Posts Tagged ‘Samhain’

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.

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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.

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The Halloween Witch

Tuesday, October 10th, 2006

The following about the Halloween witch was taken in part from the website titled Earth Momma’s World. I enjoyed it, and I would like to share it with you.

Each year they parade her about, the traditional Halloween Witch. Misshapen green face, stringy scraps of hair, and a toothless mouth beneath her deformed nose. Gnarled knobby fingers twisted into a claw protracting from a bent and twisted torso that lurches about on wobbly legs.

Most think this abject image to be the creation of a prejudiced mind or merely a Halloween caricature. On the contrary, maybe this is how Witches were really seen. Consider that most Witches: were women who were abducted in the night, and smuggled into dungeons or prisons under the secrecy of darkness to be presented by light of day as a confessed Witch. Few if any saw a frightened normal looking woman being dragged into a secret room filled with instruments of torture, to be “questioned” until she confessed to anything suggested to her and to give names or whatever would stop the questions ………..and the pain. Crowds saw the aberration denounced to the world as a self-proclaimed Witch. As the Witch was paraded through town en route to be burned, hanged, drowned, stoned or disposed of in various other forms of twisted love.

All the jeering crowds viewed were the results of hours of torture. The face bruised and broken by countless blows bore a hue of sickly green. The once warm and loving smile was gone; replaced by a grimace of broken teeth and torn gums, a twisted, swollen mouth that seemed to leer. Matted hair concealed bleeding gaps of torn scalp from whence cruel hands had torn away the lovely tresses. Broken twisted hands clutched the wagon for support; fractured fingers with nails torn away were locked like groping claws to steady her broken body. All semblance of humanity was gone.

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Pumpkins

Friday, September 22nd, 2006

Burnt, rusty…orange. Round, top to bottom, lines expanding, popping. Reaching for the stem. Pressing through the plump exterior, a world unseen. Blooming full of life. The seed of existence covered in fleshy protection. A mother’s womb. Fruits of harvest.

Bippity boppity boo!

The pumpkin has been a longtime favorite of children, featured in their literature (Cinderella’s coach) and in the Mother Goose rhyme Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater. The Jack-o-Lantern is their Halloween celebrity. In China the pumpkin is still called the emperor of the garden.

An old Irish tale tells of mean old, stingy Jack, who tricked the devil into climbing an apple tree. Once there, Jack surrounded the tree with crosses so that the devil could not get down until he promised not to take Jack’s soul at death. The Devil readily complied. When Jack finally died, he went to the gates of Heaven, but was denied entrance, because he was too mean, so he went down to Hell, only to find that the devil would keep his pledge, and not let Jack in. Now Jack was all alone compelled to wander in darkness for eternity. He asked the devil to give him something to light his way. So, the devil threw him an ember from the fires of Hell, which Jack put in a turnip, hence, Jack o’ Lantern.

In the 1800’s the Irish who came to America discovered that the native squash relative, the pumpkin, made a far better carving in which to place a light to ward off evil spirits and to keep mean old Jack away.

Some people might be surprised to learn there are more than 50 varieties of pumpkin. The three main types are true squash, moschata and the true pumpkin.

Pumpkin technically belongs to the squash family, but performs so beautifully as pie filling it is often considered a fruit. It is also a good main course vegetable and an ingredient in soup, quick breads, cookies, cakes and pudding. It is an excellent source of many nutrients including Vitamin A, iron, potassium, Vitamin C and others. It is low in calories, sodium and fat.

Historically, pumpkin seeds have been used as medicine: American Indians chewed them to ward off kidney infections and parasites, and they were an official drug in the 19th century as a diuretic and worm remedy. They are rich in phosphorus, iron and some B vitamins, including niacin, are thirty percent protein and forty percent unsaturated fat. They can be purchased raw or roasted, or you can prepare them yourself. They are a great snack and the kernels make a crunchy complement to cooked dishes and salads.

To bake pumpkin seeds, you are going to need to first pull them out of a pumpkin. Then, rinse them off, removing as much of the gooeyness that you can. Cover a cookie sheet with wax paper, and scatter the seeds about. Spray them with an olive oil spray…or a spray butter…and lightly salt them. Cook them on 325 degrees for about 30 minutes, until they are light brown and crisp. Let cool, and then snack!

