Healing with the Aid of Ancestors {Ritual and Herbal Powder Recipe}

I had been inspired by two events and two plants this year to finally do an Ancestral healing ritual this past Samhain. This is something that I had been wishing to do for a few years now, and had worked my way towards it on some counts, but also had been avoiding doing so, not ready to face or let go of some pain and anger. 

The first event of inspiration happened when I was at Tlachtga/Hill of Ward this past Bealtaine, after hearing the story of Tlachtga, I knew that I had wanted to do something on Samhain to honour her. In her story she is deeply betrayed by her jealous father, which lead to her rape and impregnation, causing her to birth three sons, which also ultimately lead to her death. But instead of her last words being of vengeance and hatred, they were of hope and love, the naming of her three sons: Cuma, Muach and Doirb. And as long as those names are remembered, Ireland and her people shall be safe from catastrophe. To me Tlachtga is a figure of strength and sovereignty; not necessarily encouraging forgiveness and most certainly not forgetting, but urging one forward to live their full potential, irregardless of what life throws at them. Also while at the Hill of Ward, I had my first of many experiences during my time in Ireland of communing with various nature spirits, this time being with Stinging Nettle. Already an ally, I was reminded of the many lessons that this plant can teach. One of them being that just like the pain one can get through harvesting them, it could be well worth going through the experience for the potential of nourishment and healing that both the plant and painful experience can bring. For only through such experiences can we truly gain the insights needed to heal ourselves and help others with the same. 

The second event of inspiration came this past summer during a get together up north, while visiting our family cemetery in a small village. The whole place was carpeted by beautiful Selfheal/Heal-all, another beloved plant ally. I harvested some, knowing that it would be perfect for helping heal family and ancestral wounds. 

While I did initialize the healing on Samhain, it is a work in progress, so this is something that I continue to do. I suppose it could be said that this has been incorporated into my devotional work with my Ancestors, hopefully that is mutually beneficial for both the living and the dead. 

I've decided to share some of that here, in case others are looking to do similar work with the aid of their own Ancestors.

Ancestral Herbal Healing Powder

A powder like this could easily be used in charms, in an incense, or as I have done and made it for adding to candles for ritual use. *Wearing gloves would be a good idea while making this, as some of the ingredients can be toxic. This was made on the full moon before Samhain, which happened to be a Sunday, to me a great time for healing work. I spent a good long while grinding everything in a mortar and pestle, in a meditative state focusing on healing. The mixture was then left under the light of the full moon to be blessed for nine days.

Stinging Nettle

Selfheal

Ancestor Graveyard Dirt

Ancestral Rose Thorns

Wild Rose

Cedar

Tansy {can be toxic}

Apple Leaves

Meadowsweet

Thyme

Bleeding Hearts {can be toxic}

Mullein

Heather

Linden Leaf and Flower

Forget-Me-Nots

Ancestral Healing Ritual

I carved on a black candle in Ogham down three separate sides "Clann" {Family}, "Shinsir" {Ancestors} and "Leighgeas" {Healing}, and over each carving placed three personal effects to consecrate the candle within the Three Realms: blood {Talam/Land}, saliva {Muir/Sea} and breath {Nem/Sky}. Then on each carving I rubbed some of the herbal powder from above, three times on each.

The candle was then placed in a silver bowl of Ancestral graveyard dirt, surrounded by three poppy pods, one at each point of the Ogham carving. Under this is kept names and situations being focused on for healing. Before being lit, the candle was anointed with nine drops of a healing oil, and sprinkled with more of the herbal powder. This is something I do every time before the candle is lit for a working.

Of course before beginning the ritual, I always leave offerings to those who I am asking help from, which I encourage everyone to do. During the ritual there are prayers, meditation and often divination as well, which I also encourage others to do, tailored to their own needs and personal practices. 

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It's never an easy thing, the process of healing. For those on that same journey, I hope that this post might be of some use to to you. 

Wild Leek/Ramp Pesto

Recently at a local farmers' market I picked up some wild leeks/ramps from the lovely folks at Wood Nettle Farm. Before I could even ask about views on wildcrafting practices, Tibrata mentioned the importance of harvesting them in a sustainable way, only taking some from any particular patch and only taking the leaves instead of harvesting up by the roots. That was all I needed to hear. And if you happen to be the area, they have what looks to be some amazing workshops and other events, including potlucks. I will definitely be checking those out and visiting them again at the market.

I am freezing some of my ramps, and decided to make a small batch of pesto. I have tried a few different recipes, some call to sautée the leeks, but I prefer to just use them raw. Below is how I made this particular batch, which yielded about 1/2 a cup of pesto.

