Samhin Ritual & Celebrations 2018 and 13th Chesterfield Derbyshire Pagans Moot

Samhain Ritual and Celebrations at Eyre Chapel, Newbold Chesterfield.  We will be having a child friendly Ritual followed by Food Share, Music & Dancing to celebrate the Ancestors, the thinning of the veil and the coming year.  There will be a Fancy Dress and Pumpkin Competition with prizes of Lammas Camp Tickets for 2018, whoo.  No need to come in fancy dress though if you don't fancy it ;0) robes or 'normal' clothes are fine as well. This is a link to our facebook page for more info.

This month was also our 13th Moot, not bad going if I do say so :0) even baked a cake to celebrate the event a green mouldy spider infested one ;0) but everyone was very complementary about it and there was none left so it must have been good :0)  We had a talk by Kate regarding Negotiations with the Fae, Bargains and Contracts.  It went very well she is very interesting to listen to and sparked lots of discussion afterwards.  Next month, November, will be Paranormal Investigations by Cherill.  We have a moot every 2nd Monday of the month at The Old House, Newbold, just up from where the Samhain Celebrations are taking place and where we have drumming every 1st Thursday of the month.  Everyone is welcome to come along to our events, doesn't matter what path you're on as long as you are interested, friendly and wanting to take part :0)

My Spider Cake, thanks for the photo Sandra xx

Raven Sun and Moon, Raven Dream Catcher, Raven wall hanging decorations

Thought I would have a change from the painted hanging Hares I've been doing and Crow/Ravens called to me.  

I read about a Native American Legend where White Raven at the beginning of time, when the world was dark, fell in love with the daughter of Grey Eagle.  When he was invited into their house he noticed light seeping out of a box, being curious he peeked in and out flew the Sun, he caught it in his beak and then flew high and higher into the sky with it and placed it there.  The world was now lit and he could see an island, knowing that Grey Eagle would be angry at him for having taken the sun, he flew to the island.  The next night he flew back to Grey Eagles house as he felt ashamed of Grey Eagle for keeping the sun and so the world in darkness, he was also curious as to what else might be in the box.  He discovered the moon and flew high into the sky with it to place it there to give light to the night sky.  He went back again and just as he had taken the stars out to go place them in the sky Grey Eagle discovered him and so to escape he flew up the smoke hole turning his white feathers black, and so they remain to this day to remind us of how Raven brought light to the Earth.

After reading the story I set to work making the raven with the sun in his mouth and the moon and stars at his feet.  

The next one I made was Raven with a Dream Catcher.  It's surprisingly fiddley doing a dream catcher with wire, especially when its small and dainty.  It does look really good though with the beads and feathers dangling from it.  

I have a few more Crow Raven shapes.  As it's near Samhain Morrigan seems a good choice and that is what I am working on now.  I also want to use a couple for Huginn and Muninn, Odin's Ravens Thought and Memory.

Ravens and Crows are common characters amongst many believes, Norse of course and also Celtic, Roman, Greek.  They also feature a lot as peoples personal totems, spirit guides and power animals.

Please see my web site if you're interested in these Ravens :0)

Painted wooden decorative hanging Hares

Back from Lammas Camp safe and sound surrounded by mountains of washing.  I'll put more about Lammas Camp in another post later, but just for now to say we all had a lovely chilled camp with no dramas, well none I know of other than the wind on Thursday which made erecting tents very interesting.
I made a few things for camp, some of which where hanging hares and a few still need new homes.  Made the mistake of not photographing the items already sold again for my own reference.  Some of the hares have been painted and pryographed, some have suncatchers on to cast lovely rainbows around your home and some have moons on.
Take a look at the few I have left and see if any catch your eye, if so they can be found on my website :0)

Triple Moon Hare Goddess Stars and Sun Catcher

Triskele Purple Moon Hare Sun Catcher

Love Moon Hare with Hearts and Bells

Summer Moon Hare Goddess Pentacle and Stars

Paganism, Shamanism, Rock n Roll

Been playing some more with the same stuff I made the feather necklace from and paying homage to Hasfest our small festival that pretty much started off the madness that is Lammas Camp These bracelets have Paganism, Shamanism, Rock n Roll on them which was the motto of Hasfest and which we will be giving a nod to at this years Lammas Camp by playing psy trance dance and rock in the marquee Friday night and dancing ourselves silly, of course if your not into that it’s also nice to sit by the camp fire and watch the stars :0)

Also made a few other bracelets in the same sort of style while I was on the roll including a purple feather one, which could have been dropped by a passing unicorn if unicorns were feathered, a Pegasus unicorn crossover ;0)

Beaded Feather Necklace

Love playing with new stuff and seeing what it does.  Painted, beaded, cut this fabric into a bracelet and a feather necklace so far.  It's very strong, cant tear it with your fingers but feather fringes can be cut easily and holds it shape to give a bit of dimension, lovely :0)
The finished necklace can be found here