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Fall Altar

Friday, September 22nd, 2006

The air is crisp, cool, and inviting. It makes me think of high school football games, bonfires, and snuggling up on the couch with a book. When I go out side, it has been quite obvious this week that fall has arrived, though the equinox is not set until Saturday. I love fall. I love the way the wind is so audible through the trees. I love fall colors as the trees drain the last of the chlorophyll from their leaves, stocking up for the winter. I love corn stalks, scarecrows, and hayrides. I love carving pumpkins and eating candy corn. I love dressing up and I hope that we get trick-or-treaters this year. I haven’t lived in a place that’s gotten trick-or-treaters since I was in high school.

Mabon marks the first day of fall, a day when the daylight and night are equal. From this day on, the nights grow longer than the days. It is in this time that the fruits of our labors are harvested. Though we no longer live in a time where we must grow our own food, or where our abundance…or lack of it…could spell out demise for our family…we have spent this year working hard. We will now reap what we have sown.

Wicca forever celebrates the cycles of the sun. So, we create an altar for Mabon that embraces all of these things about fall that we love. You do not have to stick to the idea that altars are erected for ritual. This is a great time of year to create a stagnant altar for the next few weeks. On a shelf, a table, or the surface you will use for an altar, start out with a few candles. Then, today or tomorrow, take a venture outside and explore the new season upon us. Collect remaining flowers, fallen leaves, pinecones, acorns, sticks, or pieces of bark that are along the ground. Bring them back to your altar and arrange them in a way that makes you feel at peace when you look at it.

You may want to take a few extra acorns or pinecones to work to set on your desk. They make wonderful reminders of season and the earth.

Gourds, pumpkins, corn, cornstalks, and bundles of hay, are all fantastic to put either on or around your altar.

Francincense, or Cinnamon are great incense choices for this time of year. My personal favorite is sandlewood.

Oh. And don’t forget the candy corn. Oh no. I am in trouble.

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Fall Foods and Feasting

Tuesday, September 19th, 2006

Whether you’ve got a group ritual you are attending, or a family gathering, I’m going to share with you some of my favorite fall foods.

Served with dinner or with the simple feast, apple cider is a thirst-quenching, undeniably autumnal drink. If you like cinnamon, find a packet of mulling spices at your local grocery store or farmer’s market. I don’t like a strong cinnamon taste, so I usually put in part of the spices, shake, and taste…until I get a good mixture of cider and spices.

Mugwort is a herb used to induce visions and is added to some Witches’ Flying Ointments to aid astral travel. Mugwort can be drank as a tea or wine. Tea is easy to make. Just put some mugwort in a tea strainer and let it soak in hot water. It is quite bitter, so you may want to mix it with a more pleasant flavor. Mugwort wine is made by putting mugwort in a bottle of wine, and letting it soak in for about 3 weeks. You can put the herb in a strainable sachet…or let it float around freely…which would require you to strain it out of the wine with a colander.

For a main course, turkey is the traditional American fall dish. But ham, and chicken work just as well. For those who wish to stay away from meat, a vegetarian lasagna is a good choice.

The Lasagna recipe that I use calls for 12 whole grain lasagna noodles. You really only need 9, but some of mine always get messed up, so I make 12.
3 cups of mozzarella cheese,
½ cup of parmesan,
32 ounces of ricotta cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten,
½ cup of fresh parsley
And 1 to 2 containers of pasta sauce. I use an organic basil sauce from Wegman’s.
The above ingredients will give you a fine cheese lasagna, but pick out two or three of your favorite veggies…such as green squash, yellow squash, eggplant, broccoli, peppers, or even usually spinach…when you can find it.

Cook and drain the noodles. Set oven to 350 degrees

Then, mix together the lightly beaten egg, ricotta, 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, ¼ cup of the parmesan cheese, and parsley until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Chop up your veggies, if you are going to use them.

In a 12 by 9 dish, spoon sauce onto the bottom of the pan, until it is covered. Lay out three of the noodles on the bottom of the pan. Scoop out ½ of the mixture onto that layer. Add a layer of veggies. Cover with sauce. Then, put down 3 more noodles. Spoon the rest of the mixture onto the creation before you. Add another layer of veggies. Put 3 more noodles on top. Cover with sauce. Make sure that you get all of the edges of the pasta with sauce. If you don’t, and you cook it, those ends will get crusty. I don’t like crusty lasagna ends. Ew.

Top it with the remaining parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

Put it in the oven for 45 minutes. Let it stand for a little bit before you serve it.

Squash and eggplant are fantastic fall vegetables. After slicing them up, sauté them in a pan with some olive oil, salt, and pepper for a delicious side dish. Olive oil is also great source of good fat.

