Posts Tagged ‘Crafts’

Pagan Rosaries

Friday, October 26th, 2007
Fair Maiden
Great Mother
Wise Crone
Share your laughter
Share your fruits
Share your knowledge

From meditation, prayer, spell work, chanting, and remembrance, rosaries offer many uses to the witches who use them.

The beads in a rosary can be used to keep track of one’s chanting. They can also help one focus during meditation. A rosary can be made for a specific purpose, such as a spell, or to honor a loved one that has passed on. They can be made as gifts or used during rituals.

The most noticeable piece of a rosary is the beads. They come in all shapes and sizes, as well as infused with different energy. Amethyst for dreams, healing, psychic power, peace, love, protection, courage, happiness, spirituality. Bloodstone for healing, victory, courage, strength. Carnelian for peace, protection, self-esteem, healing, courage, sexual energy. The list goes on and on. In my personal rosary, I have chosen to use black onyx for protection and grounding. I have always loved pearls, so I have chosen to incorporate them as well, as they are connected with the moon.

The design of the rosary can be based on patterns or be free form. You can sit with beads that you have chosen, and string them based on your intuition. However, a creature of order, I have chosen to make a design out of mine. They can be circular, but I have also chosen to work a Y design into mine….a circle with a strand of beads coming off of the bottom.

There are 13 black onyx and 27 pearls, with 26 sterling silver spacers. At the bottom, I have placed a charm. The pattern goes 3 pearls, spacer, onyx, spacer, 3 pearls, spacer, black onyx, spacer, 3 pearls, etc. I have chosen 13 and 3, because these numbers are linked to the moon. There are 13 full moons in a year, and three for the Triple Goddess.

Making a rosary is fairly easy. The use of your rosary will dictate what kind of tools that you will need. In essence, we string a series of beads onto some kind of wire or elastic band. Consider first if you will wear it or not. If so, would you like a bracelet or necklace. Also, if you wear your rosary, you might want to make it long enough to put on, or consider attaching some kind of clasp mechanism. If you wish to keep it with you often, the materials it is made of needs to be more durable. A simple elastic band might snap if you wag it around in your purse or pocket. Also, if you take it with you often, having larger beads or charms may make that difficult. If you are just going to leave it on your altar, then some of these considerations can be put aside.

Depending on how you decide to use it, you will need beads, wire or string, a clasp, and some jewelry making tools. I found a little kit at the local craft store for 10 dollars that included four basic tools to snip, clamp, and twist.

Prayer beads is a topic for an upcoming tools course at The Firefly Academy. During our research, we found several good sites on the Witches Ladder, which is similar. The best resource for how to make a rosary came from the book PAGAN PRAYER BEADS By John Micheal Greer and Clare Vaughn.

A great place to get beads online is beads911.com. Or check your local craft store. I was surprised the selection that mine had.



Tags: , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Expressing Creativity

Thursday, June 28th, 2007

Pursuing activities that require you to be creative can enrich your connection to the divine. Let me explain the thought process behind this. Your mind consists of three different parts: the Talking Self, the Younger Self, and the Divine Self. The Talking Self is your consciousness or the part of you that is awake and thinking all of the time when you are not sleeping. The Younger Self is also called the Dream Self or the unconscious. It is that part of you that takes over when your Talking Self has gone to sleep. It is called the “Young Self,” because children are often very present in their creative and dream awareness. The Divine Self is the part of you that is directly connected to the creative life-force of the universe, or those vibrating string-things.

These three parts of your conscious communicate linearly. In other words, they can only directly communicate in the order which they exist:

Talking Self – Young Self – Divine Self

The Talking Self can only communicate directly with the Young Self, the Divine Self can only communicate the directly with the Young Self, and the Young Self can communicate directly with both the Talking Self and the Divine Self.

Let us focus on this Young Self. It is the creative self, the dream self. It is called this because children have an innocent wonder, exploring the world, and seeking knowledge. They spend time doing creative things, such as crafts, coloring, and playing. This is the time when they build their imaginations, fantasize about lands far away, and try to make those dreams a reality by playing with toys and dolls.

When we engage in creative activities, most of the time, the talking part of our brain stops talking, and allows the creative part to do its thing. By enriching our creative selves, we can better receive influence from the divine. Some of the creative projects that I pursue are writing, editing video, scrapbooking, painting, and crafting magickal tools. There are hundreds of ways to tap into your creativity and get those juices flowing.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Corn Dollies

Friday, October 20th, 2006

Harvest Queen, Kern baby, Old Wife, Mutter Sheaf. These are all nicknames for Corn dolls. Corn dollies are the last sheaf of the harvest. Dressed in a woman’s dress or woven into an intricate shape and then decked with ribbons, these symbols of the harvest are regarded as the embodiment of the spirit of the crop…the spirit of the growing grain itself. The safe-keeping of this corn dolly over the winter insures fertility for the following harvest…provided that some portion of it is given to cattle and horses to eat, a portion of it strewn in the field, or mixed with the seeds for the next crop.

