Snow Moon & A Pagan Primer

We in New York found ourselves in a very timely snow storm. I have to say, we've been lucky in my part of the state. This is the first (and hopefully last) big snow storm of the year. Mother Nature is treating us to about a foot of snowfall, in which I decided to test my Primal ambition and take a 9-mile trek to and from the grocery store. A very powerful workout. My legs are killing me.
 

I say the storm is timely because it falls just before February's Full Moon- often called the Snow Moon. Cultures around the world often named the full moons to help them track the seasons. Since the snowfall tends to be heaviest in February, Native Americans have named this moon Snow Moon. Sometimes it's called Full Hunger Moon, or Little Famine Moon as this is a point in the year when food is most scarce. Winter stores are running low and spring has not yet come.

In my current state of Paganism, I tend not to go all out and perform a ritual for the Full Moons anymore, but I do try to find some little way to celebrate and connect with Her. This year I decided to totally embrace the Snow Moon, with a long walk and a modest dessert. 

Snow Ice Cream

2 cups fresh white snow
3 ounces of coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Honey & Walnuts for garnish

Have all of your ingredients on hand. The snow melts quickly so you want to be prepared.

Mix your coconut milk and vanilla together and set aside.

Gather your snow and place in a bowl. Stir in your coconut/vanilla mixture.

Top with walnuts and a drizzle of honey.

Eat it quick before it melts!

*Note: It helps to chill your coconut milk to slow down melting.


Also, I have been asked to write a little something about my beliefs and my path.
First I'll start by saying that my path is ever-evolving. What I am today is not what I was a year ago, or five years ago. Recently I discovered myself to be a Kitchen Witch. My kitchen is the life center of my home, where nearly all my magic takes place. Different foods, ingredients, and herbs have their own magical personalities, and when you blend them together with intent, into a home-cooked meal, beautiful things can happen. Chicken soup lovingly prepared to heal a friend. A romantic meal to entice a lover. Growing, and cooking with herbs that attract money, harmony, health, protection... all within the scope of what a Kitchen Witch does. Did you know that growing basil not only attracts money, but repels pests?

Kitchen Witchery is more than just cooking, however. It's a whole collection of beliefs and practices, many of which I'm sure we could recognize in our grandmothers and great grandmothers. Beyond the combining of ingredients into meals, we make our household chores an enjoyable part of our day. Cleaning and tidying are just as magical as any meal. They're important, meaningful tasks that honor our sacred space and the gods that watch over it.

Most of us garden. Gardening is very important to the Kitchen Witch. When you can sow your seeds and tend your garden with intention, you grow foods and herbs with purpose. Gardening, even for city Witches, is a great way to connect with Mother Nature and be close with the Earth.

Other very important parts of a Kitchen Witch's life involve living in tune with the season- cooking and eating seasonal foods, gardening, and decorating our homes through arts and crafts. Most all of us honor the Goddess in some manner as well. Many connect with Hestia or Vesta, Gaia, Demeter, Sekhmet, or Lakshmi. I have always felt closely connected with a different goddess- Artemis, who is not a domestic goddess, but a wild goddess of hunting (among other things.) I am sure this influences my cooking and my spells in several ways. I am much more at home cooking up coyote than I am baking bread!

My birth name is a derivation of the Roman Goddess, "Diana," but I have always prefered her Greek name, Artemis when I honor Her. She has, and always will be my patroness even while I make offerings to various other Roman gods. If you'd like to know more about what the Religio Romana is, check out NOVA ROMA's website.

Like most Pagans, I try to live in tune with the seasons and celebrate the Wheel of the Year- the 8 major Sabbats, or holidays. You will find them highlighted throughout the blog, starting with Imbolc. Many of us celebrate the Full Moons as "minor" holidays, or Esbats. My celebrations are mixed and varied, incorporating many cultures, so you will find some Roman traiditions, while others may be Celtic or Native American in origin.

And lastly, the part that intrigues most people. Spells...

Spells are prayers put into practice, and occasionally I will share mine with you. I don't believe there's anything inherently good or bad about lighting a candle or burning some herbs. I don't believe there's anything wrong with sharing knowledge of the deeper properties of seemingly common items, though other Pagans may disagree. I don't believe you have to call yourself a Witch to perform a successful spell, but practice does make perfect. It's like praying or meditation, except that it's acting out intention in a physical form. Sometimes it's charging and lighting a candle, carrying a crystal in my pocket, cooking up a potion, or even casting a circle... as rare as that tends to be. Spells are a way of shaping energy to perform a purpose for me. Most of them are so mundane, most people wouldn't recognize them, or simply find it odd... like hanging a prism in the kitchen window, having a few iron nails in a jar of salt, or placing a mirror outside my front door. Just little influences of protection and peace that make a house a home.

I am always open to questions about what I do, who I am, and what I believe. If you have questions feel free to ask. It'll give me an opportunity to share in later posts, as well as give me ideas for this blog.

Be Well,
Diana Renata