Simnel Cake

A wonderful spiced and fruited cake which heralds the advent of Spring, simnel cake has a fascinating cultural heritage with roots that stretch back to the Romans and Athenians. In Britain, known as the Shrewsbury Simnel, it is simply made using white flour, fragrant spices and is generously studded with dried fruits and pungent peel.


Like a Christmas cake, it is covered with pale sweet almond paste. The decoration is plain - twelve little balls of smooth paste. A specially baked simnel cake is a wonderful gift to take to your mother for Matronalia, Mother's Day, or Mothering Sunday Tea Time. Decorate it with crystalised flowers and tie some yellow ribbon around the side.

INGREDIENTS:

For the almond paste:

• 400 g icing sugar, sifted
• 250 g ground almonds...

I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: Simnel Cake

Reconnecting Your Inner Mother and Father

I don't often go in for channeled information, but this talk, or guided meditation, channelled through David Brown. can be a useful tool to reconnect with your inner parents. And there is a great explanation as to why this is important. So, here goes:

Greetings dear ones, for I AM KRYON of Magnetic Service.

Once again it is wonderful to be here on this warm summer night. There is much love in the air; the planets are shifting, creating the right circumstances for you to meet your soul mates, your twin flames. Love is the only way and you will find love within another person. True love can only really be expressed through another person or other people and joy is an emotion you will experience in your relationships with others and by being with others. As we have said in past channellings, love will always find a way. Like the tiny drop of water that falls from a cloud and makes its way back to the ocean. Remember, love and joy are intimately connected....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Book of Shadows, and can be found in its entirety here: Reconnecting Your Inner Mother and Father

Invocation To Mother Gaia

This spell is best performed outside in nature, in a secluded private place free from interruption. It can also be done indoors if an outdoor area is not possible. You will need your ritual items and/or items to represent the four elements, a crystal, and also some food and wine.

Cleanse your self and space before you begin the ritual. This could include a ritual bath, smudging, or any other method of cleansing that is comfortable for you.

Stand facing east and say:

''I call to the forces of air to watch over my rite and to offer assistance and protection and to protect me from harm... 

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Book of Shadows, and can be found in its entirety here: Invocation to Mother Gaia

Celebrating the Mother of the World

May 25 is the Chinese and Japanese Celebration of the Tao - The Mother of the World. In Taoism, a great spiritual tradition of the East, the Goddess is perceived as the mother of the world, the Way to the heart. On this day, burn incense to the Goddess and...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: Celebrating the Mother of the World

Three Mothers Tarot Divination

The Three Mothers (Maiden, Mother, Crone) are not just symbols of the cycles of growth upon the Earth, they also represent phases we physically go through, cycles of events within our lives.

Sometimes we are uncertain as to where we actually are in a cycle of events. This can be frustrating and depressing. We may have to endure until the completion of the cycle, but it's comforting to have some idea of where you are in that cycle. If you are observant, wise enough to seek guidance, and willing to make changes, however painful, you can often shorten the cycle.

This divination ritual (which uses tarot cards) is best done during the waxing or Full Moon, but in a pinch can be performed any time...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Divination, and can be found in its entirety here: Three Mothers Tarot Divination

The Mothers of Arles

The Mothers of Arles is a French festival that runs from May 24 through May 28. This unique festival celebrating the triple goddess is still alive and well in France, celebrated mostly by gypsies. The "Three Maries of the Sea" recall the ancient goddess of life, death, and beauty. The gypsies gather from all over Europe and carry on their...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Pagan Calendar, and can be found in its entirety here: The Mothers of Arles

Mother Goose Magick

Old Mother Goose, when
She wanted to wander,
Would ride through the air
On a very fine gander.

Today, Mother Goose is limited to the nursery, her rhymes intended to entertain only the youngest, least sophisticated children, yet Mother Goose's namesake bird links her to a host of powerful spirits: Aphrodite, too, rides through the air on a goose. The bird is sacred to Egyptian Hathor and Roman Juno, both valiant protectors and advocates for women....

... One thing is certain... if "she" were one individual, she was passing down oral history, lore and adages... from people of other eras. In the early days, before they were "collected" into the somewhat familiar form of today; these rhymes were actually methods of preserving history, customs, lore and fears for the common man....

Here is a short grimoire of Mother Goose spells, charms, chants, and divinations, taken from the 1916 edition of "The Real Mother Goose."

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Book of Shadows, and can be found in its entirety here: Mother Goose Magick

A Dramatic Infertility Solution

Among the most famous miracle-working rabbis was Judah the Pious (1150-1217), author of the influential Book of Angels. Although many other rabbis are credited with miracle cures, usually their methods aren't revealed - just vague tales of prayer and ritual. A legend, however, explicitly explains how Judah the Pious effected a cure and why it worked. Adapt to your own situation.

In the story, a woman who had previously borne children, now older (old enough to perform the ritual for their mother), wished to have another child but found herself unable to do so. She petitioned Judah the Pious for help.

His prescription? He had her children dig a grave for her and place her within it and pretend to mourn for her. Unknown to the woman...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Book of Shadows, and can be found in its entirety here: A Dramatic Infertility Solution

In Our Bones

We locked up our wisdom into our bones

And swallowed the keys

They sank in our rivers of blood

And we forgot the maps

Because we had to forget the mysteries

To keep them safe....

I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Widdershins, hosted at shirleytwofeathers.com, and can be found in its entirety here: In Our Bones