Weekly Reading -The Hanged Man, May1-7, 2023: It’s time to look at things from a new perspective. Let go of preconceived ideas and thoughts of how things “should be”. Doing so allows us to see things for what they are, not we expect them to be. There is much to be learned when we change how we view any given situation. Be open, be creative, and think outside the box. Your answers will soon follow.
Welcome to the Triune Moon February Newsletter! February is upon us and there are some many wonderful events, holidays, and a Sabbat to prepare for.
We start out with Imbolc, which is the halfway point between Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox (Ostara). We honor the strengthening of the sun’s warmth and light by lighting candles. Many include milk and dairy in their Imbolc feasts to recognize the fertility of the mother.
Brigid’s Day is also celebrated at this time. She is the Celtic Goddess of fire, the hearth, smith working, and fertility to name but a few of her attributes. She was so beloved that the Catholic church made her a Saint, and she is venerated as such today.
Valentine’s Day is on the way and what a better way to celebrate than by giving a gift to your special someone from my Etsy shop! My Love Come to Me Powder, Isn’t It Romantic Oil, and Own It! oil are 20% off. You can purchase use by clicking on the link below.
Or stop by the studio/shop at 51636 Huntington Rd., Ste 2, La Pine, Oregon and browse the goodies there.
My online classes in January went so well, I will be doing only online classes for February. You can sign up for these classes on my website Beneath the Triune Moon or by clicking on the class name below to register through Square.
Classes for February are as follows:
Shielding Basics – February 8th, 6PM
Creating and Using Wards – February 25th at 1PM
Don’t forget to schedule your Reiki session or a Tarot Reading (done in person or via Zoom or Messenger). Message me for availability or schedule your appointment from my Google Page or Facebook.
I’m curious? What would you like to see happen here at Triune Moon? Are there classes you would love to take? Workshops? Seasonal rites? What would you like the shop to carry? Are there additional services you’d like to see? Drop me an email at triunemoon@yahoo.com or a DM and let me know.
Triune Moon’s winter hours are still in effect. Shop/studio hours will be 10 to 3 Wednesday and Thursdays, 11 to 4 on Sundays. We also will be open the first two Saturdays of every month from 10-4.
These hours are for all in-person tarot readings, Reiki and Chakra balancing sessions, appointments, and shop times. The hours for Zoom or Messenger video tarot readings and classes do vary so message me for available dates.
As always, may your month be filled with joy and blessings. Have a terrific February!
Shielding is a skill that all magickal practitioners and energy workers should know and require proficiency in. Shielding Basics will give you the groundwork required to gain that proficiency. We will be discussing visualization, several type of basic shields, how to empower an object to act as shield, and how to maintain your shield.
This class will be held via Zoom. Link and course materials will be sent after sign up/purchase. Please be certain to include your email.
Click in the link below to register.
Click on the link below to reserve your spot today.
Photo by Gerd Altmann via Pixabay
Weekly Oracle Reading-Dolphin, August 29-September 4, 2022: The Dolphin embodies patience and shows how with time and slow determination you can create wonders, move mountains, and become the person your heart desires.
Dolphin also shows us that breathing is more than a means of supplying oxygen to the body but a tool which may be used to heal the body and soul and transport you to other planes. So, remember to truly breathe this week!
When the summer heat is in full swing and I want something cool and wonderful for dinner I think of such things as Caprese Salads, Pesto Chicken, and a light marinara sauce. Magickally, I am looking to spice things up and bring in some added prosperity and good fortune. What do all of these things have in common? Our Herb of the Month – Basil.
Basil has long been associated with Witchcraft, hence the name “Witches Herb.” This versatile herb can be for any magickal purpose from increasing wealth, calming quarrels, to bringing the user love and harmony.
In Witchcraft, as well as cooking, Basil is used both fresh and dried. Stir it clockwise in soups, stews, and sauces to bring prosperity and good fortune. Place counterclockwise on your Caprese salad to dispel gossip and quarrels.
Latin Name: Ocimum Basilicu
Family: Lamiaceae
Folk Names: Albahaca, American Dittany, “Our Herb,” St. Joseph’s Wort, Sweet Basil, Witches Herb
Energy: Masculine
Elements: Air, Fire
Planet(s): Mars
Astrological Signs: Aries, Scorpio
Deities: Ares, Eleggua, Erzulie, Hemphu, Krishna, Lakshmi, Vishnu, Yemaya
Basil is easy to grow, but it does like it’s soil toasty -don’t plant before the soil is 50 degrees, 70 is even better-making it perfect for warmer climates. Heat gives your Basil the start it needs, so plant your basil when the nights have warmed up as well. Without the heat, your basil will not flourish.
