Labor Day was started in 1882 by the Central Labor Union (of New York City), seeking to create a day off for the working citizens. Now recognized by the Federal Government and the 50 states it is the symbolic end of Summer.
One of the huge traditions in my family growing up was watching the Jerry Lewis MDA telethon. I don't know if my parents ever gave any money but they watched it every year. So I encourage all of you to go to the link above and donate a little money to help fight muscular dystrophy. And to sit down today and watch the telethon.
And if your family has any other traditions please comment below and let us know.
Blessed Be!

Mahud of Between Old & New Moons has brought us together in an another Synchroblog. This topic being; On Otherworlds.
This post is just one of the many other posts found in this fourth Mythology Synchroblog. Here is a list of those other bloggers.

• Faith and the Hero’s Journey (Hawk’s Cry: The voice of a witch)
• Journeying to Otherworlds: Access Denied (Between Old and New Moons)
• Lions at the Door (Quaker Pagan Reflections)
• More Than These Words (Aquila ka Hecate)
• Journeying to Otherworlds (The Dance of the Elements)
• Pagan Dad (Children's Story for Mabon)
  

To me the Mabon season is the perfect time to talk about journeying through Otherworlds, specifically the Underworld, because in my spiritual tradition this is the time that the Goddess leaves the world and begins her journey to Summerland to find the lost Sun King. She subsequently returns as Samhain, infused with light and pregnant with the Newborn Sun.
In this myth I see many parallels with our own eventual journeyes through the Otherworld. As She faced the monsters on the dark paths throught the Underworld. So shall we all face the monsters within, on our own journey to find enlightenment. One of the other parallels in this myth si the finding of the Sun, the light of the world. Now while most us wont' be repsonible fo r the rebirth fo the Sun; each of us, if we choose to take the Journey, shall find the light of our world. Shall find the enlightenment we are supposed to experience in this lifetime. Th elight that will finally chase away all the Shadows that we clin to and strengthen through the fear and shame we feel about them.
I am a firm believer in working diligently to incorporate the Shadow aspects of our personality into a whole, and more complete person: And so this why I believe that a journey into the Otherworlds is an important one. For the Otherworlds, while existing as a place outside of us, also exists with each and every one of us.
This being said I wanted to share with you the current installment in my series of children's stories about the different Sabbats. I hope that you all enjoy it.

"Grandfather, is the next story of the Gods, the one for Mabon, is it sad?" asked the little girl as she looked up with tears in her eyes. "I don't know if we can take another sad story"
The Grandfather paused for a moment and looked down at her upturned face and said, "The next two stories are sadder then the last. But they only make you sad because you have forgotten how it all ends and begins at Yule."
"You mean the rebirth of the Sun King and the Goddess becoming young again?"
"Yes children that is exactly what I mean. For you see there must be sadness if there is to be happiness or we wouldn't appreciate it. There must be winter for every summer so that everything can have a chance to rest.
"And that is what this Sabbat is about. It is the finishing of the work to prepare for the winter. The harvest of the fruit and vine and the storing of supplies and repairing of tools and such.
"But it is also the time that the Goddess leaves us on her annual journey to the Underworld in search of her lost love, the Sun King. For with his death, the magick that they had laid in the Spring had began to fade and Winter was coming fast. And this was a fitting time for her to leave because the fruit that is harvested is like her. They are the womb that holds the seed with a promise of new life. And she is the same.
"So She went to the shore and lit a bonfire of the sacred woods and began to chant and to dance. Longer and faster did She dance. Around and around she spun and finally Her spirit lifted from Her body and began its long journey down into the Underworld.
"I will not speak of all the scary things that she faced. From Giants and Ogres to Dragons and other Wyrms all seeked to block her way. But none were strong enough to block her path. For she came in love everlasting and of course, having been this way before, she knew the ways to avoid most dangers.
"But finally She came to a pool glowing with Golden Light and the scent of roses filled the air around Her. She had finally found her lost love. But he slept with the sleep of Death on the edge of the pool.
"With Her voice raised in song, she began to wash the body of the fallen Sun King. She sang of power and love. Of racing across the green grass in spring and the warmth of the Sun in late summer. The smell of all the flowers in bloom and the feel of swimming in cool water on a hot summer day. All the things that the Sun King could bring back to the Earth if he only lived.
"Finally after what seemed an eternity the Sun King awoke and looked at Her and smiled. 'My Goddess,' he said, 'I have not the strength to return in this body. I will not survive the journey back into the land of the living. But I will dissolve my body and go into you as a spark of life that you can foster and grow until the time is right and ordained.'
And with a last breath He did just that. With a burst of light his body turned into energy and infused the Goddess, further aging her but giving her the strength to make the new Sun within her.
"And so with this She began her journey back to the land of living. Now see children there is always hope even in the darkest of times. The Sun has begun his journey back to join us in the land of the living. And the Goddess while apart from us is soon to return."
With this the children smiled, for the story wasn't as sad as they had expected it to be. And it let them know that all was going to be OK.

