage (air/fire) and salted water (earth/water) and follow by anointing all of the doors and window frames with a blessing oil. As you do this, say:
With the purifying power of Water,
With a clean breath of Air,
With the passionate heat of Fire,
With the grounding energy of Earth,
I/We cleanse this space!

Here is a spell of personal purification that works directly with the Goddess Brigid:

A Spell for Purification:You will need:  3 candles of varying colors,
suggested colors: red, white, yellow --a bath oil of a warming spirit

Suggested place to do spell: Bathtub/Shower
 

Plan the spell for a time when you can be uninterrupted.
Quiet your mind the way you usually do.  Focus on Brigid's flame burning within your heart-center.  With each breathe this flame grows warmer and warmer and fills your entire body.  See, with your mind's eye, the flame from your heart now enveloping you.  Push the flame as far out of your body as you can.  Try to make it fill the entire room.

Once you have captured the image of the flame raised to where you want it, begin focusing on the things you want to bring in to your life now. Imagine yourself receiving these things before the Spring Equinox.  It may help to visualize a calendar with dates
-- be sure to see the numbers 2011!

When you have finished drawing your future with your mental magic-want, begin bringing the flame down and back into your heart.

Thank Brigid with your heart-light. Try to let the candles burn themselves out (never leaving them unattended).

Remember, no matter what you decide to do today, it is a time for new beginnings in all ways of life! So go purify your mind, body, and soul and jump into these new beginnings with a clean slate!

Blessed Imbolc Everyone!

A cleansing bath

Many of us, on our various paths, frequently partake in cleansing rituals. These rituals typically start with a bath (or shower for the witch-on-the-go) and are followed with a wide array of rituals and spell work. I got to thinking about these things which so many of us partake in and wondering if people actually take the time to think about what they are doing. Really. When you take a cleansing bath, have you ever really contemplated or meditated on the true meaning of cleansing? Or are you simply going through the motions in order to move forward with the following ritual or spell work? I can admit, I'm guilty of jumping into a quick shower, scrubbing myself down with a sugar scrub and asking Isis to cleanse my mind, body, and soul, then jumping back out of the shower, slapping on some make-up and running out the door. Let's face it, life happens. But, I challenge you, the next time that you are preparing for a ritual or spell in which you must first partake in a cleansing bath, to light a candle, some incense and put on good meditation music then crawl into a nice hot bath and really SEE and FEEL the cleansing. Don't just ask for it to be done, but see the dirt and grim of the day wash off your body. Feel the emotional weight and stress of the day melt away into the water. And, just as importantly, center your spiritual self. Find that divine spark within and feel it expand through your whole body. Remember, you are a child of the divine, whatever divine you believe in, and it is so, so important to be at one with that divinity and to have your spirit and soul cleansed of all that is not divine.

Go in peace, my dearest friends.
Brightest Blessings to you.

Simple Candle Spell

When you suddenly find yourself needed in an area that can't be physically reached (i.e. another state, class room, etc.) I find that the simplest of candle spells can help you astrally or energetically reach this needed destination. Today I found myself being called on to help with a negative court room/ lawyer experience. The assistance needed was to help keep happy energy flowing and not allowing the person being questioned to become buried under stress and negativity. I tapped into my friend (after getting them to lower their shield enough to let me in) and, even though I had to tend to making my daughters lunch and putting groceries away, I said a small prayer lit a light blue candle and some myrrh incense. I continued on with my tasks, humming a chant to myself (om mani pedme hum) and have helped with a long-distance energy manipulation to help a friend in need.

It's not always possible to physically be there for people when you're needed, but with a small amount of concentration and a strong intent, anything is possible.