Erotic Cyn for your senses

The past two weeks have been very interesting to me. Why? Due to injury, I’ve been experiencing what it’s like to be alone and unfocused when pain hits. So I had to relearn some basic techniques in finding my center. One of the hardest things is finding your center, because it sounds so vague, so mystical. But when you discover what it is to you- you’ll discover a need to return to that state when times get tough. 

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Altars are not just for human or animal sacrifice. In fact, an altar is for communing in a spiritual manner to the universe and those whom we believe in. Some people have shrines, go to church, etc. Having an altar is a way of bringing the divine home and opening you up to your spirituality. More »

Recently, a fellow author and dear friend of mine, Michelle Hasker, showed me her article on psychic vampirism. What I loved about the article was how she dealt realistically with the subject. In fact, I’d recommend anyone who wants to learn about this type of vampirism to read her article and take notes. More »

This lesson is for a dear friend of mine who wants to learn more about shielding– both magickally and psychically. Many people talk about feeling pushed and pulled by people’s emotions and other things that aren’t seen. They wonder how can they protect themselves from this kind of incidental contact and prevent them from being overwhelmed. More »

I know I spoke a bit on this topic, but today, I want to delve a bit more into detail on the hows, whys and explain why there are some cliches that are found within the pagan community which will always be there. Everyone has a ritual in how they do things- in fact, for many in the US, they participated in a huge ritual on Thursday. That’s right- those who did a traditional Thanksgiving, have repeated a ritual that was handed down to them from their ancestors. Which makes you wonder- what is ritual and what place does it have in our lives? More »

It was what Prometheus gave to man, it brought them forward out of the darkness and into warmth- fire. Fire is a dual element in both nature and sexuality. Most view fire as a masculine element more so than female. Many of us think of Fire in a positive manner, one of healing, protection, warmth. Though we see occasionally the wildfires, the backdrafts that kill, this element leans more positively to people than most others.

I also consider electricity part of Fire as it takes electrical power– or sparks to be able to create the energy we use in our daily lives. More »

Though we can’t see this Element, we do see its effect on people, places, and objects. Air– we can’t live without it, and in some ways, it’s the closest to Spirit we come. All Elements are dualistic in nature- positive/negative, male/female, but in Air, we find a more distinctly male orientation in this Element.

For many, this Element is one of the mind– psychic abilities, intelligence, emotion and that of creativity. Air is one we see the results, not necessarily the process it delves into. Because of that, often, it’s easier to dismiss this Element as being part of the Spirit– which it is kin, but not exact. More »

I’ve finally decided it was time to start breaking my posts in paganism down the path I’m taking with putting together this idea for a book I’ve had. In some ways, the rougher versions will be here, allowing people to open up to many forms of learning. Today, however, I want to begin by discussing the elements.

Many people group the elements as 4 or 5 aspects. Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and sometimes Spirit. Depending on the belief system, you’ll see those listed. But many of us don’t really consider beyond the archetype aspects of the elements into a deeper look of what the element means to us and how to use it in our daily lives. Those who are pagan try to live a life of balance– not going one way over another if possible. We are caretakers of this world, the power within it, and of our lives. By learning more about the elements and how they can help us today, we’ll learn more about our own selves as well. More »

Mabon this year is going to be hard. Just like the other holidays, this will be my first without my mom. But this holiday is my mom’s and I holiday. We have always bonded over 2 things- food and jewelry. History, too–but not as much. For us, there was nothing like making food together or learning how to make some of our favourites while she talked about growing up. More »

This cheese recipe came to me from my gramps and verified by a Romuva member. I grew up with a cheese that wasn’t like anything else I had tried since. It was soft, pale, but my gramps would make it and flavour it in many ways. Finally, after searching his cookbooks and getting the information about Lithuanian suris, I’ve finally gotten a good recipe for this cheese. (I’m so excited!)

Ingredients:

1/2 gallon milk

2 Tbsp lime juice or white vinegar

Assorted seasonings– cumin seeds, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, dill, etc.

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Heat the 1/2 gallon of milk to a boil, then remove it immediately from the heat. Stir in the lime juice. Keep stirring for 2-3 minutes until curds form and separate from the yellowish whey. If they don’t separate, use another Tbsp of juice or vinegar and keep stirring. Once they separate, let sit for 10-15 minutes.

Then pour into a colander lined with cheesecloth, letting the liquid go down the drain. At this point, I normally bring all four corners together, twisting it slightly, to help wring more liquid from the cheese. I let the balled mixture hang in the cheesecloth another few minutes or until the dripping stops.

At this point, you can add in various seasonings, then mold your cheese into a container, or a specialized mold that you’ve bought, etc. Once you’ve put it in a mold, you’ll want to place a heavy object on it, to not only disperse remaining liquid, but to also help it to conform to the mold.

One thing to note- this cheese doesn’t melt much, which makes it good to make cheese sticks, and other goodies where you want the cheese to remain fairly intact.