Rayneschild September, 2011

I love herbs, as most witches do.  They give so much and ask so little, and under the right circumstances, can these bad boys pack a wallop!  In this type of venue our readers can be beginners, or seasoned veterans so it’s a challenge to write something that will hopefully have something for everyone.

There are different methods of working with herbs, but before you begin trying different uses I cannot emphasize safety enough!  If you don’t already have one, invest in a good herbal reference book.  There are 2 by Scott Cunningham, Magical

Methods of working with Herbs

Infusion: An infusion, or potion is basically soaking herbs in hot water to be drunk, put into a bath, wiped on surfaces, sprinkled around, and applied to the body.  If you have an old coffee maker that you won’t be making coffee in, the paper filter does a great job of straining the herbs, and heats the water quickly.

* For every one cup of water, use one teaspoon of herb.

*  Cover the infusion so no steam evaporates and let it stand about 10 minutes

NOTE: Be absolutely certain that any herbs used in this manner are safe!!!

Bath: Bathing in herbs is a simple way to utilize their power.  Either use a cheesecloth sachet, (half to one cup of herb) or a strained infusion to put into the bath.

Ointment:  An ointment is made by using lard or vegetable shortening, which smells way better than lard.  I have experimented and used coconut oil, it is solid contrary to the name, and have used vaseline.  Wander the cosmetic aisles and I’m sure the possibilities are endless.  Apply the ointment to the body, usually to the pulse points.

Sachet:  Also known as charm bags, mojo bags, or gris-gris bags.  You can either carry them personally or place them in a particular location.  You can use either a small pouch or bag and add the appropriate herb, or mixture of herbs, or you can simply lay the herbs in the center of a piece of cloth, or handkerchief and tie it closed.  Usually a tablespoon of herbs is sufficient

This brings us to herbal incense which is burned on a charcoal block.  Just as the coffemaker is a tool of convenience, if you grind a lot of herbs, a coffee grinder works well.  I recently received a helpful tip from my niece however, if you’ll be using it alot make sure to get one with multiple speeds, the simple on/off variety can’t take the strain.

The simplest way to use herb power is to light a candle of your choice and sprinkle  the herbs around the base.

Be brave, use blends that appeal to you, see what kind of wild herbs you have in your area, be certain they’re safe then add them.  If you’re lucky enough to live where you can get lily of the valley flowers and mint mix it with coconut oil and you’ll have a skin cream that blows the high dollar brands out of the water!!!

Tags: bath, herbs, ointments, sachet, tinctures

• Crafts

Rayneschild July, 2011

Whenever spell work is planned most of us try to begin with a ritual bath or shower, and in my mind the raising of energy can actually begin then.  That is what lead me to the making of ritual bath soaps that are charged at the time of their making.  In addition to charging these I use corresponding herbs, oils, and scents to help as many of the senses to be involved as possible.  I also like to add color, body glitter, anything that helps the user truly begin the process in the bath or shower.

Melt and pour soap base is carried at all most all large craft stores and you can get all kinds, goat milk, olive oil, and suspension blends to hold the herbs in place, to name a few.  You can use it as needed, and as long as it’s not exposed to a lot of humidity it keeps well.  If you are only buying it for personal use, a pyrex bowl and your microwave are really all you need, and the tins for bite size muffins work great for a mold.  If you want to customize them there are all kinds of molds available.

I have found the most commonly requested ritual soaps are either for prosperity, love, or protection, and with that in mind, and since space is limited, those are the three I am including here:

Love

For this soap I use rose petals, and either the scent or oil, as well as some vanilla.  You can add pink or red soap coloring, and body glitter if you wish.  It really does seem that the more senses you involve the easier it is to raise energy.  I use the following charge:

Rose of beauty you lend the scent

To find true love is my intent

A companion strong and true

This is the task I ask of you

Prosperity

For this I like bayberry oil, a light green color and gold body glitter.  You can substitute any other oils or herbs that symbolize prosperity as you desire.

