Spellworx
By Natalie Zaman
It's...ALIVE!
Well, not yet, anyway. At Imbolc we honor the Goddess Brigid. Because she is linked with healing and fire, the cold days of Winter are a perfect time to turn to her warmth to get us through the days until Spring finally arrives.
The Brideog, an image of Brigid woven from straw or rushes, is a traditional craft to make at this time of year--and a perfect touchstone for the spellwork begun in BOOK OF SHADOWS. The Brideog we're making is going to be a little different than what tradition calls for; this little lady will help you take those things you wrote about and get them to start sprouting (or in the case of fears, to begin healing them)--literally!
Before you begin, gather your materials and prepare them so that you can do your magical work uninterrupted and with everything you need close at hand.
You will need:
Potting Soil
Plant Pot with a hole on the bottom for drainage and a dish to put under the pot for excess water. If you don't have one, you can make one from a recycled coffee can--have an adult puch holes through the bottom so the water can drain.
Cheesecloth You will need a piece that is about 8.5 by 11 inches (about the size of a piece of printer or notebook paper).
White String or Ribbon Your ribbon or string should be about 24 inches long. You can trim any excess when you are done.
Fill the plant pot 2/3 full with the potting soil. Lay the cheesecloth flat on a table.
Place three pinches of seeds in the center of the cheesecloth.
Fold the right side of the cheesecloth over the soil and seeds, and then do the same with the left. It will look like a long, white, flat tube.
Gather both ends of the cheescloth up and bring them together.
Take your string and carefully tie it just above the base of the cheesecloth to form a "bag" that is holding the soil and seeds. Knot it three times.
Holding the cheesecloth by the "bag," turn it rightside up. The bag is the Brideog's head, and the strings that are hanging are her arms--trim them so that they are even.
Lay the Brideog in the planter so that the head is in the center of the pot. Cover it with soil, water it, and place it in a sunny windowsill.
As you add the soil and seeds, and tie the strings to make your Brideog, think of the hopes, dreams, wishes or fears that you wrote about in your BOOK OF SHADOWS. If you wrote about a fear or a nightmare, make a separate Brideog for it. Think of your dreams coming true, or if you wrote about a fear, picture it turning into something positive. Remember that it is important to add physical action to a spell to make it potent. While you are assembling your Brideog, think of your intention and speak this spell (or, of course, make up one of your own!):
Don't forget to go back to BOOK OF SHADOWS!