Handfasting Ceremony

Enjoyed watching a lovely couple getting handfasted at the weekend.  It was at their Willow farm and we were all invited to camp if we wanted so that the celebrations could go on into the night, which was just as well really as there was lots of different homemade wines and other goodies to sample afterwards.  The ceremony took place on the grass surrounded by trees and they were handfasted in front of a flower bower with a golden ribbon, very pretty :0)  We had decided to get them something a gift, a handmade wooden crate by Elphius Flux, beer to put in the crate and a hand made pentacle by me.  The pentacle was made of Willow, not as thought they haven't got plenty of that I know ;0), but it also had on it a bear as one of the couple goes by Bear and on the other point a pixie for the other person.  I placed a golden amber coloured heart in the centre balanced by the sun and moon on each side and the goddess above.  Underneath were golden ribbons and green leaves, and a dragon charm as their place is called Dragons Wood.  I hadn't know they had chosen gold as their handfast colour just lucky chance.  After the ceremony followed music, dancing, drumming, eating and drinking as well as catching up with people not seen for a while.

Celebrations  *  Ritual   *  Entertainment

Drumming  *  Workshops  *  Stalls

Lammas Camp is a Fantastic Friendly Gathering for folk of any path,

beat your drum, dance yourself silly,...

or just take time to relax and breathe

Celebrate Summer, Lammas, Lughnasadh

in beautiful Derbyshire countryside

Full weekend £26 per person for an adult.

For more info and tickets please see website - MoningStarCraft.co.uk

or our facebook page - Chesterfield, Derbyshire Pagans

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Lammas Camp 2017 Chesterfield Derbyshire Pagans

Lammas Camp is fast approaching, tickets are selling well :0) 

We have some great Workshops lined up, take a look.

Thursday - Camp opens at 2pm
Beating of the Bounds, Opening Ritual, Fire, Drum

Friday
Entertainment, Hasfest Revival

Saturday
Lammas Ritual, Handfasting, Drumming

Sunday - Camp closes at 2pm
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WORKSHOPS (what we know so far, time table nearer the date)

Barbara Meiklejohn-free - The Heart of All Knowing, Dream Weaving, Soul Alchemy or Spirit of the Drum

Flavia Kate Peters - Faery Moon Magic, Wheel of the Year or Elemental Awakening

Tan Harvey - Magic of Incense, Raven the Myth of Magic

Lara Turner - Map of the Astral Plane, Birth Readings

Darren Ramsdale & Suzanne - Beginner & Further Runes

Nacht Engel - Runes 
An informal and free introduction to the Elder Futhark Runes-the magical alphabet of the ancient Germanic tribes of Northern Europe and Scandinavia. The runes have been used for many centuries both for divination and as powerful magical symbols. 
This workshop will provide a little of the history and mythology surrounding them, as well as teach you ways to recognise and remember each rune and it's meaning. It will show you in a fun and interactive way a few techniques for using them to reveal hidden wisdom and unveil the possible future. You will also learn how to create a bind rune talisman for protection, wealth, love, success or health. Free rune interpretation sheet for everyone attending.
​
Cherill Royce-Dexter - Importance of Animal Spirit with guided meditation
a talk first, followed by a guided meditation to take you to meet your current Animal Spirit guide. 

Animal Spirit Guides at the four quarters
A recap on talk number 1 but a longer guided meditation to take you to the four directions to gain wisdom from the Animal Spirits who are there for you at this time.
I will also show you how to call upon your animal spirits to get help and guidance in everyday situations. 

What it means to be a Pagan
A debate, on what it is to be a pagan. I will lay the foundations and hopefully we will learn from each other! 

Simon Royce-Dexter - Kristos
Simon will be showing you how to conduct a method of past life regression using the Kristos Relaxation technique. This is perfectly safe and easy to do. Come along and try it for yourself.

Karl Stirland - Chanting

Danielle Baker - Yoga, Friday evening, Saturday am and Sunday am

Cat - Mind Expanding ...

Pat Dunnicliffe - Shamanism

Dave Frost -

Paula Filipovic - Crafts
​*   *   *   *   *

Stalls will be open as each stall holder chooses.  

Do have a look round and get yourself something special :0)

​*   *   *   *   *

There's no need to bother with the hassle of cooking and pot washing
RJS Catering will be returning to supply you with food and drink through out Lammas Camp

Kniverton, Ashbourne, Derbyshire DE6 1JL

More info on Morning Star Craft and Facebook

Owl Moon Element Hanging Pentacle

Gorgeous Owl flying between Ivy leaves with a Crescent Moon above supporting a sun catcher crystal.

The Pentagram is made from Willow from my garden and wrapped in silver plated wire and dainty multi coloured beads.

From the bottom are Fire coloured ribbons of red, yellow and orange.  For the element of Water are sea shells and a starfish charm and for Air feathers.  Earth is represented by Ivy, the Willow itself and Spirit by the Goddess charm, the Moon and spirals.

Please see either my website or Etsy shop for more details :0)

Flower and Ivy Willow Pentacle Wall Wreath

Newest Willow Pentacle with artificial Flowers, Ivy, Beads, Ribbons and Lace.  

Lovely summer time Pentacle wreath to brighten up your room with ribbons to catch the breeze.