Gold that glitters, rich green light

Shine down upon me

Clear and bright

A change of luck, prosperity

Is my intent please let it be

Protection

For this blend I use dragon’s blood oil as well as finely ground resin.  I also like to add sandalwood or myrrh oil since the dragon’s blood is not very strongly scented in this form.  Color is kind of a toss up, for me a dark red conjures the best image.

Dragon timeless, creature bold

Send your protection

As in days of old

Kindly lend your energy

This is my will so mote it be

You can also use epsom salts or sea salt, and add your oil, scent and herbs if you want.  Another good thing about having the soap base around, you can use it for gift giving.  If you have people that are not Wiccan on your list, oatmeal and milk, or lavender are pretty popular.  For the oatmeal and milk you can use plain oats that come in the round containers, and a little dry milk.  Add the milk first a pinch at a time, and if you end up with some that does’nt blend in, it’s simple to use a small spoon and skim it out, once you feel there is enough in the base.

There is no limit to the different recipes you can make whether they be for ritual bath or your kid’s teacher, and almost alway’s if you end up with a scent you hate there is someone in your life that will love it.

Tags: making, soap

• Crafts

Rayneschild June, 2011

I came across this project for a birdbath in a gardening magazine and loved it.  Most pagans I know consider their gardens as a kind of sacred space, and more ofter than not wildlife interaction is something that is almost spiritual in and of itself.  Attracting that wildlife to you garden space gives you far more enjoyment than the space alone.

This is a slightly more detailed and complicated project than similar ones I have done in the past but it is very unique and well worth doing.  The directions and supplies needed are as follows:

Materials

40 pound bag of concrete, 40 pound bag of sand, Roll of plastic wrap or garbage bags,

Rubber Gloves, Hat, Cotton Balls,Mineral oil

Shallow container to mix the concrete, Flat trowel for spreading concrete,

Stiff bristled brush, Toothpicks, Paint brush or sponge, Acrylic paint

Concrete Sealer, And a large leaf such as Rhubarb or Elepant’s ear

Method

Pick a flat broad surface and cover it with plastic sheeting or a large plastic bag split in two.  Pile the sand in the center and form it into a dome shape that’s about 2 inches wider than the leaf all around.  Cover the sand with plastic wrap.

Put the leaf face down on the sand.  Adjust the sand so that the leaf is fully supported.

Brush the leaf liberally with mineral oil-this will help you remove the leaf after the concrete hardens.

Put on the dust mask, gloves, and hat.  Mix the concrete according to the package directions, err on the dry side, so the concrete doesn’t slip down the sides of the leaf.  Working form the center out to the edges, scoop handfuls of concrete onto the leaf and pat it down with your hands.  Smooth it out with the trowel.  The concrete should be about 1 inch thick in the center and taper down to about 1/2 inch at the edge.

Cover the concrete with plastic and let it sit for at least 48 hours.  If it’s in a hot or dry space, mist it periodically or lay a damp cloth over the plastic so the birdbath will dry evenly.  After the 48 hours take off the plastic and turn the birdbath over.  It can be fragile at this stage so ask a friend for help.

Take off the other piece of plastic and pull the leaf ot of the mold.  Use a brush with stiff bristles to scrap off bits of leaf that stick.  Use a toothpick to get vein pieces out of the mold.

Then walk away!  Your birdbath must cure for at least one week, ans some people suggest as much as 20 days, you be the judge on that.

When it’s cured you can paint it.  They used acrylic paint but you can use oils, latex, watercolor, or spray paint.  After you paint it , or if you choose to leave it unpainted, brush on concrete sealer, then let it sit for a few more days.

All that’s left is to find the right spot for you birdbath and add water.

