Llewellyn's 2012 Witches' Companion

by Llewellyn

  And, of course, benefits of Morris dancing are making new friends, getting some exercise, and a chance to reinterpret ancient traditions with a modern twist.

  Terminology

  Side (or team): a troupe of dancers.

  Set: a number of dancers in a particular arrangement for a dance. For example, most Cotswold Morris dances are danced in a rectangular set of six dancers.

  Jig: a dance performed by one or two dancers, rather than by a set.

  Squire: the leader who speaks for the side in public, leads or calls the dances, and often decides the program for a performance.

  Foreman: one who teaches and trains the dancers and is responsible for the style and standard of the side’s dancing.

  Bagman: the keeper of the bag, the side’s funds. In some sides, the bagman acts as secretary and there is a separate treasurer.

  Ragman: one who manages and coordinates the team’s equipment or costumes.

  Fool: usually someone extravagantly dressed who communicates directly with the audience in speech or mime. The fool will often dance around and through the other dancers, without appearing to really be a part of the dance itself.

  Beast: a dancer in a costume made to look like a real or mythical animal. Beasts mainly interact with the audience, particularly children. In some groups, this dancer is called the hobby (the origin of the “hobby horse”).

  Ale: a private party with food and beer where a number of Morris sides get together and perform dances for their own enjoyment rather than for an audience. Occasionally an evening ale will be combined with a day or weekend of dance, where all the invited sides will tour the area and perform in public. In North America, the term is used to describe a full weekend of dancing involving public performances and sometimes workshops. The name refers to church- or village-sponsored events where ale or beer was sold to raise funds and Morris dancers were often employed.

  Resources

  Morris Ring, www.themorrisring.org

  The Morris Federation, www.morrisfed.org

  Open Morris, www.open-morris.org

  Mainly Morris, www.mainlymorrisdancing.org.uk

  Chandra Moira Beal has published hundreds of books and articles. She has been writing for Llewellyn since 1998, and she lives in California with her husband and three house rabbits. Visit www.chandrabeal.com to learn more.

  Illustrator: Rik Olson

  Healing Tree Damage

  JD Hortwort

  In practically any TV show or movie dealing with fantasy topics, the trees we see are gnarled and knotted. The tree’s grizzly bark seems to convey great age, possibly wisdom, or maybe sinister motive. We fall into the same pattern in everyday life. Look around any store catering to alternative religions and you will likely find artwork, either photos or drawings, that illustrates trees inhabited by gnomes or fairies who come and go through the bulbous knots and hollowed openings of trees.

  This brings to mind Mark Twain’s observations in Life on the Mississippi. As a young man, Twain fantasized about the Mississippi River. The sunset dancing over the lazy, smooth surface of the water and the ripples of the river’s currents drifting over a sandbar, spurring his imagination and fueling his drive to become a riverboat captain. Only after years of training did Twain learn to read those beautiful signs in a different, more practical way. A smooth surface meant deep water and a safe passage. Dainty ripples spelled danger. Twain said after his education he could never look at the river again with the same sense of mystery. He did, however, retain his sense

  of awe.

  The same can be said of trees. In the mundane world, knots and holes on trees aren’t fairy openings to the Other World, they are damage to the tree, which could potentially shorten the life of that tree. While not much can be done to fix old damage, people can and should take steps to help trees heal when the damage first occurs. That help can be of a very practical sort, but it can also be spiritual.

  Start with a basic understanding of the tree in this world. The outer bark of a tree is dead material, the thickness of which varies depending on the species. The inner bark, just under the outer bark, carries nutrients down to the roots. The cambium layer is next, which is responsible for transporting water up the tree and for the tree’s healing process. The cambium layer is also the tree ring. Each year, the tree adds another cambium layer or ring. Again, depending on the tree, between four and twenty layers of cambium are alive. Tallied together, these layers are called the sap wood. The inner most part of the tree is the heart wood. Heart wood is not alive.

  With this very basic understanding, it should be easier to see why damage to a tree can be critical. Make a scuff in the dead, outer bark and the result may be unsightly, but it won’t be deadly. Break the inner bark and you’ve disrupted the flow of nutrients to the tree roots. Cut deeper and you’ve interrupted the movement of water to the top of the tree. Either of the last two breaks can allow invaders into the tree’s system.

  Damage to trees can come from multiple sources. Construction equipment seems to have an affinity for trees. Some construction sites look almost like a grown-up version of a bumper car attraction at the amusement park! Tree bark can be scuffed or peeled from the trunk as bulldozers careen off them. Homeowners can cause similar damage with mowers or weed trimming equipment.

  Then there is the damage that is beyond human control. Winds from strong summer storms, ice from winter storms, extreme temperatures, lightning strikes . . . it’s enough to send a tree cowering for cover!

  In all of these instances, time is of the essence. The damage must be fixed quickly. Ideally, repairs should be made in the first twenty-four hours after the injury. All is not lost if forty-eight to seventy-two hours have passed but, as with injuries in humans, the quicker you work to fix the problem, the better.

