Living with the Moon Blog

Cyclical Living

Cyclical Living

All human life has its seasons and cycles, and no one's personal chaos can be permanent. Winter, after all, gives way to spring and summer, though sometimes when branches stay dark and the earth cracks with ice, one thinks they will never come, that spring, and that...

Time is money

Time is money

Benjamin Franklin's quote has not lost its point in today’s fast-paced society. Years ago futurologists predicated a golden, technological Eldorado, where computers would take care for all our mundane activities,  whilst we all enjoy a great deal of free...

Conceive with the moon

Conceive with the moon

Looking at the moon cycle can be very helpful if you are trying (or not trying) to conceive. All women are of course familiar with the female fertility cycle also known as the biological cycle.  Mid-cycle a woman ovulates and can conceive. This always occurs 14 days...

The soil revolution – part 4

The soil revolution – part 4

Here is another installment of our series - the soil revolution. If you want to read it from the beginning - please click below to join Part 1. Part 1 looked into:   Where are we now?  (please read it here)  Part 2  will introduce you to Instituto Terra, an...

The soil revolution – part 3

The soil revolution – part 3

    Part 1 looked into:   Where are we now?  (please read it here) From now onwards we look into solutions and people who have actively played part in this.Part 2  will introduce you to Instituto Terra, an organization that specializes in reforestation, particularly...

The soil revolution – part 2

The soil revolution – part 2

 Part 1 looked into:   Where are we now?  (please read it here) From now onwards we look into solutions and people who have actively played part in this. Part 2  will introduce you to Instituto Terra, an organization that specializes in reforestation, particularly in...

The biodynamic ‘essence of life’

The biodynamic ‘essence of life’

I often get asked what does the phrase 'biodynamic' actually means? In essence, it means 'lifeforce'. This sounds simple, but when you look a bit more into it its origin it can get quite complex. Most cultures have specific names for this 'lifeforce'. In the Hindu...

What makes us human?

What makes us human?

       This is a question that undoubtfully all humans ask themselves at some point? I recently heard a talk about this subject and thought it was well worth exploring.  As I am currently working on the new calendar cycle and The Year Ahead,  when the famous question...

Natural home clearing

Natural home clearing

 THIS SYMBOL REPRESENTS DECLUTTERING AND ENERGETIC HOME-CLEARING AND DUSTING  In the late 1990ies, I had a very interesting home visit. My then downstairs neighbor told me about this 'wonderful interior designer' who he met at a recent party. My husband and I were...

Halloween, witches and Samhain

Halloween, witches and Samhain

      This post will delve deeper into the subject of Halloween, where it comes from, and its significance. The history of Halloween Halloween has its origin in the Celtic festival Samhain, celebrated on the evening of the 31st of October. This symbolized the end of...

Baking bread

Baking bread

Today’s task is extra baking/cooking. You can always freeze this in small portions. This is a very efficient way to create home-made meals. 

Make your own bread: 

It has recently become really popular to make your own artisan bread. I have had breadmakers for years and been doing my own sourdoughs. But here is a quick and easy recipe for all those who want to give it the first try. The recipe below is for a simple and tasty mixed loaf that can be done in any conventional oven. No breadmaker or sourdough needed.

 You will need kitchen scales, the ingredients below, a ceramic dish with a lid (ideally round), a bowl, and a mixing spoon.
Ingredients:  560g wheat flour, 190g rye flour, 550g hot water, 16g salt, some cumin seeds (1/2 a teaspoon should be enough), 3gram of active yeast. You could add some linseeds or other seeds if you like. 

1) weigh all the ingredients and put them together into a big kitchen bowl.  I use a big mixing spoon to blend them together. Then add some flour to your hands and knead the dough.  (please use enough plain flour on your hands, otherwise, the dough will stick to you). After a few minutes of kneading, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel, and leave it to rest. I suggest a minimum of 3 hours. You could also prepare the dough in the evening and let it rise overnight. Then it will be ready for baking the next day. 

Tip: To see if the dough is ready for baking. Pull some upwards.  If it rips easily it needs to rise a little longer.  A dough that is ready for baking should glide out and not rip straight away. Traditionally you let the dough rise up to 5 times. It sounds complicated, but you let it rise in the bowl and then just take a few minutes to knead it again and let it rise again. It makes sense to make a few bread loafs at the same time. 

2) Once the dough is ready,  preheat oven to 250degree C (480F) and put the empty ovenproof dish with lid into the oven. Yes, that is right – empty to heat it up!

3) Take it out when it is very hot (be careful handling it!) and add some sprinkles of plain flour to cover the bottom of the pan. This is important as otherwise the bread will stick to the pan and it will be hard for it to come out.
Then add the dough. With the mixing spoon create a line in the top of the dough – that is where the crust can rise and sprinkle some plain flour on the top.  Put the lid on and bake the bread (middle shelf) for about 35 minutes.
My Tip: Pour water into an oven dish and put it on the bottom shelf, so the bread bakes it in moist air.

Sourdough starter: 

This is an old recipe from my grandmother. In Austria most loaves of bread are sourdoughs and when I was a child I can only ever remember eating sourdough bread. Here is a recipe for your very own sourdough starter. If you put it together today, it will take a minimum of 5 days before you can use it. But once you have started, you can keep your sourdough going for years. If fact, if it is fed regularly, it gets better and better. My current one is about 3 years old. You can then give part of your starter away to friends – to give them a headstart in their own process. 

What is sourdough? 
In essence, it is fermented dough that you add to your bread mixture before baking.
The reason it has become so popular is that it tastes so good as well as being beneficial for your digestion. Sourdough contains strains of the helpful lactobacillus, also called the friendly gut bacteria. If you suffer frequently from bloating or even IBS, switching to sourdough from a conventional bread might be a good move.

Here is how to make the starter: 
You will need 250ml of milk, 250ml water, 1 tbsp of sugar, 2.5 teaspoons of dry yeast, and 450g of plain flour.  If you are lactose-intolerant try to do just warm water instead. 

Warm the milk to almost boiling and add the water and sugar. When the temperature has cooled to 40degreeC (105F) add the yeast. Cook at a very low temperature for about 5-10 minutes. It is important that the yeast starts to foam a little. Pour this mixture in a container that has a lid and add the flour. Mix well. Initially, you need to keep the lid off as it is essential that air can get to your new starter. I suggest you cover it with a tea towel or muslin cloth. Keep it stored in a warm place like an airing cupboard. The warmer the better – around 30C (80F) is ideal. After a day or 2, it starts to bubble. It is important to stir it once or twice a day. Soon a greyish liquid will form on the top – don’t be alarmed. This is absolutely normal and good. Hurrah it’s working! 

Once it starts to smell sour – hence sourdough – it is ready to use. Now you can put the lid on and that is how it is stored. If you don’t intend to bake immediately put it in the fridge. There you can keep it literally for years!  Beware it is a live organism and therefore needs the occasional feeding to stay alive. 

This is how to do it: Replenish it with 120 ml warm water (4fl oz) and 120g of flour. That’s it. Leave it to bubble up (ideally do this a day before baking and leave it outside). Then return it back into the fridge when it is no longer needed. 

If you keep your dough outside, you need to replenish quite regularly (say once a week), when I keep it in the fridge, I only do it sporadically, usually after using it or at least every 2-3 weeks. Even if you don’t use it, it needs the occasional stir otherwise it will separate too much. 

Now you are good to go. You can add this sourdough starter to the bread recipe above and you will have baked your first sourdough bread. 

A time for healing

A time for healing

 THIS SYMBOL REPRESENTS HEALING & HAPPINESS    I recently had so many inquiries about healing-related subjects. So I decided to make  HEALING - TOPIC OF THIS MONTH. As we can all do with an 'extra dose of healing' right now.  Although Living With The Moon is...

Baking Christmas cookies

Baking Christmas cookies

Christmas is always a great time for baking and for get-togethers. So here are a few good recipes to get you into the mood. Funky Christmas Cookies: This is a very easy recipe and ideal for baking with children. First, make the dough and then get various cookie...

The LWTM moon diet

The LWTM moon diet

A few years ago I started a trial called 'The LWTM moon diet'. It was based on a book and some research I found in a library. The roots of it all go far back to Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine who lived in Ancient Greece around 500 B.C. The LWTM moon diet...

The cow jumped over the moon

The cow jumped over the moon

Most of you know probably know the nursery rhyme Hey Diddle DiddleThe cat and the fiddle,The cow jumped over the moon.The little dog laughed,To see such sport,And the dish ran away with the spoon. I always pondered particularly at the line ' The cow jumped over the...

The Moon

The moon has been the Earth's nocturnal companion for around 4.5 billion years. There are a few theories about how the moon was formed. The most convincing one to date is the Theia impact theory. Around 4.5 billion years ago the new earth collided with an astronomical...

50th Anniversary of the moon landing

50th Anniversary of the moon landing

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, lunar module pilot of the first lunar landing mission On the 20th July 1969 three astronauts from the Apollo 11 NASA space program landed on the moon. These brave men were Neil Armstrong, the first man ever to set foot on the moon. The second...

Spices of Life – Cinnamon

Spices of Life – Cinnamon

In Europe cinnamon is the spice of Christmas and mostly used in Christmas decorations and for baking. The evergreen cinnamon tree grows predominantly in Indonesia and China and its fragrant bark is rolled up and left to dry. Then it is cut up into pieces known as...

Spices of Life – Turmeric

Spices of Life – Turmeric

Following on from my popular blog series Cooking with herbs I have decided to start a new series, called Spices Of Life. Over the coming month I will introduce you to the many benefits and recipes. I hope it will help you to discover a world of flavours out there and...

The benefits of blue crystals

The benefits of blue crystals

Today we look into blue crystals that are connected to the throat chakra. This chakra radiates idealism, authority, travel, business, and prosperity. Blue is a colour of trust, convention, and peace. It probably is the most conservative, steady chakra of all and...

