Author Archives: Via Hedera

Home Tea Brewery: Blushing Tea

It’s been a while since I’ve talked about my passion for tea making. In fact, tea crafting is one of the first things I began blogging about. I wanted to get back in touch with things I’m actually GOOD at lol.

This is hibiscus, rosehips and catnip. A favorite brew of mine that I haven’t made in a while. I picked up some rosehips from Tenzing and whipped out the hibiscus- which I usually put away until summer.

Hibiscus is full of love energy and sexuality. Rose hips are fruity and bring peace about. Catnip is a favorite among my group of friends and fellow tea brewers; it has a million and one properties in folk medicine, but for me? It just makes me feel so damned cozy and serene!

Looks like: a beautiful pinkish red

Tastes like: a tangy exotic fruit

Make some at home and add plenty of sugar or honey, it tastes wonderful cold or hot ^_^ enjoy!

Rose, hibiscus and catnip have folk lore all revolving around love, marriage and peaceful feelings, a perfect brew to share with a loved one.

Brighid: the Healer, the Midwife, the Poet

I made this statue of Brighid two years ago… I know it sucks but it felt cool at the time… lol

Brighid is worshiped or devoted to by many pagans from many traditions. I know people who see her as a goddess, as a symbol, an ancestor- many ways, many modes of thought. I think this is probably not just because of what she represents or what legends she is associated with, but because of the general atmosphere of energy surrounding her. For me, she’s always been a peaceful refuge. Somewhere to turn to when I need silence, warmth and to feel parented. It wasn’t until I enetered the blogosphere that I found people who belonged to paths like Vodou, Santeria, Hellenist paganism- who worshiped Brighid in her many forms. It was weird, I had never encountered worshipers of Brighid from those paths and it made my heart warm to see so much love and joy shared around the world for this spirit, this being.

Brighid the Healer is the spiritual founder of my tradition. I devoted to Brighid for a lot of reasons, but I decided to walk a path dedicated to her because I wanted to be a healer since I was a child. I wanted to study herbs, homeopathic medicine, childbirth, and all sorts of old folk magic associated with healing and protection; not because I believed everything I read or was told, but just to try, just to see what could work for me and make me useful in my service and devotion.

I think I connected so much to The Healer and Brighid the Midwife for a lot of reasons, one of them being my connection to her as a protector of children and mothers- two things I am very disconnected from physically. Carrying a child to term is extremely difficult and unsuccessful for me for medical reasons, so I have always felt this disconnect… this weird sort of exclusion from that aspect of the divine femininity within women. Sometimes I wonder just how female I really am because of it but I remember that being a woman isn’t defined by your ability to give life.

Caring for my bunny is about as nurturing as I get

I’m not what I’d call a very nurturing spirit by nature lol, I haven’t really developed much of a maternal instinct yet, but I’m sure I’d be a good guardian some day to whatever spawn I adopt lol. I hope Brighid will watch over me in that time of my life…

Brighid the Poet, who guides artists and the inspired is important to a lot of pagans apparently… me included. Art and artistic expression- in every form, is where my heart really lies. I don’t have a whole lot of discernible talents- I’m not a great painter, indoor gardens hate me, I’m a TERRIBLE cook, I don’t know crud about metal work, I’m not really big on the “typical market of witch-crafts” like oils, incense and candles- I’m not great at any of those things so I rarely try, and god knows I cannot sew, weave or spin wool worth a damn lol. I AM pretty decent at wood-working, hand dying, bath-salts, cleansing baths/floor washes, clay/ceramics, baking and jewelry making, so I guess it all evens out in some ways. I have great memory, I make pretty bad-ass tea, I’m not a bad writer when it’s my medium (fiction) and I can crochet like no-ones business.

I don’t have much going on, but I can make some pretty cool herbal pigments!

I’m limited in my success when I try my hand at all the various things I’m inspired to make, but when I am successful, it’s good enough for me and I try to always remember that talent takes many forms and has many outlets. That we are all of us struggling to find what we’re good at and more. I think artists like me and many of you out there connect to Brighid the Poet because of that fire in our heads, that divine flame that comes on when we imagine something beautiful and want to bring it to life.

Who knew Brighid was so loved by so many! Around Imbolg, before I blogged much, I read so many blogs that spoke about Brighid and her celebration, and all of them were different; wiccans, recons, shamans alike, all paying homage to her. What she represents is so universal, I suppose I can’t be surprises she’s so universally loved. You learn something new every day ^_^.

Switching Gears

My goal until recently, and for a very long time was to move down to Olympia so I could attend Evergreen State… I took a tour there ten years ago, my freshman year of high school and had decided that that’s exactly where I most wanted to be. I wanted so badly to live on campus, which is in the middle of a forest. I wound up opting to go to school in Seattle but I kept seeing Evergreen as my ultimate goal. Now, I’m not so sure.

When my partner went into his training program a few months ago, I knew it was going to change a ton for the both of us, but I didn’t think it would necessarily effect me so darn much lol! More and more we’ve been thinking about changing both our plans to better suit the future and our plans to move around a little bit and see the world. I still want to finish my last degree, but I think I want to hold off on moving south for a little while, and focus more on what i’m doing that’s making me so happy. Which is writing and working and witchery.

Blogging has been so fun because I haven’t ever had the confidence or interest in sharing these aspects of my life with anyone on the net. I’ve had a lot of fun making friends, making foes, making trouble lol. I like being able to be open about what I like to do and things I’ve always wanted to try, especially since some of my family and friends here at home read this and enjoy some of the memories I post about that they shared in. I wont blog forever, but I hope to keep adding ideas to this site and getting honest feedback on discussions. It’s been pretty cool learning about other people, meeting witches just like me and seeing the similarities and differences between my practice and the practices of others.

On another note: my oil failed! Accidentally broke the glass while handling it and didn’t notice the crack for a while, then when I checked on it, lo behold it was RANCID!!! This happened to me twice last year and a few more times the years before lol. I AM one of the clumsiest people I know and I honestly dislike oil, but I find it necessary for some of my ideas and practices. I think I’ve officially given up on the damned oil for a while. I am however starting a new project; more fabric dying! I had a lot of fun back in February dying fabrics with the newly emerging spring herbs and now that summer has come, there’s a whole lot more for me to play with and choose from! I like making dyes more than most other arts and crafts- dying paper, dying fabric- it’s so much fun seeing the odd colors that come from unexpected sources. This week, I try lilac and red alder. AWESOME.

Wildcrafting: II

Today was filled with amazing sights, smells and textures. We went up through the forests further Northeast and collected different types of decayed cedar bark, pine needles, salmon berries and all manner of awesomeness. There were more bugs and birds than wildlife, still wonderful.

Salmonberries were nearly ripened, they lay fresh on my path as gifts from the wildwood. I have no clue what to do with them… i don’t like salmonberry….