Created as an offering to Hekate Phosphoros November 2012

By Mme. Hummingbird

Hekate Phosphoros Incense Recipe.

I am giving approx measurements.

Begin on the new moon (around November 16^th would be good but work with what you have of course!)

Large handful of dark juniper berries (bruised and mashed)

½ a vanilla bean chopped into small pieces

2 tablespoons of frankincense (small tears and powder)

Tablspn of Myrrh (in small tears)

Teaspn cardamom powder

3 pods of star anise crushed

a sprig of juniper (cut in small bits)

3 drops of wormwood EO

6 drops of oakmoss EO

6 drops of Cypress EO

6 drops of Pine EO

a drizzle of Vetiver EO

1-3 chopped/sliced figs (dried unsweetened) and sweet wine to cover in a bowl)

3 shade dried fig leaves (crumbled, stems removed)

a drizzle of honey

myrrh powder (about a tablespoon)

Mugwort dry herb(approx a tablespoon.)

Pinch of saffron -or suitable alternative (I’ve used calendula, when saffron is not available)

Begin under the new moon.

Try your best to source ingredients locally and at specific places; crossroads, seaside, in liminal places, for instance I gather my mugwort at a crossroad, but many I order or get from work. Make sure you know what you are gathering.

I gather figs that have fallen and dried on the tree and it may be best to cut them in small pieces while they are not covered in wine, or you could mash them by hand when wet, which is what I do. Let the figs soak in the wine for about 3 days. Let them sit on your altar to Hekate or give them their own place to soak. Then mash them up to a paste.

Add all the dry ingredients first (saving the myrrh powder), spread it out flat on a plate-then add the essential oils, mix well. Add the fig mix and a drizzle of honey, mix well, then add the powdered myrrh. Let it set till the full moon preferably in altar space.

To note: as you mix your ingredients and as you work, chant to Hekate and putting in your prayers to the incense is part of the work.

Dance to Hekate

Dance To hekate


Living, Death, Rebirth-
through Heaven, Sea and Earth.
Through Darkness and Shadow~
We seek what we know.

Dancing in Darkness- Dancing on Graves~
Hidden in Caverns, crawling in caves.

Cutting through Chaos,
finding the Lost~
Where 3 Roads Cross.

Death seeks to Devour~
The Primal-Power~
Hidden in the moss.

Living, Death, Reborn-
In the Light we do not Mourn.

Triple Way, Paths revealed,
Dancing in Darkness - You Heal.
Let us see now the Way~

Hekate! Hekate! Hekate!

-Madame Hummingbird

New Time

Cut away doubt and self loathing,

Cut away greed and frustration.

Clear the land of foul thought~

break the rock of their foundation

Monuments of poverty stand in city places

Woe has filled the spirit of many faces.

When our only respite is Death

The earth needs new Breath

When all hope has been taken;

Dance, till their spirits awaken.

Hummingbird

Adventure Thursday.

Typically, on Thursdays, I like to create a little adventure for myself (and, sometimes, others around me ;) Just
yesterday morning I got an email from the site findagrave requesting that I find, and photograph 3 headstones in a local cemetery. So I grab my friend Colette, who is also a joyful adventurer . We headed in our festive finery to the Holy Ghost Cemetery to snap pics, take a quiet stroll and muse over the obscene amount of nettles and other stinging/stabbing plants in this cemetery.

You see, this cemetery

has always been a target for mischief and midnight marauders. Headstones are moved and pushed over, some are completely destroyed and some, you find, have been lovingly handmade, with painted Mother Marys, Angels and/or Saints bought at the Garden store, and names carved in tiles to remember those buried here. Cactus, Nettle and thistles are ABUNDANT. I assume they where planted on purpose, to make sure people who come to the cemetery, pay attention and watch their step.

Colette and I are brainstorming ways to clean up the place a bit, maybe have a garbage pick up,

or pull some of the more obtrusive weeds. Then Colette suggests we head to the Holy Spirit Church to talk to the caretaker of the place, after all, someone does come here every morning to open the gates, and at dusk to lock them up. So two witches find their way to Holy Spirit Church.

We ask questions, how do we find out where someone I know is buried (my great Grandmother is buried

here) and if we can volunteer for a cemetery clean up. The woman at the counter tells us a few stories of headstones completely removed and how they would get calls from the police about a random headstone in a park, or backyard. It seems that stealing headstones for pranks is pretty funny to someone out there, but I can't image in the bad juju that could fall on that someone because of it.

Colette and I ramble on about the beauty and tranquility of walking in the cemetery and the Guy in charge gives us a a little bit of an odd look, but overall he was very polite and he got our information for future reference :P I think we know a bit too much about local cemeteries and other odd bits of local info, that we came off as a bit, um, suspicious- but who knows, I try not to assume. Maybe he will call us.

