#christian nutrition

[biophilianutrition]

Classic

[electriceyespots]

the way society thinks about weight is so fucked. the fundamental assumption of so much of the societal body image, ie that losing weight is both desirable and achievable (with just a little more work a little more guilt a little less food), is so incorrect that it feels like a sick joke. we structured our beauty standards, our food, and even our goddamn medical system around something that's not actually possible for almost anyone and then made everyone feel like it was personally their fault

[garthnadermemestash]

biden going to take food stamps away from millions of people just to appease the wealthy "christians" who think poor people should starve

[squidsploitation]

the funniest part of the recent thor movie is people in letterboxd reviews taking a cookie cutter comic book movie Way Too Seriously and complaining they weren’t sufficiently intellectually stimulated by a skit about a hugelarge muscleguy and cgi animals screaming, and when some of the jokes

[indizombie]

"Families can't buy what they used to buy. They are cutting down on meals, they are cutting down on nutritious food. So we are definitely getting into a situation where malnutrition is a major concern," said Christian Skoog, UNICEF's representative in Sri Lanka. "We're trying to avoid a humanitarian crisis. We're not yet at children dying, which is good, but we need to get the support very urgently to avoid that." UNICEF has appealed for urgent financial aid to treat thousands of children with acute malnutrition, and to support a million others with primary healthcare. Acute malnutrition rates could rise from 13% to 20%, with the number of severely malnourished children - currently 35,000 - doubling, says Dr Renuka Jayatissa, president of the Sri Lanka Medical Nutrition Association.

Rajini Vaidyanathan, ‘Sri Lanka: 'I can’t afford milk for my babies'’, BBC

[humansofhds]

Ryan Conston, MDiv ‘24

“My favorite course last semester was “Cultures of Resistance” with Professor Manuela Coppola. In this class, we had the opportunity to dive into our varied lived realities and then tie that to strategies of de-colonialism, asking ourselves how we can use language and theory to build modes of resistance that have the potential to dismantle hegemony. Harvard Divinity School is a place filled with people who are passionate about fighting for institutional change, and I think that is an incredible thing.”

Ryan Conston is a second-year MDiv candidate and is on track to attend medical school after finishing his HDS degree.

Practicing Medicine as Ministry

I was born in Memphis, Tennessee, which as one would say, is part of the Bible Belt of the USA. I hail from a ministerial family; I’ve had the privilege of witnessing the ministry of both my paternal grandparents and my parents across the nation. This upbringing taught me what it means to partake in what I would describe as “the work of faith,” which is at its core about giving and making a positive impact. And so even while I am here at Harvard Divinity School, a key goal of mine is to steward the time, connections, and resources I have here, with the intention to give back to socially and economically marginalized communities. 

One of the things I noticed about the faith communities I was raised in was how they embraced the spiritual dimension of healing, which inspired me, my family, and my peers. We really grew to value the way ministers empowered the communities they were serving, while on the pulpit and beyond. That is something I have always wanted to emulate. On the flipside, however, sometimes insufficient attention was given to our physical well-being. 

My medical vision of improving the lives of the marginalized occasionally evokes memories of struggle. As an unintended consequence of growing up socioeconomically disadvantaged, those around me made uninformed health choices that became a cultural habit of being Black in the Deep South. I learned firsthand the concept of food insecurity by seeing how those around me could “eat” themselves into chronic illness through food that keeps you “full and happy” but inadequately nourished. Having witnessed this, my intent now is to dedicate my study and profession to exploring how ministers and community leaders can promote healthful lifestyles and help alleviate this kind of suffering. In this way, I am asking the question, “How can we practice medicine as a ministry?” 

Let Thy Food be Thy Medicine 

During my undergraduate days, I began to see medicine as a ministry through my service at refugee care centers, children's hospitals, and assisted-living facilities. And so, even while I am currently at HDS pursuing my MDiv in theology and ethics, I am also on a pre-med track, interested in the idea of food as medicine. Healthcare provision and ministry are deeply intertwined, and therefore I see this degree program as perfectly suited for that work.  