Basil prefers its “feet” a bit moist so well-draining soil is a must. Basil grows well in a greenhouse or even indoors with the proper light. It doesn’t require much fertilizer while growing, but a good starter fertilizer will give basil the boost it needs to thrive.
Plants can get quite large, reaching up to 24″ if you let them. However careful pruning and harvesting of the plants at around 8″ keeps your plants healthier, allowing them to bush more and send more energy to the leaves instead of the stalks.
One or two plants is usually sufficient for the average household. If you are like me and freeze and/or dry my basil in bulk I would suggest at least 5 plants.
Harvest your basil early in the morning by pinching off a few leaves on each plant. Your basil leaves will taste best before the plant flowers – flowering can make the leaves bitter. If you see flowers forming at the top of your plants, pinch or snip them off as soon as possible.
Parts Used: Whole herb, leaves
Basil is a versatile herb. It can be used fresh, dried, chopped, and crushed. It adds zip to your pasta sauces, brightness to your salads, and its mildly spicy taste can be blended into butter for the perfect summer spread.
Your culinary adventure can start by preserving your basil harvest by drying the leaves in a dehydrator or on drying racks. You can also use a food processor to finely chop the fresh leaves and freeze in ice cube trays for fresh basil any time. Another great preserving idea is to create an infused vinegar or oil for use in cooking. Take fresh basil leaves, slightly crushed, place in a mason jar and cover with either white wine vinegar or olive oil. Allow the basil to sit in the vinegar or oil for a week or two, shaking once daily. Then strain the basil out of the liquid and place the liquid in a clean, decorative container or back into the mason jar. Both infusions will keep up to a year when kept out of direct sunlight and excessive heat.
Of course, we can’t talk about basil without bringing up pesto. Basil, in my opinion, makes the best pesto. Add whole basil leaves to a food processor, filling it to the top, and then pulse lightly. Add in some fresh minced garlic and drizzle in some olive oil. Pulse again and continue to drizzle in olive oil until you get the consistency you desire. You can add pine nuts or walnuts to the finished pesto to give it some added mouth feel.
Note: The information noted in this blog post is intended solely for the general information for the reader. The contents of this post are not intended to offer personal medical advice, diagnose health problems, nor is it for treatment purposes. It is not a substitute for medical care provided by a licensed and qualified health professional. Please consult your health care provider for any advice on medications or before using and herbs or herbal supplements.
Medicinal Properties:
Used primarily in a tea, Basil has a long history of aiding such ailments as stomach spasms, loss of appetite, intestinal gas, kidney conditions, fluid retention, head colds, warts, and worm infections. It works well to ease constipation and lessen anxiety symptoms.
Basil is full of antioxidants, so including it in your diet will aid with the elimination of free radicals from your body. Basil, according to a 2019 study, may help to reduce high blood sugar levels.
Another type of basil is tulsi, or holy basil (Ocimum santum). This plant plays a therapeutic role in Tamil and Ayurvedic medicines, which are predominantly practiced in Southeast Asia. This is different from sweet basil we use most often in cooking. Tulsi has amazing medicinal and therapeutic qualities – too many to mention in this article.
I hope you’ve enjoyed our adventure with our Herb of the Month – Basil. May this post inspire you to try your hand at growing this amazing plant yourself.
Blessings!
Sources: The Way of Herbs, Tierra, Michael, Pocket Books 1998
With the summer heat now upon us, it’s time – no pun intended- to harvest some of our herbs. Here in the Central Valley of Oregon, things are a bit trickier, gardening wise, so we need to pick hardy perennials. With that in mind, let me introduce you to our Herb of the Month-Thyme.
Thyme is a member of the mint family. It is generally a low growing perennial, winter hardy to zone five. Leaves are dark, gray green in color and the labiate flowers are tiny and generally pink. Blooms in early to midsummer. There are many tiny oval-shaped leaves on each slender, woody stem.
Thyme comes in over fifty varieties with different fragrances and flavors. Fresh or English thyme are used most often in cooking.
