Friends for dinner

Starters -

Hummus
Pate
Olives
Melba Toast

Feta cheese

HERB CHILLI FETA

 

5 mins

TOTAL TIME

5 mins

 

A cost effective starter that tastes as delightful as it looks and takes minutes to prepare. You could also make this just by serving a whole block of feta, but cutting it into cubes makes it easier to serve and also you get a better feta/olive oil/herb ratio with every bite!

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin

Recipe type: Appetizer

Serves: 4 - 6

INGREDIENTS

• 8oz/250g feta cheese, preferably Danish or another creamy type (see notes)
• ½ cup extra virgin oil
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tbsp herbs, finely chopped. (I used parsley and thyme leaves)
• 1 birds eye chilli, finely chopped (or any fresh red chilli of choice)
• 1//4 tsp lemon rind, finely grated
• Black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Infuse olive oil with garlic (optional): use the side of your knife to smash the garlic cloves and combine with the olive oil. Cover, refrigerate and leave for as long as possible - a few hours or preferably overnight.
2. If you do not have the time to do Step 1, just mince 1 garlic clove (small) and stir into the olive oil.
3. Cut the feta into bite size cubes - about 1cm / ⅓ inch.
4. Place feta into serving dish, scatter over herbs, chilli, lemon rind and a grind of black pepper.
5. Pour over olive oil. Serve with crusty bread.

http://www.recipetineats.com/herb-chilli-feta/

Mains -

Capanata

Ingredients

For the caponata

• 100ml olive oil
  
• 3 large aubergine
  
  , cut into 2cm cubes
• 2 long shallot
  
  , chopped
• 4 large plum tomato, chopped
• 2 tsp caper
  
  , soaked if salted
• 50g raisin
• 4 celery
  
   sticks, sliced
• 50ml red wine vinegar
• handful toasted pine nuts and basil leaves

For the bruscetta

• 8 slices ciabatta
• olive oil
  
  , for drizzling
• 1 garlic clove

Method

1. Pour the olive oil into a large heavybased saucepan or casserole, place over a medium heat and add the aubergines. Cook for a good 15-20 mins until they are soft. Scoop the aubergines out of the pan – you should be left with some olive oil. Add the shallots and cook for about 5 mins until they are soft and translucent. Add the tomatoes and cook slowly, so they break down and turn to a soft mush, then add the aubergines back to the pan. Now put in the capers, raisins, celery and vinegar, season well and cover with a lid. Cook over a low heat for 40 mins, until all the vegetables are soft. Stir gently so it doesn’t break up too much; the stew should smell sweet and sour.
2. When the caponata is cooked, leave to cool slightly while you make the bruschetta. Heat a griddle pan, drizzle the bread with olive oil and griddle until toasted and lightly charred on both sides, then rub with a garlic clove and season. Serve the warm caponata scattered with the basil leaves and pine nuts, with bruschetta on the side.
3. http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2220689/caponata

Chicken tagine with preserved lemons and olives

INGREDIENTS

1/2 tsp saffron threads, crushed
250ml/9fl oz chicken stock, warmed
3 tbsp olive oil
3 onions, chopped
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 free-range chicken, jointed
1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed
6 small preserved lemons, quartered, or 2 larger ones, chopped (these are available from many supermarkets or specialist delis)
100g/3.5oz mixed olives (green is traditional)
good handful coriander leaves, chopped
good handful flatleaf parsley, chopped

METHOD

1. Add the saffron threads to the stock to infuse.
2. Meanwhile, in a tagine or heavy-bottomed lidded casserole, heat the olive oil and fry the onions until soft. Add the ginger, cumin and garlic and cook gently for a couple of minutes.
3. Add the chicken and stir to coat with the onion and spices. Sprinkle in the crushed peppercorns and add the lemons and saffron-infused stock.
4. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook on a very gentle heat for about one hour, or until the chicken is falling apart.
5. Add the olives and continue to simmer for another ten minutes. Add the chopped coriander and parsley just before serving.
6. Serve with potatoes, crusty bread or rice and a green salad.

Read more at http://www.hairybikers.com/recipes/view/chicken-tagine-with-preserved-lemons-and-olives#Tp5PuDOcmazCiKEl.99

MOROCCAN CHICKPEA AND VEGETABLE TAGINE


This dish is so easy to prepare and yet has the most amazing flavours and textures. The spices are not overpowering thus allowing for the flavours of all the other ingredients to come through. The hint of preserved lemon gives this dish that finishing touch. This is one the family are going to request time and time again.



INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Pinch sea salt

1 medium tomato, finely chopped

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ras el hanout (if you do have this, substitute for mixed spice)

500ml vegetable stock

4 medium mushrooms, chopped

200g butternut squash

1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

1 small red bell pepper, chopped

1 small yellow bell pepper, chopped

400g tin chickpeas, drainded

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 small preserved lemon, rinced and finely chopped. (if this is not available, then do not try to substitute with fresh lemon, just leave it out)

1 Handful finely chopped parsley

METHOD

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion and garlic over a medium heat until the onions have started to soften. Add a pinch of salt and continue to cook on low heat until the onions have started to caramelise. This should take 8-10 minutes.

Now add the tomato and spices and continue to cook on a medium heat for 3-4 minutes.

Next add the stock, mushrooms, squash, carrot, red and yellow peppers and the chickpeas. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove lid and simmer for another 5-6 minutes until the sauce is thickened.

Now, just before serving add the lemon and parsley. Stir through and taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

I like to serve this with Bulgar that has had some additional preserved lemon added and a handful of parsley.



http://thegourmetvegan.tumblr.com/post/42924194310/moroccan-chickpea-and-vegetable-tagine

Desserts

Moroccan Orange Cake

INGREDIENTS

SERVINGS4-6

4eggs
1 1⁄2cups sugar
1⁄2cup vegetable oil
2cups flour
4teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2teaspoon salt
1⁄2cup fresh orange juice
2tablespoons orange zest, from 1- 2 oranges
1teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS

1. 
   
2. Preheat your oven to 350° F (180° C). Grease and flour a tube pan. If using fresh oranges, zest and juice them.
3. With an electric mixer or by hand, beat together the eggs and sugar until thick. Gradually beat in the oil.
4. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt, and then the orange juice. Beat until smooth, and then mix in the zest and vanilla.
5. Pour the batter into your prepared pan, and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cake tests done.
6. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 7 to 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to finish cooling.
7. I drizzled over icing sugar with orange juice for extra taste.
8. http://www.food.com/recipe/moroccan-orange-cake-424183

A VERY CHOCOLATEY MOUSSE

INGREDIENTS

7 oz (200 g) dark chocolate (75 per cent cocoa solids), broken into pieces

4fl oz (120ml) warm water

3 large eggs, separated

1½ oz (40 g) golden caster sugar

To serve:

a little whipped cream (optional)

METHOD

First of all place the broken-up chocolate and 4 fl oz (120 ml) warm water in a large heatproof bowl, which should be sitting over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water.

Then, keeping the heat at its lowest, allow the chocolate to melt slowly – it should take about 6 minutes. Now remove it from the heat and give it a good stir until it's smooth and glossy, then let the chocolate cool for 2-3 minutes before stirring in the egg yolks. Then give it another good mix with a wooden spoon. Next, in a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to the soft-peak stage, then whisk in the sugar, about a third at a time, then whisk again until the whites are glossy.  You can watch how to whisk egg whites by clicking on the Cookery School Video on the right

Now, using a metal spoon, fold a tablespoon of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to loosen it, then carefully fold in the rest. You need to have patience here – it needs gentle folding and cutting movements so that you retain all the precious air, which makes the mousse light. Next divide the mousse between the ramekins or glasses and chill for at least 2 hours, covered with clingfilm. I think it's also good to serve the mousse with a blob of softly whipped cream on top.

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/international/european/french/a-very-chocolatey-mousse

Cheese and Biscuits

Chocolate truffles

Poached Pears and mascapone cream.

1. 
   

Lentil and Cannellini bean Potato pie

Serves 2 greedy people or 3 comfortably

Ingredients:
1 red onion
1 table spoon vinegar
700g white potatoes
1/2 cup of green lentils
1/2 can of Cannellini beans
1 table spoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp mixed herbs
Fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon of fresh mint
Juice of one lemon
Clove of garlic
1 Bay leaf
3 tablespoon of red wine