To be honest, I comfort eat a lot, too, so I understand the sentimental connections we have between our heritage and the food we consume. I think it is important to study and preserve these histories about what our ancestors ate. Something I have been studying intensively is the ways in which agricultural practices from Africa have informed the food cultivation and consumption practices of Black people living in America today. What I have come to realize is that we have always been intelligent and resourceful in the way we cultivated, processed, and distributed our food. 

Today, however, we face unique and novel challenges regarding how our food is processed, and it is quite literally killing people. Food education is an important thing, and I make sure that I, too, am always learning to incorporate wisdom in my dietary choices. 

Hopefully, through advocacy in the areas of food justice and food sovereignty, we can maintain the nutritional quality as well as the cultural significance of the foods we eat.

This is not to say there are no good things about southern food. We’ve got great cookouts, fish fries, red beans and rice, Cajun dishes, and so on. My wish is simply that as a community, we would explore our roots more deeply and the significance of our land, food, culture, and health. I believe in the power of the saying, “Let thy food be thy medicine.” 

Even as Your Soul Prospers 

There is certainly an intrinsic link between health and the psychosocial aspects of our lives, which is what I feel is the missing link in medicine today. Frankly, our bedside manner can often be reductionistic when we fail to take time to understand people, be culturally competent, and understand the holistic individual. Instead, we have a healthcare system that often ignores prevention but is unduly focused on treating disease, and I would even say maintaining disease. That is a problematic paradigm. The goal should be to make health consciousness second nature for clinically vulnerable communities so that they can be empowered to take control of their health. I want to serve as best as I can in making that transition. 

As a non-denominational Christian, I honor the teachings of Jesus. One embodiment of my faith that I find to be particularly powerful is the art of fasting. I have listened to and spoken with physicians and leading experts in disease reversal about some of the groundbreaking studies on the benefits of fasting on the body (Shout-out Black Religion, Spirituality, and Culture Conference Planning Committee).  

It is quite fascinating how the human body sometimes has the ability to heal itself using such embodied spiritual practices. One of my favorite scriptures in the Bible, 3 John 1:2 says “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” See that? Even as your soul prospers. My belief is that God cares just as much about our physical well-being as he does our socioeconomic well-being and our spiritual well-being.  

The Dance of Divinity and Medicine

If you were to ask me why I am making this stop at Divinity School while on my way to medical school, I will tell you that the envy of my life is “the straightforward route,” Things have not always happened that way. But I am still thankful that God has given me this journey.

I empathize with it. I think it affirms my desire to discover other interests that I may have while on the way to my destination. I am also indebted to a mentor of mine, a retired physician who encouraged my decision to come to HDS. Prior to my conversations with him, I had never heard of an MDiv. After I looked the program up, I found the Field Education component particularly interesting and that kind of fully sold it for me.  

I am here because I believe this degree will teach me to be the kind of doctor I want to be: One that is ethically sound and compassionate. In a post-pandemic world, these are qualities that are especially vital. Looking to the future and seeing what public health has the potential to look like is an exciting prospect to think about.  

One of the things I have appreciated the most is the close reading of texts and deconstruction of religion that happens at HDS. We learn to develop our own voice even while we are learning about how others voice religion. It is a bit like learning a language, being able to put voice to complex thoughts, emotions, and opinions. In this way, we get to practice how to navigate nuanced discussions with others. 

My favorite course last semester was “Cultures of Resistance” with Professor Manuela Coppola. In this class, we had the opportunity to dive into our varied lived realities and then tie that to strategies of de-colonialism, asking ourselves how we can use language and theory to build modes of resistance that have the potential to dismantle hegemony. HDS is a place filled with people who are passionate about fighting for institutional change, and I think that is an incredible thing. 

Beauty and Belonging in a Big City 

Before I arrived at Harvard, I was concerned that I would be fighting alone to find my place in such an institution, both as a person and an academic. That has thankfully been far from my experience. I really value HDS’ Harambee community of students of African descent (Shoutout exec and alumni Amaia Cook, MTS ’22, and Quinn Parker, MTS ’22, for all the genuine support this first year). 

All our kickbacks and social gatherings have been a vital part of fostering a sense of belonging. Also, faculty like HDS’s Dean Teddy, Dean Potts, Dr. White- Hammond, and the wonderful people at the Office of Ministry have provided resourceful advice and helped me build solid networks. I am thankful that I did not come to HDS and feel like I had to do anything without guidance. 

Boston is amazing. I love the weather here and getting to witness the seasons transforming into each other. I enjoy visiting the commons every now and then, as well as the public gardens. As a country kid, living in a big city is a new experience for me and I always have a lot to tell my family when I go back home. They enjoy hearing the stories I bring back with me, and they love that I'm learning new things and tapping into the multidisciplinary aspects of health and ethics.  

Interview conducted and edited by Suzannah Omonuk; courtesy photos 

[nonagalleryart]

Whoa, hey!

Obviously when everyone else is thinking how cool Falin is as a monster, Senshi is thinking of what a nutritional meal full of protein she’d make.

I love drawing in this style, it always makes me want to paint. I would love to do massive oil paintings that look biblical, but instead of depicting Christianity it’s just different anime. People would be all is that Jesus, and I’d be all no it’s Goku from Dragon Ballz.

[psalmonesermons]

Give us this day our daily bread Part 3

How can we maximise our nutrition from the bible?

In Part 2 we considered what Jesus meant when he said, ‘I am the bread of life’ and saw that we absorbed from Jesus the bread of life, his life, his character, his example, his teaching i.e. food for our souls. We need to feed on God’s word (bible) every day of our lives because it contains the nourishment we need for our souls.

Today in Part 3 we consider how can we maximise the benefit from what we can take from our daily bread?

We now consider the practice of Christian meditation on the word of God (bible).

Does anyone have a favourite scripture or keynote verse?

Psalm 1 is the keynote scripture for my life.

1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,

2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.

3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.

When Psalm 1 was written the law was most of the bible that existed at that time.

We can extrapolate it today to include all the bible (word of God).

The Hebrew word for meditate means ‘moving the lips’ or ‘mutter’.

In a sense we talk to our ourselves about the verse.

Another analogy is that we should be like a cow chewing the cud i.e. we chew the food and swallow then let it come back up so we can chew it again and again.

In practice this means that we should choose a verse or portion of scripture and keep chewing on it until its meaning becomes clear to us.

I did this with the verse ‘I am the bread of life’ that Jesus spoke in John 6.

What does bread do, what does life mean and so on?

Ask yourself about the meaning of the passage of scripture you are reading.

Here are some other scriptures that show believers taking God’s word into themselves.

Jeremiah 15:16 When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty.

Ezekiel 2:8 But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” 9 Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll,

Rev 10:9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’”

Joshua 1:8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

So, the idea of eating or taking God’s word into yourself is thoroughly biblical.

Let's do it!

Amen

Personal Prayer

[ourlittledinosaur]

These Hobbies Can Help Your Kids Put Down Those Screens

Do your kids spend their weekends staring at screens? Here are some hobbies guaranteed to get them away from those screens and having actual fun instead.

New Post has been published on http://ourlittledinosaur.com/these-hobbies-can-help-your-kids-put-down-those-screens/

These Hobbies Can Help Your Kids Put Down Those Screens

Here’s another great article from our guest poster Maria Cannon. To read more from Maria, go check out her website here. It’s “Your Place for Hobbies”!

Do your kids spend their weekends staring at screens?

Well, you may be surprised to know that too much screen time can actually be bad for their health. That’s one of the reasons it is so important for children to spend time discovering new hobbies. More than just a way to burn time, hobbies can provide stress relief, help little minds develop and even be beneficial for their health. Need some ideas to get your kids started? Here are some hobbies guaranteed to get them away from those screens and having actual fun instead.

Make New Friends With Play and Sports

If your children are glued to the couch too much, it could have a major impact on their overall health. Studies show that teenagers these days tend to be less active than seniors, and that means more instances of obesity and related health issues. Keeping your children active, whether it’s by encouraging them to play or try a new sport, can help prevent some of those problems from becoming major issues. Play is also a great way for your kids to connect with other children their age, so try to schedule some play dates with friends or other families that you know. You can also encourage your child to get involved with organized sports. Basketball is a great sport for kids to try and keeps them moving the entire game. Before your kid hits the court, look online for the best basketball shoes that offer comfort while staying affordable.

