Preparations and Imbolc Blessings {Resource Link Roundup}

Over the last while a few folks have been contacting me with questions about Brigid and Imbolc. I'm starting to prepare for my own observances and will be a little too busy to contact people back right away, so I figured that I would make a quick resource link round up of previous posts for people instead. I hope that it will be found to be helpful and that you all have a blessed Imbolc {in the North} and Lughnasadh {in the South}.

Warm Hearts & Hearths,

Laurel

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A Herding Croon
A Recipe for Spring Cleaning
A Rowan and Red Thread Cross for Safe Travels
As Imbolc Approaches
Candles for the Three Realms
Charm of Grace

Consecrating Seed
Crafts for Imbolc
Cross Quarter Waters
Devotionals
Every Day Rituals {and Hearth Keeping}
Fertility Charm
Forging New Bonds with Deities {focused on An Cailleach, but transferable to other deities}
Hail Brigit
Hearth/Home Blessing Candle
Lustral Bath Melts
My Brigid Doll and Her Bed
Poetic Weather Forecast
Saining/Purification Water
The Descent of Brigid
Victorious Brigit
Woolly Gaelic Songs & Prayers

Finding Lost Treasure

While doing some deep cleaning in preparation for Imbolc, I have come across some forgotten treasures. It is probably safe to say that I have a thing for hagstones, which are already scattered all over my home, so what are a dozen more? I found these pretties that I had stashed away for some reason or another, which can again enjoy the light of day on shelf that seemed to be made just for them. 

Perhaps my most happy find, a crow's foot that I scored in a swap a few years that I had fitted with a clear quartz point, a gift from someone dear. The intention was to make a devotional piece with it along with some raw amber beads that were also found again. Embarrassingly, that was over three years back. Hopefully I can get that done before I forget about it again.

If I were to be rewarded like this every time I did a deep cleaning, I would definitely do it more often. 

Bealtaine in the Woods {part two}

My various observances for Bealtaine have been scattered over the course of a couple weeks largely due to my work schedule, but also the weather and being out of commission for a bit with some sort of bug {which has led me to be a bit more prolific online than I usually am, especially on Tumblr! heh}. 

Since on the hike I took with my friend a little while back, I have gone into my neighbourhood woodland a few times, and it is looking just as beautiful as the last place I went to. 

Each time I have gone, I go to a different spot to do some a few times to do some wildcrafting and to leave offerings and do some trashing clean up when I see any. Generally when I head on out these days I bring my little deer spirit vessel that I use as a representation of Flidais {purchased from Sarah Anne Lawless a few years back} and some of little fertility charms to use as offerings. 

After one my trips out last week I gathered some greenery and flowers to decorate our shrine and some rowan wood cuttings to make protective crosses with. And then I finally got down to my main Bealtaine ritual of light a new hearth candle and saining our home. 

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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

Hearth Candle



hearth candle during Samhain 2013



I do not have a fireplace, so instead I use a candle to represent a hearth for my household. For Bealtaine I ritually extinguish the one from the past year and light a new one that will be used for the upcoming year.

this year's candle

 

I will use beeswax from old blessing and protection candles that I saved throughout the year; I like to dye the candle red {a colour of protection} and this year I scented mine with bergamot and vetiver. I also include shells and botanicals that are associated with properties that I want to draw into my home such as peace, protection, prosperity and over all blessings.

 

New Vintage Pretties in the Shop

After some spring cleaning and purging, I now have some more vintage pretties in the Etsy shop.

Austrian Folk Art Apron

Pennsylvania Dutch Hex Sign Coasters

Dove & Floral Wreath Cookie Tin

Cast Iron Owl Trivet

Retro Folk Art Peacock Tin

Ornate Cast Iron Trivet

The Merry Month of May

{cross posted at the nefaeria blog}

 

The last few weeks have been a busy juggle of celebrating Bealtaine and preparing for some pretty big changes that are just around the corner {more on that in another post}. To make it a little more challenging, some of my Bealtaine activities had been waiting for the weather to comply.

Even with the unpredictable weather though, I have been taking every chance to appreciate the natural beauty of this time of year.

lilacs

periwinkles

Yesterday I consecrated seeds, which will be planted on Friday along with my seedlings after I do a garden blessing. Some hardy annuals and colder weather crops such as lettuce and kale have already been planted.

 

My Bealtaine water and rowan wood for the year were collected a couple of weeks back and I have even got to harvest some herbs.

 

sweet woodruff, periwinkle flowers and wild ginger flowers

stinging nettle

There has been some crafting going on around here too, including a candle to represent my hearth, which was ritually lit after last year's candle smothered. With a bit of luck, this candle will last me until next Bealtaine.

