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Saturday, February 1, 2014

Imbolc

Imbolc is here and it is time to celebrate. Here are some ideas and other stuff I have collected over the years,

I made some ornaments for my holiday tree a couple of years ago. I used the basic salt dough recipe. I cut out circles with a paper towel roll. I also made overlapped the circles and made crescent moons and a seed shape. I painted them and decorated them with snowflakes and flowers.  I found out latter that you could add food coloring to the dough but you can do it both ways. Just remember to use a toothpick to make your hole to string them up. I have many coins that I made by accident. So I have ornaments hanging on the tree then I made a plate with the candles, rocks and the extra coins. It turned out nice.


I painted some of them with candles on them. they turned out very nice.










How to Make a Brighid Wheel/Cross

The wheel/cross has long been a symbol of Brighid, the Irish goddess who presides over hearth and home.

In Celtic mythology the cross is not actually a cross, it is a wheel of fire. The wheel was placed in the home to protect the home from fire and evil. Brighid is also known as a goddess of the crossroads, and this symbol represents the place where two worlds meet, and the year is at a crossroads between light and dark.

You can use different materials to create your wheel - straw, reeds, paper, pipe cleaners. If you are using plant material, soaking it overnight will help it to be pliable.

-Paper Brigid's Crown-
(This is especially appropriate for young girls, since this is the holiday for the return of the maiden).

You will need:
Construction paper in your child's favorite colors, and yellow and/or red, for the flames.
Pencil, crayon, or marker.
Scissors.
Glue (white glue or glue stick).

What to do:
Cut a strip of paper about 2 inches wide and long enough to wrap around your child's head. You may need to glue 2 shorter strips to get the right length. Remember to include a couple of extra inches for overlap!
Draw and cut out eight thin rectangles (these are the candles) of paper.

Draw and cut out eight flames and glue the flames to the candles.
Draw wicks in the flames and candles.
Distribute the candles evenly around the headband.
Glue the candles to the outside of the headband. (You can glue it to the inside if you think your youngster will wait long enough for the glue to dry!) Depending on the age of your toddler, they can do the drawing, cutting and gluing. Even the youngest child can hold paper and have you guide her hands.

Wendy Sheridan
http://musicforthegoddess.com/mamawitch/
 
 
 
Here is a snowflake candle that I found. This would be a nice decoration to hang around















There are so many different ways you can make candles.
Candlemaking crafts for Imbolc | bookofshadowsandblessings
Bottle cap candles - burn 1 to 1.5 hours, great for travel or to use when you're entertaining on the deck at night and so easy to make!Mom in Madison: Happy Imbolc.               Candles.            
 An Imbolc Blessing:
Cold Winter is gone,
The snow will soon thaw,
Life stirs deep in the Earth.
We sing the Great Goddess
Back with us once more,
To bless the land in it's rebirth.
The snowmelt soon comes,
The trees will draw breath,
The robin will lend us her voice.
Come Pure Maiden,
Bless now your Earth,
In Goddess and Love we rejoice