Eamhain Mhacha: Neamhspleáchas agus Cómhalartacht/The Twins of Macha: Autonomy and Reciprocity

 {The Lughnasadh season is upon us here in the Northern hemisphere, a time to remember the Sovereignty Goddesses and their sacrifices. We sadly lost Shuhada Sadaqat/Sinéad O'Connor just a few days ago; her actions and convictions, what she offered up to the world, emulated how I imagine a Sovereignty Goddess would be. So while I am devoted to Macha, my love and gratitude extend to all the Sovereignty Goddesses and to everyone who strives for liberation on behalf of themselves and the collective. ❤️‍🔥

This is my attempt to help process some of my thoughts and much of what is written here probably won't be new to folx who are reading it. But perhaps it can spark some of your own thoughts around sovereignty, what that might look like to you and its importance. So here is my little prayer for us to return to ways of being that are centered in autonomy and reciprocity.}

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🌟 Eamhain Mhacha: Neamhspleáchas agus Cómhalartacht/The Twins of Macha: Autonomy and Reciprocity 🌟

These last few years have been a bit of a crash course in personal sovereignty. This has also been accompanied by confliction of the whole concept, as sovereignty is often meant as power-over instead of empowerment. After spending some time in Macha's territory it has become clear that there is still so much to unlearn/learn and to sort out in my heart, head and spirit. 

As I sat on top of Eamhain Mhacha, I started to revisit the idea of what sovereignty means to me both as an anarchist and as an Irish-centered polytheist. This is a place thought to be the ancient seat of rule for the province of Uladh {Ulster} and Macha being the tutelary Goddess here is often associated with sovereignty. What might that mean to her and her devotees today? What potential does that have to offer or even what did it look like before we thought that we could own other beings and places? In quiet ritual, I consulted her and remembered her stories that are rooted here.

I remembered the arrogance of both her chosen husband Cruinniuc and of King Conor; her husband's boasts and the king's fragile ego. The betrayal and the abuse of power. 

Betrayal of the husband after he swore to Macha not to mention their relationship or her Otherwordly talents. Instead of keeping his promise, Cruinniuc bragged at a {either Lughnasadh or Samhain} feast hosted by King Conor that his wife could outrun the king's fastest horses. This lead to Macha having to make good on his boasts, as the king threatened to kill her husband if she didn't race against those horses. Problem was she was very pregnant, in the final stage, ready to give birth soon. She pleaded with King Conor to allow her to give birth first, but the tyrant wasn't having it. She turned to the crowd of people at the feast, seeing if anyone would speak on her behalf for the king to have mercy. She was instead met with mockery and jeers.

Macha raced the king's horses and won, right after which she gave birth to twins. It is thought by many that Eamhain Mhacha was named after them, "The Twins of Macha".

I remembered that abuse of power and betrayal, not only by her husband and the king, but by all present, everyone was culpable. I also keenly remembered the defiant curse that Macha spat out: for nine generations all the men of Ulster would become weak and immobilized with the pangs of birth in Ulster's greatest times of need. This is the part of the story I hold onto most dearly; not the curse itself but it's Macha's rebellion and resilience that enchants me.

Many of us have known deep betrayal and abuse of power, and at the same time, there are many of us who are culpable at benefitting and participating in those very things as well.

As for Macha's Twins, there are a few different outcomes I've heard. Sometimes there is no mention of their fate at all; sometimes they become the chariot horses for the hero Cú Chulainn, and sometimes they are taken back to the Otherworld with Macha. For me they have become the embodiments of Neamhspleáchas/Autonomy and Cómhalartacht/Reciprocity as Macha herself is an embodiment of Flaitheas/Sovereignty.

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✨️Neamhspleáchas/Autonomy✨️

 In my own struggles to find healing and to reclaim power, there have been people who have tried to dictate to me what that should look like. Sometimes I think this was coming from a good place, and other times there was an agenda, and in those times people would try to use their own power over me to push their agenda. In softer instances it would be run-of-the-mill paternalism, and in more fucked up instances it was manipulation, threats of punishment and weaponizing my own trauma against me. All in the name of "saving me from myself". 

