A Pet-Safe Mistletoe Craft

Today I’m writing about Mistletoe, the legendary plant of love and friendship. As it is toxic to animals and small children, I’m going with a safe felted alternative for decoration.

Mistletoe is the name for a range of hemiparasitic, toxic plants that live off host trees in a variety of climates around the world. The one we know best is the European Mistletoe, an evergreen with paired leaves and white, waxy berries in clusters of two to six.

A tree infected with Mistletoe

There are many uses to Mistletoe, and more being studied medically, including cancer treatment, arthritis, high blood pressure, epilepsy and infertility. It is used in folk medicine as a sedative, to lower blood pressure, help heal broken bones, and reduce tumors. Caution must be advised for any internal usage of this toxic plant, and a doctor should be kept aware of your consumption.

From a mythical point of view, the plant has been important for thousands of years, usually as a male fertility symbol. The Celts referred to the berries as the semen of Taranis, the god of thunder, while the Greeks called them “oak sperm.” During Saturnalia, the Romans hung Mistletoe indoors as a symbol of peace and love.

In Medieval times, Mistletoe continued to seen as a sign of fertility and love, while simultaneously a deterrent against witchcraft and unwanted spirits. The custom of kissing under the mistletoe was in full force, though it may have been started by the Romans, or even as far as the Druids.

The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe was continued into the Victorian era by the serving class, who made the rules that a man could kiss any woman standing under mistletoe, and that it would be bad luck for her to refuse it. Every time a kiss was granted, a berry would be plucked, and once the berries were gone, no more kisses could be stolen by it.

Magically, the uses of Mistletoe are myriad. Keeping a bit of Mistletoe on you is an excellent bringer of good luck and fortune, and protection against evil. It drives away negative forces and attracts positive ones. In love spells, it draws potential love to you. It can break hexes. Mistletoe is also associated with spiritual development.

A Pet Safe Craft: Felt Mistletoe

You will need:

• One or two shades of green felt. I used wool felt mostly because they came in the colors I liked. If you are only making one bundle, then a few of those precut ~8.5×11″ sheets will be fine.
• Small white pom poms (I used half inch)
• Thin red ribbon
• Fabric glue (I ended up using Gorilla Glue, an overkill, because I couldn’t find my fabric glue)
• Fabric scissors

Enough branches for 3 bundles

I freehand cut the branches with paired leaves. I did it in three sizes: one long 4-pair branch, one shorter 4-pair branch, and one short 3-pair branch. I didn’t bother with a stencil because I thought the variation made it more natural. Don’t be too thin on the stems or where the leaves come together!

Once they are cut, you will gently and slowly pull at the felt to stretch the stems and give the leaves a slight cupped curve.

Put the three branches together by their top stems and glue the tips, with a loop of ribbon on the bottom. Let dry completely.

Once it is dry, you may tie the ribbon as you like and maybe add a dot of glue to keep it tied.

Once the ribbon and bow is dry, now you can start fussing with the leaves to twist and tangle them to give them a naturally fluffed appearance, with the leaves draping down. Get a sense of how you want it to look after the berries are attached. Hold it up often to see how it hangs.

I did the berries in two parts, so that they could dry before I flipped it over to do the other side. Mistletoe berries come in clusters of 2-6, along the stem. You can use the positioning of the berries to help fluff up the leaves or keep a tangle in place. And if you need, a drop of glue here and there also helps keep things looking good

There you go! You can make quite a few of these assembly-line style and they make nice early season gifts.

Making a Decorative Altar Piece

Written by guest writer Gekkou!

Hello! My name is Gekkou and I’m an eclectic pagan with largely Wiccan leanings. I’m also a fiber artist, and earlier this year I was asked to make a decorative doily-type-thing for an altar. I’m going to talk about the process of making it and my thoughts as I went along.

