What Witchcraft Really Is!

Witchcraft may be one of the faster growing spiritual belief systems in the world today, but there are still a lot of misconceptions and prejudices surrounding it. Some have been generated by modern films, books and TV programmes; these portray the Craft as anything from glamorous and fun, to a satanic devil worship of the worst kind. Other prejudices, and even fears, have a deeper origin in the propaganda of the Church of Rome which sought to superimpose its faith, along with taxation and political control, on the beliefs of rest of the world. As a result the perception of many people is confused, to say the least. The following is a brief introduction to Witchcraft, as it really is, and as it is practised by millions of people in the world today. Witchcraft is one of a number of belief systems whose roots pre-date Christianity and which come under the 'umbrella' heading of Pagan. Indeed, Witchcraft has roots which go back to Palaeolithic times, as illustrated by the cave paintings of our ancient ancestors. Having said that, the Craft is a living religion and has as much relevance to us today as it had to its practitioners in the past. We still seek healing of our bodies and minds, strength to deal with our daily lives, understanding and compassion to help us relate to those around us, and to develop ourselves.

So what do Witches believe and how do they express their beliefs? First, you have to understand that, unlike the more 'orthodox' religions, the Craft has no paid or formal priesthood; in the Craft we are each out own Priest of Priestess and therefore make our own decisions as to the expression of our beliefs. As a result there is no 'one true way' to being a Witch. This gives rise to a great diversity in our daily practices, and indeed enables the Craft to grow and adapt to the real world in a way that other paths find difficult because of their interpreted doctrine. Having sad that, there are many beliefs and practices that most Witches hold in common.

-From "The Real Witches Garden" by Kate West.

Homemade Shampoo -Day 1

I recently discovered that there are questionable ingredients in shampoo, and that got me thinking, and reading my shampoo bottles. Why are there about 30 ingredients in shampoo, and why can't I pronounce many of them?

Commercial shampoos are so good at cleaning our scalps of it's natural oil our bodies start to overproduce to make up for washed away oil. That is why we get greasy hair after going 2 days without washing. Our bodies are trying to do us a favour and make up for lost natural oils. When starting to use a natural homemade shampoo, you hair has to go through a detox, so it can find it's balance of oils again. This detox can take anywhere from 2weeks to 2months, so stick with it for about 2 months and see if you notice a difference.

So here is my recipe.

1/4 cup of water
1/4 cup of Castille soap (I got the unscented Baby kind)
1/2 tsp of a light oil (sunflower oil, jojoba oil, etc) I used sunflower oil, but think I will get some jojoba
5 drops of tea tree oil (kills bacteria, and if you work with small kids and lice is a problem this will kill them)
15drops of peppermint (i just love the smell of peppermint)

Mix it all together in a squirt bottle and use like regular shampoo. I am still using a commercial conditioner, but only because I haven't gone to the store to buy some ingredients for a homemade conditioner.


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Day 1-

So today was my first day using this, and my hair feels different. When I was rinsing it out, my hair felt "waxy". Not like it is coated in wax but it wasn't silky, and slippery when wet like it is with a regular shampoo. Which could be because other shampoos have ingredients that coat your hair to make it shinier.

My hair is also frizzy, for the first time in my life, I have frizzy hair but, it is also the first time my hair has had volume. I have thick, fine and limp, so this is kind of a nice change. My hair is dry now, and it feels ok, and it looks ok (apart from being slightly frizzy)I will keep you all up to date on how my hair is doing, and when I add the homemade conditioner.


Much Love

Marissa

Homemade Deodorant! (Yes, it works!)

Every since I gave birth to my first child, my body has not been the same. Of course, I have the same issues most women have, stretch marks, extra belly skin, and bags under my eyes from loss of sleep. One thing no one thought to mention was how the hormone changes might affect other things, like body odour. Yep, apparently a fluctuation in hormones can make you sweat more and stink more.

I was very embarrassed by this lovely little change, I was loading on tons of deodorant to try and combat it. It wasn't working and I started to become increasingly worried about the chemicals in it. I have heard that what is in deodorant can go into my body and cause problems, then I started to worry if it could be affecting my breast milk and hurting my babies. So I took the plunge and made a simple, cost effective, deodorant.

Recipe:

1/4 cup of Arrowroot Powder or Cornstarch - this is a thickening agent.
1/4 cup of Baking Soda
and 6Tbsp of Coconut oil (you may need more and they don't have to be perfect, just spoon it out)

Directions:

Mix your dry ingredients together in a bowl, then start adding the Coconut oil. Mash it together after each spoonful of Coconut oil until you get the right consistency. The easiest way is to use a spoon and literally mash it around, or if you have a Pestle and Mortar that would work perfectly. You want it to start to stick together, like a stick of regular deodorant would. You want it to become mold-able and caked together.