They certainly need some help. I would be willing to offer hands and any assistance to the cemetery if they need me to. I am pretty sure Colette is with me on this one.

We eventually found our way to the Pioneer Cemetery where, we found a very interesting person, but that might have to be for another blog, at another time that Rachel Chooses to visit.

The adventure never ends! May you have a blessed one yourself, today and everyday ~

Dakini

This is part 2 of My Legacy of the year. Yeshe Rabbit suggested this year long Legacy project to me and I thought it was a great idea. Basically what it means is that I commit to recording 9 videos of me performing a Sacred Dance with the general idea being related to honoring Goddess, Ancestress and/or Feminine figures or their energy. I had the feeling this next dance was going to be completely improvised and I was hoping so. I took the opportunity of our annual retreat in the beautiful and secluded Santa Cruz Mountains to find the perfect time and place for this to come together. I told Rabbit my feeling on this dance, celebrating the great change within our coven, the sacrifice of our beloved name (within the Amazon Tribe), and the feeling of knowing you are truly free to do what you want, and need to do for your spiritual well being. Rabbit knew of this chant, which maybe she can explain some time, but it worked out wonderfully for the energy I wanted. The Magnolia tree proved to be the perfect setting for this dance, it had always been a great place to sit under and admire the beauty within and around.

And now, for the dance! Thanks to everyone who helped.

Sky Dancer

Love,

Madame Hummingbird

Making Change.

Real change comes through evolution, it comes with hard work, and sacrifice. In my own growth as a High Priestess and person, I set the stage for my growth within community.

This will be hard for me to write out, so forgive me if it makes absolutely no sense at all to the casual reader.

There have been low points in my life that I often attributed to me deserving it. Being told throughout my life that all of the pain and suffering of the world is because of Eve and now I will suffer for it because, somehow; I deserve to suffer. I menstruate, I give birth, I have breasts and a Vagina. All of the beautiful parts of me have been demoralized and perverted. And somehow, this is all My fault. When I went into the hospital to give birth, alone, scared and young. I was not treated with compassion or respect. I was asked right away to show my proof of insurance, they assumed, I had none. I was interrogated, "you might as well tell me what drugs you are on because we will test you!". They injected me and prodded me, all "standard procedure" of course, though I don't know how the hurtful words come into standard procedure. Once my doctor confirmed that I was her patient for the last 3 years the staff changed (I had asked they be removed from my room, and I was moved to a nicer room anyway). I was soon wheeled off to surgery to have my son cut out of my belly. I felt very alone and I cried the whole time. When my son cried for the first time I laughed, it sounded like he cried "Maamaaa!". It was the best and worst moment of my life. I had no one there to comfort me or be my council. no one there to tell me "it's going to be Ok" Instead the people I had put my trust in, had hurt me in a way that was life-changing.

I know they were wrong for treating me this way, but the pain is still there, and when I think of that time, I still cry like I was on that table being cut open again.

Flash forward to me meeting up with Rabbit and becoming a High Priestess. I was not really that interested in "women-only naked ritual". I thought that would just set me up for disaster! I had been a Priestess in The Wildflower tradition for a few years before I decided to train to become an Amazon Priestess. It was not an easy decision for me to make. But the Change was good. I sat and shared stories with my sisters of heartache and success in the world, of what its like to be a mother and even discuss menstruation in all of its details. This does not make us who we are, but it is a part of us.

Now, I invite change, I wish for it. I enjoy the light of the moon and when the tide pulls back, I look for all the new treasures in the sand. My painful experiences are not all my fault, they are not any one persons fault, but I can grow from them. This Tribe of women will continue to evolve and create healing for the World.

