Recipe Sites

Recipes gallore! I am in a cooking frenzy! With birthday parties, multiple holidays (ah, the struggles of living in a home full of different religions...), school, and parties, I am constinantly in the kitchen now a days! I love it so much, though :) Cooking is so much fun! Lately, I have decided to keep a cook book full of favorite recipes I have collected. Here is a website with a few that I have tried and love! <3
http://www.magicspells.in/wiccan_recipes_for_samhain.htm
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/halloween/halloweenpartyrecipes_drinks_raspberryandrosepetalpunch
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/halloween/halloweenpartyrecipes_food_ricepuddingswithcaramelgalaapples
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/halloween/halloweenpartyrecipes_food_cookies_gingerbreadskeletons
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/halloween/halloweenpartyrecipes_food_soup_greengruelwitheyeballs
http://www.catholichomeandgarden.com/all_saints_day_recipes.htm
http://elainefindlay.suite101.com/halloween-seed-cake-recipes-a144337
http://www.unc.edu/~reddeer/recipe/rec_imbolc.html
happy cooking! :)

All Hallows

The night of All Hallows is fast approaching, and I for one can’t wait! A night of pure magick! All Hallows is by far my favorite holiday! So you could easily imagine my shock when I learned that my fellow non-Wiccan friends had never even HEARD of All Hallows. I was appalled.

All Hallows is a holiday Pagans celebrate. It means something slightly different for each religion, but I am not going to go look up what All Hallows is to each and every one of them. Instead, I shall just explain why All Hallows is important for my religion, monotheistic Wicca.

All Hallows is on the 31^st of October. It is a wonderful, but serious holiday. It is a day for giving thanks to God for his protection and love. It is also a day for celebrating being a Wiccan. This is a time of reflection and coming to terms with the things in life we cannot control. It is a time to forgive and forget, as the saying goes. We must remember not to think ill of the people who judge us, hate us, or fear us due to our religion; those people are simply uneducated as to what Wicca really is, or are too afraid of the wrath of their God to accept us. Tis not their fault, they cannot be blamed for society’s hatred of the unknown.

On this night, the separation between the physical and spiritual realities is at its thinnest. The veil is semi-permeable, meaning demons are at their strongest and spirits can visit. Protection spells are wise, to protect oneself from demon influence and trickery. The spirits are granted one night a year to visit Earth and mingle with the living, and this day is All Hallows. They are given this day so that they can see both the wonders of life on Earth, and the horrors. It is another way by which God keeps us from falling after death, like the Devil did. The spirits cannot harm anyone; they are pure and innocent, they wish you no harm. The demons, whoever, can be very harmful. Demons are the Devil’s creations, and their influence can cause some nasty side effects.

All Hallows is in some ways a serious holiday, a time to remember dead loved ones and serious thinking about one’s life. But it is also a happy holiday, a time to embrace Wicca and magick! All Hallows is, in my opinion, the most magical and important holiday there is, (this is not to say the rest does not matter, of course!) if only for the fact that there is so much to celebrate and remember!

Generally, black is worn on All Hallows. Black is dramatic, committed, serious, mysterious, containing potentials. It is a colour that represents the power behind a Wiccan, our power to be proud of whom we are, even when surrounded by judgmental, prejudiced people! It shows how committed we are to our beliefs, and how serious we take them. It shows that we are a people never to be understood by another. Only a fellow Wiccan can ever understand how it feels to be a Wiccan; no amount of theological research will ever make another understand. It shows that we are forever learning and perfecting ourselves, delving deeper into our religion and increasing our understanding of the Universe, the Balance, and by doing this increasing our power to help the world.

Other common colours to be worn include purple (for self-esteem, spirituality, transformation, nobility, and enlightenment.), white (for purity, divinity, and simplicity), and red (for excitement, passion, vigor, and strength. It stimulates, warms, and cheers.)

All Hallows is also called Samhain, Feast of the Dead, Feast of Apples, and of course Halloween.

Stability

This spell is used for emotional and mental health and stability. The rose hip seed oil is for healing, the bay oil is for insomnia, and the light blue candle is for healing, happiness, and battling depression.
Rose hip seed oil
Bay oil
Light blue candle
Dress the candle in the oils. Burn the candle down. While dressing and lighting the candle, and really just as many times as you feel needed, chant:
Let health and happy reign my soul,
Let all good things be.
Let weak and sadness end their toul,
Let strengthen harmony!

