Witch Vlog # 7 - Samhain (Southern Hemisphere)

Hello my Magickal Unicorns,

It is coming up to Samhain this week (April 30th - May 1st), so I decided to do an Altar cleaning and repurposing it for the Samhain "End of Summer" season.

I do not talk in this one as I have a toothache/sore gum infection at the moment - which is giving me the heebie-jeebies I can tell you.  I am doing everything I can to get rid of it, but it will take time because I don't use "normal" pharmaceutical medicines, I use herbal remedies - which takes a bit longer but is more acceptable for my body.

Anyway - enough of me griping about my gob!!

I hope you enjoy the video 😁

As always,

Blessings to you all

)O( xxx

GLOOMY'S HERBALS - A RECIPE FOR BITTERS

In today's society there are a LOT of illnesses that can be prevented by having good gut flora.  The so called "Foods" we eat today are making us very sick (and surely killing us quicker than normal).  To prevent getting ill, we need to get our gut flora in check, and to do this we need to stay away from processed and packaged foods, junk food, excessive sugar, flavourings and colourings.

Look at the list of ingredients packaged foods in the supermarkets and you will notice a load of numbers and words that you don't even know what they are - this is wrong, so very, very wrong.  You should be able to tell what is in your food.

Herbal Bitters can really aid the digestive system and it is a good practice to take them just before a large meal - (like the sort we eat at Christmas time, where we stuff ourselves silly and then can't move...hahaha).  

Herbal Bitters can also have a very positive effect on all the body systems, as there are bitter receptors throughout the body and it will help to stimulate these systems.  

This herbal concoction can be used all year round if required - before any large meal, greasy fried meal, or a rich meal, (though it does pay to limit these kinds of meals) to help in the digestion of such foods through your body.

 

INGREDIENTS:
Dandelion Leaves and Roots,

Yarrow, 

Chamomile, 

Calendula/Marigold Flowers, 

Wormwood,

Elecampane (can be fresh or dried), 

Fennel Seeds,

Peppermint, 
Brandy.

 

METHOD:

Simply chop them all up and place in a Kilner/Mason jar.  Cover with brandy, stir to remove any bubbles then leave to infuse for 3-4 weeks in a cool, dark cupboard. 

 

You can also use Vervain, Agrimony, Ginger, Hops, Burdock Root, Dock Root, Stinging Nettle and many others.  

 

When infusion is complete, strain out the herbs and put the bitters into a dark bottle, and store in a dark pantry or cupboard.

 

 

DOSE:

 

 Take 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon about 15-20 minutes before eating (work your way up to a tablespoon full if you do not like bitters).  It is best to take bitters straight on to the tongue but perhaps add the bitters to a little drop of water until you get used to the bitter taste.  

This concoction will last up to 6 months. 

 

NOTE:

 

You can either grow these herbs in your garden or purchase them dried online from a reputable source.  But I prefer to grow my own herbs so I know that they are fresh and have not been sprayed with any pesticides or other nasties.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER:

If you are under a Health Practitioner's supervision, always check with them first before embarking to take anything herbal, just to make sure there are no herbs in the mix that might be contra-indicated for you (will clash), with the prescription medication you are already on. Better to be safe than sorry!

I hope you found this helpful in your quest for a healthy gut flora.

Keep well my friends.

When an invisible illness hits.......

 Hello Everyone,

I hope you are all doing well....

The last time I wrote a blog it was December, and in that blog I was saying how time flies - one minute it's October - then December... and now it is February!!!!

Not a lot has gone on - I had my months annual leave in December - we didn't go away or anything, just stayed home and pottered around the house and garden.

I didn't have much energy to do anything after last year, you see I have an invisible illness - not that I am going to go into it here, but suffice it to say that it's to do with my immune system.  There are times that it hits really hard and I don't have enough energy to do anything, I feel bloody awful and can't seem to focus on even daily tasks that I have to do - it makes me cry that I feel so bad....all I want to do is stay in bed and sleep the day away.  Depression and anxiety rear their ugly heads as you go further and further into the pain quagmire.

I have been a lot like that lately - I have no energy, I feel ill ALL the time, my stomach hurts, my joints ache, my head pounds, my skin breaks out in itchy rashes and I can't sleep.  Sometimes I am up until 4:00am just trying to wear myself out enough to crash into an exhausted slumber - but then the alarm goes off at 6:00am for work and it starts all over again.

My husband is the same - he has a workplace injury that he has had for about 25 years now, sometimes it is impossible for him to get out of bed with the pain - and painkillers do not work (or if they do - not for very long). It can cripple him for days at a time - all because it wasn't treated well enough at the time of injury.  This wears him down mentally as well and he ends up in a very dark place of self destruction.

However, if you were to meet me or my husband - you would never know, as it isn't something that shows like a broken part of the body or stitches etc., we come across as normal functioning people - other people have an idea that you are faking it - that you don't have an illness and are just having sick days for attentions or something.... which is just not true!

So our lives revolve around pain and how much we can endure to function normally.

Now I am not telling you all this for sympathy - no, not at all..  I am just telling you this so that you come across people who can't seem to function, maybe they seem a bit confused or depressed - take a step back and ask why - do they have an illness that can't be seen  - something that makes them not function as you would think a normal, fully functioning person would do?  And maybe cut them some slack.

BE KIND!!

Everyone is battling something in their lives and I think we can expect too much of people sometimes... 

It's time to take a step back, to slow down, to take a deep breath and just go with the flow.  Not rush around like headless chooks... slow and easy... take care of yourselves - self care is very important because if you don't care for yourself, no one else will!!

SO Take care everyone and have a fantastic week ahead!!

Cheers,

AJ