Author: runa

Spider Season Witchcraft

Posted on by runa

Keeping Arachnids at Bay on the Covenstead

CW: Spiders

It’s September in the Pacific Northwest, or Spider Season as it’s more locally known. Literally spiders show up everywhere. Now, we’re not as bad as some places in Australia, but funnels, webs, and strings of baby spiders in flight are everywhere. Sunrise & Sunset chores here on the covenstead if viewed from the outside looking in, appears as if we’re practicing some unknown form of martial arts as we try to avoid and untangle ourselves from the ever-present webs. Do not leave the house without a hat right now.

Keeping critters off our temporary clothesline is easy with this Witch’s Brew!

As we live closer to the land here, the prevalence of creepy crawlies is a bit higher. So how do we keep our sanctuary, our home, from being infested? Witchcraft to the rescue! Specifically herbalism and the principles of Permaculture.

Like many Witches, I try my best to live in harmony with all the creatures. Spiders found inside the house here at Villa Westwyk, are escorted outside, unless they show up at the base of the toilet at 0333 hrs when The Viking is half asleep, or if they scurry down one of their seemingly invisible threads while I’m in the shower. A Crone has to have some boundaries! But this happens rarely, even in the PNW Spider Season, because I have a secret weapon: bay.

Bay leaves, bay oil, and even a properly placed bay tree helps keep the spiders at bay, along with a few other pesky insects we don’t want in our homes. Also, I welcome them in my pastures, gardens, and green house. Heck, two of them have my house looking like I already decorated for Halloween. But inside, and certain places outdoors, like my clothesline, potting shed, and barn walkways, are off limits. They are welcome anywhere else.

Granted, doing your weekly cobweb dust in the house does do wonders to make spiders feel your private abode is inhospitable. But there will always be spiders about, even in the cleanest and protected homes and cars. Spiders do good work getting rid of other even more annoying bugs like flies, beetles, and even other spiders. But I prefer that my carnivorous plants (venus fly trap, etc.) do that job, which I highly recommend. If you’re in Western Washington, you may source them from Predatory Perennials.

For more than a decade, I’ve been relying on natural insect repellents and plantings. (I’ll do another blog post down the road on why certain plants on the covenstead are where they are.) Bay oil is my go-to primary in this regard. It is an essential oil of Bay, made from those same little leaves you put in your stews and such, Laurus Nobilis, or Sweet Bay as it’s known, can be like an invisible fence to spiders, and often ants, too. I spray it on my outdoor clothes line, which always seems to attract the little arachnids. But under the full moon in August and September, I repeat this ritual to help keep the spiders at bay (haha, pun intended). When we lived on our sailboat, this happened monthly because spiders just LOVE sailboats. They seem to love RVs, as well. So this little recipe and full moon working has come in handy, a lot. I can tell you that it works. I’m sharing it here in case you just might want to add it to your witchy repertoire, regardless if you’re in the PNW or not.

Now before we get to the recipe, allow me to let you know that it’s important that whatever you’re putting on this may react poorly to it. For that reason, be sure to test a small, inconspicuous spot before you apply this spray to any material. I’ve not had any problems, but I also don’t spray it directly on anything, but rather via a micro cloth that absorbs the concoction. But I’m also mostly putting this on natural materials Additionally, I talk to the spirits of the land, or specifically to spiders, in this case, and tell them why I need them to respect this space. And I offer them alternative areas, where I think they will have a bit of sun, a bit of shade, and lots of good hunting (hint hint: anywhere but here).

Escorting an evictee to the garden

Yes, my neighbors have caught me talking to the spiders. I normally have my polarized shades on and my big straw hat and pay them no mind. But this talking is important because I have livestock, which can really draw flies if you are not practicing regenerative agriculture. But because I don’t shoo down the Orb Weaver’s giant web between the tree and the fence, but rather walk around it, I think the spiders are really doing their job to help keep the flies down to what anyone without 9 geese, 10 chickens, and 11 ducks would experience in their homes. I am sure to mention that to them, how much I appreciate their work. It is important! Also, I noted that many a yellow jacket were in their webs, too. And that’s a bonus as well, especially since the long, cool summer diminished the number of praying mantis that hatched around the covenstead. In short, you need to establish an energetic exchange with these critters. CoExist, baby. I am very careful of my language here, as with any Craft working. For me, I imagine I’m talking to the children of Loki when addressing the spiders. If you want to be clear, be sure to write down what you’re asking first to check yourself before moving forward. Like with the Good Neighbors I avoid apologies or expressions of debt or gratitude (sorry, thank you, no bueno). But the bottom line is that all the creatures that reside here at Villa Westwyk see the work that The Viking and I are doing. They attach their webs to the trees we’ve planted. They revel in the scent of the flowers and bushes we are planting. They see the care with which we raise our livestock. That positive energy extends throughout our four fences.

Lastly, if you cannot get your hands on bay oil, a part of this ritual includes bay leaves, which are helpful, too. However, you can substitute or combine any of the following oils: lemon verbena, lemon essential oil, lemongrass (you get the picture that spiders hate lemon, eh?), peppermint, citronella, or tea tree. But bay just kicks the most spidery butts here.

There are few poisonous spiders here in Western Washington. If you live in an area that has more dangerous varieties of arachnids, please be cautious with this witchy rite. Understand what you’re up against, before you take the time to spray this brew about your home. Also I make no claim how this works against scorpions, but if you try, it, I’d be interested in your results! Comments make my day.

Spider Season Lodgers 2022

Alright, here’s how to make the spray:

Spider Season Spray

Equipment:

Spray bottle (a brown glass one is best, but as you can see from my photo, whatever you have available works!)

Ingredients:

40 drops of essential oil of bay

4 ounces of distilled water

4 ounces of 190-proof alcohol

1 tablespoon white vinegar

Instructions:

Mix the oil, water, alcohol, and vinegar into the bottle. Close tightly and shake to mix.

Typical Use: Spray on a micro cloth and wipe on areas you want to deter spiders.

Tip: when you wipe down the inside of drawers, cabinets or closets with this, it helps make those areas smell so good!

CoExist With Spiders Ritual:

Equipment:

Spider Season Spray

Microcloth

A handful of bay leaves crushed

A broom if you need to sweep away actual cobwebs

Instructions:

I choose to do this on the full moon in August and September, as the relationship between myself and the spiders is heightened. But honestly, you could do it any time. Because I do this annually, these lunations in the late summer help me come back to this over and over again. As I mentioned, it’ makes sense to do this now in this space because it’s Spider Season. Witches in the Southern Hemisphere might find this more helpful on the full moons in February and March.

  1. The day before the ritual, I give “notice” to the Spider and the general spirits of the land. I tell them how certain spaces (as mentioned above) need to be free of intrusion, and a space is waiting for them in the (pick your spot). Also, test your inconspicuous spot.
  2. On the day, first ground and center yourself. Then clean and declutter any area you want to spray this herbal ward. As you clean – especially if you’re going to be dispatching webs and egg sacs – repeat your reasoning for this working and remember to be careful with your language. Example: “Spiders, spiders Here and there, Do not fret But you can bet There’s better parts You should depart To spin your place Beyond this (sacred) space.” I often will carry a spider to a more desired location. I know this can be tough for some, but find yourself a Green Witch, perhaps that can help you with this part if it’s difficult for you.
  3. Then moisten your cloth and wipe down the areas (after you’ve tested thoroughly) e.g. your front entry way. Be sure that you are not stingy, but that it is well “oiled” in the area.
  4. If you are creating a spider-free zone in an entry way, take your crushed bay leaves and sprinkle them in front of the threshold. Feel free to repeat your request and offer of place beyond this sacred space. (Note: you will find whole bay leaves in every cupboard and drawer that I have. Guess what gets replaced each late summer in my kitchen? Yep. Those bay leaves.)
  5. Repeat at the next full moon.

I hope you have found this helpful. If you decide to actually make a ritual of it as described above, please let me know how it goes for you. As with everything in the craft: your mileage may vary. I am simply sharing my experience and knowledge.

Flipping Off The System

Posted on by runa

A Lesson in Onions & Worth

The 12 Tenets of Permaculture

In the last week or so I’ve harvested enough onions and garlic to use in our meals for months and months.  The red onion harvest alone should keep us in red onions for nine months. I look at these harvests as a big screw-you to the horrendous systems we have created on this planet. Growing my own food has been a constant rebellion for me against Earth-damaging capitalism. It also is a double fisted flip-off to the patriarchy, which continues to try to keep women from an autonomous existence or doing the things that bring us joy. Yes, friends, growing your own food is a big fuck you to the establishment. 

However, I’m also finding that some of the ways I have felt pressured to establish the worth of these efforts I’m ready to give the middle finger to as well. Over the years I have been growing food (more than 20), I’ve kept track in one way or another of our harvest totals. I say “our” harvest, but it’s mostly just this lone crone doing the #PermieWitch work around #VillaWestwyk. This spring, I found I was resisting the kinds of metrics found in pages of spreadsheets: how much lettuce did I just harvest? How many eggs has our flock produced for us? And what’s the break down between chickens, ducks, and geese? How much meat have I bartered for homemade sourdough bread? Blah, Blah, Blah! 

Part of my Onion Harvest

I know there’s abundance here. Who else do I need to prove it to? My spouse? Not even. I’m fortunate that my Writing Witch, Permie Witch, Green Witch, and the like are all fully supported by my partner. His father grew up on a farm. He knows how hard it is to grow food. Do I need to prove it to my community? This crone does not care if they think the 80 pounds of potatoes I grew last year (this year’s totals TBD) is a waste of my time. But being able to understand just how much I have produced is important. Of course I had to put my little rabble rousing ways on that, too. Let’s take a look at my Star System. No, we’re not talking astrology; however, my Taurus midheaven and North Node are all about Earth Healing.

For about a decade now I’ve referred to meals I’ve made containing ingredients from our gardens and pastures by a star count. Homegrown onions on the plate? One star. Freshly harvested potatoes on the plate? Another star. Greens from our hot house on the plate? You guessed it, another star. 

When this season it just gave me ZERO joy to worry about measuring, marking, and doing all that data work, I went back to the end result and the satisfaction that it brings. When I know or can share that there is at least one thing, if not many things on the plate for our meals that was grown or raised right here in this little 2-acre parcel – that, my friends, is just pure and utter delight and satisfaction. Consuming the stars on my plate – again one for each thing that is homegrown/made and ½ a star for those I bartered or procured from farming neighbors – is some of the regular joy and balance in my life. And again, as I’m fat and happy, I’m flipping off the establishment.

If you follow me on instagram, I regularly post photos of my meals and how many stars there are on our plates. Those metrics make me happy and smile. It tangibly shows the percentage of food I’m growing/raising is making an impact as opposed to data on a spreadsheet. For instance, breakfast this morning contained our eggs, zucchini, green beans, and chard. Four stars. Yum. 

Oftentimes, I verbally make note how much these items may have cost at our local market while eating this farm-to-table meal with my meal guests (in this COVID-19 World, that’s mostly The Viking). But then my Viking asked me how much the entire Onion harvest would cost us at the local farmer’s market. It took me a minute to do the arithmetic and I did have to do some measuring and whatnot, but the results were surprising. I conservatively estimated that my red onion harvest will shave approximately $130 off our grocery bill over the next six to nine months. Again, that’s conservative. If Whole Foods was selling it, it would probably be closer to $230. Ha! Plus I don’t have to worry about recalls because of listeria or any of that nonsense, which is worth even more money. I grow my veggies organically. They are fertilized with compost and seaweed tea. Pests are dealt with naturally (our slug and snail population has gone down so much, thank you ducks), in part due to our permaculture approach. That’s $130 in our savings and that’s not counting the sweet onions and garlic I harvested, too. 

I’ll take it. 

That simple question from my Aquarian hubby – who is so good at looking at situations from a different perspective – totally changed my perception about the work I’ve been doing. I started thinking about how so much of this late-stage capitalism is just fucking up our planet. How it devalues such cottage revenue as a vegetable garden or small-holding livestock. In short, there isn’t a societal value placed on the work that I do to feed my family and friends.  It’s looked at as a hobby. Whatever dude. Sweat your butt off in the summer trying to ensure a tomato harvest, or move your animals to higher ground during a flood event, or even just have a planter of strawberries on your patio, and talk to me about how it’s not valuable. 

However there is value. Part of that value is in the sustainability that we practice and are working hard to increase. And you can’t really put a price tag on that. Healing the Earth is priceless. Saving the planet one row of onions at a time is pretty fucking cool, though. 

This realization of value I recognized quickly fell within the Apply Self Regulation and Accept Feedback tenet of Permaculture (#SelfRegulate #AcceptFeedback). The lesson here came from myself first in that simple spreadsheet calculations were not bringing me joy. Is there food on our plate that we produced? Win. The other feedback came from The Viking. He saw the value in another way, not just the #ObtainAYield, another of the 12 tenets of Permaculture we’re applying to our lifestyle here at Villa Westwyk. That segues into the  Design From Patterns To Details tenet. Onions grow well here. They are low labor and work as pest control (#IntegrateDontSegregate) around my Brassicas. Surround your broccoli with onions. The pests will be way less. Also, when you cut an onion you grew yourself, the tears are worth it. 😉

A lot of the capitalist world may look at my daily life as less than, but I understand the Magic that is being created by focusing on healing the Earth (and meanwhile myself and my family – #EatYourselfWell) and working with her is more valuable than metrics and a paycheck. But, honestly, I am creating value and abundance, even if the patriarchy and capitalism can’t see it. I see it. Therefore, I’ll continue to rebel in my own way.

How about you? Are you growing food? Even herbs? Where can you increase your own food security? Please let me know in the comments below. 

I would like to acknowledge that Villa Westwyk resides on the ancestral homelands of the Coast Salish Peoples, who have lived in the Salish Sea basin, throughout the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades watershed, from time immemorial. I hold the deepest respect and gratitude for our Indigenous neighbors, the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Tribe, for their enduring care and protection of our shared lands and waterways.

Working with the Seagoat Energy in 2022

Posted on by runa

Intentions Set in January, Where Are We Now?

Here we are the cusp of the Full Buck Moon in Capricorn and Lammas is coming up very fast! That means that it’s time to check in on the goals I set at the beginning of the calendar year.

First I want to share with you how much that setting intentions at a new moon and working on those goals through its corresponding full moon is so Magical. I use the book New Moon Astrology by Jan Spiller as a guideline. If you’ve not stuck your nose in this book, I highly recommend it. In the book she details the areas of life ruled by Capricorn. It includes future needs, responsibilities, goals, success, authority, excessive control, joints of the body, and rules management. I looked at areas in my life ruled by Capricorn and figured out where I wanted to make changes. 

We had the Capricorn New Moon on Jan. 2, 2022 (1033 hrs PST).  Diligently, I worked with the Cosmic Energy of this lunar transit and set my intentions. These intentions revolved around my health, finances, mental outlook, and time usage. All these things were ruled, in part, by Capricorn energy. Today I can happily say that improvement has been made. Some of the intentions I’m still struggling with to a degree but things have definitely made positive changes. Doing Magic works.

I set nine intentions on that cold January day. Nine is a power number for me in Numerology, too. And that alone made me feel confident that I was working the energies in myself and my environment. Nine represents completions and new beginnings. Perfect. I’ll detail each intention and how I’ve progressed in my goals over the course of the year thus far. I’m also going to check in again when the next New Moon in Capricorn comes around December 23, 2022. A whole year of working these intentions. Documenting it here on my blog helps keep me focused and accountable. So don’t let me forget another check in come the Winter Solstice. 😉

My first intention was wanting total healing to occur in the area of my joints. As the Pandemic Pause continued in my life, physical activity, especially during winter, was too low and my arthritis pain was increasing. To that end I upped my yoga game and took on learning Tai Chi, all things to help keep those joints lube up and supported. Also upped my supplements and diet to lend itself to joint health as well. I could feel the energy coming from that Capricorn placement of the wintery new moon. It opened up ideas and pathways of motivation that felt unattainable. 

Next I wanted to easily find myself responding to the aging process in a way that is in my best interest. This is one area where I’m still struggling. New things pop up all the time as you get older and our society does NOT talk about the aging process at all. I feel like it should be like a course that juniors or seniors in high school take or maybe when you hit 50, there’s a class you take to understand it more, but so much about getting older is determined by how you’ve lived those previous 50 years. However, what I did realize with this intention very quickly was that understanding that my age is a privilege that many people do not receive, and for that I’m grateful. That attitude of gratitude is a powerful balm when you are struggling with something. Aging gracefully is not exactly what I’m going for, but understanding it more and like Theresa Reed, The Tarot Lady says, “Being Prepared, Not Scared” was more my focus. So I turned to what I turn to often when I’m trying to understand something better: books. I have been reading so many tomes on aging and they are providing new information that has allowed me to understand I’m on the right track and doing better than I thought. And that allows me to respond to the aging process in my best interest. Win. The reading I’ve done and other research here regarding aging, merged in with my next intention which was to easily find myself approaching the situation of menopause in a mature, sensible way that is in my best interest. These readings also highlighted blessings of being a Crone that I hadn’t yet realized. More gratitude.

