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WitchCrafting: Crafts for Witches
Wreaths Merry meet. Wreaths have been around at least since Ancient Greece where those made of laurel, representing the circle of eternal life, were displayed at funerals. As their popularity rose, they were used as symbols of power, honor, and victory (which led to warning against “resting on your laurels”). The Ancient Etruscans – who predated Romans on the Italian peninsula – made crown-wreaths of ivy, laurel, oak, myrtle, and olive leaves, sometimes incorporating vines and wheat. Evergreen wreaths were included in Christmas celebrations by Germans in the 16th century, but were used in pagan solstice rituals centuries before that across Europe. Holly and mistletoe were also sometimes used.…
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WitchCrafting: Crafts for Witches
WitchCrafting: Crafts for Witches – Knitting with Intention Merry meet. Knitting, crocheting, weaving, sewing – and any other craft or action – can be made magickal with intention. Additions are nice, but optional. My soul sister, Debby Bailey, modified this $3 gnome pattern (This site has some neat crochet gnomes) to knit witches for friends on the path. She also makes them to sell and takes special orders. Each one is made with joy because of her desire to spread it. “I’ve always enjoyed using my hands and my mind/spirit in conjunction: classical piano, massage therapy, knitting. The energy just flows.” These four…
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WitchCrafting: Crafts for Witches
Crafts for Witches: Hag Stones Merry meet. This month’s column looks at hag stones, also known as fairy stones, holey stones, witch stones, Odin stones, and eye stones. They are rocks that have naturally occurring holes, worn by water over long periods of time. Because it’s commonly believed magic cannot work on moving water, hag stones are valued because they would be immune to the effects of magic, adverse energies, and enchantments, yet possess water’s powerful protection and healing energies. The oddity of the stones has made them a focus of folk magic. For centuries witches have used them in spells and rituals for everything from…
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The Kitchen Witch
Applesauce Custard Pie It is my personal tradition to make something with apples for Samhain. Whether it’s an apple pie, a yummy apple kuchen, German apple cake or just simple baked apples, my home is always aromatic with the smell of apples and cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar at the end of October. To be sure – the smell of apple and cinnamon is present almost all year long! I had made applesauce earlier in the week and I wanted to make something with the batch of applesauce that I had. I have more than one recipe for applesauce cake – including the famous one that Olivia Walton makes in…
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The Sacred Spoon
Heavenly Hound Cake This dog cake recipe is wonderfully healthy for your loyal familiar and infused with all of your loving, caring, and appreciative energies. The love and appreciation is what makes this cake so heavenly for your familiar. Love goes a long way in healing an animal, as it’s their biggest source of joy and healing positive energies. Even if they’re not sick, like us dogs undergo daily stress that requires daily healing. Every familiar deserves all the extra love it can get for all of their unseen help. If you’re having trouble connecting with your familiar, check out my article on familiars and crystal magic. It…
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Book Review – Mystical Stitches: Embroidery for Personal Empowerment and Magical Embellishment by Christi Johnson
Book Review Mystical Stitches Embroidery for Personal Empowerment and Magical Embellishment by Christi Johnson Publisher: Storey Publishing 208 Pages Publication Date: June 22, 2021 First things first- this book is amazing! It was an absolutely perfect book for me, and I am lucky that I was able to review it. It has everything you need- clear instructions, amazing tips, patterns, sketches and a lot of inspiration. I reviewed this book digitally, and enjoyed it so much I bought the hardcover as I know I will be referencing it many times in my crafting journey. I could tell right away that a lot of time and effort went…
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WitchCrafting: Crafts for Witches Book Review – Creating Smudge Sticks: 15 Projects to Recover Negative Energy and Promote Wellness by Peg Couch
Book Review Creating Smudge Sticks 15 Projects to Recover Negative Energy and Promote Wellness by Peg Couch Publisher: Red Feather 128 Pages Publication Date: September 28, 2020 Merry meet. This month, my column is about a book I was given to review called “Creating Smudge Sticks: 15 Projects to Recover Negative Energy and Promote Wellness.” While not pitched directly to pagans, using smoke is a common practice among us for purification and removing negative energy. In this book, Peg Couch presents projects for these as well as such intentions as love, anti-anxiety, stress relief, blessing a house, courage, and good vibrations. Each project calls for…
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The Sacred Spoon
Chakra Balancing Meals – Crown Chakra Detox Meals Our final chakra is the Crown chakra which represents our connection to the universe, our wisdom, and our spiritual center. Having a blocked crown chakra can show itself in a disinterest in one’s path, an inability to or disinterest in mediation or rituals, or a lack of prayer. For the crown chakra one may choose to fast, but personally i worry about the effects of fasting long term on the metabolism. For this reason we will be covering quite a few detox recipes instead. These can be combined or used separately, but all can be used to plan a few days of…
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The Sacred Spoon
Balancing Meals – Third Eye Chakra Veggie Stir Fry with Plum Sauce The Third Eye Chakra is connected with spirituality and perception as well as the color purple. When many people think of the third eye they think of foresight and advanced awareness. While this can be the case, oftentimes someone with an open third eye is more receptive to their surroundings and they pick up on energy shifts faster than others. When the third eye chakra is blocked we experience a lack of concentration and focus. We find it more difficult to sense energies or process information as quickly. Our ability to channel or connect becomes limited, if not…
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WitchCrafting: Crafts for Witches
Walking With Magick Merry meet. This month’s column features a job I commissioned by Kerry Bower of Kerry’s Creations. I knew what I wanted, but I didn’t have the materials, patience or artistic ability to turn shoes and boots into works of Pagan Art. First she cleaned the shoes with Angelus brand leather cleaner. Using Angelus brand paint, she freehanded her designs. There are other brands of acrylic-based paints created specifically for leather you can use. Do not mix brands, and never apply heat to help the paint dry. “The key to bright colors is to paint multiple layers and let each…