Recipes and Tips: Please note not all recipes and tips are tried by us. We are happy to post your contributrions please email us at serenity2761@gmail.com
SGC Admin: From our inbox to you... :) Dawn James, author and vibrational coach offers a few of her favorite home made summer drink recipe’s… a delicious way to cool down & infuse the body with good things… :) Thanks for sharing Dawn… :)
When the temperature starts heating up its important we stay hydrated and cool. Over the years I have experimented with a variety of fruits and spices from our garden to make summer drinks. Today I am sharing my favorite homemade summer drinks- that I hope will quench your thirst!
Homemade Ice Tea
This one is a classic summer drink. You can use a variety of fresh herbs a lemon or two and a touch of raw honey (for those of you with a sweet tooth!)
Why homemade? Because most store bought counterparts have a tremendous amount of sugar and may contain artificial ingredients.
Recipe for Peppermint Ice Tea:
Steep peppermint tea in water for 30 minutes (two tea bags per litre of water).
Add one tablespoon of honey per lite, add lemon slices and chill. Fresh Juice
What can compare to a fresh squeezed orange or grapefruit? Fresh fruit juices are full of enzymes, vitamins and minerals and delivers instant energy directly into our cells.
You can hand juice or invest in a juicing machine.
Coconut Water
One of the best ways to replenish electrolytes that we lose from sweating, breathing or a hot day at the beach… is to drink coconut water. Did you know young green coconut water contains more potassium and less calories than regular sports drinks? Coconut water not only hydrates our bodies but also replenishes essential minerals and antioxidants.
Water with Fruit or Herbs
Yes good old fashioned H2O with some creative additions such as berries, mint, cucumber or lemon. Lemons have an alkalizing affect on the body; Mint is a natural stimulant and energizes the body; Berries for vitamin C – an antioxidant ; Cucumbers – thanks to its vitamin B content – helps reduce stress.
Check out the following retreats being offered by Dawn James and Julie Ditta…
Time to leave the city, concrete jungle and traffic behind and enjoy the rolling hills of Northumberland country as you overlook Lake Ontario at Lakeview Retreat.
Join me in July or August for two unique 1-Day retreats with Julie Ditta. Attendees will enjoy
Nutritious vegetarian meals
Peaceful nature setting
Personal time for rest and revitalization
JULY 19th – Sacred Sounds, Singing bowls and Drumming 1-Day retreat AUGUST 15th – Raise your Frequency (Metaphysical) 1-Day Retreat
SGC Admin: We are re-posting the following from 2014 :)
Blessed Lammas to you from SGC
From our inbox to you… Check out rituals for the upcoming Lammas with Patti Wigington
Have you started planning your Lammas rituals yet?
Depending on your individual spiritual path, there are many different ways you can celebrate Lammas, but typically the focus is on either the early harvest aspect, or the celebration of the Celtic god Lugh. It’s the season when the first grains are ready to be harvested and threshed, when the apples and grapes are ripe for the plucking, and we’re grateful for the food we have on our tables.
Here are a few rituals you may want to think about trying — and remember, any of them can be adapted for either a solitary practitioner or a small group, with just a little planning ahead.
August 1 is known as Lammas, or Lughnasadh. This is a day to celebrate the beginnings of the harvest, when the grain and corn is gathered. It’s also a time, in some traditions, of honoring Lugh, the Celtic craftsman god. Here are some ideas for dressing up your altar for your Lammas (Lughnasadh) celebration!Setting Up Your Lammas Altar
Lammas is a time of celebrating the beginning of the harvest, a theme seen often in the sacrifice of the grain god. Make a sacrifice of your own this Lammas, with this bread ritual that marks the beginning of the harvest. Lammas Bread Sacrifice Ritual
August 1 is known in many Pagan traditions as Lammas, and is a celebration of the early harvest. However, in some paths, it’s a day to honor Lugh, the Celtic god of craftsmanship. Celebrate your own talents and skills on Lughnasadh by honoring Lugh with a rite that can be held for a group or a solitary practitioner. Ritual to Honor Lugh of the Many Skills
Lammas is the early harvest Sabbat, and celebrates the crops of late summer and early autumn. If you wish to honor the Harvest Mother aspect of the Goddess and celebrate the cycle of life and rebirth, hold this Lammas rite either with a group or as a solitary practitioner. Hold a Lammas Harvest Ritual
SGC Admin: We found a flyer in our snail mailbox and thought we would share… sounds like a fabulous idea… let us know if you have tried these guys… :) click here to email us
You cannot control other people’s emotions, but you can control your own.