Dionysus the ancient God of Thrace was a complex diety. While he was the God of wine and ecstasy, representing the chaos and disorder in the world around us. He was also the God of fertility, crops and harvest which are all symbols of order and civilization.
One of the stories of his birth has him being born of Zeus after being conceived in Semele, a mortal. According to the story, Hera jealous of the affair convinced Semele to ask Zeus to reveal his true glory to her. This of course caused her to be burnt to ashes but before the infant could be destroyed Zeus retrieved him and sewed him into his leg. Later the child was cut out from Zeus and was subsequently driven insane by Hera.
Yet strangely in his insanity he traveled the world bringing wine and civilization with him. His insanity stayed until he met his grandmother, Cybele an Earth Goddess, who cures him of his madness and taught him the mysteries of life and resurrection

Because crops die in winter and return in spring, Dionysus was seen as a symbol of death and resurrection. In another story about his birth, Dionysus was the son of Zeus and Demeter, the goddess of crops and vegetation. Hera was jealous of the child and convinced the Titans to destroy him. Although Dionysus was disguised as a baby goat, the Titans found him, caught him, and tore him to pieces. They ate all of his body except his heart, which was rescued by Athena *. She gave the heart to Zeus, who gave it to Semele to eat. Semele later gave birth to Dionysus again. The story represents the earth (Demeter) and sky (Zeus) giving birth to the crops (Dionysus), which die each winter and are reborn again in the spring.
So as you can see Dionysus was a complex and interesting God that is a perfect for this harvest season.
Blessed Be!

Mabon is the second of the three harvests and as such it is the Harvest of the Fruits. And although many of the recipes that I am going to share in the next month will include fruit. It was worth having a separate post on the dishes prepared with fruit.

Pumpkin Bread with Cranberries courtesy of about.com

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups pumpkin pureé (15 oz can)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup fresh or dried cranberries

Preparation:

1. Combine flour, spice, baking powder, and salt in bowl; stir to blend the dry ingredients well.
2. Combine eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil in a mixing bowl, beating until smooth.
3. Stir in flour mixture, then stir in cranberries.
4. Spoon into a greased and floured 9x5x2-inch loaf pan.
5. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

Freezer Jam courtesy of allrecipes.com

Another great thing that you can do with fruit at this time is to make jams. Here is some simple instructions on making freezer jam.

Ingredients

• Fruit
• Pectin
• Sugar
• Water

The basic ratio for each packet of pectin is:

3 cups mashed fruit
5 cups sugar
1 cup water

It is also best to not choose containers for the jam larger than a pint.

Making Jam

The process itself is simple:

• Wash and stem the fruit (and peel it, if applicable).
• Place it in a wide-bottomed pan and crush with a potato masher to a smooth consistency, leaving some chunks of fruit if you like.
• Stir in the sugar and let the mixture sit for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• In the meantime, mix together the pectin and water in a small saucepan until the powder is dissolved; bring it to a boil over high heat, and let it boil for a full minute.
• Pour it into the fruit and stir for a couple of minutes.
• Pour the jam into your containers, leaving a half-inch of "headspace" at the top.
• Cover the containers and let them sit at room temperature for 24 hours.
• The jam should have thickened significantly overnight, but it can take up to two weeks for it to completely finish its jelling process. If it's too thick, stirring it will soften it up. If it's still too runny after two weeks, you can pour it into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. It will get thicker as it cools, and you can re-bottle as you did before.

