Words to Live By - Do You Know What Yours Are?

When a person follows a pre-constructed religious path, all the tenants of faith are laid out for them and they have but to apply them to their life. However, when one creates their own spiritual path, they have to determine the tenants they live by on their own. Do you know what words you live by and why? Here is my list at this point in time of my life:

• Do that Which is Right (Blog post: coming soon)
• Do as you will if it harm naught, but if it harm some, then do as you ought (Blog post: The Nuances of Harm None; In this article I address differing views of Harm None, my views on Harm None, guns, hunting and meat eating)
• Just Enough (Blog post: coming soon)

I will address each of the tenants above in depth in separate blog posts dedicated to each and link them here. As of time of writing this post, I have previously written a blog post on the Nuances of Harm None which I have linked to above, 

Until the blog post comes, briefly in regards to Do that Which is Right, every situation has a *right* way to handle it but what that right way is may be different depending on the filters, life experiences and tenants of the person viewing the issue at hand. What is *right* to the greatest degree may not be pleasing to all parties in a situation. Occasions where 100% of the parties are 100% pleased is often not possible and the rare instances where it does occur would be cause for great celebration.

Just Enough means exactly that. Whatever remedy you take to solve an issue should be *just enough* to deal with the situation and no more. 

Bright Blessings and may those you pray to watch over you,

Merry Meet and Merry Part

Rayven Michaels

Wiccan Witch of the Midwest

Women Stand United -- Not Divided

Embracing Fall

Welcome to Fall Ya'll. You will hear that alot around Oklahoma right now. I love the cool mornings and late evenings. To me this is the best time of year. But then I say that in the Spring also. But there is just something magickal about knowing it is Pumpkin time! And the beauty of the fall leaves, the smell of smoke from the neighbors fireplaces and cookers smoking meats. I can't eat meat anymore because of my tick borne illness Alpha Gal but I am one of the lucky ones that can at least enjoy the pleasure of smelling smoking meat even if I can't grab it up and have a mouth full. With all this fall nostalgia going on, I had to break out Fall bling on my blog. I love the big tree! Bright Blessings to All! Rayven Michaels Wiccan Witch of the Midwest

Recipes to try

I was perusing a Facebook food channel called Tasty and found some recipes that I don't want to lose track of, so I posted them here where we can all enjoy them. ;)

No-Bake Thin Mints You Can Make At Home

Posted by Tasty on Friday, August 7, 2015

Easy Microwave Mug Cake

Posted by Tasty on Thursday, August 6, 2015

Easy Baked Potato Chips (Hasselback Potato)

Posted by Tasty on Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Pumpkin Protein Pancakes

Posted by Tasty on Tuesday, August 4, 2015

3 Ingredient Nutella Brownies

I'm perusing recipes and found this lovely brownie recipe to try.

3-Ingredient Nutella Brownies
Posted by Tasty on Saturday, August 8, 2015

Lemon EO Water

My Young Living Everyday Essentials Oil kit arrived today. I am happier than a hog in a mud wallow! Right now, I am sipping a nice bottle of water that I added 2 drops of YL Lemon oil to. Not only does it taste good, but Lemon EO has lots of benefits to the body: detox the liver, clarify the mind, ease constipation, relieve heartburn and help with blood circulation.

Healing Power of Essential Oils

I have been an avid user of herbs and oils since I was a young woman in my 20s. My first herb book is tattered and worn from all the use. Using essential oils was an inevitable next step since they are the essence of the plant in a highly concentrated form. No tea or tincture can match the power of an essential oil. And just a little dab will do you. Some of the oils can be applied *neat* or undiluted while others require being mixed with a carrier oil to avoid unpleasant skin reactions. If you ever get undiluted peppermint oil on you, trust me, you will remember it. And warning, water is NOT your friend when an oil stings. Water will actually drive the oil deeper into the skin and in some instances, intensify the sting.

My oil purchases were always haphazard in the past. I bought them from GNC or the health food stores. I always knew that some brands were better than others but I for a long time I never really seriously dug into the whats and whys of it all. But when I finally did take the time to do it, one name came up over and over again -- Young Living Oils. It didn't take long to convince me that they were my oils of choice. They have a fabulous *seed to seal process*.

(Information from the Young Living website)

Seed to Seal

1.  Seed -Potent essential oils come from plant species that have been authenticated by Young Living experts. Species certification involves scientific research, field study, university partnerships, and on-site planting certification.

2. Cultivate – Through cultivation on the four Young Living farms, Young Living Essential Oils has mastered the creation of pure, potent essential oils. The company takes this knowledge around the world to co-op farms to certify that these farms’ growing processes meet Young Living’s strict quality standards.

3. Distill – Young Living’s proprietary low-temperature, low-pressure steam distillation process ensures that the beneficial plant compounds in every batch of essential oil remain uncompromised during the extraction process.

4. Test – Each essential oil must pass Young Living’s stringent testing to ensure the optimal bioactive natural compounds are present. Young Living uses its own internal labs, in addition to third-party audits, to verify that international purity and potency standards are met and surpassed.

5. Seal – Young Living completes the Seed to Seal process by carefully sealing each bottle of essential oil before shipping them to members worldwide.

 I'll be writing more on these fabulous oils and all the things you can do with them.

Bright blessings to all and
May those you pray to watch over you
Rayven Michaels
Wiccan Witch of the Midwest