Everything Under the Moon

One possibility would be to use a phantom crystal. This is where a crystal (usually a quartz) has stopped growing, and has started growing again . This leaves a "phantom" inside the quartz, in the shape of the earlier crystal. Petrified wood may also be a good choice- that which was has now been transformed to that which is.

Silversong wrote:I hesitate to burn elder - 'Elder is the Lady's tree,/Burn it not or cursed you'll be' is its line in the Nine Woods part of the Wiccan Rede, after all. Several "firewood poems" agree that burning elder is generally a bad idea.

I totally forgot that most people here adhere the Wiccan Rede and thus prohibited to burn the Elder wood. Thank you for saying this silversong.

So what kind of wood do you think is best to use for the bonfire?

And evil ed! Thank you for suggestion! Will add that!

If you can get your hands on it.....yew? The tree of the dead. I would be cautious however not to burn too much and to do so in a well ventilated place. Yew is toxic if ingested.

Thank you Becks! Where going to burn this outside.

Woods other than yew are african blackwood, olive, holly and cedar!

Keep the ideas coming everyone!!!

Willow, if one follows the Wiccan Rede, is sometimes associated with the afterlife, since it was frequently used way, way, way back when to weave the vessels one would be buried in (Willows at the waterside stand/Ready to help us to the Summerland).
If I remember correctly, in Greek mythology white poplar was associated with Hades. On the other hand, in the Celtic code of symbolic trees, the poplar is associated with victory, transformation and vision. So... that one depends on personal preference, I suppose.

(And oh, look, I'll probably be burning cedar because once again, it's the only thing besides maple and oak and maybe some birch that I can get hold of XD *throws up hands in the air* Ah, well. C'est la vie. At least I can get ahold of cedar; there's a cedar tree growing in our yard with a bunch of dead branches beneath, and anyway I'm willing to bet it's not that uncommon a firewood.)

Oils/scents (source: Dancing With Dragons by DJ Conway):
Cherry oil is good against loneliness. Frankincense is an extremely strong purifier used in exorcism, purification, blessing, meditation, and visions. Lily of the valley is used to soothe the nerves, bringing peace to both spiritual and emotional levels. Lotus is used for psychic protection, happiness, good health, fertility, good fortune, peace, harmony, and blessings. There's probably more, but I have to go.

Okay! Let's go back to work witches! Sorry, I was really busy these days.

So for the procedures, bonfire... and?

Do you have any ritual we could perform at the beginning of the ceremony to call upon the presence of the spirits of the ancestors, relatives, friends, etc?

Nah, you're fine.

Ooh, ooh, I have one of those! ...Somewhere! *hurries off to go find it*

Well, in my family's BoS, there are three such poems: I Am Not There, Let Me Go, and for pets, Beyond The Rainbow. (All three of them make me cry, but nuance.) I have no idea who wrote any of these; as far as I know, it might have been my aunt.

Beyond The Rainbow
As much as I loved the life we had and all the times we played,
I was so very tired and knew my time on earth would fade.
I saw a wondrous image then of a place that's trouble-free,
Where all of us can meet again to spend eternity.

I saw the most beautiful Rainbow, and on the other side
Were meadows rich and beautiful - lush and green and wild!
And running through the meadows as far as the eye could see
Were animals of every sort, as healthy as could be!
My own tired, failing body was fresh and healed and new,
And I wanted to go run with them, but I had something left to do.

I needed to reach out to you, to tell you I'm alright,
That this place is truly wonderful. Then a bright glow pierced the night.
'Twas the glow of many candles shining bright and strong and bold,
And I knew then that it held your love in its brilliant shades of gold.

For although we may not be together in the way we used to be,
We are still connected by a cord no one else can see.
So whenever you need to find me, we're never far apart
If you look beyond the rainbow and listen with your heart.

I Am Not There
Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn's rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight,
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.

Let Me Go
When I come to the end of teh road
And the sun has set for me,
I want no rites in a gloom-filled room.
Why cry for a soul set free?
Miss me a little, but not too long,
And not with your head bowed low.
Remember the love that we once shared -
Miss me, but let me go.

For this is a journey we all must take,
And each must go alone.
It's all part of the Master's plan.
A step on the road to home.
When you are lonely and sick at heart,
Go to the friends we know
And bury your sorrows in good deeds.
Miss me, but let me go.