As the name implies freezer jam is meant to be stored in the freezer and can be kept there for up to an year. Or in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. Also remember that once opened you should use the jam within three weeks.

Probably one of the hardest things for anyone to learn. But also one of the most important lessons to learn. My spiritual teacher always talks about Wicca and the organic method. Meaning that things happen in the time and way they are supposed to happen, we just have to be patient enough to wait for it to happen. Now this doesn't mean that we can sit idly by and wait for the bills to be paid. Rather it is to take life one day at a time and to just let things flow.
For a long time I struggled against the flow of the Universe and the Gods, so I can attest to the fact that things will change and happen if we are just patient enough.
But how do we teach this to our children? You can start small. For example, in the Spring, my family is planning on buying a "butterfly from caterpillar kit". The act of waiting that my children are going to have to endure will be almost more than they can bear. But through waiting for the reward they will learn some small measure of patience.
I'm interested in hearing about different ideas from all of you. So go ahead and comment and let me know what you all think.
<--part 4 part 6-->

Decorating a cornucopia can be a fun activity that everyone in the household can enjoy. There area few things that you will need to make your own.

• Cornucopia Basket
• Straw
• Different fruits, berries, gourds and vegetables
• Nuts
• Fallen Leafs

First you need to fill the back of the cornucopia with straw so that you don't have to fill the whole horn.
The next step involves laying the leafs as a base and then arranging the different fruit, gourds and vegetables in an eye-pleasing manner.
To decorate the inside, there are many different items that are appropriate to this Sabbat that you can use.

• Miniature Pumpkins
• Gourds
• Small Apples
• Pomegranates
• Indian Corn
• Cranberries
• Grapes

You can use either real or fake items. Just be sure that you don't let the real stuff spoil.
Blessed Be!

Mabon is the time to give thanks for what we have received in the year up to now. But I feel that many of us do not actually take the time to count our blessings. It's not their fault though. What with the commitments for the kids and our busy job, not to mention the other tasks of parents, who has the time to sit still and spend time to think?
And this is something that I have always been against, we should never do so much that we don't have time for ourselves. If we are not in top shape, mentally and physically, how can we adequately raise our children?
So take the time to do that. Think back over the year and make an exhaustive list, if you can, over what you have to say 'Thank You' for.
There is one big reason why this is important. According to Zen Habits a life of gratitude will ultimately make you happy.
Here are just a few reasons why that is:

• Because it reminds you of the positive things in your life. It makes you happy about the people in your life, whether they’re loved ones or just a stranger you met who was kind to you in some ways.
• Because it turns bad things into good things. Having problems at work? Be grateful you have work. Be grateful you have challenges, and that life isn’t boring. Be grateful that you can learn from these challenges. Be thankful they make you a stronger person.
• Because it reminds you of what’s important. It’s hard to complain about the little things when you give thanks that your children are alive and healthy. It’s hard to get stressed out over paying bills when you are grateful there is a roof over your head.
• Because it reminds you to thank others. I’ll talk about this more below, but the simple act of saying “thank you” to someone can make a big difference in that person’s life. Calling them, emailing them, stopping by to say thank you … just taking that minute out of your life to tell them why you are grateful toward them is important to them. People like being appreciated for who they are and what they do. It costs you little, but makes someone else happy. And making someone else happy will make you happy.

The Sabbat Mabon is the time of the Dark God, who is still a youth. He has not become the fearsome God of Death or the joyous and wintry Holly King, but he still rules over the darkness of the coming winter.
A lot of evidence points to the idea that the name for this Sabbat is after the Celtic God Mabon or Maponos. Mabon means "great son", the child of Modred whose name means "great mother".
Mabon was also portrayed as a minor sun God, yet he represents the power in darkness. His images transcend all the life stages of other Gods. He is a king of death and the Otherworld, a deity of the harvest and fertility, and was once called "The Divine Youth" by his followers. He represents innocent youth when young, strength and virility as a young man, and the sacrificial God when elderly. He was also, in some stories, given power over storms and foul weather. Either to rule them or to dispel them.
In Irish mythology, his counterpart would seem to be the Macc Oc, who was the son of Dagda, Father of the Gods. And was frequently portrayed as a trickster and a lover.