Pantheacon 2012

I am so Lucky this year! All of the Events I went to on Sunday at Pcon were Incredible! I got there early to get to Siwas Dance Magick Class and that was the perfect way to start the day. Then on up to the Caya room to meet with some friends and prepare for the Queen of Hearts Ritual and make some lunch. It is always nice to have some "chill space" and I am very grateful to my coven for providing a room to chill out and relax between events. (and the food didnt hurt either!) Hanging out and talking to people is one of my favorite things to do here! After lunch the Amazon Priestesses Tribe headed to the room where the Queen of Hearts ritual was to be held. We prepped ourselves and the space, and invited all women inside. The ritual was so much fun to be part of. I really enjoy dancing in Sacred Space, it really is unbelievable and one of the joys of my life. I did the dance of the Maiden, free and Liberated, w/o the worries or responsibilities of the later stages of life. (its nice to go back to that place once in a while!) Molly told the story, her words like a song and the pounding of a drum. I saw some good friends there and I came out feeling blessed. Thats some good ritual happenins'! After some more chill space, I headed to the La Bifana class held by Sabina Magliocco and I thought I knew La Bifana, but there is SO much more behind the rich tradition of this Witch, how she relates to Hekate, Strenia, and so many more goddesses. The traditions of La Bifana, how her story was christianised, but that she is much older than the bible. Sabina does her research well & she don't mess around. I had to head out a little early but I was glad to catch her presentation. After that I headed to the Vendor room with the money I had saved just for this one day. I don't stay the whole weekend or chances are my savings would be no more. So I have a special amount set for the day. Its like when you go to Vegas and bring only a certain amount of cash, you also make sure you hide your Atm cards at home. So for my large purchase of the year I got my wonderful Hekate Statue from Morning Glory Zell. She told me of the inspiration of the statue, how it came to be, the symbols: key, knife, and torches she told me of the animals, dog and snake, she explained the herbs that she crafted around the base. You can tell a lot of love and thought are in this masterpiece. I am delighted to put this on my altar. I also picked up some stick incense from the Sacred Well, they are one of the very few places that carry Fred Solls resin incense and I got my favorite Pinion and some Frank with rose and jasmine. The next space I put my face was at the Oracles of the Living Tarot, which is always amazing. I think this year it was much more polished and we (thankfully) the audience had more room! All of the cards were amazing, and the order in which they appeared, very telling! I enjoyed it very much, and it is an event I like to be at every year. Last but not least was the Rite of the Bear Mother, and Holy Hel it was Powerful Magic! So I am part of Caya coven and I am proud to say this was amazing. The singing, the dancing, the chanting, the energy, the magic. It all Fucking rocked. Period. Go Sisters and Brothers! At the end of the ritual the man sitting next to me handed me a Macaw feather and he said; "here, for your altar"and I was a little flabbergasted, and thought to myself, "does he know I'm working with Oshun this year??" But I thanked him profusely and scurried off to the Caya common room

to grab my things and head home.

I got home, and I fell asleep, woke up early and very rested. I had a wonderful day and continue to have a fabulous week. Many thanks to all the amazing presenters and folks who make this a go every year !

Elder/Echinacea to help fight con crud.

• My own recipe for P-con, but they are so tasty they might not make it that long.
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Elder-Echinacea cookies.

• 
  
• 1 cup buckwheat flour (or 2 cups for gluten free, add Xanthan gum)
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of each: Almond, Vanilla, Peppermint extracts.
• 3/4 cup coconut oil or butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup dark honey
• handful of each:
• sunflower seeds
• slivered almonds
• dessicated coconut
• cranberries
• sesame seeds
• and the rest of the Elderberry/Echinacea from the syrup,
• or 1/4 cup elderberry and 2 tablspoons of echinacea powder soaked in brandy and then strained.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl (except sugar) . cream together sugar with coconut oil and slowly add honey and then the egg. Slowly add the rest of the ingredients. mixing and mashing. Take a spoon and fork and put them on a cookie sheet. (you can also roll them in cinnamon sugar for more sweetness) Bake for 10 minutes.

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Sunol Water Temple

Today I found myself drawn to the outdoors, I wanted to be as far away as I could be. So I started driving. I forget what my original destination was, but I'm sure not getting there had a lot to do with me getting lost. So I pulled out my handy new cel phone, and typed in "Temple" . Up popped the Water Temple. Something I had only seen from afar when I was a teenager cutting class to go skinny dipping in the Niles Creek. (Ah yes! that's where I was going today, Niles !) anyway, I ask my phone for directions and I'm on my way. I arrive and find I am the only person there. As soon as I get out of the car, There is Buzzard about 20 feet over my head. All I can do is look at the beautiful and large bird scoping me out.

First off, there is water in the middle of the temple, so you can't really walk in that part, and from what I could tell it is really deep, like a *huge* well. It is clear, but really dark and a bit ominous when you look into it. If you look up from the Inside you will see a beautiful painting of 6 women on the ceiling. At first I just absorbed all the goodness, the fresh air, the birds chirping and the water flowing. Soon I was weeping, my tears falling into this giant and deep well. I thought of how important water is, how Sacred it is to the Planet and to every living thing on it. It is sad that water has been poisoned and polluted so much. Once I could not cry anymore and I began singing. The sound echoing inside the Temple is breathtaking. I could envision women standing all around at each pillar singing into the well, creating and renewing all of the pleasures in life. I stopped and listened to the water flowing, in meditation. It is very calming to find yourself in this kind of space, surrounded by wildlife and the sound of water when you are trying to be still.