 Connect with Nature and the Outdoors

Want to improve your child’s self-esteem and help them relieve stress? Get them to take their hobbies outside. Spending time outdoors can help children in several key ways. Kids who spend more time outside tend to have improved vision quality, better social skills, and more focus than those who do not. Exposure to sunlight can also increase vitamin D production, as well as decrease stress and feelings of depression. Wondering what hobbies you can do outside with your children? The possibilities are endless. You can start simple by planning some backyard bird watching, or you can teach them how to garden. If you are feeling adventurous, you could even take your family for some hikes or other excursions into nature. There are also scouting groups that can help your children develop a love of nature, as well as other essential life skills.

Unleash Their Creativity on Arts and Crafts

Did you know that the arts can aid development in your children? By practicing arts and crafts as a hobby, your kids are enhancing their fine motor skills, learning to make decisions and developing visual-spatial skills. The arts are also a fun and creative way for kids to explore other cultures. So encourage your children to put down their tablets and pick up a paintbrush or some clay instead. Visit a local arts and crafts store to pick up some basic art supplies, or look online for budget-friendly starter kits that have all budding Bob Rosses’ need. Children benefit the most from art when they have the space to create freely, so let them have fun and keep the experience positive from start to finish for everyone.

Boost Self-Esteem by Baking for Others

When you think of hobbies your kids might enjoy, you may not consider cooking and baking. Studies show, however, that baking for others can have some very positive impacts on self-esteem and mental health. Putting together a meal or baking a cake can help your children practice creative expression, an important element in nurturing positive mental health. You can get your children started by planning a family baking session. Select a kid-friendly recipe and try to keep things simple at first. Depending on your children’s ages and abilities, you may even want to pick up some kitchen equipment that can make the experience safer for little hands.

Kids need hobbies to keep them healthy. So, give your kids a break from those screens and encourage them to explore a new passion. Their bodies, minds, and health will thank you!

Photo Credit: Pixabay

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[1whoconquers]

Healthy Eating & Christian Beliefs: A Biblical View

Do the idea of healthy eating and Christian beliefs go together? The relationship between healthy eating and Christian beliefs can vary depending on the interpretation of the teachings and beliefs of Christianity. However, there are some aspects of Christian beliefs that may be relevant to healthy eating. For example, Christians believe that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1…

[liberalsarecool]

Sabotaging the health, nutrition, education, and child care of children is the political objective of conservative Christians.

Conservative Christians hear about school lunch debt, increased suffering, dropping test scores, and overall existential hardships for children and think of new ways to stick it to kids.

#MedicareForAll

[comicaurora]

Why do vampires even need to drink blood? Is it the nutritional value or is it some kind of magic life force? If someone had orange juice running through their veins instead would it work the same?

despite the christianity ingrained in the modern western vampire narrative there is no vampire canon

[caelstyx]

Urgent Call: Help Tareq & Dana to Evacuate Gaza

Please consider donating to their gofundme.

Here is there story:

Please read the following statement from my cousin in Gaza sheltering in the church. I pray you can help some of my family members living in Gaza. -Luna Saba Tarazi

Urgent call: Help Tareq and Dana Saba to evacuate Gaza & start over

Introducing us:

‏My name is Tareq Saba, I am 30 years old, a Christian Palestinian. I have lived all my life in Gaza and I have been working as a project coordinator in the humanitarian health field at Caritas Jerusalem in Gaza for the past 5 years.

‏A life that we have dedicated all of our efforts to build despite the difficulties and obstacles in Gaza has suddenly changed overnight. After October 2023, everything has changed, and a lot has been lost. It seems that a life within these walls is now impossible.

‏In the following lines you will learn of our story which after you read, we humbly hope you will lend us your helping hand to start anew.

‏In a warm day on May 2022, Dana and I got married surrounded by our family and friends. We built and designed our house with love and attention to detail. We had a peaceful life and a wonderful home. We had many dreams for our future together, and we dreamed of having a child to fill our lives with joy.