Boil your lentils in water adding the spices, garlic, bay leaf and the dried mixed herbs for 30 mins - simmer as you want some liquid, 5 mins to go add the wine, half the lemon juice and beans.
While all that is happening chop your potatoes and either steam or boil. When they are cooked and soft I mash them with the skins on adding the other half of lemon juice, fresh herbs and olive oil (you may also want to add salt but as I am looking to reduce my salt intake I didn't).
Slice your red onion, put in a microwave dish add the vinegar and a tsp of water, microwave for 2 mins, stirring half way through. Leave to soften.
Compile as per the picture; onions, lentils, potatoes. I served mine with peas. If you are concerned it may be too dry, try serving with a thick red wine and smoked paprika gravy.
Enjoy

Why Avoiding Sun Will Kill You: 15 Proven Science-Based Health Benefits of Sun

A large number of public health messages over the past century have focused on the dangers of too much sun exposure, such as aging, skin cancer and DNA damage. However, in reality, today’s science tells us that exposure to the ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in sunlight has many beneficial effects on human health.

Indeed, most people are aware of the impact of sun exposure on Vitamin Dproduction, which is a very important factor. However, there is a host of other health benefits that have been overlooked in the debate over how much sun is necessary for optimal health. This article will dive into the science to uncover the various ways in which sun exposure, at the right times and intensities, is a vital component of good health.

Contents [hide]

• Introduction
• Sun Exposure Decreases Risk of Dying
• Top Health Benefits of Sun Exposure
  • 1) Sunlight Increases Vitamin D Levels
    • 1.1) Ideal Vitamin D levels
  • 2) Sun Exposure Sets Circadian Rhythm (Important!)
  • 3) Sun Exposure May Protect Against Cancer
  • 4) Sun Exposure Can Protect Against Heart Disease and Lower Blood Pressure
  • 5) Sun Exposure Makes You Happier and Combats Depression and SAD
    • Sun and Serotonin
    • Sun and Dopamine
    • Sun and Vitamin D
  • 6) Sun Exposure is a Nootropic and Improves Brain Function
  • 7) Sun Exposure Protects Against Brain Disorders
    • Schizophrenia
    • Alzheimer’s
    • Parkinson’s
  • 8) Sunbathing Encourages Dental Health
  • 9) Sun Exposure May Reduce Diabetes
  • 10) Sun Increases Wakefulness
  • 11) Sunlight Increases Sex Hormones
  • 12) Sunlight is a Natural Pain Killer
  • 13) Sunlight is Good For Your Eyes
  • 14) Sun Exposure Treats Arthritis
  • 15) Sun Protects Against Autoimmunity
• When Sun Might Be More Important
• Mechanisms by Which Sun Benefits Health
• Recommendations
• Safety
  • • Bipolar
• Why People May Get Skin Cancer From Sun
  • • Share this:
    • Related

https://selfhacked.com/2016/10/05/avoiding-sun-will-kill-14-proven-science-based-health-benefits-sun/

10 Winnie-the-Pooh Quotes that Will Make You Instantly Feel Better About Life

 KIMBERLY JOKI · 

• Language
• Reading
 

· Updated on 29 August 2016

Sometimes life can be tough. Many people go through the day-to-day looking for some source of relief and sadly neglect the joy and wisdom that can come from children’s books. Winnie-the-Pooh is much more than the Disney film you remember watching when you were younger. The Disney adaptation of Winnie-the-Pooh is endearing in its own right (Pooh’s stoutness exercises will make even the hardest heart giggle in delight.) However, there is real beauty and inspiration in A.A. Milne’s written stories centered around Christopher Robin and his friends. Here are our favorite excerpts.

---

How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.
― A.A. Milne

---

It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like ‘What about lunch?’
― A.A. Milne

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”What day is it?”
“It’s today,” squeaked Piglet.
“My favorite day,” said Pooh.
― A.A. Milne

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I think we dream so we don’t have to be apart for so long. If we’re in each other’s dreams, we can be together all the time.
― A.A. Milne

---

Just because an animal is large, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t want kindness; however big Tigger seems to be, remember that he wants as much kindness as Roo.
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

---

”It’s snowing still,” said Eeyore gloomily.
“So it is.”
“And freezing.”
“Is it?”
“Yes,” said Eeyore. “However,” he said, brightening up a little, “we haven’t had an earthquake lately.”
― A.A. Milne

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It’s not much of a tail, but I’m sort of attached to it.
― A.A. Milne

---

Later on, when they had all said “Good-bye” and “Thank-you” to Christopher Robin, Pooh and Piglet walked home thoughtfully together in the golden evening, and for a long time they were silent.
“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?”
“What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?”
“I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting to-day?” said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It’s the same thing,” he said.
― A.A. Milne