  If the bark is broken but not removed from the tree, you can push the bark back in place. Bark that is peeled back from an encounter with a car bumper or a mower can be pulled back to its original location. When the damage occurs on a tree trunk or branch that is less than 2 feet in circumference, duct tape can be used to firmly secure the damaged tissue in place.

  The damage must be fixed quickly. Ideally, repairs should be made in the first twenty-four hours after the injury.

  When working with large wounds or damage done on tree parts that are greater than 2 feet in diameter, you may have to use galvanized nails to “stitch” the damage back together. Push the damaged bark back into its original location and use the galvanized nails to pin it in place. Obviously, the size of the nail needed will depend on the size of the wound. Just as when a doctor uses a metal pin to help hold a broken bone in place, the nails serve as lynch pins to hold the material in place while the tree heals.

  When these types of repairs are done quickly and the damage covers less than 25 percent of the tree trunk, the injury should heal over in time. If you have used duct tape to secure the damage, you may have to replace it a time or two until you see that the healing process is taking hold. At that point, remove the duct tape; nails do not need to be removed.

  Larger injuries may never heal over completely. Still, if you have helped the tree partially heal itself, you have improved its chances for a longer life.

  Sometimes putting the bark back in place isn’t an option—perhaps the bark has been stripped by an animal or a storm has blown it away. In these cases, surgery is the next option. Using a sharp knife, carefully trim the damaged bark away. Go all the way back to clean, healthy inner bark. Try to make rounded cuts. A circle is better than a diamond or an oval with sharp points. Rounded repairs facilitate the movement of nutrients down the trunk and water up the trunk.

  Whether you have replaced or removed damaged bark, keep an eye on the wound. It may become necessary to treat the damaged area with an insecticide to keep bugs at bay. We ooze blood when our skin is broken; trees
ooze sap. Sugar is a main component of sap, and sugar is a powerful attractant for bugs.

  An insecticide is the only thing that should be used on a wounded tree. Tree paints and homemade patches made of roofing tar or cement will interfere with the tree’s ability to heal itself. If you have done your job of assisting with a quick repair, that is enough. Have faith and allow Nature to manage the rest.

  The next best thing you can do is share some of your energy with the tree in a meditation. Many of us have felt the beautiful, mysterious energy that courses through the plants in our own little world. A meditation under an ancient oak can be a wonderful experience, especially when you work with the tree to travel out into the Universe.

  Pick a time when you are calm and well rested. You can’t help another entity if you’re frazzled yourself. If possible, let this be a time when all other human traffic around the tree is gone (unless you are doing a group meditation for the tree). When doing this practice on property that does not belong to you, such as a public park, make certain you will be safe.

  If you have a portable music player, select music that can facilitate your meditation. Bring appropriate stick incense such as rosemary or rose. Both of these scents are powerful healing ingredients.

  Begin the music and safely light the incense. Ground and center in the manner of your tradition. If this is your first effort and you have not found a tradition, simply settle yourself under the tree. Breathe deeply, becoming aware of the surroundings. Pull your focus to the tree. Experience the surroundings as you imagine the tree does.

  Reach out and touch the tree. If possible, touch the damaged portion. Feel for the energy. If you don’t sense the tree’s energy, just be aware it is there. All life is energy. Sometimes we sense it in a particular place, sometimes we don’t. Nevertheless, it is always there.

  Do not try to “feel” the tree’s pain. Your focus should be on positive, healing energy. Let your energy flow from your hand to the tree. Let it merge with the tree’s energy. See the tree as a complete, healthy entity. It is full of vigor. It is a whole being. Animals thrive in its canopy. People are happy down below. Every day, the tree draws on the cycles of Nature, unfolding under the vibrant sun, challenging the wind, drawing sustenance from the earth, soaking up the rains.

  Enjoy this sense of oneness, this bond with the tree, for as long as it feels right. As you begin to pull back to an awareness of yourself as a separate being, give the tree your wish and hope for its full recovery. Come back to yourself.

  You can repeat this meditation as many times as it feels necessary. This kind of connection can create a special bond between you and the tree. If you feel welcomed by the tree, you may find it a strong partner in future meditations.

  Even if you never connect with the tree again, chances are that as time goes by, you won’t walk past it without a smile. Revel in the feeling, your special secret friendship with an enduring entity in Nature.

  JD Hortwort currently resides in North Carolina. She is an avid student of herbology and gardening, a professional writer, and an award-winning journalist.

  Illustrator: Tim Foley

  Witchcraft On a Shoestring

  Deborah Blake

  One of the complaints I hear the most often from other witches is that it costs a lot of money to maintain an active witchcraft practice. Cloaks and garb, athames and wands, crystals, books, candles, herbs, tarot cards, and statuary can all add up to a major drain on your wallet—and that’s before you have everyone over for the big Beltane feast!