‏Our story and the impact of the war on our family:

‏Nothing remained the same after October the 7th. We learnt the meaning of loss as we lost everything we hold into. We lost our house, our jobs, our “normal” lives, and our dreams and aspirations.

‏One day we received instructions to evacuate our house. We evacuated with only a small bag containing our important papers, some clothes, and a small amount of money. Soon after it got heavily bombed and turned to rubbles of memories. We didn't know that we would never return to the place that held our dearest memories. So yes, we lost everything from the largest details to the smallest ones. And we went through terrible situations that I never thought I would ever experience.

‏It has been over 150 days since we sought refuge at the Church of St. Porphyrius in Gaza, which was not spared from shelling. We survived death several times!

‏Every day is harder than the one before. We fear for our lives due to the lack of basic necessities such as water, food, electricity, medicine, and more. Even the water is contaminated, and diseases and epidemics have spread everywhere.

‏My wife, Dana, was pregnant when the place where my family and I were staying in was targeted by a missile. We remained under the rubbles until we were miraculously rescued. All members of my family, my parents and close relatives, were injured and were transported to the hospital despite the difficulty of access during the shelling, but nothing beats the heartbreak I felt when my wife was injured and we lost our unborn baby.

‏Many of our relatives and friends were killed in this inhumane and unjustified shelling. Only a few of our belongings, lost under the rubble, were recovered. Now even our only “safe” refuge was targeted, and we have no other shelter!

‏I always imagine my baby as a boy while Dana insists they will be a girl but it doesn’t matter, I only prayed they will turn out healthy and safe, but yet again even these prayers were brutally snatched from our hands in front of our eyes and we couldn’t do anything, that’s how helpless I felt when we lost our unborn baby. It is said that the stress, fear, lack of nutrition, contaminated water, and phosphorus caused the miscarriage.

‏We had suffered a miscarriage before, but the pain doesn’t cascade by time, for months we lived through depression. The night we spent under rubbles was a miraculous night, it was impossible to survive under the unforgiving pressure of ruins and then reach the hospital under the heavy bombing but we did and Dana went through a surgery and received treatment.

‏Our house was targeted and destroyed by more than one missile, making it unfit for habitation. It was the dream house that we worked hard to own and design as we dreamed. It became ruins! These are some pictures of the house.

‏It takes one to see death eye to eye to realise the beauty of life. We felt at any moment that we would die, intensifying the reality that our children deserve to live in a place where they don’t wake up everyday to the fear of death and all their demands are met.

‏Dana and I are now back to square one. We lost all the savings of a lifetime and everything we owned in this war. I spent over $80,000 to build and design the house. Currently, the dream house is destroyed, our belongings, clothes, even our memories and beautiful moments were stolen from us. Gaza itself has changed forever, we lost streets, houses, shops, universities, hospitals, and our workplaces.

‏We have almost lost hope, but I believe that we should not despair. With your help, we can succeed. We can stay alive and provide a decent life for my family in a better place. Honestly, this is a real struggle that no one should have to go through.

‏How your fund will help us start anew:

‏Your donations will give our family the motivation to work hard for a fresh start. We have managed to obtain a temporary visa to Australia, and we pray that, with your generosity and assistance, we can raise the necessary funds to leave Gaza.

‏$10,000-12,000 for coordinating the exit through the Rafah border crossing in Egypt.

‏$5,000 for accommodation expenses in Egypt until departure to Australia.

‏$6,000 for plane tickets to leave Egypt.

‏The remaining amount will be used once we arrive in Australia to cover basic expenses such as housing, furniture, food, clothing, and other necessities until I can secure a job in Australia.

‏We know that no one can predict the situation in Gaza. If we cannot travel, whether due to lack of funds, travel risk, or change in accessibility, then we will use the funds collected to meet our needs and rebuild our lives here.

‏Dear friends, we only share our true personal story, and we hope and believe in your support. Every donation, no matter how small, can make a profound difference for us. Our only request remains peace, security, and safety, without fear, doubt, or disappointment, and that tranquility fills our hearts and we have a better future.

