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.