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Pumpkin Time!

Posted on by Th3D0ct0r
BEHOLD! MY PUMPKINS!

It’s pumpkin time!

No, not pumpkin spice. I mean, pumpkin spice is fine and dandy and if that’s your deal, you go! I prefer the Gingerbread Lattes to Pumpkin Spice, but I just love pumpkin! So, I bought 3 sugar pumpkins (the kind you use for pumpkin pies) to make various things. One of them got heat damaged from being next to one of my burners, so I decided to roast that right on up and make pumpkin puree! The pumpkin weighed about 2lbs and yielded ~2.5 cups of puree.

A note on the puree: If you decide to use a blender, you will need to cut the large chunks down. You will also need to gauge the water that you add. You don’t want to make it too liquidy, but you need enough liquid to keep the blades from seizing. Pumpkin is notorious for bulking up when you blend/puree it.

The recipe is from the Samhain book from Llewellyn’s Sabbat Essentials library. The entire series is a great resource for each of the Sabbats, honestly. It’s where I get a good number of my ideas for videos. I celebrate very differently from many of the traditions, but if you’re just starting out on your path, these books are a really good overview of everything. I especially use them for the Sabbats I don’t personally celebrate so I can help others celebrate those sabbats!

Samhain is one of my sabbats, if you hadn’t guessed. This entire month, I’ll be featuring recipes and crafts/rituals/etc for the sabbat. I may see if I can live-stream something on Samhain eve/Halloween for everyone, since… we have to be socially distant. Maybe I’ll host a Zoom event. Would that be of interest? I’ll post information, obviously, for the event! Video/audio is not required, unless you want to.

Anyway! Make sure you’re subscribed to the YouTube channel for the video updates and make sure you’re subscribed to the blog for other updates and while you’re subscribing, considering popping over to Patreon and subscribing there so you can be notified of special events and such (and, maybe even get early access to stuff)!

Blessed be!

No Video

Posted on by Th3D0ct0r

No video today. Cameraman Ken has been back for a week and we had some major house cleaning to do, because…

My burlesque endeavor is about to take off. We had to make a space for a photography shoot (Tuesday), and I’ve had to gather the last things I needed for the video shoot (Saturday). My debut show will be virtual on November 12. If you decide to purchase tickets, use the code LAVINIA to save $5 and kick me some cash from the show.

That’s it for today. I’m trying to keep my spoons manageable. I have a single edit to make in my dissertation proposal, but it’s causing me stress; the burlesque stuff is causing me stress; my brain weasels are having a field day. I hope to be able to record stuff for Thursday this week. I have videos planned, but time and energy are the two factors that are holding me back, currently.

Portable Altar & How to Cast a Magic Circle

Posted on by Th3D0ct0r
It’s been a busy week…

First of all, apologies that this video is late. It’s been a busy week! Another gig I have going on is for burlesque and I just found out that I’ll be debuting on November 12 (if you buy tickets, use the code LAVINIA for a $5 discount)! I’ve been frantically trying to find a space to rent to record my act and find a videographer!

But, anyway!

Portable altars are super awesome. I especially take them with me when I travel–you never know when you’ll need one! I purchased a set of tins from Amazon, then used acrylic paint on them. As you can see, the paint chips pretty easily, but, it’s fine for me. You can decorate these with anything you’d like. You can even just use an empty Altoids tin, if you’d like.

You’ll want to include some sort of representation of the directions/elements. I, personally, use a crystal for earth, sea shells for water, incense cones (but, I’m switching to feathers) for air, and a tea light for fire. I also keep a mini Bic lighter and a small bell in there. There are a bunch of things you can put into it, including a swatch of cloth for an altar cloth, if you’re so inclined.

When you set up your altar for casting your magic circle, don’t do what I did and flip North and South. North is where you place Earth, not fire. South is where you place Fire, not earth. East is Air; West is Water. In the grander scheme, I’m sure it doesn’t matter. The Guardians still came, but it does explain why they were snickering. Regardless, there are many ways to cast a Magic Circle, and many reasons. I cast one when I want to be protected from other entities because I am, among other things, a medium. Spirits talk to me frequently, sometimes even through me–and sometimes without consent because they don’t know any better! So, a Magic Circle offers me some protection against outside forces. The Circle can be as big or as small as you need it. When I deal with banishments, I tend to extend the circle to the entire house and grounds; simple spell work is usually just the room where it happens, and sometimes, not at all. I don’t tend to cast Circles for when I’m cooking. I just focus intent; Hestia’s personal altar is in my kitchen, so I don’t really have to do too much. She’s already there.

