In Search of a Broom Closet in West Des Moines!

(Geeze, sorry for the poor lighting; the sun was cresting over the roof; and, looking back, I hope they didn't think I was a criminal or other ne'er-do-well when I aimed my digital camera at their business!!!)

Many Witches in the local Pagan community have long-since be-moaned the fact that there are merchants only few and far-between where we might acquire the supplies necessary to a Witch, such as herbs and Essential Oils.  There are two fabulous stores--Ancient Ways--in downtown Des Moines.  However, for those driving to Des Moines from outside the city this can be a long 30-45 minute trek to a small avenue near the brownstone district of Woodland in downtown Des Moines.  In fact, during a February festival sponsored by the Iowa Pagan Alliance (now, sadly, defunct), I overheard a friend ask, in earnest, where one might might more easily acquire herbs and especially Essential Oils for use in our Magick, and in crafting potions and incense.  It was not until this afternoon that I had an answer, after many months of searching!  The internet, sadly, was of very little use...Googling "herbs" or "Essential Oils" and "Des Moines" or "west Des Moines" brought up either sparse or entirely untenable results!  (Yeah, as if *I* will spend nearly $50, at a minimum, on Lavender or Frankincense Essential Oil from a mommy-to-be aromatherapy center in Clive!  I don't think so....)  In fact, looking back on it, perhaps the gods, themselves, led me to this store?!  It wasn't until I had given up all hope that I had happened to see an advertisement a few weeks ago on TV for Campbell's Nutrition Center with two locations; one in Urbandale and another in Des Moines (addresses follow)...an ad that they really should archive on YouTube!  Sadly, their contact form via their website does not seem to be working, I am sorry to report; though, they do have a Face Book page where one may post messages to, hopefully, contact them.  In spite of this, I decided to drop by their Urbandale location, which is probably smaller than the Des Moines branch, and located within a lengthy strip mall.

Immediately, when you walk inside, you are greeted with two equally fascinating choices: walk to the left and you may peruse a handful of book shelves devoted to nutrition literature, cookbooks, and and organic food philosophy[!]; but, if you walk to the right (remembering to pick up a copy of their complimentary publications: Delicious Living and Taste for Life: Fair Trade which are rife with coupons from Frontier Herbs) one will be immediately faced with several shelves that hold liquid castile base-soaps that one may add herbs or essential oils to), as well as the complete line (or very nearly complete line) of Aura Cacia's essential oils (they're an Iowa-based company located in Norway) that one may use in their potions and incense, etc.  I was personally impressed by the fact that each Essential Oil was precipitated by a "tester bottle" so that one could smell each fragrance in order to yield an informed purchase.  You will also want to snag a small pamphlet on top of this display by Aura Cacia which goes into detail about the uses for many of their oils, as well as some of their fragrances.  This pamphlet, as well as the company's website, also contain valuable coupons which one may use towards a purchase of their products...this will come in handy for any Witch who prizes himself or herself on their collection of herbal oils.  If you buy one bottle of EO each week, you can simply log-on to Aura Cacia and print out a coupon for $1.00 off a single oil per visit.  Here is a list of the Essential Oils distilled by Aura Cacia, and Campbell's stocks the vast majority of them.  If you are looking for one that they do not carry, they can order it for you if their other location may not have it in stock.

This store is simply stocked with nutrition and remedies in various forms.  Not only do they stock herbal tinctures for any need (listed with key-words denoting their applications), but I came across a line of tablets, if I recall correctly...  They were packaged in tight rolls, and each was listed by ailment (such as "broken bones") with the botanical name of the herbal ingredient; in the case of the broken bone remedy, it was "Symphytum officinale" which is Comfrey--one of the best bone mending herbs that is known to us.  It was so highly reputed for mending broken bones with rapid effect that a common folk-name for the plant was "Knit-Bone".

(I should have brought a pad of paper and pen with me to compare prices between these products, and other local grocery stores in Des Moines, or other mail-order outlets.)

