Almost any jar works for the
project. Baby-food, pimiento, and olive jars are good choices. Look
for plastic or ceramic figurines or any other item (metal rusted) at a
craft store, Wal Mart or other similar store. We used unpainted ceramic
figures we found at Michael's.
Synthetic evergreen tips are
available at many floral-supply stores. If the jar lids are not in seasonal
colors already, paint them with oil-based enamel paint. Sand the inside
of the lid until the surface is rough. With clear-drying epoxy, adhere
the figurine to the inside of the lid, and let the epoxy dry. We
let ours dry 3 days. Wanted to make sure it would stay on good.
Fill the jar almost to the top
with distilled water; add a pinch of glitter and a dash of glycerin (available
at drugstores) to keep the glitter from falling too quickly. Don't add
too much or the glitter will stick to the bottom of the jar when it's flipped.
Screw on the lid tightly, being careful not to dislodge the figurine. Turn
the jar over and back again-and let it snow.
Place rocks in a bowl or dish to scent a room. A nice alternative to potpourri! Or make them into small balls to fill sachets with.
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup salt
1/4 teaspoon essential oil
(your favorite scent)
2/3 cups boiling water
Food coloring, if desired
1. In bowl, mix dry ingredients
well.
2. Add essential oil, and boiling
water to dry ingred. (Scent will be strong, but will fade slightly when
dry.)
3. For colored stones, blend
in food coloring, one drop at a time until desired shade is reached.
4. Blend ingredients, and form
balls.
5. Allow stones to dry.
Witch Balls
I have seen many instructions
for Witch Balls and they do not match mine, so perhaps what I have isn't
really a "Witch Ball", but lets just call it that for simplicity's sake.
*smile* These balls are more of a charm for your home or room. It is up
to you which one you make, they are all so easy. The hardest part about
them is finding the clear glass ball to make them in. I
found mine at the craft store,
but only near Yule have I been able to find them there. Perhaps at JoAnn
Fabric or a store of that nature will carry them year round. In any event,
on with the show.
There are basic materials needed
for each ball no matter which one you make. You will need paint in color
that corresponds with your intentions. (There will be colors listed with
the various balls)
You will need the glass ball
You will need herbs that correspond
with your intentions. (These will be listed as well)
You will need ribbon in a color
that corresponds with your intentions.
Intention Herbs Needed Colors
Used:
Protection Angelica,
Basil, Cinnamon, Cinquefoil, Clove, Mugwort, Oak, Sage,Willow, Witch Hazel,
Violet Black, Blue, White
Happiness Catnip, Lavender,
Meadowsweet, Marjoram, Hawthorn, St. Johnswort White, Red, Pink, Blue
Healing Allspice, Apple,
Cedar,Cinnamon, Elder, Flax, Oak, Onion, Pine, Sandalwood, Spearment, Thistle,Thyme,
Violet, Willow Blue, Red
Luck Allspice, Cotton,
Fern,Nutmeg, Oak, Orange,Pineapple, Poppy, Rose Green
Fertility Carrot, Fig,
Grape, Hazel,Mandrake, Nuts, Oak, Olive, Patchouly, Peach,Pine, Poppy,
Rice, Sunflower, Wheat Green
Ok first you want to take the
paint, the color you have chosen to use, and coat the inside of the ball.
Allow the excess to drain by placing the ball upside down in a jar or glass.
Once the ball is completely dry, (this may take a day ro two depending
on the type of paint you used. I use regular Tulip fabric paint.) you will
want to add the herbs you have chosen. You can
use all the ones listed or
you can use some or only one, it's up to you. The ribbon is for decorating
and again, you can use all the colors or just one, or a couple, it matters
not. You get to decorate the ball any way you want, just so long as you
keep the the colors. Keep your intention in mind the whole time you are
making the ball. Pour your energy into it as you pour in the herbs. Hang
it somewhere special to you, where you think it will do the most good!
Sachets work the same way as
the Witch Balls, you pick and choose, using the same idea. You choose the
colors for the fabric and the ribbon or cord, and you choose the herbs
according to your intention. Use the same chart as above. You will want
a piece of fabric about 6 inches square. Place the herbs in the center
of the fabric. Gather the corners up and wrap the cord around 3 times,
making sure the fabric is secure and nothing is going to fall out. You
can add personal things to sachets to increase their power. Such as adding
a
penny to the luck sachet or
adding a crystal to enhance the power as well. It is up to you. You will
want to carry them with you, you could leave the cord long enough so that
you could tie it up and wear it around your neck, or you could put it in
your pocket. Sachets such as teh fertility sachet may not be needed at
all times and you may only want to wear it when you will be using it. The
Witch Balls and the Sachets are highly personalized, you really come up
with the "ingredients" yourself. I just listed some that will work. The
chart is by no means a complete listing of the herbs that can be used.
