… but the health food store sure can!

Tonight, I dropped the girls off at Tae Kwon Do and dashed over to the neighboring shopping center where there is a health food store. I am determined, one way or another, to reclaim my health and as we are just about a week before Ostara (and more importantly a few days ahead of Gamer Dude’s monthly check) it seemed a fitting time to start making some major changes in what I’m putting in my mouth each day.

I bought a bunch of supplements. Green tea and chromium to boost my metabolism from its present slow as a slug rate. I plan to (hopefully) be able to have the caffeine in the green tea replace my morning coffee (and the fat and chemicals it contains). An omega 3-6-9 supplement for heart health. Nature’s Plus – Animal Parade Kid Greenz since with my digestive issues (no gall bladder and bowel adhesions) often cause any intake in greens to cause an increase in pain.  And I finally broke down and spent the money on supplements I can found in my research several months ago (Nature’s Plus – Source Of Life Green/Red Bilayer Tabs) because they contain all kinds of trace levels of whole foods.

I also bought some fat free strained Greek yogurt (love this stuff!), local honey (to help the allergies), an acai-pomegranate-cranberry juice blend, and some whey protein powder.  The latter two will be used to make smoothies for breakfast every morning along with frozen and fresh fruit I have to buy tomorrow at my supermarket.  I also picked up raw almonds (a few a day for “good fat”), Guiltless Gourmet Blue Corn Organic Baked Tortilla Chips, and some ingredients for some dishes I’m making this coming weekend.

In other news, GamerDude and I are talking again about a home business idea we came up with 5 years ago and, right now, this is looking like not only do I have to get off my tail and start blogging more regularly here again, but I am going to have a whole new blog/website to get up and running too.  Thus, my motivation for jumping on the bandwagon with both feet and trying to get myself on the path to wellness.  On the bright side, this probably means I’ll be getting a new laptop sooner as opposed to later.

Finally, my thanks to those who took the time to leave kind words on my last post, or who have held me and my family in your thoughts. Words alone cannot express how much it means to me.  The wonderful thing about the Internet (as was summed up in a recent episode of House) is that no one ever has to be alone again.  All of you …  every day … keep me from feeling alone …. and I love and bless you for it.

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:diet, health, life, supplements

The Promise of Tomorrow
~ Jamie Sams ~
“Earth Medicine”

The promise Creator gives us
Comes with every new day,
The gift of breath, the gift of life,
Opportunities in a vast array.
How do we count our blessings,
Through the choices life can bring?
Is it through joyful lessons?
Or the fears to which we cling?
Are we learning to show gratitude,
For the victories over human pain?
By honoring the feeling choices,
We grasp the will we’ve regained.
Can we change our focus,
With no need to defend?
Acknowledging joy and sorrow,
Without judging foe or friend?
Tomorrow promises the fullness
Of every human way to know:
How we master each challenge
Determines our balance -
reflecting how we grow.

*************

I enjoy collecting inspirational quotes, poems and various writings and when I find one that is particularly thought provoking or enlightening I post it. I hope you enjoy this Native American quote.

Bright blessings, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:native american, quote

A Recipe for Happiness in 2010

Take twelve whole months.
Clean them thoroughly of all bitterness,
hate, and jealousy.
Make them just as fresh and clean as possible.
Now cut each month into twenty-eight,
thirty or thirty-one different parts,
but don’t make the whole batch at once.