This practice of saving the spirit of the harvest is extensive throughout Europe. In Northumberland, the corn dolly is attached to a long pole and carried home to be set up in the barn. In some communities it goes home on the last load. Sometimes it is fairly small. In parts of Germany, the heavier it is, the better. On the Isle of Lewis in Scotland, the corn dolly’s apron is filled with bread, cheese and a sickle. In other parts of Scotland, the reapers hold races. The man who finishes reaping first designates his last sheaf the corn maiden; the one who finishes last makes his last sheaf into a hag.

In some localities, the corn dolly is made by the first farmer who finishes his harvest and then passed from farm to farm as each farmer finishes his harvest, ending up with the farmer who finishes last. In this case, no one wants the dolly as it is a sign of procrastination.

In Wales, others try to snatch the dolly from the reaper who carries it from the field. If he gets home safe, he gets to keep it on his farm for the rest of the year.

French, Slavonic, and some Germanic regions use the last sheaf to create a Kornwolf, believed to hold a wolf-like spirit that resides in the last sheaf and provides the same life force for the next season. This is a fiercer version of the corn dolly and is sometimes used to scare children.

Today, corn dollies are seen as emblems of abundance.

Historically the word corn was applied to the small hard grain or fruit of a plant. It was used generically to refer to the leading crop of the district. In England, corn was wheat; in Scotland, oats; in the U.S., maize.

Now, let’s make a corn dolly, in order to weave abundance into our lives. Gather a good bit of straw or wheat that is 2-4 feet long. You will also need some ribbon for this project or maybe some string if you don’t have ribbon.

Dry straw must be soaked flat in cold water for about 15 minutes and then stood upright to drain before working with it. Or, after soaking, you can lay it on a damp towel to keep it a little wet.

Many corn dolly designs are not actually dolls or people figures. They are complex patterns and intricate designs that wouldn’t be a good idea to tackle first. We are going to make a simple doll-like figure.

Divide the straw into two groups. Recombined the two groups with the bunches of seeds pointing away from each other.

Then, fold the straw in the center, but do not crease it. You want it to be rounded, like a head.

Tie a piece of ribbon around the base of the head…around the neck of the doll…to secure the head.

You are almost done at this point. You can leave the doll like this, or braid some of what is now the dress of the doll. You can braid in more ribbon, herbs, or other items. Get creative and see what you come up with.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Gourd

Friday, October 13th, 2006

A gourd is a hollow, dried shell of a fruit. Gourds can be used as a number of things, including bowls or bottles. They are also used as resonating chambers on certain musical instruments including some stringed instruments, shakers, and drums. Instruments of this type are common in Africa, South Asia, and the Caribbean. Gourds were the earliest plant species domesticated by humans and were originally used by man as containers or vessels before clay or stone pottery, They are sometimes referred to as “nature’s pottery”. The original and evolutional shape of clay pottery is thought to have been modeled on the shape of certain gourd varieties.

Dry the gourd fruits naturally by placing in an area with good air circulation. Bringing the gourds indoors may help them dry faster, but gourds can be dried outdoors even in cold areas, however repeated freezing and thawing will affect the viability of seeds. When the seeds rattle, the gourd is dry and ready for crafting. How long it takes a gourd to dry depends on the drying environment — the warmer and the better the circulation, the faster the water will evaporate from the gourd. Most moderate-sized hardshell gourds will be dry by Christmas. Larger or particularly thick-shelled gourds may not dry for several more months. Light may help to retard formation of mold, but the mold on the outside of gourds is a natural part of the drying process; as long as the gourd remain firm to the touch, do not discard it. Turning the gourds and wiping off the mold on a weekly basis may help the gourds dry sooner. To clean a gourd after it has dried, submerge the gourd in a bucket of warm soapy water and scrape off the outer skin with the dull side of a table knife or a plastic mesh kitchen scrubby.

Gourds can make excellent homes for the birds because they are natural. I have put a link to directions to make a gourd birdhouse on our website. Go to fireflyacademy.org and click on Podcast on the left side.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Crafty Projects

Monday, September 11th, 2006

Lady Bridget… Lady Saria… and I had spent all day shopping on the first day they visited my Virginia home. We hit up two metaphysical stores…one of them being the largest that I have ever seen. We ate at a trendy Thai restaurant for lunch…and then spent the rest of our cash at the craft store. A good friend of mine…Sara…joined us for wine and crafts shortly after. Sara and I normally scrapbook when we hang out…or get kicked out of the local coffeehouse…because they close way too early.

That day…Sara worked on testing homemade soap combinations. I had been wanting to make soap for awhile… so I picked up some shea butter soap…and a stars and moons soap mold from the craft store. I had plenty of herbs and oils at home. Neither of us having made soap before… the directions were very simple. Just melt the soap… add oil or fragrance… herbs… and maybe some colorant…then dump the mixture into a mold…wait for it to dry…and voila!

The soap melts well in the microwave. But…I do not recommend using a plastic container…even a heavy-duty one. The container that I picked out for Sara to melt the soap itself melted. Though it was a comical moment…it was not very practical. We then switched to a glass container.

