Tag: Dye

Calendar of the Sun for September 23

Calendar of the Sun

23 Halegmonath

Day of the Scales: Beginning of Libra
Colors: Pink, rose, white, and pastels
Element: Air
Altar: Drape with cloth in the day’s colors, and set with flowers, a crystal goblet of white wine, incense, feathers from any bird, a set of scales, a sword, and a pile of law books.
Offerings: Flowers. Anything beautiful or artistic. Beautify an area. Do something that is fair and just. Offer yourself for mediation for others.
Daily Meal: Sweet things, such as pastry, cakes, fruit, and other sweet desserts. The meals should be arranged aesthetically attractively.

Invocation to Libra

There are two sides to every scale,
The side of beauty and what is loved,
The side of fairness and what is just,
And it is a life’s work
To bring the two together.
You whose gift is Balance,
Bless us with harmony in every debate,
And help us see our views
Through the eyes of others.
By the power of all that bonds together,
You challenge us
To listen as much as we speak,
To speak as much as we listen,
To go back and forth in the dance of I and Thou.
May we all go forth in equality.

(Instead of a chant, all sing the song “Crane Dance”. One person who has been chosen to work the ritual goes among them, dispersing the flowers, and afterwards all will disperse the flowers about the house, so that they may be seen anywhere they walk.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Natural Dyes for Ostara Eggs

Natural Dyes for Ostara Eggs

Yellow – Carrots, Fenugreek, Turmeric, White grape juice

Yellow Orange – Vanilla extract

Orange – Dandelions, Yellow onion skins, Paprika, Orris root

Pink – Heather, Iris blossoms

Red – Cayenne, Madder root, Red onion skins

Reddish Purple – Purple grape juice, Red raspberries

Blueish Purple – Beet juice, Blackberries, Mulberries

Blue – Black raspberries, Blueberries, Red cabbage

Green – Bracken, Carrot tops

Yellow Green – Daffodils

Yellow Dye

Yellow Dye

Plant: Gaillardia “Indian Blanket”
Harvest time:  June
Material: Fresh flowers, leaves, stems
Vessel:  Enamel or granite

Boil 1 pound of fresh material in 5 gallons of water for 2 hours. Strain; add 1/4 cup of raw alum to the water. Allow to dissolve by boiling 10 minutes before adding 1 pound of wet yarn. Mix well and boil the yarn for 2 hours. Steep overnight before rinsing several times.

Herb of the Day: Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus)

Herb of the Day: Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus):

Local name: Clove Pink.
“The clove gilloflower is most used in physiche… and is accounted to be very cordiall.” John Parkinson.
Folk Names:
jove’s flower, gillies, gilliflower, sops-in-wine
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Powers: Protection, Strength, Healing

When made into a syrup (5 pints boiling water to 3 pounds flower heads; 2 pounds sugar per pint), Parkinson claimed it to be “good for disorders of the brain.” Gerard said that it help ease heart sickness.
CAUTION!! Commercial Carnations are often “DYED”. Not knowing what the dyes used are, I would NOT ADVISE you to use Commercial Carnations!!
Magickally associated with: Sun, Fire. Was once worn by Witches to prevent capture and hanging. A sachet stuffed with the flowers and inhaled deeply, is said to help you to get over heartaches. Said to produce added energy in ritual when used in incense. Use in all-purpose protection spells. Gives strength and energy to the sick. Place fresh carnation on the altar during healing spells and add dried flowers to healing sachets and incenses.
“Carnations and streaked gillyflowers, the fairest flowers of the season…” William Shakespeare, A Winter’s Tale
Blessings,
Lady Becky

‘May we live in peace without weeping. May our joy outline the lives we touch without ceasing. And may our love fill the world, angel wings tenderly beating.’
 
The Universal Heart Center