Sacred Land: Intuitive Gardening for Personal, Political & Environmental Change

The title of this book sounds very formal which tended to make me think it would perhaps be a very serious ho-hum read. I was wrong – it is however, a very informative book filled with fascinating and useful information.

Living in a time when the damage to the earth has become apparent, Clea Danaan sheds a new light and new hope on our situation. She writes,

“This book is a beginning place, a launching point for your own sacred work. You will be inspired to seek out other sources to learn more about how to garden and to learn more about the goddesses and ecological activism. I write for women who are rediscovering the power of the sacred feminine in their lives, and who want to use that power to create positive change in the world.”

On our journey throughout the book we are introduced to many garden goddesses. There is the goddess Aurora who “rides into each morning on Pegasus the winged horse or in a purple and golden chariot”. We can bring her blessing upon our garden by the simple and beautiful ritual of lighting a rose-colored candle anointed with morning dew on the spring equinox. Along with the ancient deities we are then inspired by the many “Sacred Sisters” of today. One such sister is Rosemary Gladstar, famed herbalist and President of United Plant Savers, an organization dedicated to the preservation of threatened native medicinal plants.

By studying the earth, the cycles of life and ecology we learn on this journey to appreciate the co-inhabitants of the four elements that share our garden space as well. From ants to bees, butterflies and earthworms to devas such as faeries, gnomes, sylphs, undines & naiads all that have their purpose in nourishing our earth and life.

As we tend to the three gardens – the one in our backyard, in the world and the garden of our spirit (done through some very powerful and thought provoking meditations) we are inspired to become activists armed with the knowledge to make positive changes for personal, political and environmental change.  So, don’t let the title fool you, this book contains a wealth of information that needs to be practiced and shared.

What a great way to make use of the summer bounty of fresh fruits and berries! Cordials are much more predictable to make than wines and you can control the proof of it by carefully measuring out the alcohol that you use. It is also easy to control the sweetness. True to taste because the fruit need not ferment and also easy to correct should you find your cordial not sweet enough or you need to add more alcohol. The one cardinal rule however when making homemade cordials is to use ripe fruit that is unblemished.

Cordials from Your Kitchen covers the basics of choosing the appropriate alcohol base, and there are many; pure grain alcohol, whiskey, vodka, brandy, rum and gin. Also discussed are the addition of water, sweeteners, flavorings (you are provided with a huge list of common flavorings for liqueurs), coloring and cream bases. The list of the right equipment you will need is not very long, and most of the items you will find that you already own. A great extra is the ideas for bottling, storing and gift ideas for your tasty treats.

Not only does this book cover the making of fruit cordials and liqueurs, but also many with nutty bases such as almond, macadamia nut, hazelnut and even a butter pecan liqueur, just to name a few. Spice liqueurs are also covered. Who could not resist the lure of trying Ginger-Honey Liqueur or the Liqueur of Love using Coriander? I think this fall I will try the Fall Spice one at Thanksgiving! Cream based cordials make up for a large portion of the recipes in this book – Banana Cream, Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cream, Coconut Cream, Raspberry Cream. And for those of us with a sweet tooth there are the candy cordials made with flavorings – English Toffee Liqueur, Peppermint Pattie and even a Butterscotch Liqueur.

Chapter eight covers the flavored brandies, rums, and vodkas and these sound absolutely delicious. Nice warm drinks for those cold winter nights. What is good about these is that most of these fruits are readily available so that they can be made in the summer in the peak of their ripeness and enjoyed months later – Apple Brandy, Apricot Brandy, Spiced Blackberry Brandy, a lovely Peach Brandy. Following these are the spiced rums and flavored vodkas.

Lastly, there is a chapter devoted to spirited fruits and an entire chapter of questions and answers. All in all, there are more than 100 easy recipes to suit every occasion and holiday – did I forget to mention there are even flavored coffee liqueurs! The authors have been kind enough to include a chart to convert recipe measurements to metric, a glossary, a source list for flavorings,  and even gift tags you can copy and use for your homemade treats.

So, if you haven’t begun to gather up the fruits of summer, now is a great time to gather them to make gifts that will surely impress your friends. Be sure to keep some for your own enjoyment!

In the fourth and final installment of the Shrek series, Fiona and Shrek have had three children and are just beginning to get adjusted to life as parents. When the triplets’ first birthday rolls around, Shrek discovers that ever since he became a family man, no one fears him as they once did. Suddenly pining for that old life, Shrek makes a deal with the sly dwarf Rumpelstiltskin to live one day of that ‘simpler life.’ Rumpelstiltskin has a few nasty tricks up his sleeve, however, and when Shrek gets his day, nothing is at all as it should have been.

The cast of the previous Shrek movies truly delivers once again in this final installment of the series: Mike Meyers as Shrek, Cameron Diaz as Fiona, Eddie Murphy as Donkey and Antonio Banderas as Puss-in-Boots. Through the span of all four movies, the dynamics between the characters have been tried and tested, with an unfailingly hilarious result. From a personal perspective, each of the actors disappears one hundred percent into their respective roles, only adding believability to the characters and whatever obstacles they come across.

Much like most other movie goers, I was skeptical at first upon hearing that they were going to extend the Shrek movies all the way up to four installments. Sequels have a notorious habit of failing where the original succeeded, but Shrek truly is one of those rare gems that keeps on delivering time after time. The fourth installment was as enjoyable to see in theaters as the original, and an added bonus is that you didn’t need to have seen the third movie to pick up on the fourth installment’s story. I would highly recommend this movie for families: there’s humor for the kids, but ribald tongue-in-cheek-humor for the adults as well. If you have the chance, catch it while it’s still in theaters.

The story centers around a rather fanciful rendition of the myth of Perseus.  Born to a royal family, Perseus was cast into the sea, along with his mother, for being one of Zeus’ many bastard children.  Found some time later by a passing fisherman, the stray son of the gods was raised in a world of turmoil, where man desired  freedom from his gods.   In retaliation to one of Zeus’ statues being toppled, Hades takes it upon himself to massacre everyone in the area; even Perseus’ innocent family.  This catalyzes the hero into a quest for vengeance and a life he never expected to have.

Having seen the original film, I wasn’t sure what I would take away from the remake.  Would it be deliciously atrocious?  Or would it simply detract from the slightly campy charm of the original?  I was more than happy with the tongue-in-cheek reference to the original and with the rehashing of these ages old creatures from myth.  On the down side, however, Clash of the Titans exhibited a trend that seemed to continue straight from The Wolfman: conflict and dynamic are not shown; they are told.  Very little is unexplained right from the start, and leaving the audience without the ability to fill the blanks in themselves feels mildly patronizing.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone who enjoyed 300 and the accompanying wall to wall action.  The Clash of the Titans is a great movie to see on a Friday night with friends, but I would not expect it to be anything other than.

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember.  I grew up attending writing camps and classes for writing fiction.  I spent time on the staff of Underage Thinking Magazine as a teenager, which taught me much about the practical application of what I had learned.  As for my own personal spiritual path, I have always seen Pallas Athena as my matron goddess.  Otherwise, I am an Animist and a shaman at heart.

Benicio del Toro is Lawrence Talbot, a man returning to his childhood home upon hearing of the death of his brother.  His father, played by Anthony Hopkins, is the distant sort, who exhibits a marked lack of concern over the nature of his elder son’s death, and shows even less concern over the fate of his second son.  Lawrence’s investigations lead him to cross paths with his brother’s widow, played by Emily Blunt, and Hugo Weaving as Detective Aberline.  Things go terribly awry when Lawrence is attacked by the werewolf terrorizing the countryside.  Nothing is ever quite the same again.

As time passes, however, I find myself saying, “This movie had such potential, but…”.  With such a star studded cast as this movie boasts, I would have thought, surely, this will be entertaining at the very least!  From the start, the movie’s atmosphere was only a few steps away from ‘Interview With The Vampire’.  A 1600s to 1700s feel, up to its nose in similar mystique, architecture and wardrobe.  Having seen images from the 1941 film, the werewolf in The Wolfman is very true to previous incarnations, which can be interpreted as either good or bad.  When a movie is remade, it usually involves some level of re-imagining the original.  This lack may appeal to older movie buffs, but not so much to younger movie goers.

As  far as the looks go, these should be background factors; enjoyable, but not the redeeming talking points.  The dialog was terribly dry and was even more dryly delivered.  I found I could not relate to the characters at all, other than cosmetic reasons.  Relationships and past events are nearly presented as facts to explain the dynamic between different characters.  When it comes to action, there is plenty of it, and it leaves little to the imagination.  Gore is gratuitous in this film, and that does not say ‘compelling’ or ‘interesting’ to me.  That says ‘we have a few extra thousand in the budget.’  When it comes to the story itself, what little story there is feels terribly predictable.

Don’t waste your money in seeing this film.  There was nothing remarkable or interesting about it overall, and you would more than likely be much better off in seeing the original.

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember.  I grew up attending writing camps and classes for writing fiction.  I spent time on the staff of Underage Thinking Magazine as a teenager, which taught me much about the practical application of what I had learned.  As for my own personal spiritual path, I have always seen Pallas Athena as my matron goddess.  Otherwise, I am an Animist and a shaman at heart.