Along the right side of the store is a veritable treasure-trove of base-oils, vegetable oils and butters, such as shea butter, large bulk cans of grapeseed oil (for for yielding a herbal lotion without a greasy feeling!), coconut oil, ad nauseum!  Of course, there are far smaller (the largest was about 3.5 liquid ounces!) of rather over-priced base-oils situated with the Essential Oil displays near the front of the store, which included sweet almond oil and the costly (though very necessary) jojoba oil.  It was while briefly perusing the shelves of fats and oils (pictured above) that I asked a passing clerk if, by chance, they carried beeswax...a staple resource for the Herbalist and the Witch when making their medicinal and magickal salves and ointments.  She led me back to their supply of bulk herbs and other ingredients (pictured below) in the far-right back-corner of the store that I had missed entirely!  To my shame, it was right across from the display of tinctures which I would have found on my own had I only turned my back!

Frontier Herbs is another Iowa-based company (also located in Norway) with an extensive catalog; and, any herb you may require that neither store carries at the moment can be special ordered.  However, there is a caveat...  Frontier will send only a large bag of the requisite herb or product (presumably a 1 pound bag by weight) and you are required to buy the whole supply!  They had no resins to offer, unfortunately (I asked if they had ground myrrh resin, and one clerk seemed absolutely befuddled by my inquiry...I felt sorry for confusing her, of course); nor even any sandalwood chips or powder, though they still can boast (as you can see) a very fair selection for many medicinal and magickal needs.  I would advise calling ahead to either store to see if an herb you are looking for is in stock, and then weigh the cost of having the staff special order a specific item for you.  I even noticed that they stocked a large jar of precious ie. "costly" (endangered) goldenseal root powder, which actually was a lovely golden color!  Mental Note: I must also contact Frontier and have them amend their listing of distributors here in Iowa, because Campbell was not listed among them, nor was Ancient Ways or several others in the Des Moines-area when I searched their store-locator.

As you can see (I hope!) by the middle shelf is an array of plastic gloves, baggies, labels, writing implements, and small green scoops kept in rounded clear plastic jars.  The purpose of this is to be able to measure out each individual herb and label it using the black scale to the left.  Using the plastic gloves is also mandatory.  At this moment, I asked if the prices denoted on the green lids to each jar were per ounce.  The clerk confirmed this, immediately before utterly confusing me with, "but, we can measure them up at the front by the pound, so it's the same thing!"  What?!

Oh, and what of the beeswax I had inquired of, earlier?  Well, because the jars were--as you can see--so densely packed, it took us several minutes to scan the jars and locate the wax near a jar of off-white bentonite clay powder (used for face masks and poultices when blended with an herb-infused oil!  Yippie-Skippie!); one was infused with lavender!  Well, when we finally found this jar of beeswax, it was nearly empty, with only a scant coating of wax granules on the bottom of the vessel.  This led me to believe that many local herbalists, likely, perform much of their herb and essential oil shopping at this location.  Either that or, as my Mom's suggested, no one's bothered to replenish the stock because it was a poor seller.

So, hear ye Witches far and wide, from all over Iowa on either side, when venturing to Des Moines on a trek for supplies, please make time to visit Campbell's Nutrition before you hit west Des Moines (or as you are leaving)!

Campbell's Nutrition Center

2749 100th. Street (Urbandale, IA.)

...or...

4040 University Ave (Des Moines, IA.)

Nota Bene: This store, at least on Saturday, is a real stickler for punctuality!  They actually stood on the inside of the locked-door counting the seconds until it struck 10:00 AM, despite the customers lining up outside or drifting buy...

Archival Video: Doreen Valiente Speaks!

(Oh, I would love to find a matching set of her cloven-hoof candle holders!)