The Temple itself was designed by Willis Polk for the water district, but it was modeled after the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli, Italy. So I can't help but associate this Water Temple with Vesta; I can see that bringing fresh clean water into the homes of most of the bay area can relate to Goddess Vesta and even a hot pot of soup needs some clean water in it. I also see a few more Goddesses in this place, since it is not the Original Temple of Vesta, but it is A Beautiful Water Temple.

Elder Echinacea Syrup

Sweet n' Simple Elder Echinacea Syrup

Buckwheat Honey

Brandy (or other alcohol you like) (1/2 cup or so)

¼ cup elderberry dried or fresh (in this recipe I used dry)

2 tablespoons echinacea powder

1 tablespoon ginger juice

1 nice n' juicy lemon

In a small pot put the mixture of elderberry, echinacea, and brandy on low heat. Simmer, Take a heaping large tablespoon of honey and add to the mixture in the pot, add the juice of half a lemon and ginger stir well. Add more brandy or the rest of the lemon if you need more liqiud. (the other half of the lemon can be saved and added at any time.) Simmer, then when you feel it is ready you have 1 of 2 choices: you can strain the bulk of the mix through a small weave metal strainer and save the ruffage for truffles or incense (yes!) a potato masher can also help to reserve the liquid, or you can toss it all in a food processor for a slightly chunky syrup and get all the good stuff in there. I tablespoon 2 x a day should do it! You can even add it to tea or a glass of water if you like.

What, Why?

Buckwheat honey is a dark and strong flavored honey. It is high in anti-oxidants, minerals, vitamins, enzymes and phenols. This honey is thick and less sweet than your typical wildflower honey. The kind I like to use in this recipe will not pour at room temperature. When mixed with the other ingredients in this recipe it should make the syrup sweet, but not overly so.

Black Elderberry also known as Sambucus Nigra is a great antiviral, anti-inflammitory, immune system fortifying, diaphoretic (expect to in part, sweat it out), diuretic (and in urination), Mild laxative, and bacteria supressor. It can really shorten the duration of a flu and can help with tonsilitis as well.

Echinacea will help to stimulate your white blood cells and lymphocytes to “eat and destroy” invading organisms in your body. Echinacea will kill yeast and bacteria, and is helpful in the treatment of viruses.

Lemon juice can help balance the bodies Ph. Diets high in processed foods and other acidic foods can create an unbalanced Ph in the body. This highly acidic Ph can keep the body from removing toxins and leaving it open to disease and even slow down metabolism. Also lemon is high in vitamin C.

Ginger is very calming on the stomach and it is also very warming. This is great when you get the chills from the flu and it also helps you to “sweat it out” combined with the honey it is highly antiseptic.

Oh and the Brandy? Thats because my grandma always recommended a shot of Macieira (a Portuguese brandy) for a cold.

This is my syrup recipe, but it can be easily adapted to your own needs with a little creativity and thought. I will put up some recipes to make incense and truffles with the ruffage, but you can throw it into batter and make cookies or whatever sweet thing you want.

Hawthorn~

I've been working with a new Plant lately. It is one that I have not had the chance to really get to know before. In herbalism it is used internally to strengthen the Heart and so it is used to help individuals who have high blood pressure or high cholesterol. This is the wonderful Hawthorn Berry. It can be made into teas, tinctures and put into capsules for consumption. I also use it in my own magical practice. Since Hawthorn has beautiful red berries and thorns it has the protective qualities of a Fire herb. Also, to note, it increases circulation concerning the heart-blood, this is very much fire. Hawthorn is very protective of home and health. One of my favorite things to do for protection of home and body is to make a strong tea of Hawthorn Berries, drink a small cup of the tea with honey for health, and put the rest in a spray bottle with a bit of Vinegar (white or apple, its up to you!) Then I mist the doors and windows of the house so that no negative energies enter.

Hawthorn is associated with many deities and has much lore behind it that goes back thousands of years. One Goddess is Cardea, a Goddess of Door-hinges (responsible for the opening and closing of doors), Her plant is the Hawthorn to which she hung over the doorways/windows of children in the home for protection. Arbutus is added for the healing of children, which is added to a red cloth hung over the window, also containing Hawthorn.

Hawthorns' Month is May, this is when it first begins to blossom (historically, global climate shifts have changed this a bit) so it has long been associated with Beltane and fertility rituals. It is said that if you bathe your hands in the floral essence of Hawthorn Blossoms in the month of May, you will learn to be a good (or even better) craftsmen.

The burning Bush from the Bible, was a variety of Hawthorn. Again this goes back to fire, in fact fire with a divine message. The Hawthorn has spirit within it, what does it say to you?