Hurtful confrontations often leave us feeling drained and confused. When someone attacks us emotionally, we may wonder what we did to rouse their anger, and we take their actions personally. We may ask ourselves what we could have done to compel them to behave or speak that way toward us.
It’s important to remember that there are no real targets in an emotional attack and that it is usually a way for the attacker to redirect their uncomfortable feelings away from themselves. When people are overcome by strong emotions, like hurt or anguish, they may see themselves as victims and lash out at others as a means of protection or to make themselves feel better.
You may be able to shield yourself from an emotional attack by not taking the behavior personally. First, however, it is good to cultivate a state of detachment that can provide you with some protection from the person who is attacking you. This will allow you to feel compassion for this person and remember that their behavior isn’t as much about you as it is about their need to vent their emotions.
If you have difficulty remaining unaffected by someone’s behavior, take a moment to breathe deeply and remind yourself that you didn’t do anything wrong, and you aren’t responsible for people’s feelings. If you can see that this person is indirectly expressing a need to you—whether they are reaching out for help or wanting to be heard—you may be able to diffuse the attack by getting them to talk about what is really bothering them.
You cannot control other people’s emotions, but you can control your own. If you sense yourself responding to their negativity, try not to let yourself. Keep your heart open to them, and they may let go of their defensiveness and yield to your compassion and openness.
SGC Admin: They say that a change is as good as a rest… Yep, that’s true… although sometimes after traveling a rest is sorely needed… :) just to recharge the batteries after flying, walking, watching and sight-seeing… :)
Hubby and I were fortunate to visit Jolly ole’ England this past May and the high peaks of the Adirondacks in July… Each vacation bringing its own unique set of memories to add to the Vacation Journal… :) Today we share some photo’s of our England Trip… :) along with links to the interesting fun places we visited.
Links:
Ludlow,Shropshire UK . An absolutely lovely old town/village. Explore the local shops, lots of charity shops, along with an old-fashioned sweet shop, various butcher shops, book shops, grocery shop, places to eat and rest. This place has tons of history and goes back hundreds of years… check out the “black and whites” the old Tudor buildings still in use today… There is a local market that takes place 3 times a week… Check the days, but think they maybe, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays…
Ludlow Castle A fabulous example of how castle’s were built, there are changes to architecture as it changed hands through the years.. it was left to go to ruin until it was bought and saved… There is a nice little gift shop (purchase your tickets to the castle here) and somewhere to have tea and cakes, (we didn’t get to that this time around)
St. Bartholomew Chapel, Richards Castle, Herefordshire, UKA very old Chapel located close to the ruins of Richards Castle, (not to be missed, let your imagination play). This Chapel is still used a rare occasions. A must see, it’s in fabulous condition.
Richards Castle Inn, Richards Castle… the local pub, stop by for Kath’s Sunday Lunch… :) Pub is open in the evenings…
The RoebuckBrimfield, Ludlow.. Serving Full Sunday Lunch…a local with a store attached
The Church Inn, Ludlow This place has some fun items on the menu.. along with beer (of course), cider and more
The Boot Inn Orleton(Annual Beer Festival July 24 to July 26 2015) Perfect Village Local
Iron Bridge ShropshireThe First Iron Bridge in the world… An influence on the Industrial revolution
Blists Hill Victorian Town don’t forget to check out the local pub for an fashioned sing along, and the chips are a real treat. Featured on t.v.
For the London part of our trip, we purchased the 3 day London Pass and found it was economical for our needs. We rented a flat for 3 nights, and still didn’t have a enough time to do all that was included in the pass. Transit is expensive but it is the recommended way of getting around London… No money is used so you need to purchase an oyster pass… (there may be other pass’s but we didn’t explore them this visit and encourage you to do some research to find the best deal for your budget and needs) We haven’t included our photo’s of Windsor Castle, which can be reached via the tube, then rail train leaving from Waterloo Station.. if traveling in a group it might work out cheaper by getting a group pass… (4 people and up?). When you reach Windsor Castle you will be required to go through a security check (like at the airport), certain items will not be allowed through the security check. Windsor Castle and the town of Windsor are fabulous…
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