To me there is nothing more important then prayer in our daily lives. But I also know that sometimes we don't know what words to use. So I have put together some prayers that I have found and some that I have wrote to help us thank the Gods for the bounties of the Earth.

Flesh of my flesh
Blood of my blood
As I eat of this bread
And drink of this wine
So do I do of you
Blessed Be!

Breakfast time

Mother Earth (or Goddess of your choice)
Thank you for my breakfast,
It will give me energy to last,
And, make me as strong as a ships mast.

Lunch time

Mother Earth (or Goddess of your choice)
Thank you for my lunch,
I really needed this noontime munch,
To give my energy an extra punch.

Dinner time

Mother Earth (or Goddess of your choice)
Thank you for our evening meal,
All day long you've helped me a great deal,
It is your Great Love we feel.

A Simple Thanks

Lord and Lady, watch over us,
and bless us as we eat.
Bless this food, this bounty of earth,
we thank you, so mote it be.

A Prayer to the Earth

Corn and grain, meat and milk,
upon my table before me.
Gifts of life, bringing sustenance and strength,
I am grateful for all I have.

Celebrating Meat

Hail! Hail! The hunt has ended,
and meat is on the table!
We honor the deer who feeds us tonight,
may his spirit live within us!

Invitation to the Gods

I set a place at my table for the gods,
and ask them to join me here tonight.
My home is always open to you,
and my heart is open as well.

In my continuing series on Pagan virtues we come to Devotion. So what is devotion? I define it as the following and worshiping of the Gods, and all that that entails. I have recently talked on the importance of faith and I believe that faith is an important part of devotion. For if we do not have faith how can we have devotion. It would be worshiping Gods that we do not believe in.
Yet how are children supposed to learn devotion? Here are some ideas to try:

• Have them look for the Gods in all things
• Pray regularly (and if they are old enough then have them meditate regularly)
• Include them in your own personal worship
• Read to them about mythology

I say the first because they must learn to recognize the touch of the Gods on the world and the secrets that they whisper to us. If they cannot see Them then they cannot follow Them. This is also part of the fourth on the list, they must know the Gods and their stories if they are to worship and follow them.
The other two are pretty self explanatory. It is simply encouraging the act of worship. Devotion and faith will often follow from these things.
So what things do all of you do to encourage devotion in your children?
<--part 3 part 5-->

In simple terms it is the Pagan Thanksgiving. A time to take stock of what we have harvested at Lughnasadh and to offer up thanks to the Gods for those things.
Yet on a deeper level, Mabon is the harvest of the fruit and the herald of the coming winter. In my tradition it is the time that the Goddess, in her Crone aspect, takes leave of this world. It is now that She begins her journey to the Underworld in search of the lost Sun King.
As Ostara, lying across the Wheel, is the time of the melting snows and the return of growth. Mabon is the return of the snow and the withering of growth. But we must remember that without rest everything will fade away. So take this time of reflection and introspection as a chance to recharge, to find our balance and focus again.
Balance is the key to all of this. For Mabon is the Fall Equinox as well, a time that the world lies balanced between one cycle and another.
I would love to hear what all of you think about Mabon and what this Sabbat means to you. So please comment and let us all know.
Blessed Be!

Yes, it is that time again. Time to take down the grapevine wreath and dust it off. To switch out the decorations that signal one Sabbat from another. The theme for this time is Harvest and Thanksgiving. Here is a list of a few ideas of things to put on your wreath.

• Acorns
• Pomegranates
• Pine Cones
• Autumn colored leaves
• Apples
• Ivy
• Cornucopias - Horn of Plenty
  
• Grapes

Depending on your resources, some of these things can be real or you can buy silk flowers and such at your local craft store. Use your imagination and remember to have fun.
Blessed Be!

In the last week I have talked about the importance of faith over religion and raising children with faith. But what do you do if your family is lacking in the faith department? We live in a stressful, non faith conducive world. So it is easy to do. To fall away from faith and stop living a spiritual life.
There are many things that one can do to both connect with your family and to connect them (and yourselves) to faith.

