Blog — Musings

  Running a small business and going into the second half of a pregnancy, it's all too easy to forget about taking good care of my body.  We're fast approaching the New Moon and it's time again to hit the proverbial reset button.  So, today I decided to indulge in a bit of witchy DIY spa goodness. My hair has been a bit brittle and unruly so, first stop was the back yard to cut some aloe vera.  Most of us are familiar with this spiky succulent's power to soothe a sunburn but, it is also most effective in taming...

We're pleased to share a terrific and inspiring website with you called The Amazing Life Challenge.  Its creatrix is Kellie Smith, a Los Angeles based Healer, Massage Therapist and Certified Yoga Teacher. Kellie's site recently featured "The Alchemy of Gratitude," an article by our own Forest Nui Cobalt.  We're honored to have shared our thoughts with her readers and humbled by the opportunity to do so. Thanks, Kellie!

I got this great question in my inbox, today: "How is the loose powder incense used?" Fortuna Major, Sol Invictus and Thundering Jove are examples of loose non-combustible incense. They are intended to be smouldered on a charcoal disc as per these instructions: I would add that it's best to line the container with a layer of sand or gravel to disperse the heat, place your container on a heat resistant surface and make sure that you hold your flame to the charcoal for several seconds to that ensure that it catches. At home, I use a cheap terra cotta...

photo from santharia.com  Posted 11/21/13 by Nui Cobalt Many of us struggle to find a meaningful way to participate and help reduce the ... well, corporate-ness of the holiday season.  How can we manage to remain socially responsible and stay within our integrity without having to bah-humbug our way through the whole winter?  Here are three simple and effective steps that anyone can take to ensure a jolly and economically sound Yuletide. 1) Promote and endorse your favorite independent business. Most of the artisans and craftspeople you love are very much reliant upon word-of-mouth advertising.  They don't have a marketing...

Courage is crafted from the raw material that we experience as fear.  That is not to say that fear necessarily generates courage; quite the contrary.  Fear is the seed from which any number of varied circumstances may grow: from paralysis to passivity to violence.  It is only through conscious and deliberate action that we may transmute fear into courage and act in accordance with the ethical human standards to which we hold ourselves and others.  It provides the resistance we can use to become stronger. So, why do we have to become any stronger?  What's the point?  Isn't it good...