Third Infinity

  Samhain (October 31st)   HISTORY   Samhain to the Celts was their New Year's Eve.   That mysterious moment belonging to neither past nor present, or this world nor the other.   It was a time when the herds were slaughtered and the meat salted, which also led to the use of salts in magic ritual as a disinfectant against psychic or spiritual evil.   On this night also, the spirits of dead friends sought the warmth of the Samhain fire and communication with the living.   The divinatory aspect of Halloween is understandable for two reasons.   First, the psychic climates of the season favored it, and second, the anxiety about the coming winter demanded it.   The fertility ritual aspect was reflected in legends of gods and heroes.   As such, it was a time of deliberate (and tribally purposeful) sexual freedom.   That is primarily a Celtic tradition, as many other superstitions say to refrain from sex for fear that your forme...

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...

Knitting and crocheting are the most obvious forms of yarn work, and in the depths of winter they’re a handy craft to know! (No pun intended.) I’ve spent many a winter day snuggled under a crocheted or knitted project, and was almost sorry to give it away! While both will always have their proponents, even those who are intimidated by the needles and hooks can do the plastic knitting looms currently available in many craft stores. Do I expect you to knit a sweater or sock your first time? Heck no! The joy is in the learning, and sometimes even a simple knitted square is a triumph with a use. My dear friend makes the most wonderful hand-knitted and crocheted face cloths that beat plain old terry cloth face cloths hands down! Even I can manage face cloths, and I freely admit yarn crafting isn’t my favorite fiber art. However, my lack of enthusiasm hasn’t stopped me from making the occasional stocking hat, beret, washcloth, or even a bag or two. So, be a kid again. Pick up a simp...

The Witches’ Belt Spun craft can take a very useful and fashionable turn if you make yourself a cingulum. Depending on your tradition, the cord worn by a witch can have many different uses and meanings. 1. Cingulums are 4-1/2 feet in length so they may be used as a compass to draw the nine-foot circle of some traditions. Some other traditions demand that the cord itself be nine feet in length and wrapped around the body a minimum of three times when worn as a belt. 2. Postulants are bound with a cord for their initiation. In some traditions, this cord becomes their first cingulum. In some traditions, this cord is white to signify the novice. This is not true in all traditions. 3. Practitioners of ceremonial magick may have several knots in their cingulum to measure inner and outer Circles. 4. Some traditions may weave and join cingulums as a witch achieves rank, so her novice’s belt may be twisted and woven with her new level’s belt as a reminder to never forget what she has...

Sugarplums Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2009 Prep Time: 45 min Inactive Prep Time: 13 hr 0 min Cook Time: -- Level: Easy Serves: approximately 80 (1/4 ounce) balls Ingredients 6 ounces slivered almonds, toasted 4 ounces dried plums 4 ounces dried apricots 4 ounces dried figs 1/4 cup powdered sugar 1/4 teaspoon anise seeds, toasted 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted 1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds, toasted 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom Pinch kosher salt 1/4 cup honey 1 cup coarse sugar Directions Put the almonds, plums, apricots, and figs into the bowl of a food processor and pulse 20 to 25 times or until the fruit and nuts are chopped into small pieces, but before the mixture becomes a ball. Combine the powdered sugar, anise seeds, fennel seeds, caraway seeds, cardamom, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add the nut and fruit mixture and the honey and mix using gloved hands until well combined. Scoop the mixture into 1/4-ounce por...

LAMMAS (August 1st) HISTORY Lughnasadh (pronounced loo-nus-ah-duh) means the commemoration of Lugh. He was a fire and light god of the Apollo-Hercules type.  His name may be from the same root as the Latin "Lux", meaning light "which also gives us Lucifer, the light bringer. In Irish legends, the god undergoes death and rebirth in the sacrificial meeting with the goddess.  He was associated in Anglo-Saxon tradition with corn harvest and the killing of the Corn King. In this manner did the pagans of long ago celebrate the first harvest of corn. In keeping with a pagan idea of balance, in a parallel to the "Greenwood marriage" is the "Charlestown marriage".  These marriages were trial marriages that could be dissolved after a year and a day by the couple simply returning to the high priestess who had handfasted them and informing her of their decision. THE ALTAR AND circle 1.  Decorate the altar with sheets of wheat, barley or notes, fresh fru...

If you've never had a corn fritter and you're a carb hound, prepare for orgasmic sensations.This is the kind of warm, lovely dish that just makes a Cakes and Ale special.

This stuff is too good to have only once a year. I'm a little lazy, so I throw all this in the crock pot. It's too darn hot to heat up the kitchen! Let the crock pot do the work. Only change is, don't add the milk until just before serving. If you're low carb like I am, you can substitute steamed and chopped (in the food processor) cauliflower.

