tarot recipes, occupy my soup pot, resistance food

 i know i'm not the only heifer out here who worries about money all the time - heightened by an awareness/guilt that i'm @ LEAST (& i do mean @ least) able to tie a few ends, sometimes for chrissakes/have not cast it all to the wind to move in w/my sistren over by occupy wall street.  & with all that in mind, i have been thirsting, the last few weeks to bring a giant pot of mushroom barley soup down to occupy.

you & i both know that it was inevitable that my rabble-rousing-rebel grrrrrrrrl Infamous S, would be the one to firmly entrench herself in the thick of the wall street protests.  when she asked for my herbal support on consulting w/resident healers, i was only too happy to oblige. i only wish that i had the time/money/resources to fully engage.  so for the last three weeks, literally, i have had to abort my beloved plan to bring a few gallons of bone warming (due to the chicken stock), healing (due to the cordyceps) mushroom barley soup to the protesters. this soup has really special meaning, as it is sacred to the tarot card 5/pentacles, & as far as i'm concerned, 5/pentacles is the state that the country is in right now.  when you read the meaning below, i am 1000% sure that you will concur.

with all of that in mind, i am also working on a tarot deck with healing recipes that relate to each card, as i might have mentioned in my 'word, rock, sword' post.

so in honor of the adjustments that we all must make to accommodate the earth plane's fluctuations, i am debuting "The Urban Tarot & Recipe Book" here.  (working title - feedback???)

5/pentacles: 
worry. insecurity, pressure, destitution, adversity, discomfort. physical concern; changing circumstances. (exists as a barrier to the 6 of pentacles/success) can you make something out of nothing? how will you use the lean times? as obstacle: you have to make a change but refuse. herb: mugwort (to see clearer physic dreams).
planetary:  mercury in taurus       
lots of times, what has caused these financial problems is a matter of your own emotions/core beliefs – greed will lead to loss, anxiety will lead to error, possessiveness will lead to solitude.  focusing only on the material can make you lose sight of your spiritual development. you can be rich  all you want, but this means nada if you learn nothing.
socially, 5/pentacles can also point to a time of being alone, feeling abandoned, ignored and unwanted. you may be excluded from group events or you are being ostracized by others.  you need support and comfort from those who actually care.  know that the community exists, & ask for help!!!  in the psyche, 5/pentacles points toward difficulty with your relationship to money and material things. if money is the main/only motivating force in life and the gauge by which you judge your worth, the lack of it will 1) make you crazy, & 2) give you a sense of being excluded from the good life. if your financial difficulties are rooted in the loss of a job or an investment gone bad, you may have lost faith in your ability to rebuild. you're going to need to consider your actual financial circumstances but also your attitudes toward money. examine your fears around money and wealth.  ask yourself honestly if one of your core beliefs is anxiety around never having enough, or do you have faith in your ability to manifest what you need to live a prosperous, fulfilled life no matter what your circumstances? now is the time to synthesize the lesson of worry, & create wealth consciousness.  affirmations are extremely powerful here.  the element of writing/the spoken word is ruled by air.  but your body (earth) is the instrument that brings the magic to life.  use the lean times well, & you will gain a lifetime's worth of skills to create a reality in which you no longer experience lean times @ all!

ps:
years ago, i was down on my luck.  i didn't even know how i was going to pay the rent. (5/pentacles, worry, etc.) i was depressed, but had skills that needed to be used to transmute my circumstances (the mining of talents that 5/pentacles inspires).  blessedly, w/the help of one of the most inspired fly-assed poets (a real one, not an open mike amateur) i have ever known, a grrrrrrrrrrrl whose literary depth makes her appear to float, put out a call to a # of our collective sistren:  we're paraphrasing here, but it was something like - "aiiight alla you sexy-assed witches - come git ya soul cleansed (learn how to read tarot) w/one of the flyest (pun intended) witches i know, stefanie kelly..." (this is a perfect example of the community of assistance that awaits all who are caught up in 5/pents influence) there's no way to describe the honor felt when a luminary calls you out as fierce.  so why try? but lemme tell ya this -  @ first, i didn't know what my student's thoughts were - & for me? it was one of the most transformative experiences of my entire life.  i learned that although i had not sold my soul to the board of ed, that i was a teacher.  & learned that i had something to teach.  the lovely, beaming faces of 10 - 15 of my sistren radiated a brilliance of intent that was contagious, & inspiring.  @ the end, w/so many laughs, prophesies & magic in the mix, my only sadness was that i wouldn't know how to re-create the class should i need to.  probably simultaneous to this thought, 'the mixtress' a grrrrrrrrrrrrl so fly that she should have wings, walked up to me all lovely, glowing, her air sign wit alighting the air around her & handed me a sheaf of papers.  it was the tarot seminar.  she had copied down every single word. (the new skills/wealth that should accompany the successful handling of 5/pentacles energy pattern)

you know my corny ass burst into tears immediately.

p.p.s.  & BTW - do you know that the seminar paid my rent???

that is 5/pentacles.

speaking of which:


no worries wild mushroom soup:

2	Ounces	Dried mushrooms, e.g. porcini, morel, chanterelle, 6 TBSP cordyceps
2	Cups	Warm filtered water
¼	Cup	Brandy
14	Cups	Chicken stock
2	Tbsp	Worcestershire Sauce
1	Cup	Pearled barley
2	Large	Onions, diced (approx 3 cups)
4	Ribs	Celery, diced (approx 2 cups)
1	Lb.	Carrots, diced ( approx 3 cups)
8	Cloves	Garlic, minced
2	Each	Bay leaves
2	Tbsp	Oregano, fresh, chopped
1	Tbsp	Basil, fresh chopped
2	Lb.	Fresh cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
To taste		Salt and white pepper
2	Tbsp	Parsley, fresh chopped

method:
	put the dried mushrooms in a small bowl & cover with the warm water. Let stand for 15 minutes or so to re-hydrate. When hydrated, squeeze out any excess water & place mushrooms in another bowl, rinse them under several changes of cool water to remove any grit. Toss the mushrooms with the brandy, allow to soak for 1 hour. Gently turn and mix the mushrooms & brandy several times to evenly soak. Once the dried mushrooms are hydrated, line a sieve with a coffee filter or paper towel. Strain the mushroom water into another bowl to separate any grit.
	while dried mushrooms are soaking, add the chicken stock to a large stockpot &  add the Worcestershire Sauce & bring to a boil covered.  add the barley. continue to boil for 30 minutes over medium heat covered.
	add strained mushroom water to the soup.  add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, oregano, & basil, bring back to a boil, reduce  heat, & continue to simmer for 20 minutes over medium heat covered. add the sliced fresh mushrooms, stir well, & continue to simmer for 15 minutes covered.
	chop wild mushrooms, add them to the soup with the brandy, the 6 TBSP cordyceps & simmer another 5 minutes. (a brief word on cordyceps - chinese superfood.  amazing for lung capacity, energy, general healing - great for winter!)
	season to taste with sea salt & white pepper, then garnish with the chopped parsley. if i am successful in my attempts to feed some part of occupy wall street, you'll be the first to know, friends...  (pics, too!) thank you for your time!