realms of bandages

The Pagan year calendar wheel for 2022 is a reflection of the cyclical and nature-based beliefs followed by many Pagan traditions. It is a tool used to mark the turning of the seasons and the various festivals and celebrations that occur throughout the year. At its core, the Pagan year calendar wheel is a visual representation of the Wheel of the Year, which is divided into eight major holidays known as Sabbats. These Sabbats are further divided into two categories known as the solstices and equinoxes, which mark the four quarters of the year, and the lesser Sabbats or cross-quarter days, which fall between the solstices and equinoxes. The solstices, which include the summer solstice and winter solstice, represent the longest and shortest days of the year. These holidays are often celebrated with rituals and festivities centered around the themes of light and darkness, and the cycles of life and death.

Water and Oil

Shapeshifting Glamouring The Enchantress has the power to either change her physical form or shape into another or to change her appearance to look like another person, as seen by how she concealed her true, bitter form with the disguise of a frail old woman. But it was the gestures my nonne made in their kitchens crushing eggshells into their palms to avoid bad luck, blessing loaves of bread by etching tiny crosses into the dough that made their magic alive and real to me.

These holidays are often celebrated with rituals and festivities centered around the themes of light and darkness, and the cycles of life and death. The equinoxes, which include the spring equinox and autumn equinox, mark the points in the year when day and night are of equal length. These holidays are often associated with themes of balance and rejuvenation, as they represent a time of transition from one season to the next.

Kitchen Witchery and Simple Spells From My Italian Grandmothers

Picture it: Toronto, 1985. My stubby toddler legs hang down from the kitchen counter, feet kicking against the cabinets. I suck on a circular taralle breadstick like it’s a salty anise flavored pacifier. From my front row seat, I watch flecks of salt fly through the air, tossed backwards from grandmother Genoveffa’s hands into the sink as she sings an Italian folk song. Salt gets all over the counter too, and I’m puzzled because this woman would never make a mess on purpose. She gives me a wink, wipes her hands on her apron and goes back to the stove.

I’d eventually learn, watching both of my grandmothers do it again and again, that she was reversing some bad luck she’d accrued. As I grew up, I witnessed a lot of superstitious habits go down in the kitchens of my two nonne, who sought to welcome good luck in, and escort bad luck out.

They’d never call it witchcraft, but it certainly seemed like magic to me. My nonna Genny came to Canada from Pescara, Abruzzo, by boat when she was 17 to meet a man 13 years her senior who she’d just married by proxy. Her life was not easy, but she was known to conjure up sumptuous feasts that were as much magic spells as they were meals. My other nonna, Fenia, now 95, boarded a different boat to Canada with her two small children in the ’50s. With an extensive knowledge of the garden, she’s healed me of many a stomach ache, headache, and sore throat with her herb-infused teas and soups.

But it was the gestures my nonne made in their kitchens—crushing eggshells into their palms to avoid bad luck, blessing loaves of bread by etching tiny crosses into the dough—that made their magic alive and real to me. And like all magic, their kitchen witchery only works if you believe it does.

Water and Oil

Italians believe you can catch malocchio, the “evil eye,” from anyone, anytime, anywhere. All it takes is a glance or an innocuous compliment (“omg your hair is so shiny”) to bestow bad vibes onto your person. Symptoms include: fogginess, headaches, migraine, fever, stomach pain, dizziness, bad luck, financial ruin, serious illness, and, for the most unfortunate among us, straight up death.

Nonna Genny could detect the malocchio as soon as a cursed soul walked into her house. She’d grab a white bowl and fill it with water, and then slowly drip olive oil into it. If the oil gathered into globs as you’d expect, you hadn’t been cursed. But if the oil scattered around the bowl frantically, girl, that’s the eye. To cure the bad vibes, she would chant while opening and closing scissors above the bowl. Then, she’d drop olive oil into a clean bowl of water, and if the oil stuck together, the evil eye was gone.

Pepperoncini

If you’ve ever watched The Sopranos, you probably noticed jewelry in the shape of a horn glinting against the hairy chests of the cast. Horns—originally symbols of the Egyptian mother goddess Hathor, an ancient precursor to goddesses Isis and Venus—are decidedly lucky and good at keeping the evil eye away. Women traditionally don’t wear horns, but they do string up fresh red peppers (Nonna Genny used corno di capra, “goat horn,” from her garden), which look just like them. Once dried, the peppers could be left in the kitchen for protection, put in pockets or purses as guardian talismans, or, my personal favorite, fried in olive oil then crushed atop pastas, eggs, soups, bread, or anything savory for the tastiest mouth blessings.

I’d eventually learn, watching both of my grandmothers do it again and again, that she was reversing some bad luck she’d accrued. As I grew up, I witnessed a lot of superstitious habits go down in the kitchens of my two nonne, who sought to welcome good luck in, and escort bad luck out.

The lesser Sabbats or cross-quarter days, which include Imbolc, Beltane, Lammas, and Samhain, are celebrated between the solstices and equinoxes. These holidays are associated with specific agricultural and seasonal themes, such as the first signs of spring, fertility, harvest, and ancestral remembrance. The Pagan year calendar wheel serves as a guide for individuals and communities to connect with the natural cycles of the Earth and the changing seasons. It provides a framework for honoring and celebrating the Earth's rhythms and the interconnectedness of all life. In 2022, individuals who follow Pagan traditions will consult the calendar wheel to plan their rituals, ceremonies, and celebrations for each Sabbat. They will draw inspiration from the themes and energies associated with each holiday, and integrate these into their spiritual practices. Overall, the Pagan year calendar wheel for 2022 is a symbolic representation of the cyclical nature of life and the Earth's seasons. It serves as a reminder to honor and connect with the natural world, and to celebrate the cycles of life, death, and rebirth..

Reviews for "realms of bandages"

realms of bandages