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I was reading through some old digests from another list, and someone mentioned people who can't have altars set up, because of family members who would have a fit etc. Their idea was to take 4 of those small coloured glass bottles with the cork lids (or the ones that have a rubber seal with a metal closure, and fill them with things representing the 4 elements, such as:
Red: (fire) Ash from a
fire, matches
Green: (Earth) small stones,
soil, salt
Yellow: (Air) feathers,
little toy birds
Blue: (Water) Water (Gee...
what a surprise!!), shells, sand
they said you can also add some of the essential oils for the elements. I think you could put some of some small crystals for the elements in there too, or substitute oils for herbs...Here is a list of some of the oils/herbs and crystals for the elements...
Water: (oils/herb) Lemonbalm,
Gardenia, Jasmine,
(stones) Aquamarine, chalecdony, jade, pearl, Lapis Lazuli, Moonstone,
sugilite, Amethyst, Chrysocolla, Rose
Quartz, coral.
Air: (oils/herb) Bergamot, Lavender,
Lemongrass, Mint, Pine,
(stones) Imperial Topaz, Citrine, Mica, Pumice, Aventurine, Clear Quartz,
Lepidolite
Fire: (oils/herb) Basil,
Carnation, Cedarwood, Juniper, Calendula, Peppermint, Cinnamon, Ginger,
(stones) Amber, Obsidian (me!), Rhodocrisite, Ruby, Larva rock,Garnet,
Jasper, Pipestone, Citrine, Beryl,
Hematite
Earth: (oils/herb) Cypress,
Honeysuckle, Vervain, Sage, Magnolia, Mugwort, Patchouli
(stones) Moss agate, Emerald, Jet, Salt, Black tourmaline, Agate, Malachite,
Obsidian (me again!)
I though another use for the bottles would be instead of candles for the quarters, especially if you are working outside in the wind/rain or if you are in a forest where you are frightened of setting it alight! or inside if you are not allowed to burn candles in the house.
I guess you could even make Goddess and God bottles, so that you could have an altar with the 4 elements and the Goddess and God out of pretty coloured bottles, and no-one would have a clue that they were really symbols of your religion!
I would make the God/dess bottles larger than the elementals... You may need to paint the bottles to get them the colour you want, a light coat of a cheap paint should make them translucent enough to still see through. (spay cans give an even coverage -- spray from far away though, or you'll get runs)
Goddess Symbols: moons,
name of Goddess on paper, small pic. or figurine, )o( symbol
Goddess colours: Silver, White,
Green, Cream, Pink
Goddess Oils/herb: Camelia,
Magnolia, Olive, Lily, Lilac,
Goddess stones: Emerald, Silver,
Moonstone, Rose Quartz, Peridot, Pink Tourmaline, Blue Quartz, Aquamarine,
Beryl, Kunzite, Turquoise (all pink & Blue stones)
(basically anything ruled by Earth, Water, the Moon & Venus)
God Symbols: Suns, Name
of God on paper, small pic. or figurine, the god symbol
God colours: Red, Yellow,
Gold, Orange, Brown
God Oils/herb: Basil, Chrysanthemum,
Clover, Lavender, Pine, Juniper,
God Stones: Gold, Brass,
Diamond, Carnelian, Ruby, Garnet, Orange Calcite,Tiger eye, Topaz, Sunstone,
Bloodstone, Red Tourmaline, (all red & Orange stones)
(Basically anything ruled by Air, Fire, Mars & the Sun)
To make one, you need:
An 8 x 10 photo frame
with a removable back and removable glass.
Black high-gloss paint
(not spray)
Dried psychic hers: hyssop,
dragons blood, orris root, anise seed, or any type of dried moss.
A disposable mixing container.
A paint brush
Collect the items during
the waning phase. Mix paint and herbs together until you have a thick
tar like substance. Chant while mixing.
"Vision of night,
by the moon's dark light,
enter my art...anl evil
depart."