Prepare it one day at a time
out of these ingredients.
Mix well into each day one part of faith,
one part of patience
one part of courage
and one part of work

Add to each day one part of hope,
faithfulness, generosity, and meditation,
and one good deed.
Season with a dash of good spirits,
a sprinkle of fun, a pinch of play,
and a cupful of good humor.
Pour all of this into a vessel of love.
Cook thoroughly over radiant joy,
garnish with a smile,
and serve with quietness, unselfishness,
and cheerfulness
and you will enjoy a Happy New Year

[ author unknown ]

Good Luck Foods for New Year – a collection of recipes from around the world and different cultural traditions that are eaten for good luck on New Year’s:

• Long Noodles: Asian countries, long noodles are eaten on New Year’s Day in order to bring a long life
• Pork: many countries, including Austria, Cuba, and Spain, view pork as a good-luck food…pigs root for food, they keep their feet planted and push their snouts forward, signifying progress and future properity
• Lentils: lentils (symbol of coins) are eaten throughout Italy for good fortune in the new year
• Fish: North America, Asia, and Europe, people eat fish to celebrate the new year; people associate fish with moving forward into the new year since fish swim forward…others think fish symbolize abundance since they swim in schools
• Dark Greens: (color of money) greens such as kale, collards, and cabbage, are traditionally eaten on New Year’s Day because of their association with wealth and economic prosperity
• Black-eyed Peas: common good luck food in the southern United States.. thought to bring prosperity, their shape and abundance representing coins
• Pomegranates: eaten in Turkey and other Mediterranean countries for luck in the new year,  associated with abundance and fertility
• Citrus fruits: Chinese celebrate New Year’s Day, with oranges and tangerines to promote prosperity. This tradition developed from a play on words: “tangerine” and “orange” sound much like “luck” and “wealth,” respectively, in the Chinese language
• Grapes: At midnight on New Year’s Eve, revelers in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries eat 12 grapes — one for every strike of the clock and month in the year. This custom grew from a grape surplus in the Alicante region of Spain in 1909, and celebrates the coming of a sweet year.
• Round Cakes and Breads: Eating round or ring-shaped cakes, pastries, and breads is a popular New Year’s tradition in various countries, such as Greece (vassilopita, a cake containing a hidden good-luck coin), Italy (sweet panetonne), Mexico (rosca de reyes cake,) and Holland(puffed, doughnut-like ollie bollen)

Just for fun here’s a link to a comprehensive list for some of the good luck rituals from around the world:  Global Good Luck Traditions 

Wishing every one a joyous, healthy New Year filled with bright blessings now and always, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:good luck, happiness, new year, New Year traditions, New Year's

A childhood friend of mine who I’ve recently reconnected with on Facebook  recently posted a quote. Originally I thought it was something that she herself came up with, but a quick internet search (oh Google how I love thee so) revealed that it was first uttered by Theodore Roosevelt.

Now Teddy I’m sorry, but I added a line (in parentheses) because as I read the quote to myself a few times I kept hearing it spoken in my inner voice (yes I occasionally do in fact listen to the voices in my head) but I wanted to share it here because it is so simple a concept and at once so wise that I felt that I couldn’t possibly be the only person who found meaning in it.

“Do what you can
(when you can)
with what you have
where you are.”

Theodore Roosevelt

See what I mean? Simple on face value, but as you read it a couple of times the meaning, the impact, goes quite a bit deeper.

We can only do what we can.

We are all blessed with gifts and talents that are unique.

We are all beset with pains and limitations that are unique, as well.

No one can give more than 100%.

Can most of us do more to improve ourselves, our lives, our circumstances? Probably.

But, that does not mean looking at our friends, co-workers, neighbors, acquaintances, etc. and comparing our abilities and achievements to theirs.  They may have a better support network, more free time, better health, more financial security.  Their priorities are sure to be different, their needs as well.  So trying to compare ourselves to them will never lead to satisfaction and is generally more likely to lead to frustration than inspiration.

Instead, we should spend that energy means looking at our own situation and deciding what can realistically change.

This is not necessarily about letting ourselves off easy, it is more about being forgiving of and gentle with ourselves.  It speaks to giving ourselves the same benefit of the doubt, the same permission to be imperfect, that we would allow a friend, a family member, a loved one of any flavor.

Most of us live to one degree or another on a hamster wheel that requires that we keep pushing ourselves beyond the levels of our endurance of pain and exhaustion and stress.