• Family Altar
• Meals together with Prayers
• Bedtime prayers said together
• Worshiping in Circle together
• Acting as living reminders to each other

Some of these are harder to do then others but they all will work to remind each of you to have faith. For space reasons, I personally do not have a family altar up, but it is in my plans for the new year, when I can afford to buy smaller furniture which will clear up room. Yet the idea of a house altar that serves as a focal point for the faith of the family is a very ancient idea.
The best placement for the altar is up to you. But strive to place it somewhere that everyone will see it often. You can decorate it for the different Sabbats and make it a center of your family rituals.
Praying together, whether at meal times or at bedtime or any other time, strengthens the bonds of family with the glue of faith. So do it. Pray together often. And when the occasion arises take the time for all to say thanks to the Gods for all that they have received.
When the children get old enough they should be included in ritual with the family. This serves at least two purposes. The first being of course to increase the bonds of family. And the second being to prepare them for the ritual outside of the home in the public eye.
The last one may be the hardest one and is one that I have borrowed from Christianity. We all "backslide". You know, get tired of the effort and the daily grind. Yet if we have someone at hand to remind us of why we do what we do and to hold us up through the trials our faith can survive and even strengthen.
If anyone out there has any other ideas please feel free to post them in the comments below.
Blessed Be!

I am an American and one of the things that I find lacking in my country is the lack of traditions. Many cultures from around the world have traditions and etiquette for greeting guests and marking milestones in peoples' lives.
Some Native American tribes have the pipe ceremony. The Japanese have the tea ceremony. And it is this second one that I want to focus on today. The idea of preparing tea and serving guests as ritual to give respect to them has always intrigued me.
Traditionally the Japanese have sacred tools for the tea ceremony. These items are:

• Chakin - Linen or hemp cloth used to wipe the tea bowls
• Chawan - Or tea bowls. They use many different styles of bowls for different events and times of the year
• Chaki - Tea Caddy used to store tea
• Chasaku - Tea scoop; usually carved from a single piece of bamboo, ivory or bone
• Chasen - Bamboo Whisk. Worn out whisks are not just discarded, rather once a year they are all burnt at one time in a sacred manner
• Matcha - Green tea powder
• Fukuska - fine silk cloth used to purify the Chaki and Chasaku
  

There are many types of tea ceremonies each with carefully prescribed instructions. From words spoken to hand gestures. But the general idea is as follows:
Each guest, following after the host, cleanses themselves from a stone basin set aside for this purpose. The host uses the a fukuska (fine silk cloth) to ritually purify the Chaki and Chasaku. The cloth represents the soul of the host and therefore this is a very important part of the rite. Hot water is put into the tea bowl, the whisk is rinsed. Then the tea bowl are emptied and, with the whisk, are wiped by the Chakin.

Lifting the tea scoop and tea container, the host places three scoops of tea per guest into the tea bowl. Hot water is ladled from the kettle into the teabowl in a quantity sufficient to create a thin paste with the whisk. Additional water is then added to so the paste can be whisked into a thick liquid consistent with pea soup. Unused water in the ladle is returned to the kettle.
The host passes the tea bowl to the main guest who bows in accepting it. The bowl is raised and rotate in the hand to be admired. The guest then drinks some of the tea, wipes the rim of the bowl, and passes the bowl to the next guest who does the same as the main guest.
When the guests have all tasted the tea the bowl is returned to the host who rinses it. The whisk is rinsed and the tea scoop and the tea container cleaned.

Then next a thin tea is prepared to cleanse the pallet and signal a return to the normal world and a exit from the world of tea.
As you can see this ritual can be adapted, or used as is, in a ritual setting within the confines of a Wiccan circle.

Here is a video that shows more information on the tea ceremony.

Some of the above info was quoted from holymtn.com. Check there for more information as well.
And of course comment and let me know what you think about this ceremony.
Blessed Be!