Book of Shadows

I recently began making my own Book of Shadows, which is a type of journal filled with a Wiccan's beliefs, spells, rituals, thoughts, and life lessons. It is actualy rather fun to do! And very easy. I just picked up a big hardback journal book from Biglots and started writing! I jot down things I have learned, the meanings of certain things, useful spells, and stuff like that!
A lot of Wiccans keep there Book of Shadows online for the benefit of other Wiccans. Also, depending on you type of Wicca, the Book may be keep public becouse its a clan work. I chose to keep mine private. I don't know why, I just feel it's easier to pour myself into the book if it isn't read by others. Besides, Wicca is supposed to teach us how to find our own Truth. Reading mine may be useful, but it won't necessarily teach you how to find your own Truth.
Thats one of the reasons I made this blog. I want to contribute to the Wiccan world, but I don't want to make my Book of Shadows public. So this blog is a collection of things I wish to share!
I will share my Book one day. I will pass it on to my future daughter or son. If I do not have any children then I will give it to one of my reletives. Preferably a child of my brothers', or one of my brothers so that they may put it on the internet for all Wiccans to use. I know I must pass on what wisdom and knowledge I have learned on Earth, I feel it is my duty to do so. So one day this will happen.
I have only just start out, and I am already finding that it is likely that my Book of Shadows will be many books. There is just so much information! I am having fun putting it together though :)
Blessed Be,
Domina Atramentarius

Vegan

I am a strict vegan. This means no meat, no eggs, and no dairy. I am also lactose intolerant, so definatly no milk! I also prefer to eat foods that are gluten free, sugar free, fat free, low calerie, and high in good-for-you stuff! Yes, I am a real health nut. Nothing makes a person feel great like healthy food! A lot of people think it's complicated to eat healthy, or that you would be giving up taste, but that is not true! Here are a few recipes that are super good for you, and super tasty! (Well, some of them I havn't tried yet, but they sound good and I do plan on trying them!) Some of the recipes are from my own cook book, but some of the are from http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/healthy-recipes/gluten-free/main.aspx

Gluten-free peanut butter cookies, yummmyyy!! :D Eating nuts tends to make me feel a bit sick, sense they tend to be somethered in salt (I can't have much sodium, it makes me realy sick). And recently, I got braces. So no nuts for me! But I have always loved peanut butter cookies! Here is a great recipe for healthy peanut butter cookies, super tastey and a great way to get some energy and protein in the middle of the day!
2 cups organic peanut butter
2 cups organic rapadura (powdered sugar cane juice. its yummy, but you can use any subsitute for white sugar, substituting 2 cups)
1 cup mashed organic banana (or your chosen egg substitute, substituting 4eggs)
2 cups gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, soy-free, vegan chocolate chips (http://thefrugallyrichlife.wordpress.com/2010/03/26/gf-gluten-free-dairy-free-sugar-free-vegan-homemade-frugal-chocolate-chips/) optional
1) preheat over to 350 degrees. grease cookie sheet
2) combine peanut butter, egg substitute, and sugar substitute and mix until smooth. mix in the chocolate chips, if desired. spoon dough by tablespoons onto cookie sheet (depending on what you use, the dough might be oily, but thats okay)
3) bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned. let the cookies cool for about 5-10 minutes before transfering to a dish. (depending on what you use, they may cook dramaticly faster/slower than 10-12 minutes! I recomend watching closely!)
This taste OMG SUPER YUMMYLICOUS!! I made a batch of them for a friends birthday party (she isn't a vegan btw), and didn't tell her they were so healthy. She is always avoiding my vegan meals, becouse she thinks vegan food is nasty. She tasted one, and immediatly fell in LOVE! When I told her they were vegan and gluten free (and dairy-free, mostly sugar-free and soy-free) she absolutely denied the possibility!

Florentine Artichoke Dip sounds realy good! I have never had it, but I love artichokes! http://allrecipes.com/recipe/florentine-artichoke-dip/detail.aspx Substitutions: make sure everything is organic, use vegenaise (http://www.followyourheart.com/) or some other mayo substitute, cream cheese substitute (http://veganbits.com/cream-cheese-alternative/), and cheese alternative (http://www.veganstore.com/product/960/vegan-cheese-and-dairy-alternatives)

