Friday, December 21, 2012

Winter & Yuletide Blessings

photo by Justin Kern

And now the fire's the focus of the room
By winter made so. Like a gay salute
There crackles in the hearth
The holly's fusillade.
 
May this season be full of love, merriment and comfort! Warm hearts & hearths to you and your loved ones, and many blessings in 2013!
 
Sláinte!
 
Laurel

Thursday, December 20, 2012

The Herb-Leech


I have gathered luss {foxglove}
At the wane of the moon,
And supped its sap
With a yewen spoon.
I set a spell
By the carn of Medb,
And smelt the mould
Of the red queen's grave.
I have dreamed a dearth
In the darkened sun,
And felt the hand
Of the Evil One.
I have fathomed war
In the comet's tail,
And heard the crying
Of Gall and Gael.
I have seen the spume
On the dead priest's lips,
And the "holy fire"
On the spars of ships;
And the shooting stars
On Barthelmy's Night
Blanching the dark
With ghostly light;
And the corpse-candle
Of the seer's dream,
Bigger the girth
Than a weaver's beam;
And the shy hearth-fairies
About the grate,
Blowing the turves
To a whiter heat.
All things on earth
To me are known,
For I have the gift
Of the Murrain Stone!

~The Herb-Leech by Seosamh Mac Cathmhaoil {Joseph Campbell}

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Yuletide

my little Norfolk Island pine decorated last year
I figured that I would get this up before I start the whirlwind of cleaning, decorating and baking that needs to be done. This post is just to share some Yuletide recipes, ideas, going-ons and reading. Please feel free to share you own in the comment section!
 
For the last few years Midwinter and Christmas are mostlu secular celebrations for me, but I still do enjoy the season. The one real exception to this is a newly adopted tradition of making a Midwinter feast for Ancestors who are no longer here to sit at the table with us. Last year I was inspired by Ms Graveyard Dirt, who put out a Holy Supper Challenge and she is doing so again this year, which I recommend folks to join in!
 
This year for the Winter Solstice I will make offerings to a new deity that I am getting to know {a post about that still to come!} and start some heather seeds that I got from a lovely friend in Cornwall, on a recommendation found on the Alchemy Works website. I will also be keeping an eye on the illuminations of both Newgrange and Maeshowe, which can be viewed on webcasts. And perhaps pining a wee bit that I will be missing the celebrations at the Kensington Market Festival of Lights.
 
I still haven't done any decorating, so one of the things that I have to do is deck my little Norfolk Island pine. Last year I cut out a bunch of woodland critters to put on it, which you can see more about here and perhaps gets some ideas. If you are looking for more Christmas tree ideas, you should go read Carolina Gonzalez's article A Very Magical Christmas Tree, her tree is fantastic!
 
There is plenty of cooking and baking to be done here yet, too. Here are a few recipes that I have enjoyed:
 
 
Should you find some time for reading, here are links to posts and articles that you might find interesting:
 
Yule & Hogmanay Part 1 and Part 2 from Tairis
 
And should you have even more spare time, here is a great movie called Mummers, Masks and Mischief about mummering and guising in Ireland.


 
Sláinte!
 
Laurel

Monday, December 17, 2012

New Moon Prayer Requests


 
Every month during my new moon ritual I will make offerings and prayers for blessings for those in my life who request it. After thinking about it for a little while, I have decided to extend this service to the wider public. If you are interested, please contact me with the first name or initials of those the prayer is for.

Please note that this is an absolutely free service and you are not obligated to purchase goods or services from me. I understand that not everyone is in a position to afford the services of a magical practitioner, so this is a small way for me to give back for all the blessings that I have in my own life. 
 
If you look on the sidebar, you will see a link to the prayer request page on the Unfettered Wood website, which basically just has what I have already stated above. I may add more content to that page later on, including ideas on things one can do in conjunction with the prayers while they are being done and perhaps share photos of each month for people to see of the ritual that has been done on their behalf.
 
Sláinte!
 
Laurel
 

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

A Message to Customers & Clients About the Holiday Season

Dear customers and clients,
 
If you are placing orders in the Unfettered Wood shop, I strongly recommend that you go for a quicker shipping option than the default one in the listings should you wish to have your package in time for Christmas. Just message me before making your purchase, letting me know what you wish to buy and where the package is going to and I will create a custom listing for you with the adjusted shipping prices.
 
For my local clients, I will be available for workings, sessions and readings over the holiday season, although it would be great to give me as much notice as possible to ensure availability.
 
