See?  One leaf, not three.

I've been a little tied up lately, suspended between all my different worlds and responsibilities.  However, now that May(hem) will be over soon, things should calm down some and my bonds will be loosened.





The winner of the Erotic Sensations (http://eroticsensations.us/) three candle gift package is Catherine W.!  Please email me your mailing address at chirp_sparrow@yahoo.com.  A big thank you to Erotic Sensations for being a sponsor of the Barbed Pentacle the last couple of weeks and for sponsoring our giveaway.

The winner of the Barbed Pentacle prize pack is Bones!  Please email me your mailing address at chirp_sparrow@yahoo.com.





There's lots of fun blogs in store.  Just because I've been in bondage, doesn't mean I haven't been busy writing!  In the next week or so, we'll finish up the "May You Never Thirst" series.  Then, we'll start examining hunting and Paganism.  If you hunt, fish, or trap, and you're Pagan, please email at chirp_sparrow@yahoo.com.  I'd love to interview you.  Also, along with the hunting series, look for a review of Tonia Brown's new novel, Skin Trade (http://thebackseatwriter.blogspot.com/)!

Soon, not too soon, but soon, the Barbed Pentacle will be moving to a new home.  Yes, things will be different, and you may not like them at first, but it will be a safer place--with far less censorship--to explore the grittier side of Paganism.  Look for more information on the new site address in the coming weeks.

New drawing items will be posted soon!
These folks are all tied up too:
Erotic Sensations: http://eroticsensations.us/
Tonia Brown: http://thebackseatwriter.blogspot.com/

So he told her everything. “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.” When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines , “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him.[c] And his strength left him. (Judges 16,verses 17-19)

 Hair has always had certain superstitions and magic attached to it. Many of us are familiar with Samson's lovely locks and Delilah's sadistic hair fetish.
However, hair is an under utilized magical tool and vehicle that many Pagans over look or ignore. We all know that hair is often linked to how people perceive us, and many folks go to great lengths and expense to have wonderful hair, so why not use magic in the beauty treatment?

A good deal of hair magic can take place in the shower. When washing your hair, you can envision all your stress, worry, or things that have been weighing you down or making you greasy wash away and swirl down the drain. If you want to be really witchy, you can seek out hair care products that have herbal/fruit ingredients that would aid in banishing or cleansing. A similar exercise can be done while shaving as well. Not only does your hair hold a history of your drug use, it also holds a history of your health, stress, and success. If you need a new start, shave your hair. You don't have to go to the extreme of shaving your head, since shaving any body hair will sympathetically erase your past so that you have a smooth new slate.

Once you've gotten rid of the negatives, you need to invite in the positives. For this you can create your own Herbal Essence with hair teas. The word tea in this since is a little misleading. Some hair teas are meant to be ingested like traditional teas, but many of the "teas" are simply meant to be used as a hair rinse at the end of a shower. The easiest one to make is the Scarborough Fair hair rinse.


Take equal parts (about a teaspoon dried) parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme and add it to 2 cups boiling water. Let the tea steep until cool and then strain. Then use the tea as a rinse at the end of your shower, thoroughly working it into your hair. Besides the magical properties associated with the herbs, the tea is a good tonic for your hair. Another tea that is easy to make is chamomile and lemon tea. This tea is for blonde hair. Take two teaspoons dried chamomile and one tablespoon lemon juice. Add these items to 2 cups boiling water and let it steep until cool. Strain and use as a rinse. As you pour the rinse into your hair, imagine your hair getting brighter and your disposition becoming sunny.

Before we get out of the shower, color magic and hair should be explored. If you regularly dye your hair, do some research on the magical meaning of your hair color. If things aren't going the way that you had hoped, consider changing your hair color. Sometimes just changing the shade will help. If you're adventurous, or have a job where you're allowed to have unnaturally colored hair, have fun coordinating your hair color to your magical workings. There's lots of temporary hair dyes on the market (including Kool-Aid from high school), as well as hair mascaras and hair pieces.
Women for ages have been magically brushing their hair. Ancient magical and cosmetology texts are full of brushing spells. Basically, you are either brushing things magically out of your hair or magically brushing things into your hair. Some folks integrate glamoury into their brushing spells, but others use number magic and numerology. Brushing your hair is something you probably do at least once a day if not more, so just have fun and see what you come up with. Plus, you if you have a partner that is so inclined, your numerology and number magic can be mirrored with smacks from your hair brush. Take care when disposing of the hair from your hair brush. If you're skilled in tedious craft work, a hair talisman based upon Victorian hair jewelry can be made. However, if you're the type that usually just throws away your hair, the hair should either be burned or buried lest it fall into the wrong hands. Not only is it a DNA gold mine, but it's the easiest way for someone to do a spell that involves you (either good or bad).