By now your probably thinking "wow...that's a lot of trouble just for healthy food!" Well, fine, be that way. I could preach on and on about how wrong it is to harm animals, how icky it is to eat animal products, or even about how much more yummy these substitutes taste! But I won't. I only have 3 words that make it all worth while, and made my friend decide to become a vegan. 3 little words. 20. Inch. Waist. My cousin wore a size 4XL, switched to eating vegan, and now (1 year later, though I don't recall how fast she lost the weight) she has a 20 INCH WAIST. Trust me, the time and extra money is worth it!
Here are some more recipes, some I have had and realy love! Go to this sight (http://www.veganstore.com/category/vegan-food-items) to get ideas for substitutes, but they may not have every substitute. I trust you know what should be substituted (anything diary, meat, or egg)
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/amys-cilantro-cream-sauce/detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-guacamole/detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lemony-Quinoa/Detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cranberry-sauce-ii/detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/garlic-green-beans/detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/roasted-garlic-mashed-potatoes/detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Gluten-Free-Ginger-Honey-Crunch/Detail.aspx (I made this for my brother has a snack while he was at ROTC camp, he LOVED it!)
Happy Eating! :D

Random Thoughts

Tolerance isn't exactly the word I am looking for...but I am not sure what that word is. This post sort of ties in with my post "Freedom!". I do not believe in judging people or their actions. I do not believe in judging religions either. I am not God, therefore I do NOT know all things. Who says I am right in my religion? It is not to be known until the day I die, if then.

This person puts it nicely, even though I do not necessarily agree with everything said:

"My name is D and I am a….hmm….well, that’s the million dollar question, isn’t it? I know that I have a lot of pagan in me, and I think I am moving in a witchy way. However, I have much deep respect and love for prophets/messiahs of other religions. I was raised Christian and a part of me will never lose my faith in Jesus. So how can I be pagan and Christian?

Darned if I know. Its just what happened, I guess.

Briefly, the way I look at the world is that God is great and mysterious and also not only male. The easiest way to view that is to break God into God and Godess. Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed and the rest were sent here by God/Goddess to help us find our way back to the original Source.

Now, because God and Goddess are infinte, our little human minds need to break them down farther, into a size that we can understand. Hence, the many pantheons of dieties, all with their own attributes and wisdom, but all generated from the same Source. That God/Goddess from which we as well, sparked off from.

So all Gods are one God, and my Goddess is the One as well. And all of us are chips of light from the same source.

Lately I feel a strong pull towards Goddess energy. I want to find a way to relate to the female spirituality that absolutely MUST be there (somewhere!), and in the process maybe learn a little about myself."

I think this is worded wonderfully! Again, I do not necessarily agree with all of it, but it is a great example of the level of tolerance one must have! And the parts about the break down of God is rather intriguing. Psychologically, it makes sense. This is probably were religion stemmed from, and that is how we came to believe what we believe. The problem in this break down is we forget the "All made up of one central God" part. We get to caught up in being right, and from there comes pain and hate.

The part about Jesus and the others being sent as messengers from God is valid. They are sent to us to teach us how to find the Truth. Other Gods and Goddesses that are worshipped (in many Pagan religions) are just names for natural things. Such as the Goddess of Air. People give thanks to them, instead of thanking the being who made them. I don't worship other Gods or Goddesses, just my God.

The first thing I posted outlined my beliefs. I mentioned that I do not believe in Magick, which is true. Than I started using the word magick a lot. Perhaps I should clear that up a bit. I do not believe in reading peoples future, or levitating people, or summoning ghosts, or anything silly like that. Those are scams. I do believe in Magick though. If you apply enough will power, concentration, and visualization to something, anything can happen. Magick is all around us! It is the things science can't explain. Sure, they have theories to how the universe formed. But they don't know WHY. They have theories about evolution, but they don't know WHY it ended up or started a certain way. They don't even know how cells made the jump from non living to living! It's all Magick! Magick is a word I use for the things God does and what God helps us do. We can preform Magick, though we will never be any were close to as powerful as God! It all just takes learning, practice, and mental strength.

Sex. It is fun and useful. (I am a virgin, so I am assuming it is fun. I wouldn't know, and I plan to keep it that way.) I do not think sex before marriage is bad. The church tells us this, and it has tied into society as a common belief, because it IS bad. For the simple reason that you could get pregnant! If you get pregnant and your not married, he could leave you and you would have to raise the kid by yourself. It's just not a good idea. Your not going to go to hell for it though...

Well, that's enough random thoughts for tonight!

Monotheistic Wiccan

I did some research, and finally came to terms with what I am. I am a monotheistic wiccan! It is a valid religion, and many follow it. I don't feel so alone any more! What it means is that I am a full Wiccan, who believes everything of the Wiccan belief, but I am monotheistic, meaning I believe in only one God or Goddess. Which I refer to as simply "God". If you wish to read more on this sort of thing, please go to http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_intr.htm
It feels so great to know that I am not some freak now :) I felt what I believed was right, but I also felt kind of strange not knowing what it was. Now I know!
I AM A MONOTHEISTIC WICCAN! Woo :D