The birdbath looks great sitting in a depression in the soil right in your flowerbed.  Many birds, however, prefer a little height so they can see predators approaching.  If you find this to be the case in your garden, you can make a pedestal using the same materials.  Look for a cardboard form at the hardware store.  I live in and near heavy woods so I like to use tree stumps or any other cool natural item I can find that can hold it and support the weight.  When you get ready to set it up in whatever area you choose have a friend help because they can be heavy.

Acouple other tips:  If you shouls have a hole or tear in the leaf make a patch by tearing off a piece of another leaf.  You can also use smaller leaves as molds to make garden decorations.

In the past I have done similar smaller projects as follows:

If you live near the ocean you can use beach sand and after you shape it add sea shells, beach glass, or any other objects you find interesting.  You can also get the clean play sand in a lot of places and use mosaic tiles, glass bits, or anything else that you find interesting.  You can use plaster of paris as opposed to concrete.  It is a little more cost effective but it’s lighter so you can place holes in places around the edges then make hanging bird feeders, or small hanging baths for finches etc.

Their website is www.gardeningclub.com, to find out more on how to attract birds to you yard go to their site and click on Web Extras.  In all likelihood they have this article with the illistrations which really gives you a perfect chance to see how awesome these turn out.

I have a special request of anybody who does this project to please send me some pictures if possible, I’d love to check them out!!

I thank you all so much for reading these articles and the many messages I have received when people like what I write and it means so much.

Thanks and Brightest Blessings!!

Rayneschild

Tags: bird bath, birdbath

• Crafts

Rayneschild May, 2011

At this time of year with Earth Day having just passed, and Beltane being here our thoughts turn to our gardens and the Earth Mother.  In that spirit I would like to share this with all of you.

The Great Sunflower project is an organization that I first heard about and began following 3 years ago.  Due to the colony collapse of the honey bee, and the resulting damage to crops from the loss of pollinators, this is a project that’s not only fun it serves an awesome purpose.

For 2011 they have started the “Add a yard to your yard” campaign.  The way it works is you set aside a 36″x36″  section to make a pollinator garden.  It has to be a sunny spot with a water source nearby.  They state that you should use Lemon Queen sunflowers and the other plants they recommend by name are California Poppies, Tropical Sunset Echinacea, Bee Balm, Cosmos, Cornflowers, and White Borage.  They also used carrots and radishes that they let go to seed.  Group similar plants together because pollinators are attracted to clusters.

In my past attempts to attract pollinators I have found that the boxes of wildflower mix that you pick up for a couple of bucks work really well, especially hummingbird and butterfly blends.  Butterflies will congregate around pie pans , or other shallow containers, with sand and a little water in the bottom to drink from.  I have also had great results with petunia’s and morning glories.

This is a project that can’t go wrong.  The end result is beautification and a closer relationship with the earth and thats never a bad thing.  For more info check out their web site greatsunflower.org, they have links to sites for seeds, native pollinators, etc.  I have been a big fan of these guys for a while now and I hope that now they will pick up a few more!!  Have a blessed Beltane!!!!!

Tags: flowers, gardens, planting

• Crafts

Alex Crowe April, 2011

Inner Beauty

Many times in life, women look at themselves in the mirror.  They see little imperfections and usually those little blemishes look like massive craters in their skin. Most of the time it is simply a small inconsistency in the skin or a scratch that it takes a truly trained professional to find. To the beholder, it is something far more gruesome and painful to bear. It is a nightmare to have a pimple or blackhead and in polite company is it against the rules to mention these issues surrounding beauty.

Amazingly enough, beauty is an ideal that withstands the hands of time. So many people over the years put a stigma on what being beautiful means, what it encompasses and more than anything how to capture and maintain it. Young girls are brought up to think that without pounds of make-up or without having the ability to stay forever young, they can’t be beautiful. Natural beauty is a thing of the past, forever hidden by airbrushing and layers of paste.

In my opinion, things that should be kept in your make-up drawer should be things that accentuate the positive, not cover the flaws. Everyone has their own flaws. A flaw makes them more beautiful and shows the truth behind a soul. Inner beauty should be forced to show, and if the people you are involved with on a day to day basis don’t care enough about you to find out what makes you a wonderful human being, then they lose in the end, don’t they? They aren’t worth your time in trying to take off the layers of filth that they hide behind.