Ivy is a feminine symbol of enduring strength, tenacity, and being evergreen also represents eternity  and strong attachment such as wedded love and friendship.  It would make a lovely Hand fasting gift.

Find out more here - Oh Yes Yes Etsy shop as well as my website.

Flower Beaded Willow Wall Pentacle

Willow wood decorative beaded wall Pentacle

Created another Willow Pentacle, it looks very pretty :0)  

Lots of coloured flowers and leaves adorn it and it's wrapped in silver plated wire.  

In the centre of the Pentagram is a Nature Goddess with leaves twining up around her body.

It would look lovely to hanging up to celebrate the Summer Solstice, either at your alter or as decoration.

The Willow is from the tree in my garden and the Pentagram is woven in a under and over traditional way, not just one laid on top of the other.

It measures approx 26cm across.

If you'd like a closer look please have a look at my Etsy shop Oh Yes Yes

Willow Wood Pentacle Silver Spiral Moon Sun Catcher

 

Looks a bit askew in the video, 

it's the way I'm holding it to make it spin so you can see the way round x

Just made this lovely Silver Spiral Moon and set it on a Pentagram made from the Willow that grows happily in my garden.  It's woven under and over in the traditional way rather than just placed one branch on top of the other. 

I've attached the moon just to the top point of the pentagram to give movement.  

The moon naturally wraps itself around the pentagram, but if you wanted to it could easily be adjusted to hang in front of the pentagram.

The Sun catcher crystal in the middle of the pentagram will cast lovely rainbows around you home when the sun hits it and is half covered with an aura borealis coating to look good for when the sun isn't shining.

The Waxing Crescent Moon, signifying new beginnings and growth, is made from silver plated wire.  I have spiralled the wire not only to look decorative but also because the spiral is one of the oldest symbols  and has several different spiritual meanings.

The pentagram measures approx 10" across.

If you'd like a closer look please follow the link to my Etsy shop

Willow Pentacle Silver Spiral Moon

Silver Spring Sale

To celebrate spring being here I'm having a Silver Spring Sale in my Etsy shop, boiiing over there and have a look 👀😊Oh Yes Yes Etsy Shop

Shepherdess' Pie / Mushroom & Lentil Shepherd's Pie

Another of the recipes I'm trying to get off scraps of paper so that I can find them easier.

This is also nice with a spoon full of Marmite in as well to give it a richer flavour.  Carrots added give a nice splash of colour as well, but then I suppose it would be more of a Cottage Pie?  It is handier if you already have left over mashed potatoes from the day before as it saves a pan ;0)

Shepherdess' Pie

Ingredients

• 6oz/170g Green Lentils
• Onion, chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic, chopped
• can Chopped Tomatoes
• 8oz/226g Button Mushrooms, halved
• 1 tbsp Henderson's Relish
• 2 tsp Paprika
• 1 1/4 lbs/566g Potatoes, cooked and mashed
• 2oz/57g Cheese, grated

Method

Boil Lentils in water then simmer until done.

Oven on Gas 6/200 C

Fry Onions and Garlic until golden.

Stir in Mushrooms, Henderson's Relish, Paprika, Black Pepper.  Add Tomatoes.  Cook for 5 mins.

Mix with Lentils.  Transfer to an oven dish.  

Spoon Mashed Potatoes on the top, sprinkle with Cheese.

Bake for approx 30 mins until lightly golden.

Before cooking

Done, ready to nosh

Gratuitous photo of my kitchen helper keeping the radiator warm for me 

and watching the cheese in case I drop any ;0)

Spicy Lentil Lasagna

Need to put some of my recipes somewhere as the scrappy bits of paper I have them written on aren't looking so great and hopefully they should be easier for me to find on here rather than rummaging round in cupboards and I actually remembered to take photos while cooking this time.  

This isn't a food blog and I'm not an exceptional cook, it's more for my benefit, so if you do decide to try it and want to alter anything or whatever to suit your own tastes please do.  This lasagna is only slightly spicy more warming really.  I used a medium sized dish for us and then a separate smaller one for my eldest to take back with him, he's moved out but still appreciates any food going his way and his washing doing ;0)

Spicy Lentil Lasagna

Ingredients

• Onion
• 2 sticks Celery
• 3 cloves Garlic
• Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 3 tsp Garam Masala
• 1 tbsp Mustard powder
• 12 oz Red Lentils
• 1 3/4 pt Stock
• can chopped Tomatoes
• 2 tbsp Tomato Puree
• Coriander
• Lasagna sheets
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 pt natural Yogurt
• 4 oz Cheddar Cheese

Method

Chop onion, celery and garlic, fry in olive oil for 5 mins until softened.

Add mustard and spices, cook 1 min.

Stir in lentils.

Add stock, tomatoes, tomato puree and seasonings, black pepper.  

Bring to slow boil, cover and simmer for 1/4 hour.

Oven gas 6 or 200 C

Layer lentils and lasagna, ending with lentils.

Beat eggs with yogurt and grated cheese.

Spread yogurt mixture on top of lasagna, sprinkle with more grated cheese.

Cook for approx 35 mins, until golden brown on top.