  But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, I not only believe it is possible to practice the Craft for very little money, I’ve been doing so for many years. Heck, I even wrote a book about it. Like this article, it is called Witchcraft On a Shoestring (Llewellyn), and it is full of suggestions for how to save money while still having an active and fulfilling witchy life.

  Witchcraft on a shoestring isn’t just a cute title, though; it is an attitude and an approach to how you practice. What’s more, it is simple to learn and easy to apply, regardless of which form of Paganism you follow.

  Attitude and Approach

  At the heart of witchcraft on a shoestring is one basic realization: all the essentials of a deep and rewarding witchcraft practice are free.

  No, really.

  If you think about it, what do you really need to be a witch (or Pagan or Wiccan—I’m using the names interchangeably here, since this approach applies to everyone)? You need faith, of course, in whichever god/goddess/gods you worship. A connection to nature and to Earth’s ever-changing cycles. And you need the three main tools in every witch’s tool chest: Belief, Will, and Focus.

  Belief is at the heart of being a Pagan; belief in the gods, belief in yourself and your own place in the universe, and belief in the ability to use magick to create positive change. Will comes from practice and strength of purpose, and focus may be easier when you use tools, but it can certainly be achieved without them. All these things are the core of a witchcraft practice. And they are all free.

  Setting Priorities

  Of course, just because it is possible to be a well-rounded witch without having any of the aforementioned extras doesn’t mean that most of us are going to give up buying tools, wear blue jeans to rituals, and never purchase a book again (goddess forbid!). Witchcraft on a shoestring doesn’t call for you to stop spending money. What it does require is that you take a serious look at how you spend your dollars, and what you spend them on. That means setting priorities.

  In order to figure out what your priorities are, you first need to take a good look at your own personal magickal practice, as well as your budget, your skills, and how much time you have to devote to creating cheaper alternatives to premade tools.

  When examining the ways you perform the Craft, for instance, you may want to take into consideration whether or not you are a solitary or a group witch; how well you are able to concentrate your focus without the aid of tools such as candles, crystals, incense, etc.; how often you practice; and how prominent your witchcraft practice is in your life.

  For instance, a solitary witch whose main magickal activity is lighting a candle outside under the full moon and saying a prayer to the goddess will need different items than a witch who runs a large coven and celebrates new moons, full moons, and all eight sabbats in full garb, complete with drumming, formal ritual and spellcasting, and a feast to follow. Each individual’s needs will be different, based on how, when, and with whom they practice. So start by figuring out exactly what it is you do, as a witch, and what the minimum requirements are for supporting that activity.

  Then take a look at what you have already, and what you still need to purchase. For instance, if you already have three large crystals, you probably don’t need another one. That isn’t to say you can’t buy another one or ten if you love crystals and you have the money to spare, but you might want to save your money for something else more vital.

  Another thing to consider is your skill level. Can you sew? If you can, then maybe you can make your own cloak, and save yourself the price (often quite high) of one purchased from a catalog or at a faire. Can you build an altar, carve an athame from wood, or make your own candles? You can save a lot of money making things yourself, if you have the time and the necessary skills. And sometimes you can swap your talents for those you don’t have. The members of my coven, Blue Moon Circle, have a wide variety of skill sets, and we often take turns either creating items for the group or teaching the other members how to do so themselves.

  Again, you need to balance the time and energy it takes to make less expensive alternatives at home with the money you will save by doing so. Only you can decide which is in more plentiful supply: money or time.

  The reason you set priorities before setting out to practice witchcraft on a shoestring is simple—it is the only way to figure out where you want
to put your hard-earned money. But even when you choose what you need to have for your practice, you can look for ways to get these things as cheaply as possible.

  Inexpensive Substitutes

  Witchcraft is based, in great part, on our own instincts and on general principles of magick. We use tools and correspondences to focus our Will more strongly, for instance, but that doesn’t mean we are limited to using specific items, even when they are called for in a spell.

  Say, for instance, that you are doing a love spell you found in a book, and the spell calls for a large pink candle, a cup of rose petals, and an amethyst crystal. And let’s assume, just for the moment, that you don’t happen to have any of those things. Ouch. I can hear your wallet screaming from here.

  Instead of running out to the nearest New Age shop to buy all those supplies, let’s look at the intention behind each one. All those items are associated with love magick. But there are other ways to use these same tools, without spending a lot of money.

  You could use that white candle you already have, and tie a pink ribbon or piece of string around it. If the ribbon is wide enough, you could even write the spell on it. Instead of the cup of rose petals, you could use a single rose (if you grow roses, then it would be free, of course, but even at the store a single rose doesn’t cost much), or a few petals left over from the last time you needed one, or even a picture of a rose. And instead of the amethyst crystal, you might use a small tumbled piece (much cheaper), or even a rose quartz crystal, which is also associated with love magick and tends to be much cheaper.

  There are many other ways to substitute inexpensive alternatives for more expensive supplies. Here are ten easy suggestions: