Hallowmas, the Mourning Moon, and the Last Harvest

As the fall winds down to a close and early winter drizzles its way into the Witch\’s Garden, the desire to hibernate is strong. As humans we can\’t exactly do that, but as witches who follow and honor the seasons, we\’re making more time for warm fires in the fireplace, soft comfy clothing, blankets, hot meals, games, and time with friends. We\’re stoking our own inner fires for the coldest time ahead.

Reminders:

Please bring back your cloth bags with the name tag attached, so we know that you returned your bag. Each customer gets two bags for the year – one to pick up full of goodies, and one to return empty so that we can refill it for you next month. The cycle continues until the end of the year, when you can choose whether to keep both bags, one bag, or return them both for us to recycle next year. Right now we’re using a lot of paper. We’ll try to reset next month with more cloth bags, but we won’t be replacing them again this year.
We will also re-use any glass, metal, or packing materials you return. Please help us keep costs down by letting us reuse as much as possible.
If you have any trouble with the form, the blog, or the website, please let us know so that we can iron out any kinks.

Password Update

The password for the site is now:

Witchka

On the night of Saturday December 9, this will become:

FearlessFeetInSnow

This password will be good until the next delivery, in late January.

As always, the password is based on S.J. Tucker’s lyrics, this time from the song “Baba Yaga,” off the album \”Tangles\”. This song fortifies me for the cold months. On Band Camp, S.J. writes,

It\’s about an archetypal crone figure from Russian folklore coming back to life in the form of a street person, to guide young men and women and teach them what\’s important in the world: not your cell phone, not your car, not the law, but your roots, your convictions.

As the wise and ancient Baba Yaga tells all those who will listen to her stories:

I will be here when you\’re ready.
My fire will still burn when yours starts to go.
I have always been here,
I with my fearless feet in the snow…
I\’ll be here just to watch you grow.

For all the Soojy goodness the interwebs can hold visit https://linktr.ee/sjtuckermusic.

Hallowmas, Day of the Dead, and Thanksgiving

All Hallow\’s Eve, Halloween, or Samhain on October 31 is the first of a series of days dedicated to honoring those who have passed away before. All Saint\’s Day or Hallowmas, usually celebrated in traditional Christian churches, celebrates all those departed who have been designated Saints. An interesting piece here is that many of these storied saints are Christianized variants of older gods and goddesses – for example, St. Brighid or Saint Nicholas. November 2nd is then celebrated as All Soul\’s Day, honoring the souls of all the deceased, including those thought to be in purgatory. In many Latinx cultures, All Saints\’ and All Souls\’ correspond with the Day of the Dead, a classic celebration honoring ancestors and loved ones who have gone before.

It is fitting that these ceremonies honoring family and heritage come at the start of the harvest and winter celebration seasons. As we get together with those we love for fall harvest festivals like Thanksgiving and winter \”festival of lights\” celebrations – whether that\’s Yule, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hannukah, Candlemas, Boxing Day, and/or others – we come face to face with our own histories and those of our communities and families. It\’s a time to bring light to the darkness, to work with shadow, to do the messy work of loving other humans… and of drawing boundaries, too.

As we get together with those we love… we come face to face with our own histories and those of our communities and families. It\’s a time to bring light to the darkness, to work with shadow, to do the messy work of loving other humans… and of drawing boundaries, too.

The Mourning Moon/Beaver Moon

This month\’s full moon is known as the Mourning Moon or the Beaver Moon. The name \”Mourning Moon\”, tying in with older Native American traditions, gives us a hint at the global nature of some of our oldest human ceremonies and traditions. The name \”Beaver Moon\”, all jokes aside, tells us to take our queues from the world around us. The Beaver does not hibernate but does go to ground, spending the entire winter drowsing in the warm and dry interior of their dam enclosures. It\’s time to rest, to conserve and reclaim our energy, to go into the dark knowing it can be a place of renewal if we have the courage to face our shadows head on.

The Celtic Tree Calendar

A tradition of some Celtic pagan paths, most likely arising in the 1800s but based on the historically ancient ogham writing system, relates a tree species to each lunar month. This month’s lunar correspondence is with cane, so we used bamboo for your charms this month. Bamboo is sacred in parts of Asia, as river cane can hold a similar status among Native American groups in what is now the U.S. Tender shoots can be eaten, older and stronger canes hold up housing, and they can be used in building weapons, both for hunting and for protection. Though known for its strength and hardness, Cane is pliable and resilient, bending with winds and storms instead of breaking – a valuable lesson as we go into the darkest time of year, when the world around us often feels its most bleak.

Going Into the Dark

This is the time of year to honor the things for which we mourn, from those we love to the loss of light and warmth in the world around us. This is an old, old pattern among humans, so integrally tied to the world around us. It is an archetypical tendency to draw inward at this time of year, to face the darkness within and outside ourselves. It\’s the time to rest and the time to meet ourselves where we are. It\’s the time for communities to come together in our own \”nests\” of light and warmth, holding back the dark as best we can. And, human as we are, that almost always involves facing up to some of our darker tendencies and addressing – or at least bearing – some of the harder parts of being in relationship with one another.

Your Delivery, and Using Your Items

Everything in your box is yours to do with as you please. I don’t put together “spell kits” or provide rituals for you – you have your own path to walk, and I have mine. Instead I try to provide you with items to use in your own practice, sharing some of my own plans and ideas as inspiration. Legalese, because it’s an important thing sometimes: By using these items, you acknowledge that YOU are responsible for any and all outcomes, including any allergic reactions, and not me or The Witch’s Garden. Know thyself, witch.

So what’s in the box?

