Fantastic Flower Fairy Sugar Scrub

Do you like wildflowers?  Do you ever imagine being surrounded in a sea of them while you look up at a clear blue sky?  Or do you want silky smooth skin that sparkles like sunshine?   If it is yes to any one of these questions then this is the beauty recipe for you.  This formula is said to be Queen Maeve's favorite beauty product. 

It was created by her seven fairy maidens who have served her since the beginning of time.  Their names are Candite, Coulante, Fleur de Farine, Miettes qui Tombent, Canari qui Chante, Violente and her most trusted messenger, Fee des Lilas.  After Queen Maeve’s son, Oberon took over her throne, he sent her into exile but her fairy maidens never left her side.  To make a long story short, Oberon botched things up with the humans and many mystical clans when he was king of the fairies.  The fairy kingdom saw that Queen Maeve was the better ruler.  So the fairies in the fairy kingdom sent for her and voted her back as their queen.  Oberon was forced to step down and do 10,000 years of good deeds to mortals to make up for his mistakes.  

It may have taken 500 years but Queen Maeve happily took back her place as the queen of the fairies. To celebrate the queen's return the fairy maidens created a flower fairy scent and mixed it into a gentle scrub.  This scrub will give you the glow, sparkle and smell of a fairy with the beautiful soft skin to match.  Just follow this recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Raw sugar
• 1/4 to 1 cup Sunflower oil
• 1-2 drops each of Essential oil (Lilac, Lavender, Rose, Lily-of-the-Valley, Gardenia,  Honeysuckle, and Jasmine)
• green tea leaves

*Some of these essential oils are easy to find while others you will have to search for.  A lot of what I get are from farmer's markets, travel expos or online.*

Directions

1.      Mix the raw sugar and oil together in a container.

2.      Add the essential oils and mix well with a stirring stick (I use the stir sticks because the essential oils will stain cutlery and it’s difficult to get rid of)

3.      Take the desired amount of green tea leaves and sprinkle them into the mixture.  Mix well.

 There is a reason why fairies love all of these ingredients.  The raw sugar strips away all negativity, the green tea livens up the skin, while the sunflower oil brings on the smooth and the sparkle that every fairy needs.  What truly makes this a fairy potion is the scents.  These fragrances are very special to the fairies because the fairy maidens are in charge of these particular flowers.  Due to their love and loyalty to their queen, they managed to protect her from danger, teach her the ways of the world and sneak her back into the fairy kingdom when the timing was right.  She would never have gotten her throne back without their help.  When it comes to beauty, I find that a little help goes a long way whether you are mortal or immortal. 

Vancouver Island: Tea time at the Empress

I have always been a little bit fascinated with royalty. As a small fairy, I would slip into their gardens and sitting rooms to determine how they dressed, what they were talking about, and especially what they ate and drank. It is therefore no surprise that when I discovered the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria, Canada, served high tea to anyone who was appropriately dressed and could afford the experience, I couldn’t wait to get there.

The Empress has served Afternoon Tea for over 105 years but with the massive fire in downtown Victoria in 1910 and the start of the Great War in 1914, we of the Nether World decided to stay away from the Earth Realm for a time.  And then I just got busy.  You know how it is; life happens.

This August, I finally got to go and I was not disappointed. The hotel is filled with beautiful furnishings and décor from the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Table cloths and napkins are crisp and white. The china is produced exclusively for the Empress Hotel and was first used in 1939 on the occasion of a visit from King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of England.  Silver teapots, trays, cream pitchers, and sugar bowls are used to pour tea. A piano player tickles the ivories in the background.  I do not see this kind of elegance very often today and it was like I had actually walked into the past.

My companions and I were taken to our table and seated. Our server provided us with the carte du jour listing the delicacies we would be served. We had a choice of teas and my companions opted for the Empress Blend. I chose the Madame Butterfly Jasmine loose leaf tea. Tea was brewed at the table and poured by the server. My tea was a blend of jasmine and green tea from Fuijan province in China. The tea’s aroma reminded me of being in an oriental temple surrounded by trees, little streams, and mountains. How heavenly and serene!