 

Near the end of April my "seasonal altar" was set up for Bealtaine, or perhaps better described as a shrine to Flidais and the wild critters. Over the course of the last few weeks daily devotionals and offerings were made.

 

 

 

For the "big do" I created some May boughs and a May bush and made nettle soup, bannocks and butter.

 

The house was sained and a Bealtaine blessing was said and our "hearth" was smothered and re-lit.
 

I hope that everyone else is having a lovely May!

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

A Necro Crafting Project

A few months back I had a custom request to make a scrying mirror frame that my client would be using to connect with their ancestors, which inspired this crafty project. I thought that I would share this with folks who were perhaps looking for ideas for their own ancestor altars or shrines.

 

For both frames I started with some graveyard dirt: for my client's frame I mixed it in with the paint I used and for the one pictured I sprinkled in on the frame after putting a layer of adhesive {I used Mod Podge}. After the frames have dried, it is time to decorate them with whatever pretties you may fancy. For my frame I added dried poppy and datura pods, tansy flowers, nightshade berries, cedar and roses from my ancestor's graves, skull beads and a few other items that have personal meaning to me.

 

You could use your frame for a scrying mirror like my client did, or for ancestor photos, or perhaps to frame a poem. Mine will be hanging over my ancestor altar with a lovely hand-written Scottish saying: "Cuiridh mi clach air do chàrn." {"I will add a stone to your cairn."}.

 

Sláinte!

 

Laurel

 

 

Herbs & Prayers for Bed Time

royalty free photo

Recently I have been looking into traditional Gaelic methods that help to promote sleep, good dreams and to keep nightmares at bay. One book that has been particularly helpful is Healing Threads by Mary Beith, which I highly recommend to anyone who is interested in traditional Scottish folk healing and magic.

 

In it the author mentions various different herbs used to help with sleep; heather was used for bedding and later on put under pillows, and thyme was also put under pillows to ward off nightmares. Nettle, chickweed, oats, apple, and poppy were also used, mainly to deal with insomnia.

 

 

With this in mind, I decided to create some herbal sleeping charms to be placed under pillows. In them I put heather {to promote sleep}, thyme {to keep away nightmares}, mugwort {to promote dreaming}, rowan leaves {for protection} and a few drops of lavender essential oil for a soothing smell. The herbs were sewn into wool plaid squares that are 3 by 3 inches each and stitched with red thread for extra protection.

 

In the Carmina Gadelica {Vol I} there are a variety of prayers and blessings for a restful and protected sleep. The prayer that I say every night is an adaptation of two of them: A Resting Prayer  and Sleep Consecration:

 

May the Three shield this house tonight,

And all who dwell within.

Preserve us from all danger and harm,

From disaster and foe.

Protect my loved ones in this place

And where ever they may sleep,

This night and every night.

　

Tonight I will sleep in peace and protection

With the blessings of the Gods

With the blessings of my Ancestors

With the blessings of the Good Folk.

And tonight I lay down with the blessings of

Macha, Airmid, Flidais, An Callieach, and Brigid.

May I always have the blessings of Them and the Great Three.

 

There is quite a bit more lore for me to go over, so I will likely do a more in depth post on this topic in the future.

 

Sláinte!

 

Laurel

Woolly Gaelic Songs & Prayers

royalty free photo

Gaelic cultures are rich in traditional songs, prayers and blessings for daily tasks, from starting the morning fire, milking the cow, churning the butter, harvesting the crops, and putting the fire out at night. So rich in fact that there is even a collection of these songs recorded in Gaelic Songs of Scotland: Women at Work in the Western Isles.

This is a practice that I have adopted and adapted into my daily routine, which I find does make work a lot more pleasant and my actions more meaningful {I talk about this a bit more here}. While I don't have sheep, nor do I spin, weave or knit, I do find the songs and prayers associated with these activities particularly lovely.

 

The Carmina Gadelica {Vol. I} has a great selection of blessings two of which I will share below:

 

 Am Beannachd Lombaidh

 

Falbh lom ’s thig molach,
Beir am boirionn Bealltain,
Bride mhin a bhi dha d’ chonaill,
Moire gheal dha t’ aurais,
Moire gheal dha t’ aurais.

Micheal mil a bhi dha d’ dhion
Bho ’n mhi-chu is bho ’n an-chu,
Bho ’n mhac-tir ’s bho ’n mhadhan stig,
’S bho ianaibh ineach call-ghob,
Bho ianaibh ineach cam-ghob.

 

{Translation:}

 

The Clipping Blessing

 

Go shorn and come woolly,
Bear the Beltane female lamb,
Be the lovely Bride thee endowing,
And the fair Mary thee sustaining,
The fair Mary sustaining thee.