Sláinte!
 
Laurel

Sunday, December 9, 2012

European Mistletoe {Viscum Album}

{originally posted on the nefaeria blog in 2008, with a wee bit of updating}

photo by Rupert Ganzer
Along with conifers, poinsettias and holly, mistletoe is one of the plants most associated with the Yuletide season, so it is a perfect time to post about it I think.

There are other types of mistletoe, but for this post, I am focusing on the European or Common variety.

Other Names: Herbe de la Croix, All-Heal, Birdlime, Devil's Fuge, Mistletan.
 
Description: The European mistletoe is native to Britain, as well as to much of Europe. It is a hemiparastic evergreen that lives in mostly deciduous trees, and is compatible with at least 200 different host species.
 
It forms 'bushes' on the branches of trees, that are anywhere from 1.5 to 6 feet in diameter. The leaves are shaped like a tongue and they have white, round berries whose sticky juices have been noted to resemble semen.
 
Warnings: As with all herbs, one should make sure to be thoroughly informed before ingesting them, and is best to do so under the guidance of a qualified healer.
 
"Raw, unprocessed mistletoe is poisonous. Eating raw, unprocessed European mistletoe or American mistletoe can cause vomiting, seizures, a slowing of the heart rate, and even death." 
As well, they point out that in countries such as Germany have mistletoe that is available for therapeutic injection. There are potential side effects such as
"itching or redness in the area of the injection. Less commonly, side effects may include more extensive skin reactions, low-grade fevers, or flu-like symptoms. There have been very rare reports of more serious allergic reactions, such as difficulty breathing.'"
Also, avoid while pregnant, as it is known to cause contractions of the uterus.
 
Cultivating: Germination for the mistletoe usually begins once a bird's business is dropped on a its new host; the seeds sprout from the pile of bird poop, and then takes root in the bark of the tree.
 
The mistletoe mainly uses its host as a source of water and mineral nutrients, while its leaves do some photosynthesis. It usually bears fruit around the Winter Solstice.
 
According to Mrs. M Grieve, one could quite easily cultivate their own mistletoe simply by
"rubbing the berries on the smooth bark of the underside of the branches of trees till they adhere, or inserting them in clefts made for the purpose".
It is hardy to about a zone 5, and grows best in dappled shade. Brother Aloysius suggests that it be gathered in Autumn or Winter and that it should be dried and stored in sealed containers.
 
Medicinal/Remedial Properties and Lore: Antispasmodic, cardiac, cytostatic, diuretic, emmengogue, haemostat, hypotensive, narcotic, nervine, stimulant, tonic, vasodilator.
 
Culpeper said that
"misselto doth molify hard knots, tumours, and imposthumes...is a cephalic and nervine medicine, useful for convulsive fits, palsy, and vertigo."
Brother Aloysius recommended it for a variety of ailments including watery gall, jaundice, internal sores, convulsions and whopping cough.
 
Today mistletoe is mainly used for headaches, to lower blood pressure, to relieve anxiety and sleeplessness, and there are studies being done in it's effectiveness in combating cancer.
 
a holiday postcard, circa 1900
Magical/Spiritual Properties and Lore: It is said that Cesar saw Druids five days after the new moon following the Winter Solstice, climbing into oak trees and cutting mistletoe with golden sickles for ritual use. There are disagreements as to whether it was actually mistletoe or holly that they were cutting down.
 
According to Paul Beyerl's Master Book of Herbalism mistletoe is good for fertility, protection and visionary workings. For a Yule ritual in his book, people should toss a mistletoe berry into the hearth-fire to represent those personal things that one desires, as the sun comes back.
 
In some traditions, mistletoe is associated with solar deities because it bears fruit as the sun it at it's lowest point , and also lunar deities because of it's round, white fruit.
 
Once gathered, many sources say that it should not touch the ground, and it does indeed have many potential uses.
 
For protection, in Culpeper's Complete Herbal, he says that is can be hung around the neck to remedy witchcraft. Also, sprigs can be hung on doorways to protect houses from lightening and evil spirits; it can be placed by a cradle to avoid faeries {careful that little hands can't reach it!}; hung in a barn to protect a herd of cattle and buried in a field to protect a crop.
 
For this time of year, string up some mistletoe to get some kisses ;)
 
Where this custom actually originated from I am not sure, but there are a few that I have seen:
 
One involves the Norse God Baldr, who is killed by an arrow made of mistletoe, that is shot by Loki. After Baldr dies, Frigg cries and her tears become the white berries. In one version of the story, Baldr comes back to life, and Frigg is so happy that she blesses the mistletoe and says she will bestow a kiss to anyone who stands underneath it.
 