And yes there are times when there is no choice – in times of true emergency, in times of tragedy – but it shouldn’t be an everyday lifestyle.

Because in running on our hamster wheel we lose sight of beauty, we lose out on small pleasures, we stop finding ways to feed our soul and nurture our dreams.  If we run long enough we wake up one day and find our life is half (or mostly) over and we have forgotten how to truly live.

Give yourself permission to do what matters.

Give yourself permission to be imperfect.

Forgive yourself your weaknesses and recognize your strengths.

Ask the Divine as you see it to bless you with

serenity to accept what can’t be changed

courage to change what can

and the wisdom to truly know the difference

Reinhold Niebuhr

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:inspiration, quotation, quote

Some of it is the depression that I’ve spoken of far too often.

Some of it is stress and fatigue related to poor sleep and a crappy job.

Most of it is simply a matter of being busy.  Keeping the kids shuttled to 3 classes a week at the Tae Kwon Do school, keeping up with various age levels of homework and projects, working, cooking, and the beginnings of holiday shopping.

I find that when the time comes to sit down and blog that I have very little to say.  I even missed yesterday’s blogging of my blessings, for which I feel incredibly guilty.

That being said, I have to realize that one can only pump so much out of a well that has lost its source of fresh water.  While I have no intention of giving up on the blog, I also have to accept the fact that I will probably continue to have very little to say until I start filling myself up again.

That means making my own health and happiness a priority.

I’m not particularly good at that.

But, I have 20 lbs to lose to get back to where I was only a few short months ago, and then even more to lose to get down to a healthy weight.  To this end my Yule gift to myself this year will be enrolling in the girls’ Tae Kwon Do school.  The classes they go to are Teen/Adult and I sit in the back and watch them.  For the same lost time (and a bit more money) I can get a work out myself, get fit and lose weight.

I am going to make an effort to journal again – with real pen & paper – so that I can get my griping out and make room for the whispers of inspiration.  I am going to make use of prompts to battle the fear of the blank page and I am going to take out my Tarot cards more often to tune in to Spirit.

I am, come hell or high water, going to start working on the book I dream of writing.  I am going to figure out a schedule that will allow me specific blocks of time (even if I have to start with 30 minutes an evening) where I can start to compile notes into some type of cohesive format.

I believe that by giving myself permission to do things I enjoy, that by feeding my health in body, mind, & spirit, that by making room in my days & weeks for study & faith, that I will find that the well will once again be full of sweet water and that I will be able to quench my thirst, ease my weariness and find my voice again.

In the meantime …

This week I am grateful for the continuing ability to feed my family.

This week I am grateful to not be on the unemployment line.

This week I am grateful for having the money to begin my holiday shopping.

This week I am grateful to be almost over a wicked sinus infection.

This week I am grateful for the approach of Winter and the time it brings to look within.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:depression, life, writers block

For those interested in getting involved in medicinal herbalism, chamomile makes a good first foray into the art.  It is readily available in any supermarket, has a long history of use, and has application for a wide range of conditions.  Additionally, it has an unoffensive apple aroma and a pleasant flavor and as a result makes a wonderful herb to use as a base when making an infusion that includes more potent herbs.

Chamomile can be used:

• to help alleviate nausea, including motion sickness
• to aid in relaxation before bed
• to help relieve cramps (stomach or menstrual)
• to ease the discomfort of arthritis
• to lessen the severity of a tension headache
• to soothe certain skin irritations  (as a paste)
• to add golden highlights to the hair (as a hair rinse)
• to ease discomfort related to colic or teething
• to lessen the severity of seasonal allergy symptoms

Additionally, chamomile can be used magically for purposes related to:

• healing magic
• love spells
• luck spells
• rites that invoke a Solar deity

Precautions:

• persons with allergies to ragweed may have a reaction to chamomile
• chamomile contains natural blood thinners and may be inappropriate for those with certain conditions or those taking certain medications

This was written as a compliment to a great new feature over at Clan of the Cats called Witchy Wednesday.  This new weekly feature includes sketches of one of my own favorite fictional witches, Chelsea (though after reading about her for like 9 years I feel like I know her), with a bit of comedic commentary about living a Pagan life.