Another way to integrate magic into your hair is with twists, braids, and hair accouterments. You can twist your intent into your buns and up-dos, or you can braid your intent. For this method of hair magic, using a magical chant or power word that is recited at each twist or braid lay over works best. Your magic can be strengthened by adding in beads and ribbons with color and number magic, or with feather extensions, which integrates feather and bird correspondences. The metal that hair barrettes are made out of can also be added into the magical mix since many deities have specific metals that are sacred to them, astrological planets are corresponded to metals, and the metals themselves also have certain magical properties.

Have fun playing beauty shop, and remember that braids makes magical bondage awesome!



BY ROBERT BROWNING



These folks like to smack some ass!
Erotic Sensations:  http://eroticsensations.us
Tonia Brown:  http://www.thebackseatwriter.com

Espresso, percolators, French presses, K-cups, instant and good ol’ plain drip coffee. Nothing wakes you up like a cup o’ joe. And whether you make it yourself or have a local coffee shop employee to make it for you, it provides a sense of comfort akin to Mom’s chicken soup or warm chocolate chip cookies.

I’m a career barista (as in, yes, I do this for a living) at a major well-known coffee shop chain. I started working with coffee after I developed a severe daily habit for expensive lattes and the sort. Working 80 hours a week means that coffee is with you most of your day. Eventually the people at my local shop offered me a job and as it turned out, the benefits were better than what I was getting as a bank teller. Seven years later I’m still schlepping caffeine and still enjoying it. The term barista is Italian in essence, it basically means “bar person” in reference to the Italian custom of having coffee bars. So, your local coffee shop girl is your all day bartender! I could talk all day about the training, finer points and skill set of a barista, but let’s just cover the basics of brewing a great coffee at home.

 I've got quite a few tips for you in order to perfect your coffee at home. The 4 major aspects of a good cup of coffee are freshness, water, grind and temperature. If you can buy your beans whole and grind at home or grind at the point of purchase, I HIGHLY recommend it. While pre-ground freshness techniques have improved in recent years, grinding as close to the time of brewing is best. And, this will blow your mind: DO NOT PUT YOUR COFFEE IN THE FRIDGE OR FREEZER. “Why?! My grandma always did!” You might exclaim. Your grandma also thinks that black people belong at the back of the bus, that doesn't mean she’s right. Not only will your coffee absorb odors and pick up unsavory tastes from your fridge, but anytime you open your cold coffee in a warmer room, you invite condensation to accumulate within your coffee container. That moisture settles into the ground coffee and undoes the roasting process. Ideally, put your freshly ground coffee in an airtight container or large Ziploc bag and store in a cupboard. While your prime freshness window is one week from time of grind, you probably won’t notice a severe decline in taste for at least a month. You want your coffee fresh and dry for the next step of brewing.

As much of a pain in the ass as it seems, use filtered or pre-boiled water whenever possible. Slight minerals that you might be accustomed to in your drinking water can have an adverse affect on the natural oils in your coffee. If you are not using a commercial coffee maker, invest in a candy thermometer and make sure that your water is approximately 180-200 degrees before you introduce it to the coffee. What your preferred brewing method is will also determine how fine of a grind you should have for your coffee. Here is a rough breakdown of how fine or course you should have your beans ground based on your coffee maker.
French Presses and percolators need as coarse of a grind as is possible.
A flat bottom metal or paper filter (typical basket style) needs a medium grind. This has the highest surface ratio and therefore it is better if the water passes through the coffee a little bit faster.
Cone-shaped filters will take a slightly finer grind than a flat bottom. This is so that the water sits in the cone longer since there is less surface area.
Espresso machines require a fine grind so that the machine is able to compress the coffee into pucks for the extraction process. Espresso is a concentrated shot that is force brewed quickly.
The finest grind (which may not always be available in some grocery stores) is for Turkish pots. It is extremely fine, almost a powder.

Now that you know how to make a tasty cup, now you can enforce getting it perfectly made everyday! Many BDSM relationships have little customs, rituals or schedules that provide much-needed structure for some submissives. Every person takes their coffee a specific way and nothing says dedication like knowing just how much cream and sugar should go in Master or Mistress’ mug in the morning. And nothing says fun like learning from the mistakes during the process!