This month’s box includes handmade magickal ingredients for care, protection, healing, and a little joy. For local deliveries, from far left and spiraling inward:

Goldenrod Tincture – Goldenrod reduces inflammation, relieves muscle spasms, and lowers blood pressure, as well as fighting infection. This tincture was soaked for 6 weeks in alcohol, then strained. Use a teaspoon daily in tea or water – not coffee or soda – to start and increase as needed. I can\’t give any form of medical advice, so please talk to your healthcare provider or a holistic doctor before making any changes to a healthcare regimen, especially if you take other medications. Goldenrod does have potentially medical effects, so use with care. Contraindications: Don\’t use if you\’re allergic to latex. Goldenrod can cause allergies in people who are allergic to asters like chrysanthemum, chamomile, mugwort, sunflower, marigold, daisy, etc.

Beaver Moon Transfer Decal – These vinyl decals were made by Becca of LaSheet\’s Treats. To transfer your decal onto a surface – computer, water bottle, journal, car, etc. – (1) Peel the white paper off your decal to reveal a sticky surface. (2) place the decal against its chosen home like a sticker, with the clear vinyl on top. Rub something flat against the decal and its cover… a book spine, a ruler, even the back of a knife IF YOU\’RE CAREFUL to ensure the decal is firmly stuck to your chosen surface. (3) Slowly and gently peel the clear vinyl backing off your decal. You\’re ready to go! Need more? Read here. We\’ve done the first part. Now all you have to do is peel the white back off, then stick, rub to ensure a good grip, then peel off the clear front. Peel, stick, rub, peel. These aren\’t dishwasher or clothes washer safe, but they are water resistant and long-lasting.

Apache Tear Bracelet – This beautiful bracelet is made by Raine LaMee with silver wire and an Apache Tear. Apache Tears are found naturally rounded, and each is unique. These are a naturally occurring form of volcanic obsidian. Legend among the Apache sees them as the earth\’s tears. When a person carries a tear, they can support us in our grief, helping us to process pain and sorrow. They are charm for support in any kind of grief, whether related to the passing of a loved one, a changing situation, old trauma, or releasing buried memories.

Bind Rune Charm – Bind runes are combinations of the classic Nordic runes meant to charm an item by becoming an expression of the runes that form them – they\’re sigils based on runes, in a very real way imbuing the item with the desired characteristics. The bind rune on your bamboo cane charm signifies \”Courage\”. It\’s a time of year when we tend to face our fears, whether that\’s in going home, meeting family, owning where we are in life, or addressing major life events. Many of us travel. Many of us need some protection from negative energy – our own or others. Carry this charm with you and let the protective, powerful bind rune remind you of your own internal power, and resilience. You are protected and capable, blessed as a human with the ability to love yourself and others, to discern important boundaries, to travel in the world with competence, and to have courage to do the hard work of being in and building communities.

Mulling Spices – A blend of spices for protection, preservation, and healing, this is medicine and food in one beautiful package. You can use this package as decoration and blessing for your December Yule log, or use as suggested below. Contains: Aniseed, star anise, cinnamon, lemon, orange, clove, bay leaf, caraway seed.

On top is an orange slice with clove and a ribbon for hanging. This is a classic witch\’s pomander, a protective ward and blessing in the winter months. These can be whole citrus decorated with beautifully intricate designs patched with cloves – possibly early baubles used as tree ornaments. The one we\’ve given you can be hung in a window as a suncatcher, too. The rest of the container can be used to mull wine or cider by simmering the drink of choice in a pot with the citrus and spices for anywhere between 20 minutes and 2 hours based on quantity of liquid and desired flavor. Or make a beautiful simmer pot – a smoke-free way to bless your home with clarifying scents – by emptying the container into a pot of water or a slow cooker and simmering for hours, making sure the pot never boils dry by adding more water as needed.

Thieves Vinegar – This cleansing and clarifying classic potion has been in use since plague times. The story goes that thieves were able to sneak into and out of homes where the plague was known to have been without getting sick, robbing the deceased. When caught and questioned, they gave a historical version of the modern-day recipe, full of antiviral and antibacterial elements that protected them from illness when imbibed and rubbed on the hands before and after being in an environment where the illness had been active. Your version includes garlic, oregano, basil, honey from our hive, cinnamon, and turmeric in a homemade apple cider vinegar base. This batch was double-infused, soaking for a month, then strained, then soaking with fresh ingredients for a second month. Traditional remedies would say for adults, take a tablespoon a day as needed to ward off infection and up to 3 or 4 tablespoons a day in tea or water while ill.

Suggestions for Use: Carry your cane charm during celebrations and any potentially tough holiday situations, when you travel, and anytime you need a little boost. You can string it on a necklace or bracelet, or put it in a pocket for a little secret support.

Let our decal remind you to allow a spirit of fun to infuse the darkness this time of year. Put it somewhere you\’ll see it – a journal, a water bottle – to remind you of the Beaver\’s wisdom. Take a little time for self-care, go slower this time of year, and don\’t fear the dark.

Use your Thieves Vinegar and Goldenrod to physically support your immune system through the winter dark while we\’re pulled into closer quarters, indoors and often in groups. Wear your Apache Tear to support your spirit and emotional bodies as well, especially anytime you\’re facing sadness or grief. Sometimes we have to face those emotions to go through them and find the other side. Let the Tear be your lifeline.

As long as you don\’t want to save your mulling spices for your Yule Log ritual in December, use the mulling spices and pomander as a delight for all the senses – touch, taste, smell, sight, sound. Wrap your hands around a mug of cider, wine, or tea simmered in the blend, as your pomander catches the sun in a window. Take a mindful moment, a mini-ritual moment, to thank your deities or the universe for simple pleasures and know that right here, right now, with something to warm your belly and hands and a pretty sight before your eyes, you are ok.

May you be safe, cared for, and among friends as we go into the winter holidays. Blessed Be.