30Dec 2023 by catbird
New Year’s Eve Simmer Pot

New Year’s Eve Simmer Pot

Folklore, New Year's Eve, Winter
New Year's Eve is a time when cultures all over the world practice various traditions to clear out the old year and start the new year off positively. An easy (and nice smelling!) way to practice a few of them is to make up a special New Year's simmer pot. Use this recipe as a start and add anything else that speaks to you-- you might just really like the smell or want to encourage more of what the plant symbolizes in your life. Juniper is featured here both because it smells nice and because it is used in the Scottish tradition of Hogmanay, or celebration of the last night of the year. It is used for saining or protecting/ blessing the household. The branches are set on fire and the smoke…
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23Dec 2023 by catbird
New Year’s Eve Bay Fortune Ball Ornaments

New Year’s Eve Bay Fortune Ball Ornaments

Campfire, Craft Project, Folklore, Nature Art, New Year's Eve, Winter
For whatever reason many of our New Year's Eve traditions revolve around fortune telling. There are a number of cultural fortune telling traditions like the Austrian Bleigießen and the Finnish uudenvuodentina, and it seems like a good time to think about your fortune and or wished for the new year. I actually love low key New Year's Eve with kids-- far more than I enjoyed the expensive and weird nights on the town in my 20s. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that my post kid celebrations are the first time I really enjoyed this this celebration. It's still mistly a late night holiday so while we sneak some nature in here and there (nye nature crowns, first day hikes) much of this night is spent inside.…
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14Dec 2023 by catbird
Winter Solstice Pomander Bath Bombs

Winter Solstice Pomander Bath Bombs

Bath & Body, Craft Project, Folklore, Winter, Winter Solstice
One of the things that love the most about the Wheel of the Year is that it celebrates nature and the changing of the seasons. It is often thought of as a strictly Celtic/ Gaelic construct, but in reality people all over the world celebrate these midpoints in nature is surprisingly similar ways. (Those that are in reasonably similar climates that is.) Ancient people in temperate climates were observing generally the same seasonal changes, the same fluctuation in light and it was understandably important to them. The longest night of the year, and the return of lighter days was noteworthy not just in Europe, but also in Iran, China, and Japan. In Japan, the Winter Solstice is called Tōji. With roots in the Chinese philosophy of ying & yang, the…
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05Dec 2023 by catbird
Aurora Borealis Pinecones

Aurora Borealis Pinecones

Campfire, Craft Project, Folklore, Nature Art, Winter, Winter Solstice
The Northern Lights or aurora borealis, is a natural phenomenon caused by energized particles from the sun hitting the Earth's upper atmosphere. The earth's magnetic field directs these particles towards the poles which is wy they are more visible there. The result of this atmospheric bombardment is beautiful colored lights dancing in the sky that have inspired human observers for a millenia. The famous Italian astronomer Galileo gave the lights their name in 1619, but the earliest known record of the phenomena is a 30,000 year old cave painting in France. Galileo named the light for the Greek goddesses of the of dawn, Aurora, and the north wind, Boreas. They feature in folktales and myths from around the world. The Inuit people believe they are spirits, while the Vikings attributed…
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29Oct 2023 by catbird
Solstice Simmer Pots & a Gift Idea

Solstice Simmer Pots & a Gift Idea

Craft Project, Folklore, Winter, Winter Solstice
One of the easiest things to do around the winter holidays is to make a simmer pot. A simmer pot is basically a homemade air freshener made by simmering fragrant pieces of fruits, herbs, and other spices in water. You throw some nice smelling things into a pot and let it just simmer on the stove all day. It makes the house smell amazing and cozy and like the holidays. There are three other important facets to this tradition beyond the lovely scent for me: 1) I use up discarded things like orange peels and fallen evergreen branches. It kills me when I see recipes that tell you to cut up 3 fresh oranges or apples. There is no reason. Eat the food. Lots of people don't have enough food and…
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29Oct 2023 by catbird
Pokeberry Anthotype

Pokeberry Anthotype

Autumn, Craft Project, Folklore, Foraging, Nature Art, Nature Art Materials, Samhain
Pokeberry (Phytolacca americana L.) otherwise known as; pokeweed; poke, poke salit, pigeonberry; inkberry; redweed or red ink plant, is the plant that I am most drawn to at Samhain. I am not usually one to say that I am drawn to plants, but pokeberry always calls to me in the fall. It’s deep purple, almost black, berries ripen in September and October. All parts of the plant are poisonous, yet the berries appear lucious and inviting. It’s a North American plant and has no direct connection to the Celtic traditions of Samhain. (Although, I celebrate Samhain in a secular nature based way so I am not worried about that.) It was, however, traditionally used by the Iroquois for bewitchment. It’s dark and mysterious and the perfect metaphor for this season.…
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10Oct 2023 by catbird
Falling Leaves Intentions

Falling Leaves Intentions

Autumn, Falling Leaves Moon, Folklore, Play, Samhain
I love the idea of using falling leaves to transfer your intentions into the world-- they will fall and decompose and take your message to the soil and the roots. We wrote right on leaves still on the tree and check back every few days to see if they’ve fallen yet. I always struggled to connect with Samhain. Even as a kid I never liked spooky stories and scary decorations. As I’ve gotten older several important people in my life have passed away this time of year and I always seem to find myself feeling down in late October. The place where I finally did connect with ideas of death and rebirth was through composting as a seasonal metaphor. You collect all of the spent dead things and through their…
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09Oct 2023 by catbird
Turnip Lanterns

Turnip Lanterns

Autumn, Campfire, Craft Project, Folklore, Nature Art, Samhain
I have been meaning to make these forever--turnips actually are the original vegetable lantern. They gained popularity in the Middle Ages and continued to be made well into the 20th century. Pumpkins are actually relatively new to the scene even though a Halloween/ Samhain without them seems unthinkable now. The turnip lantern tradition began with the Celts, who believed that the veil between worlds was especially thin on this night halfway between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice. Because of this, people would light lanterns as extra insurance from wayward monsters and spirts. Metal lanterns were expensive at the time, so people in the British Isles began carving lanterns (and faces) from vegetables—particularly turnips, but in some cases potatoes, radishes and beets as well. They would place lit candles inside the cavities,…
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26Aug 2023 by catbird
Back to School Lemon Balm and Chamomile Micro Stuffie

Back to School Lemon Balm and Chamomile Micro Stuffie

Autumn, Back to School, Craft Project, Folklore, Play
Back to School Lemon Balm and Chamomile Security Stuffie! Whether you are returning to traditional school or starting up homeschool again, this time of year always seems to be a bit fraught with anxiety. As I was researching lemon balm (melissa officinalis) one day, it’s abilities to calm and improve focus jumped out at me right away. What could be better for back to school? Lemon balm is a member of the mint family and is considered a calming herb. It was used as far back as the Middle Ages to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve cognitive function. Study after study has confirmed that smelling lemon balm has a powerful and positive impact on feelings of nervousness and anxiety. Chamomile is another long used herb to relax and de-stress.…
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