Chesterfield Pagans website

Chesterfield Pagans now have our very own shiny new website for events around our area and people are welcome to leave comments and ideas etc of anything they think may interest other pagans. www.chesterfieldpagans.org, check it out.

Derbyshire Pagans Yule Ball

It's the Derbyshire Pagans Yule Ball tonight in Derby, people get to see our production of the 300! Ooer, hope it goes well, it's slightly different from the film (well ok a lot different hehe), but then our play last year Beowulf the musical was a lot different too ;0) I've got a new drum to bash as well, a remo djembee, don't think it will make my drumming much better though. Still don't know what I'm going to wear, my plans for this week have gone a bit bottoms up as my youngest has been off school with a tummy bug, and I'm not that organised at the best of times, slight panic setting in as it gets closer to christmas day and his birthday on Sunday.

Samhain/Halloween

You know I thought to myself 'I haven't updated my blog in a while, must have a look at it' to find that the one I thought I posted just after Halloween was still there waiting for photos to be included, so it's a bit late but here is my Halloween rambling, still waiting for photo's (blush).

We've had a lovely Samhain/Halloween time. The festive branch has been dec'ed out with bats, witches, spooks and hell bunnies etc. My youngest son decided we should bake Halloween cookies and a cake; decorating them kept him busy for ages, I think this is the first time he's spent longer doing the baking than licking out the bowl (it's these sort of things that make you realise they are growing:0) The hole in the middle of the cake is because the things from the dungeon dimension are trying to escape from the centre of it;0)

One of our cats is called Boo, she arrived just before Halloween 3 years ago; I should have thought more about her name really as at this time of year she gets a little confused with people shouting her name.

Ritual night went well, drumming, fire, food; a very short sharp burst of rain made us dash inside but it soon stopped again. A friend sent off one of those Chinese Lanterns in memory of her dad, they are very pretty and look like little stars when they go up high.

The next night we spent at an American style Halloween Party, with loads and loads of decorations inside and out. Some of my husbands American relatives have come over for a visit, which is the first time we've seen them for about 5 years, and you could say we all looked different as we were all in full Halloween costume with bits of skin dropping off, wigs and the like.
Last night we went to a fireworks display, it was absolutely packed with people, I think the whole town must have been there. Tonight the school next to us (well about 7 houses down) is having its fireworks display so I'm going to send the kids out into the garden with bonfire night food to watch them, it was an impressive display last year.

Cute Purple Lampwork Frog

A lovely purple lampwork frog, dangling behind him things a frog might need, toadstool, flower, leaf, friendly dragonfly, and a love letter ;0).

I have two of these frogs so will have to think of something different to do with the other one.

Fortune Telling Bracelet

As it's getting close to that time of year when the worlds are said to draw closer together (Halloween/Samhain) I thought a fortune bracelet would be good, so on this one are charms for foretelling what the future may be, and as most people want to know about love and relationships there are also heart beads and it is finished with a heart and arrow toggle to finish. The other items on this bracelet are tarot cards, seeing hand, ouija board, a fortune teller with a crystal ball, skulls, stars and a love a witch charm. There are also beads in various colours, mainly purples.
www.morningstarcraft.co.uk bracelet bangles

Fairy, Flower & Unicorn Bracelets

Both these bracelets feature Unicorns and Fairies, but they are both quite different.

The first one has a mass of colourful flowers and beads on it and is made of shaggy loop chainmail chain which gives it movement. There are two different fairies on it and a unicorn inbetween them.

The second bracelet looks more delicate with its various shades of purple dangles and small butterflies. As well as the unicorn and fairy there is also a toadstool, flower and leaf.

www.MorningStarCraft.co.uk Bracelets

Bellydancing Coin & Bumpy Bead Bracelet

This bracelet is made with a larger link chain through which is a finer chain to give more visual interest. The belly dancing coins give a lovely tinkling jingle to the bracelet. It has bumpy glass beads beads on it as well as other glass beads and seed beads in various colours of green, orange and yellow.
www.morningstarcraft.co.uk bracelet bangles

Witchy Things Bracelet or What a Witch might Wear

I've been busy making some bracelets and now all ready to be sold (hint, hint ;0)) This one would be good for Halloween/Samhain as it has items on it that the well dressed witch might wear or use. There is a pointy hat (of course), a boot, a besom, a leaf and a cauldron. The bracelet has different shades of green glass beads on it and is finished with a leafy pentacle toggle to fasten.
www.morningstarcraft.co.uk bracelet bangles