It’s crocheted using mostly cotton crochet thread that I was given as part of a de-stash (for the non-fiber-obsessed: de-stashing is getting rid of some or all of your fiber ‘stash’), along with some random soft white stuff that came in an anonymous ball and that I suspect is high-end wool. Mostly my choice of supplies was driven by thrift – what can I make with what I have on hand? If I had decided to purchase supplies, I likely would have gone with more vibrant, jewel-tone colors, but it was interesting to see how this turned out.

For my theme, I decided to go with the five elements typical in Wicca and elsewhere – Air, Fire, Water, Earth, and Spirit. These also have traditionally-associated colors, and I matched these as closely as I could to what was available – yellow Air, red Fire, light blue Water, grass green Earth, and white Spirit. I assigned crochet thread to the first four, and the soft white possibly-wool to Spirit, thinking of the light, intangible aspect of this element.

The center star was the only part of this design that I used a pattern for, and it can be found on Raverly (link: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/holey-star). I didn’t follow it exactly, but did something very similar. In my coven’s tradition we assign particular elements to the points of the pentacle, and I arranged them accordingly here. I don’t often work with crochet thread, and it was challenging to work with such a small slippery piece initially. Patience required!

I knew that I wanted to surround the pentacle with a pentagon. In order to do so, I’d need to increase only at the points of the star, while also ensuring that I had the right amount of stitches along the sides. Too few and it would turn into a bowl; too many and it would ruffle. This involved a lot of trial and error and ripping back to start over, especially in the inner rounds.

I used the tan crochet thread as a sort of boundary to delineate the sections. Once I’d framed the pentacle, I had to decide on the order of the colors. Eventually I settled on an order that seemed to reflect the physical world: first there is earth, with water upon it, then warmth (fire) that you feel in the air. You might also switch the order to have fire in the center, representing the magma beneath the earth.

As I worked with the colors, I found myself applying additional meaning to them. The bright green was similar to the new leaves as we moved towards spring. The paleness of the blue put me in mind of the icy chill of the waters in the PNW where I live, and the frost that still occasionally covered the ground in the February mornings.

Once I figured out the amount of stitches that I needed for the first round of the pentagon, applying the increases at the corners became easier. The rounds were worked in double crochet, and to accentuate the corners I did one triple crochet around the front of the post (link: http://www.redheart.com/how-to/articles/ultimate-guide-crochet-post-stitches). This created a raised line at each corner, leading to the center. Everything leads to the center…

Then I faced my next (self-imposed) challenge: I didn’t want the finished piece to be pentagonal, just the center. So I had to figure out a way to round out the shape somehow. Another border of tan comprised of single crochet over chains and double crochet, and I went on to Spirit.

It was interesting transitioning from the slippery crochet thread to the more grippy possibly-wool, and that outside edge also took a lot of ripping back and re-doing to figure out (thankfully the yarn was forgiving). I wanted it nice and thick, like an atmosphere around a planet, and I made it in four rows: small single crochet, stout half-double crochet, taller double crochet, and even taller triple crochet. This made the inside row dense, and the outside row lighter – although this was Spirit, I was still thinking of the atmosphere and how the oxygen thins out the higher you get. Given the linguistic similarities between spirit and breath (inspire, etc.) it wasn’t too much of a stretch.

When I finished working up the piece, it was time to block it. Blocking is, very simply, the process of wetting fibers and arranging and securing the project so that when it dries it stays the way you want it to (ahaha. ideally). I was a bit worried as I went into it, as even with all the ripping and re-doing it was still rippling and curling around itself, as pieces like this are wont to do. And there’s a saying…if you’re hoping you can fix it with blocking, you probably can’t. However, the fiber gods smiled upon me, and when I unpinned it from my foam blocking piece it stayed flat! Some of the white edging has a bit of a ruffle, but it’s easily smoothed over.

I hope you enjoyed this foray into my creative process, and maybe are inspired to create something of your own. There’s something special about handmade altar pieces, regardless of skill level – something about the amount of yourself involved in the item’s becoming, perhaps. It’s called Craft for a reason…

Happy Crafting!

New Year’s Wishes and Witches’ Balls

We’ll post a more elaborate article on Witches’ Balls later, but for the meantime, I wanted to show these ones I made as gifts.  Witches’ Balls are like little ornamental spells or prayers.  Based on the combination of items inside, it casts out your intentions into the recipients’ environment.

These can be an excellent way to remind yourself of your intentions for the coming year.  Create a ball that speaks to you and your needs – be realistic, and don’t overburden yourself with weighty goals.  Place the ornament somewhere you will see it daily.  Reflect on what the contents mean, and use it as a meditation guide.

I made these with the help of my 11 year old stepdaughter, so this can be a great family project.

Ingredients included cinnamon and tourmaline, which work well together; lavender; fir; rowan berries; cloves; and mustard seeds.  The overall hope is for a healthy, positive home, rich and enduring family relations, and personal clarity.

The people who received them were not all pagans, but found them very beautiful.  My stepdaughter remarked that they should open them up once just to smell the contents, which were just divine!

All Natural Yule Wreath

Today I’m making a big wreath to hang on the front of our house for Yule. First of all, I want to complain a little about my husband B teasing me for often saying “reef” because my Arizona drawl comes out now and then. He’s just a butt.

Anyhow, not content with a normal, store bought wreath, I went a bit wild and collected all kinds of plants, dried fruits, and spices for this project. I’ll go into the spiritual meanings behind all these supplies, and show you how to make your own! Feel free to jump ahead if you want to get right to the crafting

Many of these items I found online, often on Etsy. Some from local craft stores. A few things, like fresh fir boughs, I could get from my local garden shop (Branches in Federal Way), or my own backyard. The fruit I dried myself. I did pick up some fake red holly berries and some dried lavender, but I ended up not using them.

So much to choose from!

Juniper has been part of a purification incense for homes in preparation for Beltane. It is an herb of health and healing, a ward against disease and negative energies.

Fir is a sacred tree of life and can grant access to great wisdom.

Another tree of life is Cedar, which has been used to scent sacrifices and fumigate temples. It is connected to Odin and sanctifies magical objects. It is said to attract fortune and drive away negativity.

Lemon leaves (and rind) are often used in love spells; particularly of a sort to help people get over a past relationship and find new love. The leaves are noted for reflecting back the evil eye.

Boxwood (or Box) is particularly powerful for animal magic. Adding this herb extends your spell’s workings to include any pets and livestock.

Magnolia has a special affinity for the Wheel of Fortune tarot card. The scent of magnolia flowers or oil can help one when studying that particular card. The leaves are a symbol of lasting health and permanence.

The lotus is associated with The Hanged Man tarot card, and is sacred to beings that move between the worlds. It protects, it purifies, and consecrates any place it is set, especially as incense. It is well revered throughout the Middle and Far East.

Pomegranates have a sacred magical history of both Hebrew and pagan origins. It is considered a symbol of fertility in the Far East, particularly feminine. You can find them on the High Priestess and Empress tarot cards, and they are also associated with the Judgement card. As a gift, they are a wish for abundance and creative fertility. Opened and eaten, it connects you to the feminine goddesses, and may open you to contemplation of the more profound and deep mysteries. Drying whole pomegranates takes time and a dry space to leave them be while they do so.

I talked about oranges in my last post about garlands, mentioning that they were “made using an electric dehydrator, though you can also use an oven at a very low temp with the door cracked open. They are a fruit of love and fertility, and a just reward for victories. They strengthen seekers of quests.” Slice them thinly or they will remain sticky.

I also mentioned cinnamon, “a symbol of love, and tied to The Lovers tarot card, as well as being a visionary and purifying substance. It has been used as incense in temples even in ancient China. Wearing cinnamon can inspire good fortune, concentration, and correct mindset for ritual work.”

Star Anise is “also used as a temple incense. It is excellent for invoking your chosen deities while dispelling negative energies. It is connected to the tarot card of The Fool, in his joyous trust of the now. This can even bring peace to those nearing death.”

So let’s get started finally!

I used a 24″ metal wreath form I bought at Michael’s (<$5), but you aren’t limited to that. Grapevine wreaths are great for an all natural look, or there are foam circles, but I find them a bit cumbersome, though you can wrap them in ribbon and it can look very pretty. You may be able to find a base wreath to use at thrift shops, though you may have to remove the glitzy decorations to “Paganize” it. Your call!

Begin by gathering your materials and trimming them into usable small-medium branches, and stacking them in as tidy of piles as you can. Having everything prepped ahead of time helps a lot, but if you want to dive right in, just expect lots of pausing to cut.

For the base I’m using fir, cedar, boxwood, and lemon leaves.

Take your form, and attach some floral wire sturdily (I used a thin gauge for ease of movement). There’s no special art or technique to this. You will be placing small bundles on the form, wrapping wire around it, then moving to the next overlapping bundle. The wire doesn’t get cut till the very end. It’s a pretty streamlined process.

So gather up your first artistic bundle. As you can see, my arrangement is not overly large for the size of my form, but will cover it. Don’t worry about being too big, as you can trim it later. Here I have layered fir branches with juniper and cedar.

Wrap the wire a couple times around for security, tucking underneath the bit you want above the wire to hide it, then on to the next bundle. My next bundle adds the lemon leaves. There isn’t a special method, you really just go with what appeals to you and feel balanced.

You can choose to make each bundle identical, or mix up the pattern in a way that pleases you aesthetically. I plan on making an asymmetrical arrangement, with the pomegranates, oranges, and lotus pods clustered to one side.

You can always go back and add more after you’ve completed the circle, if you think an area is lacking.

Connecting the ends together is easier than it looks, and by the time you’ve reached it, you will have a good sense of how to tuck the ends under the first bundle neatly. Cut the wire leaving a few inches, and secure it well.

Gasp! I’m naked!

Take the time now to tidy up your workstation. Put away the plants you are done with, clean up the space, and then bring out the decorations. In my case, I am using pomegranates, oranges, lotus pods, magnolia leaves, cinnamon sticks, and star anise.

You will want a hot glue gun to attach your decorations. Again, you may be entirely symmetrical, you can go minimalist, load it up wildly, or do something asymmetrical (my choice). It’s your darn wreath and you get to do whatever appeals to your aesthetic!

This way…? No…

This? Hmm…

Don’t glue right away. Lay them out in their places, take a picture, study it a bit and rearrange to your taste before you heat up the glue gun.

Yes!

The magnolia leaves (dark green and waxy) get tucked in here and there to add fullness, and fill in any gaps. It’s easier to use the smaller ones, cause they get really big. I have a bunch of large ones left over, so we’re going to have to do some spellwork or something with those!

Finally, I added some star anise in random spots that felt a little unadorned and bare, as well as the center of the most prominent orange slice.

If you make a wreath, please show me! I’d love to see what other people come up with.

Yule Fruit Garlands

For Yule, I’m decorating my house in garlands of cranberries, dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, and star anise, and making a wreath that I will post on next. There is also a pine cone garland, I’ll talk about that briefly at the end. This is not only a nice old fashioned and natural way to deck the halls, it smells nice, and has some lovely magical properties to brighten the season.

Cranberries have an interesting and familiar bit of Finnish lore to them. The maiden goddess Marjatta ate a cranberry and by doing so, conceived a child. She was sent away in disgrace for bearing a fatherless child. Homeless, she gave birth in a stable. Fortunately, the baby is adopted by Väinämöinen, son of the father of oceans and an air goddess, hero of many Finnish legends. Cranberries were regularly used to decorate trees for Yule, as they keep and dry well on a cord and retain their bright color.

Väinämöinen: bearded badass

My orange slices I dried using a technique mentioned below. They are a fruit of love and fertility, and a just reward for victories. They strengthen seekers of quests.