Under the Mistletoe, 1873
Another folktale says that if warring foes came under a tree with mistletoe on it, they would lay down their arms and kiss each other as a sign of peace.
 
I use mistletoe for various types of workings, including ones for protection, health/healing, divination, exorcism, fertility, romance, sexuality, and activities in the wild {hunting, camping, wildcrafting}.
 
Other Uses: It has long been thought that mistletoe is just a pest that not only kills off trees, but degrades entire habitats. But, according to a study done on the relationship between junipers and mistletoe, the mistletoe can actually play a role in protecting biodiversity.
 
Sláinte!
 
Laurel

Thursday, December 6, 2012

The Start of the Dark Half

candlelit Samhain ritual

My apologies for posting this so late, it has been pretty busy around here and have started to wind down a bit. Over the last few years Samhain has become more of a proper season for me instead of just something that happens over the course of a days. It is a season full of many different rituals, workings, observances and festivities. So things doesn't end up being a novel, I will just share some of those thing that I am comfortable sharing.

A few days before Samhain Even {or Hallowe'en} I cleaned like mad and got our Ancestor altar set up, along with a shrine to An Cailleach, and baked up a wee storm. On Samhain Eve I did obligatory pumpkin and turnip carving, and waited to give out candy to the guisiers that never came {a lesson that I obviously didn't learn from last year}. I made a new parshell cross for over one of our doors, put out a bunch of bowls to collect Samhain water, did a saining for our home, a blessing spell for family, my first round of offerings and divination for the coming year.

Ancestor altar with a daily offering of incense, food and drink

Over the course of the season there have been several Ancestor observances such as birthdays and Remembrance Day and I have been bonding with a new deity, which I will go further into in an upcoming post. The better half and I also have our anniversary on Samhain, and this was our 10 year anniversary for our handfasting, so that of course was celebrated too!

This is a busy time of year for assisting clients too and I have also been creating new wares for the shop, now that the garden is truly napping and I am more likely to be indoors.

The season is not over by any means though, and if you are looking for an inspiring way to honour your Ancestors in the upcoming holidays, check out Ms Graveyard Dirt's Holy Supper Challenge! I participated last year and intend to again this year.

Sláinte!

Laurel

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

A Shrine to An Cailleach

 
This is a wee shrine that I set up around Samhain for An Cailleach, a deity that I am just starting to get to know better. A corresponding post to come.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Incense Additions, Round Two

I have recently added three more incense to the Unfettered Wood Etsy shop. The newest additions are:

 
 
For herbcrafting and healing, and as an offering to Airmid.
 
 
 
For Samhain and necromancy rituals, and as an offering to Ancestors and Donn.
 
 
 
For workings involving woodlands, lust and sexuality, and wild animals, also for Bealtaine rituals and as an offering to Flidais and spirits of the forest.
 
*********
 
There are a few more blends that I use in my practice that I may make available for sale sometime in the near future.
 
Sláinte!
 
Laurel
 
 

Monday, November 26, 2012

Using Botanicals to Dye Magical Textiles

A few days ago I did some natural dyeing, so I thought that I would share a wee bit about that in case other folks would be inspired to give it a go. Please keep in mind that there are different ways that one can dye textiles with botanicals, this is just they way that I have been comfortable with.
 
There are a few things that all methods have in common:
  1. Extracting colour
  2. Fixing colour
  3. Transferring colour
I would highly recommend people going through the resources that I will put at the end of this post to get more ideas to see what works for them.

The whole purpose of me doing this was to infuse the magical properties of the plants into the textiles, as well as obviously leave some colour on them as well.

  
For this batch the actual magical properties of the plants were of more importance to me than the colour. I wanted something that could be a good general purpose textile and wasn't quite sure how the colours would turn out. In one of the extra resources at the bottom of this post, there is a list of different plants and the colours they give off.
 
 
For fresh ingredients this is not necessary, but berries apparently benefit having a soaking in vinegar before simmering. This is a good time to do a blessing over the plant materials should you wish to, or to "charge" them with intent.
 

Using cold water is best to add for the vinegar, and after simmering giving the fabric a good rinse in cold water {water it runs clear} is needed. Other methods call for the fabric to be wet before putting it in with the dye wash, so this takes care of both the fixative and that step. Other fixatives are sometimes added to the actual dye wash or used to treat the textile afterwards. Learn more about fixative in the resources below.
 