Next intention was to easily find myself making decisions that provide a secure financial base for my golden years. This was probably the scariest intention I set. Money stuff can always feel like something out of our control. Such a lie we tell ourselves. Funnily enough, I had already taken a step towards this goal back in my Birthday month (November) by investing in solar energy for Villa Westwyk. Within a few weeks after the Capricorn new moon, we started producing our own energy and my next electric bill was so low, it felt laughable that we hadn’t worked towards this before. Now each month, I’m putting aside what I would have paid for in electricity into a retirement fund. There were several other smaller decisions that were presented to me and with the mindfulness of my Capricorn New Moon intentions, I am making smarter decisions with my finances. Sometimes just asking myself if this expenditure or investment or other money question is going to give me security as I age makes all the difference. 

Another resource that was a target of my intentions on that second day of the calendar year was to easily find myself consciously using time to my best advantage. When you sit down and consider how you use your time, it’s amazing the Divine Downloads you get. Basically, I was empowered to say ‘No’ to anything that did not benefit myself, my family, my home, my business, or my community. Being able to say ‘No’ to time stealers allowed me to say yes to things that were going to benefit me. It brought me to a new community that supported my efforts to live as a MidGardening Witch – healing the land, myself, my kindred, and my community. New friendships deepened. New connections inspired me. Time became my own and my days are truly my own now. If I need to take a mental health day (which I believe you should do at least monthly), or double down on work hours, it’s on me. That is so empowering and breeds harmony and balance. It’s something I want to wish for everyone: may your time be your own. 

This next intention is the big struggle, which I know so many of you will understand. I wrote in my journal that New Moon day: I want all fears of incompetency totally lifted from me. I had to reach out even now while I pen this to my network of friends to get encouragement and strategies to beat that inner editor into productivity and not baneful, negative self-talk. (Shout out to Divine Hand Jim for helping me reframe the problem!) That voice of imposter syndrome now has a name, Joyce. This allows me to make friends with that voice and give her a job. I highly recommend this tactic. Now when that voice of fear and loathing, Joyce, tells me, “No one cares about what you’re writing!” I tell her things like: your job is to make sure that when I edit this post, I get the mechanics of punctuation and spelling right; that while I’m writing I’m sitting in a manner that won’t irritate that sciatica. Now that Joyce has a job, I can focus on being all I can be. This to say I’m learning. I’m getting better. Even today. Joyce, too. 

I’ve not had anyone tell adult Runa that I’m lazy. But I’m recognizing that there is an inner dialogue for me that if I’m not actively doing something I’m loafing. This is so inaccurate when I examine it mindfully. Therefore, my intention next was to easily find myself welcoming the hard work that leads to success. I’m still struggling with little things around the work – like there’s new computer stuff I need to learn, or it’s too hot to weed, or daydreaming about a better desk, or AWS updated something and crashed my website again.  I’m not really afraid of work. I feel good when I work hard. But, I can get myself distracted. But like Joyce above, I need to embrace and be grateful for the challenges that my work brings. When I look at what success looks like, things are building slowly, but they are building. I will take that. For instance, I was all focused on my family gathering over the 4th of July weekend (the first to include the whole family since the pandemic!), and was just inundated with Magical Supply Orders, Dream Interpretations, and Rune Casting orders! What a great reminder that the foundation is there and since I built it, “they” are coming. Additionally, the harvests are coming in, the planning back in January, the planting in March, is now filling our bellies and our larder. It inspires me to continue that work and make plans to make it easier and more plentiful as my efforts build on those foundations. As well, the secret project I began to design and plan following the summer lunar eclipse in 2020 is birthing a life of its own almost and I can see its path to be released to the rest of the world. Gotta get my sunglasses on because the future is bright. 

In January, I was suffering from a massive dose of Seasonal Affective Disorder. I felt like there was nothing I could control in my life, so into the New Moon in Capricorn intentions it went. I wrote, “I want to easily find myself successfully taking charge in every area of my life.” Such a powerful spell, this one little intention. And of all my intentions, this one has been the most dynamic change in the last six months. Every choice I made, again, was about what was best for me, my kindred, my home, my business, my community. Relationships now have more energy from me; my writing has more energy; my self-care has more energy; and my craft has more energy. All of these energies add even more value and abundance in my life. Standing in your power is easily done by taking charge of your life. I’m here to witness that you can do the same in yours. 

A friend visited and brought to light how often I apologize or justify myself to others. It was illuminating. I needed the intention of the habit of justifying myself to others totally lifted from me. This sent me on an internal journey about why I have this negative habit of apologizing for things I do not own, that I carry this need to justify my actions. Why? I’m not exactly sure necessarily, but as I worked towards that goal I recognized I didn’t need to know why, but to just stop doing it. I began to stop myself when I was about to say “Sorry.” I asked myself instead “Do I own that?” “Am I responsible for that?” When I was unable to do something for someone, I began to recognize that I didn’t have to give a reason. I didn’t need to carry the responsibility of the whys. No is a complete sentence, I wrote on a sticky note and put it in a cupboard I open daily. Reading that each day multiple times began to change my thought process. Saying no began to change relationships that weren’t serving me. It began to strengthen other relationships – those who wanted to see me succeed and be the best version of myself. Instead of apologizing, I started to express appreciation for my friend’s patience, or my husband’s understanding, or my own discipline to do yoga. There’s that attitude of gratitude. It’s a power source, I tell ya. 

My last intention that cold, dark, wintery mix of a day on January 2 was to easily find myself seeing life in a way that brings joy. This was a doozy. The climate of our country is so heavy right now. It is a joy killer for sure. But, I can’t control the whole country (see prior intentions). Simple things like sitting before the fire with a good book and my puppies in my laps were noted in a “joy finding” notebook. Feeling happy that our efforts to heal our property helped the flood on our property not be as bad as it could have been. Joy making for sure. Oh, and look that embracing of hard work is happening there, too. Watching the wildlife and livestock here at Villa Westwyk is endlessly joy making. Finding new friends and compatriots in the Magical community lends itself to that, too. Doing a daily coffee or tea ritual is joy making. It’s all there, you just need to say, “Oh, hey, Joy, I see you. Thank you for being here.” 

This Capricorn cycle with all its cardinal earth energy has grounded me so much and I’m motivated to keep working on these intentions through the rest of the year. Capricorn season splits my fifth and sixth house, the houses of growth and blooming. 

Are you seeing a theme yet? I am. I’m excited to see where I am at with these goals come December. Do you know what intentions you set or desires you had last January? If you do, how are you stacking up against your expectations? Where can you say you’re still struggling, but are, yes, still working on it? Tell me below in the comments. Let’s chat about this miraculous Capricorn energy. 

Retrograde Reassessment

Posted on by runa
How is it June already?

Looking at the calendar, the summer solstice is right around the corner. Given that Mercury is moving back direct from its retrograde (I started this post when it was still fully retrograde), I wanted to take some time and reassess how I’m doing on my goals for 2022’s calendar year. 

Back in January I posted that I wanted to:

Curate a healthy existence to keep learning while leaning into abundance that comes with knowledge by consistently practicing mindful Magic and Earth healing while writing it all down. 

Currently, we’re eating more and more healthily. I am literally harvesting in the morning, a lot of what we will eat in the day. And if it’s not coming from the greenhouse or perennial garden, it’s coming from my larder of food put by the last growing season or from my fellow Grow Food neighbors. 

Daily Kitchen Witchery is not only enhancing our life nutritiously, but also spiritually. Living and moving with the seasons feels so natural and right-on that there is a sense of calm I haven’t had in many years. Our healthy existence includes exercise every day by way of yoga, walking, or Tai Chi, the latter of which we are so new in learning, but oh wow is it amazing. I still have to have some dark chocolate, ice cream, or baked goods on occasion, and well those are one of the joys of life. Plus I wanted to lean into abundance. A special ice cream sundae to celebrate goslings being born on the Covenstead is allowed. It’s what makes life worth living sometimes. 

