First some personal news;
Early last Moonth I was privileged to fly to California and visit the Giant Redwoods, soak my feet in the ocean, and teach an intensive on the medicinal and spiritual properties of trees at the Philo School of Herbal Energetics. The school is near Mendocino and I will be returning there next October (in 2015) to teach an advanced Herbal class.
Winter has come early to many parts of the country. Last night there was a record breaking first snow (on November 2nd!) in North Carolina. Here in New England we had some ferocious winds but none of the white stuff so far. I had a most enjoyable Samhain/Halloween celebration here at the house, despite the wind. We have a nice tradition of sharing food and companionship and of telling stories about our deceased friends and relatives. Candles, lit pumpkins and firelight added to the festive mood and one participant said she kept feeling a cold wind behind her back inside the house (spooky!). For those of us who honor Celtic ways it is the start of the New Year so Happy Celtic New Year everyone!
I am currently writing yet another Herbal and after thirty years of teaching Herbalism in my home I have decided to adopt a new name for my class. I am now officially *The Western Massachusetts School of Herbal Studies*. Sounds pretty grand, doesn’t it? I am hoping my yearly six month intensive will be more accessible to search engines now.
I GOT A LITTLE HALLOWEEN PRESS
In case you missed this interview here is the YouTube link. My part starts at 4:50. Enjoy!

A NEW BOOK ABOUT TARA
I am honored to be included in this wonderful book – please watch the amazing book trailer (video)

PLEASE DON’T SHOP ON THANKSGIVING!
Please don’t shop on Thanksgiving. Give thanks to Costco and Nordstrom’s for actually letting their workers be home with their families on Thanksgiving.
FIRE CIDER UPDATE
Traditions Not Trademark
United States
Nov 3, 2014 — Fall
2014 Newsletter
Legal Update
A group of herbalists have filed for the cancellation of the Fire Cider trademark. Since filing, our cases have been consolidated by the United Stated Trademark and Patent Office (USTMPO).
WE HAVE ALSO FOUND GREAT PRO-BONO LAWYERS!
They are gathering evidence and advising us how to move forward. This process could take up to 1.5 years to complete! So bear with us, we probably won’t have any legal updates for a long time!
From Rosemary Gladstar
Your continued support to help free Fire Cider from its trademark is hugely appreciated. All together, we are making a difference! Please continue to support the Free Fire Cider movement by making your own Fire Cider, and by supporting the national boycott.
If there are stores in your area selling the Shire City brand of Fire Cider, please let them know about the boycott (there is material available on the website that explains the issue).
If you’d like Free Fire Cider brochures and postcards, contact Sage Mountain and we’ll mail them to you. Or please print the attached flyer from our website and post in your area.
Thank you for joining us in this grass roots movement to protect our traditional herbal legacy products from trademarking.
Rosemary
Fire Cider in the Press
Check out the local press Fire Cider is getting!
*Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism: My Champlain Valley website. A great video and interview with Larken Bunce
*Spirit of Change: An editorial with both sides of the story, with Rosemary’s writing representing the herbalists perspective
*Austin Chronicle: An interview with herbalist, Jen Easter
*Plant Healers Magazine. Download this free edition
*Essential Herbal also included a supportive article as well in their latest issue
Etsy Update
If you are an herbalist selling Fire Cider on Etsy, please get in touch with Etsy legal and let them know the trademark is in litigation.
Herbalists selling Fire Cider on Etsy are still being contacted by Etsy legal and SCH. Please let us know if you have been contacted!
Why not celebrate by making your own batch of Fire Cider?
Fire Cider
Fire Cider is a traditional home remedy that has been used by herbalists for decades and was handed down by generations of grandmothers before that. A friend passed this recipe along to me and he swears he hasn’t had a cold in four years. Take a few tablespoons of this remedy at the first sign of a cold;
(Please use only the finest organic ingredients)
½ cup grated ginger root
½ cup grated horse radish root
1 medium onion, chopped
12 cloves chopped garlic
2 hot peppers, chopped
Zest and juice from 1 lemon
Zest from 1 small orange
1 tbsp. turmeric powder
¼ tsp. Cayenne Pepper
½ tsp. whole Black Peppercorns
Other herbs to consider: Thyme, Rose Hips, Ginseng, Grapefruit zest, Astragalus, Schizandra berries, Parsley, Burdock root, Oregano, Basil.
Put everything into a glass jar and barely cover with organic apple cider. Cap tightly and store in a cool, dark place. Shake the jar regularly. After about a month you can strain out the vinegar and reserve it in another very clean glass jar. Add ¼ cup of raw organic honey and stir until well blended.
You can use the strained out vegetables and spices in a stir fry with cabbage and carrots when everything is finished.
I have also used Fire Cider in salad dressing and to marinate chicken. Fabulous!
Below you will find the last Moonth’s batch of Archaeology, Herb, Nature, Celtic and Druid news, along with a little bit on politics and ethics (because to me they are the same thing)
*Remember – you can purchase signed copies of my books (with a personal note) when you order from this website! Enjoy!*

ARCHEOLOGY NEWS

Anti-Vampire measures in Italy
Bulgarian anti-Vampire rituals
The last Witch buried in Scotland?
Mysterious stone circles pop up in the Middle East
The evidence for Amazon warriors

An 1882 print shows an Amazon, perhaps Penthesilea, Queen of the Amazons, about to spear a panther.
Photograph by Ivy Close Images, Alamy
Silphium – An ancient contraceptive plant
A Roman calendar
A Roman fertility God discovered
A Gallic Oppidum
Ritual sacrifice (or capital punishment?) in ancient Denmark
The oldest Beer
Runes show evidence of “tagging” in the Middle Ages
A 5,500 year old circular pyramid found in Peru

Ruins near Jaen, Peru
A 4000 year old bear’s pelt found in UK
More proof humans and Neanderthals bred
Statue of Apollo found in Gaza
The ancient Maya realm of the dead
An Iron Age fort on Dingle
A Witch bottle unearthed
Foraging in the Middle Ages (video)
A 6000 year old temple found in Ukraine
Ancient Russian notes on Birch bark found
London was founded by Celts
Did hallucinogenic plants inspire rock art?
A Viking ring fortress found in Denmark
Andean sarcophagi
Why women in Western Europe were forced to cover their heads for “decency”

Palmyra
An Iron Age chariot discovered
How to make one
A Viking hoard discovered in Scotland
More…
A Celtic belt buckle from Croatia
A Medieval Vampire burial in Bulgaria
A Bronze Age tiara found in Spain

RELIGION NEWS

A nice overview of Finnish Shamanism
Essentially positive article about modern Druids but somewhat nonsensical. Especially this part ; “The earliest evidence of the Druid spiritual tradition is from 25,000 years ago and is found in caves in Europe, such as the Pinhole caves in Derbyshire in England, the Chauvet or Lascaux caves in France, and the Altamira in Spain, which feature paintings of wild animals on their walls.”
Halloween in Celtic areas

Celtic Halloween
Who was Saint Patrick, really?