---

Promise you won’t forget me, ever. Not even when I’m a hundred.
― A.A. Milne

---

Bonus: 

“What do you like doing best in the world, Pooh?”
“Well,” said Pooh, “what I like best-” and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called. And then he thought that being with Christopher Robin was a very good thing to do, and having Piglet near was a very friendly thing to have; and so, when he had thought it all out, he said, “What I like best in the whole world is Me and Piglet going to see You, and You saying ‘What about a little something?’ and Me saying, ‘Well, I shouldn’t mind a little something, should you, Piglet,’ and it being a hummy sort of day outside, and birds singing.”
“I like that too,” said Christopher Robin, “but what I like doing best is Nothing.”
― A.A. Milne

 https://www.grammarly.com/blog/10-winnie-the-pooh-quotes-that-will-make-you-feel-better-about-life-instantly/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=Facebook_org&sf38000443=1

Adventure

Adventure is about fueling the fire in our hearts—our passions, our dreams, our will to explore.

Adventure gives us perspective. It reminds us that there is so much more to the world, beyond the safety of the little bubbles we love to float along in.

After all, it is life itself—just living—that is truly the biggest adventure any of us will experience.

For life is always changing, always throwing us new challenges, and we have the choice to either sink to the bottom, or swim with the current and discover where that will lead us.

With that in mind, here are some of the best quotes to ignite our sense of adventure and uncage our wild hearts!

1. “No, no! The adventures first, explanations take such a dreadful time.” ~ Lewis Carroll

2. “Never say ‘no’ to adventures. Always say ‘yes’, otherwise you’ll lead a very dull life.” ~ Ian Fleming

3. “Every dreamer knows that it is entirely possible to be homesick for a place you’ve never been to, perhaps more homesick than for familiar ground.” ~ Judith Thurman

4. “I’m restless. Things are calling me away. My hair is being pulled by the stars again.” ~ Anaïs Nin

5. “Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.” ~ J.K. Rowling

6. “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” ~ Harriet Tubman

7. “Anything that gets your blood racing is probably worth doing.” ~ Hunter S. Thompson

8. “If you don’t take risks, you’ll have a wasted soul.” ~ Drew Barrymore

9. “Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing.” ~ Barry Finlay

10. “Life is either a great adventure or nothing.” ~ Helen Keller

11. “Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don’t be sorry.” ~ Jack Kerouac

12. “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.” ~ C.S. Lewis

13. “Jump, and you will find out how to unfold your wings as you fall.” ~ Ray Bradbury

14. “Not all those who wander are lost.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

15. “Life is for deep kisses, strange adventures, midnight swims and rambling conversations.” ~ Author Unknown

16. “You belong among the wildflowers, you belong in a boat out at sea…You belong with your love on your arm, you belong somewhere you feel free.” ~ Tom Petty

17. “Life is a journey that must be traveled no matter how bad the roads and accommodations.” ~ Oliver Goldsmith

18. “If you don’t imagine, nothing ever happens at all.” ~ John Green

19. “Never did the world make a queen of a girl who hides in houses and dreams without traveling.” ~ Roman Payne

20. “I think people spend too much time staring into screens and not enough time drinking wine, tongue kissing, and dancing under the moon.” ~ Rachel Wolchin

21. “If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine; it is lethal.” ~ Paulo Coelho

22. “There is your car and the open road, the fabled lure of random adventure. You stand at the verge, and you could become anything.” ~ Dan Chaon

23. “The best thing you could do is master the chaos in you. You are not thrown into the fire, you are the fire.” ~ Mama Indigo

24. “And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.”~ Roald Dahl

25. “Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

26. “And at the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your hair messy and your eyes sparkling.” ~ Shanti

27. “Stop contemplating and start celebrating…Yeah, you gotta live before you die.” ~ Mike Ness

Majestic and Moist Honey Cake

Majestic and Moist Honey Cake
Adapted from Marcy Goldman’s Treasure of Jewish Holiday Baking

Update 9/29/11: It only took me three years guys, but I finally got back to this cake today. My hunch was that the sinking was caused by too much leavener. I made this cake in a tube pan today with 1 teaspoon not tablespoon of baking powder (keep the baking soda level the same) and voila, no sinking! The cake has a beautiful, tall dome and my apartment smells like the heavens above. I now cautiously recommend you use this adjusted amount of baking powder instead; cautiously because I’ve only retested the cake in a tube pan and not the other sizes yet, but if you do with this adjustment, please let us know in the comments. Happy honey cake-ing!