More Flowers all over Villa Westwyk is a Goal for 2022.

Mindful Magic has continued as Runa Troy’s Magical Services & Goods continues to build, slowly but surely. My work doing dream interpretations, Rune Castings, and the like is so fulfilling and its growth has been such a blessing. My intuition is being sharpened by deepening my knowledge of astrology, and intensifying my connection with Runes, my ancestors, and the Spirits beyond the Veil. 

Earth Healing is a huge focus now that Spring is in full force (finally!) here in the Pacific Northwest. We have seven goslings, six chicks, and nearly a dozen duck eggs a day coming in. We have planted hops this year, which is new to us, to aid in The Viking’s brew haus activities. I have finally moved all the raspberries from the very bad, no good spot they were in (not by me) and put them in their own garden, which allows for expansion and UPick opportunities down the road. The space where the raspberries once occupied will be a garden of things just for the Beastlings – everything from amaranth grain to kale to sunflowers to zucchini. 

Eating straight from the land is so healing.

Plans are underway to host gatherings here for friends and family because we have the outdoor space to do so safely. We’re excited to share Villa Westwyk’s gorgeous energy with those we love and to celebrate our Patriarch’s 85th birthday, a girls’ weekend or three, and so much more (Can you say Witch Camp ‘22?). 

Writing it all down not only includes this blog, but my secret project which is gaining some much needed traction in the right direction. Additionally, I’m in a writing group of other Mystics via The Tarot Lady’s Hierophant Writing Group. With their encouragement I have progressed so much further on this work in the last three months than I would have otherwise. This Writing Circle is powerful Magic and I’m happy to have opened the door to this curation. I’m learning so much as well as producing and that aligns with my goal for this year as well. 

Although Mercury Retrograde gets a bad rap and now Saturn is going Retrograde, it’s an opportunity to work with the energies and make even more Magic. Oh and Venus is in Taurus, so love yourself. Love your kindred. And let’s move through the rest of this year taking steps forward curating our truest selves and best life.  

Kitchen Witchery meets Permaculture For The Fur Babies

Posted on by runa

In honor of National Pet Rescue Day – DIY Magic Pet Food

Ms.SnickleFritz & Granny Shadow have bespoke food. Lucky Familiars.

May 20 is National Pet Rescue Day. My current ‘Puppers,’ as The Viking and I call them, are rescues. I’ve always preferred to adopt rescues than purchase my pet because I find they are just so loyal and loving. The added benefit that an animal in need is being cared for is a bonus. I’m not about to get into puppy mills and all that nonsense, or the fact that there are likely just as many feral cats in your neighborhood as there are people. Rescues are a kinder way for the animals and our planet. This Witch is all about kinder to animals and the planet.

Enter Kitchen Witchery and Permaculture to solve a problem. In Permaculture, you Design from Patterns to Details and the pattern was non sustainable food for my familiars. The details of what would make it sustainable begin to emerge.

These Witch’s Familiars, our canine yin and yang, are getting up there in age and now have special dietary requirements. Currently they both have medicated kibble. On top of the kibble we put a wet food, because they’ve made it clear the kibble alone is not very satisfying. Kind of how we have to put cinnamon and fruit on our oatmeal to actually eat it. Also much of the nonmedicated kibble is mostly water and does not have the protein that most canines need.

After finding that most of the softer foods out there are so full of things that my puppers do not need, are horribly expensive, and produce so much waste in its packaging, I needed something more economical, sustainable, and that the furkids would enjoy. About this time last year I started experimenting with making my own canned dog food. The idea to even explore that came to me because I often will make a big batch of stew or soup and I either need to preserve the leftovers, or was finding at least one pint would be used to augment Ms. Snicklefritz and Granny Shadow’s dinner. Much like how I approach the food that The Viking and I consume, I really wanted to know what my dogs were eating. I recognized that the best way to do that was to make it myself. The additional opportunity to make the food a ritual and infuse it with Magic, well, I couldn’t resist that.

Lamb, kale, carrots, and a small bit of sweet potato made this batch of dog food for my pups.

The intentions I put into each batch are all about protection, health, and, of course, love. I’m sharing this, as mentioned in the title, in honor of National Pet Rescue Day and in hopes that it might inspire you to look a little closer into your own food as well as that of your own familiar. As a Permie Witch, doing this follows the permaculture principle of Producing No Waste. Every part of our resources gets used. It is to a lesser degree aligning with two other of the permaculture principles: Obtain A Yield, and Creatively Use & Respond to Change. A weaker argument could be made for the tenet of Use & Value Renewables. As we begin the growing, hatching, and birthing season here at Villa Westwyk, we eat with the seasons here as much as possible. It’s a slow change, which also is within the permaculture lifestyle: Choose Small, Slow Solutions. Needless to say, we’re all in here at the covenstead with this “chore,” which is really a ritual and spell. This is about the moment when my youngest, Dragon Son, would say, “you feel me?”

I basically take a left over chicken carcass, stew bone, or even the remnants of a whole fish, bring it to a boil, then simmer several hours. You just need enough water to cover the carcass…don’t go crazy unless you plan to make soup or such soon, or can the broth (that’s what I do). I make broth in a pasta maker, that way the carcass and the meat still on it is easily drained, cooled, and picked through. Sometimes I will refrigerate the broth overnight before continuing with the pet food batch, so I can skim the fat off and use an appropriate proportion with it to cook the veggies in. But you could use oil, butter, bacon drippings, whatever you have on hand.

This is where my protein to make the pet food comes in, so you could buy store bought, but the bone broth provides so many nutrients and is a superbly economical way to acquire pet food. If you want to go full-on Midgardening Witchery, you’ll can the extra broth for the human pets in your life. 😉 My 9 half-pint batches start normally with about 1 1/2 cups to 2 cups of protein. y last batch the protein portion was about 2 cups; I let the protein amount drive the rest of the recipe. If you homeschool, this is a great exercise in fractions and parts of the whole. 😉

I cook up the bite-size veggies with a little bit of fat, add the meat plucked from the bones, make a roux, add the broth, let it cook down a bit and can it up. Alternatively, you may freeze it at this point, or if you can use your batch up within a week’s time, you can keep it in the refrigerator.

If you know how to make biscuits and gravy, or any kind of a roux, this recipe will likely be easy for you. The below recipe makes about 9 half-pint mason jars. If you want to make pint or quart, do the appropriate math. 😉

Equipment:

Broth pot (stew pot with a colander in it, like a pasta cooker)

Cauldron (Dutch oven pot)

Pressure Canner with Jars/Rings/Lids or Freezer containers

Ingredients:

1 part Protein (leftover chicken carcass, ham bone, lamb leg bone, etc.)

1/4 part Fat (bacon drippings, schmaltz)

1 part Veggies (cats and dogs need their veggies, too)

1 part Something to help meld it together (sweet potato, beans, potato, brown rice, etc.)

~ 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup Flour

~ 2 cups Broth (double if making quart batches)

Salt (optional)

This batch includes rabbit, chicken, broccoli, and garbanzo beans.

Instructions:

  1. Make your broth. Put soup bones, poultry carcass, etc. in a pot covered with water. You’re only going to need about 2 cups tops to make a batch of pet food (I do 7-9 half pints at a time). But make as much as you like. If what you’re making broth with was unseasoned (not often on my covenstead) feel free to add a pinch or two of salt. Salt is good for your animals, too. But just like us, too much is not good either to taste or for their bodies.
  2. Once broth is made, remove the bones and separate any meat/skin/giblets out to include in the pet food. As you do this, put the intention of keeping the sick away from your beloved familiars. You are separating the good stuff versus the discard. Set the meat aside and discard the bones. If you’re going to can your pet food, this is where you’ll need to sanitize your jars, lids, and rings and inspect your pressure canner.
  3. Into your cauldron, add a bit of fat (butter, schmaltz, bacon drippings, oil) and heat on medium heat. Sauté the chopped up vegetables until tender. I put the veggies in saying, “Here’s to my familiar’s health.” Simple, but effective. Each time I stir the veggies I say it again, “Here’s to my familiar’s health.”
  4. Once the veggies are tender, add back in the meat you plucked from the bone(s), and sauté with the veggies until warmed (about one to two minutes). If you have things like potatoes or beans in your batch, give them a squish with your cooking spoon to help thicken things up in the next step. Mashing the ingredients in is optional, but my somewhat toothless wonders love it this way (just like aging people, pets sometimes lose teeth as they age). I do a simple stir three times clockwise (aka sunwise), putting a whole lotta love for these furkids into the cauldron’s contents.
  5. Depending on how full your pot is, you’re going to need between 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup of flour. You are making a roux with the veggies and meat. Sprinkle the flour on the protein and veggies envisioning the flour as extra protection and mix it all in and let it cook for about two minutes.
  6. Add in your broth, and simmer until reduced somewhat. You know what wet pet food consistency looks like. You’re looking to get the same. Depending on the size of your batch, this can take five to 20 minutes. My 9 half-pint-jar-batch takes about seven minutes. If you’re filling a canner or freezing quart size containers, then it will go closer to 20 minutes.
  7. At this point you can package up your food and freeze, but if you’re going to pressure can, I always use half-pint (aka jelly) jars and can get up to 9 jars in my canner. Follow the manufacturers instructions for your personal pressure canner. Can the pet food at 11 pounds pressure for 15 minutes for half pint; 25 minutes for pint; 35 minutes for quart (for you folx with more pets or large pets, quart size might work best).
  8. Label your food with the ingredients & date and watch your pets gobble it up. Honestly, this is food that humans could eat, too. So, if you don’t label it, no one will be harmed. LOL. Regardless, you know whether man or beast, they are going to dig it. If I’m feeling particularly Witchy, I might put an appropriate sigil on the jar.
  9. When there’s only one jar left, be sure to make another batch. I also set aside one jar to always have in the pantry to bring abundance for my familiars: food, water, shelter, and love. If you do this “cupboard Magic” be sure to rotate the abundance anchor (your extra jar) so that the food doesn’t go bad. That’s some negative energy there. These will last in your cupboard easily for up to six months.

I hope that this helps you amp up your self sufficiency and self reliance, as well as brings a little Magic for your familiars/pets. Also, please join me in the Adopt Don’t Shop philosophy. And please give to your favorite animal advocate nonprofit. The Viking and I support the ASPCA regularly and have been known to gift animal rescue donations in honor of our loved ones.

Please let me know if you have any questions in the comments. May this recipe bless you and your pets. Now go snuggle your familiar. 😉

Hatching Season!

Posted on by runa

Villa Westwyk welcomes goslings!

Villa Westwyk’s Pilgrim Goose Fam.

It’s hard to get a photo of our little goose family all together, because clearly they are SUPER comfortable. Can you spot all seven goslings?

Currently we’re getting ready for an unseasonably cold front coming in. Honestly, Spring really has been a warm winter here in the PNW. But our snow pack is getting above average and that is good for the whole of Western Washington, where our covenstead is. So I’m glad the goslings are filling out and getting all the grass they can handle to stay warm. They also get supplemental feed and vitamin water to help mitigate for problems that can befall them in the early days of their life. Mama Eva and Papa Willie are doing great. Willie even made sure I knew he was still a protective dad when I went to freshen water and gosling feed this morning. It was all posturing, but have you seen the teeth on geese? Literally, Cobra Chickens. hehe.

On Friday the 13th, our lovely Pilgrim Goose successfully hatched seven goslings. She needed a little help with two of them, and we were there to help provide ICU care, which meant we needed to bring them inside and warm them up, hydrate them, and get them to the point of reintegration. Nature is amazing, and the two ICU patients were reunited with their siblings and parents in a day’s time. Eva was busy dealing with 5 other hatchlings and sitting still on the other eggs, so we were happy to do our part as bipedal assistants. Spoiler alert! 4 eggs were nonviable, and 4 goslings perished before completely hatching, which is par for the course. Only the strong survive in nature. Both of those things happen traditionally when you let Mother Nature lead the way. It’s a reason they have such large clutches of eggs. Eva sat on 15 eggs for 30 days! What a trooper! I buried the perished ones in our “forest” and the nonviable eggs went into the compost. Both will return to the land. I find that sentiment Magical. Being a part of this land is so much a part of my Magical practice of Midgardening Witchery.

Our impromptu ICU: a box with wood shavings and a heating pad on top.

This hatching is a huge accomplishment for our efforts at sustainability and self reliance. This month, we’ve only been the keepers of this land* for two years. (Wow, what a crazy two years!) Every creature, flora and fauna, here on little two-acre permaculture holding, is central to what we’re trying to accomplish here. The geese manage the pasture by being living lawn mowers (no gas or other power needed). We are slowly building safety infrastructure so their protected pasture is larger and larger. What they have is more than enough, but I’m all for giving them as best a life as I can.

When they keep the pasture trim, it’s easier to see invasive species, which was a problem when we first acquired this land* and in turn, lets native grasses and plants flourish. They are great guardians of the property, too. We know when predators or visitors are about. And are they cute as hatchlings. To see them flap their little wings and make their little peep is pure joy making. This Crone Life is more and more about finding joy, so they are certainly a part of it.

Here I will provide a content warning: If ethically raised meat is upsetting for you, please prepare yourself to continue, or maybe go back to the cute photos above.

Yes, some of these goslings will give back to this land* in a different way. They will feed our family. And honestly, eating meat is a personal choice, and one that my family has worked hard to do sustainably and ethically. I know how these animals are raised and they will be dispatched in the most honorable and pain-free way possible. But that dispatching is also for the health of the animals. Too many ganders is upsetting to the geese within the gaggle (I know some Witches out there that are nodding along…). Too many ganders would have the ducks upset, too, because there’s a good chance the ganders would try to mate with the ducks — and although it’s not harmful to them, the size difference could cause injury. And we already have 2 drakes for 9 ducks. Just barely the right ratio there. We also use every part of the harvest, creating not just meals, but bone broth, dog food (a post on that coming Thursday), and even Magical Goods (a post on that coming soon).

Living a permaculture lifestyle is all about diversity, harmony, and balance. This includes the animals on the property (including the humans!). One of the 12 principles of permaculture is: Use and Value Diversity. That’s why we have not just geese, but ducks and chickens, too. Eventually, I hope to provide not just to my neighbors who right now receive harvests from my land in barter, but perhaps the larger community. But permaculture is about using small, slow solutions. After two years we have 10 chickens, 11 ducks, and now 9, but soon to be 3 geese. Slow, incremental growth is healthy.

Thank you for coming along on this journey with me. I hope you learned something here. If you did, please let me know in the comments. I honestly believe that applying the permaculture principles to every part of our lives helps mitigate for and prevent problems and allows for healthy living all the way around. And in the meantime, I get to spam the blog, Instagram, and Twitter with Gosling images and videos.

Papa Willie takes the Goslings For A Walk To Give Mama Eva a break.

*I would like to acknowledge that Villa Westwyk resides on the ancestral homelands of the Coast Salish Peoples, who have lived in the Salish Sea basin, throughout the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades watershed, from time immemorial. I hold the deepest respect and gratitude for our Indigenous neighbors, the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Tribe, for their enduring care and protection of our shared lands and waterways. I vow to live in harmony with and be a steward of this land and its waterways as they have.

A Delightful Surprise That Lasts and Lasts

Posted on by runa

Pickled Eggs: Beyond The Pub

Pickled Eggs are a staple on our covenstead.

I received a request for the recipe I use to pickle eggs. And without hesitation, I wanted to provide! Most folks may have been exposed to Pickled Eggs in your local pub or dive bar. I must admit that’s where I came across them; but, travel life brought these to the forefront of my recipe repertoire. They are now a staple, as well, here at Villa Westwyk.

Eggs are associated with the Goddess, the sun, and the elements earth, air, and water. Wow! Of course it’s a symbol of Spring, rebirth, fertility, abundance, beginnings, creativity, and life itself. We’re all well aware of the ancient festivities that elevate the eggs: Passover, Easter, Cascarones (confetti-filled eggs used in Mexico), and many more.

Going to take a moment here and send all my good energy for Ukraine. The Ukrainian culture has have some of the more beautiful rituals with eggs, from their amazing hollowed eggs that are so artistically painted and given as good health charms to those they love, to their ritual where they toss eggshells into moving waters so so their departed can be a part of the celebration. You’ll often find eggs on gravestones left as offerings throughout eastern Europe, including Ukraine.

This recipe I use to reinforce health and creativity in my household. Especially during the Pandemic we are missing our time with friends in the pub to play darts or shoot pool and share a glass and eat some eggs. This let’s us remember those good memories and hope for a return to a time when that’s an option again.