In my studies, I always come across things that you can make and are easily kept to bring out the inner beauty that everyone naturally possesses. There are so many tricks that have been made over the years to help you and they have long been forgotten. These tricks are what I want to write about today. I want to see more people bringing out their truth, not the lies that they are told to use.

I will just write about the face since that is mostly what people pay close attention to in today’s world.

Eyes can say so much about a person. They are the windows to the soul. It’s like they are little two way mirrors if you know what to look for. I personally think that a little eyeliner and mascara is all that is really needed to bring a beautiful eye into sight. You accentuate the eye color and bring it forward to make them pop. You don’t have to wear gobs of eye shadow to show that you have eyes. Let your natural color carry the people you meet away.

At the end of the day though, Safflower oil is great for removing the eye make-up. Advertisers want you to think you have to pay money to buy a packet of make-up wipes or cleansers. It can be even more inexpensive if you really try.

As for your cheeks, a great idea taken from the dark ages was pinching. No, it is not just for Saint Patrick’s Day, but also for cheeks. A couple of light pinches on the cheeks every so often can bring a pink hue to the skin naturally giving the bearer a great glow. It works wonders and costs nothing. How much better can you get than that?

Now, lips are a bit trickier. You could go around biting your lip to bring color to it, but often it can bruise and it could even look a bit awkward. A great lip balm recipe is from Kitchen Witchery by Marilyn F. Daniel. Take ½ cup Almond oil, ¼ cup Cocoa butter and ¼ cup Coconut oil and melt over a low fire. Stir in 1 tablespoon honey and 2 oz. beeswax. After the beeswax has melted, add 1 ½ teaspoons of any natural flavoring (my personal favorite is cherry). Any of the cooking supplies in your kitchen will work. Mix completely and test for firmness. It needs to be firm, so if needed add more beeswax to get the desired consistency.

So, Alex, what do you do when you have an unwanted pimple show up the night before your big meeting? That is easy. Valerian root tea, often great for those restless nights where Mr. Sandman doesn’t show is also great to dabble on a pimple. It will cause the pimple to dry up and clear up on its own. Other’s teas are good for this as well, but only the Valerian root is in my cupboard.

I would love to see more people relying on the assets they have instead of the pounds of make-up they purchase. I know that over night, we will not see so many more natural faces, but if some of you out there realize that your beauty has nothing to do with what the advertising agencies are telling you then we will be better off as a people. Children should be brought up seeing how wonderful the world is instead of what the items that are dragging us down look like. They should know that they are beautiful not because of what they possess, but because of who they are, what they do and what they believe in.

I know I am a dreamer, but I want to make other’s dream as well. If more people thought that they had a sense of self and knowing they are beautiful despite what others say, we would have less people that are thinking they aren’t worthy or killing themselves. We as a people would be happier and in the long run healthier.

So, take my advice and let that beautiful person shine through you. Don’t cover it up and make people take a chisel to see who you really are inside. Show them what you have on the outside and be proud of who you are. To be honest, if they don’t like you for your own true beauty, then they weren’t worth knowing the more expensive you that you were covering up with.

Tags: Consult Your Inner Psychic: How To Use Intuitive Guidance To Make Your Life Work Better, natural

• Crafts , Herbal , Recipes

Rayneschild April, 2011

Welcome to “Witchcrafts” and I hope it proves useful.  Since this is my first time with this subject here I thought I would give you a basic idea of what it is.  Over the years of practice we have so much exposure to the tools of our spirituality it stands to reason that we would start to “think outside the circle” and this is the result of that.  Sometimes it’s something related to our practice and sometimes it’s an outlet for the other “craftiness” we possess.  As a result here we are!  Hope you like it and Blessed be!