As of 1 September, 2011 it will have been twelve years since Doreen Valiente passed from the mortal plain to live with the gods and the Elders of the Craft in the breathtaking Summerland.  She was regarded -- mot without cause -- as the Mother of Modern Witchcraft.  Among her publications includes: "The Charge of the God" (a companion piece to "The Charge of the Goddess" that was written shortly after her partner in Magick and in Life, Ron, died; it was published in The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Neo-Paganism [Citadel, 2004], ed. by Shelley Rabinovitch and James Lewis with the permission of the executor to her estate); Witchcraft for Tomorrow (Robert Hale, 1993); an interview published in FireHeart; An ABC of Witchcraft Past and Present (Phoenix Publishing, 1988); The Rebirth of Witchcraft (Robert Hale, 2008); Natural Magic (Phoenix Publishing, 1985); posthumously The Charge of the Goddess--The Mother of Modern Witchcraft (Hexagon Hoopix, 2000) ; Where Witchcraft Lives (The Centre for Pagan Studies, Ltd. Edn.); and excerpts from a speech was published in the book Wiccan Wisdomkeepers (Samuel Weiser, 2002), however the full speech was published in the journal of the Pagan Federation, Pagan Dawn, under the following title, "A Witch Speaks"  which is available on-line.  In it she makes some astonishing proclamations, such as the fact that there is no place for homophobia within the Craft or without it (which garnered her a standing ovation); and, had she only but known of the publication of Witchcraft and the Gay Counterculture by Arthur Evans she would have lent Gerald Gardner her own copy while he was still living.  Sadly, Gerald Gardner was a product of his time and deeply homophobic.  This staunch homophobia later came to influence his own Initiates, such as High Priestess, Lois Bourne, who wrote in her book, Dancing with Witches: "I never saw Gerald become angry or lose his temper, and only once did he express an opinion forcefully and in a manner which brooked no argument, so deeply was it felt.  Gerald was homophobic.  He had a deep hatred and detestation of homosexuality, which he regarded as a disgusting perversion and a flagrant transgression of the natural law, negating the life force and the fertility aspect represented by the God and Goddess.  The subject arose during a conversation with Jack Bracelin concerning an acquaintance of his who had expressed an interest in the coven.  'There are no homosexual witches, and it is not possible to be a homosexual and a witch' Gerald almost shouted.  No one argued with him.  It is true that I have never met or recognized any homosexual witches by the particular aura possessed by all witches which allows them to identify each other, so Gerald was probably correct." (pp. 38-9, Robert Hale, 1998).  Bourne claimed to be a psychic with the clairvoyant disposition for observing each individual's innate aura.

After Doreen's passing, due to pancreatic cancer, her estate was left to her final Initiate, John Belham-Payne, which included many beautiful Pagan or Witch-related artifacts (which is presently on a touring exhibit throughout Britain).  While her lecture in association with the Pagan Federation occurred shortly before her passing, there was another speaking engagement that was put on by the Centre for Pagan Studies which was a mere Q and A with Doreen (pictured; Copyright, Belham-Payne):

For those who have always yearned to hear Doreen speaking for herself, and been unable to attend one of her lectures in the United Kingdom, you may do so, now...  She was interviewed ten years before her death for a video called Earth Magic (1989), which was thankfully up-loaded by the patently ridiculous British Witch, Kevin Carlyon (Seriously, the man parades around in a terry cloth bathrobe and proceeds to lecture the Harry Potter filmmakers on International television that Daniel Radcliffe and the rest of the cast rode on their brooms the wrong way around based upon Medieval prints rendered by Goya, the famed Spanish atheist painter!).  This video -- which I am thankful that he posted, despite a severe technical flaw (it's a video of a video!) -- portrays HPs Doreen Valiente (with her charming and maternal smile) discussing many topics germane to the modern Craft movement, such as the history of the Book of Shadows, contemporary Pagan politicking, how she met Gerald Gardner, his flaws, and it concludes with her recitation of her "Invocation of the Horned One".  The interview begins shortly after the five-minute mark and a discussion with the infamous Alex Sanders:

Music: Lughnasadh Dance

Damh the Bard covers the infamous Gwydion Pendderwen song, Lughnasadh Dance:

Here he is performing it live:

Here is Damh with a cavalcade of Pagan brethren paying homage to Gwydion by playing his song:

And, finally, here is Gwydion's original from his album (which I desperately need to acquire), Songs for the Old Religion:

Pagan Politics

Nota Bene: All names have been omitted to protect the identities of the guilty!

Recently, I was browsing some very astute videos by fellow Pagans and Witches when I happened upon one remarkable video that I happened to agree with -- a lot.  This individual is a public Witch from the east coast who was Initiated to the level of the High Priesthood by a very famous Witch of note; and, in their rant there was much that I, personally, agreed with as the Founder of my own Tradition (the Covenant of Morrighan) such as an issue that they encountered where one of their Initiates took Coven-teachings and began charging an obscene amount of money for that knowledge.  This wayward Witch was summarily dismissed.  I completely agree with the actions that were taken and cannot say that I would have done anything differently.  But, the individual in front of the camera said something, and even seemed to imply something else, that I cannot, in good consciousness, agree with: One must be Initiated into a valid Tradition in order to call oneself a Teacher of the Craft, even to the point of inferring that anything less than an established lineage-Tradition is seemingly invalid and that anyone teaching without having been Initiated to a respectable level of Degree is someone possessed by an "unethical" character, as though they are fraudulent!  I take great fault with these implications, but not on a personal level -- as a Witch-Priest and the Founder of the Covenant of Morrighan.