The third item in my series on Pagan Virtues is humility. Humility defined as the state of being humble. I know that definition does little to explain this virtue. So let us move one and define humble; having or showing awareness of one's defects.
I think that humility is something that is missing in our culture. We are afraid of letting our kids lose, at anything. They have done away with keeping score and/or lowered the standards in school, so that no one's self-esteem is damaged. And what has been the result? We have a generation of children with no drive. They do not understand that they have limitations and so they can't understand why they fail in the real world.
Now don't get me wrong, I am not advocating ruining a child's self-esteem. But rather I am encouraging parents to let children try, and possibly fail, on their own without interference. If you instill perseverance in your children and not let them quit, they will overcome any obstacles to to finish something.
The youth of today have been described as cocky and to full of themselves. This is another symptom of the lack of humility in our children. They don't know that they aren't invincible and perfect because we have never taught them to know it. If we don't let them fail and try again then they will not learn any kind of awareness of their defects.
Blessed Be!
<--part 2 part 4-->

On Friday I talked about how faith is more important than religion. In that post I also talked about how faith is missing from the world as a general rule. And since it is up to parents to instill the appropriate values in their children, how does one begin to teach children to have faith?
To begin to answer this, we should first define it; Faith is the belief in something greater then ourselves. So to teach faith to our children, we should teach them about Divinity and a respect and honoring for that Divinity. To have faith, children must find a belief in the Gods.
To instill this belief there are many things that you can do. From something as complex as daily devotions and prayers to something as simple as taking time with your children to appreciate the beauty of nature.
For example I take my oldest child on nature walks so that she can get a sense of respect for the wonders that surround us. In the suburban lifestyles that so many of us lead, we are almost completely cut off from the natural world. And as Pagans this should be of utmost concern to us. For how can we truly honor the Earth if we do not know her and haven't connected to her.
But let us not leave out the idea of leading by example. The faith I have in and for the Gods is my strength and my motivation and my children see this. It is my hope that they will learn to have faith from the activities that I do.
So as the weather turns cooler and, if you are lucky, the leaves begin to change color take the time with your children to experience the awe that nature can inspire. Also pray with your children and show them the strength that faith can bring someone.
Keep posted to see some more ideas of bringing family together in faith this week. To make it easier subscribe by Email to my blog.
Blessed Be!

This is one of the great questions of our age. Faith vs. Religion. Which one do we need more of? Is there a difference between them? Can you have one without the other?
To me there is a huge difference between the two. We have all met the Sunday School Christians. You know, those Christians who have the religion (i.e. they go to church on Sundays or as little as Christmas and Easter) but don't have the faith that backs that up. They may believe in God but they do not have the faith in Him. And yes there is many Pagans that fall into this category as well. They celebrate the open Sabbats and worship with the best of them but they don't have the deep faith that others have.
So what is faith? I guess that this is the next question to answer and probably the most important next to the question in the title. Faith is the belief in something greater then the sum of yourself. But it goes beyond just belief or dogma, it is the life altering realization that changes our outlook. It is what makes me Wiccan always. I am just not Wiccan at the Sabbats or in other rituals I am a Wiccan in all parts of my life.
So now that we have defined faith, can one have faith without religion? In other words can a atheist have faith? Is belief in a Divine Presence a requirement for faith? For me the answer is yes to the first and no to the second. I have met atheists that have faith in mankind and the spirit of hope that can arise in man. This can be a powerful motivating force.
So yes we can have faith without religion. And we can have religion without faith. But we cannot survive without faith. If you don't agree, look around at the hopelessness and confusion that is the hallmark of our age. Our youth have nothing to believe in and so they have no drive. They are easily led astray by anyone or anything that promises a better future. Without direction the youth cannot lead themselves, much less the country that they are going to inherit, in a productive direction. A direction of growth and new life.
It is not the lack of God in schools that is the problem, contrary to some people's belief, it is lack of faith in our youth. The push away from organized religion has stripped generations of their faith. And so it is time to bring back faith to our youth.
So stay tuned next week for more posts on faith and family.
Blessed Be!