Internalizing this from a young age has at times made me judgemental of others, and unfortunately there have been people who were dear to me that I failed. Instead of being a good friend, I allowed my disagreement with some of their choices get in the way of meeting them where they were at. Sadly they are no longer here for me to try to make it up to them.

Dogma and authoritarian tactics are rampant in non profits and charities that are supposed to be serving marginalized people. Shit like saviourism {especially the white variety!} as well as withholding of services to those who need it if they don't conform to some narrow vision of "acceptable" behaviour {i.e. joining a certain religion, practicing sobriety and heteronormativity}. But this isn't limited to these types organizations, I have seen grassroots and other types of activist groups openly shun people for not meeting their purity mandates {such as people who do sex work, who use substances or who are Queer}. 

And lastly, I have both witnessed and experienced spiritual leaders in pagan communities who have misused their influence over vulnerable people who came to them in trust. Bidding us to listen to what they say our Otherwordly crews require of us, attempting to persuade us from our choices, otherwise we aren't "stepping into our full power" {or some variation of that}. Once again, in some of these cases the shunning is brought down for not following their directions.

So in saying that, what I envision sovereignty to be would have firstly the component of autonomy. We are the experts of our own trauma and needs. It is so important that we all have the freedom and space to figure out what that looks like, to make mistakes, to learn, and to have a voice. 

With that autonomy I also think it's important to reject the hyper cutthroat individualism that the dominant western culture pushes.

✨️Cómhalartacht/Reciprocity✨️

Western colonizer culture is set up for us to be in perpetual isolation and alienation; this makes it possible for those who hold the power to maintain its apparatus of extraction and exploitation.

Those in power want us to forget that we are all interconnected. That we as humans are connected to one another, but more than that, we are connected with all beings. We are all kin. If we remember this, we are more likely to live in the spirit of reciprocity. 

There is a wonderful Irish seanfhocal/proverb that sum this up perfectly: "ar scáth a chéile a mhaireas na daoine/it is under the shelter of each other that we survive". 

 It can be hard to imagine what that would even look like or figure out how we get there. Or it could be hard to believe that it is even conceivable. But it can be done, it has been done, it is being done.

Personally I don't think this is about creating some utopia or that this will solve all our problems. I do think however that there are so many possibilities of what we can do now to attempt to shift into living in right relationship, but since it is so vastly different to what many of us are familiar with, it might be daunting to figure out what that even means.

There are two quotes from Robin Wall Kimmerer in Braiding Sweetgrass that really speak to my heart of what it means to live in reciprocal ways:

"Action on behalf of life transforms. Because the relationship between self and the world is reciprocal, it is not a question of first getting enlightened or saved and then acting. As we work to heal the earth, the earth heals us."

and 

"The most important thing each of us can know is our unique gift and how to use it in the world. Individuality is cherished and nurtured, because, in order for the whole to flourish, each of us has to be strong in who we are and carry our gifts with conviction, so they can be shared with others."

What a beautiful way to resist western colonizer culture.

Perhaps it might also be helpful to think of ways in which reciprocity is already expressed in our lives. Both in how we send that out into the world and how it is given to us. This might be a nice starting point or something to reflect on when we feel like we are "not doing enough" or when we lose hope. I definitely lean into this when my health stuff limits me and want to figure out how I can contribute while in recovery mode. 

As animists, pagans and magical workers we can turn to our spirit allies to collaborate with, our ancestors for healing and support and to the stories of our deities and heros for inspiration.

This sacred territory of Macha is still colonized, and as an outsider it's not my say how decolonization here would look like. Where I live, Turtle Island is still of course colonized too, and the active genocide against Indigenous people is still happening. Some of my ancestors were settlers from Ireland, fleeing from An Gorta Mór, The Great Hunger that was forced upon them by the English. Others who were first British colonizers here on this island, then moving on to become participants in the genocidal colonizer project on Turtle Island. One thing both those lines have in common is that they both bought into the lie of white supremacy and benefitted from it. And with that I inherited privilege and responsibility.

I mention this because we most certainly can't have the kind of sovereignty that I am envisioning here without actively eradicating colonization. For settlers that means listening to Indigenous people whose lands they occupy and supporting Indigenous lead tactics when welcomed to. 