You can find pickle egg recipes just about anywhere, but mine includes a bit of The Craft — if pickling eggs wasn’t Witchy enough for you. So, @fromgoth2boss, this is for you.

Notes:

  • I must warn you, this is a recipe that is a practice in delayed gratification, as you need to let them sit for two weeks before you start nom-nomming down. So about the time that one jar of these are ready to eat, I make another.
  • These are great snacks anytime and are super healthy and provide some good gut biome stuff for the eater.
  • Whatever jar you use, make sure you can get some tongs or your hand in them in order to get the goodies out. If you don’t use a self-sealing lid/ring system and are just using like an old pickle jar, the “pickling” time will have to be done in the fridge.
  • There’s some debate about how long these last. Conservative estimates are three months in the fridge. I don’t put mine in the fridge, but they don’t last near three months. If you think it will take your covenstead more than a couple of weeks to eat a dozen pickled eggs once they are ready or you haven’t used a self-sealing lid, keep them refrigerated.
  • The veggies in the jar with the eggs make nice toppings on all kinds of food – salads, nachos, or just for a charcuterie board.
  • My favorite way to make boiled eggs is to make sure the pan I boil them in is large enough so the eggs can fit snuggly, but not too hard-pressed, on the bottom of the pan. Fill with water just to cover. Put on stove and put the heat to high. Once it boils, turn the heat down to medium and let cook for 10 to12 minutes. I like my eggs on the just-boiled side. So I tend more towards the 10-minute side. Remove as much of the water as possible and dump a load of ice on them and let them sit for about seven minutes. Drain and set them on a dishtowel on the counter to dry. I swear this makes them easier to peel. Tap each end on the counter (whenever I do this I imagine all negativity being banished in the kitchen) and then rub the egg between your hands, gently, back and forth three times. Peel. Save those eggshells for the garden or your compost, or crush and feed to your chickens. If you’re on a boat 😉 they are adored by the fishes and seabirds (just don’t dump while moored in the marina). If you’re living in an RV, save for your next hike and bury in the woods. 😉
  • Be advised that the ACV and pickling spices can impart a tint on the eggs. They have not gone bad. If this bothers you, strain your pickling spices and use white vinegar instead. I prefer the health benefits that ACV provides for that good gut biome.
An anytime snack or quick lunch or appetizer that brings good health.

Equipment:

Deep sauce pan

1/2 gallon glass mason jar with lid and ring, sanitized and warm

Cutting Board & Knife for slicing up vegetables

Liquid and Dry measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients:

1 dozen hard-boiled eggs, peeled

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup water

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon of pickling spice

1 teaspoon of salt

2 (or more to your preference) garlic cloves, peeled

1 large bay leaf

1 small shallot sliced thinly

1 jalapeno sliced

Instructions:

  1. In a medium saucepan, mix together vinegar, water, sugar, pickling spice, and salt. Stir three times sunwise and then widdershins. As you do imagine your covenstead always having eggs in the house.
  2. Bring brine to a boil; then reduce heat to low until the sugar has dissolved. Add the bay leaf, and when you do know that the web of deceit will be far away from you.
  3. Remove pan from heat. Let the brine sit in the pan a moment. Breathe in and out three times, imagining all the good energy of Spring enveloping you and all those who imbibe the eggs.
  4. Layer shallots and jalapenos and garlic on the bottom of the jar. Then put a layer of hard boiled eggs. Repeat with layer of veggies. Then layer of eggs. As you create these layers, imagine stacking health, abundance, and creativity in your life. Really focus on what that might look like in your life. Really visualize. For me that’s writing, walking, yoga, gardening, and reading each day.
  5. Pour the brine over the eggs, do this slowly. As you do this say: I am strong; I am healthy; I am flourishing. Feel free to repeat until all the brine is in the jar.
  6. Seal the jar and let it sit on the counter to cool. If you’re using a self-sealing lid, it will seal itself from the heat and air. Keep in a cool dry and dark place for two weeks before eating.
  7. Label the top of the jar so you know the date you pickled and the date that you can eat. If you want to get really fancy, you can draw/paint, etc. any sigils or bindrunes on the lid to promote health and abundance even further than any egg eating will provide. 😉
  8. Enjoy (In two weeks!). Honestly you can eat after a few hours, but it’s just not the same taste-wise. So I encourage you to wait.

Is This Message For You?

Posted on by runa

Divination through Dreams

If you’ve been following me here or on social media, you know that dream work is a main focus of my work and life. Recently I had a dream but it was more than a dream. This dream was a message. There’s no doubt about it. But who it’s a message for, I haven’t a clue. When you have a visitation in a dream it’s so deftly clear that it’s a visitation and a message. It took me a minute to get this posted, but the dream was about a week ago. The woman visited me last night again, just as I was fading back to sleep after another dream telling me that I’m on the right path.

Upon having the dream the first time, I wrote the dream down right away and in my notes I titled this “Message For The Young Man In The Hay Loft.” He was featured in the dream and the visitor, a woman, wants me to find and deliver the message. But this man is not in my life anywhere. So, I’m turning to the power of the internet.

And from the hayloft she was pushed.

Message for the Young Man:

The dream opens in the hayloft of a barn, although it also has kind of a clubhouse vibe to it. So maybe it was a hayloft at one time, but isn’t really used as that any longer. Dreams, you see sometimes are a kind of movie, like reels, and other times they are snapshot collages. This dream was like watching an episodic program. First episode, there’s this young girl (late teens, early 20s). She has dark hair. Glasses. She wears a long thick braid. She is sad. The energy is all dark and desperate. She isn’t crying but looks very much like she is crying. She can look out that hayloft window (many barns have an opening at the roof’s peak to make sure the stored hay gets air to not combust and to move the hay more easily to the animals below). She is looking out across a farm and an old two lane road leading to the property. I can see a big Elm tree — at least I think it’s an Elm tree. It looks to be maybe the beginning of fall because some of the fields in the background across the road look like wheat ready to harvest. She is wearing a flowered top and blue jeans. I get the sense from the clothing maybe this is the late 60s or early 70s. She’s breathing in the air and I can see she’s trying to calm herself. She is not bracing herself, but letting the light breeze blow on her face. One navy sneaker, like a classic Ked, perched on the sill of the loft opening, the other on the loft floor. She has one hand on the wall of the loft opening and the other is on her heart, as if, again, she’s trying to calm herself. And from behind, I see, feel a presence. In an instant, you see that there is a hand on her back. The nails are painted a light pink. It reminded me of the color my mother would allow me to use as a young teen, because it was very sheer. The hand pushes. And the young girl falls to her death. In the dream I see her on the ground. The leg that had been on the floor of the loft is bleeding. Her eyes are open. She sees the shadow in the hayloft. 

The visitor then guides me to look in a different direction and I instantly know I’ve moved perspectives and it’s like a stage change. New episode. In the next scene there’s a young man. Dark hair. Glasses or maybe they are some kind of safety glass? Thick black frames. The young man is plain in that country sort of way, but he is strong, from working the land or learning to blacksmith? I’m not sure. He’s also like in a barn, but only three-sided, more of a lean-to. He’s learning to be a blacksmith, maybe even a farrier, as there’s horses in pasture not so far from this lean-to. He has kind of a cloud over his head. He knows he needs to be here, but he’s just so sad. There’s an older man, I feel like they are related, and perhaps this is an elder uncle or even grandfather. The familiarity between them as I observe them work metal and the older man instructing this young man gives the watcher (me) the sense of relationship. At any rate, the young man has this tool. It looks like a hammer, but there’s a sharp edge on the one side and a weird type of funneled-shape head on the other. The two men are taking a break, drinking tea or coffee, the mugs look like coffee but there’s a kettle in the background. Anyhow, the young man is sitting on a stool at a two-person table kind of in the opening of this lean-to. I can see an anvil to the side of him, where the older man has his mug resting. The older man is talking. I can’t hear him. And likely I can’t hear him because the younger man has my POV and he’s not listening. He’s thinking of the girl from the barn. You know how “in love” people have that far away look. I feel it without knowing it. Intuition is strong here. He’s thinking of the one who was pushed. But he thinks that she jumped. He feels guilty. I suddenly see the spirit of the dead girl, her leg still bloody in her flowered shirt and ked sneakers. She’s trying to tell him that she was pushed. She didn’t jump. She loves him. She wanted to be with him. She tries to reach the mug to push it, to get him to see her. But instead she moves the tool he’s holding, and the sharp end begins to swing toward him, but just in time the older man is there to catch it and he berates his younger to pay attention, that this craft is not something to mess with. I see the dead girl’s face. She’s talking to me now. Tell him, she says. Tell him I didn’t jump. Let them all know that she pushed me. She killed me. I loved him. We were supposed to be together. Then she screams this awful, awful cry of someone in so much pain and torment. 