‏Whether you donated or not, it is a blessing to know someone out there cares enough to know your story, so Thank you for your time. Keep us in your prayers.

[numinousmysteries]

A Solitary Sno Ball

@today-in-fic [on Ao3]

Mulder wasn’t in the habit of profiling everyone he came across, but when Scully first walked into his office, his VCS days weren’t so far behind him that he couldn’t help subconsciously sketching an outline of her psyche. Spending hours together on their first few cases made it easy to flesh out the profile.

Full of youthful arrogance, he was sure he had her down pat. An overachiever who had been praised for her obedience her whole life, she approached her academic and professional career with a checklist mentality, imagining that success and fulfillment were guaranteed as long as she followed the rules and did as told. She was probably a middle child from a military family, very likely had daddy issues, practiced some form of Christianity (he’d put his money on Catholicism), and, he assumed, had a proclivity for older men in positions of authority.

(In many regards, he was right, although after years of working together he realized nothing about Scully’s essence fit a profile. She was truly one in five billion.)

The only thing he couldn’t figure out was her guilty pleasure. He knew she had to have one. Her type-A personality and anal retentive nature all but guaranteed it. It would be a self-destructive habit that went against everything she knew was good for her as a doctor

His first guess was cigarettes. Boggs let on that she’d stolen from her mother’s pack as a teenage act of rebellion. It wouldn’t be too far-fetched, then, for her to sneak a smoke in a stressful moment.

He could imagine the relief she’d feel. She’d make a ritual out of it. After a long day in the morgue or arguing with her jerk of a partner she’d get home, kick off her shoes, and reach for the pack in her bedside drawer. She’d have a lighter in there, too. She’d keep matches for lighting candles elsewhere. This cheap plastic lighter was just for her little dalliance. Maybe she’d push open her bedroom window to keep the smell out. If it were freezing cold outside, even better, the biting chill would be another element of self-punishment. She’d recite statistics on lung and mouth cancer to herself, summon up the mental images of blackened lungs she’d held in her own hands during autopsies, and then bring the cigarette to her mouth. She would light it then close her eyes, pulling the nicotine, tobacco, and tar deep into her lungs, relishing the burn. Reciting the cancer-causing chemicals infiltrating her cells would only intensify the pleasure.

Her rare, solitary cigarette and the ritual around it would bring a pleasure nearly sexual in nature. The release would flood from her throat, down her shoulders, into her belly, and then finally reach her liquid hot center, leaving her levitating with pleasure and guilt. She was a Catholic after all.

But Mulder was wrong. Her guilty pleasure wasn’t cigarettes or any of the other vices he’d dreamed up for her—unprotected sex with strangers, a late night binge and purge, or even a snorted line of amphetamines, perhaps a habit picked up in her high-pressure med school days.

No, it was something more perverse than even he could have imagined: saccharine sweet, artificially colored, pastel pink Hostess Sno Balls. They were calorie bombs with no redeeming nutritional value that stayed suspiciously shelf stable longer than anything found in nature. Dana Scully should not eat Hostess Sno Balls so, obviously, she craved them.

This was a woman who ate her eggs without yolks, her salads without dressing, and her popcorn without butter. She drank her coffee with a thimble of skim milk and believed a handful of raw, unsalted almonds was a fulfilling snack. So when he caught her trying to shove a package of Sno Balls into her purse on the way out of a gas station early in their partnership, he was endlessly amused.

“I didn’t get my copy of the New England Journal of Medicine this month,” he said, grinning as he topped off the gas tank. “Was there a groundbreaking report on the cardiovascular benefits of high fructose corn syrup and red 40 dye?”

“The journal is weekly,” she said, opening up the passenger side door without making eye contact. “And no, Mulder. It’s just been a shitty week and I want a fucking Sno Ball.”

He couldn’t argue with her there. They’d been stuck on a stakeout that ended up being a massive waste of time. The case was in a small town whose only lodging was a rundown motor inn with pathetic water pressure, sheets even he deemed too filthy to sleep under, and neither air conditioner nor cable TV. If anyone deserved a Sno Ball, it was his partner.