Another example may serve to illustrate what I have observed in recent years: there is a rather well-known non-denominational Pagan Circle in a near-by major city that is chiefly open to Gay and Bisexual men, and there is another far more established Wiccan Tradition that was established on the east coast; in both of these Traditions, one eclectic and the other far more strict, I have noticed that very few of the Gay male members of those Traditions (not all, mind you) seem to have little to no interest in forging bonds with Pagans outside of their personal Tradition or Circle.  And, if one attempts to, they are often ignored or (more rarely) rudely rebuffed, according to what I have witnessed first-hand, or been told second-hand by my fellow Gay Pagan Brothers.  Gay Pagans, above all, should have each others back and should have an innate desire to forge a bond with others regardless of their Initiatory standing considering the pain and oppression that we have endured as an ostracized community.

I have long-since wondered from whence this behavior has surfaced, because it is typically not found in Iowa save for a few isolated and extremely fundamentalist (ie. Dianic) instances.  Indeed, it has convinced me that it generally has to do with the size of the community that one belongs which may chiefly share in the blame.  Please do not take this Blog, written from the heart, as an attack against Traditions or the Training of an Initiate -- indeed, I have long been an outspoken supporter for far more strident Initiation Standards (the late Ellen Cannon Reed, author of The Heart of Wicca, wrote a fabulous article on the subject before her death).  Rather, what I would like to see is far more comradery from Initiated Witches outside their personal Circle or Tradition.  Because, it is disheartening -- and, I have seen the effects of this clique behavior with my own eyes: a Witch will befriend another Witch under no pretenses, until it is realized that the first Witch is not Initiated in any established Tradition only to have their friend utterly ignore them, loose all respect for them, and even behave as if their non-lineaged friend is spiritually and academically inferior to them when, in actuality, they may not be!  But, it was the implication that only a lineage Tradition is a valid tradition that I found most troublesome.  Though, perhaps this particular Witch is just a bit naive, or maybe they didn't mean to imply this after all.  The irony -- and I'll leave it at this -- is that this particular Witch's own Initiator Founded their own Tradition (which is just as valid as any other) and even Doreen Valiente (the Mother of modern Witchcraft) justly criticized such prejudicial thinking, thusly: "Who initiated the first Witch?"  Indeed, we should all meditate upon that, Initiated Witch and non-Initiate; it may prove very humbling.

Season of the Bitch

Just some fabulous campy fun for all of my pet parent poppets to enjoy:

It's Todd's Show: Ep25 MOVIE BUST & DESTRUCTO DOG from It's Todd's Show on Vimeo.

Thyme: A Herb of Lughnasa

The following is an entry from my MS., The Witches' Garden Grimoire: A Handbook of Pagan Lore and Herbal Magick:

Thyme [Thymus vulgaris]

Folk Names: common thyme, Cretan thyme, mother thyme, mother-of-thyme, running thyme, shepherd’s thyme

Polarity: Masculine

Element: Fire

Planetary Signatures: Mars

Zodiac: Aries

Sabbat: Lughnasa

Characteristics, Cultivation and Harvesting:  A bushy shrub with a woody stalk when mature.  The small leaves, no more than one-eighth in long and one-sixteenth inch broad, have a warm, balsamic fragrance.  Thyme is an evergreen perennial herb that grows wild throughout the Mediterranean.  They are covered with whorls of pale purple flowers between May and August.  Sew seeds outdoors when threat of frost has passed; keep moist.  It grows to an average of fifteen-inches/ 38.1 centimeters high.  When this herb is somewhat mature cuttings may be propagated into fresh, nourishing soil.  Snip a few sprigs as needed for the culinary kitchen and strip the leaves from the stalk; roughly mince the herb and add it to food in the final few minutes of cooking in order to avoid evaporating the flavorful essential oils.  Thyme tastes delicious with potatoes, cheese, egg, and tomatoes dishes.  When ready to harvest your herbs cut it low on the stalk and lay it on a drying wrack in a single layer or tie it in bundles to be hung from the ceiling or a quilt wrack.  Seal in an air-tight jar for future use when the stalks and leaves have become crisp, but not brittle.  Thyme may need to be re-grown from seed as an annual in areas with a particularly bitter and long-lasting winter.

