Flowers and Fire

Flowers and Fire A simple Aries new moon ritual for kids.

Gather: a small heat proof bowl, a short votive candle, something to light it with.

Place the candle in the heat proof bowl and light it early in the day. As you light the candle, pass the bowl (or if they are too little, let them stand in front of the bowl) and offer gratitude for signs of spring, a trip outside for careful observation may be useful.

Throughout the day, have the children collect small flowers, leaves, and bits of nature. When the candle has melted down into the bowl and is soft and warm, allow the children to gently push their treasures into the wax making a wish on the new moon with each offering. Decorate with a splash of glitter if you'd like. :)

Please do test it yourself first to be sure you feel it is safe. It should be fine, I've done this with my children since they were younger than two with careful guidance. It is also a wonderful time to talk about respecting the magic and power of fire, a great tie-in to Aries.

Love and Besos, Latisha

Making Magic of the Moons

I've been thinking about this moon ritual all week. Well, all month really. But only just thinking. With no inspiration jumping out at me. Until last night. When I walked out to see her almost ripe behind the branches of our ancient oak tree. It was the first time in this cycle, I took the time to stop and notice her. Ritual doesn't have to be complicated or even full of witchy well-thought out meaning. For our family, is about slowing down to notice things. Notice moons new and ripe, notice flowers that some call weeds, notice silver minnows against the bright morning sky that think they are little birds. To pay attention to the wide and wonderous around us. There is beauty in the world, we just need to notice it.

This full moon is called the Pink Moon and the Egg Moon. I'll leave it to you to research the legend of the names. And I hope you do, it is a fascinating study of the first peoples and how on every part of the globe they *Noticed* the world, so much more than it seems we do at times now. And if you are a homeschooler, it is a perfect way to find a spontaneous lesson for the day. Here is a super fun and simple craft you can do tonight.

Pink Moon Dyed Eggs Make a tea with 2 tb hibsicus flowers in a quart size jar of water. Boil the water, cover, steep, then strain. Hard boil a few eggs, then peel. Place eggs in a glass bowl, cover with tea. Set eggs out under tonights Pink Full Egg Moon. In the morning, she will have imparted her magic into your breakfast.

Love and Besos, Latisha, Sevi, and Sage

P.S. Don't forget to enter to win the giveaway for the wonderful ebook Wildly Nourished. Winner announced tomorrow. 

Luna-Craft Ritual for Kiddos

Today is the Leo new moon! We are bursting with loads of new moon energy at Sunflower House lately. Here's a fun ritual to do with your wild bunch today that combines a bit of wishcraft and herbcraft molded into a gratitude practice. Yes friends, we might have just covered it all! ;)  We just introduced our 5 year old to vision boarding, well actually she saw ours and asked to make some of her own. I am absolutely thrilled to be sharing one of our favorite intention and goal setting tools with the children. They really love it, and it never even occurred to me to share with them!

In honor of the playful, joyful sun-child Leo, we'll put on a wish-mane and sing up what makes us happy to invite more of it in to our lives. Leo helps us remember the light that brings us unbridled joy.

Leo New Moon Luna-Craft

Ask the children gather up as many yellow flowers as they can find. Add some orange and whites, maybe some straw or dried grass to fill it out if you need/want to.

Cut the center out of a paper plate.

Have the children write or cut out words and images from a magazine and coloring books about the things that make them feel joy-FULL. Tape (we love double stick tape) or glue the words and images around the plate's remaining edge.

Then using whatever means necessary: Elmer's glue, hot glue gun, duct tape, double stick tape, poking holes and threading the stems through etc, add the flowers that were collected earlier on top of the words and images.

Poke a hole on both sides of the plate with a pencil and thread a string through so it will fit around the back of the child's head. You may need to double up your plate if the flowers are heavy. We intended to wear it like a lions mane but a fancy hat on top the head and a lei around your neck (this works great for the littles) proved to be much more practical and comfy.

Dance wildly to your favorite sunny songs wearing your flower mane. We'll be listening to Follow the Sun by Xavier Rudd. Make a joyful noise. Let your light radiate.

Love and Besos, Latisha

Dancing in the New

"So this Pisces New Moon, take whatever wisdom you have learned this past year, and consecrate it to the next passage in your mythic journey. Looking back one last time, take all the sorrows and losses, the mistakes and confusion, the gains and successes, and thank them for the knowledge with which they have blessed you. Then, drawing down courage from the Moon, look forward into the future for the next stage of your adventure!" ~Mooncircles

Today's the day. We are moving into the Sunflower House. Today. On a new moon. A new, (almost) springtime moon. It's really, actually happening. I thought the road getting here was going to be a bit less bump and curve, but we're finally here. I know I was a little more than freaked out. But I'm not going to spend one more second stewing on all the drama. We are here. I just still can't believe it. This thing, this idea we had in our head one random Thursday night in August two years ago, has been fully realized. Almost down to the very detail. The job, the house with the floors, the playroom, even the apple trees. The community. The opportunities. It's going to take a while for it all to sink in.

We were supposed to have closed 2.5 weeks ago. But a cluster *&$% of events that left us  on several occasions wondering if we'd be able to buy the house at all, just ended up pushing the move-in day to today. A new moon. If I wasn't so exhausted from all the crazy of the last few weeks, I'd say it's almost perfect. There are so many emotions floating through me right now. Excitement, fear, anticipation, guilt (yeah still that). And, so many questions. What do we do now? Where do we start? What happens when? So I'm going to take some time and just get really grounded today. And reflect on what it took to get us here.

This new moon is a Pisces moon. And since Pisces rules the feet (not that I know much about this sort of thing), I'm going to celebrate by dancing barefoot with gratitude on the earth until my toes are beet red from the cold, wet, grass. Then I'm going to give em a good, long decadent herbal sea salt soak and start thinking about what we are going to build next. How are you going to celebrate the new moon?

Pisces New Moon Visioning Foot Soak Materials: Soaking Basin 1/4 cup of sea salt 1 tsp ground ginger 4 drops rose essential oil handful of fresh or dried rose petals

Method: Heat water (in a kettle perhaps), stir in sea salt, ginger and essential oil. Sprinkle rose petals on top of water.

:: Close your eyes and feel the heat begin to stimulate your feet. See your next great adventure in your mind. Imagine the place you will be when it is fully realized. Hold it for a moment or two. Then use that heat energy to vision by placing your feet on the earth at that place. Experience your feet dancing you there. ::