To start, we were served a dish of fresh blueberries with Empress Cream. Empress Cream seems to be a cross between whipped cream and Devonshire cream. I made myself take the time to savor each spoonful. Next came a tiered tray with finger sandwiches, scones, and pastries. My companions are not vegetarians and their sandwiches included smoked salmon with dill cream cheese, honey ham with Dijon mustard, egg salad, Moroccan spiced chicken, cucumber and ginger. Where their sandwiches included meat, the chef replaced the selections to accommodate me.  I got a carrot sandwich, an eggplant with curry, and a tomato. Each sandwich was made with a different kind of bread: croissant, butter brioche, marble rye, and more.  Next came scones with Empress Cream and strawberry preserves. And last, but not least the pastries: chocolate cup with berry mousse, pistachio cream tart, rose petal shortbread and at least two other offerings. We had more food than we could eat. Our server graciously boxed up the extras and also presented us with a souvenir package of Empress Blend tea. What a lovely surprise.

The Afternoon Tea is rather costly but it is a wondrous and unique experience. I recommend you allow a lot of time to fully enjoy the tea and to tour the flower gardens outside. Extraordinary! Don’t you deserve to be an Emperor or Empress for at least one afternoon?

 

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What Those Wily Wildflowers Can Do For You




Photo by Kenneth Fung

In my opinion, the best flowers are wildflowers.  Wildflowers are a rainbow of colours that bring us both surprises and magic.   They hold the purest of all light magic because they are free and untouched by any negative being.  In fact, they often repel evil forces and attract all the good ones.  But keep in mind that they're magic can be very unpredictable.  Still for that reason, they are a favourite of mine and many other mystics. 

Photo donated by a woman named Debbie

These plants can do many great and unexpected things but the is best of what they can do is grant wishes.  However, they can't do this alone, they need a little help from a crystal.  Not just any crystals though.  You have to get a specific crystal to do a specific wish.  Crystals have always been used like beacons for manifestation by the Mystics.  Here are five examples of what crystals to use.

1. Clear quartz - is to be used if you want to learn something new or expel something negative. 
2. Citrine - is for money, success or prosperity related wishes.
3. Rose quartz - is for when your wishes have to do with love.
4. Green aventurine - is best for when it comes to health related wishes
5. Amethyst - is to be used if you want to know something about the future.

To make your wish, here's what you have do.  Find a wild patch out in the wilderness or grow a wildflower garden of your own (which is even better).  Put your crystal between your hands in a prayer position and meditate for ten minutes on your wish.  Gently place your crystal pointing up to the sky in the centre of the garden.  Breath in the cool, crisp, clean air as you keep your wish on your mind.  Imagine that you have your wish as you leave your crystal there.  Be patient and before you know it, your wish will come with a whoosh. 

When your wish comes true you can retrieve your stone. If you find that it is gone then it means that you had some help and they needed to keep that crystal.  If it is still there then all you needed was your own faith and trust in yourself.

Photo by Kenneth Fung

WARNINGS : Watch out for weeds.  They often create obstacles.  It doesn't mean he won't get your wish it will just take more time.  Keep your distance from all poisonous plants.  Harm to yourself is harm to your wish.

Have you made your wish yet?

Magical Herb Garden

You thought they didn't exist in this world did you?  Well good news my fantastical darlings, They do!  It takes some work but you can get a lush and lovely little garden to nourish your mystical bodies. The herbs here work a little differently.  We have the same ones humans do back home but the ones that are native to our world will not grow in this realm.  On top of that, the herbs here require a lot more care and harvesting.

I know what you're thinking.  Isn't it enough just to have them?  The answer is no.  In the earth realm we can't just summon an individual rain cloud that fits in your garden or bring plants to life with your touch.  You have to take water from the hose, well, sink, whatever and water them.  Also you have to take a small knife or a pair of scissors and cut the herbs where it's safe to cut them. Oh!  And don't forget to fertilize these herbs because they need that here.

Now what are good magical herbs to have here?  Here is a list and what they're for.  The red is for the name of the herb, green is for the uses in our world, and blue is for its uses in the earth realm.

Basil:   In our world, basil is used for clarity especially with important things.  So if you lose something, one bite from these leaves and you will remember where it is.  For magical uses in this realm, basil is used for love, exorcism, wealth, flying, protection and courage.  Pretty cool yes?  Practically speaking it helps prevents cancer, heal cuts and aids digestion.  Best to cook in sauces, salads and teas.
Chamomile: What is this little herb good for?  In our world we use it to keep us from getting lost in dreams and to keep nasty demons out of the house.  In the Earth Realm however, it is used for meditation, centering, peace, protection, healing and money.  For practical uses, it is good as a sleep aid, relieves fevers and stomach aches, and is a good strengthener for blond hair.  Best as a tea.
Chives:  In our world we use this as a "gauge" in how undead a person is.  Mostly in the Earth Realm, this is to keep diseases and evil spirits away.  For practical uses they are mildly anti-septic.  This is best in any kind of cooking from pastas, soups and salads.
Jasmine:  We mystics love to use this as a way to lure the object of our affection.  Humans however use this for love, sensuality, money, meditation and prophetic dreams.  Practically speaking it's good for headaches, lifting your mood and calms anxiety.  The best way to ingest it is through teas. 
Lavender:  The magical uses of lavender is many and varied.  In our realm, we mostly plant this in our gardens for luck but in the earth realm it has more powers.  This includes love, chastity (when used with rosemary), sleep, protection, purification, peace, longevity and happiness.  This is a herb that can be cooked or steeped in tea but I'll be frank.  It tastes like soap.  Better to just use it as a scent only. 

