Just a few updates on the site. First, I just wish to take a moment to welcome all our new members to our community. As our family continues to grow, I ask that all members to please take the time to welcome our newest additions.
~~ New Groups!
- Our Members Networks - Have a network on NING?? Here's a place just for you to promote it!
- The Single's Realm - A place for the single to mingle!
- Bewitched with Creativity - A place for expression, be it words, sound or visual. A place to share your art. Remember, this is a family site so keep it clean. :-)
- Everything Yule - A group dedicated to everything Yule!
Just a friendly reminder that if you have a service or product that you'd like to promote, we have 2 options available to you under the MG Wares Tab at the top of the page. The directory which is completely free and the Boutique that costs $10.00/Month to advertise on. The Boutique is much more comprehensive and allows for more traffic. Also, check out some of our new vendors!
If you have a service or product that you'd like to promote, please see Gentle Rains or Christine for instructions and other pertinent information to get you listed!
~~ We would love to bring you more new items and go premium with ning so we can advertise on our own, but the creators are flat broke. You can help us by chipping in whatever you can, if you can. Please don’t worry if you can’t, believe me we do understand. To help out…at the bottom of the page you will find the Chip-In widget, just click on that and away you go.
~~ We are growing on Myspace! Come and add yourself as a friend if you haven’t already, we would love to see you there!
Each month the administration will award one member the title of Member of the Month. This award is based on participation, contributions and helpfulness to the site and members.
Please remember to stop by the page of November’s Member of the Month, Cat and congratulate her if you haven’t done so already.
The Birthday Club- A club for everyone to list their birthday, if you haven‘t already joined the group, please stop by and join us. We would love to wish you a “Happy Birthday”.
November birthdays that are listed in the group are:
A Note From Christine
November birthdays that are listed in the group are:
Christi - 8th
Naya - 8th
Bandia - 11th
Marsh EverEvolvingSoul - 29th
Naya - 8th
Bandia - 11th
Marsh EverEvolvingSoul - 29th
A Note From Christine
Cornucopia
squashes, apples, and pears. Set on a sideboard or chest, it's a natural Thanksgiving decoration that radiates good fortune: In Greek mythology, the cornucopia -- Latin for "horn of plenty" -- was a magical goat's horn that filled itself with whatever food and drink its owner requested. It has become a universal symbol of bounty, and in America is closely tied to Thanksgiving.
Total Steps: 8
Tools and Materials
2-foot-long wicker cornucopia (available at crafts stores or floral shops)
2 yards of burlap
Scissors
Hot-glue gun
Three 200-gram packages of raffia
Spool of jute string
Large binder clip
Step 1
Pull the burlap around the wicker cornucopia frame, and tuck it inside. Trim any extra burlap with scissors, leaving enough to fold under at edges for a finished look.
Step 2
Hot-glue the burlap to the frame, lifting the fabric in several areas to apply glue. Press firmly for several seconds so the burlap sticks. Inside the frame, fold the burlap edges under to make a clean hem, and glue to the frame.
Step 3
Assemble a hank of raffia about 3/4 inch thick; using string, tie a knot around one end of the hank, and clip it to the table. Then wind the string around the raffia at 2-inch intervals to make a yard-long rope.
Step 4
When you get to the other end, tie a knot. Make another raffia rope. Then, using a short piece of jute string, tie the two ropes together end to end to create one double-length rope.
Step 5
Make a total of 9 double-length ropes to cover a cornucopia of this size. For the lip of the cornucopia, make a double-length raffia rope, about 2 1/4 inches thick, tying the string around it at 4-inch intervals so the result is looser.
Step 6
Tie the end of a raffia rope to the tip of the frame with string. Wind the raffia around, and apply glue as you go. At the end of the rope, tie it to another with string, and continue. When all but the lip is covered, tie a long piece of string to the end of the last raffia rope and wrap it around the frame; knot it.
Step 7
At the basket lip, attach the thicker raffia rope to the last thin rope with string, tying at 4-inch intervals. (Note: If your cornucopia has a protruding, tray like base, as this one does, you can cover it with more raffia; but if you line it with wheat, the base won't show.)
Step 8
Apply more hot glue where needed to secure the raffia ropes to the frame. To display, line the opening with stalks of dried wheat, and add long-lasting fruits and vegetables.