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I don't believe that the Sovereignty Goddesses were born to represent dominance, but come from a time when many more of us rememembered our interconnection. That kind of sovereignty is not about promoting greed or control, or retribution. Instead it upholds generosity, cooperation and restoration. And I think to get to that Sovereignty it is of equal importance to have Autonomy because we are individuals, and Reciprocity because we are a collective. 

Míle buíochas to Macha for all your lessons, protection and guidance. Sé do bheatha, a Macha/Hail Macha!

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Beannachtai,

Laurel

Lughnasadh Blessings

{photo of a working with Macha from last year}

I hope that everyone is having a fruitful beginning to the season of Lughnasadh {or a wonderful Imbolc for those in the Southern half}! 

The first fruits of the harvest for me are more of a spiritual and symbolic nature this year, rather than the literal and tangible ones. Reaping the blessings of seeds planted this past spring, or even before that, as I do observances looking back.

As mentioned several times before, for me personally, this is the beginning of Macha's time. This year simple offerings of beer and oatcakes, as well as seasonal wildflowers and grasses in a bouquet picked under a new moon and a cloak pin dedicated to her. A humble thanks for kicking my ass up mountains; some real ones, while others have come in the form of challenges that life tends to put in our ways. These last few years especially she has given me strength when I have been ready to give in, all in knowing that I can have faith in her to shield me from more than I can handle. 

May this time be fruitful for you all!

A Reddening Ritual {a Deer's Skull}

Just about a year ago I had done a rebirthing of a deer skull under last July's full moon {often called a Buck Moon, which last year also turned out to be the longest blood moon eclipse of this century}. I had wanted to do a post about it in greater detail, meaning to share the three stage process I went through to redden, rebirth, and consecrate and bind the skull to myself for ritual purpose.

A year on, I had been reminded that I wanted to post on this when doing a ritual this past full Buck Moon honouring my lovely deer friend. So, here we are, this is the first post of three in this little series of what I did for this particular skull. The process and ritual I will be sharing is something that I have done not only for animal remains, but also some other sacred items, most recently before this skull, my rowan stang, and don't see why others couldn't do the same should they be adverse to doing this for the remains of an animal.

While this is a practice I started doing before I considered myself a Gaelic polytheist, it has been refined over time to fit my personal practice and cosmology, and below is how I would go about doing it today. Just in case there are folks who are looking for inspiration on how one might do a ritual like this, I am going into quite a bit of depth here. Anyhow, on with it.

Instead of me rattling off what reddening is, and why we do it, I will be lazy and share a really great post that had been done on the In The Chimehours blog back in 2011, who also in this post reddened a very handsome deer skull.

This deerie was found by another in the forest, he was a white-tailed buck, whose antlers had been shed and had not started to grow new ones. So he had died in winter or early spring. I think that he was a younger lad, probably two or three years of age, and how he was found, his death seemed to be a natural one. I believe that while I was initially connecting to him, I saw what the cause was, but obviously can't say for sure. His skull had been exposed to the elements for some while by the time he was found. Not the "prettiest" skull, but he is certainly my favourite. His spirit has turned out to be a most precious ally in my travels when I walk between worlds.

At some point I may go into greater detail on how I've developed and maintain my relationships with spirit allies, especially of those whose remains I am the steward of. For now I will just say that before I started to woo him into working with me, I had made a little shrine to him, and left regular offerings, which I still do today. 

Prior to the actual reddening, I did a small offering and saining ritual on the new moon. The skull was placed on a plate that held the dry ingredients of the reddening paste {pictured and listed below}, surrounded by a rowan berry necklace and candles of the Three Realms.

• Lighting the candles of the Three Realms: Sky {"Blessings of the sky above"}, Sea {"Blessings of the sea about"}, Land {"blessings of the land below"}
• Lighting the hearth candle, a prayer of welcome is said to The Three {Gods, Spirits and Ancestors} and offerings are made: incense {representing Sky} whiskey {representing Sea}, and food {representing Land}. 
• A threefold saining is then performed: juniper smoke {"blessings of Sky"} is moved over the skull, saining water {"blessings of Sea"} is sprinkled over the skull, and sea salt and purifying herbs {"blessings of Land"} is lightly rubbed on the skull 

