Nature Collecting, finally set up my altar, and loving fall

Ack, all this dust and cobwebs. I can barely see the screen. Tehe. Its been forever and I know I am really just talking to myself, but thats ok. I don't mind. I like talking to myself. I like talking to other people better, but beggars can't be choosers and we gotta talk to someone right? So. Happy Mabon, Lammas, Loaf Mass, Fall, and Autumn. I have been busy, busy, busy preparing for the equinox, and Samhain.

I have actually finally set up my altar. It took a while but I did it. I put it on the 2nd shelf where my eldest witchlet could reach it but the baby couldn't. To the "uninitiated" it looks like a seasonal display. I made a cute little altar cloth. Its not craft show worthy, but its practical and has felt leaves in fall colors sewn to it. I also made a Goddess out of pipe cleaners wrapped in embroidery thread and silk leaves made into a dress. She's beautiful if I do say so myself. There is so much on the altar that is handmade for fall. I'm going to have to get busy with the Samhain setting. I hope I don't get burnt out. We put things we find in nature on it, some acorns, pine cones. Some beautiful blue bird feathers we've found while we've been out hiking or at the park. My daughter has enjoyed adding to it nearly every day and I love that it makes her pay attention to nature as she looks for things to add to it.

I have been reading Celebrating the Great Mother by Cait johnson and Maura D. Shaw. Its a great book with ideas for families in Goddess traditions. They have a wonderful fall craft. Its called a Door Blessing. It is made of anything you can find to represent the season. The book suggests using "indian" corn, or a grapevine wreath, even a tree branch. There is no set shape or design for it, whatever is right for you and your family. We made ours with some thin flexible eucalyptus branches we gathered at a park near where we leave. We shaped it into a ring, then tied it with zip ties to keep its shape. Then we added some fallen leaves, acorns and bird feathers that we picked up while we were out on various nature walks. To finish it off I took a large flat (ish) piece of Eucalyptus bark, hot glued it across the front of the wreath and wrote our family name on it. I love it. I think we did fantastic on it. We'll be keeping it on our altar until after our mabon ritual, then we'll hang it on the door.


Brightest Blessings,
Witchy Momma