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Over the last while a few folks have been contacting me with questions about Brigid and Imbolc. I'm starting to prepare for my own observances and will be a little too busy to contact people back right away, so I figured that I would make a quick resource link round up of previous posts for people instead. I hope that it will be found to be helpful and that you all have a blessed Imbolc {in the North} and Lughnasadh {in the South}.
A Recipe for Spring Cleaning
A Rowan and Red Thread Cross for Safe Travels
Candles for the Three Realms
Every Day Rituals {and Hearth Keeping}
Forging New Bonds with Deities {focused on An Cailleach, but transferable to other deities}
My Brigid Doll and Her Bed
Woolly Gaelic Songs & Prayers
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Labels: blessing, candle, charms, cross quarter days, deities, gaelic polytheism, hearthcraft, lustration, personal practice, prayer
Healing with the Aid of Ancestors {Ritual and Herbal Powder Recipe}
I had been inspired by two events and two plants this year to finally do an Ancestral healing ritual this past Samhain. This is something that I had been wishing to do for a few years now, and had worked my way towards it on some counts, but also had been avoiding doing so, not ready to face or let go of some pain and anger.
While I did initialize the healing on Samhain, it is a work in progress, so this is something that I continue to do. I suppose it could be said that this has been incorporated into my devotional work with my Ancestors, hopefully that is mutually beneficial for both the living and the dead.
I've decided to share some of that here, in case others are looking to do similar work with the aid of their own Ancestors.
Ancestral Herbal Healing Powder
A powder like this could easily be used in charms, in an incense, or as I have done and made it for adding to candles for ritual use. *Wearing gloves would be a good idea while making this, as some of the ingredients can be toxic. This was made on the full moon before Samhain, which happened to be a Sunday, to me a great time for healing work. I spent a good long while grinding everything in a mortar and pestle, in a meditative state focusing on healing. The mixture was then left under the light of the full moon to be blessed for nine days.
Tansy {can be toxic}
Bleeding Hearts {can be toxic}
Linden Leaf and Flower
I carved on a black candle in Ogham down three separate sides "Clann" {Family}, "Shinsir" {Ancestors} and "Leighgeas" {Healing}, and over each carving placed three personal effects to consecrate the candle within the Three Realms: blood {Talam/Land}, saliva {Muir/Sea} and breath {Nem/Sky}. Then on each carving I rubbed some of the herbal powder from above, three times on each.
The candle was then placed in a silver bowl of Ancestral graveyard dirt, surrounded by three poppy pods, one at each point of the Ogham carving. Under this is kept names and situations being focused on for healing. Before being lit, the candle was anointed with nine drops of a healing oil, and sprinkled with more of the herbal powder. This is something I do every time before the candle is lit for a working.
Of course before beginning the ritual, I always leave offerings to those who I am asking help from, which I encourage everyone to do. During the ritual there are prayers, meditation and often divination as well, which I also encourage others to do, tailored to their own needs and personal practices.
It's never an easy thing, the process of healing. For those on that same journey, I hope that this post might be of some use to to you.
Posted by Laurel at 2:20 PM 1 comment:
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Labels: ancestors, animism, blessing, candle, cross quarter days, death, deities, folk healing, gaelic polytheism, personal practice, recipes, rituals, sacred flora and fauna, the deceased, wortcunning and leechcraft
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Samhain blessings to you all in the Northern half/Bealtaine blessings to you in the Southern half. However you observe this time of year, may your loved ones always be felt, both the living and the dearly departed.
Warm hearts & hearths! <3
Posted by Laurel at 9:10 AM 1 comment:
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Labels: ancestors, cross quarter days, gaelic polytheism
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Folk Magic Quick Tip: Bedside Kit for Protection and Aids while Sleeping, Dreaming and Walking Between Worlds
Tending to be one of those people that likes to be prepared for just about anything, I have various types of protections, charms, and such scattered throughout both my home and carried on my person. Perhaps on the verge of overkill, but I don't wish to chance things, plus I like to have things within reach. And I am kinda lazy when in bed, not wanting to have to get out unless it is time to get up or if nature calls. So on my beside is a kit of things I might need to keep me safe while either sleeping, dreaming or while walking between worlds.
