healing and magic

Chamomile flowers are drying for plant magic and plant healing -- Linda Rago says that magic and healing are interchangeable concepts because they are both the result of a conscious shift in energy. I like thinking about creating some fragrant chamomile magic.

My friend Dulcy over at dulcysdoorstep and I just did a trade -- one of her gorgeous hand-dyed & hooked wool Midnight Garden bags for a June calendar moon cloth. I'm pretty sure I came out on top of this one. To me that vintage button closure is a golden honeycomb moon...I love everything about this bag.

Roses are the heart of healing and magic...Gertrude Jekyl is my favorite variety for our climate and location, they always do well, if not in quantity they make up for it in size and fragrance. This first batch will be dried for either healthy heart infusion or a milder self-love tea.

Oh, if I had known that a person can take notes like this, I would've been a much better note-taker my whole life long. By the time I've worked through this little book, the page will be completely full of brick notes. I refer to old notes from herbal seminars, lectures and classes fairly often -- and have always wanted to type them out to make them neater and easier to read, but brick notes will be even better. Think of all the facts, ideas and interesting phrases that could be brick-noted. I have never been a highlighter, if I don't write it down, it is lost so I really love this. They can be as simple or as elaborate as needed, some chapters will need their own page and one page could also hold many books or one lecture per page. Like that. I learned about brick notes here. 

My garden hat hangs on a cabinet by the back door. It does the job too but the brim is over-sized so I'm looking for a smaller western style hat now. The lady wants a straw cowboy hat.

Today is a waxing moonday in the sign of Libra. The Libra moon helps create balance, justice, comfort and peace for all. Healing magic. xx

a leo moonday

I knitted outside yesterday, swaying on the porch swing all the while -- another blue hexipuff for the beekeeper quilt. I kept thinking the yarn was the exact same color of the sky so I chopsticked it onto a vine for this comparison photo. Pretty close.

I'm glad to say I needed a bigger basket for the hexipuffs. And I can tell it's going to be traveling between the house and the garden from now on. If I could only be as dedicated to my other knitting projects as I am to this one now!

One end of the messy sewing table made me, well, deliriously happy, that's what.

Today is a waxing Leo moonday with only a few more days until the full moon. Now is the time for refinement, to put forth a little more effort to take things toward completion -- those final touches, the last push. It can be intense, but also fulfilling and productive.

As Leo is a fire sign, its energy is warm-to-hot, honest, and spontaneous. We are drawn outward to be with other people and we're not afraid to let ourselves shine. We are lion-hearted -- loving, brave, and courageous.

Leo rules the upper back and the heart and circulation. That means those parts of the body are well-treated or more easily burdened now. With Leo energy so hot and dry, this is a good time to create balance by staying hydrated, avoiding too much caffeine, and taking moments throughout the day to breathe and relax.

At the same time I am overjoyed with the approaching warmth of spring and all its color, I remember and wish lion-hearts for the people bearing the devastation from violent weather here in the US and elsewhere. It's just so easy to forget when it's not in your own backyard.

xo

P.S. I was just reminded -- take a look at Deb's sky scarf!

the line of demarcation

it's-just-thread moonday

The way people always say it's just paint, I've been telling myself it's just thread. A good thing it's just thread, as I have stitched-and-unstitched on the green hand cloth more than I've ever done before on anything ever. The hand has been embellished twice, the leaves have had both roots and stars. All torn out. A shift seems to have occurred, inspired by the magic diaries class -- some leaves have become eyes -- I'm thinking of them as possible symbols of the life force/wisdom of plants. Plant spirits. The leaves also remind me of buds; old botanicals refer to buds as eyes. Nowadays, we usually only think of the sunken buds of potatoes as eyes. But when you see a bud, you know something is alive and growing.

Today is a growing moonday in Taurus. Taurus is a patient time, thank goodness, that helps us to stabilize and focus on practical matters. There is a tendency to be stubborn  but I don't see that as necessarily a negative thing, the line between strong and stubborn is so blurred. Here's how I gauge it -- if I feel myself uncomfortably shutting down from change, I'm probably being stubborn.

Although it may not be the absolute best planting time, a waxing moon in Taurus is also considered highly ideal. Maybe even especially so for early spring or fall plantings when hardiness is so important as seeds sown or projects begun under a Taurus moon are usually long-lasting and dependable.

Taurus rules the jaws and neck including the voice, throat, teeth, ears, and thyroid gland. Now is a good time to focus on healing those parts and avoid causing them additional stress. Have you noticed that a sore throat is sometimes simply a warning to "watch it" and take better care of yourself? I can go to bed with a sore throat but after a good night's sleep, it's gone. Amazing how easy it can be if I only listen to my body. 

Wishing you a patient and earthy moonday!

taking it further: stitching x 3

With the moon growing into fullness once again, this is a great week to take things further. So I've been stitching. Yesterday I closed up the neck opening on a brown peasant top that's been hanging in the closet for too long. Up to the pin up there. Because of cleavage and the desire to not show it. I don't get why an age-appropriate top would have such a low opening other than it's a ploy to sell a cami to wear under it. This is the second top I've done this with lately and I have one more to do. Has anyone else been noticing this?

Then I practiced a little frankenstitch.

This morning it was back to the hand for flying dreams. I'm loving red thread lately.

Speaking of, today I'm taking my thread stash further, too, for the frankenstitch class. Going to the fabric store to stock up. I think this'll be the first time I'll have made a special trip just to buy an assortment of random threads! So decadent -- does anyone ever do that? But, of course, I need to. For the class you know.

vintage currier & ives pillow

I loved making this pillow cover. The Currier & Ives cloth panel from yesterday paired up nicely with the snowball bedspread. And I had no problem cutting into the snowball cloth, it had been sitting long enough. Even the thread was vintage and it didn't break once. Felt like a dream, it was so easy.

 Happy full-moon weekending! xo

fealty to the past

Beware of shopping in your own house, it almost always inspires more, maybe too many, projects. I came upon my mother's 1964-65 McCall's and one thing led to another, starting with the cute little turtle tissue holder that I hope to make a few times.

Then I noticed scary girl and decided this is why some people are afraid of dolls. I realize she doesn't look too bad here but face-to-face, she's evil. Anyway the pocket on her jumper reminded me of the pockets on an old catering apron. (If anyone in your family has ever worked catering, you have these around!) The glittery crocheted snowflakes (?) were made by my Great Aunt Aggie and they literally fell to the floor in front of me. If I decide to take this further, I'll see how they wash up first before I stitch them onto the pockets. She would be very tickled at this.

Lastly, I spotted my mother's vintage Currier & Ives panel folded up and tucked in a stack of fabric -- wouldn't it make a nice pillow/cushion on a bed? Another take it further project.

Fealty to the past comes from qualities associated with Thursdays along with honor, family loyalty, harvests, clothing, and riches. Corresponds to my morning perfectly.

half-full/half-way

I thought I would begin to do something with these blank slates today or maybe even start stitching a foot for flying dreams, my Magic Diaries project. But then I noticed the moon is half-full and that made me realize that I'm not in a beginning place right now, I'm more in a half-way place. And I do sort of feel floaty and half-minded, come to think of it.

So these red threads seemed appropriate for today -- half-way stitches on flying dreams components. I didn't really have anything "attached" to the color red other than it's a take-notice-and-pause kind of vibe -- but I realize there is a deeper symbolism behind red threads and red strings. I need to look into that. What vibe do you pick up from red threads?

Happy weekending! xo

take it further: green hand

I took the green hand a little further with:

:: a leafy area
:: magic threads around the moon
:: grape-dyed patches over some kantha-stitched squares

I'm liking this piece more and more -- henna-ing the hand next.

map candle moonday

This time of year, many of us in the Northern Hemisphere have to use most herbs in forms other than fresh. Dried, infused, tinctured, frozen, pickled, or distilled into essential oil. One easy, but energetically powerful, way to experience essential oils is to scent candles. This morning I lit a few candles until little pools of wax appeared. Then I blew them out and dribbled about 5-15 drops of cassia bark (cinnamon) essential oil onto the pools, avoiding the wicks. After the wax hardened, the candles were ready to be lit again.

I've discovered that Ikea 2" tealight candles (the big ones) release the fragrance better than a more expensive pillar candle. I don't know why exactly. I've also discovered that any candle burns more beautifully when wrapped with old Atlas map paper.

Today is a waxing moonday in Aries. Until the moon grows into total fullness on Thursday, this is a great time for us to make progress and grow things, too -- to take things further once again. Adding touches to nearly-finished projects, reading (or writing) a few more pages, knitting another section, outline stitching one more little cloth moon...

Fiery Aries feeds the flame and energizes all aspects of life -- most useful for taking things further. Aries rules the top of the head to the nose including the eyes, the sinuses, and the adenoids. This means that conditions of those parts are more easily healed or harmed. Water seems to always be key on fiery days -- drinking more water can ward off headaches, salt water in a neti pot helps clear sinus and nasal congestion, and warm compresses soothe some eye conditions.

A school friend's parents used to answer back soak it for nearly every physical problem there was -- my leg hurts, soak it -- I stubbed my toe, soak it -- I have a headache, soak it. I thought that was hilarious. Maybe they were right on Aries days.



Two-sided map paper wrapped around a tall glass cylinder holding a little tea light.

take it further: capiz shell chandelier

Another take it further from last weekend. I feel a little funny showing this -- it is after all in the bathroom. But it hangs over the bathtub and I'm over the moon about future soaks under this capiz shell "chandelier" that my husband gave me last Yule. We're a little slow.



 Before. If you can't say something nice . . .

After. Fits right over the recessed light. On a dimmer, even. I am so ready for cold weather.

Happy weekending! xo

heady moonday

It's been getting pretty nippy at night lately. I'm extremely concerned about our honeybees being warm enough, nourished enough, healthy enough, etc. I can only describe all the information out there on how to winterize the beehive as a bee babel. Some wrap the hive in tar paper, some with children's sleeping bags or those survival space blankets; most think our hive doesn't have enough honey stored for the winter so we'll need to feed all winter long, but how, what and when is unclear; one person told me to take off the top deep, another said to put it back on. I've even learned that bees only like alpaca wool as an insulator and not regular wool.

