Winner of the Rune Set

Now to announce the winner of my Blue Tribal Rune Set!
The lucky winner is......(Drum roll Please!)

Wild Juniper !!!!

:D Congratulations!!!! The rune set is all yours!

Thank you everyone who entered! Don't worry I will do other giveaways, so stay tuned!!!

Givaway! - Rune Set

Hello my pretties! In honour of the blog reaching over 1000 page views NOT including my own, I am having a giveaway!
I wanted to show my appreciation to all the visitors and followers that support the blog. It's only been up for about two months and at the time of this writing I have over 1100 page views and 27 followers. I don't know about other bloggers but to me this is awesome and I'm so happy that people are finding the blog interesting and useful. The feedback has been great and I do want to continue getting them, good or bad.

So, on to the giveaway! I do some crafts such as herb crafts, stone work, glass work and wood work and I have just made my 1st rune set and I am giving it away to one lucky blog reader :).
The rune set was cut from recycled hardwood,  shaped, sanded, carved, painted and varnished by hand. It does include the blank piece (I know some rune casters don't like using it, but I wanted to put it in there in case the winner does).

To be entered to win you have to follow the blog (you can do that by  clicking the follow button on the right hand side bar) and by commenting on this post. Then I will randomly select a name by pulling the names out of a box. The draw will happen on February 17, 2012 in honour of the ancient Greek festival of Aphrodite and Eros (The pagans' "Valentine's Day").

Here's a pic of the rune set. It will come with a pouch.

Bonne Chance!

The Quickening Moon - February 2012

Well my lovelies, the February full moon is tomorrow (Feb 7th) so that will be today's topic.

I celebrate every full moon with my coven/group and if you only do one spiritual practice a month as a pagan, recognizing the full moon is a great (and popular) one to do.

Lets start with some Correspondences for the Quickening Moon:

Other Names: Storm Moon, Ice Moon, Hunger Moon, Cleansing Moon.
Herbs: Sage, Hyssop, Myrrh, Spikenard
Colours: Blue, Purple, Violet
Flowers: Primrose
Scents: Wisteria, Heliotrope
Stones: Amethyst, Jasper, Rock Crystal
Trees: Rowan, Laurel, Cedar
Animals: Otter, Unicorn
Birds: Eagle, Chickadee
Deities: Brigid, Juno, Kwan Yin, Diana, Demeter, Persephone, Aphrodite
Power Flow/Themes: Purification, Courage, Loving the self, Accepting responsibility for past errors, planning for the future.

In this moon, new life is beginning yet still dormant. This is the time when pregnant animals who are due to deliver in the Spring start to feel the quickening of their unborn young. This is also the time when gardeners and farmers start planning for the planting season. 

When I look at what to focus on in my full moon rituals I narrow down themes by also looking at the astrological timing of the full moon. This full moon's astrological correspondences are:

• Tuesday - dealing with conflict, surgery, lust, physical stregth, courage, politics, quickening moon
• 2nd quarter in Leo - finding of lost objects, finding truth in all matters, seeing what cannot be seen, short tempers, bad communication esp between family members, gossip.
• Colour: Grey
• Saturn in retrograde-  It's unwise to attempt sudden changes or to rush through things. Take practical steps and accept limitations while you take serious steps toward your long term goals. Saturn retrograde can cause you to become your own hardest taskmaster, limit your actions or leave you feeling blocked and pessimistic.
• 5th House - This is the house of self-expression through creativity.

My recommendations for this Quickening Moon is to do magic relating to stopping gossip, improving communication, boosting energy and clarity, or asking for inspiration. 

If you are celebrating in a group setting or would like an interesting alternative for cakes and wine, here is a recipe for a warm mulled herb wine that is great for warming us on a cold full moon night and a very yummy easy corn fritter recipe (I love the corn fritters!)

Mulled Herb Wine (serves 4)

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup boiling water

• 1/8 teaspoon rosemary leaves, crushed

• 1/4 teaspoon mint flakes, crushed

• 4-5 whole cloves

• 1 cup grape juice

• 1 cup dry cocktail sherry

• 1 stick of cinnamon

Pour the boiling water over the rosemary and mint; steep for 15 mins. Add the cloves and continue to steep the mixture for another 15mins. Strain; mix this liquid wit the grape juice and sherry in a pan. Place over low heat until hot. Strain, add the cinnamon stick and serve hot.

Corn Fritters ( makes 6) 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup self-raising flour

• 310 g can of corn kernels, drained

• 1/3 cup of grated cheese

• 2 eggs, light;y beaten

• 1 tablespoon of butter

Sift flour into a bowl. Add corn and cheese and stir until well mixed. Make a hole in the center and pour eggs into hole until just mixed. Divide mixture into 6 equal portions (1 for each fritter). Melt half the butter in a frying pan and pour in the mixtures to make the fritters. Cook fritters over medium heat for three minutes or until underside is golden, then flip. Remove from  pan and drain on paper towel. Serve warm.

I wish  everyone a pleasant and blessed full moon! Blessed be!