Beltane's Sss: Seeds, Sprouts, Sticks (& Stones' Eclipse!)

 Today, I'm home alone (hone along) 'cuz Mama took Tato to the ER & he's been / was...admitted to the hospital this AM...cuz bleeding, cuz catheter which he pulled out last week.

Now that Eostre's well and truly done, both pagan, and then regular AND orthodox (which peops finally noticed in Ukraine!)...time to focus on Sunday's Beltane (which also has a moon-eclipse event, and then the Sunday after is Mother's Day, US.

My things to-do today:

• hurby-curbys (recycling FULL!, +mom put out decades old high chair for junk removal)
• yoga
• fix mom's chair: need tool, wood glue
• clean kitchen: dishes, mop floor
• outdoors: seeds, also sticks, *sprouts*, stones???
• also outdoors: books
• indoors: soak seeds & start seeds
• Beltane & Eclipse research
• shower & sleep
• also this week: room downstairs, roomba, other rooms, YOGA

So...that's the agenda for today, Monday moonday, gotta do some yoga today too!

Koliada (Ukrainian Christmas) Pierogies: 3 ingredients

Just finished making 170 pierogies for the family holiday celebration of Koliada, or Yule, or Ukrainian Christmas.

Ingredients:

4 cups of flour, whisked

2 cups of water

3 pounds of potatoes, peeled, diced, boiled, (can add salt if you want)

3 cups (12 oz.) cheddar cheese, grated

Process:

Dough: Add water into flour, by bits, mixing with your hands, into a dough ball; if too sticky add a little more flour. Let rest half an hour, covered. Roll out thinly, as thin as you can, then take a circular measure (we usually use 6 or 8 oz. glass), and cut out rounds, snuggled next to each other. Gather the scrap dough and set it aside, covered.

Filling: Mash together the potatoes and cheese. 

Pierogies: By half teaspoonfuls, put the potato mix onto a round in your hand. Fold it over so it forms a semi-circle, then pinch together the edges where they meet; pinch well, being careful to make sure that the corners and everywhere along the seam cannot leak. Put on a floured sheet and cover with a towel. 

Cooking: Once they are all made, drop in batches into boiling water for about 6 minutes. They will float to the top. Strain, and if not eating right away, toss with butter/oil to keep from sticking. They reheat (and even freeze and reheat) well: can be put into oven or microwave.

Koliada (Ukrainian Yule or Christmas) Kutia: 4 ingredients

Kutia is an ancient food. It is wheat berries (whole wheat seeds) with poppy seeds, walnuts, and honey. However it's very easy to make using modern ingredients and conveniences.

Ingredients:

4 cups of wheat berries

1 can Solo Poppy Seed Filling

2 cups of walnuts, ground

2 cups honey, to taste; some prefer it sweeter, some prefer it not too sweet

Directions:

Rinse wheat berries, and let soak, covered in water, overnight if possible. Then cook in a slow-cooker on high for at least 3 hours, up to 8, keeping wheat covered, with water, until they are as cooked as you prefer...some like them 'al dente' {"to the tooth" in Italian}; others prefer the starch to come out of them. Then mix in other ingredients, to taste. Can be served hot or cold, and keeps well refrigerated for up to a week.

New Moon Eclipse in Sagittarius Ritual

The New Moon in Sagittarius...beginning of the 13 moons thru 2022

Originally written as a Rite for a Solitary Practitioner, but can be adapted for groups

1. Cleansing bath or shower
2. Earthwork{in the chop wood, carry water idea: I raked the last of the leaves} (or barefoot dancing) & composting (or some other representation of you participating in the cycle turning with a fresh, clean start), both as mundane to mystical energy raising in your own body and to connect with nature, outdoors, Mother Earth | Gaia | Mokosh
3. Sky-clad (Grab a wrap as needed for comfort), light 4 candles in the 4 directions; choose those of the season and intention (i.e.: last of the Hallows candles, a pine candle from yore, and others), and light incense &/or anoint oneself with oil) chanting the following to sanctify the space: ( _ means make that note longer)

CHANT:

The Ear_th_ is my bo_o_dy_, I must take care of Her /

The Ear_th_ is my bo_o_dy_, I must take care of  Her/

He_ey, yanya, Ho, yanya, He_ey, yan_ya /

He_ey, yanya, Ho, yanya, He_ey, yan_ya /

(repeat 3x and maybe a forth to a fade)

4. Ground and center quickly; invoke the elements

CHANT:

Fire and air, fire and air

Earth, water; earth water

Fire and air, fire and air

Earth, water; earth water

(repeat 3x and maybe a forth to a fade)

5. Longer grounding and centering: Meditate on the greater whole of the multiverse being made up of the sum of the elements; connect self. If you want, you can use ADF's Two Power Meditation, imagining pulling energy from down deep in the Earth, among the crystal pools of water, into your own body, and then up through the air into the fire-y heart of the Stars and Sun Eclipsed Moon, into your own body  {can play music or a drumbeat or a guided meditation}  (ADF Two Powers for large groups)
6. 
   

Day 4: Sunday Upcycling...Milk Jugs, again

 Our 2ce a month recycling is happening first thing Monday morn, so tonight I started the process of upcycling my pile of milk jugs, as seen here:

Day 3: More about Scorpio, plus upcoming Sag

Day 2: Scorpio Season New Moon Meaning

 Yay...Day 2, and starting off pretty early in the day for me. 

            Aside: part /of why I'm doing this daily writing challenge/mini-resolution is to follow thru on cycles...I'm great with ideas, and sometimes have an issue with starting, but *often* have an issue with follow-up, follow-thru, and/ finishing.

So...why start this challenge on a new moon? What is the meaning of Scorpio, and what is the meaning of a new moon, particularly a Scorpio new moon? Why even follow a lunar cycle at all?

I follow the lunar cycles to stay more in touch with the power of nature...the dance of the spheres (planetary system) and especially of the moon is a large, impactful and yet very personal embodiment of nature: we each have our own experience of our moon, no matter the phase. Moreover, the lunar cycle is a driving force on the Earth: it drives tides, an early way to measure time, (as was the daily rise and set of the sun and moon), and as Chaucer noted, don't wait for anyone. Further, for women, the lunar cycle and women's cycles are sync'd, more or less. Men too, follow their own, though less pronounced, lunar cycles. So aligning our lives with the cycles of nature is wholly logical, and, for me, makes me feel more in tune, tapped into the greater energies, and spiritually expanded.

Within the lunar cycle, the new moon is the beginning, the origination point, the start of the cycle, the seed of what will emerge. In astronomy, the new moon is the first lunar phase, the beginning of the cycle, a new beginning. It can be a time to set intentions and/ goals, and begin projects. During a new moon, one can mark the moment with a ritual, or rite, setting intentions for the next cycle of your life. Many mark this time of newness with a ritual bath, washing away the old cycle, cleansing ourselves to be fresh for the coming new experience of this next cycle. As the moon's gravitational force exerts a pull on the tides of the oceans, our internal cell waters may be affected* minutely too. Further, for all the millenia of animal and human lives, the only bright light at night was the moon, and during the new moon, it has always been barely visible, and, by definition, does not reflect light to us, except maybe a fingernail's worth...so it has been a time to stay home, stay safe, nest, if possible, looking forward to new

*However, even though the light is not present, we, like all animals, are probably affected by the lunar cycle: 

...lunar cycle has an impact on human reproduction, in particular fertility, menstruation, and birth rate. Melatonin levels appear to correlate with the menstrual cycle. Admittance to hospitals and emergency units because of various causes (cardiovascular and acute coronary events, variceal hemorrhage, diarrhea, urinary retention) correlated with moon phases....Animal studies revealed that the lunar cycle may affect hormonal changes early in phylogenesis (insects). In fish the lunar clock influences reproduction and involves the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis.    -https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16407788/

Thus the various effects of the new moon phase can affect us; however we can choose our direction forward at this inflection point in our month, setting our direction for embodiment and manifestation to peak at the full moon.

The lunar cycle is about a month (a moonth). The Sun's visit in each sign is also about a month, generally starting on the 21st of the calendar month. So the current Scorpio *solar* season, which always encompasses, appropriately, Hallowe'en, began at the middle-end of October, and will go to the middle-end of November. Meanwhile the *lunar* cycle, which always starts with the new moon in the same sign as the solar, but each phase only lasts 1-2.5 days, thus, this Scorpio new moon in the Scorpio solar season, kicks off a Scorpio-Taurus axis, the full being in Taurus, on Nov. 19, 2021, which happens to be an almost total lunar eclipse and super-moon. The goals and intents of the Scorpio New Moon energy should manifest fully by the Taurus Full Moon.

Scorpio is a fixed water sign; water represents emotion water....

...more about Scorpio in next  post

coming soon: vines & willow, nano, upcycling jugs, leaf preservation