Witchy Woman

Luckily, most decorations associated with Christmas are Pagan in origin.

Evergreen boughs remind us that nothing ever truly dies, and can easily be spruced up (pun intended) with holly berries for the Holly King. Wrap them around stairways, mantles, and windows. Don't forget a wreath for the front door for the Wheel of the Year. Ivy is another greenery that you can festoon your home with for fertility in the coming year. Speaking of fertility, don't forget your mistletoe!

Make a Pagan nativity scene (I really want to do this, but don't have time this year. Maybe next).

Candles everywhere! You'll most likely be making and blessing new ones for Imbolc, anyway, so why not use up the old ones? It's dark and dreary, and what better way to celebrate the festival of light? However, do use common sense and only burn them in containers in safe places out of the reach of children, pets, and other gremlins. Traditionally the colours would be red, green, white, blue, silver, or gold, but you can use any you like. For extra light, put them in front of mirrors and/or windows.

Display your Yule log before burning it.

Hang bells everywhere, especially on doors, for good fortune.

Santa Claus is Pagan in origin, and I prefer the traditional type of Father Christmas in the robes. Although I would recommend leaving out the modern concept of elves out of respect for the fae.

Don't forget potpourri! Cinnamon and pine scents are long-lasting, inexpensive, and festive.

Now for the easiest and hardest part, the tree. There are some commercial ornaments out there, but they can be fairly expensive and/or poorly made. Many of them I look at and think, "I can make that." If you are crafty, you can make your own ornaments.

Here is a list of common stores and companies that use "Holiday" and those that say "Christmas." Hopefully, you can support local businesses instead of big box stores, but not all of us can afford to, especially in this economy. They are categorized according to their websites, as I don't watch nearly as much live TV as I used to (oh TiVo, how I love thee).

Crate and Barrel (see Home Depot)

Home Depot tries to trick you with a Holiday section divided into Christmas or Hanukkah

K-Mart (second year in a row, at least that I know of)

Sears

Target

Wal-Mart (no surprise there)

Amazon, only mention of any holiday is for shipping by Christmas

Big Lots

Fred Meyer, main page has Holiday but ads and products all say Christmas

Frye's, no mention of anything, not even Winter

JC Penney, uses both

Nordstrom, one instance of Christmas and then tries to use Winter everywhere else

Office Depot, no mention of anything, not even Winter

Ross, one instance of Winter

Winco, tries to use Holiday but reverts to Christmas

Barnes and Noble (but Powell's is better)

Best Buy

Borders (Powell's is much more betterer)

Kohl's, primarily Holiday with a Christmas Sale

Lowe's (second year in a row)

Petco (hey, even our familiars need gifts)

Powell's, but we already knew they're awesome

To bust out the Solstice Carols! My favourite site is Willow Firesong's because there are so many, and they aren't anywhere near as bad as my recent filk attempt.

Let's start off with a heartwarming tale of terrorist threats. I love how they use the term "blasphemous" when the modern trappings of Christmas originated from us "filthy" Pagans.

Defend Christmas is an interesting website that isn't necessarily what it sounds like. It's obviously run by Christians and includes ways of making sure that "Christmas" isn't completely stamped out of public life. I do not agree with everything that they say, but they do emphasize not shoving it down other peoples' throats and how to include everyone else. While their agenda does make me uneasy, it is nice to see a non-rabid example of the War on Christmas rhetoric.

A 5 year old and his mom are harrassed by allegedly Christian women because her son wanted to dress up as a female character on Halloween. Halloween for crying out loud. The fact that it's a Christian pre-school is really beside the point, as this could have easily happened in a secular setting. Boys have been suspended for simply having long hair in public schools. Possibly my favourite quote from the post is:

I am not big on ritual as of late. Needing more simplicity in my life, I have been leaning towards hedge-witchery. I am wearing bright red, baked a bread, and plan on lots of knitting this evening.

Once it gets dark, I will light a candle that I will keep going all night (the trick is to put it in the bathtub or sink) and perhaps do some divination, most likely Tarot.

It's the Blood Moon.

I was recently accused of having a penchant for rituals. Um, I am a Pagan who was raised Catholic. It's not like I'm into high ceremony or anything...

Just a few tips on how to have a safe and sane Beltane.

Don't dance too close to the bonfire when naked.

If you do jump the fire, do so naked. Imagine all those dangling sleeves and flowing robes over a huge balefire. Despite your childhood fantasies, you do not really want to be the Human Torch.

When you find a cozy bush with your partner, make sure that it is thorn-free and not poison oak.

It is bad form to relieve yourself on the fire.

And please do not inflict any of the following on your fellow revelers:

13. Guy: "That ritual gown is skin-tight baby... How do you get into it?" Gal: "Well... you can start off by getting me a chalice of mead."
12. "Hey-hey, is that a magick mirror in your pocket - because I can see myself in your pants."
11. "If I said you had the body of a Goddess - would you hold it against me?"
10. "Hey babe, what's your sign? What's it's ascendant? What's your Moon...?" (*caresses your butt*)
9. "Read any good Llewellyn Books lately?"
8. "Would you like to come over to my place and get busy kickin' wytchy-boots?"
7. "Hey beautiful, your feet must be tired... because you've been spiral dancing in my mind all night long."
6. "Haven't I seen you in another life before?"
5. "Wow... You have the most beautiful third eye I've ever seen."
4. "So... do you do The Great Rite here often?" or "So... ya wanna jump the bale-fire together?" *wiggle eyebrows*
3. "What's a georgous Nymph-Goddess like you, doing in a Circle like this?"
2. "Yes, I'm handfasted, but that's not a "legal" marriage.... but we *could* go out in the forrest for a Greenwood Marriage..." *wink*
And the TOP BELTANE PICK-UP LINE IS......... *Drumroll please*
1. "Is that a Maypole in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"

Happy belated Zombie Jesus Day!