Wort Cunning: With lavender, it is one of the principle herbal-antiseptics with vast anti-microbial indications.  It is the active ingredient (thymol) in commercial mouth rinses to fight gingivitis, such as Listerine.  Red thyme essential oil contains a greater amount of thymol than the white variety of thyme essential oil.

Herb-Lore: The common name (thymus) is thought to derive from one of three Greek root-words: thumus, signifying the “soul”, “spirit”, or even “courage”; thymon, meaning “to fumigate”; and possibly thumon, denoting “the mind”.  It was once believed that the thymus gland was the seat of the human soul; indeed, both thym- and –thymis are each a known prefix and suffix, respectively, for terms signifying a psychic disorder.  Perhaps support for this preternatural belief can be found in the popular peasant and antique Greek practice of adorning the dead with this herb and planting it alongside the graveside.  The souls of the dead were also believed to rest within the flowers or thyme or in the springs, and it was a popular custom to wear or to drink a tisane of this herb when communing with the departed.  Shakespeare, perhaps, drew upon this tradition when he situated Queen Mab’s home as a field of thyme.  Drinking a cup of thyme tisane was also reputed to allow one to see the Faeries, while another recipe from the seventeenth-century featuring thyme was reputed with apposite effects.  The Egyptians were known to make use of the essential oil during the embalming process.  British custom holds that bouquets of thyme were to be brought into a home shortly after the death of a resident.

            During the medieval period thyme was established as an emblem of chivalry, and it was typical for European noblewomen to hand to her Knight a scarf embroidered with a bee hovering over a sprig of thyme as a love-token when they were leaving for the Crusades.  This seems to have been borrowed from a Roman practice in which Roman generals would embroider thyme sprigs onto their togas to signify their courageous spirit.  The legionnaires would bathe in thyme-infused water for valor before battle.  And, a decoction or infusion of the herb was imbibed as a courage-inducing potion by the Scottish Highlanders.

            The Greeks employed it as a general fumitory incense for their Temples, and the Romans as an incense to purify their rooms, perhaps from disease.  As a healing herb, thyme was the first plant recited in the medieval Holy herb Charm by those with “herb cunning”.

            A Germanic custom held that a coal from the Yule fire should be mixed with thyme that was gathered at Midsummer in order to bless and consecrate an apple orchard to make it more vigorous or healthful.  And, Marylanders would transplant their thyme bush to a new property when moving to instill luck and prosperity while they lived in their new home.

Virtues: Thyme is one of the most multi-faceted herbs, albeit seldom used outside of the Kitchen that each Witch should add to his or her personal apothecary.  It is a herb of Lughnasa, Men’s Mysteries, and the Warrior Path.  Add it to potions and ritual incenses for spells of healing, to encourage the Witches’ Sight, and for protection, love, prosperity, as well as to funerary incenses.  It may also be added to offertory incense dedicated to the Greek and Roman war-gods, Ares and Mars, as well as to consecrate the Coven Sword and the Athamé.

Herb-Craft: Fill a canning jar with dried or fresh thyme and cover with warmed honey the consistency of water; seal and leave the jar in a sunny window to infuse for a minimum of six weeks.  Flip the jar over once a day for the duration of the infusion. Heat the honey and strain out the herb through a wire-mesh strainer over a clean, sterile jar; cap and label.  Thyme-Honey is widely regarded as a local delicacy from the slopes of the Hymettos hills in modern Greece.