Trying to decide on all this could give a person a real headache. Finally someone told me to do what feels right, that it's like raising children, they're your children and you get to decide. I like that because we did okay with our kids.

While I haven't totally figured out the bee thing, I do know how to warm up our living room -- with afghans crocheted by my mom. She actually didn't really like seeing them used while she was alive because she wanted them to stay nice and we had a houseful of kids. But she's gone now plus I'm sure she feels differently about it wherever she is.

Today is a waxing moonday in Aries and tomorrow we'll see the moon grow into total fullness. I'm still taking things further and purposely putting off tasks best done under a waning moon like sorting, pruning, and cleaning. Putting off that type of work makes me feel a little guilty until I remember that I'm living in accordance with the moon. There's a moontime and moonplace for everything.

An Aries day is one of action and movement, but projects started now could lack staying power if we're too impatient and quickly move from one thing to another. To me, it seems like a good day for brainstorming or stream-of-consciousness exercises because that's exactly the kind of energy you need -- where your mind doesn't get fixated on one particular thing and your imagination can soar.

The parts of the body influenced by fiery Aries are the head and upper face. It's thought that headaches are more common during Aries days because of the flurry of impatient thoughts about what we can or should be doing. Banging our heads against the wall might apply! Drinking plenty of water to balance the heat of Aries and avoiding migraine triggers are some good preventatives.

I need to go brainstorm with those honeybees now!

take it further: stitch & doodle

Day 5...stitch further

Color wanted to come to the party, I guess. Last night everytime I reached for more gray thread,  I came up with other colors -- green, purple, orange, green again. Okay then. Those bits of color and a few silk organza mosaics change this piece. In a good way, I think.

Day 6...pumpkin doodle

It is what it is -- a fake pumpkin and a black sharpie.

See you moonday. xo 

take it further: in the garden

Day 4...set up the cold frame

I took it further in the garden -- the cold frame is in place again. I like that it's nice and level and exactly due south. Swiss chard, spinach, and a lettuce blend have been sowed and a small pot of rosemary was sunk in the ground a few inches. I may sink a few more pots of various plants to see how they overwinter in a cold frame.

The marigolds are to decorate our Day of the Dead altar. Every fall I try to save a few marigold plants, not always successfully.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

take it further: porch pillows

Day 4...fix the porch pillows

Last fall I blatantly copied somebody's porch pillows in blog world. If they were yours, I thank you for the idea. I used one of my husband's old shirts from the 80's, that crazy blue plaid, and some corduroy I had from when my kids were young.  They're OK, but too plain.

So this morning I sat on the swing in the backyard and started taking it further.

Syncing with the energy of the growing moon (75% full today) feels nice.

take it further: dye-pot...and zucchini

Day 3...leave the dye-pot be

My intention was to pull the cloth out of the dye-pot this week, but now I've decided to leave it be until the full moon. Leaving something be is sometimes taking it further. In the case of the dye-pot, it is anyway.

This planked and preserved zucchini isn't really a take-it-further project, it's more of a try-something-new. "Plank and preserve" sort of sounds like a war effort. Maybe I'm thinking along those lines because The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows) is on my mind. I'm a latecomer to read this book, I know, but from the title I had mistakenly assumed it was in the potato-queen-finds-true-friends-frying-green-something-before-dying genre -- and frankly, I'm tired of that.  But wow. It is so much more than I ever imagined.

Back to planking and preserving. WELL PRESERVED: recipes and techniques for putting up small batches of seasonal foods by Eugenia Bone is another good book. First, Eugenia instructs how to preserve a food (and not just fruits and vegetables), and then includes several recipes using what you've just preserved. This is my second go-'round with Eugenia  having also made her Grape & Walnut Conserve. What lured me in on that one were the recipes incorporating the conserve -- Concord Grape Walnut Tart and Fried Grape & Walnut Ravioli with Chocolate -- oh, and another one using the conserve over baked Brie. Moan. 



The planked and grilled zucchini is layered with seasonings, and topped with olive oil. This project is only for the short-term and requires refrigeration to avoid the dreaded botulism bug but I don't think we'll have any trouble using it up in 10 days.

Now that I think about it, preserving food is the epitome of taking it further, isn't it?

Also posted over at Food Renegade.

take it further: knitting

Day 2...break knitting inertia

This morning I worked on one of several languishing knitting projects, a soft basket from More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. Techno met handmade. I forget knitting terms and always need to look things up. Sitting with the ipad made this so easy to get going. The instructions to Cable CO threw me. Threw me off the project completely, sometimes one little unknown brings things to a complete halt. So I looked it up. A turning row, never heard of it before, but there it was. Then there was slip 1, is it purlwise or knitwise? Easy to find that one, too, it's purlwise.

This soft green basket is growing -- I'm taking it further, in sync with the moon as she grows into her fullness.