 
Other methods call for a lower simmering time, depending on the materials being used. Sometimes fixatives, such as salt are added at this stage.
 
 
This is probably not a must, but it will make stage six a whole lot easier. As you will see in the follow photos, I did not strain all of the plant material out; some of it stuck to the fabric, which I just shook off outdoors once I was finished drying them out. I put the strained off bits into the compost.
 
 
The textile I used was a natural coloured cotton linen and I left it in the dye wash for a couple of hours. I shifted it around every once and a while with a pair of tongs. If handling, it is best to used a pair of rubber gloves so you don't dye your hands!
 
 
Before removing from the dye bath, carefully squeeze out as much of the liquid as you can. To get the concentrated veins of colours, I left my fabric bunched in a pile on a dish drying rack {made black rubber, no risk of it staining!} over night. Then I dried out flat on our clothesline.

Extra resources:

Using Natural Plant Dyes by Kate Aimson {from White Dragon Magazine}
Natural Dyes: Their History and How to Make Them by Varenya
Making Natural Dyes from Plantsfrom Pioneer Thinking {has a great list of plants and the colours they give off}



*********
a comparison of my linen before dyeing {top} and after dyeing {bottom}
It was exciting to see what the finished product would be and I am quite fond of the yellows, rusts and browns that came out in the linen. I will be using some of it in an upcoming project that I will post about later, as well as using some for charm bags and pouches.
 
For those who don't want to make your own, but would like some magical textiles, I will be listing some of this batch in the Unfettered Wood shop and I am happy to take custom orders.
 
Sláinte!
 
Laurel

Friday, November 23, 2012

Incense Additions, Round One

I have finally put a few incense into the Unfettered Wood shop and there are still quite a few more waiting to be added. Right now I have...

 
 
For physical journeys and spiritual ones, including dream work, hedgecrossing, and other travels in the spirit realms.
 
 
 
 
For divination, sorcery, battles, and as an offering to Macha, and perhaps An Morrígan.
 
 
 
 
For Imbolc, hearthcraft, creativity, smithing, poetry, women’s sexual healing, blessings of dairy and livestock, and as an offering to Brigid {Goddess or Saint}.
 
 
 
 
For Lughnasadh, harvest blessings and other agricultural activities, fertility, abundance, horse allies and as an offering to Macha.
 
********* 
 
 

Sláinte!

Laurel

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Candles for the Three Realms

 
Often when I am doing rituals and spellwork I will light a candle for each of the Three Realms {Land, Sky and Sea}, and I have finally had enough time to make a custom candle holder for each. This project might be suitable for folks who work with the Four Elements that are often found in other Pagan practices {Earth, Air, Fire and Water}.
 
The process for making each was similar to what I did to make the fall candle holder that I posted a few weeks back. For Land I used moss and a wee pinecone, for Sky I used sparrow  and grackle feathers, and for Sea I used beach sand and seashells.
 
If you decide to do something like this, please feel free to share them!
 
Sláinte!
 
Laurel

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Fun With Beeswax

 
I am currently experimenting with beeswax for charms. It is definitely a favoured material for me to work with and it smells divine!

Monday, November 12, 2012

Two Powerful Allies & Two Essentials

 
Rowan and Juniper are two treasured allies for when I perform blessings & clearings on a place. Pictured are a couple essentials in my kit: rowan and red thread cross and Imbolc water with juniper greens and berries.

Friday, November 9, 2012

A Shrine of Remembrance

This morning I erected a shrine dedicated to my Ancestors who risked or lost their lives in wars that were faught for defending sovereignty and to protecting people from persecution.
Photos are of Ancestors who faught in WWI & WWII and there are representations of other Ancestors who go further back and whose names I do not know.

My Grandfather's photo album from WWII, when he faught in the Canadian Navy.
 
My Grandfather {second from the left} and some of his ship mates.
 
I believe this a ship that my Grandfather was on.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

A Few Irish Charms & Spells

{originally posted on the nefaeria blog}

Below are a few traditional Irish spells and charms; the first two I have changed to suit my personal situation, the last one is in its original form. All of these charms and spells are from Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland by Francesca Speranza Wilde.

*********
 
To Attract Bees
 
photo by Umberto Salvagnin
Gather on Midsummer {the original calls for this on Bealtaine/May Day, so the change I made is due to the climate that I am in}:
 
foxglove
raspberry leaves
wild marjoram
mint
chamomile
valerian
 
Mix them in butter that is also made on Midsummer {original calls for Bealtaine/May Day}. Boil them altogether with honey. Rub the mixture on a small clay pot and place in the bottom of a bee box and the bees will soon come.
 