Incense recipes

You can make your own incense and customize it for Sabbats, Esbats, or whatever you wish.  You can actually use finely ground sawdust as a base for your incense.  You can use a small coffee grinder or a blender that is separate from food use to grind the sawdust as well as to grind the herbs into a much finer result than a mortar and pestle.  If you are using oils add them last.  Stay focused on your intent during the entire process.  The drier incense will often burn without a charcoal block when sawdust is used as a base, experiment with it, add the things that appeal to you for a personal meditation or everyday blend.  The following are a few recipes I’ve picked up here and there to give you some ideas to start.

Full Moon:  3 parts Frankincense 1 part Sandalwood.

Altar incense:  3 parts Frankincense, 2 parts Myrrh, 1 part cinnamon.

Horned God:  2 parts benzoin, 1 part cedar, 1part pine, (you can use cedar and pine sawdust as the base if you wish), 1 part Juniper berries, a few drops of patchouli oil.

Love Drawing:  1 part Sandalwood, 1 part lavender buds, 1/2 tsp. basil, 3 drops rose oil, 1 drop lavender.

You can be precise in the measurements, as the above recipes show, or just use the herbs in the amounts that are more pleasing to you:

Sacred smoke:  White sage, sweetgrass, cedar and lavender.  General protection:  Dragon’s blood, sage, cinnamon.  Love:  Allspice, cinnamon, rose petals, vanilla.

You can find recipe’s on the internet, or published in books, or you can mix them yourself using the herbs magical properties.  Some words of caution:  Be sure the herb’s you’re using don’t have any toxic potential if the smoke is used indoors , and be sure your smoke detector won’t be affected.  The possibilities are limitless and the results can be amazing!!!

Happy Crafting!!!!!!

Tags: incense, Recipes

• Crafts

R.Brian Rueby December, 2010

Photo Manipulation

Have you ever had an image in your mind that you wanted to share with the world, but knew it would be impossible for you to get that picture? Like that picture at the Halloween party, where I was dressed in my full Daggerhir renaissance battle garb. It was a nice picture, but it was taken inside and it looked rather out of place. Standing beside steel cabinets and computers with leather studded renaissance garb, not quite the image I wished to share with the world.

Wishing the photo was taken in a castle or maybe on a path in the woods it would look so much better, but what was I to do. Hmmmm, this is a pretty wooded picture, but the colors are so vibrant, it doesn’t really fit. If I adjusted the brightness and the hue, then the woodland picture would have a more realistic color.

Outlining the Halloween picture I will be able to capture just the warrior image. That would let me to take the original and paste it onto the path of the forest. Now this is nice. I don’t mind people seeing this one. Although, I have created a blaze that I want to put on my shield since then, but I haven’t had time to paint it on yet.

Distorting the art by skewing it as if seen at a slight angle instead of straight on then it would be angled the same as on the shield. Then capturing the white area only, it can be copied and placed onto the shield. The white is so stark in contrast to the matte black of the shield. If I change it from 100% white to 50% white it will look more of grayish silver. Now that looks a lot more on how I want it too look. It really gives the picture a lot more punch.

The battle axe looks good for a Daggerhir weapon, made of Duct tape and foam so that in a melee nobody should get hurt. Although, if I wanted to push the edge of reality back even further. What would happen if the edges were sharpened and paint in some extra features to make it look a little more realistic?

Yes, make the duct tape look more like a steel pattern and the cloth gets some paint and coloring for more of a hammered look. Now this is how I feel on the battlefield. This is what I want to share with my friends. The look and feel I have when I go to battle to protect my lady’s hand. This is the warrior I feel inside, ready to defend the realm, even though I am a computer tech and student six days a week. The seventh is mine to dream.

These images were created in PhotoShop, because that is what I have access too. Although, there are many others such as GIMP, or Paint that comes with Windows not to forget Apple can create some amazing pictures with some practice. We all know what I say about practice. It takes a person from the crafter of basics to the artesian. With time, it lets you unlock what you wish you could to a “Look at this.”

