Category: Pagan Blog Project

Pagan Blog Project: C is for Corn Doll

My Wiccan Walk1 Comment

Corn Husk Dolls are a great project with many uses.  There aren’t many materials and they are usually easy to find.

You need:

String or twine

Scissors

Bowl of warm water

9-12 pieces of corn husk (if the husks you have are not green, you will need to soak them in water until they are soft)

 

1.  Take four husks, lay them on top of each other, narrow ends together. 

2.  Using a small piece of string, tie the narrow end together.  Trim and round the edges with scissors.

3.  Pull these pieces down over the trimmed pieces.

4.  Tie a string to form the head.

5.  Take another piece of husk, flatten it and roll it up tightly to make a cylinder.

6.  Tie each end with a string, making hands and arms.

7.  Fit the arms inside the long husks, just below the head.

8.  Tie a string below arms to form a waist.

9.  Trim bottom so that the doll stands on its own.  Fluff skirt as need and let doll dry.

Here are some other links and examples:

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/imbolccrafts/ss/Brighid_Dolly.htm

http://www.druidry.org/library/gods-goddesses/brigit

Pagan Blog Project – B is for Book of Shadows

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According to Wikipedia a Book of Shadows is:

A Book of Shadows is a book containing religious texts and instructions for magical rituals found within the Neopagan religion of Wicca. Originating within the Gardnerian tradition of the Craft, the first Book of Shadows was created by the pioneering Wiccan Gerald Gardner sometime in the late 1940s or early 1950s, and which he utilised first in his Bricket Wood coven and then in other covens which he founded in following decades. The concept of the Book of Shadows was then adopted by other Wiccan traditions, such as Alexandrianism and Mohsianism, and with the rise of books teaching people how to begin following Wicca in the 1970s onward, the idea of the Book of Shadows was then further propagated amongst solitary practitioners unconnected to earlier traditions.

In non-traditional or “eclectic” forms of Wiccan or Neo-pagan practice, the term Book of Shadows is more often used to describe a personal journal, rather than a traditional text. This journal records rituals, spells, and their results, as well as other magical information. This can be either an individual or coven text, and is not normally passed from teacher to student. In many cases, this kind of Book of Shadows is an electronic document (disk or website) instead of a hand-written one. Some reserve the Book of Shadows for recording spells and keep a separate book, sometimes called the Book of Mirrors to contain thoughts, feelings and experiences.

My Book of Shadows (BoS) is a work in progress, and much more like the “eclectic” definition.  I started out with a really cute hard bound journal, but quickly realized it doesn’t let me organize the way I want to.  I purchase a plain 3 ring binder and have been working on migrating everything over.  I love my first one, its cute and fits my personality, so I will probably keep using it for notes and such and just transferring everything over.

I have so many pages that aren’t even written down yet, stuff that is saved on my computer or password protected blog pages.  I am hoping to have all of this written down by the Summer Solstice.  Wish me luck on that task.  I have everything in there, lunar calendars, correspondences for days, spells, results, meditation thoughts.  Anything and everything that I may want to remember.

What does your BoS contain?  Is it a physical or electronic one?  Pros and Cons to each?

Pagan Blog Project: Airmed

My Wiccan Walk1 Comment

One of my first interests on this path was the Tuatha de Danann.  I love their stories, particularly any involving Airmed (or Airmid).  She was an herbal healer, and that is something I am very interested in.  It was easy for me to relate to her and her tales.

Long story short, she was the daughter of Dian Cecht, who was a great healer.  When he saw that her and her brother’s powers were greater than his, he slain his own son and confused all the herbs so that no one except her would ever know them all again.

From Wikipedia:

“In Irish mythology, the goddess Airmed (also given as Airmid) was one of the Tuatha Dé Danann. With her father Dian Cecht and brother Miach, she healed those injured in the Second Battle of Magh Tuiredh.

After her jealous father slew her brother, Miach, Airmed wept over her brother’s grave. Watered by her tears, all the healing herbs of the world sprung from the earth over Miach’s body, and Airmed collected and organized them all, spreading them on her cloak. Once again, their father lashed out, and scattered the herbs. For this reason, no living human knows all the secrets of herbalism. Only Airmed remembers.

Along with Dian Cecht, Ochtriullach, and Miach, Airmed was one of the enchanters whose incantation sung over the well of Sláine was able to resurrect the dead. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airmed

From The Preserving Shrine (This is a great post about her):

As a healer, Airmid surpassed her father in power, for while Dian Cecht replaced the severed arm of the de Danann king Nuadha with one of silver, she and Miach regenerated the flesh arm to perfect health. The healing charm they recited remains in Celtic folk use even today.

Bone to bone
Vein to vein
Balm to Balm

Sap to Sap
Skin to skin
Tissue to tissue

Blood to blood
Flesh to flesh
Sinew to sinew

Marrow to marrow
Pith to pith
Fat to fat

Membrane to membrane
Fibre to fibre
Moisture to moisture

http://www.seanet.com/~inisglas/airmid.html

A few more links:

http://www.angelfire.com/journal/ofapoet/airmid.html

http://celticmythology.blogspot.com/2011/07/airmid-airmid-is-healing-goddess-with.html

http://herbalismlove.wordpress.com/2013/01/19/celtic-godess-airmid/

http://www.faeryhealing.com/faery_healing_goddesses.htm