A native of the Mediterranean, Thyme was spread throughout Europe and used frequently by the Romans. Their soldiers added it to their bathwater to increase bravery, strength, and vigor. It enjoyed a long association with bravery. In Medieval England, ladies embroidered sprigs of thyme into their knights’ scarves to increase their bravery. In Scotland, highlanders brewed tea to increase courage and keep away nightmares.
Thyme is also a purificatory herb; the Greeks burned it in their temples to purify them and so thyme is often burned prior to magical rituals to cleanse the area. In spring a magical cleansing bath composed of marjoram and thyme is taken to ensure all the sorrows and ills of the past are removed from the person.
It is said that places where wild thyme grows are blessed by fae, and due to this association thyme is often used in work regarding fae.
Parts used – Whole Herb
Thyme can grow in the ground or in a container. Either is left outside in wintertime. New leaves will emerge within the early spring. Thyme thrives in full sun and loves heat. Thyme likes well-drained soil as it doesn’t like “wet feet.” In the garden, plant with other drought-tolerant perennials.
It’s hard to grow thyme from seeds as they are slow to germinate and easily “drowned”. It is much simpler, and more satisfying, to buy the plants from a garden center or take some cuttings from a friend. Over time, you can propagate from your own cuttings.
Plant cuttings or young thyme plants any time after the ground temperature reaches 70°F. This is usually 2 to 3 weeks before the last spring frost in well-drained soil about 9 inches apart.
Space young plants 12 to 24 inches apart, depending upon the specific variety. They will spread out quite a bit so they need plenty of room.
Thyme does well in greenhouses and even indoors with proper grow lights and moisture levels. This is important in Central Oregon as are many micro-climates can make growing any herbs a challenge.
Thyme is used most often to flavor soups, stews, meats and veggies. I use it in my pasta sauce, beans and sprinkle it into chicken soup. It’s great on roasted potatoes, and even in fresh bread.
Thyme can be used either fresh or dried. Dried has a more powerful flavor so use less than you would fresh, roughly one third of the dried herb compared to fresh. When using fresh you can use the entire stem (remove the stem before serving) or remove the leaves from the stems and sprinkle into your dish.
Thyme infused vinegar is a wonderful way to add flavor to salads and veggies. Fill a jar with fresh thyme (dried can be used in a pinch but it is harder to strain) and then cover with white wine vinegar. Let the jar sit for several days to a week. You will know when it is ready when the vinegar has a strong thyme taste. Strain the vinegar and discard the thyme. Place back in the jar or a fancy serving decanter.
The information provided below is for educational purposes only and is not to be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Before using any herb medicinally, always consult with your physician.
Thyme is often used for acute respiratory infections including coughs and colds. It can sooth gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhea, gas, and indigestion.
Thyme is a powerful disinfectant and antiseptic when used both externally – as a wash – and internally in a tea or tincture.
Some benefits of using Thyme are:
Our Herb of the Month-Thyme, is an amazing plant. It is hardy, easy to grow, great for cooking and packed with medicinal benefits. May this humble yet amazing plant grace your garden and bring you joy.
Blessings!
Sources: Gladstar, Rosemary, Medicinal Herbs, a Beginner’s Guide, Storey Publishing 2012; Tierra, Michael, The Way of Herbs, Pocket Books, 1988
Energy Work and Circle Casting 101: In this beginners class we will learn about and work with the energy that resides within and all around us. You will learn the basics of circle casting and how to feel and “see” those energies around you.
This is a hands-on class, so be prepared to move and raise energy.
Click on the link below to purchase and reserve your spot today!
ENERGY WORK AND CIRCLE CASTING 101
(Image by Gerd Altman from Pixabay)
The Tarot, Runes, Crystal gazing. Most of us know of, or have heard about, these forms of divination. But what about Unusual Forms of Divination such as Bibliomancy? Daphnomancy? Augery?
In this class we will discuss several unusual, and downright weird, forms of divination-and maybe try one or two.
Click on the link below to purchase and reserve your spot today!
(featured image by Adina Voivu from Pixabay)
Amulets and Talismans have been used in magick for millennia. But do you know the difference between the two and how to use them?
This class will discuss the history, differences, and uses of amulets and talismans.
Click on the link below to purchase and reserve your spot today!
AMULETS AND TALISMANS-AUGUST 3RD
Bring your imagination and get ready to play in the clay! No experience necessary, just a willingness to have fun!
All supplies for the creation of one masterpiece are included in the price.
Click on the link below to purchase and reserve your spot today!
