Autumn Incense

I have started to gather and dry some ingredients for my planned Fall Equinox loose incense blend, for using in my celebrations and rituals throughout Autumn. I'm using ethically foraged ingredients and, so far have, oak leaves and moss, pine needles, wild hops, a few pine cones (under the leaves!), Rowan berries, Rosemary and Sage.…

Incense for Bealtainne for my Southern Hemisphere friends

While we in the Northern Hemisphere will be celebrating Samhain in the coming week, my friends in the Southern Hemisphere will be welcoming the Light Half of the Year: Bealtainne and the start of Summer. One of my passions is creating loose incense for the celebrations in the Wheel of the Year, and I share…

(Wild)Craft a loose incense for Lughnasadh

For your Lughnasadh (aka Lammas) rituals, consider crafting your own loose incense for burning in your altar cauldron or in an outdoor bonfire. Scott Cunningham suggested this classic recipe in his 1986 book The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews: 2 parts* Frankincense resin (see note on PARTS below) 1 part Heather 1 part…

25 Ways to Celebrate Summer Solstice Celtic-style

The Wheel of the Year is turning. It feels like Beltaine was just yesterday, and yet this week in the Northern Hemisphere we welcome the Summer Solstice, also known as MidSummer or Litha. The Solstice — from the Latin for “standing sun” — arrives on Wednesday, June 21st at 4:24 UTC (Universal Time), which is…

Celebrating the Quickening Full Moon in Virgo

Full Moon Blessings! Our First Nations sisters and brothers have many names for this full moon including the Full Snow Moon and the Bone Moon, alluding to both the typical heaviness of February snows as well as the shortage of food as winter draws to a close. Yet some call it the Quickening Moon, and…

How to make a fresh loose incense for Samhain

I love making fresh loose incense... So fresh and aromatic, and easy to make, and you can guarantee the purity of the elements! This is one of my favourite formulations, especially at Samhain: a mixture of frankincense and myrrh resins plus the fresh woody aromatic scents of cedar, rosemary and juniper. And if you prefer…

How to start creating Ritual in your daily life

Anyone who knows me or has attended one of my workshops, knows how important I believe ritual to be in our daily lives, in our spiritual practice and in the work we do as healers, readers, shamanic practitioners and lightworkers. When we create ritual, we create sacred space. We give form to our work and our…

Beltaine Blessings: A Sacred Dance with Gaia

On May 1st — or a few days later, if we observe "true" Beltaine — we celebrate Beltaine in the northern hemisphere and Samhain in the southern hemisphere. These are my favourite celebrations in the Celtic calendar, a time to tune in to the rhythms of Nature and celebrate the seasons, the elements, and the sacred dance…

Honour your ancestors at Samhain

There are many ways of honouring the past and thanking our ancestors on Samhain. Many of these rituals and traditions now show up as part of Halloween celebrations, but they are rooted in the ancient religions. Here are just a few ways: Carve the initials of the recently departed into a candle, and light it…

Make your own fresh Samhain incense or essential oil blend

Here is a simple incense you can make yourself with fresh herbs and botanicals: 3 parts Frankincense 2 parts Myrrh 1 part Rosemary 1 part Cedar 1 part Juniper Chop finely or grind in a mortar. Place a small amount atop a lit charcoal disk. REMEMBER: Never leave burning incense unattended. Alternatively, use essential oils…