2 1/4 cups roughly chopped raw ramp leaves

1/3 cup shelled pumpkin seeds

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

I just put everyone together in the food processor and that's it. Even easier than basil pesto. 

How Do You Like Them Apples?

{royalty free photo}

Apple season has been upon us for a while now, so here are a few recipes and other bits and bobs on how you can use the fruits of the harvest!

Apple Butter
Apple Crisp
Apple Flummery
Apple Muffins
Apple Muse
Apple Scones
Apple & Staghorn Sumac Jelly
Apple Spiced Whiskey
Baked Apples Stuffed w/Oatmeal and Brown Sugar
Baked Apples w/ Walnut and Herb Stuffing
Candy Apples
Crock Pot Apple Cider
Granny's Apple & Rhubarb Cake
Homemade Applesauce
How to Make Hard Cider
Irish Apple Cake w/ Whiskey Hard Sauce
Rowan & Apple Jelly
Rustic Apple Tart
Traditional Wassail

And some bonus folk magic with apples!

Divination w/Apples {here and here}
Shrunken Apple Heads {for Samhain decorations or can be used as a part of a poppet}
To Mend a Broken Heart

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Sláinte!

Laurel

Apple & Staghorn Sumac Jelly

I made this jelly about a month back for the first time, and definitely will be making it again! I used a really great recipe found over at the Thomasburg Walks blog.

If you are not familiar with staghorn sumac and how to harvest it, Wayward Spark has a very informative post that you can check out. I harvested mine back in August and left it out to air dry, before stashing it away in a jar to use throughout the rest of the year. If you are new to making jelly or canning, check out this article.

***One thing to note about staghorn sumac is that it is high in tannic acid, so keep boiling time for the juice limited.***

If you can, give this lovely recipe a try!

Apple-Sumac Jelly by Thomasburg Walks

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Sláinte!

Laurel

Prosperity Oil

Besides making a candle for prosperity, I also like to make a prosperity oil every year in time for Lughnasadh. I thought that I would share how I make it in case other folks might be interested in having a go at their own. 

While the first harvest feast has past, I think really any time during Autumn would be a perfectly acceptable time to make it. I like to make mine on the Thursday of a full or waxing moon.

Generally I use an olive oil base and the plant materials are ones that are traditionally or personally associated with prosperity:

Grain chaff {this year I used oats}

Lavender

Blackberry leaves

Meadowsweet

Cinquefoil

Hollyhock leaves

Elder berries

Comfrey

Borage

Hawthorn berries

Bladderwrack

This oil can be used throughout the year to anoint candles, charms and in spell work, and is not meant to be ingested or used on the body.

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Hopefully in the coming weeks I will get around to sharing some more recipes of things that I have been making lately. Until then, happy creating!

Sláinte!

Laurel

Calendula Infused Oil

Calendula is one of those staple herbs for my garden, and even after downsizing from a decent-sized yard to a balcony, I still insisted on growing it this year. I like to use it in magic of course, but I also like to make an infused oil with it.

The oil of calendula is great for many things, but I like to use it in both salves and bars for chapped skin, minor cuts, bug bites and I find when used with other herbs, it is quite effective on sore muscles.

Before starting the oil infusion I dry the flowers so there is a lesser chance of the oil going funky. For the actual oil I used grapeseed oil this year, but olive oil or perhaps almond oil work fine as well. My calendula oil is still infusing, and I will let it sit in a cool, dark spot for about a month. I shake it about every other day.

Once it is finished infusing I will strain it through cheesecloth to separate the flowers from the oil and bottle up the oil again until it is ready to use.

To a see a great herbal infusion tutorial, head on over to the Mountain Rose Herbs blog. They also have some great recipes on how to use your calendula oil once it's ready.

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Sláinte!

Laurel

If Whiskey and Maple Syrup Were Lovers, They Would be Soul Mates

It is now past sugar maple tapping season in my neck of the woods, and by the looks of it, it wasn't too bad of a year. Members of my better half's family have a sugar bush that they tap, but unfortunately due to timing, weather and work I was unable to go out to help. However, we did still get lovely, super-dark maple syrup from them. It just might be the best maple syrup I have ever tasted! Hopefully next year I can go play out in the sugar bush.

