Lughnasadh - 2nd February We are weaving our way through the summer months and although it has been quite a cool and wet summer we are yet to feel its intense heat. As I've mentioned a million times before I am not a fan of summer and the heat that it brings so when Lughnasadh arrives I am reminded that we are in the decent into the cooler months of the year. Lughnasadh is traditionally known as the first of three harvests, a time where we begin to reap all that will sustain us throughout the winter months, both a physical and metaphysical harvest. It is wonderful time to acknowledge what you have achieved since the initial thoughts of your intentions at Winter Solstice and initiated or sewn at the Lammas through to Spring Equinox. I have taken the time to look through my intentions and I have achieved a few things but if I am to be honest, not as much as what I had hoped, it’s been quite a tricky time. But that's OK. I will continue to work towards my goals, maybe tweak some the intentions that I'd previously thought of and with this first harvest I will also create some magick to keep the abundant energy flowing to help sustain me over the winter months. I will be creating a corn husk dolly for protection and to ensure the fertile energy stays with me to assist in my creations and I will also be baking a harvest sheaf decoration as an offering to the ancestors to place upon my altar. I don’t grow corn... Yet !! (note to self - grow some for next year), so this morning I have purchase some to use the husks to create this dolly. I hadn’t thought about it before, however I will make a video when I create my corn husk dolly to show you how to do but in the interim, there are plenty on YouTube to show you. You will see from the photos above, I have taken the husks off my corn, cut each end and flattened them out as much as I can. I will leave them to dry for a couple days before I begin. The other materials I will be using is some string I already have aswell as a little bit of scrap material that I will roll up to create the shape of a head when placing a husk over it. Side note: my magick is becoming more and more simplistic. When I am thinking about my magick and what I will be working on I am reminded of the amount of waste that is created within our everyday lives, even in ritual and magick. So, I always take note of what I will be working with to ensure it is simplistic and produces the least amount of waste. I encourage you to do the same and just work magick with what you have and what you accumulate over the years of your practice. When I complete my corn husk dolly, on the day of Lughnasadh I will place it upon my altar with the intention of assisting me in my life by keeping the creative energy flowing towards my intentions and to protect against what may stand in my way. Finally I will be making a decorative harvest sheaf. I create these each year and I absolutely adore the process. It takes quite some time, it is extremely fiddly but I find it very meditative and gives me time to slow down and infuse the sheaf with gratitude for all that I have and for what I am yet to achieve. After all, this is an offering I leave to the ancestors so what wonderful energy to give them. I have a wonderful baking book that I purchased when I was younger and I came across this recipe. I would say that was about 15 years ago and I have been making it for Lughnasadh since. It is wonderful and as I mentioned very time consuming so I feel such a sense of achievement when it is completed. I usually make a large one as per the recipe however, last year I divided the dough into 3 to create little ones for friends. (the first photo on the left is a little one) I encourage you to try it and if you cannot save the photo from here shoot me an email and I will send you a larger photo or I am sure there will be a recipe on the internet somewhere. (Note to self : create a recipe section within me website). I would also like to add that I do bake it at a lower temperature and for a longer time as I use it for decoration it has to be hard as a rock and have all the moisture cooked out of it so it will not mould. (noted in the 'cook's tips' on the recipe.)
If you choose to create either a corn husk dolly or a decorative sheaf share it on your social media and tag me so I can see your creation. Wishing you a blessed Lughnasadh. Niki
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Leading up to the stroke of midnight on the 31st December a lot of you may have decided to create change within their lives. Some simple changes that will fit nicely into your life and some major changes that will take some time to manifest. It’s been a couple of weeks now and if you find that those simple changes are not fitting so nicely into your life or those major changes may now see too big from where you are sitting at the moment, it may be beneficial to obtain some guidance from your ancestors for some direction and support. Being the first Dark Moon within the calendar year is this Sunday (22nd January), it is a great time to slip between the worlds to connect with your ancestors, your guides, the gods, whom ever you connect too, to obtain guidance to become clear on how to move forward. So this blog post, I thought I would share with you what I usually on the Dark Moon to tap into the shadows and connect. As I begin to set up my space, which is usually at the dining table or coffee table, I will think on the changes I want to make within my life, visualise how I think that will happen and connect with my ancestors asking them to step forward to share guidance with me. While I am putting the kettle on to boil some water, I choose an oracle or tarot deck I wish to work with and place it on the table and also gather other items which include my tea cup, candles, a pendulum, an incense blend, my worksheet and diary/grimoire. With the kettle boiled I make a pot of tea so I may tap into the art of tasseography, obtaining guidance from the symbols left in my tea cup from the tea leaves. I am very lucky to have a few of my late grandmother’s tea sets so I always use one of those to aid the connection to my ancestors. I place the pot of tea on my table and sit for a moment looking to ensure I have everything I need on hand so I may begin and concentrate on my Dark Moon Magick. With everything in check I pour a cup while thinking of the connection I have with my ancestors again asking them to step forward to share guidance. I place the cup on the saucer to cool and begin to shuffle my cards again, thinking of the connection to my ancestors and what I would like guidance on. I let three cards fall from the deck as I shuffle and as I sip my tea, I look upon the cards as I turn them over one by one letting the image sink in and come alive within my mind to discover and receive guidance. The messages I then note them down on my worksheet, all while sipping my cup of tea. When the card reading is complete, and the tea is all but gone, I transition my concentration over to tasseography. I prepare my cup and while I stare into the cup, almost like in a trance with my eye changing focus, I let the symbology within the leaves tell a story again writing what I have seen within my worksheet. I spend quite some time on the Dark Moon to connect with and obtain guidance from my ancestors as it is so beneficial to my life. When time permits I also sink into meditation to seek guidance and, as it will this month falling on a weekend, I will have that extra time to spend in nature to seek guidance from the nature spirits that are also between the veils at this time. You may not have the time to do it all each Dark Moon, but I do encourage you to do something to connect with your ancestors, they are there waiting for you. You've heard me make reference to worksheetsWithin each of the moons phases I use the worksheets I created to prompt me to be aware of where to focus my energy and to document what I do and achieve throughout the phases. If you would like to utilise these worksheets click here to be directed to my etsy shop.
The wonderful thing is that you purchase once and reprint each Dark Moon to complete and add to your grimoire. It is important to keep notes so you may reflect on the guidance from time to time when you are working your magick so you may track your progress. I sincerely hope you are able to obtain some guidance this Dark Moon to help you on your path. If you do need some assistance click here to jump on over to my website, perhaps a personal session will help you along your way. |
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