Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Earthy thoughts . . .

Our Fire Sister has been after me for awhile to write an introductory post about myself and the Earth element.  It took me a long time to figure out what exactly to write about; why I’m connected most strongly to the earth, or how, or any other of what seemed like a billion ideas that occurred to me.

Do I start with the name I’ve made for myself - “greenchild” or that I’ve been a High Priestess in a far past life, and hung for being a Healer (aka witch) in a more recent one? I’m able to call upon that knowledge when I need it, but it’s not my focus in this life.  So then I thought, I can write about what IS my focus in this life that has to do with the Earth.  It’s still healing, that is what I do, what I am.  In this life my focus is on nutrition; getting back to what the Earth has to offer rather than what I like to call “FDA-approved non-foods”.  My son is my catalyst in this life.  He has special needs, and diet plays an enormous role.  Because of him, we follow what’s called the paleo or caveman diet.  It is quite simple even though it sounds complex – dairy-free, grain-free, legume-free, and nightshade-free.  That eliminates most of the Standard American Diet, so unfortunately many people are unwilling to give it a try – “life with no pizza, no cookies, no candy? You MUST be joking!”


homemade bacon, maple-glazed
rutabaga & parsnips, apple slices
Again, it sounds complex but isn’t.  We keep a garden in the summer; we shop in the produce aisle and eat whole fresh foods.  We got to know our local farmers and get antibiotic-free, hormone-free, grass fed, pastured meat from them rather than the grocery store.  The results have been more than well worth any trouble!  We visit ~*Fire*~ quite often, and we have an understanding – when we’re there, I take over the kitchen.  If anyone remembers the reality show Tabitha's Salon Takeover - it's like that: "I'm ~*Earth*~, and I'm TAKING OVER!" :)


roast turkey and mashed parsnips
with rosemary & garlic, spiced
cranberry sauce, apple slices
This allowed her family to sample the paleo diet on occasion and see just how easy it really is.  And you know what . . . LOL, they now follow it as well!  Does this mean the paleo diet is the “only” way to go?  No.  From what I’ve learned and observed – it’s best to get energy from one source  - either meat+meat fats, or grains.  But not both.  When meat and grains are consumed together, problems arise, both short and long term.  Of course, please consult with your medical practitioner, who will probably tell you I’m full of crap.  ;-) In the meantime, I've uploaded a pics of a couple delicious meals . . .

Does our food clog our spirituality?  I believe so.  When our bodies are filled with wastes and toxins, it slows things down.  Our energy is sluggish.  We have to work harder to connect with our spirituality and many find they *need* to do cleansing rituals first.  It’s recommended to always start with cleansing – it’s not just to cleanse us of our negative emotions, but of the negativity energy that builds up because our bodies cannot release it as easily as we should be able to.  A healthy diet free of toxins and wastes means the body can do what it’s meant to do instead of using too much energy to eliminate the bad: accept and utilize the loving, nourishing energy provided from the ultimate source, enabling us to better send that loving, nourishing energy back out to the universe to help those who need it.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Pagan Writers Press Anniversary Party - Etsy Shop Sponsors Giveaway



Whether you're a writer, and actor, a musician or a jewelry designer, its all a form of art. One of the most wonderful experiences I've had as an author is the outpouring of support from all different types of artists. I have befriended tons of other writers but also actors who are ready to signed on for the lead roles, musicians who are writing the score, but most especially, artisans who have come up with beautiful, original designs inspired by my work. Two of my most loyal supporters have been The Sisters Elemental and The Whimsical Pixie. From bath salts to complete altar sets, these two companies have been backing me since the very beginning. They have even sponsored a few products with other authors at Pagan Writers Press. They are already working on products to go along with Hyde, and I'm not even not writing it yet! When the girls heard about the Pagan Writers Press Birthday Bash, they couldn't wait to sign to sponsor some giveaways. The Whimsical Pixie even introduced me to yet another Etsy shop called S. Marie Essentials, who is excited to join the rank of supporters. Here is a little  info on each company, and the fabulous prizes they are adding to the party.

The Whimsical Pixie offers an array of unique hand crafted items for the altar, home and garden for practicing pagans and the whimsical at heart. New for Spring, The Whimsical Pixie has Sabbat kits, ritual kits and more to enhance your celebrations. She is offering two wonderful prizes to help you get ready for Yule!


Triskele Tree Yule Cards

Send friends and family yuletide cheer with this panel card showcasing a holiday tree comprised of triskeles. The message on the back reads simply “Merry Yule” leaving plenty of room for a personalized message.