Check it out!!!

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Sources:

http://www.gardensablaze.com/HerbChamomileMed.htm

http://www.altnature.com/gallery/chamomile.htm

http://www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail13.php

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-951-GERMAN+CHAMOMILE.aspx?activeIngredientId=951&activeIngredientName=GERMAN+CHAMOMILE&source=2

Note:  This article is for informative uses only and is not meant to be taken as specific medical advice.  As always, do not try to diagnose yourself, consult your physician or pharmacist before adding any supplement to your regimen, and be aware that any product is capable of producing an allergic reaction in some segment of the population.

Written by Mama KellyTags:healing, herbalism, herbs, magic

This past weekend, while lounging in the sun at the community pool, I did something I haven’t done in public in a very long time. I pulled out my tarot cards and did a reading. I used my Revelations Tarot (a gorgeous deck btw, worth getting if only for the uniqueness of the reversed designs) and a spread from the book Tarot for All Seasons: Celebrating the Days & Nights of Power
.

Despite the fact that Litha was only a few weeks ago I used a spread that the book corresponds with Samhain.

8 of Cups – Rev
Wheel of Fortune – Rev
Knight of Cups
10 of Pentacles
Page of Swords
Death

As always when I do a spread the first thing I look for is patterns. The fact that two cups cards appears in a 6-card spread would indicate that the situation is closely tied in to my emotional state. Having the Wheel of Fortune and Death cards being the sole representation of the Major Arcana for me point to change and upheaval (or a need for them to occur) and that these changes may not necessarily come by my own hand.

The first card speaks to my being mired down in a vicious cycle. My depression is leading to inertia, but part of my depression is triggered by the fact that I am not making any meaningful progress toward my hopes, dreams, goals. It points to my being comfortable in the hell that I know and scared to break free from where I am hidden and take risks again.

The next card reminds me that relying on luck when choices are required only works so long as luck lasts (and friends let me tell you that my luck has been lousy for years). However, it also reminds me that even the worst string of bad luck eventually runs out and the wheel can and will again turn in my favor. Fear of what may come can be wise in dangerous circumstances, but being afraid to take any chances at all has led me to the place in which I stayed hidden for so long. It is time to take risks again.

That being said, the third card points out that it is time to look within (and without) and appreciate all the blessings that I enjoy and to also look realistically at all the crap I am carrying around. It is time to resume work on purging all that no longer serves – hobbies, habits, activities, people, places, etc. that are preventing me from making progress on the journey I am meant to be on. Only as I “make room” in my life will I be able to find the “space” to work on the creative tasks that call to me and the spiritual growth that I have let slide for so long.

As I do this work the fourth card tells me that while the work will be long and hard that I do not need to do it alone. In fact it speaks clearly of a need to be willing to accept help, even financially assistance, if needed. It reminds me that security is about more than money in the bank (though certainly getting those ducks in a row can only help) but is also about gathering my friends and family around me and remembering that they are truly the biggest priority of my life.

The final two cards both show me hope for what is possible if I simply do the work. They speak of feeling renewed and energized, of endless possibilities for the future, of changes ahead that leave pain and sadness behind. Of course I have to be willing to accept those changes, I have to be willing to step out of my cave and embrace activities that challenge my boundaries and stimulate my mind and spirit. And with the help of the Divine, my friends, and my family that is exactly what I plan to do.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Want your own reading? – over 20 years experience, reasonably priced  (willing to barter as well, just make an offer)

Written by Mama KellyTags:tarot, tarot reading

I lifted this from Anne over at The Gods are Bored, who in turn lifted it from Jason over at The Wild Hunt who is quoting Pope Benedict’s remarks from a recent encyclical.