3 1/2 cups (440 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon (15 grams) baking powder [see Update above]
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 teaspoons (about 8 grams) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup (235 ml) vegetable oil
1 cup (340 grams) honey
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (95 grams) brown sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1 cup warm (235 ml) coffee or strong tea
1/2 cup (120 ml) fresh orange juice
1/4 cup (60 ml) rye or whiskey
1/2 cup (45 to 55 grams) slivered or sliced almonds (optional)

Fits in three loaf pans, two 9-inch square or round cake pans, one 9 or 10 inch tube or bundt cake pan, or one 9 by 13 inch sheet cake. I made mine in two full-size loaf pans plus two miniature ones.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease pan(s) with non-stick cooking spray. For tube or angel food pans, line the bottom with lightly greased parchment paper, cut to fit.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Make a well in the center, and add oil, honey, white sugar, brown sugars, eggs, vanilla, coffee or tea, orange juice and rye or whiskey, if using. (If you measure your oil before the honey, it will be easier to get all of the honey out.)

Using a strong wire whisk or in an electric mixer on slow speed, stir together well to make a thick, well-blended batter, making sure that no ingredients are stuck to the bottom.

Spoon batter into prepared pan(s). Sprinkle top of cake(s) evenly with almonds, if using. Place cake pan(s) on two baking sheets, stacked together (this will ensure the cakes bake properly with the bottom baking faster than the cake interior and top).

Bake until cake tests done, that is, it springs back when you gently touch the cake center. For angel and tube cake pans, this will take 60 to 75 minutes, loaf cakes, about 45 to 55 minutes. For sheet style cakes, baking time is 40 to 45 minutes.

Let cake stand fifteen minutes before removing from pan.

https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/09/majestic-and-moist-honey-cake/

Why I Believe in the Supernatural

October 9, 2014 by Jason Mankey 12 Comments

Sometimes it feels like supernatural is a dirty word. It’s as if believing in anything unexplainable makes me a doubter of science at best, and delusional at worst. I love science, and I generally believe the things scientists and other informed people tell me. The Earth is not 6000 years old and it is getting hotter, there’s no disputing a whole host of things out there. However I’ve had some really amazing experiences over the years, experiences that just can’t be explained by conventional means. I believe in the supernatural, and by the definition of the word, any other believer in the gods (or even just “a god”) believes in the supernatural too.

From Merriam-Webster:

1: of or relating to an order of existence beyond the visible observable universe; especially : of or relating to God or a god, demigod, spirit, or devil

2a : departing from what is usual or normal especially so as to appear to transcend the laws of nature

2b : attributed to an invisible agent (as a ghost or spirit)

I believe in the gods, I believe in magic, I even believe in ghosts. I used to believe in the Loch Ness Monster and I still desperately want to believe in Bigfoot. Life is more interesting with a little bit of the unknown in it. In all seriousness, I’m usually a skeptic, but I’ve had just enough of the extraordinary that it’s impossible for me to dismiss the supernatural.

I’ve Experienced the GodsMy main attraction to Modern Paganism has always been deity. I love the gods and think they are real and mostly distinct beings worthy of honor and respect. Like most people I’ve had my doubts over the years, but when I’m reminded of their reality it hits hard. I’ve been in circles where we’vedrawn down the Moon and have witnessed people I know intimately turn into something (or someone) else completely.

I’m sure the skeptical out there can rationalize such experiences in a variety of ways but when you watch your partner of sixteen years leave her body it’s hard to simply explain away. There’s also the energy and awe that comes with a good drawing down, and it’s all stuff I don’t have a natural explanation for. When my wife draws down the Lady she draws down the Lady and I don’t believe it’s anything less or more than that.

What’s extremely interesting about some of these experiences is that our interactions with certain deities seem to match up with the experiences others have had. At a recent Ostara ritual we called upon Eostre, not exactly sure what we would get. A guest at our circle told us that “our” Eostre acted just like the Eostre she saw summoned the previous week at a different ritual. I’m sure some will simply explain that away, I just take it as further confirmation that the gods are real and interact with us.