Below is a list of the dry ingredients that I had used in this reddening paste. Keeping in mind, I was reddening this skull to house an ally I wished to do specific types of spirit work with, the contents of this reddening paste reflects that. Ingredients may vary, depending on what the purpose of the item being reddened is. The dried ingredients I used here are {* potentially or is poison, handle with care}: 

Ancestral graveyard dirt

Staghorn sumac berries

Rowan berries

Ghost fern

Oak leaves

Wormwood*

European mandrake roots*

Bittersweet nightshade berries*

Yew*

Mugwort*

Willow bark

Dandelion root

Mullein

Black nightshade berries*

The wet ingredients for the reddening paste were three beets, each one carved with one of the names of the Three Realms in ogham: Nem {Sky}, Muir {Sea}, and Talam {Land} that were then boiled until they could be mashed; Samhain water, and nine drops of my blood. 

This was then all mixed together in a paste and plastered on the skull, which was left on for about 24 hours until it could crumble off by itself. Before moving onto the next stage, he was left to dry out completely for nine days.

Intentions Behind Making Offerings {Part 2}

This is a follow up to a post I did a few days ago Intentions Behind Making Offerings; there has been quite a bit of discussion over at Tumblr in response to the post over there, which showed me that there was a need for me to clarify a few things, which I am doing over here as well. You can see the discussion over at Tumblr here.

 

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 I have read all the responses and comments so far to my initial post, and I appreciate all the feedback. Before I respond to other people’s thoughts, I will reiterate that everything that I am writing here is just my own opinion, I am not representing any group or stating that these are the opinions of those who share a similar faith as my own {although I would be especially curious to hear what other Gaelic Polytheists and Celtic Reconstructionists feel on this topic}.

 

After reading the responses I have gotten and re-reading my initial post, I feel that I was not thorough enough to begin with and made some assumptions that others who would be reading my post would already know my overall position on making offerings and have a general feel of my position when it comes to relationships with deities, ancestors and spirits. To save some time in completely repeating myself, I welcome people to read the other post I had linked to here. I will however be going into further detail as necessary.

 

Something else I failed to be clear on in my initial post was what types of Pagans, polytheists and magical practitioners I was originally talking about, which were those who feel they practice some “Celtic” based or inspired faith. I have tried to find the original article that I had alluded to and unfortunately have not been able to find it on Tumblr anymore. It was called something like “Offerings Celtic Style” and was originally posted on Tumblr around July or August. If anyone remembers that post and it is still around, please feel free to share it.

 

There are people from different traditions and faiths that have responded to this, most notably people from a Kemetic path {a timely discussion is going on right now, which I recommend other people read, as it is quite interesting, which can be seen here}. I will not pretend to have even the slightest clue what it is like to deal with the Gods of people from a completely different spiritual path than my own, and it could very well be that what I consider to be bribes is perfectly acceptable to their Gods and their value-system. I am comfortable saying though that I do not think that this approach is acceptable with the deities that I have a relationship with nor is this an approach that fits into my own world view.

 

Some folks have mentioned the idea of a “gift for a gift” and someone had also used the word “reciprocity”, which I feel both encapsulate what I am trying to get at here. The spirit in which I see these terms is in complete opposition to some people who think that they can take without giving back or only give something to manipulate someone to get what they want.

 

Someone mentioned if we don’t get something back from the Gods then what is the point? Indeed. There is something I feel I get back including guidance, protection, wisdom. I may ask for something that I feel I need or ask on behalf of someone else, that does not however mean that my Gods are here to fulfill my every whim and demand.

 

Long before I start asking for things, while I am still in the early stages of developing a relationship with a deity or spirit, I will make offerings, take actions to demonstrate my intentions, to show hospitality. If and when a relationship is established, then I may ask for something.

 

While I do not pretend to be “equal”, I do espouse to treat my Gods, Ancestors and the Spirits I work with as I would someone who is dear to me. They are not here for me to use. That said, I do of course get something back for having a relationship with them. If I did not, much like a one-sided friendship, eventually ties would be severed.

 

It is difficult for me to clearly define how I see my deities, although, at least in part, I see them as mentors and kindred. If I were to have a wise person in my life teaching and guiding me, there would be an automatic amount of respect that I would have for them; anyone who I feel is my kindred, I have an automatic amount of respect for them.

