HERB CORNER
MIND-BODY-SPIRIT
Sacred Herbs of Yule... ...continued from page 18
day’s door, brings a deep sense of awe. We each hold the key to our fu- ture life based on how we use these precious moments. Each has a key hidden in a pocket, and our hands are so full we can’t reach in. We can each meet the conditions of how to reach the key — we can empty our hands, release what is not serving us, and put our gifts to work, or not. We must meet the conditions of how to reach the key to make it function. We can put down what we thought mattered in exchange for a more abundant life, one richer and fuller with what truly matters, or not. It can be confusing, scary, and tumultuous if we focus on cir- cumstances, or we can focus on our desired experience of living our values, embodying peace, being love. The choice is up to you… to m … to each of us. Ask yourself: How am I to be in these times of turmoil? Do I have the courage to make tough decisions? Am I willing to conform to my values when those around me make other choices? What will it be? How am I to use this power in this new, now moment? Am I planting the seeds for some future incarnation? That is not mine to know. What I do know is we don’t have to wait to find out if we will be reincarnated in order to create our future life. With every breath I take, I am planting the seeds for my future, and that of all I may influence in whatever time I have remaining in this incarnation. My future life is being created right here and right now. I invite you to join me in consciously creating a world that works by consciously creating ourselves — the people that are appropriate par- ticipants in a world that works. I cannot do it alone; nor can you. But together we can, we can attract others, and collectively we can change the world. For this I am grateful. “Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns de- nial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity...it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for to- morrow.” ~Melodie Beattie Trish Hall is an international best-selling author and acclaimed speaker. She is the Spiritual Leader of Center for Spiritual Living Metro (www.cslmetro.org) where you are empowered to live the fullest expression of you. We come together in Oneness, celebrate the uniqueness of each person, and invite you to “be you with us! ” Hall is also the founder of Way 2 Peace, a grassroots, not-for-profit associa - tion of people around the world, who are committed to attaining and sustaining peace for everyone, everywhere by introducing this sim- ple and amazingly effective Way 2 Peace. (www.Way2Peace.org)
is rife with solar symbolism. Even though gentle Baldur remains in Hel’s Underworld kingdom, the return of the golden ring Draupnir is symbolic of the Sun’s return. Draupnir (whose name means “the dripper”) has the magical ability to copy itself. Every ninth night, eight new rings “drip” from the magical golden ring, each new ring the same size and weight as Draupnir. Thus, the golden ring implies periodicity and a regular cycle, such as the ebb and return of the seasons making Mistletoe a sacred herb for the Winter Solstice and return of the sun. Mistletoe and Yuletide have a long association, and in old England, rituals were once done with Mistletoe to ensure a healthy harvest in the coming year: In parts of Herefordshire . . . a mistletoe bough was traditionally cut and hung up inside the house as the clock struck twelve on New Year’s Eve; the old bough, which had remained in place for the past year, was removed and destroyed in a practice called “Burning the Bush.” A globe of twigs, woven from hawthorn and mistletoe, was taken out to the first field that had been sown with wheat and burnt on a straw fire. At Birley Court two globes, one inside the other, were thrown onto the fire, while at Brinsop a single ball of twigs was set alight and a man ran with it across the first twelve ridges of the field. If the flames died before he reached the end, it was considered an ill omen for the coming harvest. Afterwards, there was much cider-drinking and merriment.
Yuletide Mistletoe Ball A 4½-inch floral foam ball
Garden shears 24-gauge wire Sheet moss 20 to 30 branches of mistletoe Ice pick, skewer, or other hole-making tool
3½-inch pearl-tipped florist pins (optional), for extra decoration Length of red, white, or golden ribbon • Submerge the foam ball in water for about 15 minutes, until fully saturated. • Use the shears to cut one 16-inch length from the floral wire. Cut the rest of the wire into 1½-inch pieces, and bend these pieces into a U shape. • Cover the soaked foam ball with sheet moss, securing it with the pieces of floral wire. • Cut the mistletoe into 2- to 3-inch pieces (you might need as many as 150). Poke small holes all over the ball with an ice pick, skewer, or other hole-making tool. Push the mistletoe stems through the moss and directly into the holes, continuing until the mistletoe completely covers the ball. • Place the florist pins as desired; the pearl ends will look like mistletoe berries. • Firmly bend the 16-inch length of wire into a sturdy U and insert it into the mistletoe ball as a loop for hanging. Use the red, white or golden ribbon to suspend the ball from a doorway lintel or a strong light fixture. Remember that the berries and leaves are poisonous—do not allow children or pets to swallow them! Ellen Evert Hopman is a master herbalist and homeopath, who has been a Druidic initiate since 1984. She is the author of several books, including Secret Medicines from Your Garden and The Sacred Herbs of Samhain . She lives in Massachusetts. www. Elleneverthopman.com The Sacred Herbs of Yule and Christmas by Ellen Evert Hopman © 2023 Destiny Books. Excerpt is printed with permission from the publisher, Inner Traditions Inter - national. www.InnerTraditions.com
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PATHWAYS—Winter 23—61
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