On the drive back to DC he teased out the details. She told him how the mass produced snack served as a reliable comfort during her nomadic childhood as a navy brat. She never knew what her new school would be like, if the kids would be nice, or if the teacher would be strict, but she always knew she’d find those friendly pink confections in the local supermarket. And they came two to a pack, so they were perfect for sharing with her sister.

“In fact, I’m going to give her one of these,” she said.

“You’re seeing your sister when we get back?”

“No,” she said. “Melissa is currently on a joy ride up and down the West Coast with her boyfriend so I probably won’t see her for weeks, but these things never go bad.”

“I’d say it’s good to hear there will be something for the cockroaches to eat after we humans manage to destroy all other forms of life on this planet, but somehow I doubt even the roaches will want anything to do with that.”

“I guess my cabinet is safe from roaches then.”

Once he found out about the Sno Balls, it became a ritual. After an especially grueling case he’d pick up a bag of sunflower seeds and a package of Sno Balls from the gas station on their way out of town.

The first time he bought them after Melissa died, he didn’t have the heart to give her a package of two, so he tore open the plastic and tossed one Sno Bal in the garbage before bringing it to her, a single Sno Ball in a ripped-open wrapper.

First, she cried. Next, she thanked him. And, finally, she told him it was a waste to throw out a perfectly good Sno Ball and that he should just eat it himself.

Of course, he couldn’t. Even a man who lived off cheap coffee, sunflower seeds, and processed deli meat sandwiches on Wonder Bread had his limits. So he kept the half-full packages in one of his kitchen cabinets. Once she discovered them, she started sneaking one whenever she was over late at night reviewing a case file. She was right that they never went bad. And he was right that, even unsealed, they never attracted roaches.

***

The perky blonde waitress at the Headless Woman Pub was skeptical when he showed up with a single, unwrapped Sno Ball and requested it be presented with a candle at the end of the meal for his dinner companion who had yet to arrive. She pointed out that serving outside food was against the health code. He never told Scully he had to flash his badge and play the terminal cancer card to get the waitress to agree to serve up a solitary pink Sno Ball of unknown origin. But seeing her face light up when it arrived at the table and watching the reflection of the sparklers dancing in her eyes made it all worth it.

[moonkissedmeli]

Rosemary; Salvia rosmarinus

rosemary is a very powerful little plant and I recommend it as a witch's essential herb, a non-negotiable if you will, as it has so many uses.

Other names: sea dew, compass plant, polar plant

Nutritional and Medicinal Fun Facts:

Good for hair and scalp

Good for metabolic health

High in carnosic acid which has anti-cancer properties

Improves memory and concentration

Improves eye health

Can help regulate liver

Aeromatic may help reduce asthma symptoms

Aeromatic and eating it can help reduce stress and anxiety

May reduce inflammation

May help increase circulation

High in antioxidants, manganese pantothenic acid, niacin, thiamin, folate, and riboflavin

extra fun fact: part of the mint family; eucalyptol (camphor-like) and alpha-pinene (pine-like) are the compounds that primarily give the rosemary flavor

~Magical Properties & Lore~

Element: Fire

Planet: Sun

Gods: Apollo, Helios

Goddess: Aphrodite, Hebe

Spells & Rituals:

Love spells

Beauty spells, especially in an aromatic

Health spells and rituals; I also use it in spells to break unhealthy habits

Antifertility spells (along with safe sex! mundane first, always)

Protection and banishing spells regarding negative spirits; especially visitations at night

Sachets, tea, or aromatic for spells to improve intelligence and memory; excellent herb for student

Helps with nightmares and remembering dreams

Use as a tea or aromatic for dream work and past life remembrance

Burn to cleanse home or self of negative energy

Grow it inside to purify the air

Tip: pairs powerfully with Juniper in most situations

Lore:

Christians believe it grows for 33 years until it is the same height as Jesus. They believe it got blue flowers when Mary placed her cloak on it when fleeing to Egypt. It is a Christian symbol of fidelity and remembrance.

Couples should plant on their wedding day and interpret the growth as divination for the family.

Couples have also wore it at their wedding and given as favors to their guests.

Said to protect against the evil eye.

In Wales, it was used as a funeral favor and sprigs were lowered with the casket.

Embalming herb in ancient Egypt

Ancient Greece & Hellenism

Symbol of love, beauty, and eternity

Said to help people retain youth when smelled

Increases memory; students would wear garlands of rosemary for exams

Protection against evil

recipes to eat it in: so good on chicken, fish, and potatoes, rosemary-infused olive oil, rosemary and lemon pasta

[haggishlyhagging]

Demographers tell us that there has always been a group in each population, estimated as reaching as high as one-third of all women, who were single, that is, not-yet-married, never-married or widowed. Yet, until the 19th century the choice of remaining single was only a choice of one kind of dependency over another. Single women might choose celibacy and the religious life, in which case they depended on their superiors and the male clergy; they might choose celibacy and dependency on male members of their family of origin; they might barely make a living as servant or governess in the household of strangers, in which case their dependency was thorough and humiliating. A single woman might choose the life of prostitution, in which case she could hardly be considered independent, since her very existence depended on the "protection" and sanction of various authorities. A small percentage of all women led economically self-dependent lives on the margins of society (in the Middle Ages literally on the outskirts of towns) as peddlers, vagrants, beggars, thieves. Additionally, there were throughout the period under consideration always a small percentage of single women working as spinsters, brewers, innkeepers and farm workers. There also were propertied widows who could live independent lives, but their properties originated in a prior dependency on a man. For the vast majority of women, marriage and motherhood were their lot and their main means of securing access to resources and economic protection. This was the reason women could not readily concep-tualize bonds of sisterhood or develop a consciousness of common interest through their status as wives.

But motherhood was different, both as an actuality and as a unifying concept. Women shared the life experience of motherhood—frequent pregnancies, miscarriages, births, deaths of children and birth-induced disabilities. Even those who could not conceive did not escape that cycle of female tribulations, since they too were subject to menses, attempted pregnancies, and the ever-present threat of rape. For peasant women who were serfs or domestic servants in the manors of their lords, sexual attack by their masters was a constant and unavoidable threat.

The meaning of motherhood differed for women by class. Until the middle of the 18th century in Europe and the United States, 90 percent of women lived in the countryside, so we should consider peasant women first. The lives of peasant women followed remarkably constant patterns throughout the Christian era despite the vast political and technological changes occurring in the states and nations in which they lived. Peasant women, generation after generation, accepted the double burden of work and reproduction, taking responsibility for the survival of their families and doing whatever work it was necessary to do. Demographers estimate that women's life expectancy was less than that of men in the early Middle Ages, but that it changed dramatically in the 11th century owing to changes in agriculture that brought better nutrition. Still a survey made in the commune of Florence in 1427 shows the average age for men to be 28 years and the average age for women 28.51.

Demographers generally hold that women might have five to seven successful pregnancies during twenty years of their childbearing age; given the life expectancies just cited, four to six successful pregnancies would seem more likely. With the high rate of miscarriages and stillbirths before the 20th century, this meant that a woman would be pregnant or nursing a child for most of her adult lifespan, while working without letup in home and field. Infant mortality rates were high; peasant women could expect half of their children to die before age twenty. Twenty-five percent of children born in England up until the 18th century died in their first year.

Had the average peasant couple produced three adult children out of an average six births, the peasant population of Europe should have grown, but in fact it did not. Only in the aftermath of mass disasters, such as the bubonic plague of the 14th century and the Thirty Years War of the 17th century, did peasant populations increase. This indicates that peasants, living under conditions of bare survival, controlled their birthrates. They did so by delaying the age of marriage, practicing various forms of birth control and, when times were bad, resorting to infanticide, usually the killing of female children. Even though it is impossible to know whether these demographic decisions were made by women or by men and women jointly, one can interpret the overall patterns to mean that motherhood for peasant women was part of their fate—not to become a mother was considered a failure-but also that they exerted some measure of control over the frequency of their pregnancies.

-Gerda Lerner, The Creation of Feminist Consciousness