 

Besides what I already get out of a relationship with a mentor or kindred, I may ask that person for a favour. The may agree to grant that favour, or they may not. I would still respect them either way and I would try to avoid manipulating them, giving them ultimatums, or bribing them as I see these things as disrespectful.

 

For me offerings are made with a generous heart; they are just one expression of the values that I see as sacred, the values that I try to uphold in every day life.

 

I hope that I have somewhat clarified my position and I welcome further comments and discussion, whether you agree or disagree.

 

Sláinte!

Laurel

Intentions Behind Making Offerings

I will preface this post by stating that what is written here is just my own point of view, which can either be taken or left.

Over the past few months I have been noticing an increased amount of Pagans, polytheists and magical practitioners talking about making offerings as a part of their practice. Many folks are talking about the research they are doing to find out what type of offerings to make, the quality of the offerings and so forth. All great. Fantastic even. There is however a trend that has irked me, and this is the spirit in which the offerings are sometimes made.

 

One article in particular really got under my skin, which was an "offerings 101" type thing advising people to make offerings to get what they want. The whole tone of the article was one of commanding spirits and "using" deities to get ahead in life, a spiritual view that is completely foreign to me and perhaps even dangerous.

 

To me the act of making an offering is a sign of hospitality; it is the giving of a gift out of gratitude, friendship, respect. Offerings are a part of sacred devotion and reverence.  The act of giving to get what you want is bribery, something that dirty policy-makers do. Surely there is nothing sacred nor hospitable about that.

 

In other words, bribes are not offerings.  The intention behind making an offering is equally important--if not more so--as the act and effort behind it.

 

For a wee bit more on making offerings, you can check out a previous post here. I welcome thoughts and comments, including ones in opposition to me own.

 

Sláinte!

 

Laurel

 

Hospitality for My Ancestors & An Cailleach

I finally found the time and energy to properly welcome my Ancestors & An Cailleach and to celebrate the season. Offerings of baked apples, pumpkin muffins, roasted pumpkin seeds, whiskey and tea were made. The house has been sained, along with some other timely workings and divination.

 

When my ritual and workings were over, I went outside and not only was it snowing, but there were a bunch of small white moths flying around. Moths are often seen as messengers from the Otherworld. I feel both the Storm Hag and my Ancestors near.

 

May you all be reaping the blessings of this time!

 

Laurel

"Nature Friendly" Offering Stones

Like quite a few other Pagans and magical practitioners, I have embraced and enjoyed the idea of making offering stones. However, I have seen some made with food colouring, sparkles and salt, ingredients which would be fine if left on an indoor altar, but probably not the best if you are leaving them outside.

The base recipe that I use is very simple and inspired by salt-free play dough:

2 cups organic unbleached all purpose flour

1/4 cup organic Scottish oats 

1/2 cup of water {I use river water that I collected from a place that is sacred to me}

Mix all the ingredients together until it has a smooth play dough texture. Add more water if necessary.

I then add dried botanicals to mine, depending on who they are meant for. Pictured are my staple offering stones to my Deities, Ancestors and Land Spirits. If you wanted to add colour, I suppose one could try to use plant dyes, although this is not something that I have done myself.

Then I leave them to air dry on a wire rack for two or three days. I make smaller batches that I use up quickly, so I am not sure how long of a “shelf life” they have. If this is a concern, I am sure that they could be kept in a freezer in an air tight container once they have fully dried.

 

Sláinte!

Laurel

Doing Rituals in Nature



deer spirit vessel by Sarah Lawless

A few days ago I came across this posting on Tumblr, with photos of all sorts of litter left behind presumably by Pagans after a ritual in a forest. Seeing this angered me to put it mildly. I am sure that the people who left the plastic clooties and Brigid crosses behind meant well, but really, a wee bit of common sense goes a long way.

 

So, with that in mind, I thought that I would do a small post to share some tips:

 

Not Disturbing

 

When doing a ritual in a natural place, try to leave it as you found it. Picking up after yourself, and perhaps cleaning up any litter from before you got there is good form. Making sure that other parts of your ritual will not disturb the place {such as excessive noise or moving things around} is good to keep in mind too.