Once it is caking together nicely, you can add some Essential oils. I used Tea Tree Oil, it is a natural anti-bacterial. It is perfect for this, as bacteria is what causes our sweat to smell. I also added another essential oil for smell.

Add about 5 drops of Tea Tree Oil (it is very strong, you only need a little bit)
Add about 15-20 drops of an Essential Oil of your choice. I used Peppermint, so I smell like a candy cane.

Put your mixture into a small container with a lid and you can apply it with your finger in the morning, or you can put it in an old deodorant tube.

I have to keep mine in the fridge, or else it gets to soft and almost melts. I just turn the knob on the tube so the deodorant sticks up and place in the fridge, then apply like any other deodorant in the morning and I am good to go.

Hope it works well for all of you.

Much Love

Marissa

I Am Back With A New Look

It has been about a year since my last post, and life has changed. I have decided to change the look of this blog and it's purpose to envelop those changes.

Since I posted last I have had another baby, I had a boy, and he just turned 1 last month. He was born at home, in water, and weighed a whopping 10lbs 2oz. His birth was harder to stay on top of but was still really amazing and enjoyable for me.

As I said, this blog is taking on a new look and meaning, as I have grown this blog has needed to morph (plus, I am way to lazy to make a whole new blog) into what I need it to be. My life has changed so much in the past year since my son's birth, and as a family we are always trying to find new ways to live.

I am quite the crafty momma, and as such, I have been trying to find creative ways to make our life simpler and be more environmentally friendly. We are taking baby steps, but it is happening more and more every week.

Hope you all enjoy watching us on our journey, and I will enjoy keeping you up to date as best as I can.

Much Love

Marissa

It Used to Take a Village!

Let's go back to when our Grandmothers were little girls. They grew up in a home, with usually several other siblings. They would help their mother with chores around the house, were taught how to make beautiful meals, how to keep the floor clean, how to wash clothing (by hand) hang them to dry, starch them and iron. They may have missed out on some childhood, but children, usually only went to school until they were about 15 years old, then they worked or stayed home with Mom to help her with the younger siblings. Then you would get married and start a home of their own, and the transition wasn't a huge deal, because of the knowledge that had been passed from Mother to Daughter, and the help of female family members while she settled into her new life.

Now, most Moms still teach their children how to do those things, but here is where the difference comes into play. While the Father was at work, it was very common for Sisters, Aunts, Mother, Grandmothers, and your female neighbours to come over and help you with your chores, especially if you had a new baby in the home. They would do your dishes or help with laundry, and bring you a meal.

When you had a baby (even though the medicine surrounding obstetrics at the time was barbaric) you were in the hospital (if that is where you birthed) for 10 days afterward. In that time a nurse taught you how breastfeed your baby, how to change her, dress him, bathe her, and care for yourself. Then when you got home, you would find that someone had taken care of your other children, made sure they were cleaned, fed, dressed and attended school, and someone had prepared some meals for you.

I am not saying that is the greatest life, but at least the transition into becoming a wife and a mother was a little easier.

Lets take a look at today.

Today, we are in school for years and years. And, yes education is very important and I am by no means saying to leave school early. I was born in the late 1980's and in school I was taught and had it hammered into me that getting a career was the most important thing. I was taught math, science, history, politics, literature, writing, art, and other things. But I was never taught how to run a home, budget for bills and food, what it is like to have a child, how to stay organised, how to shop for a home, and many other things that make up living a normal life in Western Society.

When you get married now, you have to learn your role. I had no idea what it meant to be a wife, and I still don't and am learning everday. I was never taught or spoken too about how to live with another adult, how to budget together, and mesh our lives together. I was just expected to figure out how to do it on my own, when my grandmothers had been taught and given the tools for being a homemaker throughout their lives.

When you have a baby nowadays, most women do go to the hospital (I am not one of those women) and they are sent home with little knowledge of how to change a diaper, bathe a baby or how to breastfeed successfully. They are usually sent home after 12 to 36 hours, longer if needed for medical reasons. I personally wouldn't want to spend 10 days at the hospital but I would like to go home feeling confident and I don't think most women do. You go home and are expected to just rest a few days and then find a "normal" and do everything on your own.

Some family may come and stay with you, but mostly to see the baby. Some families are great and will do all your chores, and let you rest with your baby but those families are becoming far and few. If you want good help you will likely have to pay for it, a Postpartum Doula will do all the things that a village or family used to do after a new baby arrives.

All in all, I think we put a lot of pressure on ourselves as mothers to have a clean house, presentable children, and have dinner made for our husbands or partners the minute they walk through the door. But without the help of a village anymore this seemingly simple task, becomes nearly impossible.