While the cast is not populated with famous names, none of the actors fail to deliver an excellent performance. The main character, Wickus van de Merwe (played by Sharlto Copley), is the head of the operation that deals with the aliens firsthand. Along with Copley are actors John Sumner, William Young and many others.

From a personal standpoint, District 9 was a spectacular movie. From the documentary style feel that pervades throughout the entire film, to the moments where the audience identified more with the ‘prawns’ than the humans, District 9 drags you through a wide emotional spectrum. From the standpoint of a species that has taken up residence on an alien planet, certain questions and ideas are discussed. What defines humanity, if humans treat creatures reliant on us for care so cruelly? Trans-species concerns such as parenthood, survival and finding ‘home’ are also brought up. The action was constantly engaging and above all believable. The CGI ranked right up with the action, although the script left a little to be desired at times.

Overall, if you enjoy sci-fi, action, or a movie that just plain makes you think, District 9 is a must see.

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember.  I grew up attending writing camps and classes for writing fiction.  I spent time on the staff of Underage Thinking Magazine as a teenager, which taught me much about the practical application of what I had learned.  As for my own personal spiritual path, I have always seen Pallas Athena as my matron goddess.  Otherwise, I am an Animist and a shaman at heart.

No one can resist the entertaining antics of Jeeves and Wooster.  Unfortunately for Bertie Wooster, he has sent his valet Jeeves off on his well-earned vacation.  Naturally, just when Bertie needs him more than ever, Jeeves is unavailable to apply his genius brain to the ensuing difficulties!

Bertie’s lovable Aunt Dahlia (who lets off steam by hurling the occasional lamp across the room) requests his presence at Brinkley Court, the English country home where so much drama tends to unfold whenever Bertie visits.  Bertie must stop kleptomaniac playboy Wilbert Cream from getting his hands on Uncle Tom’s precious silver collection.  Roberta Wickham, another inmate at Brinkley Court, makes matters all the more difficult by being her usual mischievous self.  And to make things even more unsettling, Sir Roderick Glossop the eminent brain specialist is posing as a butler in order to assess Wilbert Cream’s sanity.  How will Bertie keep from getting into a horrible mess without Jeeves’s help? There’s only one way to find out.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (1881-1975) is best known for his light-hearted humorous Jeeves and Wooster novels.  Each installment never ceases to amuse.  Timeless and entertaining, How Right You Are, Jeeves will surely be your favorite book to read just before bedtime!

And if you enjoy reading about Jeeves and Wooster’s adventures, check out the A&E DVD collections of the Jeeves and Wooster television show starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry.  If you enjoy a good English comedy, there’s no way you’ll be disappointed.

The homeopathy chapter provides information on a wide variety of herbs and minerals. It also contains a great deal of information on items that many readers may not realize have homeopathic uses, such as graphite. The easy to use format provides the item’s name, treatment uses, modalities, and treatment tips. This book is written for readers around the world, and one shortcoming of the book is that some of the items may be very difficult to find in differing regions.

The chapter on essential oils includes a great deal of general basic information, again in a compact form. Each of the essential oils listed in the chapter is identified with a picture, and the plant profile is provided, along with uses, safety information and fragrance profiles. The chapter is divided into general information, root oils, leaf, flower, berry and seed, and fruit sections. Recipes are given for concocting your own massage oils, and info is provided on safely storing the mixes.

The crystal chapter is small but complete; each item has a photograph, and the geology, sources, history and healing properties of each of the crystals is provided. The chapter is divided according to color and properties of the crystal. Healing methods are discussed, along with how to use crystals in meditation.

The final section of the book is devoted to home remedies and is carefully arranged according to symptom. A reader with insomnia, for example, will be delighted to find that there are a number of remedies that can be tried before resorting to a pharmacology solution. The unit on insomnia even has suggestions for curing insomnia in children. Appropriate cautions are given for the home remedies in the book.

The publisher has the usual “see your physician” caveat, but this brightly illustrated book will provide the reader with plenty of things to try before dialing the doctor’s number. On a personal note, my fourteen year old daughter, who is on the autism spectrum, was able to read through the book and she found plenty to catch her interest, giggling at the cure for hangover and exclaiming at the natural remedies for split ends. She asked to take the book with her as we go to the crystal shop the next time, and that’s the true test of a book: do you want to use it? This book passes the test with flying colors.

The book is available in hardcover and spiral, and can be found both new and used. A quick check of eBay and Amazon revealed prices ranging from .59 to $11.00 and more. This book would be a welcome addition to the pagan bookshelf, particularly at the price!