Third Infinity

SUMMER SOLSTICE (C. JUN 21) A. HISTORY At Midsummer, the Sun-god is at apogee (closest to the Earth), and therefore the longest day of the year. The pagans worshipped and celebrated the abundance of life, even as they recognized that this Solstice also marked the time when the Sun began to wane once more toward Winter's darkness. The legends are full of the Sun God dying by whatever method, be it burning alive, blinded with mistletoe, or crucified on a T-shaped cross. In ancient times, this often demanded a human enactor actually dying, followed by a seven-day wake. Some pagan cultures have an Oak King, (symbolizing the light half of the year) being killed by his brother the Holly King (symbolizing the darkening half of the year). "The Goddess, as we have pointed out, is unlike the God in that she never undergoes death and rebirth. In fact, she never changes- she merely presents different faces. At the Winter Solstice she shows her Life-in-Death aspect; though her...

How to make Hypertufa Garden Furniture Step 1: Gather Your Materials You may have many of these supplies on hand. The remainder can be found at a building supply store to make a trough that measures 16x16 inches. Tape (Duct, Masking, even Painter's) Tape measure or ruler Marker Serrated knife Sheet of 2-inch-thick foam insulation boards Eight 3-1/4-inch nails Rubber or latex gloves Quikrete Portland cement Perlite Peat moss Reinforced concrete fibers Water Gallon container 1/2-inch dowel 3/8-inch-thick plywood board (2x2 feet) Spray bottle Sheet of plastic or trash bag Wire brush or screwdriver (optional) Wheelbarrow Hoe Step 2: Prepare the Mold Using the serrated knife, cut insulation into two 16x6-inch pieces and two 18x6-inch pieces. Assemble these four sections into a square or rectangle, depending on how you join the ends. Insert two nails through the insulation material -- one near the top and one near the bottom -- of each intersection. Test Garden ...

You can do this!!

What a good idea! Because the label is easy to change, you can switch things up a bit from year to year if you need to do so.

March St. Patrick's Day candy-making St. Patrick's Day candy is incredibly easy thanks to a product from Wilton called Candy Melts . With a shamrock mold, (usually under five dollars) you can have green shamrock candy in half an hour. It's that easy. Eostar- while I will discuss the holiday in more detail in a separate message, this is one of my favorites. Who doesn't love a celebration of spring and new life? Sculpted egg- Sculpy in spring like colors and a wooden egg to serve as the basis is all you need. You can cover the egg in what ever colors please you, in what ever patterns please you. Then all you need to do is bake in the oven, following directions to have a permanent Easter egg as a reminder of the fun you had. Don't forget to inscribe the year before baking. Nine sacred woods-while I will remind you of this when I post the Sabbat information, here is a list of the nine sacred woods: oak, rowan (a.k.a. mountain ash), Willow, Hawthorne, Hazel, Apple, ...

The directions come from "Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs", pages 130-131. I highly recommend this book as being fairly comprehensive, not only listing the Latin name of the plant, but in most instances, also some uses for each. Start your herb wreath in the spring when you have an abundance of young plants to choose from. The wreaths become circular herb gardens one happens to hang on the wall. During the summer, they thrive hanging outside. When they come in for a visit, lying on a tray of stones, a hurricane lamp in the center, they make a fragrant centerpiece. 1. Soak several handfuls of sphagnum (not milled!!!) in water until wet throughout, about 15 minutes. Cut a strip of 1/2-inch mesh chicken wire 12 inches wide and 30 inches long with tin snips. Bend the long sides of the wire, so they curl up to form a trough. Squeeze enough water out of the sphagnum, so it won't drench the table while y...