For more information on GIMP, PhotoShop, or other paint and drawing products, the first step is to search the internet. For more information on Daggerhir, search the internet. For more of my writing on other topics, visit me at www.myspace.com/kinkybits

www.kskritters.com or   www.kskritters.com/kinkybits

Tags: gimp, manipulation, photo, photoshop

• Crafts

R.Brian Rueby November, 2010

Natures

Nature art is all of those fun and inexpensive art projects that are forgotten in today’s instant society. This is the type of thing that can go from creating artwork to seasonal edibles. The list is endless, yet so many people stay with the lets run down to the store attitude, when nature hands us so much to play with.

Today people run to the craft stores to buy a rubber stamp for all occasions, but what if instead you go to your kitchen. Pull out a potato, cut it in half so you have two pieces and taking a paring knife or any thin bladed knife for fine details and slice out the area you don’t want to print. Brush out a thin layer of paint onto a piece of wax paper or any other container that you may have around. Now you have your rubber stamp and ink pad.

Action food is another fun craft that entertains and feeds you through nature’s foods is the volcano. Take an apple and core it, removing all the seeds, set it aside and throw the core away. Now open a package of instant oatmeal and squeeze some butter all over it. Once you get a nice gooey mess stuff it inside the apple. Place the stuffed apple onto a microwave safe bowl uncovered into a microwave. Turn it on high and watch through the closed door until the oatmeal mixture will boil out of the top like lava and pour down the sides. Remove the bowl and after a little while as it cools the apple is ready to eat. This works best in a carrousel style microwave.

Zen gardens are an excellent form of meditation and centering of your energies. It is the sandbox of the mind. Start with smoothed sand in any convenient container. A rake or stylus depending on size of the container is then lightly dragged through the sand to create patterns as you empty your mind of thought. The flow of the rake is a reflection of your emptying thoughts. Rocks, pebbles, beads are all items that can be found on the surface to add to the design. These blocks are like roadblocks in your life, if seen and brought into the flowing design of the rake it can slide around them and add to the design instead of break it. It isn’t the design that makes the Zen Garden so beautiful, but the relaxation and flow that comes to you when you empty your mind and let nature enter it.

can bring you back to nature, if you let them. A good craft is one that you enjoy and helps you relax. The world of today is filled with stress and high tech pressures. You may think your texting and video games are relaxing you, although, really all they do is create their own stress of winning or waiting for the response creates its own stress.

To close your mind to it all and let it empty of everything as you release yourself to natures influence is very rewarding. Do not think the first time you use a release like the Zen Garden it will bring the rewarding total release that you may expect. Like any craft, it is the practice that brings you to higher achievements and rewards. Learn to relax, and enjoy what nature is able to bring you.

Tags: apple, crafting, potato, stamps, zen garden

• Crafts

R.Brian Rueby October, 2010

Remember those cool autumn nights when you grab the quilt that your grandmother made and wrap up before the fire to keep warm. Its a nice thick quilt of geometric patterns and subtle colors that breathes comfort and warmth. Now I know this may come as a shock to some, but it isn’t only a craft that grandmothers can do. Many young people enjoy the hobby also.

Quilting has been made easier if you wish to start with the do it yourself kits. The blocks are pre-cut, often the thread is included, and step by step instructions. All you need to do is pull out a needle or your sewing machine and you’re on your way to making your very own quilt filled with memories.

Kits usually simplify things, although most will only make one side of the quilt. That means you need to buy two kits or get a nice material for the back side so that it can be stitched together with batting material in between for that nice thick quilted feel. They usually produce some very nice patterns and with practice look professional.

If you wish to go the next step though, there is the hunting through fabric to gather an assortment of similar themed patterns. Then using a pattern block from a magazine or one you made yourself and start laying out the material and cutting your pieces needed to create your blocks.

