Touch of Pagan: Litha - Summer Solstice

As always I preface this, with my usual statement.  You know my beliefs are those of many different religions.  There is no one religion that I practice, but pull from multiple to shape my beliefs.  If you cannot create a positive dialogue, and wish to bash or berate me for my beliefs, you will not be welcome here.

Today is a half-way point in the wheel of the year.  It is the celebration of the summer solstice, the first day of Summer (though, as I live in Florida - summer's been here a while already).  Litha, as today is often referred to is the ancient Germanic word for summer.  This is the time when the Sun God is believed to be at His strongest.  The Sun God is also known as the God of the Forest, and is often depicted seated on a throne of green wood.  It is ultimately from this, that the modern version of the Green Man has come about.  Also, during the merging of Christianity and Paganism, many visages of the Sun God wearing a mask of leaves were included in the architecture of early churches.  So, this is His day.

The themes of Litha are: sex, love, creativity, energy, luck, health and wishes.  

This is the time of year when, had I the means, would be gathering herbs and beginning the drying process. Why? Because this is the day that the herbs are the most potent when it comes to their magical properties.  Roots are to be gathered as the moon wanes and leaves and flower as the moon waxes.  Waiting too long after the solistice the herbs will begin to seed and lose potency.  Also, after each gathering or using any part of Mother Nature's resources, I thank the plant, and remember our debt to Mother Earth and Her children.

Had I the means, I would be performing my own Litha ritual, but as I'm still in the process of building my altar and acquiring things (as budget allows), and I am not near a spring (that is within easy walking distance).  I would be writing down a wish or perhaps two, adding them to my Litha inspired offering, such as a stone, feather or small flower.  Once that was done, I would meditate on the wish, keeping it focused in my mind and filled the offering with my meditation, it would be tossed with intention into the spring, or cauldron.  Once the spell was completed,ultimately the content of the cauldron would be emptied into a spring or other moving body of water.  As everything within the cauldron would be natural and not harmful to the environment, no harm would be done.

Here are some useful items for use on the Summer Solstice for your celebrations: 

Herbs:  Basil, chamomile, daisy, elder, pine, St. John's wort, tyme, yarrow, frankincense, fennel, lavender, and lily

Essential Oils/Incense: Frankincense, lemon, lavender, sandalwood, lotus, jasmine, rose, wisteria, and myrrh

Colors: yellow, white, red, blue, green, tan

Decoration: anything reminiscent of the sun, dried herbs, potpourri, fruits, summer flowers

Gemstones: Any green stone.

Foods: Mead, fresh fruits and veggies, lemonade, cookies and cakes decorated to honor the Sun, and of course plenty of ale.

Spellwork: Any maigck, but is especially beneficial for Animal Protection and Marriage & Vow Renewal spells.

Recipes and stuff: Can be found at the following link -  Litha Recipes

Touch of Pagan: Litha Recipes

As always I preface this, with my usual statement.  You know my beliefs are those of many different religions.  There is no one religion that I practice, but pull from multiple to shape my beliefs.  If you cannot create a positive dialogue, and wish to bash or berate me for my beliefs, you will not be welcome here.

Here you will find some useful  recipes for your own Litha (Summer Solstice) celebration.  Litha Incense, Orange Honey Butter, Easy Honey Mead.

Litha Incense

2 parts Sandalwood

1 part Mugwort

1 part Chamomile

1 part Gardenia petals

Several drops Rose Oil

Several drops Lavender Oil

Several drops of Yarrow Oil

Orange Honey Butter

2 tablespoons grated orange zest

3 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1-2 tablespoons honey

-Combine ingredient, chill until ready to eat.

Easy Honey Mead

1 part wildflower honey

1 part water

-Heat honey and water until mixture is smooth and 

honey is incorporated.

-Sprinkle rose petals into the mixture, let it cool.  

-Strain mixture (optional)

-Mix 2 parts honey water with 1 part grain alcohol

-Serve chilled over ice.

(Other option: Mix 1 part honey water w/1part vodka)

Buddhism: 14 Fine Facts of All Life

Another Buddhism post.  I focus on a lot of buddist teachings when I meditate, and this is no exception.  These fourteen facts are meditated on quite often, and there are times when I fall victim to any of these and find myself and more often than not I find myself struggling with them.  Especially the Ego, Envy & Jealousy, and a few others of the enemies listed.  However, I am also working on doing those things that are successful, beneficial and better for me to exemplify in life.

It is always hard to let go, to not be offended when things happen, to walk Untouched and Unaffected by things that go on in the world.  But there are always things that try and touch us, try and captivate our attention, and pull us away from what we are focused on.  I try and keep myself focused on finding my own inner peace and focusing on perpetuating the Buddhist teachings that I've adopted into my own religious beliefs.

What are some things that you focus on in your daily spiritual walk?

-------
The Fourteen Fine Facts of All Life:

1: The greatest enemy in life is: The
Ego...

2: The greatest deceit in life is: This
is Mine ...

3: The greatest failure in life is:
Narcissism...

4: The greatest acid in life is: Envy &
Jealousy ...

5: The greatest error in life is to lose
Self-control ...

6: The greatest crime in life is
betrayal of Parents ...

7: The greatest deplorable in life is
pathetic Self-pity ...

8: The greatest success in life is
correcting own failure ...

9: The greatest bankruptcy in life is
lewd immoral conduct ...

10: The greatest wealth in life is
health and understanding...

11: The greatest debts in life is
clinging and lack of purity...

12: The greatest gift in life is
Patience, Tolerance & Forgiveness...

13: The greatest shortcoming in life
is lack of present Awareness!

14: The greatest soothing relief in
life is Generosity & kind Charity!