Pagan Gardening, Part one of three This dissertation is on the purely practical aspects of pagan gardening. Please do not expect me to go much into magickal aspecting at this time. January/February is the time of year when most of us are sick of winter and beginning to do major dreaming of a garden. The ground is still hard and cold, and the weather still too foul to really work the soil. Our seed catalogues have arrived and many of us have long lists of all we want to grow. I will show you tonight how to properly and reasonably plan your garden so you are not overwhelmed later this year with more than you can handle. First, look at the number of people in your household. Divide that number in half. (Round down if necessary) Example: 5 persons in the household divide down to 2. This number will be important later. Please remember it. It will determine how many square-foot sections you plant. Secondly, think about how many hours you wish to spend gardening per week. Be reasonable! Your ...

If you've never made cloven fruit, now's the time to make this fun, fragrant and easy decorative fruit. You'll need: 1 nail (large is better) 1 bottle of whole cloves 1 orange 1 wire hanger to disassemble and use for a wire hanger. (Wire cutters may be necessary) Ribbon for decoration Powdered cinnamon (optional) in a deep bowl. (A small souffle dish is what I use.) Use the nail to punch a hole in the orange's skin. Stick one clove, stem down, into the hole. Repeat all over the orange as desired. The more, the better. Some cloves will break. Just set them aside for use in a potpourri or wassail. Once the orange is covered to your satisfaction, you may roll it in the cinnamon, if desired. I rarely bother, but it does increase the fragrance. Straighten the wire and shove it through the orange from the stem to blossom end. Use the wire cutters to bend the end at the bottom to secure the wire. Bend the top to form a hook to hang the cloven fruit where you wish, be it on the...

Don't like the sweat of working in a garden and the uncertainty of the plants dying? How about "plant 'em once" bulbs and a guarantee? I've been ordering and pleased by these guys for over twenty years. We'll talk more about planning your spring garden more after the holidays, but this will do for now. SAVE $10.00 NOW ON BEST SELLERS FOR SPRING SAVE $10.00 on Best Sellers view this offer online SAVE $10.00 NOW on Best Sellers for Spring! Place your order now for Spring Delivery and your credit card will not be charged until we ship your order at the ideal planting time. Plus, if you order now you can SAVE $10.00 off your order of $20 or more! So you can Shop Now, Save Now and Pay Later! Use your savings on perennials, trees, shrubs, vines or anything else you like! But you won't want to miss our most popular Spring items... » Shop Best Sellers Now & SAVE $10.00! Bulbs Fruits Gardens Ground Covers Hedges Perennials Roses Shru...

I'm taking today off to prepare for our next adventure into the Smelly Arts -- Candles and Bath Soaps! Remember that next month is Yule, so our Smelly Arts will be an overview, not an in-depth study. Soaps and candles also make great presents. Lena

While I agree with using only a minute drop of the cinnamon oil, this is a marvelous bath when you are sure the Divine is speaking to you, but you're not sure of the message. This lovely scent helps clear the detritus from your mind so your "ears" can hear.

As usual, I urge caution when using this formula. Too much awareness can be a very bad thing indeed. Especially, I recommend avoiding this formular around Samhain.

Yes, they do belong together. High Awareness is another form of healing by cleansing the body of bad habits and materialism, making the body more receptive to energies.

Please be careful when using any love spell. Remember the axiom, "Be careful what you wish for because you may get it." The gods are not above a sense of humor and teaching you a lesson. I lucked into a lovely supply of Egyptian Rose essential oil. Very nice! Still, be careful. Why add celibacy? Because occasionally, we all need to cool down and know we cannot have everything we want in life. Lena

Both of these are for cleansing and purification. I like to use the Exorcism formula after a hard day out in public, such as going to the mall during the holiday season. After dealing with grumpy people all day, my protections need a full overhaul!

The Sea Witch is one of my favorite baths to hand out as a gift, even to the cowan. The scent is divine and the blue color can be adjusted to match the tastes of the recipient.

Again, be careful. This is one formula I do not give out as a gift in the form of bath salts. Some folks don't know how to control the fire within, with disasterous results.

Be very careful in your visualizations. This is a fertility spell. You may only want fertility of the mind, not the body. Need I say more?

Who couldn't use a little brain boost now and then?