Another year dawns and most of us are feeling mixed emotions. It is a time of renewal and a time of anxiety – climate disasters and an ongoing pandemic make the future feel less than hopeful But our ancestors faced many challenges too, and devised ways to cope. One of these is to purify the home and ritual space with fragrant herbs at New Year’s, to bring in peace and good feelings.
Purification by Smoke
Many of us are familiar with the Native American practice known as “smudging” or purification with smoke. This is a spiritual practice that is done all year, usually involving the burning of White Sage (Salvia apiana) or Sage mixed with Cedar, such as Eastern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis). It is a lovely custom that purifies an area of negativity. After these herbs are burned, a gentle herb such as Sweet Grass (Hierochloe odorata) is burned to pull in positive forces (because nature abhors a vacuum).
Saining
Europeans also have herb purification rituals using smoke, especially at the times of Yule (Christmas) and New Year’s. In Scotland there is the custom of “saining” (blessing, protecting) at Hogmanay or New Years. To do this, water must be collected from a “dead and living ford” meaning a place where the living cross and the dead are carried over a stream, either where coffins are born across a bridge, or where hearses carrying coffins drive over the water. This must be done before sunrise, in silence.
The water is taken to the house and sprinkled on all the beds, and into every room. When everything has been blessed by water, all windows, doors and entrances to the home are closed, and Juniper branches (Juniperus communis) are burned in the hearth. Smoking branches of Juniper are also carried to the barn and outhouses to bless them.
The smoke is allowed to build up in the house until no one can stand it anymore, and then windows and doors are flung wide to admit the air of the new year. Everyone has a wee dram after that, and a good breakfast.
This custom reflects the old Indo-European idea that the world is made of fire and water (Scandinavians would say fire and ice, which amounts to the same thing). A bridge where the dead are carried across is literally a liminal space, between life and death, used by both the living and the dead. New Year’s Eve is an in-between time when one year ends and the other begins. The walls between the Worlds are thin and protection must be taken.
You can burn branches of juniper any time you feel the need to cleanse an area.
The Germanic Rauhnächte
The Rauhnächte are the days between the Winter Solstice (December 21) and Epiphany (January 6), known as the “Smoke Nights”. It is said that evil Spirits and ghosts are particularly active at this time, likely because it’s the darkest time of year and most closely resembles their Underworld home. Because the world of winter and cold seems familiar, they emerge to mingle with the life above ground. With so many wandering dead about, sensitive souls may even be able to hear their voices. It’s considered a good time to do divinations and prognostications for the future, because the Spirits will aid the process.
Many people still take pains to protect their home from these spooky Spirits by fumigating the house with herbal incense, or by making small fires in the garden. Fragrant resins such as Spruce (Picea abies) and Frankincense (Boswellia sacra) are said to do the trick. Green herbs such as Common Sage (Salvia officinalis) and Juniper are also employed. But any fragrant herbs will do.
To properly protect the home, begin at the cooking hearth or the oven and then smudge the corners of the kitchen. Move out to every other room of the house, spreading fragrant smoke into each corner and space. Then carry the smoke outside to the barn and other buildings. This should be done every day for the twelve days.
And a warning – do not put clothing or bedding outside on the line at this time or evil Spirits might get tangled up in them!
BOOK NEWS
My new children’s book: “Once Around the Sun: Stories, Crafts, and Recipes to Celebrate the Sacred Earth Year” will be on sale April 19, 2022 in the U.S. The UK on-sale date is about 6 weeks later. It is available for pre-order at https://www.innertraditions.com/books/once-around-the-sun and other retailers worldwide here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Once-Around-the-Sun/Ellen-Evert-Hopman/9781644114148
UPCOMING EVENTS
FEBRUARY 18-20, 2022
On February 19, at 2:45 PM Eastern
WitchCon (virtual conference)
A class on Scottish Herbs and Fairy Lore
MARCH 5, 2022
1-4PM CST
Women’s Wellness Series (virtual class)
The Witching Herbs – Working with Baneful Plants: Healing, Magick, and Homeopathy with Ellen Evert Hopman
Use code Ellen10 and get a discount!
JULY 15 AND 17, 2022
WitchsFest 2022 will be held July 15th through July 17th with Virtual days again on the Friday and Sunday
and live classes in-person in New York City’s Astor place on Saturday, July 16th.
I will be offering on line talks via Zoom on Friday and Sunday
*Below you will find the usual collection of gleanings from the media. And a reminder! You can find all my books and DVDs here www.elleneverthopman.com If you order from me you will get a signed copy and a personal note! *
ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS
This Fancy Footwear Craze Created a ‘Plague of Bunions’ in Medieval England (modern high heels do the same thing)
Norse runic text found in Oslo
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/12/norse-runic-text-found-in-oslo/142383
Marble statue of a woman (possibly Goddess Hygeia) found at Epidaurus
https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2021/12/marble-statue-of-robed-woman-discovered.html
HERB NEWS
Meadowsweet monograph
https://www.herbal-supplement-resource.com/meadowsweet-filipendula-ulmaria.html
Grindelia benefits and uses
https://www.herbal-supplement-resource.com/grindelia-herb.html
Licorice root medicinal uses
https://www.herbal-supplement-resource.com/licorice-root.html
Stinging Nettle benefits and uses
https://www.herbal-supplement-resource.com/stinging-nettle-herb.html
HEALTH NEWS
How to prepare to take the Covid vaccine
Why people believe Covid conspiracy theories
Fact Check: Will We Be Microchipped With Vaccine Passports? (Not.)
How Psychedelics alter consciousness
https://www.iflscience.com/brain/how-psychedelics-alter-consciousness/
CLIMATE AND NATURE NEWS
A new perspective on Black Holes
Cuttlefish can pass a test designed for human children
The search for the elusive Planet X (or is it a black Hole?) continues
Alaska was 65 degrees in December. A new heat record. ☹
CELTIC NEWS
Women executed as Witches in Scotland to be issued pardons
The Wren song (video)
When Christmas was banned in Scotland
https://blog.nrscotland.gov.uk/2018/12/10/christmas-banned-in-scotland/amp/
Harp music from Brittany (video)
FAIRY NEWS
The Whitethorn tree (video)
Why Ireland takes Fairies seriously
Krampus, a Germanic Yuletide Spirit
https://wildhunt.org/2021/12/the-running-of-the-krampus-into-modern-times.html
RELIGION NEWS
Pew research: the number of Christians in the USA is declining
https://wildhunt.org/2021/12/studies-show-us-christians-decreasing-in-number.html
Celtic spells and counter spells (paper)
https://www.academia.edu/19783791/Celtic_Spells_and_Counterspells?email_work_card=view-paper
Plurality of belief among contemporary Druids
Jesuits to return 525 acres of South Dakota land to Rose Bud Sioux tribe
ARTS NEWS
Louis Wain’s cat art
64 fox face portraits
Henri Matisse art goes to the Baltimore Museum
Six art galleries in unexpected places
POLITICS AND ETHICS
Lawsuits as a way to mitigate the climate crisis
https://wildhunt.org/2021/12/lawsuits-as-a-tool-to-mitigate-the-climate-crisis.html
Modern day slavery uncovered in Georgia
Elizabeth Warren tells Elon Musk to actually pay some taxes and stop freeloading off everyone else