Serve some corn on the cob…or off the cob.

Apples, pomegranates, and cranberries are choice fall fruits. For a simple apple nut stuffing, you will need:
6 cups of toasted bread cubes, 3 cups of diced and peeled apples. 1/4 cup butter…I prefer Smart Balance, made with soy 1 cup of chopped chopped onion, 1 cup chopped celery, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, 1/4 cup raisins 1/2 cup apple cider or juice 1 tsp sage 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper
Preheat your oven to 350F. Melt butter in a pan, and saute the onion and celery until just soft. Combine with the other ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Bake in a covered dish for an hour and a halfl
Whole Wheat, Whole honey wheat, and whole rye breads are good sources of whole grains and dietary fiber.

And for desert…I can’t resist pumpkin pie with whip cream. But my favorite is crescent cookies. Adapting from a recipe in Scott Cunningham’s Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner…

You’ll need:
1 ¼ cups of flour
1 cup of powdered sugar
½ cup of softened butter
1 egg yolk
1 cup of ground almonds
2 drops of almond extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease 1 or 2 cookie sheets. In a large bowl, combine flour, ½ cup of powdered sugar, almonds, and almond extract. Work in butter and egg yolk. Shape small pieces of dough into crescent moons and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool and roll in the remaining ½ cup of powdered sugar.

If you didn’t catch all of that…don’t worry…go to fireflyacademy.org…and scroll down the page. I have put a link to these recipes on the righthand side.

Samhain…known as Halloween…is a time to remember our ancestors, as well as those who has passed before us. The veil between the worlds is the thinnest on this night. The harvest over, and being the witches’ new year, it is traditionally celebrated with a great feast. Many choose to have a potluck. Some are held at midnight. Called the dum supper, a place is set and left empty for our ancestors to join us. During the meal, participants are asked to put food on the plate and drink in the glass. At the end of the evening, this becomes the offering.

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Wheel of the Year

Thursday, August 10th, 2006

The Wheel of the Year refers to the pagan calendar year. It follows the cycle of the sun as the earth revolves around it in 365 days. It mirrors the cycle of life as the seasons turn, always coming and going, forever ebbing and flowing. It begins on October 31st and its four minor and four major sabbats tell the story of the Goddess and the God, their cycle of love, lust, death, and rebirth. Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, and Lughnassdh are major sabbats. Yule, Ostara, Midsummer, and Mabon are minor sabbats, because they mark seasonal changes.

Wiccans seek awareness of not only themselves, but of the earth. One of the best ways to becoming more aware of the earth is to pay attention to her cycles. Watching the seasons turn and taking part in celebrating the changes the land undergoes undeniably helps us become more familiar with the change going on in our own lives as well.

What looks like Sam-hane is actually Souw-in, the Witches New Year. This is October 31st, also known as Halloween. This marks the time when the God descends into the Underworld. The veil between the worlds is the thinnest and the living dance with the spirits of the dead. It is a time to remember our ancestors and those who have passed before us.

Near December 21st is Yule, the shortest day and the longest night. It is also the first day of winter. This is the time when the Goddess give birth to the God and it marks the rebirth of the Sun. From this point on, the days will grow longer and the return of spring is anticipated, though the cold months are just beginning.

February 2nd is Imbolc, known in mainstream society as Groundhog’s Day. The days get longer and the Goddess awakens from her rest. The growing light fertilizes the earth, sprouting seeds. The young God is growing into adolescence, and his sexual desires are rousing.

…which leads into Ostara. March 21st is the Spring/Vernal Equinox. It is one of two days when the amount of daylight is equal with the night. It marks the first day of true spring, for as the God matures, the Goddess covers the earth with fertility.

April 30th is known as Beltane or May Day. The God has matured and the God and the Goddess fall in love. They express their passions as they unite. From this union, she is impregnated with the young God. The fruits of passion are seen more and more as the seasons move towards summer. Animals begin to come out of their winter homes and plants begin to sprout.

June 21st or Summer Solstice is the most fertile time of the year. The reproductive cycles of the earth are exploding all around. It marks the first day of summer and is the longest day of the year. It is a turning point, for from this point on, the days will grow shorter.

August 1st marks the beginning of the harvest, Lughnassdh, for the days continue to get shorter, and the God is losing his strength. As the child grows within Her, the Goddess sees the old God dying.

September 21st heralds the Autumnal Equinox and marks the end of the harvest and the anticipation of winter begins. The days grow even shorter, and the God grows weaker yet. He will return to the underworld at Samhain.

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