“There are certain religious cultures in the world today that do not oblige men and women to live in communion but rather cut them off from one other in a search for individual well-being, limited to the gratification of psychological desires. Furthermore, a certain proliferation of different religious “paths”, attracting small groups or even single individuals, together with religious syncretism, can give rise to separation and disengagement. One possible negative effect of the process of globalization is the tendency to favour this kind of syncretism by encouraging forms of “religion” that, instead of bringing people together, alienate them from one another and distance them from reality. At the same time, some religious and cultural traditions persist which ossify society in rigid social groupings, in magical beliefs that fail to respect the dignity of the person, and in attitudes of subjugation to occult powers. In these contexts, love and truth have difficulty asserting themselves, and authentic development is impeded. For this reason, while it may be true that development needs the religions and cultures of different peoples, it is equally true that adequate discernment is needed. Religious freedom does not mean religious indifferentism, nor does it imply that all religions are equal.”

Let’s look at this lovely little bit of prose ….

“There are certain religious cultures in the world today that do not oblige men and women to live in communion but rather cut them off from one other in a search for individual well-being, limited to the gratification of psychological desires”

I am a married woman, just recently celebrated my 15th anniversary in fact, and I am commited to staying married until the day that one or the other of us draws our last breath.  Not because I think that divorce is a sin, or because I feel obliged to marry as a fulfilment of my life’s purpose, but because I made a promise … a promise to someone I love.  We both agree that life will be hard and that there will always be times when we’re not head over heels in love.  But as friends, as lovers, as what we believe to be soulmates, that it … its us “till death.”  How dare anyone look at my marriage as anything but sacred.  How dare someone, a man who should be the ideal of acceptance … of tolerance … of love (you know those things that Jesus spoke of) belittle the sacrament I entered into as nothing more than “the gratification of psychological desires.”

“Furthermore, a certain proliferation of different religious “paths”, attracting small groups or even single individuals, together with religious syncretism, can give rise to separation and disengagement. One possible negative effect of the process of globalization is the tendency to favour this kind of syncretism by encouraging forms of “religion” that, instead of bringing people together, alienate them from one another and distance them from reality.”

While I would agree that the small group/solitary aspect of Wicca … or much of Paganism in general … can, and does lead, in some cases, to a feeling of seperation, or isolation.  In short, being a Witch alone can be quite lonely, it can be hard.  But it also does not invalidate my path.  Even if I never step foot in coven space again, even if I never step foot into sacred space again with others, I know what things I place my faith in.  And while I will confess to being eclectic, the Catholic church should fess up as well.  All religions that live, change.  They evolve, they shift, they borrow (or downright steal) elements from other faiths.

As to the accusation that I am in some way “distance(d) … from reality.”  I guess I can also confess that I believe in some strange shit.  Things like magic and reincarnation and karma and soulmates.  I guess you can cell them strange, but by that ruler you could describe some Catholic beliefs as rather odd.

At the same time, some religious and cultural traditions persist which ossify society in rigid social groupings, in magical beliefs that fail to respect the dignity of the person, and in attitudes of subjugation to occult powers. In these contexts, love and truth have difficulty asserting themselves, and authentic development is impeded.

There is so much wrong with these two sentences I barely know where to start.  Let me simply say that for a religion that embraces much in the way of magical thinking (transubstantiation anyone?) to call this harsh would be kind.

According to this:

• because I believe in magic, I have degraded my personal dignity
• I am victimized by my belief in magic, in psychic abilities, etc.
• I lack love and know lies
• I am less than I should be

While I pine, in some ways, especially as I cope with turning 40, about how far I have failed to come in my life.  It is not a result of the religion I chose.  I am not less than I should have been … Wicca healed wounds on my soul that my Catholic faith couldn’t touch.  But not because it is an invalid faith, but because it was the wrong faith for me.

For this reason, while it may be true that development needs the religions and cultures of different peoples, it is equally true that adequate discernment is needed. Religious freedom does not mean religious indifferentism, nor does it imply that all religions are equal.