 

Planning Ahead



Many folks put a lot of effort into planning their rituals: things such as timing, what tools they will need, what they are going to bring with them and so on. Taking a bit of extra time to find out what precautions you need to take for a certain area or certain times {i.e. would your ritual potentially disturb nesting birds? is your area under a dry spell which makes forest fires more likely?} and finding out what regulations might be for the area you are doing your ritual in are important.

 

Taking stock of how your ritual items might impact the area is a good idea {i.e. if using candles, making sure they are in containers} and planning on bring extra items "just in case" {i.e. garbage bags, water} wouldn't hurt either. 

 

Paying Attention

 

Should a ritual have risks such as fire, someone needs to keep an eye on it and make sure it is put out properly before leaving. Sometimes rituals involve deep concentration, so in cases like this, having someone designated to keep an eye on things could be helpful.

 

 Leaving Offerings

 

I think that making offerings is becoming more popular, and that is good to see. However, making sure that offerings that are being left out do not negatively effect the immediate environment or the critters who live there is imperative. Research and care will probably be necessary, but I do believe that is a part of the gesture.

 

The Root and Rock blog has a lovely recipe for "Wildlife Friendly Cakes" and you can check out my post on offerings for more ideas.



Taking Mementos

 

Sometimes a part of a ritual might involve taking something; this goes back to planning ahead and not disturbing. Find out if it is actually legal to take an item from a site or if something you want to harvest is endangered beforehand.

 

My wildcrafting etiquette post might be helpful on this topic. 



photo from a forest ritual a couple of years ago

 

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Sláinte!

 

Laurel

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

An Afternoon of Wildcrafting

Yesterday I went wildcrafting in one of my favourite spots, spending a couple of hours harvesting to replenish some of my herb supplies. It was a lovely day and I had equally lovely company with me too.

I like to wildcraft with others so I can have an extra set of eyes and ears, but I only go with those I completely trust to keep my spots a secret, so they are not over harvested {I talk a bit about this in my Wildcrafting Etiquette post}. This particular area is especially important to me because this is where I get a good portion of my rowan berries and sweetfern.

Before I got to harvesting I made my way to the spot where I make my offerings to the spirits of the area. After that we also spent some time just enjoying the beauty of the place. Below are some photos of our day.

The offerings.

One of the lovely rowans.

A place that I call Hagstone Rock.

All sorts of pretties, including golden rod.

Even though we came across all sorts of fungi, I didn't harvest any. That will be for the next trip.

Lots of signs of bears down this pathway.

Himalayan balsam {thanks Cathy for letting me know what they are!}

Harvest specimens: yarrow, milkweed pods, rowan berries, tansy, golden rod, staghorn sumac berries, and sweetfern.

Sláinte!

Laurel

A Good Start to the First Harvest

mixed grain loaf

Things have been quite busy around here the last few weeks, but thankfully I have had time to celebrate Lughnasadh and have been able to spend a lot of time in our garden.

Just like with the other cross quarter days I observe Lughnasadh over a period of a few weeks instead of just a day or two. While mostly associated with a time to honour Lugh and Tailtiu {and I do honour Them as well}, my main personal focus at this time is Macha.

One of the rituals I like to do around Lughnasadh is a reaping blessing, which as you can see below from my adaptation of a reaping blessing from Carmina Gadelica is traditionally done on a Tuesday. Lughnasadh Eve fell on a Tuesday this year, which is when I originally wanted to do it. Unfortunately the weather was really shoddy that day; stuck indoors, I setup our seasonal altar on Lughnasadh Eve.

Lughnasadh morning I ended up carrying out the reaping blessing the next day, along with a nice harvest.

On Tuesday of the feast at the rise of the sun,
And the back of the bountiful fruits to the east,
I will go forth with my basket under my arm,
And I will pluck up the fruit.
While the harvested fruit is in my grasp,
I will raise mine eye upwards,
I will turn me on my heel quickly,
Rightway as travels the sun
From the airt of the east to the west,
From the airt of the north with motion calm
To the very core of the airt of the south.
I will give thanks to the Hosts of grace
For the growing crops of the ground,
They will give food to ourselves and to the Tribe
According as They disposeth to us.
Macha, Airmid, Flidais and Bride,
Gods, Ancestors, and Nature Spirits kind.

~ adaptation of a Reaping Blessing from Carmina Gadelica

blue jay bush bean harvest

The rest of the day was spent baking bread and making a yummy dinner and offering rituals in the evening.

