Tuesday, October 25, 2011

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.

Monday, October 17, 2011

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.


_______________________
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

Saturday, October 15, 2011

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