Witching you... a Merry Yule! )O(

Alder Moon

Bear, Fox and Alder Moon..

https://www.etsy.com/listing/166453558/girl-bear-fox-art-print-sleeping-beauty?ref=market

https://www.etsy.com/listing/128186678/brown-bear-and-girl-art-print-medicine?ref=shop_home_active&ga_search_query=bear

Medicine Cards

- Source: David Carson & Jamie Sams, Medicine Cards, 1988.

Some of the animals that have followed me for some reason or other..

http://scottfoglesong.printandwebdesign.com/05-bear.pdf
http://wolfepacktraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Saratoga-Fitness-Trainer-Pulls-The-Wolf-Medicine-Card.pdf
http://scottfoglesong.printandwebdesign.com/13-coyote.pdf
http://scottfoglesong.printandwebdesign.com/25-fox.pdf
http://spiritlodge.yuku.com/topic/994#.UrFsYdLuKp4

More
http://scottfoglesong.printandwebdesign.com/animaltotem-02.html

Lobo ibérico (Canis lupus signatus)

*Lobo Marley - http://lobomarley.org/
http://marleylobo.blogspot.com.es/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lobo-Marley/107099882777002
https://www.teaming.net/lobomarley?lang=es_ES
https://www.teaming.net/salvalavidadeloslobossubastados * (teamer: por el primer Santuario para lobos en España + WOH Wings of Heart Animal Sanctuary)

Oso pardo ibérico (Ursus arctos pyrenaicus)

*La Senda de Camille - http://www.lasendadecamille.com/
http://www.lasendadecamille.com/oso-camille.html
*Fundación Oso Pardo - http://www.fundacionosopardo.org/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fundaci%C3%B3n-Oso-Pardo/277087958811

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTf6Fq1RjEc

Pescado seguro - sin contaminantes

http://www.meadjohnson.es/images/illustration/File/SPAIN%20Fish%20with%20Mercury%20Lista%20de%20Peces%20con%20Mercurio.pdf
http://www.sabormediterraneo.com/salud/pescado_mercurio.htm
http://salutipeix.udg.edu/ca/mercuri-on-el-trobem.html
http://www.gencat.cat/salut/acsa/html/es/dir1624/doc16746.html
http://130.206.36.67/ribefood/
http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/espanol/guide.asp

Animal Totem and Tarot Card

http://scottfoglesong.printandwebdesign.com/05-bear.pdf
http://www.carolbarbeau.com/dailyreports/?p=4246

http://www.carolbarbeau.com/april-2013-astrology-overview.html
http://www.carolbarbeau.com/past_lives_and_karma_in_your_chart.html
http://www.carolbarbeau.com/march-2013-astrology-overview.html
http://www.carolbarbeau.com/dailyreports/?p=2942
http://www.carolbarbeau.com/april_2009_astrology_overview.html
http://www.carolbarbeau.com/html/vesta.html (Vesta in Aries)
Aries : Spring - Rebirth, resurrection and new beginnings. 'I Am'. The Fool Tarot Card (take that leap of faith or the quantum leap). Animal symbols of Aries are the ram, the falcon, the bear and the fox.

http://www.corax.com/tarot/cards/index.html?fool
The Fool - Independent, Vulnerable & Carefree (The Maiden Archetype - Jung)
hat - worldly possessions
flower - driven, fuelled by passion and inspiration
canis - instinctive nature: trust your instint; it will protect you
Number 0
http://infinitynow.wordpress.com/2013/06/10/inspirational-card-of-the-day-the-fool-of-enlightenment/

witchesofthecraft.com/2013/04/11/your-tarot-card-for-april-11th-is-the-fool/
Older meaning of the Fool Tarot Card: pilgrimage towards self-knowledge, deeper self-realization and, eventually, wisdom.

gaian tarot

pagan tarot - here's the young witch, venturing out into the dark (the unknown), with only her cat (instinctive nature) to guide her!

witches tarot - oh being an arian girl and a witch, this is my favorite representation of the fool tarot card!! 