A friend of mine noted yesterday that the most popular Easter dinner involves ham... In honour of the death of a Jewish man. In case you're wondering how on earth that came about, it was the brilliant idea of a ham processing company in the 50's that wanted to sell more hams. And then there's the Christmas ham. Yeah, somewhere along the way, somebody failed at some point.

I got into a conversation with a friend about St. Patrick's Day recently. He is very into celebrating it, and I am not. We are both witches with Irish blood, so he thought that I was objecting to the Christian association with the holiday. Well, yes, to a point. But the deciding factors include the modern observation of it (i.e. the excuse to get drunk) and the lack of personal meaning.

He grew up celebrating it with his family, his mom making a big meal. For me, I just remember childish pinching. In my personal practices, Imbolc has more meaning for me in terms of my Irish heritage and traditions. And playing with fire is better than getting drunk, for me.

So it's not that I feel negatively about St. Patty's Day, it's more that I don't feel much about it. Effectively, it's the same to me as Arbor Day.

"The Chinese New Year — or the Year of the Ox — is fast approaching on Jan. 26.

One of the great traditions is to clean out the house a week before the New Year to "sweep out the old in order to usher in the new," according to Grace Young, the author of The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen.
Another is to make offerings to the kitchen god as a sort of bribe.
"The kitchen god is a domestic god that resides behind the stove and he watches over everything in your home," Young tells NPR's Melissa Block. "And the Chinese believe that the heart of the family resides in the kitchen. … The family always puts a food offering in front of this little altar that they have right by the stove."

The idea is that when the kitchen god goes up to see the jade emperor, his report will be favorable and you'll have a prosperous new year, Young says.
Young says that her grandmother used to put out a whole chicken because it represents "a proper beginning and end to the year and a wholeness of life on earth." Her grandmother would also put out roast pork — because it signifies prosperity — a stir-fried lettuce dish and rice wine.

Stir-Fried Scallops With Snow Peas And Peppers
Scallops, clams and mussels are regarded as lucky foods. The opening of their shells represents a fresh beginning for the New Year. This is a classic Cantonese stir-fry lightly flavored with ginger and garlic. You can also add 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes in the sauce mixture for a more fiery stir-fry. Serves 2 to 3 as a main dish, or 4 as part of a multi-course meal.

1 pound sea scallops

1/3 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons oyster flavored sauce

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry

1 teaspoons sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil

4 slices ginger

3 medium cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares

1 cup snow peas, strings removed

2 scallions, cut into 2-inch sections

1. Wash the scallops in cold water, removing any visible bits of shell or grit. Drain well in a colander and pat dry with paper towels. If there are any large scallops, halve or cut them into thirds to match the size of the other scallops. In a small bowl, combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce, cornstarch, rice wine, sesame oil, sugar, and salt. Stir until the cornstarch is dissolved. Set aside.

2. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Add 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil and the scallops, spreading them evenly in the wok. Cook undisturbed 1 minute, letting scallops begin to brown. Then, using a metal spatula stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, or until scallops are firm and slightly brown but not cooked through. Remove scallops from the wok to a plate.

3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon peanut oil, ginger, garlic, red bell pepper, snow peas, and scallions. Stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes, or until pepper begins to soften. Re-stir sauce mixture and swirl it into the wok. Return the scallops and any juices that have accumulated on the plate to the wok and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly and scallops are just cooked through. Adapted from The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen: Classic Family Recipes for Celebration and Healing, by Grace Young, Simon and Schuster 1999.

Good Fortune Stir-Fried Garlic Lettuce
Lettuce is a favorite New Year's dish because the Cantonese word for lettuce saang choi, sounds like plentiful wealth. This stir-fry is extremely easy to make. The iceberg attains sweetness from the soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine, and only takes three minutes to stir-fry. Bok choy is also delicious cooked in this manner. The best pans for stir-frying are a carbon-steel wok or a stainless-steel skillet. Do not stir-fry over high heat with a nonstick skillet. Serves 4 as a vegetable side dish.

1 medium head iceberg lettuce

1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry

3/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil

3 medium cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Core the iceberg and separate into leaves. Wash the lettuce in several changes of cold water, breaking the leaves in half. Drain thoroughly in a colander until dry to the touch.

2. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, sugar and pepper.

3. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Add the peanut oil and garlic, and stir-fry 10 seconds or until just fragrant. Add the lettuce and stir-fry one minute. Add the salt and stir-fry another minute, or until the lettuce is just limp. Swirl in the sauce and stir-fry one more minute, or until the lettuce is just tender and still bright green.

Adapted from The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen: Classic Family Recipes for Celebration and Healing, by Grace Young, Simon and Schuster 1999."

From NPR