I wake up. 

I have received dreams like this before. Messages from beyond. But I have known who the people are, or I get a name that I can then relate to whomever I come in contact with that day. I don’t know these people. I don’t recognize their landscape. I was super distressed by the scream at the end of the dream. Waking with a start. Disturbing the Viking. I often have nightmares as I am a survivor of much trauma in my life. He patiently asks me to talk about my dreams. I tell him. But the distress after relaying this particular dream is more about how do I reach the people who these messages are for. My intuition says that the old man is likely passed on. The young man is probably receiving social security now. What of the woman’s who’s hand with pink-painted nail pushed the other woman? I don’t know. I only saw a hand and the nails. Why I didn’t get to see the face? I don’t know. My distress again is that I do NOT know who this is a message for. I do now I’m suppose to relate this message. Tell him, she said. Tell who, lady? This is a gift that is to be used, although for so many years I dismissed it because I didn’t understand it and it can be perceived as unhinged.

My Viking suggests that I should write about it. Post it as a message knowing that the person who is supposed to receive it will see it. Ah, my Tech Witch Hubby is brilliant. So here we are. I’m posting it here. Who knows, maybe it will find the intended receiver. 

It’s all I can do, I suppose. But on the night of the Virgo Full Moon March 18, 2022, I had this message come through. 

Is it for you?

New Blog Feature: Weekly Kitchen Witchery

Posted on by runa

Wrapped-Up-In-Hope Asparagus

Wrapped-Up-In-Hope Asparagus

This is a new feature I’ve been trying to incorporate into this blog/site for some time now. And I’m happy that with the astrological new year I will be able to premiere my Kitchen Witchery of the Week content. For these posts I’ll be incorporating seasonal foods, Wheel of the Year energies, and the Magic and/or spell that goes with it. Long ago when I first began the path of the Craft and still today, Kitchen Witchery allowed me to practice Magic in a very focused way, quietly, and without judgmental eyes. I expect there are many neophyte practitioners that could easily incorporate these workings of Magic into their lives as well. Also, if you’re a crone or well along your path as a Magician, you may find this is an easy addition to your own personal Magical practice. And for those who start their practice, or continue to contain their practice in the proverbial broom closet, this is a great way to walk your path without persecution. I mean, who doesn’t love a good meal? My aim is that you have something yummy, and dripping with Magic to eat and serve your loved ones. So it is. 

Spring Time Flavors & Feelings In One Recipe

Because we have begun Aries season and as of today there is a tempermental energy with Mars squaring Uranus, and some of us are still dealing with cruddy winter weather, I’ve put together some Hearth Magic to ease potential or occurring conflicts and bring the hope and the warm cheer of the Equinox and Aries season into our homes and onto our tables. 

To work towards this our Kitchen Witchery “spell” is one that features asparagus. The energy of Asparagus is ruled by Mars and Jupiter and the element of fire (think of little green torches). Its masculine energy is also sacred to Zeus. We won’t be using its properties to help fuel male stamina today, instead we’re working with its passion and healing properties. In our workings today we will call out its ability to decrease those anxious heart rates that winter sometimes brings and send a general calm to any part of the body “inflamed.” 

Asparagus is a natural and gentle diuretic and is full of strength-building nutrients. It’s a great Spring Tonic to cleanse away the winter doldrums and troubles. It is dense with nutrients, including high levels of folic acid, potassium, fiber, vitamins A, C, B6, and thiamine. 

This recipe includes dairy and meat. If your diet precludes you from those, feel free to experiment and find alternatives. You could replace the meat with some thinly sliced cooked mushrooms (which also have massive healing properties). You could replace the goat cheese with some of the Boursin plant-based “cheese.” I am particular about my cheese, yet find that the Boursin “cheese” is very good. 

A simple Kitchen Altar can be such a powerful force.

This recipe is for a small gathering, as it only serves 8 single servings or 4 double servings. I tend to make this for a couples brunch or just for those in the household. Even at our max capacity here on the Covenstead of Villa Westwyk, we could serve all five of the kids and my partner and I. This can be eaten with a fork or hand held in a rustic fashion. You decide. 

A couple of notes…

  • Funny enough, I have found that each bunch of asparagus in the markets seems to have 24 stalks. I don’t know the history behind this, but it works for this recipe, so thank you, farmers. 
  • You are a super Witch if you make your own, so don’t feel like you have to make this ingredient! Store bought is fine!
  • In regards to the Artichoke Antipasto, Trader Joe’s has a yummy and affordable variety; if you can’t find this you could substitute sun-dried tomato spread.
  • For the prosciutto, I prefer to get mine from the butcher or deli counter as the packaged stuff is super thin and hard to work with.
The rule on the side of your bench scraper is a great way to get the neatest cuts possible.

Wrapped Up In Hope Asparagus

Tools:

Oven

Extra Large Cutting Board

Large baking sheet

Parchment Paper

Bench Scraper

Glazing Brush

Small mixing bowl

Knife

Non Stick Spray

Candle on your kitchen altar

Ingredients:

1 bunch of asparagus (24 stalks), trimmed to length of pastry

Puff Pastry 

Artichoke Antipasto Spread

8 slices of prosciutto 

Goat Cheese – about 4 oz. 

Egg (for wash)

Herbs de Provence (for sprinkling)

Sea Salt (for sprinkling) 

Cut through conflict with ease and grace.
Eggs Are So Powerful in Spring Kitchen Witchery

Instructions:

1. Take your time and make sure your space has been cleansed and is ready to perform the Magic. Making sure your space is ready for your working allows you to focus your energy and intention without being distracted. A quick way to do this is to light a small candle (I always have one ready on my kitchen altar). Then I go to the four corners of my kitchen and clap in each corner, which sets a circle quickly and easily (just be sure to keep your intention in mind. Then I stare at the candle for just a moment while taking three cleansing breaths (a little fire magic here) and say my intention out loud. For this working, you can say something like, “Me and Mine find our troubles fading away with every bite and we bring in the fire of the Aries season to motivate us to peace and love.” 

2. Defrost your puff pastry. That means you put the package on your counter for about 40 minutes before you’re going to work. Don’t do it longer as the pastry may become hard to work with. The colder it remains, the easier it will do what you want. I also bring out all the other ingredients and bring to room temperature. It makes it easier to work with everything. 

3. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and line your baking sheet with parchment paper.

4. Lay the defrosted puff pastry out on a very large cutting board and cut each sheet (there will be two in the package) into four squares, so you will have 8 squares in total. As you cut the squares imagine cutting through any conflict with ease and grace.

Wrap Up The Positive Energy

5. Add about 1 tablespoon of the artichoke spread onto the center of each square and spread it evenly throughout the pastry piece. As you spread this onto the pastry, look at it as a healing balm placed on winter wounds. Spiritually, the artichoke reminds us to have fun on our spiritual path as we peel back the layers within our crown chakra, just as a whole artichoke is peeled to get to the gorgeously satisfying center.

6. Lay a piece of the prosciutto on top of the antipasto spread on each square. As you do this, say, “I lay my worries aside to focus on the love within these walls.”

7. Add at least 3 asparagus tips to each square with the tips into one of the corners of the squares. I think of the stages of life – maiden, mother, crone, as I’m doing this and how the magic of 3 is always so powerful. 

8. Crumble goat cheese onto the top of the asparagus evenly throughout the 8 squares. As spring approaches, things like goat cheese are very plentiful. I sprinkle the cheese and envision new abundances coming to us in this season. 

9. Lightly whisk the egg in a small mixing bowl. Set aside. 

10. Carefully fold one side of the pastry square in the middle as if you were beginning to swaddle it with the puff pastry. Dab a little of the egg wash on the side that will meet the other side and pull the other side of the pastry square over that and brush all of the up-facing pastry with egg wash. Be gentle with the pastry, but try to enclose the fillings as tightly as you can. As you do this your intention to wrap your diners in positive energy is an easy focus. 