As you chant, imagine
moonbeams entering the pain through your hands. Paint one side of
the glass with
the paint herb mixture
using long straight strokes. Cover one surface completely leaving
no holes. When dry, re-assemble with painted side down. Now
you are done or you can add shells, stones, feathers, mirror pieces,
symbols around the edges.
The purpose of a Book
of Shadows is basically a book of everything you learned and wrote
about the Craft. Some people include a dream journal, daily journal,
and a personal Witch journal. The reason it is called a Book
of Shadows is because during the "burning times" it is believed that
the book must be hidden under the "shadows"
so no one would find
it. It is believed traditionally, that the student hand-wrote his/her
Book of Shadows from his/her elder teacher. This was to protect the
teacher or the coven if someone would find the book, only
the student would be
accused (there would be no evidence of anyone else's handwriting).
No one knows when the "first" BoS (book of shadows) was actually written
because hundreds of years ago, hardly anyone knew how to read or write.
This is where the runes come in. Some believe that the Witchs learned
types of runic alphabets to write the book. Also this way, no ordinary
person would be able to read the book! Smart! The Runic alphabets
are still used today. Many believe they are powerful written words.
For example: When you inscribe something on your athame using a runic
alphabet, you are subconsciously putting more power into the words
because you are concentrating on the word itself (trying to get it
right and perfect). ----and not to mention, no non-witch will
know what it says...which
is protecting it from any negativity.
Design:
I think making your BoS
is the fun part! All you need to make yours is a bit of creativity!
It can be very simple or it can be very elaborate! Just keep in mind
that you will have to read from it while doing rituals and whatnot.
Don't make the same mistake I did when I made my first BoS. I was
so much into making it look beautiful that I couldn't read it easily.
I had many creative designs on it and even wrote some of it with
Runes (Theban Alphabet and the Seax-Wica Runic Alphabet). When I tried
to read it, I knew I had to make it simple. I still keep it for sentimental
reasons. The best way, I think, is to put it on your computer,
save it to disk and then print it out. Then you can arrange it in
a ringed binder. The binder should be separated into as many sections
as you need. The binder
will also be easier to
use so you can add and move pages around as needed. If you want to
keep in tradition, you can hand-write everything. Make sure
the print is large enough to read (remember you may only have a candle
or the moon as your light source). You also may want to attach two
strings with some kind of weigh on the ends (so that your pages won't
flip in the wind). With the binder, you can still make your
BoS interesting and beautiful by adding pictures and your own designs
on different pages from your writings. Don't forget the cover page!
That is the extra fun part! Let you imagination go wild! You'll never
know, maybe your BoS will be
handed down to your great-great-grand
children! :)
The importance of record
keeping:
Whatever you put into
your BoS, make sure you keep a record of it. Keeping good records
in the Craft will help you along on your journey. You will be able
to go back and see what works best for you in which situation.
Keep a worksheet in front
of every new listing showing where you got the information from,
when you got it, when it was created, if you created it, etc.
Also, create a worksheet to put in front of your spells and rituals.
Include:
When:
Day
Date
Time
Astrological correspondences
Moon phase
Where:
Outside by the lake,
beach, woods?
Inside your house?
In your backyard?
How:
How was your physical
health?
How was the weather conditions?
How was your mental health?
Were you happy, angry,
sad?
Why:
Purpose of the spell
Purpose of the Ritual
Who:
Was the spell written
by you for you?
Was the spell written
by you For someone else?
Was is written by someone
else?
Which deities were invoked?
What:
What were the tools used?
What else was needed
for the ritual/spell?
Any herbs, oils, color
of candles, etc.?
Results of the ritual
or spell:
How long it take to work?
What actually happened?
Did your spell/ritual
work?
Why do you think it happened
that way?
These are just a few
examples. You can add any information that you think will be valuable
in the future. The more information you write, the better you can
analyze it later.
What do I put in my BOS?:
Below is an example of
what you can put in your Book of Shadows. This is only an example.
You may add anything that you think will be valuable.
Book of Shadows Blessing
Principles of Belief
What Witchcraft means
to you
A little History
Traditions
Gods/ Goddesses
Calender
Wheel of the Year
Divination
Meditation
Herbs
Candles
Incense
Crystals
Stones
Scrying
Elements
Suggested Books
Spells
Articles
Poems
Pagan Humor
Networking/contacts
Rites of Passage rituals
Recipes
Casting a circle
Consecration of tools
Tools, Symbols, Runes,
ect.
Chants & songs
Dream Journal
Daily Journal
The Way of the Witch