A few days later I made more offering incense for Macha as the ingredients had become available once again. One of the blends I created is burnt in thanks for the bounty of the fields, blessing of the harvest, and for abundance in general; the other blend is for divination, magical workings, connecting with the dead and for battles. These two blend will be among the incense I will have available in the store.

Once more crops begin to ripen in our garden, we will then have our "big" Lughnasadh feast which will close things up. To see how our garden is doing, you can go check out a recent post over at my other blog.

Sláinte!

Laurel

Smudge Sticks, Dream Catchers, Etc.

I have had a few people request that I make smudge sticks and dream catchers for them, so I figured that I would post this publicly to curb any future disappointments. Both of these are part of traditional cultures of some Indigenous peoples from here on Turtle Island, and I don't think it is my place to make and sell them.

For those who work with and honour local spirits, I will be making a loose incense available that I use to make offerings in my own practice. Some will be available once all of the ingredients are ready.

In regards to cultural appropriation I have some pretty strong opinions, but I will leave that for another day.

Sláinte!

Laurel

Midsummer Herb Harvests

after a morning in the garden

Some folks have asked me what rituals I do when I harvest herbs and have requested that I share some photos of those harvests. This is just a post sharing a bit about that.

Just like pretty much every other activity around here, rituals for herb harvesting are often of an offertory nature. In this case offerings are left for land spirits and for one of my household deities. Since the bigger herb harvests begin around the end of June, my seasonal altar will be dedicated to Airmid from Midsummer until around the end of July, when it will then be set up for Lughnasadh. 

During this period regular offerings such as herbal tea, incense, herb bread and butter, salads, and fresh cut flowers are left to Her on the altar. Frequent offerings of honey and tobacco to land spirits are left out in a place in our garden dedicated to them, which is done year round.

A part of the altar is also dedicated to pollinators, with offerings of thanks for all the work they do in the garden.

Just like when I harvest plants from the wild, I will make offerings to the plants I am harvesting, usually that will be a nourishing powder mixture that I make {more about those will be talked about in the future} and I will let the plants know what I intend to use the harvests for. Sometimes when being harvested for a particular purpose, I will harvest them at a certain time of day and at a certain phase of the moon. These harvests are usually accompanied with spoken charms.

The photos below were taken during one of the days that I did a general harvest during the time of the full moon.

Wormwood

Lemon Balm

Perriwinkle, Motherwort, Lady's Mantle, Peppermint, and Sweet Woodruff

Common Comfrey

Throughout the rest of the season I will still harvest herbs right up until the frosts, although the yields tend to be quite less.

For those who are interested, I post more often about our garden on the nefaeria blog.

Sláinte!

Laurel

Incense Making

Yesterday I spent a couple of hours making incense that I use in offerings. One blend is for Airmid which has a green, pungent and floral scent, and the other is for Flidais that smells of a wild and lusty woodland.

Gifts for Birds

{cross posted at the nefaeria blog}

A couple of days ago I erected a birdie altar for some of my allies and set aside a part of it to represent the feathered folk who visit us in our yard. Food and a clean source of water are always available to them, but I do get a little more ceremonious about it every once and a while.

American Robins eat berries, which of course can be difficult for them to find this time of year. I save most choke and pin cherries in our freezer after harvesting them {as you can see they are still frosty in the photo}. I have heard of people putting out grapes and other soft fruit for Robins too. Leaving out a big bird bath and keeping your yard a good environment for the creepy crawlies they eat are also good ways to make a welcoming environment for them. You can go to this website to see a list to get more ideas: Journey North: American Robins

Both Crows and Ravens are omnivores, so they will eat just about anything. They seem to really enjoy peanuts still in the shell so that is what I will often leave out for them. You can go to Crows.net & The Raven's Aviary to find out more about how you can make your outdoor space inviting to them.

If you are lucky like us and get all sorts of birds visiting you yard, then leaving out multiple feeders and piles of different seeds is a good idea. Some birds like to eat from the ground while other seem to prefer the feeders. Over the last little while I have gathered scraps of thread to leave out for the birds for their nests. Theresa Loe blogged a great idea on how to place the thread outdoors.

Sláinte!

Laurel