Mulberries (Pagan Blog Project "M")

White Mulberry Tree

Mulberry trees have two varieties, White and Red.  Here in Arizona I have never seen a Red Mulberry, but the White Mulberry is very common here, and just a note from my childhood, they make excellent climbing trees :) 

Mulberry Trees are trees of protection; they are said to protect your property from lightening, as well as protect children, but their magickal properties do not end there; other properties include consecration, will power, divination and wisdom.

You can eat Mulberries freshly picked, infused in tea or tonic, or cooked in various recipes. The best way to gather the berries is to lay a sheet or tarp on the ground under the tree and shake the branches until the berries fall. Mulberries have excellent health benefits as they are full of potassium, magnesium, dietary fiber, riboflavin, and Vitamins A,B, and C. They are natural laxatives, diuretics, expectorants, ant-rheumatics, and analgesics.  Mulberries aid in lowering blood pressure, preventing cancer, preventing blood clots and diabetes, as well as aid in weight loss.

                       

~ ~ ~ RECIPES ~ ~ ~ 

Mulberry Crumble

Fruit Layer:

6 C Mulberries

1/2 C fresh orange juice

2 Tablespoons Kudzu or Arrowroot

1 1/2 teaspoon fresh spearmint or mint

2 Tablespoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon liquid Stevia or honey

Topping:

2 1/2 C fresh bread crumbs

1/4 C corn or flaxseed oil

1 C shelled, chopped pistachio nuts

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Combine the fruit layer ingredients in a bowl, then pour into a three quart casserole dish and put aside.

3. Combine all the topping ingredients except the cinnamon, and press on top of the fruit layer. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and bake for 40 minutes. Serve hot or cold, or even with ice cream... yum!

Mulberry Sorbet

1 pound Mulberries ( appx. 4 cups)

1/2 C sugar

2/3 C water

2 Tablespoons Chambord (optional)

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Pinch salt

1. Puree berries until smooth, add sugar, water, Chambord, and lemon juice, and blend until the sugar is dissolved.

2. Chill overnight, or place in the freezer stirring every 15 minutes until very cold

3. freeze in an ice cream maker. The sorbet may rise during the process, just push it back into the freezer with a spoon.

"L" Week 1-2 (Pagan Blog Project)

I have fallen behind on all my blogging (sigh). My main focus has been on my endeavor to get in shape and get healthy and my blog continues to fall to the wayside.  I'm doing a combination post of not one, not two, but several "L" mini topics to get caught up... again.

Lavender

One of my favorite herbs/flowers! Why? Lavender is a beautiful plant with wonderful healing qualities, it's purple, it smells good, it soothes and relaxes, it aids in healing headaches, insomnia, and stress, it can be used freshly cut, dried, in eye pillows, incense, poppets and other spellwork, in herbal elixirs, oils, soaps, bath salts, in tea, and even in icing and honey! Check out these yummy recipes!

Law of Three

This is the Threefold Law; it's actually part of the Wiccan Rede. The Threefold Law is the belief that whatever energy (positive or negative/good or ill) you put out into the universe will be returned to you many times over, basically it is karmic payback. If you want more positive energies/events in your life, put more positive into the universe i.e. kindness, positive thoughts, good deeds, charity, love, caring, positive affirmations, etc. It really works, I promise!

Labyrinths

Labyrinths have been used in various cultures all around the world for thousands of years from Native American, Greek, Mayan, Celtic, etc; they are used for meditation, reflection, and prayer. There are actually three basic labyrinth designs: the 7 circuit, 11 circuit, and 12 circuit; the 7 circuit labyrinth is the most common. The labyrinth is not to be confused with the maze; the maze is a puzzle and features many dead ends, where the labyrinth cycles around upon itself in a 180 degree turn at each circuit which shifts direction at each turn, and ends at the beginning. It is said that each time you shift directions in a circuit you are also shifting from Left to Right brain, shifting consciousness and aiding in balancing your chakras. Amazing, right! Each person has a different unique experience when walking the labyrinth; it can be a healing and spiritual experience... and each visit is different. I want to experience this myself someday!

Lepidolite

raw/natural form

Lepidolite ranges from hues of lilac, rose, and/or gray, or in some varieties yellow; it consists of silicate minerals, mica and lithium. Metaphysical correspondences include: transitions, awareness, emotional balance, meditation and prayer, Libra, the Third Eye and Crown chakras. It aids in healing depression, reducing stress, assists in cosmic awareness, intellect, removing blockages from past lives, aids in astral travel, aids in releasing addictions, aids in focus and direction, strengthens the immune system, and clears electromagnetic pollution. 

polished

Knights in Tarot (Pagan Blog Project "K")

Knights are about changes, action, challenges, and travel or movement. When related to an individual Knights represent young adults from teen to the young adult years, i.e. twenties, or someone that behaves similar to the age groups. They are more emotional, more innocent and possibly naive, more cynical and judgmental, and more energetic and spontaneous than an older individual; they are also more prone to anger outbursts, arguments and more apt to fight for their beliefs, etc.

Knight of Wands (Fire) may indicate exciting travel, exotic or new places to explore,  rapid change, perhaps flexing energy levels, competition, wild, impulsive, and/or unexpected actions, behavior or change. If this card represents an individual, this person is carefree, spontaneous and is all about the fun and attention. He/she may be headstrong, a risk taker, a bully or bossy type, selfish, undependable but can be fiercely loyal.

Knight of Cups (Water) may indicate water related travel, fluctuating emotions that may be all over the scale especially relating to relationships. If this represents an individual, he/she may be the romantic, dreamy, sensitive type, spiritual, artistic, a very moody emotional person, maybe prone to depression, prone to drug or alcohol use as an escape, and also a fiercely loyal.

Knight of Swords (Air) may indicate air travel, rapid thoughts, actions, or changes that seem to quickly appear and disappear, too much thinking, feelings of restlessness or boredom, an inclination to argue or stew, or something that is mentally stimulating. If this represents a person, he/she is very smart, maybe too smart for his or her own good, very talkative, logical, inquisitive, augmentative, and social, a great problem solver with a smart mind and sharp tongue that may cause problems for himself/herself. This individual may not stop to think about consequences or other peoples feelings before speaking but a great person to have on your side.

Knight of Pentacles (Earth) may indicate land based travel i.e. walking, hiking, cycling, etc., slow consistent steady change, action, or behavior. If this represents a person, he/she may be the type that has more than one thing going on (projects, jobs, studies, etc). He/she is very serious, studious and always looking to the future based on dreams and wants, but is not a planner and is unprepared for the unexpected. This person wants to fit in but not stand out, and will require his/her own space to retreat to. He/she is very materialistic and wants the best of everything and perhaps the type of person to have champagne taste on a beer budget. He/she has strong work ethics, very organized, but has a fear of failure.