A Note From Skye
squashes, apples, and pears. Set on a sideboard or chest, it's a natural Thanksgiving decoration that radiates good fortune: In Greek mythology, the cornucopia -- Latin for "horn of plenty" -- was a magical goat's horn that filled itself with whatever food and drink its owner requested. It has become a universal symbol of bounty, and in America is closely tied to Thanksgiving.
Total Steps: 8
Tools and Materials
2-foot-long wicker cornucopia (available at crafts stores or floral shops)
2 yards of burlap
Scissors
Hot-glue gun
Three 200-gram packages of raffia
Spool of jute string
Large binder clip
Step 1
Pull the burlap around the wicker cornucopia frame, and tuck it inside. Trim any extra burlap with scissors, leaving enough to fold under at edges for a finished look.
Step 2
Hot-glue the burlap to the frame, lifting the fabric in several areas to apply glue. Press firmly for several seconds so the burlap sticks. Inside the frame, fold the burlap edges under to make a clean hem, and glue to the frame.
Step 3
Assemble a hank of raffia about 3/4 inch thick; using string, tie a knot around one end of the hank, and clip it to the table. Then wind the string around the raffia at 2-inch intervals to make a yard-long rope.
Step 4
When you get to the other end, tie a knot. Make another raffia rope. Then, using a short piece of jute string, tie the two ropes together end to end to create one double-length rope.
Step 5
Make a total of 9 double-length ropes to cover a cornucopia of this size. For the lip of the cornucopia, make a double-length raffia rope, about 2 1/4 inches thick, tying the string around it at 4-inch intervals so the result is looser.
Step 6
Tie the end of a raffia rope to the tip of the frame with string. Wind the raffia around, and apply glue as you go. At the end of the rope, tie it to another with string, and continue. When all but the lip is covered, tie a long piece of string to the end of the last raffia rope and wrap it around the frame; knot it.
Step 7
At the basket lip, attach the thicker raffia rope to the last thin rope with string, tying at 4-inch intervals. (Note: If your cornucopia has a protruding, tray like base, as this one does, you can cover it with more raffia; but if you line it with wheat, the base won't show.)
Step 8
Apply more hot glue where needed to secure the raffia ropes to the frame. To display, line the opening with stalks of dried wheat, and add long-lasting fruits and vegetables.
A Note From Skye
Feast Day Has Roots in European and Native American Paganism
It is taught that the Pilgrims established Thanksgiving, to share their abundant harvest with local Wampanoag Tribe, “People of the Dawn.” They were gatherers, hunters, farmers and fishermen. The colonists arrived in December and endured hard times, barely surviving. Colonists recorded Indians were robbed and their fields were plundered, most likely because of this.
The Pilgrims were English Separatists who broke away from the Church of England because they felt that it had not completed the Reformation’s work. One of the groups from Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England went to Amsterdam and lived there for about 12 years before sailing to America.
In the New Country, the Pilgrims lived in hovels made from sticks and logs plastered together with straw, clay, sand and water. The wheat they brought to plant didn’t fare well in the rocky soil. Many died and were buried at night so the Indians wouldn’t know their numbers.
Wampanoagan Samoset came to help the colonists, but his command of the English language was limited, so he later brought Squanto, who knew English well, to teach the Pilgrims survival skills. He taught the immigrants how to grow beans, corn, squash and other crops, using fish as a fertilizer. Squanto showed them which plants were poisonous and those used for healing. He taught the people how to obtain sap from maple trees, dig for clams and other skills.
The Pilgrims celebrated the first New World harvest. Leader Captain Miles Standish invited Chief Massasoit and 90 braves, including Squanto and Samoset, to join them in 1621.
Thanksgiving was not the first feast celebrating harvest. Pagans had festivals giving thanks for bounty.
Native American and Pagan European Roots
The Wampanoag had their own harvest celebration in which they gave thanks for abundant crops to Kiehtan, the Creator. They believed corn, the most valued crop, was a gift from him. The tribe expressed gratitude to the spirits of the game for the animals they killed for food.
By the time Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, other Europeans had settled in America and brought their traditions, some Pagan, with them.
