Saturday, August 13, 2011

Desired Home XIV

Reblogged from Drawing Down the Moon

The Ethical Consumer Guide (Global)

"Keep pure your highest ideals, strive ever toward them." - Charge of the Goddess

Since having started working in environmental conservation, I feel much more inspired to take on more ethical challenges to make sure that I take care of Gaia and honor the concept of the Gaia Hypothesis.

  • General Groceries/ Supermarket Shopping: For an all-round guide go to the Ethical Consumer Guide which you can view online - it really is wonderful for all kinds of consumerism as to whether each product is ethically sound environmentally, in regards to animal cruelty, fair trade and how they treat their workers.
  • Animal cruelty - a concise list of information: The above is more helpful because it talks about ethical consumerism in general, and if for some reason you are more passionate about/want to know more about which products test on animals go to PETA's Caring Consumer website.
  • Aromatherapy products - as mentioned in this previous article, it's incredible what goes on when you're not paying close attention!  I'm letting quite a few of my aromatherapy oils and resins run out because they are unethical to have in my home.  For more info, go to Crop Watch and I will post updates on here for new information/discoveries.
Great companies to purchase from:
  • Sanitary products - Wise Woman Pads (Victoria, Australia) and Moon Pads (Tasmania, Australia) - The wonderful makers of cloth sanitary pads to help save the environment.  So long as you wash your moon pads well by soaking them overnight in a bucket then putting them in a laundry bag to wash, they will last up to five years.  Also, if you buy yourself a rubber menstrual cup to replace tampons you'll save even more money over the years from buying additional packets of tampons which absorb moisture away from your body and can cause toxic shock syndrome.  Put your soaking water back onto the garden so that the garden can benefit from your blood.
  • Skin and Hair Care Sukin (Australia) -Skin and Hair Care with no animal testing, a carbon neutral product range and recyclable packaging.  They smell beautiful and provide products that really last.

Friday, August 12, 2011

August 13 - the day of Aradia, Diana and Hecate - the maiden, mother and crone

Aah the 13th of August and on the full moon at that! It was said that Aradia, in the form of a physical woman on earth was born on the 13th of August, the day of Diana in the year 1313 who then roamed the earth teaching Witchcraft, aptly named 'La Bella Pellegrina' or 'The Beautiful Pilgrim.'  A great deal more detail on Aradia can be read in my previous post here.  You can also read a brief description about Hecate here.

In the northern hemisphere, Hecate is honored by leaving an offering at the crossroad - the roads between life and death which she represents.  Take a plate you won't mind 'losing' to the crossroads with goods such as honey (lavendar honey is the best), eggs and garlic out once darkness has fallen -  say your invocation to the Goddess of Witchcraft and leave the plate there and do not go back for it - in fact, once you turn around and journey back home, don't look back to that crossroad.  In the home, burn patchouli incense, a black candle and performing divination at midnight.  Hecate observes all activity & assists at night, so perform all of the above at night time.

Seeing as it's a full moon you may feel inspired upon drawing down the moon to repeat the charge of the goddess in its original form from Aradia: The Gospel of the Witches by Charles Leland below (before it was changed by Doreen Valiente and Aleister  Crowley before her) to honor both Aradia and Diana:

Aradia:
When I have departed from this world
Whenever ye have need of anything
Once in the month, and when the moon is full
Ye shall assemble in some desert place,
Or in a forest all together join
To adore the potent spirit of your Queen,
My mother, great Diana. She who fain
Would learn all sorcery yet has not won
Its deepest secrets, them my mother will
Teach her, in truth all things yet unknown.
And ye shall all be freed from slavery,
And so ye shall be free in everything;
And as a sign that ye are truly free,
Ye shall be naked in your rites, both men
And women also: this shall last until
The last of your oppressors shall be dead;
And ye shall make the game of Benevento,
Extinguishing the lights, and after that
Shall hold your supper thus

Sunday, August 7, 2011

... I am still alive...

I have no idea when people are looking at this blog, I think the most attention it has received has been from the article on Baphomet - so I do wonder about why people come here!  I've had many new and interesting discoveries with my practice that I would like to share with you soon.  I seem to be forging my own particular path and can't wait to supply the blog with more book reviews, notes on herbology and looking into the science of poltergeists.

Blessed Be,
)O( E.