Posts Tagged 'charm making'

Sunny Spellwork in the Snow

Custom candle and sachet spellwork

It’s been snowing and raining here so it was nice to do a bit of sunny spellwork for a client for success, achievement, and prosperity. I use tarot cards to customize novena candles to a client’s petition as I’m all about simplicity and using what you have on hand. In this situation I chose the four of wands and the sun from the major arcana and bound them to the candle with red thread.

Consecrating the candle and sachet

The sachet is raw yellow silk stuffed with a mix of herbs matching the desires of the petition and then stitched up inside golden felt with orange embroidery. A ritual, an offering, and some words later the candle and sachet were consecrated to their purpose. The sachet is to be tucked in the client’s pocket during the day and under the pillow at night. My sachets are good for a year and then need to be remade.

Other side of candle

Now to let the candle burn down…

Rowan, Red Thread, and Feathers

Charms of Red

The witch has been charm making: stringing rowan berries, weaving rowan crosses, stitching leather and feather… Strung rowan berries are an old Scots charm to place around your neck or an object or over a doorway for protection. A cross of rowan wood woven with red wool of which no knots have been tied is another Scots charm hung in the house for protection – from spirits and spells of witchcraft. And lastly a bird foot fetiche with a feather and bone skull. These are for the lovely Snow, but I will be making more such delectable witchy things. I have more rowan berries to string, crosses to weave, and crow, wild hare, and toad feet to craft into fetiches.

Strung rowan berries, rowan spirit trap, and bird foot fetiche

A Feast of Charms

Amulets, Charms & Talismans, oh my!

(click to enlarge images)

I was finally able to take photographs of all the amulets and talismans I made last week on backgrounds of green and raw handwoven hemp. All of the charms are strung on natural fibres all hand braided and knotted by me with gorgeous antique and lampwork beads, adder stones, rock crystals, bones, roots, pewter charms, skeleton keys, and animal feet. I’ve already listed a few of the stone amulets in the Botanica tonight: the Alfman’s Talisman, Toad Stone Talisman, Adder Stone Evil Eye Talisman, and the Stone Key Talisman. I’ll start listing the rest on Sunday morning–  so head’s up for those looking for crow, owl, deer, toad, frog, and hare bits!

Ancestor, travel & protection charms

Keys of the Otherworld

Root & Foot Amulets

The Witch Makes Various Amulets, Talismans, Charms & Crane Bags

Charm making supplies

I’ve spent so much time on herbalism in the past two years that I almost forgot about one of my first loves ~ charm making. I’ve always been a bit obsessed with amulets and talismans, ancient and modern, decorative and practical. I naturally collect beads, old skeleton keys, holed stones, bones, roots, and animal bits. On the weekend I put together an assortment of such treasures from my magpie’s hoard along with leather, sinew, and cotton cord and spent the next few days making charm after charm as happy as a pig in mud.

I made animal familiar talismans, keys to the otherworld and underworld, protection & travel charms, crane bags, ritual necklaces, and more. Once I’m able to get good photos taken of them all I’ll be listing my creations for sale in the Botanica. For now here’s a small taste of my efforts.

Deer crane bag, black rooster's foot & toad's foot talismans

Hare's Foot Talisman

Embroidery detail of Hare's Foot Talisman





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All original text and images are copyright of the Witch of Forest Grove. Please do not copy without permission. Text excerpts must be under one paragraph and have full attribution.

© Sarah Lawless 2006-2012

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