Monday, October 31, 2011

Strange Lore


As a clever, charming, and sophisticated witch I enjoy researching and collecting folklore (witchlore for the most part).  I love all things that start with phrases like “It is said…” “An old way of….” “Traditionally…” etc.  So great is my fascination that any lore you have collected I would LOVE to hear it.  If you have any book recommendations or sources send ‘em my way! I’d appreciate it very much!
Also, looking around for all this lore also means that I stumble upon some weird stuff.  This weird stuff is what will make up the Strange Lore posts.  Typically they will probably be small paragraphs or even one sentence posts.  But they’ll be interesting to say the least. 

For example, the first entry in the Strange Lore category:

I was looking around the interwebs searching for items to add to my master lists (A fu-huge list of ingredients separated by intent. i.e., protection, love, luck, etc.) and eventually found a page on blackberries.  I love blackberries; they are just the most wonderful little things.  The brambles are GREAT in witch bottles as a spikey little bother to whatever you’re trying to trap.  Also, apparently, they are believed to protect individuals from vampires. 
This isn’t the weird bit because, frankly, I believe in vampires.  And I’m not talking about ‘psychic’ vampires or people vampires (individuals that when you are around them they just seem to suck the life out of everyone and everything).  Those are real, too, but I’m talking full-on suck your blood for sustenance vampires.  I love vampires and if I could run into one I would respectfully request to be turned into one.  Yeah, I know.  Ha-ha-ha he’s so funny.
Anyway, enough of that.  The weird bit about this tidbit of folklore emerges in the belief surrounding the blackberries protective qualities from vampires.  Apparently, if blackberries are planted close to a home, any vampires would be unable to enter the house because they would become obsessive about counting the berries and would ultimately forget their intentions.

Didn’t know that did ya?  Well, you’re welcome. 

Monday, October 3, 2011

Robin's Housewarming Present!

Many of you probably already know, or maybe you don’t, how perfect moving households is for bestowing wishes on another.  When a friend moves, and you help them of course, and they get themselves all comfy cozy in their new abode tradition dictates some form of a housewarming extravaganza!!

Or at least some friends over for some wine.

Traditionally, your first visit as a guest to a friend or loved one’s new home is a time to present gifts typically symbolic of well wishes for their future.  A loaf of bread, a dish of salt, and a new broom are filled with good vibrations and wishes.  The bread is symbolic of the residents never going hungry, the salt so they always taste the flavor of life, and the broom to sweep away troubles.  Ain’t it just so dang cute!?

Here’s a few more:
            Wine: for joy and prosperity to reign forever
            Candles: So that you will always have light to banish the dark times
            Coins: For good luck
            Honey/Sugar: To remember the sweetness of life

Cute, cute, cute, cute, cute!

However, housewarming for a witch is like ten times cuter and better and more awesome.

When Robin moved into her new place Tati and I set to work immediately concocting all sorts of magically inclined housewarming presents.  

So. Much. Fun.

We included the traditional items as well as some more suited for a witch…

First on the list, we baked a loaf of bread from scratch. 
The loaf was buttermilk orange bread and it was D-E-Freakin’-LICIOUS.  Since you guys are like the luckiest things in the world, I’m sharing the recipe for it.  (Follow the link below after this continued rambling).

Bonus tip: make up a flavored butter to go with it.  When I presented the gift to Robin I made cinnamon sugar butter in the shape of a pumpkin to go along with the bread.  I also died from cuteness. PUMPKIN SHAPED BUTTER ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! 

Bonus Bonus tip: Make your own damn butter! It’s not hard! Plus, a by-product of making your own butter is BUTTERMILK. Ch’yeah. Worth it. Watch for a post on how to make your own butter coming soon!

Plus, you can boast that you handmade everything for the bread and butter and we all know that handmade is generally totally wonderful and everyone will be completely jealous and think that you basically can perform miracles.  Like for real.

If you’d like to try your hand at making this DELIGHTFUL bread than click here: The Num Num files

The next part of the gift was a homemade broom!  

Seriously, fun times. 

Broom making is fantastic fun.  Here’s a picture of the broom I made for Robin! Yay!  Brooms are kind of also sort of available for sale.  The only trouble would be shipping but I’m sure I could find a way to handle it or if you live in the area you can just pick it up! Hoooooray!
Brooms should always be stored bristles UP!
Look how cute it is!

Robin’s new place has a mischievous little bugger hanging out in the attic so to help her clear out her space and protect her until she can get her boundaries set I designed this broom with some added oomph.  I found the handle in the forest near my house after asking the Lady of the Woods to help me find the best handle.  At home I sat outside and looked over the new handle.  I picked off the bark as it was loose and revealed tracks on the wood almost like a magical language carved in an ancient script.  Then I lightly scrubbed it with some sea salt water and used some of my homemade protection oil 
as a polish for the broom handle.  


Homemade Protection oil
The bristles are anointed with the protection oil as well.  Once the broom was complete I picked it up to move it to the spot where it would remain until I presented it to Robin and it almost knocked me on my butt! It was like a sudden wind smacked into me!  This precious baby packs a wallop!



















Unicorn angels playing with puppies and kittens, yo.
Robin also received a bottle of a one-of-a-kind, personalized, money/prosperity attraction oil hand concocted.  It smells like unicorn angels playing with puppies and kittens.  Yeah.  That good. 











The next item in Robin’s gift basket was a favorite, and super effective, charm known as The Crossbones Amulet.   (Post on the crossbones coming soon).
This amulet is so great that no words have been invented to describe it yet.  
Whippleshmaggen is close, though.  
Crossbones!


Anyway, The Crossbones Amulet is a traditional Hoodoo charm extremely useful for collecting and holding all forms of negative energies.  Such a WONDERFUL charm to have.  I made one for myself and the next day it was shattered and broken.  I had left it on my altar over night. That’s it.  I wasn’t out frolicking around with it or anything.  I had placed it nicely on my altar after it was complete and planned to wear it the following day.  I found it in shambles on the floor.  Thank goodness I made it when I did otherwise I would have suffered with whatever struck my charm! Anyway, SUPER AMAZING!

Next we have the ever lovely Four Thieves Vinegar.  FTV

A witch's staple, at least for all the witch's I know because I tend to force it upon them, is Mugwort! I made a little pouch for Robin and included it in her gift basket.  I love Mugwort, and I'll do a post soon explaining why, but the main reason is due to its extreme psychic enhancement.  Nothing makes me feel more witchy than smelling, tasting, feeling, seeing, and I suppose hearing, Mugwort.  Add a small pinch to a cup of tea and hold on! 


To top off her gift I threw in some candles handmade for banishment and a hand written letter explaining all the goodies. :)

Also, a giant bottle of wine in a little Halloween 'wine bag' I found at a thrift store. IT HAD LITTLE BATS ON IT! AH! 

Completed basket of all the goodies!


Freakin’ neat-o!

Num Num Files: Buttermilk Orange Bread

Like most every other bread, this recipe is all about the prep time with very little chef-involvement-time. It takes about two hours or so in all the rising and punching and such, but only about forty minutes of you having to do something with it.  Unless of course you’re sitting there watching the bread rise in which case I would suggest you get a life (affectionately, of course).

Ingredients:
¼ cup warmish hotish water. Like not boiling or anything but you want some steam.
2 - ¼ tsp (1 Package) dry active yeast
1 cup buttermilk at room temperature
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter at room temperature
The grated rind of 1 medium orange
3 – ½ cups flour – I used ‘Better for bread’ flour but you can use whatevvvv

DIRECTIONS:
1.     In a large bowl mix the water and yeast together thoroughly.  Add into the bowl the buttermilk, the honey, the salt, the butter, and the orange and stir together (thoroughly).  Add 2 and ½ cups of the flour and mix thoroughly.  Use the remaining flour to add slowly until a dough is formed that will follow the spoon around the bowl.  Place the dough onto a floured surface and knead for about ten minutes adding bits of flour as needed, just don’t get crazy.  Knead until the dough is smooth to the touch and firm.  Grease a mixing bowl and place the dough inside.  Flip the dough over so that both sides are lightly coated with the grease.  Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm place for about one hour.
2.     Now comes the best part about making bread: PUNCH DOWN THE DOUGH.  Punching down dough is an EXTREMELY satisfying activity.  It makes this cute little noise and everything!!! Then, place the dough back on a lightly floured surface and knead until all bubbles are smushed out.  Shape the dough into a loaf and place in a greased bread pan or whatever you’re baking it in.  Cover dough again with a cloth and let rise until it has doubled in size, roughly 45 minutes to an hour. 
3.     Put the bread in the oven at 350*F for 40 minutes.  The top of the bread should be a golden brown and sound hollow when tapped/flicked.  Remove and let cool on a rack.  Be a hero to everyone who tries this bread.

Particularly tasty with a doctored butter.  Say perhaps a cinnamon sugar butter or maybe a honey butter?