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Midsummer Burning Man!
I saw this idea and really liked it since it can be done indoors!
One long-surviving Pagan tradition is that of making a burning man, which represents the Sun Lord, in all of His flaming splendor, at the point of the year in which He begins His decline. Giant burning men have been erected at large festivals and burned on enormous bonfires to celebrate this.
You can create a smaller version of the burning man both to burn indoors or outside in a barbecue grill or pit. Here are some ideas:
To use in outside in a barbecue grill or pit:
Gather sticks and twigs and make a small human figure by tying them together with twine. At sunset, have an adult put the burning man on his “pyre” and watch it go up in flames. Know that as he turns to ash, so does the year begin to wane. This is a great activity to do with kids, have the kits help to put the burning man together and have them help collect the twigs and more!
To use indoors in a cauldron:
Create a very small man-like figure filled with herbs natural to the season. Cheesecloth and lavender, chamomile, St. John's Wort and vervain are good choices. The total size of the man should be about 2 inches total. If you have a large cauldron it can be a little larger - if you have a smaller cauldron make it smaller. If you cannot do a man figure (mine always ends up disfigured) just create a nice fat sachet.
I normally add a little bit of alcohol (this will make LARGE flames - so make sure there is nothing close to your cauldron. If you have a small altar area, do NOT add alchohol) for a more flamey effect. You can also anoint it with some oils - use either a ritual oil blend, or a sunny oil such as Basil, frankincense or Chamomile.
Place the man or sachet deep into your cauldron and throw in a lit match. Once done, you can spread his ashes on your front lawn - I generally spread it around my trees in the front of the house to symbolize the change in seasons and to give the Sun god back to the earth.
This can also be used for covens and its great fun for kids to watch! Happy burning!
One long-surviving Pagan tradition is that of making a burning man, which represents the Sun Lord, in all of His flaming splendor, at the point of the year in which He begins His decline. Giant burning men have been erected at large festivals and burned on enormous bonfires to celebrate this.
You can create a smaller version of the burning man both to burn indoors or outside in a barbecue grill or pit. Here are some ideas:
To use in outside in a barbecue grill or pit:
Gather sticks and twigs and make a small human figure by tying them together with twine. At sunset, have an adult put the burning man on his “pyre” and watch it go up in flames. Know that as he turns to ash, so does the year begin to wane. This is a great activity to do with kids, have the kits help to put the burning man together and have them help collect the twigs and more!
To use indoors in a cauldron:
Create a very small man-like figure filled with herbs natural to the season. Cheesecloth and lavender, chamomile, St. John's Wort and vervain are good choices. The total size of the man should be about 2 inches total. If you have a large cauldron it can be a little larger - if you have a smaller cauldron make it smaller. If you cannot do a man figure (mine always ends up disfigured) just create a nice fat sachet.
I normally add a little bit of alcohol (this will make LARGE flames - so make sure there is nothing close to your cauldron. If you have a small altar area, do NOT add alchohol) for a more flamey effect. You can also anoint it with some oils - use either a ritual oil blend, or a sunny oil such as Basil, frankincense or Chamomile.
Place the man or sachet deep into your cauldron and throw in a lit match. Once done, you can spread his ashes on your front lawn - I generally spread it around my trees in the front of the house to symbolize the change in seasons and to give the Sun god back to the earth.
This can also be used for covens and its great fun for kids to watch! Happy burning!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by RubyDragonMoon on -
This is a great idea! It's been rather stormy here the last few days I should be able to fine enough sticks to make one :)
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