11. Next take your wrapped-in-hope asparagus and place them on your prepared baking sheet, giving them as much room as possible between each. Sprinkle some Herbs de Provence and Sea Salt over the puff pastries. See new abundance and good health sprinkled over you and yours.

12, Bake for 22-25 minutes or until each is golden brown and the asparagus is cooked. While the savory pastries bake, I will sometimes pull some Oracle cards to put at each place setting for my guests/family.

13. Remove from the oven. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. As you and your guests enjoy these packages of hope and the possibilities of Spring, you can feel the warmth of your love and Magic nourishing and blessing all those around your table and hearth. 

14. At the end of the feast, be sure to extinguish your candle. So it is. 

Cards Read; Let’s Eat!

If you try this recipe, please let me know in the comments below how it worked for you, both taste and Magic-wise. Post a photo on your social media and tag me.

Next week I’ll be back here with some more Kitchen Witchery! Hope you’ll join me. Happy Spring!

Spring Cleaning in The Craft

Posted on by runa

Spring Cleaning time is upon us with the Full Moon in Virgo (3/18) and the Spring Equinox (3/20) right on our Worm Moon’s heels. So I thought I would post a few “cleansing & releasing” tips to make these tasks as magical as possible. Here on the Covenstead of Villa Westwyk, we’re already doing some of these. I hope you’ll join me and start this Aries season off right. 

Spring Cleaning as a practitioner of the Craft is about setting intentions to invite prosperity, peace, protection, and good health into your home and life. But before you do that, you need to clear out any negative energy and funk that has dug in over the course of the winter. 

Here’s a few tips to consider as you begin your own Spring Cleaning in your own Covenstead, cottage, apartment, or boat (I see you, Sea Witches!). 

Refresh Your Broom:  If it’s been a hot minute since you’ve either a) cleaned your broom — or vacuum for that matter (I know people who only have one or the other), or b) replaced your broom or vacuum, now is the time to do it. Now I’m not talking about your spell or ritual broom. I mean the one you use to clean (or do sweeping spells). Every three years, I use the Vernal Equinox to procure a new broom. Why three years? With pets and children underfoot, the three year rule seemed appropriate and has its own Magical energy. The number three is the number of harmony, wisdom, and understanding. It’s the past, present, and future; birth, life, death; beginning, middle, end; maiden, mother crone. It is a Divine number. Just go with it. 😉 Do note: When you move from one home to another, don’t bring your old broom (but that’s a whole other blog post).

Although your local handyman will tell you to clean your broom once a month. When I remember on a full moon, I will do that; however, most people I know hardly have time for that. What to do with your old broom? It is thanked and relegated to the shop or garage or other place it may be useful, and when they are no longer useful there, they often end up in either a Summer Solstice or Samhain bonfire – but I digress. When bringing in the new broom to the house, I like to bless it with an herbal first sweep. What’s an herbal sweep? It’s exactly as it sounds. Sprinkle your herbs and sweep.  Because you’re decluttering, this is a good time to clear out herbs that have lost some of their potency for your Kitchen Witchery, (seriously, 5 year old rosemary is not helping your Spring Lamb Dish), but the herbs’ energies and properties are perfect for “cleansing” spells. As you do this you make a wish (i.e. set an intention). Because our equinox is coming during a waning moon, anything you want to release from your life has an extra powerful oomph. 

Here’s a recipe for a cleansing sweep:

1 part (start with 1 tablespoon) ground bay leaves

1 part dried rosemary

1 part dried thyme

1 part dried citrus 

1 part baking soda

1 part coarse salt

(this is great for an average size room, if you want to do the whole home, feel free to make more)

Sprinkle your herbal mixture where you want to cleanse. Work Widdershins (counter clockwise) and towards the exit of the room/house you’re in. Sweep the herbs and dirt out the door and sweep up into a paper bag. Dispose of this either by burning in a fire (don’t bring it back in the house, so outdoor fire pit FTW) or disposing of it away from your home (e.g. a public trash receptacle in a park). Alternatively you could bury at a crossroads you don’t traverse with regularity. 

Once that’s done you may also carve into or draw sigils, spells, etc. onto the broom handle (keeping in mind the direction of intention) to help you sweep in goodness and sweep out lameness. 

See Clearly. Cleaning our windows after a winter of storms can be eye opening. We want to attract light, abundance, and joy. Dirty windows can’t let all that goodness in. Cleaning windows doesn’t just mean the glass. We need to wipe down the frames, the sills, and those little tracks that just love to collect dust and grime. You don’t need anything fancy to do this:

A sturdy step stool (if you’re short like me)

2 microfiber cloths

A spray bottle of window cleaner (1 part vinegar, 1 part water, and 20 drops of your favorite essential oil)

One cloth is for the windows, the other for the frames and sills. Again, working Widdershins, clean the first window with one cloth and then use that dampened one for wiping the sills, etc. On the next window, you’ll use the fresh cloth. If the cloth for the sills, etc. gets too dry as you move through your home, just spray one squirt of your homemade window cleaner. Again, because in Spring 2022 we’re releasing, you again want to work from the top down but also from the inside out. Keep your intention of what you’re releasing to make room for attracting goodness in mind whilst you clean your windows. If the weather hasn’t gotten the memo that it’s Spring, at least do the interior and save the outside for perhaps the new moon in Aries (April 1). I play music that allows me to feel free while I do this. Anything that’s meditative may just help you receive some Divine Downloads as you cleanse. I see you Virgos out there, you’ll want a whole playlist. You already have that playlist. Just go clean your windows, Witch. 😉

If you have blinds, this is a good time to wipe these down, too. If you have curtains or drapes, get them laundered, too. 

Refresh Your Sanctuary: It’s time to replace the flannel sheets and extra blankets with something lighter and more befitting of Spring. Strip your bed. Then sprinkle some herbal baking soda (recipe follows) on the bare mattress.  While you do the Air It Out Cleanse (see below) let the herbed soda remain on your mattress. Put your pillows somewhere they can also air out and get some sunshine. When you’ve finished your “Air It Out” go back and vacuum up the sprinkled herbal mix off the mattress. Be sure to dust and vacuum the rest of the room, too. Remember, work Widdershins. Be sure to empty the vacuum cleaner bag and dispose of as you would your herbal sweep (noted above). Put on fresh sheets, bedding, and make your bed. As you do this see yourself doing all the things you love to do in your bedroom: resting easily throughout the season, having your sexy time, or even cuddling with your familiars. Refresh any dream workings, crystals and other Magical Mojo you have in this room. If you have an altar in this room, refresh that as well. 

Mattress Refresh:

1 part baking soda

½ part crushed clove

1 part dried rosemary

½ part dried lemon balm

1 part dried lavender

½ part dried mint

I keep this in a “shaker” bottle for sprinkling (an old parmesan cheese container works great). 

Air It Out. Take some incense of your choosing (I love something like cedarwood or sandalwood in Spring), if you have some other form of smoke cleansing, this works as well. I have a small vessel that holds a cone incense and allows me to carry it easily as I move about. Again working Widdershins, open each window of your home. It does not have to be wide open, especially if you live in a climate where you’re still running your heater. Just a crack will do. Start at your northernmost window and work counterclockwise. Imagine again, all the negativity in your life leaving, and that you and your home are attracting prosperity and protection. As you move through your home, you could even say something as simple as:

I banish gloom and doom (insert your own adjectives if these don’t speak to you);

This is my will, so it is.

Move to the western side of the house, then the south, then the east. You will leave each window cracked until you’ve made your way back to where you started. By then the incense has likely burned down, if not, I like to place it at my entry way altar. You’ll intuitively know where to put it. Then working in the order you opened, close all your windows. It’s amazing how quickly you can change the energy in your home with this small and simple Magic working. 

Here’s a few more practical things that you can do for your Spring Cleansing:

  1. Change the direction of your ceiling fans. Counter-clockwise for the warmer weather to come (I hope you were running them clockwise during the cold weather to help bring the warm air back down). 
  2. Change the batteries in your Smoke Alarm. 
  3. Clean your refrigerator (that eggnog from Yule is long past its prime, darling). 
  4. Clean your cleaning machines: dishwashers and washing machines need cleaning, too.
  5. Replace any light bulbs that have burned out.  

There’s so much more that could be done. Do you have a Spring ritual you do without fail? If so, share it below in the comments.

I hope Spring brings welcomed abundance and new paths of enlightenment for all you. May the season bring you unexpected delights and a surer step into the future.