SAMHAIN - A Celebration of Life

 Merry Meet, my friends.

As we approach another turn of the wheel and the thinning of the veil, Samhain is the perfect time for reflection and celebration.

As with anyone else you would visit, start with a cleansing bath or shower. Meditate on who you want to communicate with. This can be a single person or multiples; though I do caution not to over indulge. There will be other Samhains. Is there someone who left you with questions on their passing? Or perhaps someone you never had the opportunity to meet? This is the perfect time to bring them closer and tell them how much they've meant to you, even in their absence. Remember, they're never far away and have always been watching over you.

If you've not already done so, change your altar setting. Give the surface a good cleansing then bring in all the Samhain vibes of celebrating loved ones. Include any pictures you might have.  Include any personal items, such as jewelry. This lets them know you are honoring them. 

One of my favorite witch YouTubers is Magical Crafting  In THIS video she talks about Samhain Rituals and Altar ideas.

Another way to honor them is to host a 'dumb supper'. I've never cared for that term, so I call them 'empty chair'. Set a place for an honored guest at your table. This is a silent meal where you allow space for a passed loved one to take part in a meal with you. They will communicate in their own way if you keep the silence and allow them the opportunity to do so.

Your supper might include their favorite meal or items that celebrate the end of the season such as fresh vegetables (particularly root vegetables), meats such as venison, pork, or beef. Nothing says welcome in like a hearty stew and fresh bread. The Witch's Cookery provides great instruction on rustic breads as well as cakes and other treats for your guest, and for you. HERE is her post from three years ago on celebrating Samhain.

Take time for yourself. This is the perfect time for reflection over the past year. Journal to reflect on your year. Write down things you no longer want to focus on and burn the paper during your ritual. You can write them on paper or even a leaf you might have picked up from a quiet walk.

I love this simple ritual from Alwyn Oak. Once you've written down the things you wish to let go of - on a leaf or even a leaf cut from paper, Like the trees, I can let go. 

You can do all of these things, even if you're still in the broom closet. You might need to do a visual burning of the paper/ leaf, but everything else can be done and no one the wiser. The silent supper might be the tricky one but you can serve the foods, celebrating the people you have in your life. Let them know what they mean to you. 

 

A Tarot reading is always a good idea. At this point in the wheel, lay a spread asking what you need to face before the new year begins. You might even find out what you need to let go of. 

Carving pumpkins dates back centuries when root vegetables were traditional carved with scary faces to ward off any evil spirits that might cross the thinned veil. In today's history, those scary faces have morphed into anything from funny to absolutely macabre. A Jack-O-Lantern is a great way to keep those spirits away during a ritual.

The thinning of the veil is a great time for divination work; allowing past souls to guide you on your journey. To help guide spirits to your home, place a candle in the West window.

Take time to rest and to rejuvenate. You want to step into the new year refreshed and ready to accept whatever may be in your future. 

For me:

I hope to start the morning with a walk in our woods as dawn approaches. Listen to what the forest has to share. A quiet breakfast of apple cake and coffee with Bob before I head out to celebrate a friend's birthday. Sadly, she'll be working but that means my day is spent in my favorite coffee shop. On the way, I plan to visit a Civil War encampment to do some soul searching and let them know my thoughts on their sacrifice. 

If you've never been soul searching, take your camera to a cemetery and watch for facial recognition boxes in your view finder. They are there. When you find anyone, talk to them. 

Chinese Buffet for supper before I head home, looking at all the spooky decorated houses. 

Above all, have a safe Samhain

Blessed Be!

~Rain

A BIT OF HALLOWEEN HISTORY - Plus A Samhain Special Post Coming Soon!

 Merry meet, friends!

Coming in a bit late today. I had to get potato slices on the dehydrator this morning after having them cure in lemon water overnight. Homesteading and Family always come first.

I'm finishing up a project for a special post on Thursday. We are greeted with a turn of the wheel on Friday so I wanted to do something a little different this year, a day ahead so you might include some of the ideas into your celebration. 

I know there is controversy about how Halloween began as well as how the event relates to us. I also am aware that there are several types of witches, giving each a different view of how this came to be and how we celebrate. For this reason, I'm including a couple of different videos for you to watch. I'd love to have your comments below.

Full History Channel Special

Halloween History Channel - YouTube

Blessed Be!

~Rain

SAMHAIN

Because I have some new folks on the path, I'll be sharing 'educational' videos from Hearth Witch as well as my own thoughts.

Since Samhain is the turning of the wheel, I want to talk about Celebrating this pivotal point on the path.

HearthWitch gives some great information in a way anyone can come away with.

I'd love to hear your thoughts. How do you incorporate your Samhain celebration into your everyday life?

Blessings

~Rain

SAMHAIN IS UPON US!

With only a couple days til Samhain, I am more than ready to begin a new year. I've already begun making changes in my everyday life/ activities and I'm excited for the new path...

Maybe getting back on path is a better term.

For the past couple of years I've been way off track. While taking on too many things is something I've always done, I have learned from the practice.

While it isn't taking on too many things, I've been taking on projects that require way more time than I have available. This lets the other things, things I love, get buried under the junk tht isn't really important in the grand scheme of things.

Samhain is the perfect time for a deep cleansing. 

I have a couple of brooms by my altar. This year, I decided I want to begin the preparations for making my own. In December I will thank the Birch in my yard then begin trimming away branches to cure. In the mean time, I want to deconstruct a few cinnamon brooms and fashion them into one besom.

While searching for broom-making videos, I found this informative video from HearthWitch.  Please let me know in the comments below if you have anything to add or feel she has missed the mark on.

TOOLS - BOS Part 1

This was my table the day of the Solar Eclips. I covered the table with a 100% cotton cloth, then topped that with the marine vinyl that will be the cover. The two layers helped protect the papers and other items I have to make the Book of Shadows.
Aside from the almost 500 pg ream of a Nenah paper in a vintage-toned vanilla, I have the tube for the spine, heavy cording for the spine accent, and a couple of crystal dishes with metal embellishments such as protective corners and clasps. I used my crystal to weight the paper down and give it a nice charge at the same time. The other important piece to this project is the  dual deckle-edged ruler from PLAID. Sadly, this product has been discontinued by the manufacturer but you may find one on Ebay...

I've divided my ream of paper by the number of days between now and Sanhaim. If I tear 10 pages a day, that will have the entire ream done in time to put the BOS together a couple of days before.

Tearing the pages doesn't take as long as you might think. But I guess the first question you may be asking is "why are you tearing the edges?" Good question. I've always loved that rough torn edge to old books and I wanted to bring that touch of age to my Book of Shadows. 

I am taking 1/4" off of each of three sides - the top/ bottom and right hand.

I position the edge of the paper at the 1/4" mark then lay the ruler along the closest inch mark. Two tips: 

1) Keep a firm press on the ruler at each point you're tearing as you move along the dge

2) Tear straight up, not out. Pulling the paper out can dislodge the paper from underneath the ruler. 

I've put this week's stack on my worktable in alternating sets of 10. If I get a few extra moments, I may tear another set. I think tearing each set once I got into the feel took less than 5 minutes. 

Next week, I'll show you some of the stamp sets I'll be using to decorate the pages. Stampin' UP! has released two very cool Halloween sets in their Holiday 2017 catalog. Being a demonstrator allows me to pick them up at a discount. Can't beat that!

Blessings

~Rain

BLESSED SAMHAIN - and my BOS materials

Merry Meet, everyone. Blessings on this magical evening. I hope this new Turn of the Wheel is full of good things.

I had hoped to have my Book of Shadows constructed by this night, ready to be blessed. But between hunting down supplies and the other things going on, the best I have is everything gathered. The only item you will not find in the pictures is the paper I will be using for pages. I have chosen an 8.5 x 11 caramel parchment. I want torn edges so the 400+ pages will take a bit of time. Those will all have to be torn on the three sides before they can be put in the book.

I'm mashing up two different BOS designs I found on YouTube. The first is for the basic construction of the outside by jamiebookofshadows. Jamie has done a lovely seven-part series in creating a replica of the BOS from the television show, Charmed. While I have no desire to emulate their BOS, I did favor his construction. Here are the supplies for my cover:

While I would like to have used a real leather, this Marine Vinyl from JoAnn's felt right when I picked it up. I bought enough to do a full 8.5 x 11 BOS as well as a smaller 4x6 or may 3x5 travel BOS. Not sure I'll be using the hinges but I do like the corner protectors from Tim Holtz. Jamie uses a cardboard tube to get his 'curved' spine. Since acquiring this piece from my friend/ store manager at my local Office Depot, I've learned that you can curve any chip board by scoring the length in 1/4" increments then gently conforming the scores to the shape you want. The paper will be my inside cover.  The only thing I don't have in the picture is the Tyvek I've also learned will help strengthen the spine. 