Harvest festivals were celebrated by Europeans. Romans celebrated Cerelia by giving thanks to Ceres, Goddess of Harvest. Celtic and Anglo/Saxon Pagans celebrated Lughnasadh and Mabon, the first and second harvests. The Greeks gave honor to Demeter during the Thesmophoria. The New Englanders’ Pagan ancestors celebrated Harvest Home, the first reaping of crops, in August. There was a silent time for gratitude and reflection, followed by singing and dancing after which a joyous feast was held.
First New World Thanksgiving Feast
There are only two brief contemporary accounts written by Edward Winslow and William Bradford of the menu. According to these, celebrants ate venison, fowl, corn, fish and wheat breads. It is likely that rabbit, eggs, shellfish, barley, beans, squash, carrots, onions, peas, cabbage, cheese, pumpkin and Indian puddings, nuts and cornbread were on the table because these foods were available in 1621.
There were no pies because the colonists didn’t have ovens. Potatoes weren’t served.
It’s been written that Quadequina, Massasoit’s brother, treated the celebrants to popcorn. This has been refuted because Indian corn doesn’t pop well. It’s possible that popcorn, although poorly made, was served.
© Jill Stefko
It is taught that the Pilgrims established Thanksgiving, to share their abundant harvest with local Wampanoag Tribe, “People of the Dawn.” They were gatherers, hunters, farmers and fishermen. The colonists arrived in December and endured hard times, barely surviving. Colonists recorded Indians were robbed and their fields were plundered, most likely because of this.
The Pilgrims were English Separatists who broke away from the Church of England because they felt that it had not completed the Reformation’s work. One of the groups from Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England went to Amsterdam and lived there for about 12 years before sailing to America.
In the New Country, the Pilgrims lived in hovels made from sticks and logs plastered together with straw, clay, sand and water. The wheat they brought to plant didn’t fare well in the rocky soil. Many died and were buried at night so the Indians wouldn’t know their numbers.
Wampanoagan Samoset came to help the colonists, but his command of the English language was limited, so he later brought Squanto, who knew English well, to teach the Pilgrims survival skills. He taught the immigrants how to grow beans, corn, squash and other crops, using fish as a fertilizer. Squanto showed them which plants were poisonous and those used for healing. He taught the people how to obtain sap from maple trees, dig for clams and other skills.
The Pilgrims celebrated the first New World harvest. Leader Captain Miles Standish invited Chief Massasoit and 90 braves, including Squanto and Samoset, to join them in 1621.
Thanksgiving was not the first feast celebrating harvest. Pagans had festivals giving thanks for bounty.
Native American and Pagan European Roots
The Wampanoag had their own harvest celebration in which they gave thanks for abundant crops to Kiehtan, the Creator. They believed corn, the most valued crop, was a gift from him. The tribe expressed gratitude to the spirits of the game for the animals they killed for food.
By the time Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, other Europeans had settled in America and brought their traditions, some Pagan, with them.
Harvest festivals were celebrated by Europeans. Romans celebrated Cerelia by giving thanks to Ceres, Goddess of Harvest. Celtic and Anglo/Saxon Pagans celebrated Lughnasadh and Mabon, the first and second harvests. The Greeks gave honor to Demeter during the Thesmophoria. The New Englanders’ Pagan ancestors celebrated Harvest Home, the first reaping of crops, in August. There was a silent time for gratitude and reflection, followed by singing and dancing after which a joyous feast was held.
First New World Thanksgiving Feast
There are only two brief contemporary accounts written by Edward Winslow and William Bradford of the menu. According to these, celebrants ate venison, fowl, corn, fish and wheat breads. It is likely that rabbit, eggs, shellfish, barley, beans, squash, carrots, onions, peas, cabbage, cheese, pumpkin and Indian puddings, nuts and cornbread were on the table because these foods were available in 1621.
There were no pies because the colonists didn’t have ovens. Potatoes weren’t served.
It’s been written that Quadequina, Massasoit’s brother, treated the celebrants to popcorn. This has been refuted because Indian corn doesn’t pop well. It’s possible that popcorn, although poorly made, was served.
© Jill Stefko
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And we will get back to you as soon as we can. We want everyone to feel safe and at home here with us at Magickal Gatherings.
Until next month…..
magickalgatherings@gmail.com
And we will get back to you as soon as we can. We want everyone to feel safe and at home here with us at Magickal Gatherings.
Until next month…..
Gentle Rains & Christine (co-creators)
Skye (group administrator)
Skye (group administrator)
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