The benefits of green crystals

The benefits of green crystals

In this article, we will look into green crystals that are connected to the heart chakra, located in the chest area. This chakra is all about compassion, healing, true giving, inner harmony, and environmental awareness. When the heart chakra is in balance, people find...

Cooking and Baking

Cooking and Baking

  TODAY IS A GREAT TO TO COOK IN BATCHES FOR FREEZING, MAKE  BREAD AND BAKE CAKE & COOKIES I read that Mauro Colagreco, owner of the Michelin-starred restaurant Mirazur, situated on the French Riviera, has changed his menu post-COVID lockdown.  That would not be...

The benefits of yellow crystals

The benefits of yellow crystals

This article will look into the benefits of yellow crystals which are connected to the solar chakra. If you want to start the series from the beginning - click here  This is our 'natural center' where the 'gut feeling' lies. A few years ago I was lacking in energy and...

Spend time with the family

Spend time with the family

   TODAY IS A GREAT DAY TO SPEND EXTRA TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY. IF THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE, CALL YOUR PARENTS, SIBLINGS AND CHILDREN OR ANYBODY THAT YOU 'CALL FAMILY'. SHOW THEM THAT YOU CARE FOR THEM! Life is busy and whilst rushing here and there - we often forget what...

The element earth

The element earth

 THE ELEMENT EARTH Today is associated with stability, diligence, persistence, and working hard.  The element Earth, is as its name suggests, is all about being 'down to earth and getting the job done'.  Fire Days are light, celebratory, and full of energy. Earth Days...

LWTM New Moon

LWTM New Moon

TODAY WE SEE A NEW MOON  New Moon is Day 1 and Day 28/29 in the moon cycle. It is the time when one moon cycle comes to an end and another one is starting up. We see only darkness as the moon lies between the sun and the earth and no light can be reflected back to...

LWTM Waning Moon

LWTM Waning Moon

TODAY WE SEE A WANING MOON  The moon starts the journey from Full Moon to New Moon. This process takes 14 days and is called the Waning Moon. The further the moon travels towards the New Moon, the less light we see. The Waning Moon is the best time to work hard, lose...

LWTM – Full Moon

LWTM – Full Moon

TODAY WE SEE A FULL MOON   Today is a Full Moon. The moon is now 14 days old and comes to lie opposite the sun. Therefore the whole moon is illuminated and we see a Full Moon.  The Full Moon is a great time to show off expertise, party, getting married, or launch a...

The element Water

The element Water

 THE ELEMENT WATER Today is associated with emotional depth, dreams, intuition, visionary inspiration, and healing. The element water is the most introspective element in this cycle. Similar to New Moon, Water Days are great to listen to  'your inner voice' and...

The element Fire

The element Fire

   THE ELEMENT FIRE  Today is associated with creativity, energy, and passion. Fire is the most active day quality and with a lot of focus, you can really move your projects forward. Traditionally, the element Fire was used for presentations, big sale pitches, award...

The benefits of orange crystals

The benefits of orange crystals

This section looks into the benefits of crystals connected to the sacral chakra. These are usually brownish and orange in colour. In contrast to the root chakra which was connected to energy, sexuality, and fertility -  the sacral chakra is all about emotions,...

The lunar influence

The lunar influence

This is a very controversial subject and one I have swerved many times as you find as many people pro as against. I am not a scientist, nor claim to have any scientific foundation, so I was always keen to just pass on people's first hand experiences, rather than...

The benefits of red crystals

The benefits of red crystals

When deciding to choose a crystal that is right for you, there are many guidelines.  One factor is colour. In this series - The benefits of crystals -  we will go through how crystals were formed and how they connect to specific chakras in our bodies. In this article,...

The most famous crystals

The most famous crystals

So far I have talked about semi precious stones that you and me can own, today I will share with you a story I found in Vogue about a different kind of crystals, the most famous stones in the world. Unobtainable for most of us, but still very fascinating. In the next...

Natural home cleaning

Natural home cleaning

  In my view, natural is always best. In addition to routine maintenance cleaning (which is done as and when), add a 3-step declutter- deep clean- energize program. You can do a yearly/biyearly session in spring and autumn or you can just do these sessions in...

Sage – the clearing herb

Sage – the clearing herb

Plant of the month: My fascination with herbs started when I was a little girl and watched my grandmother use herbs to cook and to make beauty treatments. Although herbs grow all around us, only few people still know how to use them as nature attended to – as our...

Plant of the month – Chamomile

Plant of the month – Chamomile

Plant of the month: My fascination with herbs started when I was a little girl and watched my grandmother use herbs to cook and to make beauty treatments. Although herbs grow all around us, only few people still know how to use them as nature attended to – as our...

The Sumerian calendar

The Sumerian calendar

The Sumerians and later the Babylonians were the first known civilizations to use what we now recognize as a lunisolar calendar. By the 21st century B.C. the Sumerians had come up with a solar year consisting of 360 days. It was made up of 12 lunar cycles (354 days)...

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