October 10: Samhain's Sirens 2nd Fearless Friday!

Welcome back fiendish friends!

It's another Fearless Friday here at the Siren's Cove. We have some Spooktacular Specialties to share! You lucky people get TWO giveaways today!

Don't forget to send us your forget-me-nots tributes and photos by Thursday, October 23rd! Email Serena

Have a wicked weekend!

The winner of the Fortune Teller box from Hemlock and Garnet is...

Spooky Dead Girl!

Judy Harrow (March 3, 1945 – March 20, 2014) was an author, counselor, lecturer, and Wiccan priestess. Harrow graduated from Bronx High School of Science in 1962. She then received a B.A. in American Government from Western College for Women in 1966. In 1977 she participated in the La Jolla Program in Group Facilitation. In 1979 Judy Harrow graduated from City College of New York Graduate School of Education with a M.S. in Counseling with honors. udy Harrow was a member of the Association for Humanistic Psychology and of the American Counseling Association.

She began studying Witchcraft in 1976, and was initiated as a Priestess in September 1977. She founded the Inwood Study Group in June, 1980. After Harrow received her third degree Gardnerian initiation in November, 1980, this group became Proteus Coven, which thereafter affiliated with Covenant of the Goddess in August, 1981. She served as convening First Officer of Northeast Local Council of CoG in 1983, National First Officer of CoG in 1984, and Co-chair of CoG Grand Council in 1985. She has held various other positions on the CoG National and Local Boards of Directors, most recently National Public Information Officer from 1993-1995. In January, 1985, Harrow became the first member of CoG to be legally registered as clergy in New York City, after a five-year effort requiring the assistance of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

Harrow was the Chair-emerita of the Pastoral Counseling Department at Cherry Hill Seminary. She founded the Pagan Pastoral Counseling Network in 1982, and served as the first editor of the Network's publication. She co-created a workshop series on Basic Counseling Skills for Coven Leaders, which has successfully run many times. This grew into a series of intensive workshops for Pagan elders on a range of topics. Judy also founded the New York Area Coven Leaders' Peer Support Group. She served as Program Coordinator for the first Mid-Atlantic Pan Pagan Conference and Festival and for seven other Pagan gatherings.

For two years, Judy produced Reconnections, a weekly feature on the activities of religious progressives of all faiths, for WBAI radio in New York.

Harrow contributed two essays to Modern Rites of Passage (Book 2 in the "Witchcraft Today" anthology series), and one to the anthology Magical Religion and Modern Witchcraft, published in 1996 by SUNY Press. One of these essays has since been reprinted in The Paganism Reader (Routledge, 2004). She has also written for AHP Perspective (the Newsletter of the Association for Humanistic Psychology), Counseling and Values (the Journal of the Association for Spiritual, Ethical and Religious Values in Counseling), Gnosis, and such small Pagan publications as Dayshift, Harvest, and the CoG Newsletter. Harrow was a regular contributor to PanGaia, writing a column entitled “Mind and Magic.”

Her first book, Wicca Covens, was published in 1999. Her second book, Spiritual Mentoring, was published in 2002. Judy also edited (and contributed to) Devoted to You: Honoring Deity in Wiccan Practice, which was published in 2003, and coordinated the 50th Anniversary reissue of Witchcraft Today by Gerald Gardner, published in 2004.
She crossed over the veil in her sleep on March 20, 2014.

May we remember her fondly and with gratitude for her contributions to the world.

We’re all getting into the Samhain groove but if you want to add a dash of something scary, how about something “bloody” tonight?

Blood Orange Sidecar
1½ ounce Cognac or Brandy
¾ ounce blood orange juice
½ ounce Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur (you can substitute Triple Sec)
Dash of Angostura Bitters

Shake all ingredients except bitters over ice and strain into a cocktail glass. (Some recipes call for sugaring the rim. I don’t think it needs it.) Add a dash of bitters on top.

The above recipe is out of Amy Stewart’s The Drunken Botanist. If you haven’t read it, you should – there’s lots of …interesting… recipes and information. One lucky person will get to read their very own copy, signed by Ms. Stewart! The Drunken Botanist retail value is $19.95.

Description:
“Sake began with a grain of rice. Scotch emerged from barley, tequila from agave, rum from sugarcane, bourbon from corn. Thirsty yet?  In The Drunken Botanist, Amy Stewart explores the dizzying array of herbs, flowers, trees, fruits, and fungi that humans have, through ingenuity, inspiration, and sheer desperation, contrived to transform into alcohol over the centuries."

ules: (READ CAREFULLY)

YOU MUST PROVIDE A VALID EMAIL ADDRESS. If you choose not to share it in the comments, please use the contact form at the top of the page to provide your email address. You must provide your email address once per giveaway.

Drawing is held by random number generation and winner will be notified in email (that's why you have to have an email address listed). Announcement will be made on Monday's post. You have until Sunday night at midnight to decide.

Note: These giveaways are open to the U.S., Canada and where allowable. Void where prohibited.
Canadian residents, please pay close attention as by law, you have to use a different set of rules. Not to worry, we have you covered :)


CANADIANS READ HERE: You will be given the same number of entries for answering the following (remember, we STILL NEED YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS):

What is 2 x 4?

U.S. Residents and all qualified others: EACH ENTRY MUST BE SEPARATE to count.