Update:

Check out these other companion posts:

• Raising Children with Faith
• Bringing Family Together in Faith

We live in one messed up, topsy-turvy world and finding a balance in the midst of everything is important. But how is one to do that? How can one turn off the craziness of their life and the world around them and find peace?
There are many things that one can do, here a list of a few:

• Breathing Exercises
• Meditation
• Prayer
  
• Prioritization

To me setting priorities is the best way to start. Although it can be the toughest to accomplish. You need to decide for yourself, whether work and money or family and free time is more important. Unless you happen to be one of those lucky few that get paid big figures for only working a few hours. For most of us we work fifty to sixty hours a week just to pay the bills and buy the kids everything that they want, but our work keeps us from enjoying the fruits of our labor. This is probably the biggest problem facing families today. We can not be a complete family if certain members aren't there to help build it.
I know that making sacrifices are tough to do, but think about it as a trade for benefits. You may lose some money but you are gaining a family in exchange. I also know that this may take months or years to accomplish; It may involve a move to a smaller house or a cut back on expenses. But that is for you as the parents to decide.
If you decide to make some sacrifices, then you will undoubtedly face some nagging guilt and doubt. This is where meditation, prayer and breathing exercises come into play. Faith is one of the most important attributes to possess as a person. So use that faith, turn towards the God(desses) of your choice and pray. Ask for guidance and help to banish the fears that you are facing, They will help.
Also take the time to meditate. Focusing on your breath will help to center you and the meditation will allow you to rebuild your reservoirs of mental strength.
I would like to see some comments below on what all of you do to find balance in this mixed up world. For Goddess knows we could all use the help.
Blessed Be!

With us living in a world engulfed in all sorts of chemicals, shouldn't the home be a place that isn't quite so toxic?
I have found and listed below some recipes for different cleaning supplies, that you can make and use. Just make sure to check a small area to see if any of these cause any discoloration.

Window Washing Cleaner Recipe
Combine the following in a clean unused spray bottle

• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap or detergent
• 2 cups of water in a spray bottle

Non-abrasive Microwave Cleaner Recipe

Mix together in a microwavable cup and microwave to a boil. Allow to set in the microwave for five minutes and wipe microwave clean.

• ¼ cup lemon juice
• ¾ cup of water

All Purpose General Homemade Cleaner Recipe
Combine the following in a clean unused spray bottle

• ¼ cup of baking soda
• 2 cups of warm tap water

Homemade Carpet Deodorizer

Sprinkle a light dusting of baking soda over your carpets. Allow to sit for thirty minutes. Vacuum as normal. Make certain that your carpets are dry before you use this.

Mold and Mildew Remover Homemade Cleaner Recipe
Combine the following in a clean unused spray bottle

• ¼ cup lemon juice
• ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
• 4 cups of warm water

Unclog Drains Homemade Recipe

Pour 1/2 cup of white, distilled vinegar down your drain. Let stand for twenty minutes. Pour 4 cups of very hot water in drain. Next pour ¼ cup of lemon juice down your drain. Let stand for 5 minutes. Pour an additional 4 cups of very hot water in drain. This will unclog your drains in the kitchens or bathrooms and remove odors.

Pet Stain Remover Recipe
Combine the following in a clean unused spray bottle

• ¼ cup lemon juice
• ½ cup baking soda
• ¼ cup white distilled vinegar
• 4 cups of warm tap water

courtesy of associatedcontent.com

In my continuing series on Pagan Virtues, we come to the virtue of Charity. This is one can be of the more difficult to instill into your children. It has been my experience that one of the things that children learn early is "mine" and "me". Now while there is nothing wrong with children developing a strong sense of self, this can quickly lead into egoism, vanity and in the worst cases bullies.
Don't get me wrong I am not saying that your children, or any children for that matter are naturally selfish. But it is the role of parents to make sure that they don't turn out that way.
So how can we manage to teach children how to be charitable? Well first, I think, we must define what is meant by charity in this case. So to answer this, I will again quote Webster: benevolent goodwill toward or love of humanity.
The love I speak of is not just passionate love, or even brotherly love. The term for this love is Agape. Defined as the selfless love of one person for another without sexual implications (especially love that is spiritual in nature).
I know, its a mouthful, but what better lesson can you teach your kid then love?
Now to relate back to what I said at the beginning, children start off being obsessed with me and mine, so for them to not just be tolerant of others but to love them and to have goodwill towards, they must have good examples i.e. Parents.
Teach your children to love others and to do nice things for others. It has been my experience that to make them do so, is a wrong choice. They will only rebel. Point out the world around them and step back to give them chances to develop a sense of Charity for their fellow man.
Blessed Be!
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