the untamed alchemist

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Indulging the Divine Feminine: Raspberry Ice Cream

Indulging the Divine Feminine: Raspberry Ice Cream

I often find the magical and the mundane meeting in the wild places around our homestead. Last week, overcome with a calling to wander the property while I pondered the Divine Feminine, my eye caught a glimpse of red coming from the bushes at the edge of our seasonal creek. Sure enough, the raspberry bushes that volunteered there were offering up their first luscious fruits and I chuckled.

Raspber…

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Pondering the Pollinator Effect

Ever heard of The Butterfly Effect? According to Wikipedia, the butterfly effect is the part in chaos theory that holds there is a “sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear systemcan result in large differences in a later state.” It’s called the butterfly effect because it holds that something as small as a gentle beat of a…

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The Sweetest Sound: National Geographic on Flowers Responding to Pollinators' Sounds

We opened our hive for the first time yesterday since welcoming honeybees to our farm.

The collective remained completely calm and unperturbed by our presence and continued humming right along, hard at work building comb and tending brood as we shuffled the top bars to give them room to grow. We marveled at their gentle murmur and thought it a balm for our souls as we worked. Given we still had…

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Rosewood: A Call for Support

Rosewood: A Call for Support

TL;DR Rosewood is a cherished essential oil under real threat from greedy traders and illegal poachers. Dr. Kelly Ablard is doing important, non-profit conservation work with indigenous people in Peru to help secure the future of Rosewood trees and the communities in their native habitat. Her trip to Peru for Phase 3 of her work begins soon and her crowdfunding campaign ends TODAY. Please show…

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"plum" In spring I placed posts and wrapped them in webbing though you looked dead I had vain hope…

[theuntamedalchemist]

Biscotti for Brighid

I’m aware biscotti aren’t exactly a traditional food for Imbolc. Also, I get that biscotti aren’t likely to be found on a list of typical items celebrating Brighid.

I don’t care. I’m over here in a wee emotional funk, feeling a bit messy, moving a bit roughly, holding space for just being okay.

Things are not perfect and my heart says that’s alright. Meanwhile, my brain seems to be saying that “b…

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Incense for the Longest Night

Yule Sticks: Incense for the Longest Night

Today’s recipe is the last for this winter series–it’s also the final item I’m making and sharing to use in my 2017 Yule ritual.

This is incense for the longest night, essentially an aromatic altar offering for Yule.

Stick incense using essential oils can easily be made using incense stick blanks. Since a friend first shared how relatively easy it is to make one’s own incense cones with makko…

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[theuntamedalchemist]

Santa Lucia Anointing Perfume

Lucia Anointing Perfume

The longest, darkest night approaches in the northern hemisphere–many of us seek warmth, comfort, light, and clarity to carry as we navigate the night. Crafted to celebrate Santa Lucia, this simple anointing perfume carries deep symbolism and bright energy.

While the feast day and festivities that most enthusiastically celebrate Santa Lucia are in Scandinavia, Lucia’s origins are actually in Rome.

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Winter Winds Lip Balm

With snow accumulating and winds whipping, it’s time to add some protective lip balm to our maker’s list–we’ll need enough for stuffing stockings and some for our own pockets, zippers, and mittens.

WAIT. Zippers and mittens?

Yep, zippers and mittens.

That’s because we make our favorite Winter Winds lip balm in tubes with handy hooked caps to hook on to zippers and loops.

That means we never have…

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Holiday Vodka Infused with Douglas Fir Spring Tips Tea

Most years, I slide toward my winter self in an increasingly cozy cloak of introspection, meditation, and meanderings.

As the world in me slows and simmers, the house begins to sparkle with Yule and Solstice decorations. Bright seasonal blessings sit on my mantle, emerge from my oven, swell in my heart. Most years, you’ll find me actively delighting in what’s happening around me.

This year is…

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Mooning over the New Moon in Sagittarius - December 2017

If you follow me on social media, you already know that this witch worships most meaningfully at the New Moon. Each New Moon brings new opportunities to go deep and invites fresh intentions for deliberate engagement with my life. I’m always excited about a New Moon.

This month, I practically tingle with anticipation: the December 2017 New Moon in Sagittarius is huge.

On its own and in partnership…

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Yummy Gelatin-Free Elderberry Gummies

Yummy Elderberry Gummies

In the “easy-steps-yielding-fun” category, elderberry gummies stand out.

They’re a simple, easy way to get your daily dose of elderberry goodness.

This recipe is simple and straightforward–especially if you have some yummy homemade elderberry syrup already made! (What? No elder berry syrup made? Start with my elderberry syrup recipe here…)

I waited a long time to make elderberry gummies. Why? I…

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[theuntamedalchemist]

Siberian Fir Melt-and-Pour Guest Soaps

Guests always comment on the quality and aroma of our hand soaps. Both the foaming hand soaps we have at our kitchen sink or the guest soaps we have in the guest bath garner all kinds of comments.

People unanimously love well-crafted aromatic soaps.

Few DIY projects are as easy as making your own aromatic melt-and-pour soaps–just about anyone can do it, you don’t need many special supplies, and…

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Cardamom and Sweet Orange Beeswax Candles

Cardamom and Orange Beeswax Candles

I’m on a bit of a tear with cardamom and sweet orange essential oils. For one thing, cardamom and sweet orange essential oils smell incredible together.

For another thing, I accidentally have too much of each. What to do?

Indulge some aromatic beeswax candles!

Honestly, I’m at the point where I feel both beeswax and essential oils are too precious for copious candle making. To wit, I typically…

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[theuntamedalchemist]

Yule Gløgg (aka Danish Mulled Wine)

yule gløgg (aka Danish mulled wine)

I miss my mom, y’all.

Christmas is 100% my mom’s jam.

You can’t arrive at her house in December without being offered some of the frikadeller (Danish meatballs), aebleskiver (Danish doughnuts), or glögg (Danish mulled wine) she always has on hand for her ongoing holiday celebrations.

You practically need a machete to get through the decorations dangling around her home.

She lights countlesstealig…

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Honey Roasted Holiday Nuts

These simple, sweet, and salty honey-roasted nuts are a new tradition this year.

Born of a desire to have something special to snack on whilst we languish in the living room (read: fold laundry and panic about our kitchen demolition), they surprised us with their simplicity and tastiness.

Delicious any time of year, honey-roasted nuts come to a special pinnacle at the holidays.

Easy to make with…

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Whipped Vanilla Jasmine Shea Butter

Whipped Vanilla Shea Butter

Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of whipped Shea butter myself–if I’m going to enjoy Shea I’ll typically blend it into a cream or body butter. (The one exception: I lurve whipped Shea butter on my dry, cracked hands!)

But I have a dear friend who positively loves the stuff.

And so it is I find myself making a batch every year as a Christmas gift for someone special.

Some months ago, this same friend…

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