Lammas is the holiday to love grain. Breads, rice, corn and I'll even throw in the legumes.For someone on a permanent low carb diet, it can be a little tricky. However, with good sense and some simple changes, even someone like me can celebrate the grain harvest, summer, and have fun. There are many options to suit any palate. I make baked brown rice, so the oven is already warm and ready when I mix up the casserole and I can shove it right back in. The rest of the rice I don't use in this recipe can be frozen in a zip-top bag for later use. You can even add meat to this casserole and save yourself a step. I keep cooked chicken in the freezer, all ready for recipes like this one.

I can deal with ice cream in summer, can't you?

Carving a pumpkin this fall? Don't throw any of it away! By Jeff Yeager Posted Mon Oct 12, 2009 10:44am PDT Related topics: Food and Drink , Holidays , Veggies More from The Green Cheapskate blog "Jeff, can't we at least celebrate the holiday before you eat the decorations?" I've heard that more than once from my long-suffering wife during our 26-year marriage. You see, cheapskates like to celebrate Halloween and other holidays just like everyone else. But we grimace at wasteful rituals like throwing away a perfectly good pumpkin after using it for only a few days as a decoration. Americans buy more than one billion pounds of pumpkins at Halloween, and the vast majority of those end up in the trash. But at the Green Cheapskate's house, we eat our jack-o-lantern, every last bit of it. While some particularly meaty varieties of pumpkins are specifically grown to be eaten (including Sweet Jack-be-Littles, Cheese Pumpkins, Sugar Pumpkins, and some delicious heirl...

Samhain (October 31st) 8. HISTORY Samhain to the Celts was their New Year's Eve even. That mysterious moment belonging to neither past nor present, or this world nor the other. It was a time when the herds were slaughtered and the meat salted, which also led to the use of salts in magic ritual as a disinfectant against psychic or spiritual evil. On this night also, the spirits of dead friends sought the warmth of the Samhain fire and communication with a living. The divinatory aspect of Halloween is understandable for two reasons. First, the psychic climates of the season favored it, and second, the anxiety about the coming winter demanded it. The fertility ritual aspect was reflected in legends of gods and heroes. As such, it was a time of deliberate (and tribally purposeful) sexual freedom. That is primarily a Celtic tradition, as many other superstitions say to refrain from sex for fear that your former (dead) friends would take over your body and you might have A Change...

There really is a pumpkin design at the bottom of this. See the bottom of the page?

VII. AUTUMN EQUINOX (C. SEPT 21) A. HISTORY “The two Equinoxes are, as we have pointed out, times of equilibrium. Day and night are matched, and the tide of the year flows steadily. But while the Spring Equinox manifests the equilibrium of an athlete poised for action, the Autumn Equinox's theme is that of rest after labor. The Sun is about to enter the sign of Libra, the Balance. In the Stations of the Goddess, the Spring Equinox represents Initiation; the Autumn Equinox, Repose. The harvest has been gathered in, both grain and fruit, yet the Sun- though mellower and less fierce than he was- is still with us. With symbolic aptness, there is still a week to go before Michaelmas, the festival of Michael/Lucifer, Archangel of Fire and Light, at which we must begin to say au revoir to his splendor." (WBC p.116) Unlike Lughnasadh, which marked the time of beginning to gather the harvest and emphasized the sacrifice aspect of the God, Autumn Equinox marks the c...

See? Told you that applesauce you made probably wouldn't survive until Halloween. Here's another good use for it. If you don't know how to make cream cheese frosting, here's a LINK.

Ooops! This scan came out just a little off-kilter, but hopefully you can read it. This is a fall-flavored treat that isn't anymore "expensive" calorically than eating regular applesauce. Serve this as an after school snack, and you'll be the neighborhood home they all come to visit. The other parents will love you for serving a nutritious snack disguised as something tasty, too.

Now this takes applesauce to a whole new level of delicious, wouldn't you say? Applesauce itself (if homemade) is about 112 calories and 29 carbs for a 1/2 cup serving. You can reduce the carbs by using Splenda for 1/2 of the sugar. The recipe below will not add any real calories or carbs if you use sugar-free Jell-O.

I know, you can't read them like this. Click on them until they come up larger, then save them. Gotta save space. The big part you need to know is that you don't need an expensive machine to do this. Your oven is a fine fruit dryer. Set on low and following the instructions below, you can have dried fruit this winter without all those nasty preservatives. Pay attention to the parts I highlighted. I'll bet you didn't know all that sticky syrup that comes off the fruit during the process can be brushed back on the fruit for extra flavor. See what you learn hanging around with me? LOL!

Any kitchen witch (pagan or not) can appreciate convenience and healthy foods. This recipe isn't just for pagans. I use any nuts I can get in place of the sunflower seeds. They don't agree with DH's digestion.

This coffee cake should be in everyone's BOS as one of the most versatile things you can serve all year 'round. There's rarely a time when a fruit of some kind isn't in season, but there's always canned or frozen. I've even used canned pie filling, skipping the first paragraph, since essentially that's what you're making. A hint from me: instead of using two tablespoons to scoop out small bits, get a 2 tablespoon disher and use it. You'll be a whole lot less frustrated. I use the dishers anytime I need to scoop out small amounts, like when baking cookies.