Aubrey’s Green Tea Moisturizer

Aubrey’s Green Tea Moisturizer
Adapted from The Book of Green Tea, by Diana Rosen (Storey Books, 1998).

If you have very dry skin, or aging and wrinkled skin, this is a
wonderful daily moisturizer. The oils are superb emollients, the green
tea and lavender oils provide the astringent elements to keep skin firm
and smooth, and the aloe vera is a soothing agent and natural hydrator.
This formula is courtesy of Aubrey Hampton, the brilliant chemist who is
behind the Aubrey Organics body care product line found in health food
stores. Aubrey is one chemist full of integrity and you always know his
products are the safest for you and the environment.

Aubrey’s Green Tea Moisturizer

Apply lightly to the face morning and night, rubbing well into aging
areas of the skin.

1 teaspoon white camellia oil
1 teaspoon rosehip seed oil
1 teaspoon jojoba oil
1 teaspoon evening primrose oil
1 teaspoon St. John’s Worth flower buds
1/4 teaspoon citrus seed extract (grapefruit is suggested)
1 teaspoon milk thistle seed extract
3 tablespoons shea butter
2 teabags sencha
12 ounces tofu
4 tablespoons aloe vera gel
1 teaspoon flaxseed oil
16 drops lavender oil

1. Place white camellia oil, rosehip seed oil, jojoba oil, evening
primrose oil, St. John’s wort flowers, citrus seed extract, milk thistle
seed extract, and shea butter in a small, clean saucepan. Add the
teabags and heat gently over low heat.

2. As the shea butter melts and combines with the oils, press the
teabags with a spoon to get as much of the tea as possible into the hot
oils. When the mixture is just about the boil or the shea butter is
completely melted, turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool,
again pressing tea out of the teabags. The color should be a clear
yellow-green.

3. Place the tofu in a blender and add the tea mixture. Blend until
creamy and smooth. Add the aloe vera gel, flaxseed and lavender oils,
and mix until completely integrated. The final cream should be a light
oatmeal color.

4. Pour the moisturizer into clean glass bottles or jars and refrigerate
or keep cool until ready to use.

Now that the weather is warming up…

Now that the weather is warming up, we can throw open windows and
doors, sweep away cobwebs,and freshen things up!  Even if you already
use home-made cleansers,  here are a few more recipes that you may not
have tried.  They smell good and feel good to use, they are not toxic
to Mother Earth

Eucalyptus-Mint All-Purpose Disinfecting Soap for Kitchen and bath:

this soap can be used for washing dishes, floors, stoves, fridges,
sinks and hands.
5 cups grated castile soap
1/2 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon borax
6 cups hot peppermint tea
1 teaspoon eucalyptus essential oil
Put grated soap into a 3-quart stainless steel saucepan and add hot
mint tea.  simmmer for 15 minutes. on low heat.  Add baking soda,
borax and oil.  Store in a plastic jug or squirt bottle. shake before
using.

Anti-comet Grapefruit Scrubbing Cleanser

for tubs, sinks,  and tiles.
1 cup fine-grade pumice
1/2 cup clay powder
2 Tablespoons grapefruit essential oil
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup sodium lauryl sulfoacetate
1/2 cup boiling water or enough to make a thick paste
Mix all ingredients together and stir.  Store in an airtight
container.  To use, apply to damp sponge or cloth, and scrub.

Eucalyptus, Lavender and Tea Tree Spray
for general cleaning duties to disinfect surfaces
1 teaspoon sodium lauryl sulfoacetate
1 teaspoon borax
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 cups hot water
1/4 teaspoon eucalyptus essential oil
1/4 teaspoon lavender essential oil
3 drops tea tree essential oil
Mix all ingredients together and stir until dry ingredients dissolve.
Pour into spray bottle for use and long-term storage.

Lemon-Mint Window Wash
juice from one fresh lemon
2 cups water or club soda
1/2 teaspoon peppermint essential oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Mix and pour into plastic spray bottle. Shake before using.

A good source for ingredients is http://www.wellnaturally.com located in
Vancouver

BB,
Galaxy

Why Witches Work In A Circle

Why Witches Work In A Circle

“All energy moves in a circular manner, that is, in a spiral. We represent energy as moving in waves, but a wave is actually a two-dimensional image of a three-dimensional configuration. (If you can’t picture this, take a spring and uncoil it slightly, or wind some wire or a twist tie around a pencil, then pull it off.  Squint at the coil or spring, or look at its shadow, and you’ll see that, in two dimensions, it looks like a wave.)  So, by working within a circle, you are working within the greater model of how energy moves in the Universe. From the invisible quantum level of subatomic particles whirling in their orbits, to the glory of galaxies spinning in theirs, the Universe moves in circles.

“When you work with energy within a circle you are working in harmony with the organic flow of all energies.   That’s how magic works – you learn from Nature and harness the natural flow of energies in the Universe.  A circle symbolizes infinity, for it has neither a beginning nor an ending.  When we say that ‘Our circle is cast – we are between the worlds’, the means that our circle is actually a nexus joining the worlds of spirit and matter, divine and human – it is the point of connection between the two.  A circle joins the infinite with the immediate – and literally shows us the meaning of the old occult maxim, ‘As above, so below.’

“We work in a circle because we live in the eternal circle of life – the cycles of the seasons, the Moon, the Sun, the tides, and the heavens moving above us.  Working within a circle helps our psyches attune to the natural rhythms of divine energy that animate and regulate the order of the natural world.  As we work within the circle, and as we study Nature, we see how its cycles relate to the cycles of our own lives, and we begin to recognize divine patterns of change and transformation at play ….

“When you take your place in a circle, the physical shape – the roundness – literally and immediately changes the energy dynamics with which we have been conditioned to approach spirituality.  When we work together in a circle we create a new model of social relationships.  In the old biblical traditions, the passive parishioner sits in a pew, and is subordinate to the spiritual professional at the podium, who is subordinate to the transcendental God in his heaven above.  The structure of the church reflects the power relationships, and the energy dynamics, of patriarchy.  But everyone is equal in a circle – there is no elevated podium separating the Priestess and Priest from the rest of the community, and no hierarchy between you and the Divine.

“The shape of the circle also places each individual within view of everyone else, so just by participating in this simple organic form we create an immediate intimacy, connection, and sense of community.  And even in some of the enormous circles that I have participated in, with hundreds of people, the circle connects everyone present – it creates community.

“And indeed, the physical shape of a circle facilitates the movement of energy, for just as cooking pots are round to provide for equal distribution of heat throughout whatever is being prepared, a circle distributes divine energy equally throughout the practitioners, though each of us responds in uniquely personal ways.”

Excerpt from Witch Crafting by Phyllis Curott

Shamans Bundle

The Shamans bundle is sacred.  It is used for journeying and ritual.

What is in your bundle carries meaning and power for the individual.

The four elements – A representation of each, what calls to you

Air – could be a feather, or special candle, or what ever else calls to you

Fire – could be crystal, or a piece of coal, a burnt piece of wood, or what ever else calls to you

Water – could be a small bottle of water, or a stone or pebble, or what ever else calls

Earth – could be earth from the ground, pebble/stone, or dried flowers, or again, what ever calls

Drum

Rattle

Sweet grass or incense

as well as other objects you find or are told by your guides to collect