The Pagan Heart Activities and Rituals

September-October 2005 Issue

Harvest Home     Activities     Berry Pie Bake pies with the last fruits and berries of summer and fall and freeze them for the Yuletide feast - this will save some of the energy and joy of the season for the cold dark winter ~ Allie. Blindman's Water Bluff Designate a child to be the "sun". The sun wears a blindfold as, with winter looming near, he is becoming sleepy and will soon fade into a mere remnant of his heated glory. The other children get small spray/mister bottles with which to spray the sun, dousing his/her fire as winter takes hold. The sun uses the spray as a guide to try and catch one of the children. Whoever is caught becomes the sun and the game continues. ~ submitted by: Cherie O. Dried Berries Slice the fruits and larger berries (leave smaller ones whole) and dry them in a low oven (lay them out on a baking sheet, not touching) for a few hours. They are finished when they are dry and leathery. Pack away in an airtight jar to add to winter baking. ~ Allie. Fall Picnics Find a park that has NO playground. A forestry park is ideal, but otherwise, look for one with trees, a creek if possible, and no swings or sandpits. Spread a blanket out in the fall sunlight, feast on tasty fall foods, and then go for a Gathering Walk. Take a bucket or basket and gather fallen treasures such as colorful leaves, pinecones or other seed pods and such, grassheads, branches, and anything else that nature has discarded. Look for insects and animals, lie on the grass and cloud-dream, roll down hillsides, and investigate the streams. Revel in nature. ~ submitted by: Allie. Gathering for Mabon Set aside a day to gather the plants of Mabon. Whether you got to the market, the supermarket, a park, a walk through the woods, or even a farm or garden, you will find some if not all of these there. Select the most perfect looking and take them home to add to your Mabon Altar: Acorns, aspen branches, cones (pine, cypress), corncobs, fall leaves, hazelnuts, ivy, oak branches, seeds and grains, vines of any kind, wheat stalks ~ Bill W. Harvest Applesauce The making of applesauce is an important ritual of the harvest for me. Apples are an aid to the Sight, a symbol of eternal life, and bringers of wisdom. They are very powerful, and this time of the year - when they are in season and the thinning of the veil approaches with Samhaine - their power is at its highest. If made correctly, this applesauce will be filled with energy and magical power - use it in ritual meals or as an assist when preparing for the important divination. 1 quart apples - peeled and sliced 1 cup of water 1/2 cup of sugar 1 teaspoon of lemon juice Cinnamon and nutmeg to taste Cook everything except the spices until it is tender. Use a fork to mash it all to become smooth. Now it is ready to be empowered. Take a bowl and wooden spoon and bless them. Bring your energy up to full strength, then pour the apple into the bowl. Sprinkle the spices in a clockwise spiral across the fruit and then take up the spoon and slowly stir the apple clockwise while chanting the following three times. Take one small taste after each recital: "Grandmother, bless this fruit Share your wisdom with me Modrona, open my eyes To what I may be." Let the applesauce cool and then pour into a jar and seal. Refrigerate and eat later as needed. ~ Katya. Harvest Necklaces Indian corn (assorted colors make the prettiest necklaces) assorted beads feathers bead wire or equivilent large blunt needle (to pierce kernels) boiling water large container (able to hold boilin water) any pliers or wire cutters neccesary Remove all the corn kernels from a few ears of indian corn and put into container. Boil 2-4 C. water and pour over corn kernels. This kills any bugs and eggs living in the corn (DO NOT SKIP!! Speaking for experience you do NOT want your closet infested with moths after storing your necklaces in closet) Soak kernels overnight (at least 8hrs). Cut stringing wire to appropriate length. Thread onto blunt needle (younger children need help stringing) and gently push through the center of corn kernels. You can string on beads, kernels, feathers, and anythign else that you can attatch. Tie off the ends when finished. You can make garlands or beautiful necklaces or bracelets. Have fun! ~ submitted by: Rhia. Harvest Tic-Tac-Toe You Need: A plastic tablecloth Bundle of "corn dolly" straw and string Tokens (use colored card cut to represent scythes and sheaves) Electrical tape The Method: Lay the tablecloth over a table and secure with tape. Use the tape to mark out a Tic-Tac-Toe board with 3 - 5 squares a side (depending upon the skill and age of the children). One child gets sheaves, the other scythes and they take turns to try and create a row of 3-5 as per normal Tic-Tac-Toe rules. Play until one person has won three games (if the children are little, you might prefer to play so each child wins a game and thus a corn dolly bundle). The winner gets the corn dolly bundle to make a harvest doll. ~ submitted by: Cherie O. Park Activity Tie streamers of crepe paper to ankles and wrists of your toddler (in yellows, oranges, and reds) and place him/her in a swing. Push with all your might and watch as she/he sends color flying across the sky. ~ submitted by: Allie. Pressing Fall Leaves This was always one of my favorite things to do as a child, and I still like it very much. I use the leaves to make garlands by stringing them on thin willow branches and hanging these above my windows and doors, or bending into a circle to make wreaths for my table and altar. I also create a fall tree for my seasonal altar piece. First you must collect the leaves - aim to gather ones of different colors and shapes. Do not collect ones with marks or tears. They should be perfect as possible. Do not collect dry leaves - they should still be flexible and freshly fallen. Decide then which ones to use for the garlands and which to save for other purposes. You can collect a few branches too - both thin whippy ones and multi-branched ones - strip them of all leaves and set aside. For the garlands, thread the chosen leaves on one at a time on the thin whippy branches until the garland is as well covered as you like. Hang these immediately. The leaves will dry naturally. To make fall trees (maybe to decorate an altar or table), cover an empty bottle or can with decorative paper and fill with sand. Add a cup or two of water to wet the sand then stand the multi-branch up in the sand. Thread smaller leaves onto the branches, and maybe a bell or two. I like to hang small plaster fruits of the harvest from the tree as well. ~ submitted by: Katya. Soul Portrait Many people use icons and images as a way to focus the mind and energy in meditation, prayer, and healing. This activity creates a "soul portrait" of you for you to use in rituals, healing, meditation, or even as an addition to your altar space. It needs to be personal and honest. Completing this prior to an equinox offers the ability to empower it at that time of great balance. However, the third night of the first full moon following the equinox is also a very good time. Get a piece of wood or heavy card about 1 & 1/2 foot in diameter. Choose a shape that appeals, whether it is a piece of thick bark, or polished plywood doesn't matter. Find some personally meaningful items with which to decorate it. These need to contain symbolic meaning about you in the roles you play. Maybe a crystal for your role as a healer, a piece of poetry for you role as poet, and a feather to show your desire to fly free of all things. Choose one larger object that represents the entirety of you. Gather some paints, glue, markers as well. Lay out the objects and let them speak to you. Then paint the wood - it may be an abstract image, a landscape, a person, or whatever strikes your fancy. Let your soul speak onto the board as you illustrate it. Mark out a bordered area in the heart of the image large enough for your large item to be attached within. Sketch out smaller ones around it for all the others. Fix them in place and let it dry. If you feel the need to, write out words to describe the parts of you shown on the board, hopes, dreams, fears, and so on. When you are finished, hold a ritual on or close to the equinox and bless the portrait. Draw in the balanced energies and let your own inner self infuse the work. Connect yourself to it, make it an object of personal power and replenishment. An icon from which to draw balance and hope. Then hang or place it in a significant location. ~ submitted by: Catherine M. Tree of Thanks construction paper (brown, red, yellow, orange) leaf stencils (optional) glue scissors markers or pencils Out of the brown construction paper cut out the form of a tree trunk and a few branches. Now using the stencils or by freehand, draw the shapes of leaves on the red, yellow and orange paper. Cut out the leaves. Have each participant write on their leaves what they are thankful for. Then they glue the leaves to the paper tree trunk. NOTE: You can alter this activity by collecting real leaves and bits of bark. Glue the bits of bark onto the brown paper tree trunk. Next write what you are thankful for on the real leaves and then glue them to the trunk. ~ submitted by: H. Palleiko. Wheel of the Year With Samhaine approaching, the Autumnal Equinox is the ideal time to work on a Wheel of the Year, a Pagan Calendar for the next 12 months. Being a time of balance, the energies of the equinox can be infused into the Wheel to affect your home over the coming year. Circular piece of wood or heavy cardboard - 24 inches in diameter Paints, markers, glue Feathers, seeds, cones, and other decorative items that represent the 8 Festivals of the year Method to hang it by - hook, twine, etc Mark the circle into equal quarters and then into eights. Write in the name of the festival, the date, and important notes, and then decorate it with the various items. Once it is finished and dry, attach the hook or twine. The Wheel is now ready to be blessed and dedicated to your deities - whether you do this at Samhaine or Midwinter is not important - as long as it is the festival you celebrate as the New Year. ~ Catherine M.         Rituals     Box of the Gods You Need: Wood or Cardboard box with a lid Glue and decorative items Enough material to cover the inside of the box and lid Extra square of material, length of ribbon, some herbs and oils The Method: Glue the material inside the box and lid to create a soft lining - if you wish you can lay a layer of cotton wool over the base and sides before gluing down the material - in this case only glue it to the corner and edge lines, not to the cotton wool! Do not use cotton wool in lining the lid. Paint and decorate the outside of the box and lid. Do this with the lid on as otherwise the decorations may prevent the lid closing properly. You may want to attach an image or the names of the deities to whom you intend to dedicate the box. Make a poppet from the herbs and oils, mixing up a pleasing blend and placing it in the square of material. Use the ribbon to tie it up and place this inside the box. On the equinox, dedicate the box to the deities whom you most connect with. These should also be ones you turn to for help and comfort. Afterwards, when you have a concern, fear, or even a wish or desire, write it down and place the paper inside the box with an offering. A crystal, or found item works well. After the fear or desire has been answered by the gods, burn the paper in a candle at your altar. ~ submitted by: Catherine M. Equinox Skin Health Check-In This is a bit mundane, but still crucial for us all. I make this a regular part of my first harvest festival with all my family since I inevitably fail to keep a close eye over summer. Skin health. The sun provides us with life and energy, but too much can be deadly. So I see a part of the balance of Mabon as taking stock of my own health, beginning with the part of me most touched by the sun. I follow the A, B, C, D, and E of skin check-ups: A is for asymmetrical - is the mole or freckle fairly rounded, or is it an odd shape? B is for border - the edge should be smooth not jagged. C is for color - healthy moles are uniform in color and tone. D is for diameter - anything over 6 millimeters needs checking. E is for evolution - has the mole changed since last check-up? ~ submitted by: Cherie O. The Harvest Moon "Drink a toast to Dionysus, the God of wine and ecstasy - The son of the Moon! Gather with friends to celebrate the vine with a bottle of good wine and good cheer. Catch the Moons reflection in your cup and raise it up in salutation, now drink in her essence and feel the presence of the God and Goddess." ~ Moon Lore

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