Bear Medicine

LindyLonghurst

Seitán - el peligro del gluten

http://www.misrecetasanticancer.com/2012/04/por-que-no-debemos-tomar-gluten.html
http://duendevisual.wordpress.com/2013/05/23/el-peligro-del-gluten/
http://www.taringa.net/posts/salud-bienestar/5613845/Vegetaringa-Proteinas-y-Aminoacidos.html

http://www.slideshare.net/juanacarmencamachoramirez/alimentos-y-aminoacidos

A Polar Bear's Tale

Polar bears by Lucy Campbell

Aurora

Blueyonder

Another Starry Night

North Wind Blows

Wanderers

A Polar Bear's Tale

- Bloc: A Polar Bear's Tale

- Lucy Campbell Paintings : Last of the Ice Bears

The Robin Redbreast

(red brownish or brown reddish animal series)

Robin (commonly referred to as Robin Redbreast) is traditionally a herald of spring, a time of new spurt of growth and new beginnings. The robin redbreast is a bird of spring, the first bird to arrive in the spring. The robin with its red breast and trilling song awakens as to the spring season. Robin's medicine is about happiness, rebirth and renewal, so that you get to sing your own song and dance to your own drummer. According to a superstition, whoever sees the first robin of spring will have good luck through the Lunar New Year.

robin song

- Extra bibliography:

http://www.shamanicjourney.com/article/6081/robin-power-animal-symbol-of-growth-and-renewal

http://spiritlodge.yuku.com/topic/876#.Up9UF9Jg_jI

http://psychiclibrary.com/beyondBooks/bird-animal-totems

http://healing.about.com/od/animaltotems/tp/bird-medicine.htm

http://www.healthypages.co.uk/forum/shamanism/58170-red-robin-meaning.html

http://tribes.tribe.net/animalguides/thread/262e0a4d-fff5-465c-90a3-89a536f540d1

http://books.google.es/books?id=7HoF9GIM0MsC&pg=PT166&lpg=PT166&dq=robin+spring+animal+totems-robin+red+breast&source=bl&ots=Jpzlia2tyz&sig=t5ePz52plfsGKbJVh3LyIQlg0Kg&hl=es&sa=X&ei=9VOfUubiJuSw0QWVzIHQDA&ved=0CKEBEOgBMAk#v=onepage&q=robin%20spring%20animal%20totems-robin%20red%20breast&f=false

The 7-minute workout

The 7-minute workout using body weight that is as beneficial as a long run and a weights session - but you must be in PAIN to reap benefits

The Seven Minute Workout: The new exercise regime is very prescriptive in terms of the exercises you should do, the order in which you should do them and the length of time spent between each

Scientists devised workout that requires just a chair, a wall and 7 minutes

But in order reap benefits you must exercise so intensely that it is painful

The 12 exercises are most effective if you carry them out the in correct order with a 10 second break between each

A seven-minute exercise regime devised by scientists has been shown to provide as many health benefits as going for a long run and doing  a session of weight training.

The workout requires no more than a wall, a chair and seven minutes of your time.

However the experts say that you must be in pain when performing the regime in order to benefit.

The article, entitled High-intensity circuit training using body Weight: Maximum Results With Minimal Investment, is published in the American College of Sports Medicine Health & Fitness.

It outlines 12 exercises that uses the body’s own weight to get the same amount of exercise as doing a long run and session of weight-training in just seven minutes.

‘There’s very good evidence that high-intensity interval training provides many of the fitness benefits of prolonged endurance training but in much less time,’ Chris Jordan, director of exercise physiology at the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, and co-author of the new article, told the New York Times.

Previous research has found that just a few minutes of training at an intensity approaching your maximum capacity produces molecular changes within muscles comparable to those of several hours of running or bike riding.

Interval training, though, requires intervals. The scientists who devised this new workout say that to get the maximum benefits the extremely intense activity must be intermingled with brief periods of recovery.

In the program outlined by Mr. Jordan and his colleagues, this recovery is provided in part by a 10-second rest between exercises. This rest is extended by alternating the muscles used in each  exercise.

During eat set of exercises, the unexercised muscles have a moment to ‘catch their breath’, which makes the order of the exercises important.

The exercises should be performed in rapid succession, allowing 30 seconds for each.

But to get maximum benefits the intensity must hover at around and eight on what they term as the discomfort scale of 1 to 10.

Mr Jordan says that the seven minutes should beunpleasant.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2322470/The-7-minute-workout-proven-good-long-run-weights-session--PAIN-reap-benefits.html

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-scientific-7-minute-workout/

http://journals.lww.com/acsm-healthfitness/Fulltext/2013/05000/HIGH_INTENSITY_CIRCUIT_TRAINING_USING_BODY_WEIGHT_.5.aspx

Hiperpigmentación

Miel (ácido láctico), leche de vaca, de cabra o de burra (leche en polvo, yogur), caña de azúcar o mejor panela (ácido glicólico), el ácido tartárico que se extrae de las uvas, el ácido mandélico que se extrae de las almendras amargas (se absorbe por la piel más lentamente que el ácido glicólico, debido al mayor tamaño de sus moléculas, por lo que no causa irritación; actúa inhibiendo la síntesis de melanina_formación de la mancha_ y removiendo la melanina ya depositada_remoción de pigmentos hipercrómicos o manchas. Toxicidad muy alta en contacto con la saliva o el agua, por lo que está prohibida su venta. Sólo se usa en pastelería como aromatizante en pequeñas dosis), harina de avena, vinagre de manzana (ácido málico), yema de huevo, sábilo o aloe vera, perejil, aceite esencial de cáscara de limón (ácido cítrico) (fotosensible), aceite vegetal de rosa mosqueta (fotosensible), aceite vegetal de caléndula. Infusiones de perejil + manzanilla.