As if it wasn’t bad enough, then they draw out the big guns.  My religion isn’t as good as theirs … they will grant me the right to choose my own faith, but they deem it as an inferior one, as less than equal.

I guess once you know that this is what he really believes, all the rest makes sense.

I was raised Roman Catholic.  I was even, for a period of time, fairly devout.  However, add my inability to understand why only men could be priests to my disbelief during the Religious Education class which taught that masturbation was as bad a sin as murder as both earned me a one way ticket to hell and you get the equation that led to my finding Wicca.  Granted its a little more complex than that, but those 2 moments of realization in my life led to my leaving first the Catholic church and the questioning that followed led to losing my Christian faith.

Despite that I have always maintained a level of respect for the position of Pope, much like the level of respect I hold for the Dalai Lama.  As a result I am truly sorrowful, though by no means surprised, by the utter lack of tolerance this excerpt illustrates.  I am offended, and a little bit hurt.

But, in the end, I don’t really worry about it as while many of his followers would name me a sinner (included and not limited to Pope Benedict), or at least a wayward soul, I think that Jesus himself would’ve been okay with who I am.

And as for God … the Divine … my Lord & Lady …

I know It/They like me just fine.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:Catholocism, paganism, Pope, religion

“I have made no secret of the fact that I am a pagan and worship Isis, which is but another name for Nature; in saying this, I do not deny the One God, the source of all being, for Nature is God made manifest.” –Dion Fortune, “Moon Magic”

and thanks to Weiser Books for posting this on their Facebook account

Recently I wrote about my thoughts on the Divine. The quote I share today I think sums up my thoughts better than my own.

When I experience a thunderstorm I am experiencing the Divine.
When I catch a glimpse of a rainbow, I catch a glimpse the Divine.
When I hear the wind whispering in the trees I am hearing the voice of the Divine.

Do I worship the rain, or the wind, or the sun and moon in of themselves? No. I celebrate them and acknowledge them as manifestations of the Divine. Much like how various stories, myths, theologies, and pantheons give each of us various means to commune with a Divine force that is for the most part beyond human comprehension, Nature gives us a way to experience the Divine every moment of every day as Nature is all around us, even when we feel that the Gods are very far away.

Just a little reminder for myself.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:god, nature, spirituality

My father still believes that God is a white-haired fellow with blue eyes, almost exactly like himself. My God is more amorphous, more of a universal constant, like gravity or magnetism. This constant doesn’t pick favorites; it simply flows into any opening we make for it. If Hitler had a kindly moment, a moment when, say, he felt like saving a kitten from a flood, I believe that God–barred from Adolf’s mind in so many other moments–would have poured into the kindness of that moment and helped the mass murderer reach the kitty. I believe that the line between good and evil doesn’t separate human beings into different categories; it runs through every one of us, and every moment is a choice: heal or destroy.

~Martha Beck
from her memoir
Leaving the Saints:
How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith

(emphasis mine)

Found this on Dianne Sylvan’s blog Dancing Down the Moon and just had to share it.  As a Wiccan I identify with the Divine as God and Goddess.  I use names that most of the population only use when speaking in terms of mythology or multi-culturalism to call upon It.  But that certainly doesn’t mean that I literally believe a woman with flowers woven in her hair is traipsing on the clouds with her horned lover.

The imagery that I use is merely a tool that allows me to more easily commune with and connect to the Divine.  I am fond of saying that God simply Is, and I am a fan of the Starhawk quote (and I am paraphrasing here) in which she replies “Do you believe in rocks?” to the person who asks if she actually believes in the Goddess.

In my heart I truly believe in a Divine force that supports us, and inspires us, and reaches out to us, and speaks to us.  I believe that it is a guiding force in the Universe and is something that is far beyond the comprehension of us mere mortals.

May the Divine bless you today, no matter what name you use to call upon It.

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:god, religion