If you need ideas there are computer programs out there that will let you print standard blocks or even create a block from your photo design. Then again if you want to get to a more interesting sewing pattern than the simple tacking method, they have sewing machines with controller handle bars so you can weave and wander your sewing pattern where ever you wish.

So into the sewing room you go with a pattern, stack of material, scissors, thread, and batting material. Turn on some nice music and hum away as you cut and stitch yourself into bliss. When you’re done and ready to show off your masterpiece hang on tight, because everyone will ask, is that for me, or I like shades of blue, can I have one too?

Tags: quilts

• Crafts

Hearthkeeper October, 2010

Hey Guys and Gals.. I am sending out some crafts and ideas… Thought it might be interesting for Samhain

Besom

You will need: 4ft dowel- 1″ in diameter or a tree branch of the same approximate size, ball of twine, scissors, straw, thin willow twigs, broom corn or pliable herb stock.

Take the straw or other herb stalk that you have chosen and soak overnight in luke warm salted water. The water swells the stalk slightly for bending without breakage, and the salt dispels former energies. When ready, remove stalks from the water and dry for just a bit. Not too much or the stalk will stiffen up, again.

Place the dowel on a table where you have room to work. Start lining the stalks along the dowel , about 3 inches from the bottom, moving backwards. Begin binding the stalks to the dowel with the twine. Tie very securely.

You may add as many layers as you like, depending on how full you want the Besom to be. When stalks are secure, gently bend the top stalks down over the binding. When all have been bent over, secure the stalks again with more twine a couple of inches under the first binding.

Allow to air dry for a day or two. The dowel can then be stained, painted, or carved into to make personal. Remember to concentrate and charge at the next full moon.

Pendulum

Items needed:

• An oblong bead
• A pendant
• Approx. 9″ chain (a broken necklace will work great)
• Needlenose pliers
• One pin head wire (found in bead stores)
• Clippers (I use toenail clippers!)
• Two small beads

Instructions:

1. Thread the beads onto the pin head wire in this order: small bead, oblong bead, small bead.
2. With the clippers, clip off remaining wire, leaving approx. 3/4″ remaining.
3. Using the needle nose pliers, bend the wire holding the beads into a ring and clamp.
4. Open a link on one end of your chain, and thread through the loop you just made. Clamp shut using the pliers.
5. Open the link on the opposite end of your chain, loop through the pendant. Clamp shut.

To use the Pendulum, hold the pendant in your hand loosely, elbow on the table, letting the pendulum swing free. Still the movements of the pendulum with your other hand. Ask the pendulum to show you “yes” – the pendulum should start to move in a pattern, usually in a circle or back or forth. If you can’t really tell, ask the pendulum to be more precise. Once a pattern is established, this is the Pendulum’s “yes.” Now, ask the pendulum to show you “no.” Keep your pendulum in a safe place, and it will treat you well!

Here are some activities to try out with your family:

Together as a family, create an altar honoring your family’s beloved
dead(including pets). Use photos, mementos, keepsakes or anything that
seems right.

Make candleholders out of apples, turnips, gourds and small pumpkins
by hollowing out deep holes in the tops. Make sure the candles are
well-secured in the bases.

Eat dinner by candlelight, setting a place at the table for your
beloved dead. If your children are older, try having a Silent Supper where
the meal is eaten in silence so the spirits are not frightened away.

Plant flower bulbs in your yard or somewhere special. Think of this
as a promise for spring, a secret the earth will keep for you in the cold. Infuse it with all your thoughts of spring and warmth.

Take a walk and observe animals (like squirrels and geese) prepare
for winter. At home, prepare for winter in your own way.

Try making skull-shaped popcorn balls.

Why should kids have all the fun? The whole family should make
costumes and go trick-or-treating!

Enjoy your Blessed Samhain

Blessed Home and Hearth

The Hearthkeeper

PS. If there is anything you would like to see here.. Please email me at  thehearthkeeper@gmail.com

Tags: besom, broom, craft

• Crafts