Butternut Squash Casserole

Here is a great recipe from The Witches Collective forum


Butternut Squash Casserole

This butternut squash casserole includes apples and is topped with a buttery spiced crumb topping with brown sugar. This is a tasty side dish for any fall meal, and it would be a perfect holiday dinner casserole.
Ingredients:

1 small butternut squash (about 2 to 2 1/2 lbs)
2 tart apples
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
4 tablespoons butter, cold
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preparation:
Butter a 2- to 2 1/2-quart baking dish. Heat oven to 350°. Peel, seed, and cut squash into small slices. Core the apples, peel, and cut into thin slices. Toss squash and apples together. Transfer squash and apple slices to the prepared baking dish.

Combine brown sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; cut in butter with fork or pastry cutter until crumbly. Sprinkle crumbs evenly over sliced squash and apples. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350° for 50 to 60 minutes, or until squash is tender.

Nurturing your Spirit

Sometimes we get caught up in our day-to-day lives that we forget about the spiritual world around us. It is not surprising. We're humans, we have responsibilities in the everyday world to take care of. But we must always make time for spirit, nature, and the Universe. By nurturing our own spirit we nurture the world. So everyday, as you get up, at lunch, or right before bed take a few minutes to think about the world. think about what you love and the beauty you've observed. Let your joy and awe of these experiences bubble up and over take the mundane concerns in your life. Just letting those positive feelings wash over you and nurture your spirit allows for your positivity to go into the world and nurture the world's spirit.

Happy Thanksgiving - Break

Happy Thanksgiving!
We at The Witches Collective would like to wish everyone happy holidays. May you all be safe on your travels. TWC blog will be on hiatus over the next 5 days holiday days. Don't worry, we'll be back fresh on Monday, the 28th.
Bright Blessings!

Collecting the Rain

When the rain has got you down, don't forget how powerful it can really be. On those rainy days, set out some buckets or pails. Collect the rain water. Go to a cemetery and set out a bowl, or go into the woods and collect it there. Make it a special trip, sacred, and dedicate it to Deity. Where ever you collect the rain, burn some incense or tobacco to give back to the spirits and Deity.

Once you have the rain water, bottle as much as you feel like for later use in cleansing, blessings, protections, and much more. If you have a good amount left over, run yourself a bath. Bless the rain water and had a couple spoon fulls to your bath water. It is great for washing away the negativity. If you still have a lot of water left, bottle some for friends, but whatever you don't use, give it back to the earth. 

The Ten Commandments of Mother Earth

Brought to you by the WC Forum.

The Ten Commandments of Mother Earth

I.Thou shalt love and honor the Earth for it blesses thy life and governs thy survival.


II. Thou shalt keep each day sacred to the Earth and celebrate the turning of its seasons.


III. Thou shalt not hold thyself above other living things nor drive them to extinction.

IV. Thou shalt give thanks for thy food, to the creatures and plants that nourish thee.

V. Thou shalt educate thy offspring for multitudes of people are a blessing unto the Earth when we live in harmony.


VI. Thou shall not kill, nor waste Earth's riches upon weapons of war.


VII. Thou shalt not pursue profit at the Earth's expense but strive to restore its damaged majesty.


VIII. Thou shalt not hide from thyself or others the consequences of thy actions upon the Earth.


IX. Thou shalt not steal from future generations by impoverishing or poisoning the Earth.


X. Thou shalt consume material goods in moderation so all may share the Earth's bounty.

Promoting WC

The Witches Collective would like to thank our friends on deviantart for helping to promote WC. We would like to recognize our friends here.

Mythos-and-Magick
Pagan Crafts
Chamanics-Pathways
Dreamcatcher.wifeo.com

Thank you to all that support us and keeping us going. You will be seeing art from these Deviantart groups throughout the year.

Yule Time

As Yule approaches, let's remember what it is about. We'll be going over a couple of things and yule associations as it draws near.

Winter Solstice or Yule (December 21st)

Yule or the Winter Solstice is the time when the sun is the furthest from the earth. This is a time where the world is at its darkest and it is the longest night of the year. For a couple days at this time of year, the sun seems to rise and set in the same place and not seem to move until miraculous the sun would start to make its way closer and closer. This is a time where our pagan ancestry would do rituals to coax the sun to return to the earth and warm the land once again. It is a time to honor the gods for being a constant presence in our lives and to be thankful for all of life’s gifts. This is the time when the “Sun God” starts to make his way back to the earth so that life can start anew. Yule is known as one of the Lesser Sabbats but by no means is it not a greatly revered holiday.

Our pagan ancestors held rites to “appease” the sun so that it would return again for spring. We in modern times know through the science of astronomy the way the planets move around the sun but this should in no way take away from the credit of the greatness of the power of God. This is a time for us to celebrate with one another and to come closer together. The warmth that we feel when we commune with one another is symbolic of the warmth that we will feel from the suns return.

The Christian Holiday of Christmas or the Birth of Christ is taken from this holiday. It is in essence the birth of the Sun God or the birth of The Son of God. Many modern customs of “Christmas” owe themselves to the customs of our Pagan Ancestry. The “Christmas” Tree dates back to Norse Pagans who would decorate trees with lights and sweets to appease their Gods, namely Odin. The Yule Log is another custom that dates back to these ancient pagans who would pour libations onto a decorated log and place it in the hearth fire to honour the gods. “Christmas Carolling” or Wassailing comes from these ancestors as well. The hanging of wreaths comes from our ancestors in Rome from their festival of Saturnalia. Mistletoe and Holly were symbols of life and rebirth to the Celts and were traditionally used at this time of year.