- Fuente: https://sites.google.com/site/jasminiumterapiasnaturales/problemas-de-salud/manchas-cutaneas

Vivir diferente en familia

Uhm...! Menudas recetas. Y menudo bloc he encontrado: vegano, ecológico y todo con muy poquito o nada de aceite ;*D

vivirdiferenteenfamilia.blogspot.com.es

Cerridwen's Cauldron

La bruja, el Libro y Sonrisa: Una historia de preguntas y respuestas.

http://www.theaglaworld.com/2013/11/la-bruja-el-libro-y-sonrisa-una.html?m=1

Canis

tag [canis subspecies list]

http://www.wolfhowl.org/subspecies.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Canis_species_and_subspecies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subspecies_of_Canis_lupus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_wolf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Wolf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_jackal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_wolf
http://sisterofthewolves.tumblr.com/post/52292584681/complete-list-of-the-wolf-species
http://caninebreeds.bulldoginformation.com/wolf-breeds-types.html

Canis lupus (grey wolf) is one of many Canis species called "wolf". Other Canis species (wolves) include C. latrans (coyote), C. aureus (jackal), C. rufus ( red wolf, which was thought to be a hybrid midway between grey wolves and coyotes until the most recent genetic studies in October 2012), C. simensis (ethiopian wolf, which was considered a maned wolf _one of those canids which do not belong to the Canis genus, p.e. fox, raccoon dog)_ because of the intermediate morphology midway between jackal and fox), C. lycaon (eastern wolf) ...

Canis lupus has 35 to 39 subspecies (many extinct), including the two domesticated subspecies, Canis lupus familiaris and Canis lupus dingo and the iberian wolf, Canis lupus signatus.

Red wolf (Canis rufus) is a very special totem animal to have. She is the smallest wolf and is the essence of Innocence, blessed with the gift of Belief and Trust that all will be exactly as it is meant to be. Yet in order to facilitate her primary Role of Teacher, to impart her Knowledge and Wisdom, she must first walk through the experience herself in full awareness and face her own personal Truths, only to come back to herself... the Way Back Home of the Self is the Return of Innocence, Belief, Trust and Dream to Call on Her Power, Empower Herself and Create What She Wants the Most. And it is Magic.

Red wolves are frequently mistaken for coyotes even in daylight. Red wolves and coyotes are similar in appearance, coats, and coloring. Red wolf yearlings are similar in size and weight to coyotes. Red wolves are named for their reddish-brown, brownish-red, brown-red or cinnamon coloured fur or pelt with dark patches on their backs.

Although red wolves are able to hunt together as a pack in order to catch a larger animal such as a deer, red wolves primarily eat smaller ground dwelling animals such as rabbits and rodents. Red wolves also eat birds, raccoons and other small animals.

Gunshot deaths are a significant threat to the red wolf, one of the world’s most endangered animals, living in the Albemarle Peninsula of eastern North Carolina. Bt the 1970s the pure red wolf was thought to be extinct in the wild primarily due to habitat loss and human hunt (even during spring season :/), but in 1987 a population was reintroduced in a protected area of North Carolina that is said to now be up to 100 individuals. Nevertheless, the red wolf is still considered to be a critically endangered animal, and is regarded as the 10th most endangered animal species in the world.

Berenjenas rellenas

Aún estoy relamiéndome de gusto con estas berenjenas rellenas. ¡Ánimo que es muy fácil!

   Para 4 personas

Ingredientes para el pisto:

 ½ kg tomates maduros

1 calabacín

1 berenjena mediana

1 cebolla normal o ½ grande

1/2 pimiento verde

1/2 pimiento rojo

Albahaca fresca

Orégano fresco

Romero

Tomillo

Sal marina

Pimienta

Pimentón

 Ingredientes para las berenjenas:

4 berenjenas grandes

1 cebolla

Uvas pasas

Preparación:

 Cortar los tomates por la mitad, pasar la cara del tomate por el rallador hasta que esté rallada toda la carne del mismo. Descarta la piel. Reservar este tomate.

Cortar la cebolla , berenjena, calabacín y pimiento en trozos pequeños. Rehogar la cebolla con un poco de aceite, después añadir el pimiento y cocinarlo hasta que comienza a ablandarse. Añadir el calabacín y por último la berenjena. Cocinar a fuego lento hasta que las veis un poco blanditas.

Agregar el puré del tomate que hemos reservado y seguir cocinando unos de 5 a 10 minutos más.

 Lo pasamos por la batidora y añadimos la sal, pimienta, un poquito pimentón (depende como nos guste añadimos un poco más o menos, cuidado con pasarse), unas hojas de albahaca fresca, un poco de orégano fresco. En cuanto al romero y el tomillo os recomiendo que le pongáis poquito, lo justo para dar el toque, sino matará mucho los otros sabores.

Preparación de las berenjenas:

  Partir por la mitad las berenjenas. Cocer a fuego lento durante 15 minutos o en el horno a unos 150 grados durante 15 o 20 minutos.

  Retirar, sacar la pulpa y picarla pequeñita. Picar la cebolla también pequeñita. Ahora, en un bol, mezclamos el pisto, la berenjena, la cebolla y las uvas pasas. Y listo para comenzar a rellenar nuestras berenjenas.

 Como toque final, he añadido una vez rellenas, un espolvoreado de semillas trituradas (girasol, sésamo, lino y avellanas) con unas hojitas de orégano verde por encima. Y listo para la mesa!

 Estas berenjenas están hoy acompañadas de las patatas al horno que hice ayer y sobraron unas poquitas (pero sin la salsa de tomate de esa receta, simplemente con pimentón por encima). También lo podéis acompañar de unas patatas al horno simples con un poco de pimentón por encima.

 ¡Buen provecho!

- Fuente: http://eldiariodeunamujerrural.blogspot.com.es/2013/10/berenjenas-rellenas.html

Your Inner Voice

So true!!!! Thank you, parents, for your kind words, constantly giving me love, confidence and self-esteem. This is why I have no words to express gratitute for it...

Zucchini and Haloumi Patties

The zucchini glut is upon us!  (And the tromboncino are about to start now too).  This was a make-it-up as you go recipe, and the quantities are very negotiable. But it is fast and easy and a good way to make zucchini work for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

The Recipe:

(Makes 6 patties).

In a bowl mix together:

a large zucchini or a couple of medium ones, grated

a matchbox size piece of haloumi chopped into small dice (or a bit more if you like)

a good handful of sweet or lemon basil chopped fine

a spring onion chopped fine

about half a teaspoon of grated lemon zest (or a bit more if you like)

two small to medium size eggs

a good handful of wholemeal flour

Squish together with your hands to make a thick patty mix.  Shape into patties and shallow fry in light olive oil in a medium hot pan.  You want your pan hot enough that they cook in a few minutes each side to golden and crispy.

Serve hot with a salad and chutney, or with a poached egg, or cold in a lunch box.

- Source: http://witcheskitchen.com.au/zucchini-and-haloumi-patties/

Boniatos rellenos de setas con ajo y perejil

Ingredientes para 2 personas:

2 boniatos grandes

setas: camagrocs, níscalos, etc

3 dientes de ajo picados

perejil picado fino

aceite de oliva y sal

Preparación:

1. Lavar los boniatos y hacerles un corte longitudinal

por la mitad (en vertical) y espolvorearlos con sal.

Opción con la olla de 340bròquil:

Colocar 3 hojas de papel para horno en el fondo de la olla.

Calentar la olla a fuego medio durante unos 30 segundos, bajar al mínimo, tapar y dejarlo así durante 50 minutos. Tener en cuenta que con la olla, la temperatura no llega a 90ºC.

Opción con horno:

Calentar el horno. Forrar una bandeja con papel de horno. Hornear durante 45 minutos aproximadamente a 170ºc.

2. Añadir un chorrito de aceite de oliva en una sartén o cazuela, añadirle los dientes de ajo picados, dorarlos unos segundos. Añadir las setas, una pizca de sal y el perejil. Saltear aproximadamente 5-7 minutos.

3. Servir los boniatos con las setas en la mitad de ellos, donde hemos hecho el corte en el primer paso.

Notas:

Esta receta quedaria muy bien si además se añade alguna salsa, como salsa pesto, picada catalana, bechamel, crema de pimientos rojos, salsa de pimienta...

No lo he puesto para no hacer complicada la receta.

- Fuente: http://www.mireiagimeno.com/recetas/boniatos-rellenos-de-setas-con-ajo-y-perejil

Receta de cazuelitas de huevos con rúcula y verduritas

Me ha gustado esta nueva manera de cocinar :) Necesitaré dos cazuelitas, que se compran en la ferretería.