So I am asking, if you know someone who has just had a baby, or seems tired and is missing sleep because of a sick, teething or cranky child. Offer some help, it may seem like a small task to fold a basket of laundry, or make her a frozen meal but for her it could really help relieve some stress from her life and give her a few minutes to spend relaxing or tending to her child.

It still takes a village, we just need to remember to help out.

Much Love
Marissa

DIY Placenta Encapsulation

How to Dehydrate and Encapsulate a Placenta

Things you will need:

• Tongs
• A spray bottle
• A veggie steaming basket
• cutting board
• knife (needs to be sharp)
• a bucket (an ice cream bucket works well)
• gloves (make sure no one has a latex allergy, I used gloves for handling food)
• wash rags
• soap
• garbage bags
• capsules
• foil or parchment paper
• something to grind the placenta
• 1 lemon
• 1 piece of ginger (about an inch)
• 1 hot pepper
  
• A dehydrator is handy but if you don't have one put the slices of placenta on a foil covered baking sheet in the oven on the lowest possible setting.
  
• Make sure all of your equipment is sanitized, this can easily be done using a water/bleach solution. To sanitize your equipment, wash in hot soapy water, then rinse thoroughly in warm clean water, then submerge in a sink with water that has a capful or two of bleach added to it for 30secs. Also fill your spray bottle with clean water and add half a capful of bleach and use to spray down and santize any surfaces where the placenta may touch or has already touched.
  
  

Once you have done all that, it is time to start.

Fetal Side

1. Take the placenta and put it in a bucket and rinse it off. You want to remove as much excess blood as you can and remove all blood clots. You can put them down the sink, it will be sanitized after you are done.

2. Cut off the umbilical cord and the amniotic sac. Do this on your cutting board. Throw out the amniotic sac, but save the cord as a keepsake (you will see what i mean)

3. Use a pot that the mother has (or you can get your own, up to you) and put some water in the bottom and the steaming basket in. You are going to steam it the same way you would some vegetables. With the placenta in the pot, put in half a lemon(sliced), your piece of ginger (sliced), and the pepper. It will be steamed for 15 minutes on each side. Watch it closely so that it doesn't boil over, I put the lid on the pot and simmered the water on very low setting, it is a bit messy when it boils over, trust me.

Steamed Placenta (smells like ground beef)

4. Once it is steamed, toss the lemon, ginger and pepper. Take the placenta out and put it on the cutting board (that you have washed sinced cutting off the cord) and slice into 1/8 inch thick slices. Try and slice it has thinnly as possible so it dehydrate faster.

5.a) For the dehydrator, cover with your parchment paper and put your slices on. Do the same if using the oven, just cover a baking sheet with foil and put on the lowest setting. It can take a long time, so check it at 5 hours, then every hour or so after ward.

Ready for dehydration process

b)Take the umbilical cord and if it is long enough find the center, double it up and twist it together. Then place on sheet or tray and shape it like a heart. Of course if it isn't long enough, just make a single heart. (this the keepsake)

Dehydrated and ready to be ground up. See the heart keepsake

6. Once dehydrated, take out and grind it with your blender, coffee grinder or by hand with a Mortar and Pestle (that will take a long time, but some people prefer it) until it looks like coffee grinds. Then encasulate it by hand or with a machine. I did it by hand and it didn't take very long. You will get about 60-150 capsules(caps size '00')

7. Put your filled capsules in a ziploc or jar, then pop in the freezer. The mother can take it immediately as long as she has no fever, or sign of illness. The properties of the placenta can make an infection go deeper. She can take 2 capsules 3x a day, or just as she feels is needed.

**Please note, this is informational only, consume your placenta at your own risk.

Much love,

Marissa

ps. Send me any questions you need answered, i loved doing this for my friend. I will post information soon on the benefits of Placental consumption.

My New Pink Button!

This is a pretty interesting topic, if I do say so myself. My New Pink Button, is a new product for women but you will never guess what it is for. Ok, I will tell you! It is dye for your labia, that is right, your labia!

I never thought much about the colour of my labia, I know it is darker since pregnancy and looks different since birth but never really thought about it in a negative way. It is just different now, like the rest of my body. But, aparently some women are concerned with the appearance of their labia so someone thought to make a dye for this "issue".

I checked out the website for "My New Pink Button"http://www.mynewpinkbutton.com/category/29754061681/1/Beauty-Product.htm and all the ingredients are FDA approved "individually" not as a whole. There is also no indication as to whether it is safe for long term use, safe during pregnancy or breastfeeding (since it can be used on nipples aswell). Also can be used on penises, but whether it is safe to enter the vagina also isn't mentioned on the site.

I am quite sad that someone is preying on the insecurities of women but it does make for good profit.

All in all, this is the most hilarious, and ridiculous product I have ever heard of. And I can only imagine the awfully painful, "rip-roaring", infections women and men are going to experience.

Much Love,
Marissa