*********
 
Against Enemies
 
royalty free photo
 
The three things are of my evil adversary:
 
An evil gaze;
An evil tongue;
An evil mind.
 
The three things are of my Gods:

The merciful word;
The singing word;
And the good word.
May the power of these three sacred things be on all of those that I hold dear.
 
*********
 
A Charm for Safety


Pluck ten blades of yarrow, keep nine, and cast the tenth away for tithe to the spirits. Put the nine in your stocking, under the heel of the right foot, when going a journey, and evil will have no power over you.

*********

Sláinte!

Laurel

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Jack-o'-Lanterns

 
A few Jacks on our doorstep, waiting for the trick-or-treaters that the rain kept away. They are nothing fancy, but it was a wee bit easier carving the turnip this year {the secret: a spoon with a very sturdy handle!}. The top Jack is a turnip, the other two are pumpkins.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Blessings to You All This Samhain

royalty free photo
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft star-shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.

May your loved ones, both ancestor and alive be with you to celebrate this sacred time! Warm hearts & hearths to all of you dear readers!
 
Sláinte!
 
Laurel

Sunday, October 28, 2012

As Samhain Approaches

original photo by Crystal Woroniuk
 
With Samhain & Hallowe'en being just a few days away, this is a good time as any to share some seasonal resources that might be of interest to you folks.
 
Over at the nefaeria blog I did a post a couple of years back about Samhain & Hallowe'en, which covers a bit of the history and lore and I did a post on Ancestral offerings {and of course there is quite a bit about offerings and Ancestor reverence and workings that you can find by looking through "ancestors" and "offerings" tags}.
 
Tairis as usual has a treasure trove of information about the Gaelic history and lore of Samhain, ideas on how to celebrateturnip carving,  and a wee bit on divination, too.
 
Three Shouts on a Hilltop has a neat post called Necromancy in the Irish Tradition, as well as another great post about working with an Irish deity associated with death.

Over at the Tuacondate website the group has shared two beautiful {Celtic Reconstructionist} ritual outlines that they did in 2009 and 2010 for Samhain.

Should you want more ideas on traditional Irish ways of celebrating Samhain, Hutman Productions shares some, along with instructions on how to make a Parshell, or Samhain Cross.

For some awesome story-telling, check out Story Archaeology's exploration of Samhain in Irish myth and folklore and New World Witchery's podcast episodes of spooky legends from here in North America.

Sláinte!

Laurel

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Monday, October 22, 2012

Fall Leaf Candle Holder

 
At this point there are more leaves on the ground than on the trees, so I decided to bring some in to start getting our home all gussied up for Samhain. One of the uses I found for them was to make a fall leaf candle holder. I think that the leaves look so pretty with the candle glowing behind them!
 
 
 
These are really simple to make and might be a craft activity that children would enjoy.You can find instructions on how to make them here.
 
Sláinte!
 
Laurel

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Cross Quarter Waters

Tobernault Holy Well grotto in Sligo Co, Ireland. Photo by BA_Banks
During the cross quarters {to many neo pagans these are called the high sabbats} there are traditions of collecting water, whether it be from dew on a leaf, a holy well, or by leaving a bowl out to collect rain. Below you will see some of these traditions found in Ireland, Scotland & the Isle of Man, and I will share some of the ways that I collect water and what I use it for. If I am able to collect enough water, I will keep it in clean corked bottles {I usually re-use old whiskey bottles}.

Imbolc
 
There are a couple traditions that I have come across involving water for Imbolc. Sometimes water would be left outdoors or by the hearth on the Eve of Imbolc for Brigid to bless, which would be used for healing and fertility. Water was also collected from holy wells associated with Brigid which would be used to bless the household and livestock.
 
Since I do not live by a holy well, I will collect clean snow and leave it in a bowl for Brigid to bless. I use this water for house blessings and clearings {or saining}, as well as in purification rituals and for workings involving women's sexual healing and fertility.

Bealtaine

Many folks would visit holy wells and sacred water sites around the beginning of May to drink and bathe in the waters for healing or to take some home with them for luck and protection. The first "cream" of the well or spring collected for Bealtaine was thought to be the most potent. Dew was also collected and used by women and girls to bring beauty; both dew and the first cream was also used for blessing the milk cows and butter churns.
 