This rather innocent-looking vintage tin once belonged to my Granny. She used to keep buttons, spools and other doo-dads for crafting in it. When I look at the image of the girl and the goat, I like to picture her as a witchling-to-be, so thought that it would be a good storage option for supplies of that nature. :)
Should you wish to do something similar, here's some ideas of what you could put in your own bedisde kit. This is currently what I am keeping in mine:
Black silk scarf that belonged to an Ancestor
Skeleton key with three red knots
Antler slice to connect with one of my allies
String of rowan berries on red thread
Journal dedicated to dreams and journeys
Each item has a purpose, many of them with more than one function, so one could certainly simplify what they keep at their bedside down to perhaps just two or three items and be just as guarded.
Good sleep, sweet dreams and safe travels to you all.
Posted by Laurel at 11:07 AM No comments:
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Labels: charms, dreams, personal practice, protection, sacred flora and fauna, saining, talisman, trancework
Friday, September 6, 2019
Rathcroghan Mound & Visitor Centre
It's taken me longer to post about the various places visited and experiences had while on pilgrimage to Ireland. I've posted about one of the other sites already {Tlachtga/Hill of Ward}. I suppose in part it can be chalked up to lack of time and motivation, but it's probably more honest to say that I don't know what and how much I am comfortable sharing of the more personal details. There are a few more that I would like to do, so I will get to them eventually. :)
This post is focusing on Rathcroghan Mound and the Visitor Centre not too far away from the Mound in the village of Tulsk.
Rathcroghan is actually a complex of various sites close to one another, the most well known being the Mound. We visited but two of the many monuments this complex has to offer, the Mound and Oweynagat/The Cave of Cats {another post of that spot to come}. It is the ancient royal center of Connacht, most famous for perhaps its ties to the legendary Queen Medb.
Reconstruction artwork by the talent JG O'Donoghue
We did a procession up the hill, and had a beautiful group ritual lead by Lora O'Brien and Jon O''Sullivan {who also run Eel & Otter Press}. It was fantastic to experience this site as well as others with Lora and Jon, as they are both super knowledgeable about not only Irish myth and folklore, but are dedicated to preserving that knowledge and the sites. Lora in particular has strong ties and background to Rathcroghan. The work they do has been invaluable, providing resources and accessibility to information, not just the specs and stories of these places, but also emphasizing the importance of etiquette and cultural understanding that is key for anyone who wishes to grasp the spirit of these places and their stories. I say this whether you are a Gaelic polytheist, some other stripe of Pagan or of some other faith {or lack thereof} altogether. If you are not Irish and are visiting these places, I can't recommend them enough. Even for those who might be a little bit more well read and fancies themselves informed, if you haven't checked out Lora's work, do so.
After the group ritual, we had time to do our own thing, some gathering in small clusters or as individuals. Once again, it was nature spirits who called to me, most strongly felt was that of a rowan who stands guard at the public entrance of the Mound site. This solitary tree yet another harbinger of the lone side quests that would make themselves known to me on this pilgrimage.
At the beginning and at the end of the day our coach bus stopped for a bit at the Rathcroghan Visitor Centre, which houses a great little heritage centre, a nicely stocked gift shop and the Tain Cafe {if you are used to North American-styled coffee, you are safe, they got you covered :)}. The folks who run the place are very friendly, and if that is not enough to tempt you, the stop just to sit on this pretty throne is worth it.
Some links of interest:
Rathcroghan Royal Site {Voices from the Dawn}
Rathcroghan: A Journey by Lora O'Brien
Posted by Laurel at 5:00 PM No comments:
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Labels: animism, cross quarter days, deities, gaelic polytheism, pilgrimage, sacred flora and fauna
Friday, August 2, 2019
{photo of a working with Macha from last year}
I hope that everyone is having a fruitful beginning to the season of Lughnasadh {or a wonderful Imbolc for those in the Southern half}!
The first fruits of the harvest for me are more of a spiritual and symbolic nature this year, rather than the literal and tangible ones. Reaping the blessings of seeds planted this past spring, or even before that, as I do observances looking back.
As mentioned several times before, for me personally, this is the beginning of Macha's time. This year simple offerings of beer and oatcakes, as well as seasonal wildflowers and grasses in a bouquet picked under a new moon and a cloak pin dedicated to her. A humble thanks for kicking my ass up mountains; some real ones, while others have come in the form of challenges that life tends to put in our ways. These last few years especially she has given me strength when I have been ready to give in, all in knowing that I can have faith in her to shield me from more than I can handle.
May this time be fruitful for you all!
Posted by Laurel at 8:26 AM No comments:
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Labels: cross quarter days, deities, devotionals, gaelic polytheism, offerings, personal practice, pilgrimage
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
A Reddening Ritual {a Deer's Skull}
Just about a year ago I had done a rebirthing of a deer skull under last July's full moon {often called a Buck Moon, which last year also turned out to be the longest blood moon eclipse of this century}. I had wanted to do a post about it in greater detail, meaning to share the three stage process I went through to redden, rebirth, and consecrate and bind the skull to myself for ritual purpose.
A year on, I had been reminded that I wanted to post on this when doing a ritual this past full Buck Moon honouring my lovely deer friend. So, here we are, this is the first post of three in this little series of what I did for this particular skull. The process and ritual I will be sharing is something that I have done not only for animal remains, but also some other sacred items, most recently before this skull, my rowan stang, and don't see why others couldn't do the same should they be adverse to doing this for the remains of an animal.
While this is a practice I started doing before I considered myself a Gaelic polytheist, it has been refined over time to fit my personal practice and cosmology, and below is how I would go about doing it today. Just in case there are folks who are looking for inspiration on how one might do a ritual like this, I am going into quite a bit of depth here. Anyhow, on with it.
Instead of me rattling off what reddening is, and why we do it, I will be lazy and share a really great post that had been done on the In The Chimehours blog back in 2011, who also in this post reddened a very handsome deer skull.
This deerie was found by another in the forest, he was a white-tailed buck, whose antlers had been shed and had not started to grow new ones. So he had died in winter or early spring. I think that he was a younger lad, probably two or three years of age, and how he was found, his death seemed to be a natural one. I believe that while I was initially connecting to him, I saw what the cause was, but obviously can't say for sure. His skull had been exposed to the elements for some while by the time he was found. Not the "prettiest" skull, but he is certainly my favourite. His spirit has turned out to be a most precious ally in my travels when I walk between worlds.
At some point I may go into greater detail on how I've developed and maintain my relationships with spirit allies, especially of those whose remains I am the steward of. For now I will just say that before I started to woo him into working with me, I had made a little shrine to him, and left regular offerings, which I still do today.
Prior to the actual reddening, I did a small offering and saining ritual on the new moon. The skull was placed on a plate that held the dry ingredients of the reddening paste {pictured and listed below}, surrounded by a rowan berry necklace and candles of the Three Realms.
Lighting the candles of the Three Realms: Sky {"Blessings of the sky above"}, Sea {"Blessings of the sea about"}, Land {"blessings of the land below"}
Lighting the hearth candle, a prayer of welcome is said to The Three {Gods, Spirits and Ancestors} and offerings are made: incense {representing Sky} whiskey {representing Sea}, and food {representing Land}.
A threefold saining is then performed: juniper smoke {"blessings of Sky"} is moved over the skull, saining water {"blessings of Sea"} is sprinkled over the skull, and sea salt and purifying herbs {"blessings of Land"} is lightly rubbed on the skull
Below is a list of the dry ingredients that I had used in this reddening paste. Keeping in mind, I was reddening this skull to house an ally I wished to do specific types of spirit work with, the contents of this reddening paste reflects that. Ingredients may vary, depending on what the purpose of the item being reddened is. The dried ingredients I used here are {* potentially or is poison, handle with care}:
The wet ingredients for the reddening paste were three beets, each one carved with one of the names of the Three Realms in ogham: Nem {Sky}, Muir {Sea}, and Talam {Land} that were then boiled until they could be mashed; Samhain water, and nine drops of my blood.
This was then all mixed together in a paste and plastered on the skull, which was left on for about 24 hours until it could crumble off by itself. Before moving onto the next stage, he was left to dry out completely for nine days.
Posted by Laurel at 5:41 PM No comments:
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Labels: animism, devotionals, gaelic polytheism, offerings, personal practice, rebirth, rituals, sacred flora and fauna, saining, the deceased, trancework
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