As we move toward the New Year (Samhain), I will start doing a few more videos for Sabbat-specific rituals, crafts, etc. If there is anything specific you’d like to see or have me write about, please feel free to leave a comment–here or on the video! Also consider checking out my Patreon and supporting me in my endeavors to entertain and educate!

…now, back to rehearsing for a karaoke sing-through of Hamilton tonight, and for my burlesque act!

DIY HE “Enchanted” Laundry Detergent

Posted on by Th3D0ct0r
Hooray!

It’s been an interesting past few weeks. I made sure to have a backlog of videos while Cameraman Ken was being a caretaker for a friend and her kids–however, he’s still not finished with that assignment and I am a little ball of stress! So, you get a video of me making High-Efficiency Enchanted Laundry Soap!

I actually really like making my own laundry soap. I don’t break out when I use my own stuff. The first time I made this, I didn’t use the right kind of bar soap, so it isn’t quite as effective as it could be. And, after a few uses, I decided I didn’t like the scent profile I chose.

So, what do I mean when I say “Enchanted” laundry soap? There are several ways to approach this and all of them really come down to this: Intention. You can craft a spell to recite over your detergent; you can imbue it as you mix with your own energies; you can simply set the intention when you start the process; you can use the “magical” properties of the essential oils as the only enchantment. It’s really up to you. As you can see in the video, I just imbue as I stir.

Examples of essential oils and their properties include:

  • Peppermint – purification, healing, peace
  • Eucalyptus – protection, fresh energy, healing, purification
  • Lavender – love, protection, healing, sleep, purification, peace
  • Lemon – cleansing, spiritual opening, purification
  • Lime – purification, protection, calm, tranquility, love
  • Pine – new beginnings, prosperity, success, strength, grounding, growth, cleansing, purification, repelling negativity
  • Ylang Ylang – peace, love, calm
  • Patchouli – propserity, love, grounding, spirituality

These are just some examples. Each of these also have mundane properties. Peppermint and Eucalyptus are both used as air fresheners, pest deterrents, and antibacterial/germicides. Pine is good for surface cleansers because it kills yeast spores, E. coli, and other household germs; combine with Thyme, which is powerful against salmonella, and you have a nice-smelling surface cleanser. When I wash my floors, I look at both the mundane and magickal properties of my oils and decide what it is I need and want for my home. Typically, I end up using a blend of Pine, Patchouli, and Ylang Ylang (an antibacterial, antifungal, and antiseptic). Floor cleaner is a make-as-needed item. Just mix a quarter cup of Apple Cider Vinegar and about 16 total drops of EOs into one gallon of water, then go to town on your floors.

So, there you have it! This will also save you money in the long-run–and reduce the amount of waste we put out into the environment. As a pagan Christian, I feel it is my responsibility to love my fellow human to the best of my abilities and preserve the environment to the best of my abilities. Black Lives Matter. Climate Change is Real. Where a Mask. Wash Your Damn Hands.

Veggie Lasagna – Low Carb

Posted on by Th3D0ct0r
A-LEGEND-ly.

There are six guys who live upstairs. They’re a cool group of guys, but I’m really only friend-friends with 3 of them. One of the things they do is run a start-up called “Spira, Inc” in which they grow spirulina to create sustainable and ethical food sources. In a nutshell, that’s what they do.

Anyway, one of them, Elliott, is going to do this–in space! He’s going to be gone for two months for training and getting things set up and all that. So, he’s moving out so they can replace his portion of the rent, quickly. He has a new apartment lined up, already, for when he’s back. Plus, he loves my cooking, so it’s not like I won’t see him.

His birthday was also recently, so I promised that I’d make him veggie lasagna (because he’s a vegetarian). I told him I didn’t use pasta in my lasagna. He was a little dubious, but excited all the same. Instead of pasta, I use zucchini. Plus, I used my homemade sauce. Ricotta and mozzarella added to the flavor and, of course, you have to top it off with mozzarella. And parmesan.

Apparently it was a hit. I had an empty and clean baking dish back the very next day.

Also, my diet is working well. To date (at least of the writing of this post), I have lost 15lbs. I have 10lbs more to lose to reach my goal. And don’t worry, my goal weight is not unrealistic. It’s 145lbs. I thought I had completely blown my progress on Saturday because I ordered a gluten-free pizza from Pizza Hut (veggie!) because I didn’t feel like cooking, I had worked out, and I was just…stressed. It was a low-calorie thing, but the carbs were pretty high. Still, I wasn’t knocked out of ketosis and, in fact, I’m actively burning fat as I type this (in a very insane way, according to my test strips). So, I’m pretty confident that when I transition into a maintenance phase, I’ll be okay and won’t regain everything I worked to take off. Plus, I plan on staying with my exercise routine. I’m on week 12 of the 13, and I’ve only missed one workout.