The suede lacing is for binding the pages together. I waffled back and forth between the different methods. I wanted the 8.5 x 11 (and have had the ream of paper for years for this project) so signatures wasn't going to work... though I may use that method for the travel size. I didn't like the 3-ring binder idea. I got a cold vibe from that form. But I fell in love with the method used by Isis Chandler at Pagan Scrapbook Supply.  I want to make my own BOS or I'd have been purchasing one of hers in a heartbeat. In the video below, she talks about their book construction.

So I'll be cutting binding strips and punching holes for awhile as well as tearing those page edges.

I'm not an artist by any means. I can't draw a decent stick figure (though I use to be good at horses - go figure!). But I am good with stamps and coloring so I'll be using those as well as stencils, die cuts for the insides. I recently ordered THIS set from CraftersCompanion. I should have the set in the next week or so.  I have other stamps in my huge supply to work with as well. 

Here is a picture of some of the interior supplies I've gathered:

I'm excited to finally begin putting my BOS together. As I said earlier, I've had the page paper as well as the chip board for the cover for years. I do have two writing deadlines I have to get past first, then I can devote a day or two for construction.

Many Blessings

~Rain

A New YEAR!

Merry Meet, everyone!

What a beautiful evening last night for the first ritual of the new year. Hubby worked earlier in the day to help me set up the hard surfaces marking my area of the yard. As I prepared for the evening, I took mental notes of things that need to be included in the book. I also learned the importance of the book. I've spent time all week making sure I had the necessary supplies lacking in my cupboard. What I failed to do was pull existing items from the cabinet and gather everything together.

Lesson learned - Have a Basics Casket. This will include the candles necessary to mark the quarters as well as the God/ Goddess candles, salt/ water receptacles, bell, snuffer.  I'll actually have 2 sets of these items. One set will remain on my permanent altar in the house and the other set will be kept in a container to be for  outside rituals.

As we turn the wheel towards the Yule season, I have finally found Bayberry candles. They are called a Holiday Bayberry and available through Yankee Candle. Not the least expensive by any means but they are available. However, you're only going to find them during the holiday season, though you might be able to order them on-line throughout the year. The tealights/ votives cost about .99 each. So as we begin preparing for Yule, now is the time to check the Yule Casket.

Blessings on your new year!
~Rain

A New Year

How was your Samhain? If you were lucky, like my friend Deborah Blake, you had snow on the ground for ritual. I know it's not exactly the weather we want for the biggest ritual of the season, but if the weather cooperates, I don't think there's anything quite so peaceful as a dark sky full of stars above and a blanket of snow beneath... and stillness all around. It's like the polar opposite of a raging thunderstorm for me.

For my Samhain, I had neither. What I did manage to do was finally get my altar the way I wanted it. Well except for the lack of candles. I can not believe with all the candles I have in this house - and in my ritual cabinet - I didn't have a single Yellow or Gold. :: shakes head in disbelief ::: But otherwise, I finally have a permanent altar. I've warned hubby NOTHING gets put on it.

So tomorrow when I go on a Quilt Shop Hop I'm going to buy the candle colors I need - at least two sets. I want to have a set I can use for a temporary altar. Hubby is gone 3 weeks at a time and home 3 weeks. It's part of his job as a river boat captain we've lived with for years. When he's gone, I can get up in the morning and visit the bedroom altar. But when he's home, he likes to sleep in at least til 8 and I'm an early riser. So I'm putting together a altar box I can keep in the living room and use a TV tray in front of the big East facing picture window.

As the holiday candles hit the shelves, now is the time to pick up the Gold and Silver candles in particular. With Halloween behind us, now is also the time to pick up the black and orange ones going on clearance. Learning from my own lesson, it's one of the things I'll stress in The Organized Witch.

As soon as I have those candles in place, I'll post a pic of my altar. I'd love to hear about yours. Is it traditional or is it more eclectic with things that mean something to you personally?