On Bealtaine morning before sunrise, I will collect dew {especially from lady's mantle} and bring in the bowls I left out to collect dew and/or rainwater. Some years I am also lucky enough to share some of the first "cream" of a friend's well. I use this water for consecrating seed, blessing livestock and farm buildings, as well as other agriculture rituals. The water is also useful for lust and romance workings.
 
Lughnasadh

It seems that people would generally go to sacred water sites and take care of business there, instead of bringing the water home with them. Sometimes horses and other livestock were put in the water for blessings, or people would immerse themselves and drink the water to heal all sorts of ailments.
 
I will collect rainwater {or river water if there is no rain} which is mainly used for harvest/reaping blessings; since Lughnasadh was historically a time for making contracts and paying taxes, I will also use it in workings involving engagements, marriage, oaths, business and finances, as well as other commitments. 

Samhain

I haven't come across many traditions involving water for Samhain, although the Tairis site mentions that water from a wise woman was sometimes used to bless folks for protection from the evil eye. If you happen to know of any traditions, please feel free to share them in the comment section!

On the Eve of Samhain I will leave out bowls to collect rainwater {there is no shortage at this time of year!}, which is used for workings involving divination, death and working with ancestors, protection against malignant forces and magic, and for hexing.

Sláinte!

Laurel

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Orange Peel Fungus

 
I harvested these orange peel fungi {Aleuria aurantia} in my garden a couple of weeks back when I stumbled upon them while doing a fall clean up of one of my veggie patches. It likes to grow in areas of disturbed soil, and I see it quite often on the side of the road and in local parks.
 
While there are reputable sources that claim that orange peel fungus is safe to eat, I cannot confirm this. After carefully cleaning the dirt off, I dried them and will be used in a charm for justice.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

And the Winner is....


all entries
First, thanks again to all who participated. To be completely honest I was surprised that so many entered! I have enjoyed reading your contributions, and there are a few new blogs that I will definitely be keeping an eye too.
 
And finally, the winner is...

entry 31, Dusken
Congrats Dusken! I will be getting in touch with you to get a mailing address and an email to send off your cyber gift certificate! Or you can email me at unfetteredwood(at)yahoo.ca.{Something that I forgot to mention in the original giveaway post is that all info given to me for these giveaways will not be used for anything but mailing the prizes. I will not re-sell info or spam folks!}

I have every intention of doing another giveaway in the near future, I am aiming for the next one to be for around Imbolc.
 
Sláinte!

Laurel

Monday, October 15, 2012

Samhain Giveaway Now Closed

This is just a quick note to let everyone know that the Samhain giveaway is now closed and I will be posting the results of the random draw tomorrow.

Thanks to all of you who entered, I have been enjoying all of the wonderful traditions and lore you folks have shared!

Sláinte!

Laurel

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Sparrow Wings, or Always Carry a Bag in Your Pocket


I have been preserving sparrow wings that were found on my doorstep; the aftermath of a kitty no doubt. All the was left was a pair of partially intact wings and a few feathers. Usually when I come across such a find I hold a little ritual and bury them. Besides items like feathers and shed antlers, I usually do not collect animal parts myself, although I have kept some dead insects that I have found, such as the bee that sits on my altar in a little bottle.

Given where I found the wings and their placement, I felt that I was meant to keep them. So I left them in cornmeal for one month in a shoebox in a dark, cool place. After the month was up I then carefully dusted off the cornmeal with a small paintbrush. I got the info on how to do it here.

Finding the sparrow wings reminded me of when a group of us first graders found a dead sparrow on the school ground, and we had a little funeral for it near the baseball diamond. The recess monitor who caught us in the act was horrified, marching us to the bathrooms to wash our hands, when one of my friends proudly pointed out that the bird was handled with a plastic bag that she had in her pocket. Turns out her smart Granny advised her to always carry one on her just in case. Bless her!

Since that day I have carried the advice and a bag with me, because you never know what witchy folks will find when out for their adventures. ;) 

For those who are called to work with found animals and want to do your own preserving, some great resources for you to check out are Ms. Graveyard Dirt and Sarah Lawless for practical info. Another great source of information for those who wish to purchase or sell animal parts, Lupa from The Green Wolf has a list of laws for these transactions {mostly focused on the U.S., but there is some info for other countries}.

Just one final note: I have no intention of selling animal parts; I am a complete greenhorn in this department and I am definitely not qualified to do so.
 
Sláinte!

Laurel