Thank you all for viewing the videos and reading my posts. I was notified I’ve received 100 likes on this blog. That’s actually overwhelming to me! I never really expected people would be interested in these, but apparently, I was wrong! Thank you for your support!

Mabon Ritual: Solitary Practitioner

Posted on by Th3D0ct0r
Featuring, my boobs.

During the time of filming this video, Cameramen Ken was out of town. So, I had to do this myself. And it occurred to me that I really don’t have a clue as to what I’m doing. Plus, I’m not comfortable being by myself doing my practice outside. At least not near my neighbors. Who don’t wear masks or use social distancing. I thought everyone was gone, but no! I had neighbor aggro.

Oh, well. I suppose that’s what my focus for the Autumnal Equinox season should be: Being proud of my faith and my practice and not allowing myself to feel less-than simply because others may find it weird or “unnatural.”

So, this ritual came from the Mabon book from Llewellyn’s library. I copied the words into my own grimoire and then did the ritual for you! Sans the sage sticks because I wasn’t comfortable burning sage outside. Not with the ever-encroaching tree. The house is made of wood and it would go up like a tinder box, I suspect. But, I showed you how to do it in the video, sans the actual sage stick. I also don’t have a tray for my items, so you can definitely improvise.

If you want to use a wand, go for it, otherwise you don’t need it. Just make sure you have enough room to walk around (I did not). Give yourself more space than you think you’ll need, if possible. Personally, I would use water for an outdoor ritual since you’re pouring it onto the ground. Cider, beer, and wine could be sticky if allowed to dry and may damage plants or grass. If you do the ritual inside, use whatever you like as you’d be pouring it into bowls.

I hope you have a blessed Mabon.

Keto Meal: Shrimp Scampi, Creamed Spinach, & Cornbread

Posted on by Th3D0ct0r
I am quite ambitious.

It was #FishFriday. I’m not a huge fan of shrimp, but I promised Cameraman Ken I’d make shrimp scampi if he ordered shrimp in our Imperfect Produce box. He was excited for scampi, but I didn’t feel like making noodles or making two separate batches of noodles for him and myself. So, I asked if I could make something else to serve it with. He agreed, and so I chose to make creamed spinach and cornbread, as well. Because the scampi recipe suggested those as side dishes.

Y’all. This was a frantic thing. I had an hour to prepare everything because I had a Zoom meeting to co-host. So, I cooked and filmed this entire meal in one hour. It is a new record. Also, you can hear me curse if you listen closely (sorry, Mom). I was very overheated, very frustrated, very hungry, and very stressed. So, I ended up channeling my inner Nadia Bolz-Weber. Regardless. Everything came out almost exactly on time with each other.

If you decide to make the cornbread, don’t skimp on the butter. I used a coconut oil cooking spray and it really did not help keeping the bread from sticking to the glass dish. Butter will likely make it release better. I, personally, like sweet cornbread. It’s what I grew up with. Oddly. Because I grew up in Central PA, not the South. YMMV.

If you decide to make these dishes, also make sure you use LARGE shrimp. My shrimp were small and they overcooked at 3-4 minutes per side. This was still incredibly tasty–especially considering I don’t like shrimp! I’d love to hear about your experiences making this dish! Leave me a comment below!

Incense for Mabon

Posted on by Th3D0ct0r
I’m very proud of myself.

Mabon is coming up quickly and I’ve been trying to make some little tokens for the sabbat (even though it is not one of the sabbats I, personally, celebrate). I love incense, so it made sense for me to make this wonderful, loose incense for you as a way of demonstrating some of the things you can incorporate into your Autumnal practice.

The book I used for this video is simply called Mabon. There is a good history of the roots of Mabon and how you can celebrate it in the modern age. It also gives recipes, crafts, rituals, correspondence, prayers, etc. One of the recipes in it is for this incense.

You will need dried marigold (calendula), mint, and sage. I used rubbed sage for this because I use that in cooking. Since I do not have the appropriate environment in which to grow sage properly, I tend to use rubbed sage where I can, instead of sage that you’d find in bundles. Once I have a bit of earth and can plant my garden the way I want, I’ll harvest and dry my own sage. Regardless, use whatever sage you’d like in this. It will still smell amazing.

Make sure that when you go to burn this, you have a charcoal round. I did not have any (they’re in storage), and it does not burn well on it’s own. It needs help. But, it still smells really good, so you have that to look forward to!

