And now we step into the darker side of the wheel. Into the days of roots and stones and antlers and bones. A time to shed what we no longer need to carry, and to squirrel away what will carry us through the cold months ahead.

Samhain, Hallowe’en, Witches New Year…there are many names for this liminal time. For these in-between days when the veils are thinnest. We are now exactly half-way between the Fall Equinox and the Winter Solstice. This is a potent time of magic and transformation. A time that asks us to send our energy downward. Into our roots. Into the Underworld.

Homemade wreaths and swags have long been prescribed by folklore as talismans to protect the thresholds our homes. This simple wreath is a lovely way to enchant your space with protection and abundance for the darker days ahead, and to quietly honor the natural cycles of life and death.

I spent a few minutes wandering through the garden, clipping hearty herbs that had managed to escape the morning frosts, and departed flowers that had dried on their stalks. I used whatever called out to me. Rosemary for remembrance and protection. Lavender for a restful hibernation. Yarrow to shield against melancholy. Eucalyptus to remove negativity. Black feathers because they just kept appearing in my path. I highly recommend wandering through your own yard or neighborhood and taking small clippings of whatever catches your eye. Let your intuition guide you. Don’t worry if they are dead or faded, they will look beautiful. I also had a few pomegranates rolling around our kitchen fruit bowl, which I included to honor Persephone’s decent into the Underworld.

This quiet ritual takes just a few minutes and is best performed with a steaming pot of tea and a few glowing candles. There are no rules or complicated steps. No incantations to recite. Just plants and herbs and a few moments of quiet intention.

Wishing you all a magical, mystical Samhain, dear ones.

Supplies:

Wreath base (I picked this one up years ago for just a few dollars at a craft store. Every few months I change out the flowers and herbs to honor the changing seasons.)
Foraged herbs and flowers
Pomegranate + small kabob dowel (optional)
Wire (whatever you have laying around.)

Step 1:

Once you have gathered your clippings, start by playing around with the overall layout for your design. At this point you can just loosely stick them into your wreath base (not securing them yet) so you can easily experiment with what looks good where. Trim the clippings to size if needed, leaving enough stem to secure them to the base later. I find it’s easiest to start with the larger elements, and then weave in the smaller clippings to fill in the gaps. Like I said, there are no rules here. Just play with combining colors and textures until it starts to feel right. As you are working, see if you can tap into the energy of each plant. Notice the beauty of weaving together the natural cycles of life and death.

Step 2:

Once you have settled on the placement of your clippings, begin securing with wire as needed. With this particular style of wreath, I was able to secure most of the stems simply by pushing them firmly into the base as far as they would go. During this stage, I like to visualize the intentions and feelings I am calling in and weave them into my wreath. If you are calling in protection and abundance, for example, visualize yourself in your cozy home, safe from the wind and rain, with a cup of tea and everything you need.

Step 3:

If you are attaching larger fruit like pomegranates or apples, insert the sharp side of the kabob dowel firmly into the bottom of the fruit. This gives the fruit a nice long stem to securely stick into the base of your wreath. Watch out for the few drops of pomegranate juice that may escape…they stain big time.

Step 4:

Stick the doweled fruit into the base of your wreath. Cut about an arms length of wire and begin wrapping it around the dowel and the wreath base to secure it.

Step 5:

As you are working, hold your wreath up from the top center point (where it will hang) every few minutes to make sure the weight and balance are evenly distributed. You may find as you do this that certain elements need to be additionally secured or moved to keep from falling out. I found that 2 pomegranites was simply too heavy and ended up removing one. Perhaps you use these moments to reflect on the balance in your own life. Does anything need to be adjusted or redistributed?

Step 6:

Once everything is safely secured, you are ready to hang your wreath. I like to visualize a shield of protection as I hang the wreath on my front door. Maybe ring a bell or blow out your candle to complete the ritual. Whatever feels right.

xo,

For thousands of years, the approach of winter was a dire, fearful time for humans. It meant famine and illness and death were on the horizon. That the world would be plunged into relentless cold and darkness and that not everyone would survive. It was a time to huddle together. To batten down the hatches. To hide away and hold on till spring.

December (and the winter solstice specifically), marked the pinnacle of this desolate season. But many cultures also used this as a time to celebrate life and light in the face of the encroaching darkness. To gather with loved ones around the fire. To feast and sing and share what little we had squirreled away. To celebrate the simple fact that we were still alive. Now don't get me wrong, humans have plenty of flaws, but I think there is something deeply beautiful about that. That on the longest, coldest nights of the year, when all was quiet and frozen and bleak, we shined our flickering lights into the vast darkness and found joy.

I love that you can still find remnants of these ancient rituals in our modern holiday traditions. Little echoes of forgotten customs. We still hang lights in dark windows. We feast and sing. We bring in evergreens that don't mind the cold. Perhaps one of the most ubiquitous of these symbols is the humble wreath. There are many theories on the origin of this tradition, but my personal favorite is that the hearty evergreens and circular shape represent eternal life in the face of winter. We hang them in our doors and windows to remind our neighbors, "It's alright, friends. Even on the darkest days of the year, something green remains." What a lovely thought.

I made this simple wreath with bay laurel and eucalyptus and an old embroidery hoop. Nothing too fancy. Just simple supplies, a little time and a cup of peppermint tea. It felt good to slow down and breathe deep and play with plants for a while. A nice slow segue into the bustle of the holiday season.

Happy December, dear ones. Here's to sharing and celebrating and shining our little lights. So much love to you.

Supplies

- Hearty greens (I used branches of bay laurel as my base. They hold up nicely and smell amazing)

- Smaller greens & berries for texture (I used gunny, blue and seeded eucalyptus as well as a few dried pepper berries)

- Embroidery hoop of any size

- Floral wire

- Ribbon

Instructions

1. Start by cutting your bay laurel branches into more manageable lengths. I cut mine into roughly 1 foot sections. The size of these will depend on the size of your embroidery hoop. I set aside a few small sprigs to fill in any sparse spots later.

2. Play with the natural curve of the branches to find where they want to lay on the hoop. Word to the wise: don't try to fight the natural curve of the branches. Let them lay how they want to lay and work around their natural shape. Bay laurel lends itself beautifully to a circular wreath. Using segments of floral wire, begin wrapping the branches in segments around the hoop. It's okay if the wire is visible or there are some bare spots. You can cover these will smaller greens later. Use small lengths of wire to attach each branch in 2 - 3 spots.

3. Once you have your base greenery secured around the hoop you can start playing with the smaller greens. I wove in blue and seeded eucalyptus to fill in bare spots and cover any exposed wire. I also added a few more sprigs of bay laurel here and there. Even some pheasant feathers would be cool. There is no right answer here! Have fun and play with finding the right balance. I tend to like things a little more organic and unfussy so I left mine a bit wild. You can easily tame it with some additional floral wire if thats more your style. It helps to hold the wreath up to the wall now and then to get perspective and make sure the weight is balanced.

4. Tie a pretty ribbon or twine around the top of the wreath. You can either use this to hang it, or if you have a wreath hanger you could opt for the traditional bow. As a finishing touch, I wove in a few dried pepper berries left over from our Thanksgiving table. Those little guys last forever.

5. Hang and enjoy! You can definitely hang these little loves outside, but I couldn't bare to be parted with the spicy, earthy aroma of the bay leaves. I opted to display ours in our front window so it can be seen from the street, but we can still smell it in the house. Everybody wins.

xo,

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House Spells :: DIY Samhain Blessing Wreath