Sources: Baker, Margaret (2008).  Discovering the Folklore of Plants.  Shire Classics: pp. 149-50; Bown, Deni (2001).  Herbal: The Essential Guide to Herbs for Living.  Pavilion Books: pp. 278-79; Bremness, Lesley (1994).  The Complete Book of Herbs.  Viking Studio Books: pp. 142-43; Cleene, Marcel De and Marie Claire Lejeune (2002).  Compendium of Symbolic and Ritual Plants in Europe, vol. 1.  Man & Culture: pp. 697; Grieve, M. (1931).  “Thyme, Garden”  A Modern Herbal, vol. 2.  Dover: pp. 808-13; Lloyd, Geoffrey Earnest Richard (1999).  Science, Folklore, and Ideology: Studies in the Life Sciences of Ancient Greece.  Hackett Publishing: pp. 147; McVicar, Jekka (1995).  Herbs for the Home.  Viking Penguin: pp. 200-03; McVicar, Jekka (2008).  The Complete Herb Book.  Firefly Books: pp. 245-49; Manniche, Lise (1999).  An Ancient Egyptian Herbal.  University of Texas Press: pp. 150; Pickering, David (1999).  “Thyme.”  The Cassell Dictionary of Folklore.  Cassell: pp. 291; Swerdlow, Joel L. (2000).  Nature’s Medicine: Plants That Heal.  National Geographic: pp. 385; Tucker, Arthur O. and Thomas Debaggio (2009).  The Encyclopedia of Herbs.  Timber Press: pp. 478-92.

Video: The Last Herbalist in Paris

L'Herboristerie de la Place de Clichy en Paris, France is the last herbal-pharmacy in the city, though the oldest such business in the country.  This can be traced to the period of the Second World War when the Vichy government, in 1941, suppressed an Act known as the Herbalist Diploma, which allowed the pharmaceutical industry a virtual monopoly on the commercial trading of plants and herbs for medicinal benefits, utterly wiping out local competition by unlicensed pharmacists (ie. general Herbalists).  In 2009 the Indie Way Production company began work on a documentary detailing the plight of the last working Herbal-Pharmacy in Paris, which was established in 1880.  The following clip is en Francaise sans sous-titres (an English translated transcript to post would be fabulous if anyone can aurally translate the French language, which is far beyond my capabilities):

The present owners of the infamous Herberisterie are certified botanists and pharmacists who have each studied herbal medicine. If one visits France in the near future, please patronage this shop with your business and work with local government lobbyists and Herbalists - if possible - to repeal this unjust law!  Their address is:

Herberisterie de la Place Clichy
87 Rue d'Amsterdam
75008 Paris, France
Phone: 33 1 48 74 83 32
Fax: 33 1 45 26 98 57
Metro stop Place Clichy

They have opened up a sister shop on the opposite bank of the Seine river which flows through the heart of Paris at:

Herberisterie d'Hippocrate
42 Rue Saint Andre des Arts
75006 Paris, France
Phone: 33 1 40 51 87 03
Metro stop Saint Michel

I certainly want to see this documentary, and hope that an English-market version is released; I would also adore the opportunity to work in or own such a store with the same sort of character as L'Herberisterie!

Also of note is another Herbalist (Fr. Herboriste) operating in the county of Lorraine, a district in the north-eastern most county of France.  He tends the garden of Bernadette where he harvests and dries herbs that are then sold on the premises; of note are the Garden's epic drying wracks (as before this video is en Francaise sans sous-titres):

Another Herbalist Center is located at du Palais Royal in Paris, whose owner, Michel Pierre has given the following interview (also en Francais) -- they sell herbs in bulk mass through their website (in the hyperlink): 

An American Herbalist also discusses why general ("lay") Herbalists are far safer under the scope of the law without accredited status, because as early as 20 years ago medical doctors who be arrested and imprisoned for prescribing any sort of herbal medicine despite what documentation might show as to its effectiveness.  Of course, one may draw the conclusion that this could be the Pharmaceutical Industry flexing its muscles in an effort to insist that medical practitioners conform and prescribe only their treatments -- treatments that are expensive (as many Essential Oils are expensive) due to the brand names and the laboratory cost involved in testing and verifying the efficacy, etc.!

Thankfully it does not seem to be so extreme these days.  There are a few medical Drs. of note in the Des Moines area who prescribe herbs instead of pharmaceuticals, and even recommend our local Witch store -- Ancient Ways -- as a resource to fill the prescription!  Even medical practitioners opposed to herbal medicine have entrapped Herbalist who they've reported to the state for practicing medicine without a license throughout the U.S.!