We have been making good use of our maple syrup and a pairing that I discovered online is maple and whiskey. Both loves of mine, so I figured why not marry the two? Below is a drink recipe that was inspired by the maple whiskey sour recipe from Cookie and Kate:

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons whiskey {I used Ballantine's Finest Blended Scotch Whisky}
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 teaspoons maple syrup
sprinkle of cinnamon

Directions:

Shake in lidded mason jar {or cocktail shaker} with ice and then poured into a glass, and then sprinkled some cinnamon on top.

There are some other recipes I came across that I want to try:

Maple Whiskey Cider
Maple Whiskey Mojito
Maple Old-Fashioned
Maple Whiskey Glazed Salmon
Whisky Maple Cookies
Maple Whiskey Pound Cake
Vanilla Cake with Maple Whiskey Butter Cream

Other related posts that might be of interest:

Wonderful Maple Syrup: Some Lore & Customs
Apple Spice Whiskey

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Sláinte!

Laurel

Apple Spice Whiskey!

Today I finally got try a recipe that I have been daydreaming about for a wee bit....Apple Spice Whiskey! I can't wait to see how it turns out! The recipe inspiration came from Able & Cole, although theirs is for crab apples. Their recipe can be found here. 

Sláinte!

Laurel

Recipe for Herbal Vinegar Hair Rinse

Lady Lilith  by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

This is a herbal vinegar hair rinse that I like to use a few times a week after shampooing my hair. After shampooing I apply the rinse on my scalp and throughout my hair and let it sit for a few minutes before rinsing and applying conditioner to the bottom half of my hair. I find it makes it soft and shiny.

Herbal Vinegar Hair Rinse

To start, make a herbal tea with a handful of the following:

Peppermint

Garden Sage

Lavender buds

Chamomile flowers

Birch bark

Lemon Balm

Comfrey root

Raspberry leaf

Steep in boiled water for about an hour. Once cooled, strain herbal debris and add 9 drops {or to person preference} of each:

Patchouli essential oil

Bergamot essential oil

Lavender essential oil

The combine 4 parts tea to 1 part white or cider vinegar. Store in a clean glass bottle or jar {I use a mason jar with a plastic lid} and store in the fridge for up to 3 months. 

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Sláinte!

Laurel

A Northern Winter Tea Recipe

This is a herbal tea blend that I started making this Winter for both myself and some friends for holiday gifts. Today I made another batch so I thought that I would share the recipe for others to try if they are so inclined.

{Please remember that when ingesting herbs, it is important to make sure that they are safe, and that they won't counteract with medications that you may be taking or interact with a health condition or status--such as pregnancy--that you might have in a negative way. The best way to do this is to do plenty of research and consulted with your health professionals.}

Should you be unfamiliar with making herbal tea blends, this video might be of interest to you:

 

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Sláinte!

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

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:

 

Maple Eggnog from Seasonal Ontario Food

Bourbon and Whiskey Balls from Poor Richard's Almanac

Medieval Gingerbread from Gode Cookery

Wassail from Gode Cookery

Christmas Cranberry Scones from Farmgirl Fare

Irish Cream Shortbread

Cider Loaf

Geimhread Gre {Winter Tea} from The Bare Footed Pavee

Yule Log from Epicurean

Pistachio Cardamom Shortbread from Dear Love Blog

 

Should you find some time for reading, here are links to posts and articles that you might find interesting:

 

Yuletide Traditions: Magic, Divination and Superstitions

Yuletide Traditions: Greenery and Decorations

Merry Celtmas from Three Shouts on a Hilltop

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

Be a Royal Stinker!

{originally posted over at the nefaeria blog}



Sense of Smell by Jan Saenredam, 16th c.

I really don't like commercial perfumes/colognes, so I prefer making my own scents. The mixtures I make are very simple: either vodka or almond oil as the carrier, and a combination of essential oils {I try to use all organic when possible.} I also like using rose water with essential oils to mist on.

Here are a couple of my personal favourite combos:

'Earthy/Woodland'

6 drops patchouli {bottom note}

2 drops oakmoss {bottom note}

4 drops vetiver {bottom note}

10 drops chamomile {middle note}

10 drops angelica {top note}

128 drops vodka or almond oil

'Sweet & Stimulating'

5 drops sandalwood {bottom note}

5 drops patchouli {bottom note}

4 drops geranium {middle note}

1 drop ylang ylang {middle note}

10 drops helichrysum {top note}

100 drops vodka or almond oil

To see a note/essential oil correspondence, check out this website. I also highly recommend the books The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils and The Aromatherapy Garden both by Julie Lawless, to find out more about the use of essential oils, and growing your own plants for this purpose.

Below are recipes for scent combos that royalty from the past have worn, as well as few more old fashioned recipes. Oh, and for apothecary measurements, check out this website.