Las cazuelitas de huevos es una de esas recetas versátiles y fáciles de hacer que siempre quedan bien y nos sacan de muchos apuros. Los “huevos en cocotte” o cocinar huevos en cazuelas o recipientes de hierro fundido es un plato típico francés y en su versión clásica solo lleva crema/nata de buena calidad, huevo, sal y pimienta y pan artesano para untar, pero -como podemos ver aquí- admiten infinitas combinaciones: espárragos verdes y jamón, setas, distintos quesos, salmón ahumado, verduras al horno, frutos secos y más.

En este oacasión, hemos optado por cebolla, pimiento del piquillo, rúcula y queso de fundir. Esta es la receta de cazuelitas de huevos con rúcula y verduritas:

Ingredientes

PARA 2 CAZUELITAS

1/2 cebolla

2 pimientos del piquillo

4 cucharadas de queso rallado suave

un puñado de rúcula

sal y pimienta

2 huevos frescos

RECIPIENTE: sirven los clásicos cuencos de barro, como los de las gulas, y ahora venden en muchas ferreterías y tiendas de menaje y hogar preciosas mini-cazuelitas de colores y con asas de distintos materiales.

Elaboración

0. Ponemos agua a hervir en una cazuela para hacer luego un baño María más rápido y encendemos el horno a 180º

1. Pelamos y troceamos la media cebolla en juliana, la pochamos 10 minutos en una sartén con un poco de aceite hasta que quede blanda

2. Repartimos la cebolla en las cazuelitas. Encima ponemos el pimiento del piquillo. Si lo troceamos con la tijera mejor porque así no necesitaremos cuchillo después

3. Espolvoreamos el queso encima, repartimos la rúcula, abrimos un huevo por cazuelita y salpimentamos

4. Ponemos en una fuente de horno las cazuelitas y echamos el agua hirviendo alrededor y hasta la mitad. Horneamos unos 12 minutos, según nos guste cuajado el huevo

Opción vegana:

nata vegetal en vez de queso o nata

cualquier verdura: alcachofas laminadas y fritas, espárragos, calabacín, berenjena, puerros, …

setas

frutos secos

daditos de tofu o seitán

- Fuente: http://www.lacocinaalternativa.com/2013/11/22/receta-de-cazuelitas-de-huevos-con-rucula-y-verduritas/

The tip of the tail is white

No matter what color a fox is, you will always find the distinctive white tip on the end of their bushy tail. The white-tipped tail of the fox is called brush, and it is one of their most important attributes. Fox cubs already have a white tip to their tail.

Homeward by Amanda Clark

Artemisa - Artemisia vulgaris

La Madre de las Hierbas, la Hierba de las Brujas, homónima de la diosa de la luna Artemisa, planta de Venus, simboliza la felicidad de la vida amorosa en pareja, alquímica y mágica como pocas, una de las siete plantas mágicas del festival de Litha (Midsummer Night, Summer Solstice or Night of the Fae - June 21): salvia, aquilea milenrama, crisantemo de los prados, hiedra terrestre (no trepadora), rusco, artemisa e hipérico. Cada planta tiene su momento particular de máximo poder alquímico; en el caso de la Artemisa, esto ocurre durante esta noche, también conocida como Noche de San Juan, y durante todas las noches de luna llena. Esos son buenos momentos para recolectar la planta, por la conexión que posee con las energías profundas y secretas de las corrientes telúricas de la Madre Tierra.

Con Artemisa se trenzaban figuritas antropomórficas, que luego se colgaban detrás de las puertas para proteger los hogares de malos espíritus, influencias negativas, mal de ojo, desdichas, y atraer con su poder magnético las energías positivas como si fuera un imán. Tal es su poder de conexión con las energías telúricas (que alcanzan su cénit precisamente en el período de luna llena), su fuerza transmutadora, su capacidad para neutralizar las energías negativas, y catalizar o canalizar las energías positivas. Asimismo, se trenzaban flechas para lanzarlas a los cuatro puntos cardinales, a modo de conjuro contra los espíritus malignos. También hacer un sahumerio de Artemisa, echando la planta seca sobre carboncillos encendidos, y esparciendo el humo por el lugar, es un acto catalizador de las energías. La hierba del viajero (Elen of the ways - Moon's Crafts). Una ramita de Artemisa colocada debajo de la almohada ahuyenta los malos sueños.

La Artemisa, igual que la diosa, es la gran protectora de la mujer, pues además de brindarle su incondicional apoyo mágico, preparar un té de Artemisa con los tallos de la planta es una de las mejores medicinas para los males de la mujer.