Yule Play

Well we're only just past the Autumn Equinox (happy Mabon everyone) and already the read throughs for the Yule Play are underway! It took place in a quite pub last week I think we drove some of the more sobre customers away; when it comes to dress rehearsals I think we shall have to find another venue;0) It's to be 300 this year, a story about a clash between Persians and Spartans. Last year it was Beowulf the musical, Beowulf was a cross dressing bisexual with a tendency to make cakes. We all thoroughly enjoyed it (by we I mean those of us taking part), I don't know so much about some of the people watching but it seamed to go down well, hope we have as much fun this year.

Mercian Gathering

A group of us went to the Mercian Gathering for the first time this weekend, it was packed with lots of things to do, learn and watch. I was fully booked for Reiki on Sunday (lots of hangovers ;0)) and also sold some of my jewellery, smoking incense bottles and chalices. I brought lots of shiny pretty things as well :0)

The Wicker Man was huge (in more ways than one ;0)), he went up very well and kept us quite warm. We also walked the flaming labyrinth and the fire spinners were amazing. A great weekend, we are already talking about going back next year.
www.MorningStarCraft.co.uk

Cornwall

We've just come back from a lovely holiday in Cornwall, we camped near the Lizard, which like most of Cornwall is very beautiful. We saw lots of other Bongo's down there, thanks for all the waves.

The boys enjoyed lots of surfing, but on Fri the sea was quite rough and they all wiped out with bumps and bruises.

We walked over to Saint Michael's Mount, I've only seen it in the distance before. St Ives is still as lovely as ever, but it seems a lot more busy than it did last time we were there, though that was some years ago.

The camp we were on was very sheltered and apart from the last day it only rained in the night, I hate having to pack up in the rain as you know you've got to get it all out again to dry it off; mind you I'm off camping again at the end of this week (Mercia Gathering) so will prob leave it till then!

Greenman Tankard and Whiskey Glass

These are some more glass engravings I've just finished. This time featuring the Greenman, the tankard is engraved but I have given him a green finish with heat set paint so it will not wash off.

www.MorningStarCraft.co.uk/hand-engraved-glass

Hand Engraved Chalices

These are some hand engraved chalices I've just finished. They are all individually hand done and as they are engraved the design doesn't wear off.

There is a willow and ivy pentacle one at the top, people seem to like this design, and then a holly and oak pentacle one at the bottom. Oak and Holly for the turning of the season winter to summer and back again.

There is also a daintier one with flowers, leaves and vine circle surrounding the pentacle with a butterfly fluttering by.

In the middle photos is a goddess, with a spiral stomach, stood in front of a star with a crescent moon below surrounded by a circle of swirls.

The main engraved shape on the remaining chalice is the Vesica piscis, the interlocking circles, which can be found on the cover of the Chalice Well in Glastonbury. It is an ancient yonic symbol that represents the female genitals; as the energy of water is feminine and the chalice also represents the feminine this is quite apt. Also engraved is a spiral in the centre for spirit, trailing ivy above and ferns below.

Pagan Camp & Nine Ladies Stone Circle

I thoroughly enjoyed Derbyshire Pagan Camp last weekend, though it was a bit wet with the rain. We had the use of the barn which helped for the workshops and drumming, good acoustics :0), the peacocks that roost in the barn didn't seem that impressed though. Found some lovely feather, going to make some smudging fans I think and see if I can use some of the smaller ones in jewellery. For other things that were happening everyone just used the biggest tents and awnings, one of the tipees was set aside to be the chill out tent for meditations etc. It was good to meet people again that I hadn't seen for some time.

Sunday, packing up day, was the best day weather wise; I walked up to the Nine Ladies Stone Circle, the walk up there is beautiful, great scenery, special places where people have left workings, and the setting for the stones is perfect.

Ben & Bob's Birthday and Bongo bash

Last Wednesday it was Ben & Bob's birthday. Ben is my oldest boy, now 15, I can't believe it to coin a famous phrase. At 6'1" he is about a foot taller than me and hairy! Bob is Ben's cat, born on his birthday at around the same time of the morning that he was. I hadn't even realised his mother (our first female cat, who in our defence, was only about 5 months old at the time) was even pregnant, I thought she had just put a bit of weight on! We knew nothing about it until we heard squeaking sounds coming from underneath our bed at 6.30 in the morning, my first thought was oh no she's brought a mouse in, but no it was a tiny little black kitten, followed about an hour later by two more kittens.