I handed her my herbs and oils and told her to pick out something that smelled good together. She liked an ENERGIZE oil that was blended by a friend of mine awhile back. I am not sure exactly what was in it… but it smelled good…kind of citrus-y. It was a good combination with lavender. After everything was mixed together… we poured the goop into the molds and waited about 40 minutes or so for them to solidify. We also found out that the shea butter solidifies very quickly…and is difficult to place in the mold if it has hardened any. So…make sure that you have picked out your oil and crushed plenty of herbs before you melt the soap.

The finished product was easy to pop out of the mold and looked fantastic. The soap was also easy to clean out of the glass container. Once it dried… it just peeled off. . A week later… the soaps lost a good bit of their smell… so I recommend using a lot of oil…or choosing an essential oil. Essential oils are strong…and can be toxic on the skin if not diluted…so be careful how you use them.

All-in-all… it was a very easy project.

Saria had taken advantage of the early Halloween crafts that were placed all over the store. She picked up several small… wooden witch hat ornaments. With acrylic paint… she put two coats of purple on first. Then she diluted silver paint with water… glazing the hats to give them a shimmer. The strap around the base of each hat was painted black with a silver buckle…both opaque. Then… she painted witchy phrases on them with purple…such as Blessed Be.

Bridget and I were decopaging thin rectangular boxes to be used as tarot card holders. At the craft store… we picked up the boxes… decopage glue… and tissue paper made for decopage projects. At my house, we spent an hour looking through magazines… choosing phrases and pretty pictures. The top of Bridget’s box was very successful. She traced a star in the center… and used pictures with elemental colors…yellow…blue…red…and green…to fill in the areas around the outside of the star. Then… she used phrases of feminine and pagan power and girly pictures to cover the inside of the star.

Decopage is very easy to use. It acts as a glue… as well as a shellac. After choosing pictures…arrange them…and use a small amount of decopage as glue to secure them. Once your initial design is dry… use a paint or sponge brush to glaze the entire desgin with decopage.

My decopage box did not work out so well. I tried to use bigger pictures from magazines… as well as sheets of tissue paper…because I did not want the box to take all night. I had other crafts that I wanted to experiment with. My project would have come out all right… but the boxes we chose were quite flimsy… and the ends were curved. This created bubbling and I ended up using more decopage then I should of. Too much decopage will ruin your project. It becomes sticky…increases the bubbling…and may even tear your pictures. You want to cover all of the pieces… but only use enough… so that you lightly glaze it… and all of the ends are firmly stuck to the object.

Bridget said that her sister decopaged a whole chair for her house. Decopage seems too trendy for me. I think that I will stick with painting.

I have been working on various projects over the last few weeks…from woodburning… wood carving… to painting and clay. A pagan brother of mine…who has since passed on…woodburned pentacles on 10 inch square pieces. He then painted the corners of the star red… blue… black… yellow… and green…with a white center. Presented as a Yule gift, I keep it on my altar constantly… because not only is it gorgeous and means a lot to me… it is very practical as well. Cauldrons used for burning incense and the like get very hot… so I typically set my cauldron on it. It is also good for cutting… but I wouldn’t dare use it for that.

I picked up a round wooden piece…about 8 inches in diameter…from the craft store. Also…I bought a wood burning tool for 10 dollars…and some wood shellac. After I stained the wood… I traced a pentagram with a pencil…and then used the included calligraphy tip to burn the symbol into the wood. Wood burning is not as easy as it seems. It takes patience and practice. My first pentagram was not very good. I did discover that the tool does not burn the wood well after a few passes. You have to set the tool on its holder and wait for a minute or two…while the ash burns off. So… for every few strokes… I had to wait a minute. The tip gets crusty and does not burn well. Continuing to use the tool when it looks blackened will make your design look rough. After making a few pentacles, the technique becomes a lot easier. Then… I painted the corners of the star red… blue… black… green… yellow…and the center white. Finally… I put on two coats of wood glaze to give it a nice sheen and to protect the paint.

I hope our recent adventures have given you some ideas. Maybe its time for you to make a trip to the craft store.

Tags:
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Goal Collage

Wednesday, August 23rd, 2006

When one studies Wicca, it is a path that requires self-improvement. The project we will work on today will not only help you define goals that may be lingering around, but to remind you and encourage you along the way. To make a goal collage, you will need a few things. A medium-sized piece of poster board, some magazines that you can cut up and not miss, a pair of scissors, and some glue. Stick or liquid will work just fine.

Browse through your magazines and look for pictures, words, or phrases that convey the purpose of the collage. These items can represent goals that you wish to obtain, goals you have obtain, qualities you want to work on for yourself, or qualities that you love about yourself. Cut them out and glue them onto the poster board. Be creative and don’t be afraid to overlap!

When you are all finished, put the finished collage in a place where you can see it often. Every now and then, stop to ponder the whole collage and analyze what you still need to work on and how you have instigated positive change in your life.

This project is also great for a group. So, grab your friends and swap magazines!

Tags:
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »