Corn Necklace for Lammas

The following idea came from Pauline Campanelli's Ancient Ways: Reclaiming Pagan Traditions


What you need:

• one ear of corn
• needle
• thread, 2-3 feet (the sturdier the better)
  

Remove the husk from the ear of corn and then break it in half.

Start popping whole kernels off one at a time starting at the broken edges.

Thread the kernels one at a time onto the string until you have sufficient length for a necklace.

Tie off and hang to dry for a couple of weeks, out of the reach of small critters.

According to Scott Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen corn is associated with protection and Zuni folklore associates different colors of corn with the four directions:

• East - white
  
• South - red
  
• West - blue
  
• North - yellow

If you have access to fresh corn in these colors your Lammas necklace with a little extra punch.


Blessings!

Dyeing Eggs as a Spell

As we celebrate Easter as a secular holiday in my home Friday will find us dyeing eggs. The nice thing about dyeing eggs for this thrifty pagan is that I can pick up a doxen eggs for less than $1.50 and use food color in my pantry (or buy a PAAS kit for $1) and be ready to go with very little money spent. Even better? Your dyed eggs can be eaten for up to a week after crafting them.

Egg dyeing is a great simple spell. Whether you make your own dye using store bought food coloring or natural ingredients, or even if you simply buy an egg dyeing kit it is a simple matter of matching the color of the egg to the intent of your spell.

Yellow - qualities associated with air, i.e. creativity, communication, learning, studies
Green - qualities associated with earth, i.e. growth, stability, fertility, money
Blue - qualities associated with water, i.e. peace, healing, dreams, emotions
Red - qualities associated with fire, i.e. passion, energy, sex
Purple - qualities associated with spirit, i.e. psychic ability, connection to Divine, divination

You may scribe runes or other symbols on the egg either in a white crayon before placing it in the dye.

When choosing to dye eggs as a spell, work with one color/intent at a time and as as much extra "punch" as your situation and privacy allow.

Ideas:

light a candle in a corresponding color
chant as you work with your eggs

Make a Free Magical Collage

Thanks to Domestic Witch I discovered a new site called Polyvore that allows you to make collages. And while the imagery draws mainly from that of clothing and other accessories it is possible to make a collage from a wide variety of themes - including Witchcraft.

This is a nice way to create images you can use as focal points in meditation or spellwork without having to pay anything at all (unless you plan to print the image)

Make Your Own Divination Cards

What you'll need:

• a pack of index cards
• a thin point black marker
• a pencil
• a pack of colored pencils or markers

This is so easy.

Draw a picture on the blank side of the index card lightly in pencil. Once you are satisfied with your design go back over the outline with the thin black marker and then color it in with your choice of medium.

Write the card name and some keywords on the lined side.

You can base your keywords on traditional card meanings, or the symbolism they evoke within you.

You can stick to the Rider-Waite suit format or you can venture out into categories used by other tarot decks. A favorite site of mine is Aeclectic Tarot, which allows you to browse the art and details of over 1000 different tarot and oracle decks. By browsing through this site you will find cards which may truly represent the spirit of a particular card for you, so that you can borrow some of the imagery so that the deck you create will be one that truly speaks to you.

You do not have to copy their art. But you can pick a few symbols and sketch those out. For those, like me, who are truly artistically challenged please remember that the art can be as basic as you need it to be.

Additionally, your deck can be as small or a large as you need it to be. You can make a deck based on Gods and Goddesses. You can make a deck based on herbs or crystals. You can make a deck based on runes or any other symbols that speak to you.

The possibilities are endless and the supplies are so easily affordable that you don't have to obsess about making mistakes.

Turning a Garden Into a Spell

OK you didn't get around to planting bulbs in the fall, but it's not too late to enjoy traditional spring flowers in your garden. Yes you will pay a little more but even a few containers of blossoms can add a blessing to your abode. This can even be done in conjunction with a formal house blessing as I blogged about over at 2 Witches.

Crocus - psychic ability
Daffodil - love & fertility
Hyacinth - guards against nightmares & eases grief
Lily - rebirth & renewal
Tulip - prosperity, also good for color magic

If you like you can use a simple chant while you plant such as the one below. Simply hold your wish in mind as you plant.

Lovely blossom
grow and bloom
Grant me my wish
Grant me this boon

Plant each bloom with proper intent and add an offering in the bottom of the hole; i.e. a pinch of cornmeal, a bit of your own hair, etc.





Source: About.com

Turning a Sweet Drink into a Healing Beverage

A cup of any hot sweet beverage can be transformed into a healing brew if it is prepared and served with the proper intent. When you or a loved one is troubled with unrestorative sleep due to anxiety or illness a soothing drink before bed, enhanced with a little loving magic, may just do the trick.

Whether it is a cup of honey sweetened chamomile tea, or a cup of decaf black tea with sugar and milk, or even simply sweetened warm milk (with a dab of real butter if you want to make it the way my mother used to) simply prepare as usual seeing yourself or your loved one in a deep peaceful sleep.

As you prepare the drink, and as an additional blessing when you are done say something along the lines of:

May rest be deep
May dreams be sweet
May I/he/she be healed/blessed
from head to feet

Woven WIshes Spell

Embroidery thread can be purchased for less than 50 cents at your local craft store. Pick a color that suits your purpose (purple = psychic ability, blue = healing, black = protection) and cut it into lengths a couple of inches long.

Mix these lengths of thread in a bowl with a bit of bird seed and then scatter the mixture, holding your goal firmly in mind, while saying something along the lines of

Little birds of the land
take these threads from my hand
Weave them into nest and tree
and my hopes into reality

Know in your heart that as the birds gather these threads and use them as they build their nests your hopes are being made manifest in the world around you.