- Fuentes:

http://elcalderodesol.blogspot.com.es/2013/06/hierbas-magicas-en-la-casa.html

http://www.arrakis.es/~joserm/a_maxica/cmaxa2.htm

http://www.adelaferrer.es/cursos/plantas.html#ARTEMISA

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:n7yBT5IQPl8J:www.espiritugaia.com/ArtemisaMag.htm+&cd=1&hl=es&ct=clnk&gl=es

Deer Totem

Element Relation: Air with Fire
Elemental Clan: Butterfly Clan
Mineral Totem: Agate

Birth totem deer is one whose outer personality is one of apparent contradictions as she is gentle in appearance, yet strong, fleet of mind, yet slow in putting her thoughts into action.

http://spiritlodge.yuku.com/topic/912#.UoowJtJg85U

http://www.ladyoftheearth.com/animals/the-deer.txt

http://www.pure-spirit.com/more-animal-symbolism/216-pure-spirit-minneapolis-st-paul-dog-training-and-international-all-species-animal-communication-deer

http://www.spiritanimal.info/deer-spirit-animal/

http://www.shamanicjourney.com/article/6025/deer-power-animal-symbol-of-gentleness-unconditional-love-and-kindness

Artemis and Fawn

Saga

En Aura (1962), la novela del escritor mexicano Carlos Fuentes, los personajes se desdoblan especularmente unos en otros (Consuelo en Aura; Aura en el conejo llamado Saga).

La anciana Consuelo Llorente tiene por mascota a una coneja (o liebre).

"De la garganta abotonada de la anciana surgirá ese cacareo sordo:

- ¿No le gustan los animales?

- No. No particularmente. Quizás porque nunca he tenido uno.

- Son buenos amigos, buenos compañeros. Sobre todo cuando llegan la vejez y la soledad.

- Si. Así debe ser.

- Son seres naturales, señor Montero. Seres sin tentaciones.

- ¿Cómo dijo que se llamaba?

- ¿La coneja? Saga. Sabia. Sigue sus instintos. Es natural y libre.

- Creí que era conejo.

- Ah, usted no sabe distinguir todavía.

- Bueno, lo importante es que no se sienta usted sola."

The earliest word in Western literature to indicate a Witch is the Greek word pharmakis, which means a person possessing the knowledge of plants (particularly the drugs extracted from them). The modern English word pharmacist is derived from this Greek root word. The etymology strongly suggests that early Witches appear to have been essentially herbalists.

In later times the Latin word saga replaced pharmakis. Saga indicated a person who performed acts of divination or fortune-telling (seer). The modern word sage is derived from the Latin word saga.

This was later changed by the Romans to the word venefica, misunderstood today to mean one who uses poisons, but, as will shortly become clear, venefica actually indicated one who prepared love potions. The root word for venefica is the same as that for the word 'venereal', derived from the Latin vene, indicating a relationship to Venus. Another example of the benign vene root connection is the word 'venerate', meaning 'to regard with heartfelt deference'. In the book Phases of the Religion in Ancient Rome (University of California Press, 1932) by Cyril Bailey, the scholar mentions that Venus was originally a deity of gardens and vines, the cultivator (NA) - before being perverted by the Catholic Church into a Pagan deity of sex, lust and promiscuity, she was a vegetation deity and also a fertility goddess (her offspring can be ideas, crafts, etc.) -. Putting this together, we have Venus as a Goddess of plants and the Latin word venefica (replacing the Greek pharmakis used to indicate one knowledgeable in plants), which all suggests that early Witches were in some fashion associated with the Goddess Venus, if only in their dealings with love potions. There may well be more to this, however, for indeed many centuries later (1375 C.E.) a woman named Gabrina Albetti is convicted of practicing Witchcraft after confessing to going out at night, removing her clothing, and worshipping the brightest star in the sky (which would actually have been the planet Venus). - Raven Grimassi, author and lecturer.

Aphrodite by Briton Rivière, 1902.

-Sources:

Spirit of the Witch: Religion and Spirituality in Contemporary Witchcraft (p. 12, Chapter Two)

The Witches Craft: The Roots of Witchcraft & Magical Transformation* (p.15)

Also:

Encyclopedia of Wicca and Witchcraft (p. 448)

Witchcraft: A Mystery Tradition* (p. 211, Chapter Nine)

The Witch's Familiar: Spiritual Partnerships for Successful Magic (p. 6)

Raven Grimassi - Author and Lecturer: My View on Italian Witchcraft

As we have previously seen, we find the exact Venus Sun conjunction at the Libra Full Moon, Full Moon in Libra, Moon Libra Sun Aries (Libra/Aries axis or Venus/Mars axis), April's Full Moon, Spring Moon, Vernal Equinox Full Moon, Ostara Moon, Paschal Full Moon, Pink Moon (this Full Moon heralds the appearance of the moss pink or wild ground phlox, one of the first Spring flowers), Fish Full Moon (because this was the time when the shad swam upstream to spawn. Going out in search of earth worms or Night Crawlers coming to the surface to use for bait for fishing season used to be a typical activity at this time of the year), Sprouting Grass Full Moon, Budding Trees Full Moon, Egg Moon, the Hare Moon... the Lil Robin Moon (following the March's Worm Moon, the last full moom of winter according to the Farmer's Almanac. Earthworms begin to appear as the earth warms up, and they boost the arrival of the lil robin, which symbolises the arrival of spring)... whatever this Full Moon is called in the different native traditions through the passing years, centuries and millenniums due to its special astral moment and unique characteristics, signaling the beginning of the New Lunar Year in the past, before the imprecise Gregorian calendar was imposed, it is always the first Full Moon after the Vernal (Spring) Equinox (officially marked on March 21, but actually happening at some point between March 19-23) - the Church of course doesn't celebrate full moons, even if they do calculate by them, so they plant their Easter holiday on the first Sunday, after the first Full Moon, after the Vernal Equinox. In case you had wondered why Easter moves all around the calendar each year, now you know. http://deoxy.org/time/sabbats/03-20.htm

Within this larger historical context, the Christian (Roman Catholic Church) celebration of Easter can be seen as an adaptation of a much more ancient fertility rite celebrating the paired movement and conjunction of Venus with the Sun. In the Hindu Vedas (the four oldest Sanskrit books or scriptures of Hinduism; Sanskrit véda वेद, "knowledge"), the same trinity is found as the Sun God Indra, the Venusian pair Vena-Shukra and the Earth-Moon Goddesses Kali-Candi. The Sun, Venus, Moon and Earth deities lived as a hierarchy on Mount Meru (or Sumeru). 

The planet Venus has been the prime feminine archetype for God and fertility across many cultures and religions. She was personified as Shukra in the Indian Vedas, Inana in ancient Sumer, Ishtar in Assyria and Babylonia, Isis in Egypt, Lilith in ancient Israel, Astarte or Aphrodite to the Greeks, Freyja to to Nordics, Quetzalcoatal to the Maya and Venus to the Romans. In every case, Venus was considered the goddess of love, beauty and music and was often associated with a 5-pointed star or pentagram. The reason for this association is found in the astronomical fact that Venus traces out a pentagonal rose pattern in the sky as seen from Earth over an 8-year period. In ancient times, this orbital pentagram of Venus was very well known and deeply revered. It was called the Morning Star. It was this pentagonal star that was the most likely source for Venus' attributes of love, beauty and music. It offered hope and an undisputable proof of order and divine intelligence in the cosmos. After all, how could anyone think life is random and meaningless when the same star is found in the seed pattern of an apple, the five petals of a rose and even their own anatomy?

Ostara Witch. The pentagram in the Witch's Hat heralds the Eostara, and children still dress up as witches at Easter for the Pagan traditions in some Northern European countries such as Sweden

Long before the Greeks, Indian shaman described the star in theological terms as the Sun inseminating the orbital pattern of Venus, giving birth to the World Egg. The World Egg, also called the Cosmic Egg, is the idea that the Earth is inside a giant egg. Early philosophers may have deduced this from the relative sizes of the Earth and the Moon, which can fit together inside the geometrical proportions of a common hen's egg.

http://www.tokenrock.com/secret_resonance/vedic_musical_cosmology.php
http://www.academia.edu/661338/Evidence_of_Vedic_Cosmology_and_Harmonic_Science_in_the_Pyramid_Civilization_of_Ancient_Bosnia

“A red light breaks over the horizon. Slowly and surely, a golden shaft creeps over the hills, with a quivering wind at its footsteps. The goddess of dawn arouses the hills by breathing life into it. It is as though the world was holding its breath under the spell of night.

In vigilant awe and silence, we see the very first red to appear, a single sunray, that part where the sun and the horizon haven't completely separated. This moment of sunrise when the sun is not distinct, this is what the Romans called Aurora, and what the Greeks called Eos. This dawn of the year is the aura of spring. And for those of us who got up especially early, just before the sun, a bright star, or rather a planet appears. It is the planet Venus that brings this amazing dawn. 

http://www.magickalwinds.com/info/2011/03/19/all-about-eostreostara-and-the-origins-of-easter/

April was the Eosturmonath. Ēostre derives from Proto-Germanic:*Austrō; Northumbrian Old English: Ēostre; West Saxon Old English: Ēastre; Old High German: *Ôstara, as well as from the Proto-Indoeuropean root word *aues-, "brillar". Ostara or Eostara (from eosturmonath, eostremonath or ostaramonath, ancient German name for April, meaning Spring month, shining like a 'star'. The name 'Easter' is taken from the Spring month of Eostremonath on the Norse/Teutonic/Scandinavian calendar - known as the German calendar. In other words, Eostremonath is simply the name of the Spring month, and there is not historical evidence for such creature as a goddess name Eostre, as modern Wiccans and Pagans suggest. In fact, there is no such goddess recorded, worshiped or celebrated in either European or Scandinavian cultures. It eventually evolved into the English 'Easter' as brought to England by the Saxons. Though April’s derivation is not certain, a common theory is that the name is rooted in the Latin Aprilis (Etruscan Apru) which is derived from the Latin aperire meaning “to open” — perhaps referring to blossoming petals and buds. This coincides not only seasonally but etymologically with the modern Greek use of ἁνοιξις (opening) for the word spring). It is possible that April 1 (the first day of Eostre’s month) in the pre-Gregorian calendars would have been our March 21. It is also reasonable that April was named after Aphrodite (Greek Aphros, a short for Aphrodite).

The Romans, whose early Etruscan religion had roots in Vedic beliefs, apparently understood this connection very well when they renamed the Greek goddess Aphrodite to Venus (from  the ancient Vedic feminine fertility goddess associated with the planet Venus named Vena, root "wenos" or Sanskrit "vanas")

http://brujitadecocina.blogspot.com.es/2013/11/vernal-equinox-full-moon-celebration.html
http://brujitadecocina.blogspot.com.es/2013/09/the-exact-venus-sun-conjunction-at.html
http://brujitadecocina.blogspot.com.es/2013/09/venus-aphrodite-and-eostre.html

http://www.interferencetheory.com/Blog/files/698dc056f24234c41f2156c329a555c4-113.html

http://brujitadecocina.blogspot.com.es/2013/06/working-aphrodites-magic-at-april-pink.html
http://brujitadecocina.blogspot.com.es/2013/09/eosturmonath.html
http://brujitadecocina.blogspot.com.es/2013/02/ostara-el-regreso-de-la-diosa-eostre.html
http://brujitadecocina.blogspot.com.es/2013/11/brigit-maiden-goddess-of-spring.html

In ancient times the Cosmic Wisdom was perceived as having much to do with the wisdom of the cosmos but also with knowledge of the creative forces of the earth, with fertility and birth and in this aspect she was seen at various times as a moon Goddess, since the moon’s cycles are connected intimately with the forces of reproduction and for other reasons which will become apparent later. The male deities were always associated, on the other hand with the Sun. They were the ‘bridegrooms’, the heavenly creative forces that came from above and fertilized the bridal womb – the earth." - Rudolf Steiner.

http://www.calendrier-lunaire.fr/luna/

The April's Pink Moon is the perfect time for Witches to invoque Aphrodite (Venus), the goddess of love, and work her magic. This is a very special, powerful and magical Full Moon that strikes with the quadruple conjunction (union of four heavenly bodies) of Venus, the Sun (the Sun conjuncts or aligns with Venus in an exact Sun Venus conjunction), Uranus and Mars in Aries opposed by the Moon in Libra.

http://intuitiveinsightcatherinealmeten.blogspot.com.es/2013_03_01_archive.html
http://www.examiner.com/article/full-crow-moon-libra-crown-of-fire
http://www.sagegoddess.com/working-aphrodites-magic-at-the-april-pink-moon/

Animal Personality Type

http://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/whats-your-animal-personality-type
http://www.spiritanimal.info/spirit-animal-quiz/

Tejedoras y Brujería

Frau Holle (Holda) or Perchta (hare and eggs? are symbolic of the Eostara, and the radiant light burst like a flame around her forehead reminds of Brigantia, "the exalted one")

Frau Holt (Swan is Goddess Aphrodite's sacred familiar. She's often seen flying on her swan or goose) or Mother Goose. She re-emerges (Proserpina) in the maiden form of the Goddess

We clearly recognize Brighid (Brigantia) in this representation of the Maiden Goddess. Swan (or goose) appears as one of her sacred animals. She represents the maiden aspect of the maiden-mother-crone Triple Goddess )O(

Frigga Spinning the Clouds

Fricka Drives her cart drawn by two rams

Frigg. Since her cart is drawn by two rams, one assumes she is spinning wool, just as Horn and Holda spin flax

Norse Goddess Frigga (viz. "Freya of the ram-cart" would equal Frigga)

Vasque Goddess Mari (equivalent of German Holda) spins with her sacred ram's wool using his horns for weaving