The Gods Listen It was back in December of 2011 and my wife were at a favorite pub preparing to do some holiday shopping and discussing whether or not to renew the lease on our town house. I was against it, I’m a “house” sort of guy, but finding an affordable place to live in the Bay Area is much like looking for a needle in a haystack. My wife utters a prayer to Dionysus as we prepare to leave the bar and downs a shot of whiskey in honor of our favorite Olympian. Before we go I stop by the little boy’s room and she uses that time to call a shady looking number on Craig’s List about a house for rent. Her prayer? For a new place to live that would make us happy. We signed a lease for that house three days later and moved in the following month. My life isn’t always so charmed, but we really felt as if Dionysus was looking out for us that day.

I Had a Very Real Experience With a Ghost I’ve written about this before, but I had a very real experience with a ghost while I was in college. This wasn’t just a bump in the night either or someone “channeling” a spirit, this all involved my sense of touch. It was 90 degrees (F) that particular night with about 80% humidity (I lived in a town built on a swamp next to the Mississippi River). There were no windows open in our dining room where we conducted our seance so imagine my surprise when something ice-cold slithered over my wrist and into the center of the table my friends and I were gathered around.

I wasn’t the only person to feel the cold crawl over their wrists. The guy I was holding hands with looked at me a mili-second after the spectral presence passed over me and said “Did you feel that!?!” Most ghost stories can be explained as tricks of light or whatever, but that icy-cold touch can’t be explained to my satisfaction. Was it a ghost that night? I think so. Can I prove it? Of course not, but it’s made me slow to dismiss other ghost stories out of hand. (Junk like Ghost Hunters is another story entirely.)

Magic Works Magic won’t cure cancer and it won’t win you the lottery, but in certain circumstances it seems to work very well. Need employment or a change of direction? Well in my house and in my circle we’ve had some pretty amazing success stories. Anytime I’ve found myself floundering I let my wife direct the spell and begin preparing myself for some real results. After one spell I ended up managing a coffee shop (a job I truly loved) for the next ten years. More recently a “job spell” got me a book deal. Magic requires work on our end of course, you can’t just sit there and wait for things to happen-you have to be proactive, but that little bump of energy out into the greater universe can produce real results.

The more one practices and the more spell work they do the stronger the magic they weave too. Being actively engaged with a coven that works magic every two weeks has made my life better. My writing has improved by leaps and bounds and my self-confidence has increased as well. Rituals and understanding have also improved for the better. Raising energy and directing it into my life has produced positive outcomes. Is this all just the result of wishful thinking? Does it matter? I’m getting results, that says to me that magic works.

Rituals do Produce Energies Over the years I’ve noticed that a well cast circle seems to heat up faster than normal space. It’s possible that’s all the result of dancing and chanting in the circle, but I’m always surprised at how quickly the temperature drops back down to normal the moment we release the circle. An experienced coven-mate of mine once said “you can tell the circle has been cast well when the temperature in ritual space rises twenty degrees.” I had never thought of it that way, but she was right.

It’s not just the raise in temperature that makes me think about the circle and energies, it’s a whole host of experiences. Two years ago at Samhain I was leading a large ritual at a local Masonic Hall. Even before the ritual started our “Hall of the Dead” felt like it was wrapped in a thick blanket of spirit. After two practices that afternoon it felt as if the our beloved dead were already with us, a good two hours before the start of our rite. I wasn’t the only one to feel that blanket either, everyone working with me on the ritual commented on it.

A few years before that I had been asked to lead a “PG-13” Pan Ritual at a large Pagan gathering. Trying to create a mostly tame Pan ritual was a challenge but I think it all worked out. When we were done with the ritual I had a few people I really respect come up to me and say “Wow! I could really feel the Pan energy.” Thinking back on the ritual I felt it too, and the next morning I heard some pretty awesome stories about some of my ritual goers and their amorous experiences. What we do in ritual has an effect, and the energies we raise are real.

It’s easy to get lost in cynicism . . . .but Samhain-season always reminds me of just how weird, wonderful, and powerful my Pagan experience has been over the years. From seeing my High Priestess literally glow in the circle to feeling my ancestors and departed loved ones near me once more the supernatural has been a part of my journey for the last twenty years. Perhaps some can explain away those experiences without the supernatural, but I know better.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/panmankey/2014/10/why-i-believe-in-the-supernatural/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=FBCP-PAG&utm_content=panmankey