As Ben had totally failed to invited friends paint balling, I took him and two of his mates to see Harry Potter, he has been a fan ever since the first book came out, and the first showing at the cinema was on his birthday. Whilst we were inside watching the film someone managed to dent the bumper of my car and just drove away, it needs a new one as it is cracked underneath, so the repair man tells me, ouch! The car park was very full, but how can you not see a great big Mazda Bongo van covered in bright flowers and butterflies? As for the film The Half Blood Prince in my opinion the book is far superior (they normally are though), chunks the plot were missing and instead filled with stuff to appeal more to teenagers, though the teenagers I took moaned about the missing parts as well and it not following the book.

Smoking Incense Bottles

Just incase you're wondering these are smoking bottles. A lit incense stick is placed in the holder (most of the holders I've added beads to with a charm at the end, to make them easier to find and they can also be wrapped around the bottles to have them ready for use), the incense stick is then upturned into the bottle which then fills with smoke and swirls round to come out of the neck in a wizard potion bottle type way ;0)

As well as looking good they have a practical use, the hot lit end is kept safe, away from kids, pets, long dangley clothing etc, and incense seems to keep bugs away so very good for outside use too, some of my smoking bottles I've put chains on so that they can be hung up in tents, awnings and the like or around the garden. I've put a hole near the bottom of the bottles to allow to flow or it just puts the incense out.

The bottle with the lizard on you can probably work out has a lit incense stick in it, the others have their holders wrapped round them by the beads. The little green bottle I've engraved with a snake and the words - eye of newt, wing of bat ... with a witch charm on the end of the beaded holder, I thought it was quite fun ;0)


www.MorningStarCraft.co.uk 

Hasfest Pagan Event

Well Hasfest in Chesterfield went so well for a first time event there, that we're planning a bigger one in September. Everyone seemed very happy, the weather was good and the atmosphere great. There was a variety of stalls including mine (smoking incense bottles, pagan tools and jewellery - plug, plug ;0)), henna, tarot, drums, reflexology ...

The burning man went down very well, and the green lady and labyrinth next to the blessing tree were lovely.
The evening was very good also with drumming around a proper camp fire, food and company, all in all very enjoyable.


www.MorningStarCraft.co.uk

A Free Day of Celebration

A DAY OF CELEBRATION WITH HASLANDS FREE PAGAN FESTIVAL

CELEBRATE WITH

THE BURNING MAN,

GREEN LADY,

BLESSING TREE,

FIRESIDE DRUMMING,

STALLS & MORE

ADMISSION - FREE, BUT BRING FOOD TO SHARE

PLACE - THE NEW INN, MANSFIELD RD, HASLAND, CHESTERFIELD, DERBYSHIRE

DATE - SATURDAY 27th JUNE

TIME - 2pm till whenever

Lets make music whilst summer lasts -

Bring Drums, Percussion instruments, Didgeridoos, Guitars, Musical instruments

Stall holders free pitch, just bring own Tables Gazebos ect

Very basic Free camping available - ring the New Inn 01246 273727

For more info contact Gwen or Jay on 01246 206246 , 07878961646

E-Mail phoenixjay26@aol.com

Bongoing

Not posted for ages, this is what I was doing the last weekend in May, camping with a load of other Bongo people in Derbyshire, so I didn't have far to go - still managed to get lost though! The flowery Bongo is mine, goes well with the buttercups :0). Mazda Bongo's make great camper vans, need an awning as well though if your taking the kids I think, our new Kyahms great I can put it up myself without having to try and tell the kids how to get an awning up. It was a good weekend with lots of friendly people, some of us quite red by the end with the suprise apperance of the sun. I didn't take this photo of my van I borrowed it from www.Bongofury.co.uk, which is a very useful site if you've got a Bongo.

Stratford-upon-Avon

As well as Shakespeare's old house there are lots of other timber framed Tudor houses, it is a lovely place to have a stroll around, interesting shops, river, great buildings, boats. We rowed down the river, trying to avoid swans, and narrowly missed the ferry that goes across the river, it took me by surprise I was supposed to be steering, oh dear.