Lemon Balm: Lemon balm makes a very nice healing slave in our world.  In this world it is used for love, success, and healing.  It's not that different since both mystics and humans use it because it's good for the skin, kills viruses and calms your nerves.  Another plus is they attract bees and butterflies.  Best to drink like a tea.
Oregano:  Like lavender, oregano has many magical uses.  We use it for medicines, anxiety relief and (for shape shifters) the ease to deal with transforming.   Humans use it for happiness, tranquility, health, protection and letting things go that piss them off.  Unlike lavender, oregano is delicious and is good in just about everything.  You can make it up in sauces, soups and yes salads too. 
Parsley:  This lovely, bushy herb is used to keep zombies from decaying and going all crazy.  Magically speaking (for the earthlings), parsley is good for travelling and gaining wisdom.  For practical uses, parsley is good for your skin, blood and hair.  Once again, this is good for almost any dish you wish to have. 
Peppermint: This is like catnip for fairies.  We love the smell.  So if you are looking to attract a fairy, this is how to do it.  In this realm, it's used for healing, psychic abilities, meditation, and purification.  That is what peppermint does best.  For practical uses it helps you sleep, digest food and headaches.  If you are looking to make something with it, I recommend using it as a tea or dessert. 
Thyme: Like it's name, we in the Nether Realm use this for controlling time (freezing or speeding it up) and for alchemical purposes.  Thyme’s associations in the Earth Realm include: healing, love, psychic knowledge and purification.  All of which are needed.  Now the best way to cook with thyme is usually with potatoes, soups and a cheesy casserole. 

Those are just some starters.  If you would like others, I would also recommend rosemary, sage, catnip, rose hips and coriander.  Everything you need is here in these plants.  Does anyone have any other herbs to add?

 

New Orleans Post 3 - The Museums and Culture

This Journey takes us to New Orleans Museum of Art or NOMA for short.  This is the place to find amazing works of art from the medieval ages to our modern society.  From east to west, Native to European, the art here is varied and beautiful.  A fascinating piece of history sits right before you with an explanation and a story to fascinate even the most uninterested of people. 

My personal favorite was the portrait of Marie Antoinette by Vigee Le Brun.  Big, tall and majestic.  That is exactly how I would have pictured her.  And I also liked the Chinese Snuff Bottles that were made from various materials such as jade and brass.  As you all well know, we still use those in our world.  We often use them for medicines or small potions but the humans (both Chinese and Europeans) used them for containing powdered tobacco.  If you are feeling homesick, take a look at these lovelies and know that its not as far as you think.

My next visit is to the Botanical Gardens that are just next door of NOMA.  Now this is a place where the flora captures you in an art all of its own.  I don't know about the rest of you but the majesty of nature always inspires me.  There are not as many flowers at this time of year but there are some that are not around where I am from (especially this time of year).  Floral trees, beautiful fountains, trees that seem more alive than anything else and little wild flowers popping up where you would least expect them.  And I can not forget the statues that remind you of Ancient Greece.  Go there to meditate or catch a glimpse of the wonderful plants.  It's not expensive at all either ($4.00 USD) when you want to connect to nature.

When it comes to learning more about history, there is a museum that you must go to and that is the World War II Museum.  Real life WWII Veterans will be happy to share their stories with you.  They are very intense, tragic and make you appreciate what we have today due to these noble people who sacrificed so much.  Even the locals speak really high of it and you get a first hand education of what happened in those days.  You won't get a better one. 

Now for something really unique, visit the Sculpture Garden.  The oddest and coolest structural pieces are there including what looks like a giant spider.  Something's you have to use your imagination for but others you can not help but admire the effort that these artists put in the detail of all these pieces. 

If you want art, history or getting a first hand experience of the culture that New Orleans provides check these places out.  You will find the wondrous in each and every one of these places.