my entire life changed when my dentist told me that the only time my teeth should be touching is when i’m chewing. every single time my teeth are touching i have to separate them. and i noticed that i clench my teeth a LOT.
when your mouth is closed and your teeth are touching or held tightly together, you are unnecessarily straining muscles out of stress. the healthiest way to hold your jaw is slightly apart, where it is relaxed. THIS HELPS WITH HEADACHES
just like…. live for urself. live unapolagetically and genuinely because you werent born to impress anyone you were born to be you. and if you want to change yourself, change, you should be whoever you want to be. its all going to be fine and youll get to where you want to be and all you should worry about is taking care of yourself and doing what you want to with people you love and who love u. thats all u need yknow
For those of you that don’t make your own candles you can still do something a little special for the store bought ones.
I get my 7 day candles from the 99cent store. Before using them for any spell work you need to make sure that you clean and cleanse them. I like to make a solution of salt, water and lemon essential oil spray it on a cloth and clean the glass and the top of the candle. This part is extremely important. You don’t want some 99 cent store workers energy on the candle not forgetting all the 100′s of people that might have picked it up and put it back :-p
The candles that I made today are to be used on my altar for Hekate. This candle is pretty basic. If I was doing a spell candle I would write names, actions or something like that on the glass.
Remember, while you are dressing your candle concentrate on your intention for the candle. Thinking about what you’re gonna cook for dinner while making it will tarnish the affect.
What you need
Candles
Oils (I’m using homemade Hekate oil)
Screw or stick (For the holes)
Herbs
Cotton swab
Step one
Clean your candles and tools
Step Two
Take the screw or stick and pierce holes into the top of the candle. I use a pretty big screw so that I can go all the way down to the bottom of the candle.
Step Three
Use a dropper to put one drop of oil into the hole. Then use the cotton swab to spread the oil through-out by dipping it in the hole.
*If you don’t have a dropper you can cover the tip of the cotton swab and coat the inside that way*
*When working with oils, Less is more. The first time I ever used oil on a candle I covered the top with tons of it and it set on fire lol. So be careful!!!*
Step Four
Place small amounts of your chosen herbs over the holes and then use the cotton swab to push them inside. You can add as much of the herbs as you wish, it’s just easier to push down if you do small amounts at a time. I have in the past put small chip crystals down the holes too.
*Some witches add a layer of herbs to the top of the candle. I don’t do that with these ones because I leave them burning for a while and I don’t want the herbs to catch fire while I’m in another room*
Step Five
Once you have finished your candle it’s time to activate it. Some people write a spell or a blessing to say as they light it. Others say their intent for the candle out loud. Find the right way for you.
For this candle I say a little prayer (that I wrote) to Hekate and let her know that these candles are dedicated to her.
Thank you for reading
Brighest Blessings
Rachael-Elizabeth
xx
this is what i do for her and then i will paint the outside with her symbol and my sigils and stuff
The shortest day with the longest night, the sun shall slowly rise higher and higher. It’s the celebration of light, rebirth/renewal and transformation.
Element: Earth
Colours: Red, green, gold, white, silver, yellow and orange.
Activities: cleansing, making plans and looking forward to the year ahead, carolling, decorating a (christmas) tree, burning candles, making fires, divination, having a feast.
Pomanders, in their various forms, have been used to add delightful scents to people’s lives since the middle ages. The word “pomander” actually comes from a French phrase, pomme d’ambre, which translates to “apple of amber.” Originally filled with perfumes, early pomanders were wooden, metal or porcelain balls that were either placed around a room or carried on one’s person. These early pomanders included various herbs, spices, and even ambergris that were ground up into a fine powder and placed in a ball or even a pouch. There are paintings of Queen Elizabeth I holding her pomander ball.
Today, people use pomanders primarily as a room freshener or decorative item. They can be placed in drawers to keep clothing smelling nice, left in decorative bowls to freshen a room, or even used in aromatherapy.
When the Yule season rolls around, why not make fresh pomanders to decorate your home? Add some colored ribbon, and you can hang them from your holiday tree, or give them away as handmade gifts!
You’ll need:
An orange
Whole cloves
Ribbon
Small pins
Wrap the orange in ribbon – usually a quick cross design is simple and easy. You can use the pins to hold the ribbon on place. Use the cloves to stud the skin of the orange in any design you like — you can do them in rows, spirals, or even a pentacle on either side! Be sure that the cloves don’t touch one another. If they do, as the orange dries, you may notice cloves falling out. Try to include a lot of cloves, whichever pattern you choose to use – less empty space is better as the orange dries out.
Some people like to roll their studded pomander in a blend of spices. To do this, mix equal parts cinnamon, nutmeg, or your other favorite scents into a bowl, and roll the orange in the mix until it’s completely coated.
The orange will last longer if you “cure” it, or dry it out. To do this quickly, you can place it in the oven at a low temperature (around 150 degrees) for an hour or two – the bonus to this is that it makes your house smell spectacular.
If you’ve got a little more time, you can place your clove-studded orange in a paper bag, and let it sit in a cool, dry place for four to six weeks. Be sure to check your orange periodically to make sure it hasn’t begun to mold – if it does, it mean that cool dry place has moisture in it, and you’ll need to throw your orange away.
A cured pomander will last a very long time. Once it’s done drying out, add decorative ribbon so you can hang it up for all to see – you may want to use decorative pins to hold the ribbon in place. If you make a bunch of pomanders, place them in a bowl where they’ll look pretty through the Yule holiday season.
The orange is associated, like many fruits, with abundance, fertility and prosperity. As you’re making pomanders with oranges, you can incorporate them into magical practice. As you poke the cloves through the skin, focus your intent on bringing abundance your way.
Always made these in school as a child and loved them!
What’s your recipe for shrimp dip? I’d like to know. 🙂
Grandma Virginia’s Shrimp Dip
two 8 oz packages cream cheese/neufchatel cheese, room temperature
two 4 oz can tiny/bay shrimp, drained
ketchup, until it tastes right (about 9 tablespoons)
Combine ingredients and mix well. Serve with a ruffled potato chip (they have better structural integrity for dipping than non-ruffled).
Technically this recipe is for a double batch, but let’s face it, my family never treated it that way. 😛 Also, there’s a reason we only made this once a year – it’s usually gone in less than 48 hours.
After my grandmother died in 2000, my stupid asshole uncle was in charge of making shrimp dip for a couple of years, then he fell off the face of the planet, so I took it up. It’s one of those recipes where I’d get it to about done, but then the parents would have to taste-test it to tell me if there was enough ketchup yet because if it wasn’t quite right, you’d hear about it.
Even though this is stupidly simple, it’s probably our most treasured family recipe. ♥
This honestly sounds so gross but is probably really good…. kinda like my family’s cucumber dip recipe.
Holiday dip traditions!
Ours was always my dad’s clam dip with bugles.
Ok so Ima give my family’s holiday dip recipe too.
Cucumber Dip
1 block of cream cheese
1 cucumber
salt and onion powder to taste
Leave the cream cheese on the counter to soften for couple hours. Peel the cucumber then use a cheese grater to grate over a plate. Take a handful of the grated cucumber, slightly squeeze it to get some liquid out (but not too much you need that moisture), add to the cheese and combine. Add another handful. If it’s an average size cuke you’ll probly use the whole thing. Large cukes.. likely only about ¾ of it. Add liquid from plate if it’s too dry but it’s not supposed to be like tatziki. It’s supposed to be thick. Once combined add salt and onion powder to taste.
Eat with plain Ruffles or Wavy Lays.
That shit gets demolished at family parties. We normally have to double or triple it.
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