Even spilling on the floor is fine, as long as a bare-ass pointed up in the air being hit with a serving spoon while they clean it up provides enjoyment for the whole gang. Along with that, coffee can be used in sleep deprivation scenes or in coffee enemas. Plus, used grounds can be made into facial masks as part of a beauty regime with pampering. Many stores sell fun accessories like serving trays as well. Imagine having your slave prance into your bedroom, the perfect cup of steaming coffee delicately balanced on it. What a way to start your morning, right?

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2009/07/30/violetblue0730.DTL

Personally, my favorite aspect of coffee is the serving! I spend all day serving it to the public as my job, and I’ll be damned if I will go home just to do it all again. Nothing says comfort like coming home to some Nina Simone songs, kicking off my shoes, stretching out and having a scantily clad boy bring ME a hot cup of java.

These folks love coffee too:
Erotic Sensations: http://eroticsensations.us/
Tonia Brown: www.thebackseatwriter.com

It's time for a new round of giveaways and drawings.   This time there will be two, yes two, drawings.
First Drawing (April 13-May 13)
This drawing is open to anyone who is a PUBLIC follower of "The Barbed Pentacle" by May 13.  All of the names of my public followers will be placed into a hat, and someone other than myself will drawing out the lucky name.  If your name is drawn, you will win the Barbed Pentacle prize pack that includes a small strap from Sub-shop.com (perfect for discretion while traveling), and two wax play pillars, in Barbed Pentacle colors, from Erotic Sensations.
Second Drawing (April 13-May13)
This drawing is opened to any who contacts me via Facebook, Twitter, or Google+, or who emails me at chirp_sparrow@yahoo.com.  All you have to say is "enter me in the drawing".  Click here for links.  The winner of this drawing will win a fabulous prize pack of hot pink, royal blue, and yellow pillar candles from  Erotic Sensations.

Erotic Sensations candles are really wonderful.  I product tested one, and I have to say, they blow dollar store candles out of the water.  The candle melts quickly, the wax is soft and velvety, and they are almost smokeless.  There was some slight redness left on my skin after play, but it dissipated with in a minute or two.  No burns at all!

What should you do with the candles that you win?  Add them to your rituals!  A whole section on Hot Wax Rituals  has been added to the BDSM ritual section.  Just scroll down until you get to Johnny Cash.  Happy waxing!




These folks wax before they ride:
Erotic Sensations eroticsensations.us
Tonia Brown www.thebackseatwriter.com

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• Locate stores that are appropriate for dumpster diving. Please see the above criteria.
• Always go with a friend or two. This is not only for safety but also because sometimes you need help lifting and loading items.
• Stay away from buildings that store items outside, like a garden center. Police often view these stores the same way that they view stores with fences. Plus, how easy will it be to prove that you were only taking stuff from the dumpster and not stealing stored merchandise if you're questioned?
• If possible, recruit friends who work inside of the stores that you visit. This can be a store employee or someone who is regularly in the store (like independent data collection associates). They can tip you off when the store is trading out old merchandise for new and when the store usually takes items to the dumpster. However, be warned--make sure that you can trust this friend and that you are careful that your actions do not compromise the friend's job.
• Drive a vehicle that has either has a trunk or other storage space to haul your finds. Also make sure that all insurance and registration on the vehicle is up-to-date. You want to minimize the things a police officer may hassle you about.
• Always wear gloves and boots or other closed-toed shoes, and make sure to carry hand sanitizer, flash lights or headlamps, trash grabbers, and a home-made hook. Glen likes to carry a golf club with a hook attached.
• Pick well lit dumpster areas. Going to dark places looks suspicious.
• Establish a route and a regular time. Working a regular route is advantageous because the folks watching you (and there are always folks watching you) will get use to seeing you and realize that you are not a thief or a vandal. The same applies for choosing a regular time. You can go at night, which is what Glen does, or you can go during the day, which is what his father-in-law does. If you go during the day or shortly after closing, you are more likely to find discarded refrigerated items that are still good. Unopened milk is usually good several days after the use-by date. Packaged cheese is usually good several months after its date.
• Develop a good sense when to be honest and when to fib. It's usually advantageous to be up front with police officers, but it's often best to fib to store personnel who may catch you in the act. The line, "This ____________ is for my pets (or rescued animals)," is a good one to remember. Some times if they think you are trying to save on pet food, they are willing to let you know when they discard certain items.
• Don't be afraid to use magic in your scavenging. Shielding, camouflage, and invisibility spells and amulets are all helpful, as are protection and abundance spells and charms.