1. Follow DJ's blog:http://www.herbylady.com/herb-blog Come back and let us know in the comments that you did.

Additional entries:

2.  Follow Dj on Twitter: @herbylady. Come back and let us know you did.

3. Follow this blog. Comment and let us know you did.

4. Like the Sirens Facebook Page. Come here and tell us that you did.

5. Blog about this book giveaway!

6. Tweet about this Giveaway. Come back and tell us that you did.

Day of the Dead Candy Molds with Jennifer Andrist Rasmussen

If you’re like me, you love candy, and Halloween is a candy-lover’s paradise. That being said, I decided to try my hand at candy molds. I’m certainly no Martha Stewart when it comes to these, but they are fun to make, especially if you have young children who are looking for something fun to do. To make these you will need:

Bags of candy chips (I use Wilton brand) in any color(s) you choose

A pan for melting (I use a double boiler)

Funnel (optional)

Icing bags or tubes to squeeze the melted candy into the molds

A watercolor-type paint brush

Molds of your choice

Cellophane wrappers, twist ties, and sucker sticks

Photo Credit - Jennifer Andrist Rasmussen

Start by filling the bottom of your double boiler with water. Fill the pot until it is just below the pot that sits on top and bring to a simmer. Remove the heat and place the other pot on top. Dump the candy chips into the pot and stir continuously. Be careful not to whip the candies. Keep stirring until the candies have melted completely.

Photo Credit - Jennifer Andrist Rasmussen

You can also melt the candies in the microwave, but make sure to start with about 30 seconds on the timer and then melt them in 15 second intervals. Be sure to stir in between. I don’t recommend this method because it gets to be too much of a pain.

Once candies are melted, begin spooning them into your icing bags or squeezable tubes. I recommend only melting one color at a time because the candies harden quickly when removed entirely from the heat source. If you have molds like the skull molds I used, melt only small amounts of a different color candy to use around the eyes. Grab your little paint brush and place some of the melted candies around the eye sockets before pouring in your main color.

When you are ready, squeeze your main color into the molds making sure to tap the molds to remove air bubbles. Place a sucker stick in the slot and put more melted candies on top of it to hold it in place.

Photo Credit - Jennifer Andrist Rasmussen

Never add liquid to the candies. It will cause them to clump. You can add a candy-flavoring of your choice once melted, but I have not tried that yet, so be careful.

After a couple of hours in the fridge, carefully move the mold into the refrigerator to cool. I usually wait a few hours to give the candies plenty of time to set. Once cooled, you can gently pop the candies from the mold and slide into the cellophane wrappers and twist tie them shut. Now, you have quick and cute goodies for Halloween parties!

Photo Credit - Jennifer Andrist Rasmussen

Battle of the Bands Giveaway

Happy Friday! Kallan and I have a special treat for you! We could not agree on which version of “I’m Your Boogie Man” was better, so we decided to turn things over to all of you! If you prefer the Rob Zombie version, you will be entered to win this adorable little Witch and her sweet familiar from Leave Them in Stitches. If you prefer the original by KC and the Sunshine band, you will be entered to win an amazing totem report from Imramma.com!

ROB ZOMBIE VOTERS:

The witch measures 17" tall and the cat is 6" tall
The witch is made from 100% acrylic yarn
The cat is made from 100% acrylic yarn, but the eyes are made from lavender-scented cotton yarn
Both are stuffed with 100% polyester fiber fill
Retail value: $75.00

K.C. AND THE SUNSHINE BAND VOTERS

You will receive a full Medicine Wheel/Totems report from Imramma.com:
To many of the indigenous people of North America, animals have always been our teachers and guides. It is said that each of us is born with certain ‘medicines’ to help heal others and the earth itself, on both a physical and spiritual level. Medicine, in this respect, is not pills, prescriptions, diagnosis, etc… but the gifts you bring with you to the world. You are assigned 9 totem animal spirits to help you on your path. Each of them brings a specific tool, wisdom and guidance, and are there for you to tap into and commune with whenever you like. Each of these 9 represents a direction on the medicine wheel of life. Through a process of divination, Kallan will locate your totems and present you with a visual and explanation of each totem on your Medicine Wheel. Value: $75.00

Rules: (READ CAREFULLY)

YOU MUST PROVIDE A VALID EMAIL ADDRESS. If you choose not to share it in the comments, please use the contact form at the top of the page to provide your email address. You must provide your email address once per giveaway.

Drawing is held by random number generation and winner will be notified in email (that's why you have to have an email address listed). Announcement will be made on Monday's post. You have until Sunday night at midnight to decide.

Note: These giveaways are open to the U.S., Canada and where allowable. Void where prohibited.
Canadian residents, please pay close attention as by law, you have to use a different set of rules. Not to worry, we have you covered :)


CANADIANS READ HERE: You will be given the same number of entries for answering the following (remember, we STILL NEED YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS):

Which Canadian writer won the 2013 Nobel Prize for Literature?

U.S. Residents and all qualified others: EACH ENTRY MUST BE SEPARATE to count.

1. Comment below and tell us which one you prefer.

Additional entries:

2.  Follow this blog. Comment and let us know you did.

3. Like the Sirens Facebook Page. Come here and tell us that you did.

4. Like the Leave Them In Stitches Facebook Page. Come back and tell us you did. (Rob Zombie Voters)

4. Like the Imramma Facebook Page. Come back and tell us you did. (K.C. and the Sunshine Band Voters)

5. Blog about the Battle of the Bands Giveaway. Come back and tell us that you did.

6. Tweet about this Giveaway. Come back and tell us that you did.

See you tomorrow for Craftacular Saturday!