There's also a ritual in a book I once read, which is fictional but quite accurate in many parts - Seasons of Magic: A Girl's Journey by Laurel Ann Reinhardt. I love that book for many reasons, not the least of which being that one of the last things I did with my dying grandfather before he died was to read that book. We never finished it...
*cough* Sorry. Memories.
The book is extremely good, in any case, and I suggest it to everyone and anyone. It explains the Sabbats, the wheel of the year, and how it connects to the wheel of our lives in a very fun, bittersweet, humorous, and often touching fashion. It's actually a good book to use to explain the Craft to younger children. The ritual in the book is as follows:

Supplies:
- 1 pomegranate
- 1 apple
- 1 candle (you could probably use as many as you choose. It doesn't say what color the candle was, so white is the default, but I suggest discussion on that.)
- Incense (again, has the annoying property of not mentioning what the incense was, so - discussion?)
- Water (or wine, or fruit juice, or another drink) and bread (or crackers, or whatever) for "cakes and ale" after to help ground yourself in our world again

Open your circle however you choose.
Light the candle and the incense. Make sure a piece of apple is easily within reach in front of you. Take three seeds from the pomegranate, which is the fruit of life, and through life, death. It will help you on your journey. Eat the three seeds, then close your eyes.
Imagine a gate of some kind. It may be wrought iron, or gold, or silver, or simply a stone wall with a hole in it, filled in with the Veil - the book describes it as "a gigantic spider web of fantastic colors." Reach out and call out to whomever you want to appear, inviting them to cross over to your side of the gate. Start with the first thing you think of when you remember them - their smile, their laugh, their smell, whatever - and then slowly fill in the rest of them, until they are fully present and standing in front of you. Begin a conversation with them by telling them what you want them to know. They will respond. Keep talking with them until you feel finished, complete. Then let them go back through the gate.
Reach in front of you for the piece of apple, the fruit of death, and through death, life, and eat it, to help you reorient to this world. When you are ready, open your eyes again and greet the world.
Take the bread and the water (or whatever beverage you choose), and the remains of the apple, and eat and drink to help ground yourself again. (The book doesn't mention what happens to the pomegranate; personally, I would break it up and leave it outside as an offering.)
Close the circle however you choose.

Oh, look, I'm out of time again, or I'd start suggesting candles and incense. *pops out of existence*

I have lots of olive, will we pick one from the list or will we use them all?

Silversong wrote:I Am Not There
Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn's rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight,
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.

My absolute favorite of all time. Committed it to memory to recite at our High Priestesses requiem. It is so very bardic, it is as if Taliesin wrote it himself. And who knows? Since its source is anonymous

For the gate, I have used different vusual portals (love props) we have used long branches to make a hoop, or a branch arch as in the case of a veil hanging from it ...we pass through with the idea they are on the other side, or a little wooden window (made from 2x4rs) with gostly imagry painted upon it and then hung with inconspicuous wire from nearby trees.

Mugwort tea is great but with a few special ingredients we can make ourselves open to ancestor dialog ....I could post a "safe" version of my October brew if you like.

Some thoughts there. ..
Firebird

I love the idea of mugwort tea. Lovely. I have worked with mugwort for cleansing and storing my divination tools. I think this would be grand Firebird.

(Just kidding; figured it out. XD)

Keep in mind that if anyone wants an incantation to go with all this, I'm good at those. Just give me the word. ;3

Seraphin Murmur wrote:Thank you Becks! Where going to burn this outside.

Woods other than yew are african blackwood, olive, holly and cedar!

I presume we will have a bone- fire?

The tea is simple, make a strong hot apple cider, using cider, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, orange slice (or3) cranberries (choose a number for this work) let it simmer most the day with a lid on....put a small sprig of mugwort in a cup and pour in the hot cider. Steep like tea, remove the sprig...or not. Sip before the working, and possibly bring some into circle for the sacred cup.

Bb, Firebird

Sorry, I couldn't find the post that said what sort of spell we're creating? Would you be so kind as to explain it to me?

Seraphin Murmur wrote:Spell for October: Spell/Ritual to Honor the Dead

This coming Samhain, we're going to craft a spell that we could cast in our sacred circle with the souls and spirits of our beloved ancestors and departed friends, neighbors, etc. I think this spell or ritual we're going to brew would actually does more benefit to us, the living, than to the dead. In recalling the them, we will recall that part of us that has gotten lost when they left the physical world.

Hope that helps, Poppet.

Question of my own - what's a bone-fire?

Silversong wrote:Hope that helps, Poppet

Thank you kindly,Silver!

Silversong wrote:Question of my own - what's a bone-fire?

If I'm following correctly, I believe they're speaking of a bonfire.

Ah XD I was wondering if it was a special ritual fire or what.