Full Moon Altar

My sister in spirit and I had a wonderful Full Moon ritual, simple but wonderful. This ritual was for good luck and prosperity. I made bead bracelets out of wood and natural hemp string and my girlfriend worked with a stick she collected outside. The bracelets and stick were blessed and we passed them through two candles of purple and blue. We grounded ourselves, meditated on our intentions, chanted while empowering the bracelets and stick and pulled the Tarot.

We ended our ritual as we usually do with a snack and for this we had wonderful homemade banana bread with walnuts and this drink we made courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens.

Autumn Punch

Ingredients

2 teaspoons whole cloves

1/2 of a vanilla bean, split lengthwise1

64-ounce bottle apple-cranberry juice

4 medium purple and/or green plums, pitted and sliced

1 750-ml bottle Gewurztraminer, or other fruity white wine*
Ice cubes

Directions:

1. Place cloves and vanilla bean in center of a double-thick 6-inch square of 100-percent-cotton cheesecloth. Bring corners of cloth together; tie closed with clean string. Pour apple-cranberry juice into a large container or pitcher. Add plums and spice bag. Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours.2. Remove and discard cheesecloth bag. Stir in Gewurztraminer. Serve beverage and plum slices over ice. (Or omit the ice and heat the juice mixture and wine in a 4-quart Dutch oven until hot. Serve in heatproof mugs.)

*Nonalcoholic Option: Substitute two 12-ounce cans chilled ginger ale for the Gewurztraminer, and serve over ice.

We actually made the non-alcoholic version and substituted the plums with nectarines since we couldn't find any plums! Hey, whatever works, right?