First, let me give you the URL for a full set of instructions from the Carol Duvall show on HGTV.com. You will need to go print this out and see all the instructions.
IMHO, you should have a good pen dedicated to the task of writing in your BOS. (You do have a BOS, don't you? You aren't just gulping down anything you find on the net, are you? That sort of behavior will give your computer indigestion, and you don't learn anything that way.) Well, I'll assume for now that you have one.
We're entering the traditional time of year when --in my trad at least-- things turn much more esoteric rather than practical. As the seasons change to the colder months, we spend much more time indoors, and our Craft takes a turn toward indoor activities now that there are fewer herbs to gather, and less to do outside. The last of the fruits from our gardens will be preserved and put away to bring a little summer into the winter months. The rows of pickles, jars of tomatoes and herbs, and the fruit preserves bring much joy and satisfaction to our lives.
Soon we'll do the second of our equinox cleaning/cleansing, and prepare to shut ourselves in for the winter. We'll also make our new corn dollies to protect our homes and absorb negativity, allowing them to also gather energy beneath the altars until Samhain, when we'll ritually burn the old ones to release that negativity from our lives.
We'll do one last "smelly arts" workshop, preparing incenses, oils, and soaps in the cool air of fall this October. This must be done outside, since some of the incenses are the "throw it on the brazier and run" protection and cleansing variety.
In November, we make the ritual candles we'll use all year on our altars, allowing them to charge out of sight under the altar until they're needed. Most of us have saved candle stubs and wax all year, just for this one event.
All these recipes and instructions must be written down, as will the lessons on rituals, history, divination, and spellcraft. Who could remember it all otherwise? Even I, who've been doing much of this since I could walk, can't remember everything, and I don't try. I write it down. I don't depend on the internet. Files become corrupted, hard drives fry, and websites go down with alarming frequency.
This year, I'll have a new pen to record our adventures with, the old one having sputtered its last recently. I've chosen a beautiful silver and blue this time. Should be lovely.
Lena
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