Midsummer Eve Pillow Divinations

On Midsummer Eve, various herbs and charms placed beneath your pillow
are capable of bringing prophetic dreams.

To dream of an absent lover, daisy roots should be placed under the pillow.

Place a piece of mugwort gathered on Midsummer Eve beneath your pillow
for prophetic dreams. Wrap a piece of wax in a stocking and place it
under the pillow. The next morning melt the wax and pour it into a vial
of water to set in the sun. It will harden into a shape that shows the
occupation of your future husband.

Oak flowers on Midsummer Eve and withers before daybreak, it is said.
Spread a sheet beneath the tree and catch the blossoms. Place them under
your pillow and dream of your future lover.

According to old English lore, yarrow gathered from a young man’s grave
and laid under the pillow on Midsummer Eve will produce a vision of your
husband-to-be.

Placing ash leaves beneath the pillow results in prophetic dreams.

A laurel leaf placed beneath the pillow brings about prophetic dreams.

Betony placed beneath the pillow prevents nightmares, the elf sickness
inflicted by malicious fairies, and even drunkenness.

If you find a cinquefoil that has seven points (they usually have 5), it
should be placed under the pillow so that you can dream of your future
partner.

Place a four-leaved clover under your pillow to dream of your perfect
partner.

According to a northern English custom, a future spouse can be
determined by putting three holly leaves, named for three suitors and
blessed in the name of the Trinity, under your pillow with the left
hand. The first leaf to have turned over in the morning would be the one.

Marigold petals placed under the pillow will give you prophetic dreams
and enable you to identify a thief or robber.

Mistletoe placed beneath the pillow is an aid to conception, and also
ensures a restful sleep and good dreams.

Placed under the pillow, rosemary ensures pleasant dreams and keeps evil
away.

Sleeping with sage leaves under the pillow encourages prophetic dreams.

Beltane Crown

At Beltane celebrations and rituals, male and female witches should
wear crowns,(Green is the color for robes if worn too.)
The men have a oak leaf crown and ladies a floral head garland.
but, a simple design of the chaplet(twinning ivy twisted together to
form the base ring) can just be worn.
These crowns, which take about an hour to make, are made both the
same way….
First, you make the base chaplet of ivy ,or, males can use
honeysuckle including the flower. then, select the flowers or the
oak leaves you wish to use…(hawthorn or white may flowers are
traditional if you are making your garland just before wearing, as
they will not keep. otherwise, use any white flowers or include
color. Keep in fridge when made and spray with water to keep fresh.
(Oak leaves if rare can be replaced with any tree leaf assosiated to
the god such as ash.)
Remove any thorns from stems and trim, then tie into small posies of
flowers or leaves, use green gardening twine.
Starting at the front of your headress begin to tie your posies in
place useing the best looking bunches first or a special arrangment.
work backwards cover the stems with the next bunch of posy heads,
this way it will hide all stems and string when finished, continue
till back to the front tidy and re-arange for a finished look .
After the rites and celebrations leave the crowns as offerings in
the woods.

May Pole Candles

You will need:
Lots of pretty ribbons
Tall white or green pillar candle
Gold or brass “Craft Bells”
Candle holder (stand)

Cut lengths of ribbon around 18 inches each, in pretty Springtime
colors.(pastels)
Tie a craft bell to each end of ribbon (a tooth pick helps this
process) Tie ribbons starting at 3/4 way down the pillar candle,
knot three times, don’t tie bows, you need lots of length on the
ribbons. Tie as many as you like snaking your way up the candle, but
leave at least 1/4 candle bare. Place in a candle stand that will
raise the candle about 6 – 8 inches, so the ribbons can “drape”
Swirl the bundle of ribbons so they face East, ready to greet the
dawn on Beltane morn. Light candle and cheer the Spring time
blessings to come.
Keep a “safe” eye on candle & ribbons.

Barbara Morris

Beltane Wishing Powder

Each of the herbs, essential oils and colors listed in these recipes were
chosen because they correspond to the Sabbat of Beltane. Use these powders
to aid in your celebration!

Herbs:
* Bluebell
* Marigold
* Rose
* Snapdragon

Essential Oils:
* Frankincense

Colors:
* Blue
* Rose
* Silver

All wishing powders consist of three main ingredients – Dried Herbs,
Essential Oils, and colored Glitter or Confetti.

The glitter and confetti you choose to work with can be anything from tiny
silver stars to large purple hearts, large bottles of standard crafting
glitter to small pots of ultra-fine iridescent glittering powder, and even
colored wood shavings. I have found that when looking for ways to
incorporate color into your powders, there are literally hundreds of options
Try them all and find out what works best for you!

To create this powder, you will need to gather the following items:

* The herbs, Essential Oils, colors listed above
* A bowl for mixing (I recommend a plastic bowl with a lid since it is much
easier to shake a powder together than to stir)
* Any measuring cups or spoons you prefer to use
* A mortar and pestle to help break up large chunks of herbs

Once you have all your equipment ready, measure each ingredient into the
bowl. For your first few powders, I recommend using 1 Tablespoon of each
herb, 1 teaspoon of each glitter and / or confetti, and 1 drop of each
Essential Oil. You can easily customize your powders once you get the hang
of making them!

Next, cover your bowl tightly with its lid and shake vigorously until the
ingredients are well blended. To empower your magickal powder, visualize
what you would like the powder to accomplish – money in your bank account,
your perfect soul mate, or the excited face of your best friend when you
present her with a special birthday wishing powder. Hold this image in your
mind at least until you have finished shaking. Ideally, you will be thinking
about this purpose throughout the whole creation process – from gather
ingredients to packaging the finished powder – to give your magick as much
energy as possible.

To package your finished powder, you may measure it into small plastic
zipper bags, pour them into small glass vials or plastic tubes, or even
store them in the bowl you used to create them. The possibilities are nearly
endless! Just remember to label the powder once you’ve packaged it and
include a list of ingredients and instructions for use.

From: “Make A Wish – The Art of Creating Magic Wishing Powder” by Lady Wolfdreams

Steps to Naturally Dying Eggs

Here are the steps to natural dying
1. Place raw eggs in the bottom of a large pan
2. Cover with tepid water
3. Add about a teaspoon of white vinegar
4. Add the natural dye ingredients
5. Bring the contents in the pan to a boil
6. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 30 minutes depending on the
shade you wish to achieve. The longer it boils, the darker the
shade. Of course, the longer the boil, the more inedible the egg
will be.
7. Remove any solid dye substance and pour water and eggs carefully
into a bowl. If you wish them to be a darker color, leave them in
the bowl and refrigerate over night. Never leave eggs out of
refrigeration for more than one hour. If you do, don’t eat them. You
could get food poisoning from them.
8. Remove the eggs from the water and let them dry in egg cartons.

Eggshell Votives

What you need:

eggshells
gravel or sand
wax, melted
wicks

Instructions:

Carefully crack open eggshells (one inch from narrow end) and set
aside yolk and whites for cooking. Rinse and carefully rub away
membrane and let dry in egg carton. Melt wax and carefully pour into
eggshells. Insert wicks. When cooled set the eggshell candles in a
shallow dish that has been filled with gravel or sand. Gently settle
candles into the gravel or sand. Light the candles, dim the lights and
enjoy their luminescense during your Ostara or Equinox ritual.