Michael the chief be shielding thee
From the evil dog and from the fox,
From the wolf and from the sly bear,
And from the taloned birds of destructive bills,
From the taloned birds of hooked bills.

 

{source}

 

Coisrigeadh An Aodaich

 

Is math a ghabhas mi mo rann,
A teurnadh le gleann;
Aon rann,
Da rann,
Tri rann,
Ceithir rann,
Coig rann,
Sia rann,
Seachd rann,
Seachd gu lath rann
Seachd gu lath rann.

Nar a gonar fear an eididh,
Nar a reubar e gu brath,
Cian theid e ’n cath no ’n comhrag,
Sgiath chomarach an Domhnach da,
Can theid e ’n cath no ’n comhrag,
Sgiath chomarach an Domhnach da.

Chan ath-aodach seo, ’s chan fhaoigh e,
’S cha chuid cleir no sagairt e.

Biolair uaine ga buain fo
’S air a toir do mhnai gun fhiosd;
Lurg an fheidh an ceann an sgadain,
’S an caol chalp a bhradain bhric.

 

{Translation:}

 

The Consecration of the Cloth

 

Well can I say my rune,
Descending with the glen;
One rune,
Two runes,
Three runes,
Four runes,
Five runes,
Six runes.
Seven runes,
Seven and a half runes,
Seven and a half runes.

May the man of this clothing never be wounded,
May torn he never be;
What time he goes into battle or combat,
May the sanctuary shield of the Lord be his.
What time he goes into battle or combat,
May the sanctuary shield of the Lord be his.

This is not second clothing and it is not thigged,
Nor is it the right of sacristan or of priest.

Cresses green culled beneath a stone,
And given to a woman in secret.
The shank of the deer in the head of the herring,
And in the slender tail of the speckled salmon.

 

{source}

 

You can see more relevant prayers and songs in the Carmina Gadelica {Vol I} online for free.

 

Since the uploader has disabled embedding, here are some links to some videos on Youtube of some traditional songs and the singers in action: A Gaelic Waulking Song & A Gaelic Spinning Song.

 

Sláinte!

 

Laurel

 

New Listings on Etsy

I have recently added a few new items onto the Unfettered Wood Etsy shop:

 

Homesteader's Blend Wortcunning Plant Offering Powder

 

A nourishing offering powder for veggies and other edibles in your garden or on your farm.

 

 

 

Necromancer's/Ancestors' Witch Ball

 

A painted glass ball charm with various herbs and dirt inside of it that are associated with working with the deceased and protection. Made for those who practice necromancy or ancestor reverence.

 

 

Happy Home Beeswax Herbal Hearth Charm

 

Made with local beeswax and herbs to promote happiness, protection, abundance, love and harmony in the home.

 

 

Love of Ancestors Beeswax Herbal Charm

 

Another charm made with local beeswax, along with some of my Ancestral Graveyard Dirt and herbs to encourage connections with ancestors or as a memento of love to remember those who have come before us.

 



As Imbolc Approaches

altered royalty free photo

With Imbolc just two days off, I thought that I would share some resources that folks might be inspired by.

 

To start off with, some good information about Imbolc can be found on the Tairis website, as well as an article written by Mary Jones, Rethinking Imbolc, which is definitely worth a read. Also on the Tairis website is a write up about some traditions and ways to celebrate, and Tuacondate{a Celtic Reconstructionist group} has been kind enough to share the outlines from their 2010 and 2011 Imbolc rituals.

 

Before the festivities begin, getting some serious cleaning done is always a good way to start off. Since  Imbolc is associated with purification,  saining and lustration rituals are also suitable; collecting water specifically for these purposes may be desirable too.  

 

To celebrate Brigid's day, there are many fun crafts to do. You can make a Brigid's cross, a Brigid doll, and a bed for her to sleep in. I think that this is a great time for candle making too.

 

On the eve of Imbolc, traditionally people would leave out items for Brigid to bless, such as a brat Bríde, salt or water. Those are all left out here, along with a few other trinkets.

 

For those of us getting a start on gardening, some folks like to plant seeds on Imbolc, and this would be a great time to consecrate seed should you wish to do so. It is a little early for me to get most plants started quite yet, although I will be planting and consecrating heather seeds that my lovely friend from across The Pond sent me.

 

While not directly about Imbolc, I still think that the recently published Breath of Life: The Triple Flame of Brigid is a timely read. The essay was written by Kathryn Price NicDhàna and Treasa Ní Chonchobhair  of Gaol Naofa. 

 

Well, that is it for now. Have a great Imbolc, folks!

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

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}

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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