I first applied the name “The Sacrificial Goat” to a bar of Soap made for a craft show years ago. I giggled at my own cleverness – the mold was shaped into a bas-relief of a goat, and i believe the Soap was made with goat’s milk as well (time blurs such details). I even created a tag line, something to the effect of : if you need to pacify your deity, make obeisance with this Soap, every time you use it. As my dad has often said, sometimes a little knowledge is a dangerous thing…. 
Then I had ambitious plans of creating an online space to hawk my Soap wares, and any other Crafts I came up with. I’ve got tonnes of ideas swimming around in my head, and hopefully, eventually, most of them will come to fruition.
Today, April 30, 2011, I graduated from the Master Composter/Recycler Volunteer Program that my City offers each year as a tool to increase citizen participation in effective waste management. It gives volunteers the knowledge and resources they need to be ambassadors for the city, and to share their passion for gardening, Composting, Recycling, Reusing, and much much more. I thought I knew a lot going in, and I learned a lot more than I expected. We each created an Outreach Plan for how we would bring our knowledge back to our communities, and presenting these plans to each other was very inspiring. At some point I will post my Outreach Plan.
How does this tie in to The Sacrificial Goat? I think we have sacrificed our environment, our green/wild/farming/natural areas to the economy for the sake of convenience. The throw-away products and mentality fueled by post-war industry in the 1950-60s has created an *almost* insurmountable problem in waste management, and has *almost* extirpated the knowledge of how to live without buying new things, instead of repairing, reusing, maintaining, and sustaining what we already have. We have made wonderful advances in technology and improved the lives of many, but at a cost that has yet to be totaled. By using the tools this MCRP course has given me, I hope to bring hope to those that think all is lost, and to bring change to those that have never asked “Where *does* my garbage go after it leaves the end of my driveway?”
I have been an environmentalist since the early 1990s, and composted in the backyard with my parents for our family garden. I embraced the ‘save the world’ and ‘treehugger’ movements, and recycled and reused whenever possible. I tried my first vermicompost bin in 2003, and helped initiate a lunch waste vermicompost bin in the program office of my college. The one thing I’ve decided to do tomorrow is to make my own Bokashi bucket. It is a form of Composting I haven’t tried yet, and I might as well get started while my enthusiasm/drive is still high!
ReUse and Repurposing will also occur – I’ve got container gardening plans for some 5 gallon buckets, which might also be made into bokashi buckets if I’m successful. I won’t even get started on the cloth/thread Craft projects….
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I embraces Sacred Silliness. (Read: I have a sense of humour that infuses my life and my spirituality. If you can’t laugh at yourself and your cosmology, who can you laugh at?)
I have been dabbling at soapcrafting, stitching, and various other bits over the years. I decided to take it public!
As mentioned on other pages, there is an etsy shop where you can order your own sampling of what comes out of my overly ambitious brain.
***Disclaimer***
While I do use Goat’s Milk and Beeswax in my soap products, no goats are actually sacrificed. I do not condone animal abuse in any way. If you want to argue with me from a vegan standpoint, that’s fine. But take the commentary on this website with a grain of salt.
Also – some of the Herbal ingredients in my crafts do have real side effects. If you have allergies, are pregnant, or are otherwise concerned, please consult with your local herbalist, physician, or other health care practitioner. I will also try to answer any questions to the best of my ability.
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So I was practicing some sacred silliness and thinking of ways to describe what I can make as part of my Craft. Take a look at what I came up with.
Casting a S-P-E-L-L:
Stitches are another way to set intention, and to bind your will.
Want to get rich quick? fall in love? Drink down a Potion and you’re in for a real treat! Be careful what you wish for!
A witch can brew many things in her cauldron! Come here to find Elixirs and Tonics!
Sometimes that Dead Man’s Ash or that Graveyard Dirt is hard to wipe off. Suds up with one of my Lathers!
Looking for a Flying Ointment? Look no further! Levitation Liniment will satisfy all of your travel needs! Need a salve for the broom-sore parts? Or for your hardworking hands that stir and stir that cauldron all day? Salves and Liniments are what you need!