Touch of Buddhism...Wonderful Precepts

So, I've stated more than once, that my beliefs are a mix of a variety of religions, and Buddhism is one that I borrow my beliefs from and enjoy greatly.  These are the Wonderful Precepts of Buddhism.  I share them with you, to know what it is that I have drawn into that part of who I am.  Comment, questions, concerns? 

Namaste
Martha

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I vow to cultivate compassion and to learn the ways of protecting the lives of people, animals and plants. I am determined not to kill, not tolet others kill, and not to condone any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, and in my way of life.

2. Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing and oppression, I vow to cultivate loving-kindness and learn ways to work for the well-being of people, animals and plants. I vow to practice generosity by sharing my time, energy, and material resources with those who are in real need. I am determined not to steal and not to possess anything that should belong to others. I will respect the property of others, but I will do everything in my power to prevent others from human suffering of other species.

3. Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I vow to cultivate my responsibility and learn ways to protect the safety and integrity of individuals, couples, families and society. I am determined not to engage in sexual relations without love and long-term commitment. To preserve the happiness of myself and others, I am determined to respect my commitments and the commitments of others. I will do everything in my power to protect children from sexual abuse and to protect families from being broken by sexual misconduct.

4. Aware of suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to the suffering of others, I vow to cultivate loving speech and deep listening in order to bring joy and happiness to others and relieve others of their suffering. Knowing that words can create happiness or bring suffering, I vow to learn to speak truthfully, with words that can inspire self confidence, joy and hope. I am determined not to spread news that I do not know to be certain, and not to criticize or condemn things I am not sure of . I will refrain from uttering words that can cause division or discord, or that can cause the family or the community to break. I willmake every effort to reconcile and resolve all conflicts, even small.

5. Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I vow to cultivate good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking, and consuming. I vow to ingest only items that preserve peace, well-being and joy in my body, in my consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family and society. I am determined not to use alcohol or any other intoxicants, or to ingest foods or other items that contain toxins, such as certain T.V. programs, magazines, books, films and conversations. I am aware that to damage my body and my consciousness with these poisons is to betray my ancestors, my pafrents, my society, and future generations. I will work to transform violence, fear, anger, and confusion by practicing a diet for myself and for society. I understand that a proper diet is crucial for self-transformation, and for the transformation of society.

Merry Meet...An Update

Greetings and may the Lady bless you this day! It's been a while, and for that I do apologize.  Things have been rather hectic, and now that I've moved and gotten settled and been able to get myself in a better state of mind (as I'm no longer swarmed by big city and the various stresses of dealing with too many bills and not enough money). 

Things are calmer, and I've been able to once more spend time meditating and focusing on centering myself and finding the peace that I need. I've been turning a bit more to the pagan/wiccan side of my beliefs because there are so many places that I can sit and let the world flow around me as I relax.

Lake City is a quiet little city, there isn't much going on here, but there are so many places that I've found and have yet to find that will allow me to focus and meditate on various things without the stifling characteristics of a big city.

I'm within walking distance of downtown, which means that there are events that happen that I can actually get to.  I'm finding my place here slowly but surely, it's been almost two months since I left Orlando, and I'm better for it.  There are still things that I need to find in the area - a PCP and such for various health concerns, but beyond that I'm loving this area.  I'm walking a lot more because that's my only option and the scenery for my walk is 100 times prettier than the walk I was making in Orlando.

The dynamic of people here is different as well - simply because people are nicer.  People were raised with different values here.  The racial dynamic is different as well - while Orlando seems to have a larger Hispanic population, Lake City has a higher African American population - so things are vastly different in how people treat others.  A prime example of that is - yesterday while my roommate and her son were coming home (on the back roads) from Dollar General at least four people stopped and asked them if they wanted an umbrella (as it was pouring), while they would have gladly accepted had my roommate not been in the wheelchair, it is still not something that normally happens in Orlando.

Hopefully, I will be able to start getting posts up more regularly, especially since I keep missing posting on days that I observe...OOPS!

Alright, I do believe that is all I have for the moment.

~Namaste

Martha

Equality and Me

As you all know I am a very passionate person and I support equality amongst the human race. I do not tolerate racism, sexism, or anything else that hampers the creation of a tolerant and accepting society.

This election has spoken volumes for those groups that certain parts of government are trying to silence or further discourage. Women were
out in large numbers to vote and in some new states same-sex couples can now legally marry and that is definitely a step in the right direction. 

Also, this election has proven that there are candidates that will do anything and say anything to try and sway the American people. However, if you desire my vote as an American citizen and a woman, cutting programs beneficial to ME as a woman is not the way to do it.

Back on topic, there has been am advancement in tolerance in this election with TWO states approving marriage equality. I know it is still a long way off in my state and many others but two more added to the list is better than none at all. Now internationally there is a country that is going to be facing this issue and it is controversial but it is one that is important in this day and age.
My support goes to the government in France and I hope that there will be tolerance and acceptance to marriage equality and those that hold incorrect stigmas of what "dangers" there will be if it is legalized soon learn the error of their thoughts. I am also sharing an article about the fight in France from the BBC.

French cabinet considers gay bill

I pray for strength and tolerance. For without these things true progress will never be made.

Namaste,
Martha

Upcoming Plans

In the next couple of days I will be starting a pair of series that I have found helpful to me and my own spiritual journey. One is finding strength in depression and the other deals with anger. There will be some meditation points in each of the days posted as well as Bible verses to meditate on.

I am also considering adding inspirational quotes from other sources as well but there will be a slightly more biblical focus to the posts.

I also have a slight backlog of posts to share with you including Samhein, All Saint's Day and Day of the Dead. I am passionate about these three occasions. So I shall be sharing information about them.

Until later,
Namaste
Martha