These panel cards were designed exclusively for The Whimsical Pixie. The artwork was created by award winning graphic designer, A. Carney; holiday greetings written by this Pixie. They are offset print on thick 14 point paper with a glossy front and an uncoated, writable back side. They measure 5x7” and are perfect for framing. Envelopes are included and the set comes packaged in a clear, re-sealable cello bag. 
 Yule Ornament
This unusual ornament makes a great hostess or housewarming gift. Wishing you and yours a wonderful Solstice celebration...Merry Yule.

Translated millefiori literally means a thousand flowers. Polymer clay is used to fabricate “canes” of different designs; the cane can be reduced in size yet the design of the cane remains the same throughout. Thin slices are then taken from the cane and laid individually on an object to create something truly unique and beautiful. All polymer clay canes are made by me.

The Sisters Elemental offer natural luxury bath salts, cold process soaps, hand and body lotions, and other spiritual & inspirational tools to help you connect to the Universe. They hope you enjoy them as much as they enjoy creating them! Much love and light to you and yours, ~*Earth*~, ~*Fire*~, and ~*Water*~ 
 Morrigan's Enchantment Bath Salts
 Commissioned by Laura DeLuca to make something that will pull you in to the world of Morrigan, the main character of her to-be-released book Morrigan, we think that this combination will bring you to her world. A mixture of Dragon's Blood, Cypress, and Sweet Orange essential oils with an accent of Hibiscus petals will leave you feeling blessed by the goddess and wrapped in magick. Created by ~*Fire*~


Faerie Oracle Reading, Three Card
Made by Brian Froud, these Faerie Oracle cards are have an energy all of their own and can be very informative. Sometimes playful, the faeries will give a round-about answer to questions. 


S. Marie Essentials

The silver and silver plate beads (kind of a Yin Yang look to the earrings).  The Snowflake Obsidian is black with light patches that resemble snowflakes.   Snowflake Obsidian can enable one to persevere, gaining insight and attune to spiritual guidance/communication.  It brings wisdom, peace of mind and balance for the body, mind and spirit.  Chakra:  Root and Third Eye

The earrings are 2"long from the connection at the sterling silver ear wire. Retail price $14.95.
 
The bracelet will fit a wrist size 6-7".  Retail price $14.95

So there you have it! We have five different prizes available, and each one will go to a different winner! Winners will be chosen at random and awarded in the order listed. This giveaway is open to the US and Canada only and will end on 10/31/12. To enter just fill out the rafflecopter form below.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Want to know more about authors we're fans of?

https://www.facebook.com/events/356278771129699/359328834158026/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity

Looking for something fun? Want to learn more about some of the authors we have posted about?

It's Pagan Writing Press's first birthday, and they're throwing a party! Click the link above to join it!

Authors like Laura DeLuca, Anderew P. Weston, Rosa Sophia and many more are celebrating too!

You can ask them questions, learn more about their books, characters, and so much more!

Prizes, contests, it's more fun than a barrel of monkeys!

Jump on over there, and tell them The Sisters Elemental sent ya!

Don't forget we love to hear from you! Catch us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Sisters-Elemental/161754110593775?fref=ts

And visit our Etsy shoppe:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheSistersElemental?ref=si_shop

~*Water*~

Saturday, October 20, 2012

She was born from what???

This week we'll look at Aphrodite, or Venus. Essentially she is the same in the Greek Pantheon and the Roman Pantheon. For ease, we'll call her Aprhodite! She is one of my favorite Goddesses in many ways! She is the Goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and pro-creation.
 Legend says that during a battle Cronos cut of Uranus' genitals and threw them in the sea, and from this and the foam of the sea Aphrodite was created. This makes her older than Zeus, :) I bet he wasn't thrilled with this, LOL. Aphrodite was of course beautiful and had the eye of every man. The other Gods feared that she would, because of her beauty created jealousy and war. Zeus married her off to Hephaestus, who wasn't in the least considered a threat.

 Aphrodite loved many men, including Gods such as Ares. She is a huge player in the Eros and Psyche legend. She was also the lover of Adonis and his surrogate mother.

Turtles, horses, doves, dolphins, scallop shells, roses, swans and sparrows are sacred to her.

She wasn't the most even tempered Goddess out there, hence her passion with Ares. She loved a good fight, and a tryst of love. She may have been married, but she cheated more times than can be counted. She was lusted after by mortals and immortals alike.

When working with her, you can expect to feel loved and embraced. Remember she is your friend. I wouldn't get overly impatient though, as she can be quite tempermental. Enjoy her and be surrounded by her love. She has a healing quality, so all you need to do is relax and let Aphrodite take over.

Don't forget to visit us on Facebook at:   https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Sisters-Elemental/161754110593775

We love feed back, so remember to post comments, questions, etc. 

~*Water*~

Friday, October 19, 2012

Changing it up a bit...

This week I'm going to change it up a bit.  Take a break for this week from the Gods/Goddess blogs.  Like each of us, I've just had an off week where I haven't felt so connected.

So instead this week, I'm going to tell you about an adventure, that sort of is connected to an Earth based path, that my husband has just started.

This adventure started about 4 months ago when we went to the local strawberry patch, brought home ten pounds of berries and ended up putting some in a mason jar in the fridge.  We had forgot about the jar in the back of the fridge until we came back from our trip to Canada.  When we found the jar, it had sealed itself and was fermenting pretty good at that point.  Well, we decided to leave it to see what would happen.

Hubby called his sister, the wine maker of the family, and asked her what her suggestion was with the strawberries in the fridge. The weekend of my oldest son's birthday, hubby's sister brought with her everything that he would need... Including the carboy and yeast!

Fast-forward to tonight. Hubby took the jar of strawberries from the fridge, plus another two and a half pounds, put them into a cheese cloth bag, pressed the juice from all of it, added water, and some other dry ingredients. There is now a 1 gallon starter bucket of "I-hope-it-turns-into-something-good" wine on my counter.  This process is supposed to take up to 4 or 5 months to finish depending on the wants of the dear wine-maker husband. I can't wait to be able to try his wine because if it turns out well, I may just get him a carboy and all the supplies to keep making wine!

An Egyptian Priestess depicted with wine containers (on the left). I found this on vinetalk.com


Have you ever made wine or beer at home? Did you have good success? We'd love to hear from you!  Go ahead and comment here or scoot over to our Facebook Page! The Sisters Elemental Facebook Page.

~*Fire*~

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

The God of What?

The God of War! You may ask who the God of War is exactly.  Well, it depends on which pantheon you're working with.  In the Greek pantheon, it's Ares! That is who we are looking at today.

Ares is the only son of Zeus and Hera, although neither of the Gods liked their son very much. Like Thor, Ares is portrayed as a vigorous young man with a beard. The main thing with Ares, is that he's a very handsome God. The attributes of him are that he's determined, fearless, and very decisive. On the other hand though, he's blood-thirsty, and looking for a fight regardless of the consequences.


This is how I have imagined him.  The actor is Kevin Smith, the picture is a screen shot from the show Xena: Warrior Princess.


I find that I work with him the most when I have stress, conflict and confusion in my life.  It seems like through him, I am able to "battle it out" with myself. Of all the Gods and Goddesses that I have worked with, Ares seems to be the one that I find myself calling on the least. Unlike Anubis, Thor, and Loki; Ares comes on strong and fast so it takes very little time for me to start working with him.  I admit, when impatience on my part plays a roll in working with the Gods and Goddesses, Ares is there and ready to go for me.  Ares always seems to bring in something new and teach me something new about my dark side.  Even though he teaches me new things about my dark side, there's always a note of caution to not let it take hold.

Have any of you ever worked with Ares or the other Greek Gods?  We'd love to hear from you!  You can visit us at The Sisters Elemental Facebook Page!

~*Fire*~

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Happy Thor's Day!

Thor... What do we know about Thor other than he was the son of Odin and God of War, Thunder, and Strength?  Well, let's explore him...

Thor was generally depicted as a good-natured, careless, head strong, adventurous, and never got tired of trying his strength.  Not only was he associated with thunder, strength and war, he was associated with oak trees, hallowing,healing, fertility and the protection of mankind.

Now, I'd like to think of Thor as you see him when he's played by Chris Hemsworth. You know the guy, long-ish hair, lots of muscles... Something to drool over.  This is what I see when I envision him at least. But you'll find that he's usually depicted as a red-haired, long bearded man in his prime.  So the image isn't too far off.


When I am working with Thor, I tend to take my time.  Like with Loki, I really never know what I am going to get when I work with Thor.  Being that he's a God of Asgard, and even though he feels to me like he's impatient, he still demands respect, time and patience.  There have been times where I have been impatient with him and I get nothing.  There are other times where I have been overly patient with Thor and have been shown new visions or felt a completely new feeling in reward for my patience. He's really quite fun to work with, especially during storms!  The storms bring a whole new meaning to working with Thor! 

I know that I've only touched on part of Thor in this blog but I promise, you'll see more where this came from!  Maybe the next installment I make on Thor should be about his hammer that keeps the Frost Giants away?

I'm happy to read feedback and would love for you to come over to Facebook and visit our page!  The Sisters Elemental Facebook Page

Once again, Happy Thor's Day! ~*Fire*~