This incense can be used for Mabon rituals, or around Thanksgiving to help cultivate a sense of thankfulness and gratitude, or any time of year, really. It’s a delicate scent and works well to relax and open your heart to give thanks and show gratitude for what the Universe has blessed you with during the year into this Second Harvest.

I hope you enjoy this incense. Let me know in the comments how yours turned out!

Homemade Pasta Sauce

Posted on by Th3D0ct0r
I know it’s tomato base… I hate my stomach!

When I started this blog and channel, I was hoping to go a different direction with my diet. Gastrointestinal issues are never any fun and they’re doubly awful when you don’t know why you’re having them (kinda where I am, currently). I started, basically, a medieval diet palate in January and was really trying to stick with that. But, my weight kept going up, which I did not like, despite doing all the right things (eating healthy, working out, etc). Then I went into a flare that lasted for a nearly-solid 3 months. I was sick every week between March 11 and June 1. I decided in May that I was going to try carb-cycling between Keto and Paleo. The first week of pure keto went well. I lost about 8lbs. But, when I tried to do the Paleo week, nothing actually sounded good, and I gained back about 3lbs. So, I switched back to straight Keto in the middle of that week and have been doing that since June 1. I’ve lost about 11lbs. Not very impressive and, yet again, I’m doing all the right things. I’m staying below 20g Net Carbs; I work out 3x/week; I’ve lost a total of 13″ from my body, but the weight isn’t moving.

…and I still have gastrointestinal issues.

I just deal with it. I’ve decided this is my lot in life. It’s not a lot, but it’s my life. I don’t want to deny Cameraman Ken his regular pasta sauce all the time. And I make a really good sauce, so I told him to get me 2lbs of tomatoes and I’d make pasta sauce. So, that’s what I did!

2lbs tomatoes (I used roma, beefsteak, and cherry tomatoes)
1T olive oil
1 shallot, diced
Garlic until it is enough
2T Italian seasoning
Salt & Pepper to taste
1tsp – 1/2T red pepper flakes (optional)
2c beef broth
Water as needed
4 button mushrooms, diced.

So, you’re gonna start by sauteing your shallot and garlic in your olive oil until the shallot is translucent and it’s all just fragrant. To that pot, you’ll add your chopped tomatoes, beef broth, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (if you’re using them). You want to simmer that on medium-low for 2 hours. Check it periodically to deglaze the bottom of the pot and to add more liquid. I set a timer for 45 minutes to make sure I checked it and all that stuff. At the second 45 minute timer, I used an immersion blender to blend it down, then added the mushrooms and let it simmer for another 15 minutes. At that point, I turned off the heat and began the canning process.

With tomato products, you want to make sure you put them in a water bath for at least 30 minutes, but not more than 45 minutes. And make sure the jars are submerged for best results.

That’s really it. It’s a long process, but it’s worth it, especially if you grow your own tomatoes.

Mabon Bath Salts

Posted on by Th3D0ct0r
Look! I’m actually FANCY!

Mabon is a Sabbat that celebrates the end of summer and the beginning of autumn and the second harvest. This year, it falls on September 22. Mabon, similarly to Lughnasadh, is a time of Thanksgiving and gratitude. What better way to get into the spirit of giving thanks than by thanking yourself for surviving the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that has been 2020 and taking a ritual bath!

Honestly, I just like using bath salts whenever I can. They’re easy to make and it’s so relaxing to use them. This one is a two-parter, so you’ll need two containers to make it work.

You’ll need dried chamomile, sage, and rosemary; sea salt, baking soda, and sandalwood essential oil. How much you want to use is up to you. Standard ratios are as follows: 1:1:1:1 on the dried plants to water (1 T each, 1 cup water) and 1/2c sea salt, 1 T baking soda, and about 5-6 drops sandalwood.

You’re going to put your herbs and water in a pot and simmer them for about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, let them cool.

In the meantime, mix your sea salt and baking soda together, then add your essential oil and mix thoroughly. Put into a shatter-proof container (or live dangerously, like I do, and use a mason jar). I use a 4oz mason jar for these and pack the salt mixture into them. when you use it for your bath, you’ll use approximately half of the jar.

Once the decoction has cooled, strain it using either a cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer. You should be able to fill a 4oz jar with the liquid. When you go to draw your bath, pour in your salt first and dissolve it in the water, then add 2oz of your decoction and blend it into the water as well. Climb into your tub and relax and focus on the many things you have to be thankful for.

You can make it more of a ritual, if you would like–light candles, cast a magic circle, whatever you’d like to do. I tend to keep my baths simple. Spend as much time as you require soaking in the energy of Mabon and the Equinox.

Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again. Blessed be.