Cleopatra's Perfume Recipe

{source here}

Mix essential oils of:

Sandalwood

Rose

Lavender

Frankincense

Basil

Mix of few drops of each oil to a carrier/base oil and use as a massage balm.

These following recipes are from the book A Queen's Delight: The Art of Preserving, Conserving and Candying, As Also a Right Knowledhe of Making Perfumes, and Distilling the Most Excellent Waters :

Recipe for Queen Elizabeth I {England}

Take:

8 tablespoons of compound water

Weight of 2 pence in fine sugar powder

Boil both on hot embers and coals.

Add:

Sun-dried marjoram

Weight of 2 pence of Benjamin

Cordial of Sir Walter Raleigh

Combine:

Gallon of strawberries

Pint of aqua virtae {brandy}

Let them stand for 4 or 5 days. Then strain them gently out with fine sugar or with other perfume.



These recipes are from The Household Book of Practical Receipts by George Reynolds:

The Queen's Perfume



photo source

3/4 drachum of cloves essential oil

3/4 drachum of bergamot essential oil

Drachum of neroli essential oil

Half ounce of musk

Half pint of rose water

Half pint of spirit of tuberose

Half pint of strongest spirits of wine

1 pint spirit of jasmine

1 pint spirit of cassia

Dissolve essential oils in the spirit of wine. Then add other spirits, and once well mixed, add the rose water.

Prince Albert's Perfume

Half ounce of ambergris

3 drachums of musk

2 drachums of sugar

Grind together in mortar and pestle (stone is best!)

Then add:

10 drops of cloves essential oil

20 drops true balsam of Peru essential oil

5 drops of jasmine essential oil or

5 drops of spirit of tuberose

Make into a perfectly smooth paste. Then put into a bottle with 1 quart of rectified spirit of wine. Let it sit for 6 to 8 weeks.

This recipe is from The Household Cyclopedia

Recipes for Cologne Water, from Redwood Gray's Supplement

First:

2 drachums neroli essential oil
1/2 ounce orange essential oil
1 drachum citron essential oil
2 drachums bergamot essential oil
1/2 drachums lavender essential oil
1/2 drachums rosemary essential oil
1 scruple cinnamon essential oil
2 drachums powdered cardamoms
2 drachums powdered balsam Peru
7 lbs rectified spirits

Macerate for 10 days, then distill 6 pounds with a gentle heat.

The Soul of the Rose by J W Waterhouse, 1908

Second:

3 ounces bergamot essential oil
2 ounces lemon essential oil
3 and 1/2 drachums lavender essential oil
1 and 1/2 drachums of neroli essential oil
2 drachums oregano essential oil
1 drachum rosemary essential oil
2 drachums vanilla essential oil
10 grams musk
13 pints rectified spirits
1 quart rose water
1 pint orange blossom water

Mix in oils, and dissolve them in 10 pints of the spirits. Then add the musk, and then the waters {mixed in previously with the rest of the spirits}. Let stand for 2 weeks then filter.

Here are a few links to more recipes:

Autonopedia

Scents of the Middle Ages

Aromatherapy Perfume Recipes

And finally, here is a video on how to make an organic perfume.



Sláinte!

Laurel

An Irish Mead to Try

go to The Distant Mirror blog for the full recipe of this historic Irish mead

A Recipe for Spring Cleaning {Physically & Spiritually}

{image source}

With the warming weather, it seems like a practical time to declutter our homes and to give them a thorough cleaning. I find that it is also a good time to clear out any unwanted energies in our home.

Below is a recipe of a homemade cleaner that I use year round in my home and one that I encourage clients to use to maintain the effects of a home blessing and clearing.


I make this when the Moon is in the waning phase, which is often thought to be the best time to do workings around banishment and clearing.

This recipe calls for a tablespoon of each:

Sweet Woodruff
Rowan berries
Birch bark {please only harvest from fallen trees or naturally shed bark!}
Juniper berries
Cedar
Lemon Balm
Peppermint
Sweetfern
Thyme
Dandelion root
Witch Hazel
St. John's Wort
Garden Sage

Boil 3 cups of water and pour over ingredients in a glass mason jar. Let it steep for 3 hours. Drain liquid through cheesecloth {I dispose of the plant material in the compost once I am done with it}. Put tea mixture in with cider or white vinegar into a clean glass jar that has a non-metal lid. Keep in a refrigerator {should last to 3 months with no issues}. To use mix with 3 parts water in a spray bottle or mop bucket.

Sláinte!

Laurel