A Free Ancestor Printout

I had made this image to go in a frame I made a few months back that will hang over my Ancestor altar. I am sharing it with others to print out for free, should they wish to make a similar project or have something nice for their altar for Samhain.

 

The image features a Gàidhlig blessing:

"Cuiridh mi clach air do chàrn." {"I will add a stone to your cairn."}.

 

The background is a photograph that has been altered. The original photo is of cairns in Scotland, by Roy Lathwell which can be seen over on his Flickr page.

 

To download a full sized version {4 by 6 inches, 300 dpi}, click here.

 

Sláinte!

 

Laurel

Some Updates

One of the types of seeds that will be in store, teasel.

This post is just to just touch on a couple of things and pass on some updates.

First of all, after my last post sharing some of my mushroom harvest, some people have contacted me asking if I will be making flying ointments for sale. I will not be selling any, so if you are on the look out for some quality wares in that department, I suggest checking out the shop of Sarah Lawless {previously known as the Witch of Forest Grove} or Alchemy Works.

I have been crafting new items for the UW Etsy shop and will have more seed varieties available soon.

 

Also stay tuned for a Samhain giveaway which I will posting about in the upcoming days!

Sláinte!

Laurel

Harvest for the First Day of Fall

Prayer for the Chase

{altered royalty free photo}

This is a hymn from the Carmina Gadelica that has been re-worded a bit. Since hunting season is starting here in my neck of the woods, I thought that I would post it for those who hunt and fish for their own food to use, should they wish.

It says in the Carmina Gadelica that the original hymn was sang by a hunter in the morning as he bathed his hands and face at the junction of the first three streams that he met.

Prayer for the Chase

In the names of The Three, Dé ocus andé,

In word, in deed, and in thought,

I am bathing mine own hands,

In the light and in the elements of the Three Realms.

Vowing that I shall never take a life needlessly,

Whether fishing, whether it be venison down from the hill,

Whether it be for fat, or blubber from out the copse.

 

O Flidais, Mistress of Stags, Lady of the Woodland and Wild Places,

Avoid thou to me the silvery salmon dead in the stream,

A duck with her kind an it please thee to show me,

A flock by the edge of the water where it does not dry.

The grey-hen on the crown of the knoll,

The black-cock of the hoarse croon,

After the strength of the sun has gone down,

Avoid, oh, avoid though to me the hearing of them.

 

Spirits of the wood, mountain, glen and stream,

May I bring no offense to you.

I ask you to bless this hunt, so that I may feed my household,

Harvesting only what is needed, hunting in honour.

 

May The Three bless me,

Crowning me in peace,

Placing a mantle of protection on me,

And teach me to walk in honour.

An Auspicious Moment in the Garden

Witch's Moneybags in bloom with a gaggle of bumblebees.

 

 

Berry Picking

A couple of days ago I went to one of "my spots" to harvest some rowan berries and I was not disappointed. There were gaggles of fat, red berries all over, giving me the opportunity to take home more than I had originally expected.
 

While I was at it, I couldn't resist taking a few extra minutes to appreciate my surroundings. It doesn't matter how many times I go there, I am always smitten by this spot's beauty.

 

 

 

Then it was time to get back home to deal with my hoard, along with stringing a portion of the berries and starting the beginnings of some protective charms.

 

 

*********

 

Sláinte!

 

Laurel

 

A Late Lughnasadh

I took advantage of the extra day this past long weekend gave me to go to the farmer's market, to do some harvesting and seed collecting in the garden, some baking and preserving. While I have been making regular offerings to Macha {who is my main focus for around this time of year}, I was later than usual this year to have my main Lughnasadh ritual, so I finally got around to that this weekend too, along with some personal spellwork for abundance and prosperity.

some pretties from the market and the garden

offerings

a candle for abundance

the beginnings of a prosperity charm bag

At the North Bay Farmer's Market I got lovely blueberries and Melba apples, which were the sources of inspiration for my Lughnasadh baking. With the blueberries I made some lavender-blueberry muffins, and with the apples I made a apple-mint cake {link to recipe used as a base inspiration}.

 

Sláinte!    

Laurel