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From city sidewalks to woodland paths, festivals, gatherings, and celebrations... far afield or closer to home, Natalie seeks out the magical--and it's everywhere. Come wander with me!
Craft A Sunny Solstice Greeting!
Create this spice-scented reminder of the sun's return to sweeten the Winter Solstice and grow good things in the year to come! You'll need:
- 1 navel (thick-skinned) orange Grown in warm climates, the orange, with its round shape and bright color, is symbolic of the sun. Magically, you can use oranges to bring things into your life.
- 1 jar (or more) of whole cloves The strongly-scented clove will provide energy for this work. It also represents fire, an element honored at both Yule and Imbolc.
- Ground cinnamon A fire and sun spice, cinnamon is used in magic for healing, protection and focusing energy. Put the cinnamon in a shallow bowl. The mingled scents of cinnamon, clove and orange promote an energized warmth that will help you develop a sunny outlook and a positive outcome.
- 4 lengths of gold ribbon (long enough to wrap around your orange and tie at the bottom, leaving some length to dangle) The color gold is symbolic of the sun, fire, and the God. Magically, gold is good for thinking, problem solving and health.
- A straight pin or slender nail (it should be slimmer than the clove).
Before you begin, decide what pattern you would like to make with the cloves on your orange. Dot your pattern onto the orange using a pen or marker—each dot will mark where you will place a clove. You can make vertical rows, or you can have a central design like a pentacle.
When the pattern is complete, carefully drive the pin or nail into each dot--this will make it easier to push the cloves through.
Push the cloves into the orange according to your pattern, and say,
Cinnamon, clove and orange round
And by golden ribbon bound,
As the sun returns to me
Let (insert your intention) grow So mote it be!
What would you like to see grow in the coming year? Better study habits? New friendships? Fill in the blank with your intention.
When all the cloves are in, place your orange in the bowl of cinnamon and roll it around, continuing to say the spell. The ground cinnamon will soak up and dry any juice that has come out of the orange, and will also help to preserve it for a while.
Once the orange is coated with the cinnamon, remove it from the bowl and tap off the excess powder. Then, one at a time, wrap three of your ribbons around the orange, tying three times (for the Goddess) at the bottom, leaving a couple of inches of ribbon to dangle.
Slide last piece of ribbon underneath the ribbons at the top and make a loop. Hang it indoors or out to share some sunshine!
by Natalie Zaman
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