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Jan Blencowe's avatar

Wonderfully informative! I will now be making crosses tied with red yarn from ash and birch and circlets of brambles. There are no rowan trees where I live but I will adapt the tradition and embrace it.

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Elissa's avatar

Absolutely, that's exactly how it is meant to be. We often get stuck in the fear that we have to do things just as our ancestors did. Even they must have used what they had around them. By using what we have around us, we not only create a deeper bond with the landscape we live on but we also add our own meanings to these traditions. Last week I made a hag stone charm with butcher's string, which you know is read and white, because I didn't have any red thread!

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Jan Blencowe's avatar

I've been working on my crosses tied with red yarn. I have one made from ash and one from birch. I'll make some more and then decide where they should be hung. Love leaning into the "old ways" even if they're done in new ways.

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Victoria Harrison's avatar

This is wonderful! Really enjoyed reading such a detailed account, thank you!

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Elissa's avatar

Hi, thank you so much for that. I am really happy to hear that you enjoyed it!

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The Druid Stares Back's avatar

Would you like to come on my podcast to talk about May Day or some other festivals at some point? You'd be a perfect fit! (We interviewed Ronald Hutton not all that long ago, and he was wonderful). https://www.youtube.com/@regenerationmikesauterandm7748/videos

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Elissa's avatar

Thank you so much for the invite, I would love to at some point further down the line. I have family commitments at the moment, but definitely in the future, although following behind Ronald Hutton would be quite nerve racking haha!

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