March To Do List

March

St. Patrick's Day candy-making St. Patrick's Day candy is incredibly easy thanks to a product from Wilton called Candy Melts. With a shamrock mold, (usually under five dollars) you can have green shamrock candy in half an hour. It's that easy.

Eostar- while I will discuss the holiday in more detail in a separate message, this is one of my favorites. Who doesn't love a celebration of spring and new life?

Sculpted egg- Sculpy in spring like colors and a wooden egg to serve as the basis is all you need. You can cover the egg in what ever colors please you, in what ever patterns please you. Then all you need to do is bake in the oven, following directions to have a permanent Easter egg as a reminder of the fun you had. Don't forget to inscribe the year before baking.

Nine sacred woods-while I will remind you of this when I post the Sabbat information, here is a list of the nine sacred woods: oak, rowan (a.k.a. mountain ash), Willow, Hawthorne, Hazel, Apple, vine (grape or ivy), and fir. Use what is handy if you cannot find them all.

Wand making-it is the season when good ones may be found. In some cases, a gardener will trim a tree and will be happy to give you the trimmings. You may also ask a tree service if you happen to see them working. Or the goddess may bless you by simply putting wands in your path as you walk in the woods.

Seasonal wreath-Grapevine- Grapevine wreaths are incredibly easy for even those who do not normally indulge in crafts. One wreath can provide the basis for all the seasonal reuse you will need. All you do is change out the ornamentation and silk foliage. For instance, right now my Grapevine wreath has silk daffodils and small plastic eggs I got from the dollar store. In a few weeks, when it is time to decorate for Beltane, I can remove the daffodils and eggs and replace them with orange blossoms and a long string of fake pearls for the sacred wedding. Throughout the year, I can change out the decorations to match not only my personal taste, and my personal symbols of the season, but also what is available in the stores at the time my wallet can afford. I do urge you to invest in one good Grapevine wreath.

Birdhouses- while I will go over this in more detail later date, I think it's important to note how our feathered friends need our assistance in building their nests. You could go out and purchase those tiny cute unfinished wood birdhouses available in Wal-Mart and crafts stores. There are other alternatives as well, such as growing your own birdhouse gourds, drying them, and drilling the hole for an entrance.

Seed blessing-I do believe in blessing my seeds. Depending on how the Sabbat falls on the calendar, sometimes I'm forced to hold a simple Esbat simply because our first planting date falls more than a week before the Sabbat. This is especially true here in Florida. Please adjust for your own final frost date. I prefer to use the Scott Cunningham ritual whenever possible, available in the book, "Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner." Alternatively, you may use the ritual out of Buckland's Complete.

Decorating an outdoor tree with eggs, birdhouses, etc.- do I really have to explain this one? With all the plastic eggs and other items available in the stores, I'm sure you can come up with something.

Concrete block stepping-stones-this is a long-term project for those who own enough land to have an outdoor ritual garden. All you have to do is dig a hole, mix a small bag of cement, and pour into the hole. Once it has begun to set up, you may use your finger or other implements to stamp or draw ritual symbols or runes into the cement. You may of course also add stones or crystals, but I find these to be painful for bare feet. By making only one or two a year, I keep expenses down and end up with a hard as stone record of the years passed. This year, I will use the money rune as a way of asking The Deities for assistance in tough economic times. I may even splurge on the green cement dye to encourage the spell even more. Besides, I like green stepping stones in my garden.

Fairy gardens-even an apartment callers can stick a few herbs or grasses in potting soil of a large pot to creative fairy gardens. A waterproof statue of the Deities is a nice touch tucked into the leaves, but even crystals will do. I personally prefer to make a fairy garden with a miniature house, even though I know the fair folk do not live in houses. However, I always include a tiny shelter of a broken plant pot to house a toad. After all, I want to make that toad very welcome so it will eat all the insects destroying my garden!

Container shop in flea markets and thrift stores to make pretty painted bottles to hold herbs and protective spells. I was lucky enough to find an antique apothecary jar with its original stopper still intact, if a bit chipped. Today it holds my mouthwash in my bathroom. Not bad for 50 cents. Almost all my herbs and spices are in small antique spice jars I found in thrift stores. It's amazing what you can find. Even cookie tins in horrific colors can be repainted and repurposed for only a few cents. Right now I'm looking for a full moon shaped goldfish bowl.

Witch’s ladders-these simple macramé hangings, festooned with stones, feathers, and other protective symbols are easy to make and useful to hang wherever you need protection such as Windows, doors, and chimneys.

Broom making and decorating- Wheel of the Year, page 53

Natural dying of eggs- the natural dyeing of the eggs is a coven project I've not done in the past ten years. Researching which colors come from which herbs and finding those herbs can be tedious. However I do recommend doing it at least once. I do love the yellow I get from onions. Don't forget to add a mordant such as salt.

Cleansing soaps- now this is more fun! Many crafts stores now have a large selection of molds, soaps, and additions including herbs. Making soaps is now much more fun than in the old days when animal fat had to be rendered. I highly recommend enjoying this fun and absorbing hobby not only for yourself, but also as gifts.

Notes for Circle of Ivy Coven:
Breads-- (To be posted in blog)
Hot cross buns
Eggnog
Egg Custard-Lena
Deviled eggs-Karen
Egg bread-Lisa
Honegar
Bunny cake
Jell-O Jigglers Eggs

Note-Beltane is on a Friday evening this year, and the group will celebrate together

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