Cinnamon is also a symbol of love, and tied to The Lovers tarot card, as well as being a visionary and purifying substance. It has been used as incense in temples even in ancient China. Wearing cinnamon can inspire good fortune, concentration, and correct mindset for ritual work.

Star anise is also used as a temple incense. It is excellent for invoking your chosen deities while dispelling negative energies. It is connected to the tarot card of The Fool, in his joyous trust of the now. This can even bring peace to those nearing death.

The string I used is a cotton embroidery thread, because I wanted durability. The color matters a little, as there are invariably some gaps here and there when they are strung up. Stick with 100% cotton or non-mercerized material – basically, something that would break apart if ingested by an animal or small child. You will also need a needle large enough for your thread (in my case, since I opted for a thicker string than your standard sewing thread, I used an embroidery needle and a needle threader).

I bought two standard packages of fresh cranberries, and only used about half of each because I was cherry picking the best ones for the garland. That amount got me the 4′ multi-item strand, and about 9′ of straight cranberry garland. They go far. I used them straight out of the bag, but you can rinse and dry them first if you prefer.

I dried out about 4 navel oranges’ worth of slices (the peel on the unused ends can be used for other purposes), but for a garland one is enough. You can also use Mandarin oranges if you prefer smaller slices. I just wanted them for extra projects since they will keep. Slice them thinly and evenly, about 1/4″ thick (you can see I wasn’t precise about this, do better than me), so they dry out completely. Put them in a dehydrator for 135° (or per machine instructions) and check then every two hours until they are done (or be lazy like me and just leave them overnight). A second method of drying is to use the oven on a very low temperature with the door cracked to let out moisture.

You can find less expensive whole star anise and cinnamon sticks at ethnic grocery stores, bulk natural food stores, and of course, online. Depending on the pattern you end up going with, you may not need very many. I only used star anise on the ends, for example.

To begin, plan out the space you will be hanging the garland. You want to measure out the length of string, and add a couple feet if you are tying in cinnamon sticks and star anise. Its better to be a bit too long and need to trim, but in worst case, you can tie on extra string and hide the knot inside a cranberry. Length does mean dealing with all that cord while your stringing your materials, so be methodical so you don’t get tangled up. Work out tangles gently, use the tip of your needle to pry knots open.

Decide on a pattern. I used: 5 cranberries, 1 cinnamon, 5 cranberries, 1 cinnamon, 1 orange, 1 cinnamon, and repeat.

Start with a loop wide enough for whatever you might be planning to attach it to. This is also something you can fix post production if you absolutely have to, but it’s a pain and doesn’t usually look as tidy. Then just below the loop’s knot, I like to start with a star anise. I don’t know why but it’s become tradition for me to have them at each end. You want to wrap string around a couple times at different angles to get between different points in the star, them double knotting it for security.

Thread your needle, and you can bring a lot of the excess string through to shorten the length the cranberries have to go. Just let it out as needed. Firm cranberries work best. Be careful running them down the thread! Too fast or without care can cause the string to saw right through them.

Tying the cinnamon sticks is the most tiresome part for me, but they add so much in terms of aesthetic and scent that they are worth the effort. I do one tie on them just to get them in place, and hold them there with one finger while trying the second knot to secure it. Sometimes it still isn’t taunt enough so I do a second loop and double knot. It doesn’t need to be super tight if you can’t manage it. One option is to add a drop of hot glue to really make sure it stays. Depends how “all natural” you want to go.

When you reach the end, tie on another star anise, and make a loop. Trim excess. The garland does not need any topcoat or protective spray – left hanging it will dry nicely, so long as the environment is not humid.

I also made one of just cranberries to hang across the window. Even my stepdaughter (11) was able to string a few of them with ease.

Now you may have noticed a pine cone garland as well. I did not make that myself, as I could not find access to pine cones I could gather. I would have to buy them anyhow, so I bought a premade garland. But if you have pine cones and want to do it yourself, you can check out one method of doing so at The Magic Onions: How to Make a Pinecone Garland.