A Grimoire

There is something uniquely charming about historical photos of fancy dress costumes. Amongst this group of creatively dressed individuals are Miss Muffet, Jack and Jill, and Little Red Riding Hood. But our personal favourites are the witchy little ladies at the back.

Costume day at St. James' Presbyterian Church Sunday School, Bowen, ca. 1912, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, Negative number: 25394.

Banksia collina, R. Br., or Golden Candlestick tree, the flowers of which are popularly known as “bottle-brushes” from their form. Reproduced from a water-clour sketch by Mrs. Ellis Rowan, by the courtesy of the Queensland Museum authorities and the artist.

Illustrated page from The Queenslander, December 7, 1918, p. 57.

As an anxious cat parent I had this list on hand so thought I'd share~

SAFE FOR CATS:

Alyssum

Apple

Baby’s Breath

Banana

Basil

Blueberry

Bottlebrush (AKA Callistemon)

Calendula Flower

Carob

Catnip

Cinnamon

Coriander

Cornflower

Chestnut

Cucumber

Dandelion Root

Dill

Echinacea

Goldenseal

Jasmine

Lemon Balm

Lemon Verbena

Licorice Root

Mulberry

Orchid (Specifically Cymbidium, Dendrobium, Oncidium, and Phalaenopsis)

Plumbago (AKA The cape leadwort or Cape plumbago)

Poison Ivy

Poison Oak

Rockmelon

Rose (Rosa)

Rosemary

Sage

Salt

Stevia

Strawberry

Sunflower

Snapdragon

Thyme

Valerian Root

Venus Flytrap

Watermelon

Witch Hazel

NOT RECORDED AS TOXIC (MAY BE AN IRRITANT OR TOXIC IN LARGE AMOUNTS)

Black pepper - Irritant

Chilli powder - Irritant

Cloves

Cumin - risky in large quantities

Horehound

Mugwort

Paprika

UNSAFE FOR CATS

Aloe

Azalea

Bay leaves

Chamomile

Cherries

Daisy

Daffodil

Eucalyptus

Fig

Garlic

Grape

Grapefruit

Lemon

Lemongrass

Lily

Lime

Marjoram

Mint

Moses-in-the-cradle ( AKA Tradescantia spathacea, the oyster plant, or boatlily)

Orange

Oregano

Raisins

St. John’s Wort

Tarragon

Tomato

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow (AKA Brunfelsia pauciflora, morning-noon-and-night, kiss me quick or Brazil raintree)

ADDENDUM

This is by no means a comprehensive list, just things I've personally come across and researched as I went. Please feel free to add on it this!! I will be keeping this pinned and updating it with new info as it comes IMPORTANT NOTES:

Cats have tiny lungs, so even if something is considered non-toxic you should never burn it around your cats. Any incense, herb bundles etc should only be burnt in a well ventilated room that is closed off to cats. Use non-burning methods wherever possible

The Spring/ Vernal equinox is coming up!

I don't have a lot of time to set up a party like I usually do, so instead I plan on making these cookies and taking them to my friends and family on (or near) the equinox! Of course I plan on offering some to the Deities and house spirits as well.

Find out more about the spring equinox here.

Here's what you'll need:

10 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt optional

½ tbsp Lavender syrup

½ tbsp earl grey tea

Here's what you do:

In a stand mixer, beat the butter, lavender syrup and vanilla extract until creamed.

Add the sugar and salt and mix until combined.

Scrape the sides of the bowl, getting the mixture back into the center, and add flour while beating on low.

Add the earl grey, scrape the bowl again and mix until combined. It’s will be crumbly, not a cohesive dough. This is good!

Take out the crumbly dough and smush the crumbly bits together to shape the dough either into a rectangular prism or cylinder , wrap in plastic and chill for at least an hour, or until firm.

Preheat the oven to 350F (177C).

Cut 1/2 inch thick slices of the cookie dough. You’ll have little rectangles or circles depending on how you shaped the dough.

Place these sliced cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, making sure they are at least an inch apart.

Create a pattern on top if you’d like.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, making sure to rotate the baking sheet in the oven halfway through.

Move the cookies to a cooling tray if available, otherwise you can allow them to cool on the pan.

You can change the additions to this as you like, maybe make some chai shortbread cookies or another tea! Maybe matcha? The possibilities are endless!

Tips:

Add a tsp of lemon juice instead of earl grey to make a great springtime desert!

Use a toothpick, fork, or skewer to make designs on the top of the cookies.

Use Lady Grey tea instead of earl grey to create Lady Lavender cookies!

As an anxious cat parent I had this list on hand so thought I'd share~

SAFE FOR CATS:

Alyssum

Apple

Baby’s Breath

Banana

Basil

Blueberry

Bottlebrush (AKA Callistemon)

Calendula Flower

Carob

Catnip

Cinnamon

Coriander

Cornflower

Chestnut

Cucumber

Dandelion Root

Dill

Echinacea

Goldenseal

Jasmine

Lemon Balm

Lemon Verbena

Licorice Root

Mulberry

Orchid (Specifically Cymbidium, Dendrobium, Oncidium, and Phalaenopsis)

Plumbago (AKA The cape leadwort or Cape plumbago)

Poison Ivy

Poison Oak

Rockmelon

Rose (Rosa)

Rosemary

Sage

Salt

Stevia

Strawberry

Sunflower

Snapdragon

Thyme

Valerian Root

Venus Flytrap

Watermelon

Witch Hazel

NOT RECORDED AS TOXIC (MAY BE AN IRRITANT OR TOXIC IN LARGE AMOUNTS)

Black pepper - Irritant

Chilli powder - Irritant

Cloves

Cumin - risky in large quantities

Horehound

Mugwort

Paprika

UNSAFE FOR CATS

Aloe

Azalea

Bay leaves

Chamomile

Cherries

Daisy

Daffodil

Eucalyptus

Fig

Garlic

Grape

Grapefruit

Lemon

Lemongrass

Lily

Lime

Marjoram

Mint

Moses-in-the-cradle ( AKA Tradescantia spathacea, the oyster plant, or boatlily)

Orange

Oregano

Raisins

St. John’s Wort

Tarragon

Tomato

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow (AKA Brunfelsia pauciflora, morning-noon-and-night, kiss me quick or Brazil raintree)

ADDENDUM

This is by no means a comprehensive list, just things I've personally come across and researched as I went. Please feel free to add on it this!! I will be keeping this pinned and updating it with new info as it comes IMPORTANT NOTES:

Cats have tiny lungs, so even if something is considered non-toxic you should never burn it around your cats. Any incense, herb bundles etc should only be burnt in a well ventilated room that is closed off to cats. Use non-burning methods wherever possible

What you’ll need

An orange

Sugar (brown or white)

Honey

Cinnamon

Lemon juice

Red wine or cider

Steps

Peel the orange and separate its wedges

Place the wedges in a circle on a plate and charge them with your intent, in this case, happiness

Sprinkle sugar over the circle for sweetness, then cinnamon for spiritual power

Let honey drip at the center of the circle while saying: ‘For days doused in sunlight, I drip honeyed delight’

Add a few drops of lemon juice at the center of the circle and say: ‘For luck to come my way, I keep hexes at bay’

Now drip the alcohol at the center while saying: ‘For blessings along the road, I invoke powers of old’

Eat the orange one wedge at a time, starting from the top and working clockwise. Dip each of them in the mix at the center before eating.