Thanks for joining me!
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
DIY Gossip Stones
“This statue’s one-eyed gaze pierces into your mind…”
Gossip Stones are items of mysterious origin that dot the landscape of Hyrule. The stones are capable of giving advice, rumours and background information on many things in the series. This includes nearby puzzles, side quests, items and people. It is very useful when the Hero finds himself stuck for how to move forward in his quest. The Hero must wear the Mask of Truth when speaking to a Gossip Stone in order to hear its secrets, which the Stone relays directly to his mind.
So! We’re going to make our own Gossip Stones to enchant and a simple Mask of Truth to use with it.
For the Gossip Stone we’ll be using salt dough. You only need a small amount, and luckily, @marigoldwitch figured out the ratios for a small batch, so I will be borrowing hers:
- 4 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp salt (protection, cleansing)
- 2 tbsp water (use magically charged water for an extra boost!)
- Bay leaf (wisdom, mental clarity, prosperity)
- Rosemary (cleansing, mental clarity, wisdom)
- Sage (cleansing, protection, wisdom, psychic ability)
You’ll mix these all together until you have a firm dough, adding a little more flour if it’s still sticky or a little more water if it’s too hard. Now you can start forming your dough into the oval-ish shape of a Gossip Stone. You may want to add a quartz or amethyst chip to the center for a boost.
As your getting the dough into shape, channel some cosmic energy into it, along with its purpose to give you guidance and information. Take a knife or toothpick and draw the eye onto your stone and set aside to dry out.
Next we’ll make a simple Mask of Truth, for which you’ll need paper, a red marker, a popsicle stick and scissors. Draw the Mask of Truth onto paper with your marker, and cut it out using your scissors. Attach it to the popsicle stick to be easier to hold. Voila! You can also add sigils for clarity of sight and seeing the truth if you like.
Hold your Mask of Truth to your face and hold the Gossip Stone up in your hand. Say or think “stone of truth, heed the knowing eye, reveal your secrets to my mind”. Meditate on the question you seek an answer to, directing it into the stone. The answer may come to you feeling like your intuition or even like a separate presence.
Do you have any suggestions for avoiding Poes this Halloween/Samhain?
“I heard that they like to steal souls like in the games, except they don’t steal one specific person’s soul, they just steal whoever’s soul they come across. Is that even correct, or am I completely off base?”
Well, in the games it was simply said that they steal souls. There was never any specific quality in a soul that was said they liked.
As for how to avoid them, in game they can be defeated by either sword slashes or arrows. Protective charms should be enough to deter them as they have more difficulty manifesting on our plane because of how much light we keep near us. You can make paper lanterns or buy lanterns and put sigils on them to protect a space too.
I think a simple charm would be just a small wood disk with either a shield and triforce drawn on it, or a sword and arrow, charged with the intent of repelling Poes.
Picolyte – a Zelda recipe
A series of potions created by the Picori (Minish). It increases the rate of finding useful items such as hearts and rupees.
Picolyte is a series of potions that Link can buy from Beedle as well as the Minish. It comes in multiple colors, and is made from “Pico Blooms”. Some types of Picolyte are created by a Minish researcher after bringing him the ingredients he asks for. There are a couple types that are useful for the average witch.
Red Picolyte increases the number of hearts Link finds. It can be used to aid in health or made into a love potion. Yellow Picolyte makes it easier to find rupees, and requires LonLon milk to make it. It can be used to draw wealth to the drinker. Orange Picolyte makes it easier to find fairies, and requires a red potion to make it. It can be used to increase spirit awareness or encounters.
Red Picolyte:
- Blackberry (health, protection) or rose (love, healing, happiness) tea
- Honey (love, good health, sweetness)
- Moon water (solar energy, health)
- Rose quartz (love, health)
Heat your moon water until hot, pour over tea, envisioning it glowing brightly with the sun’s energy. Let tea steep, and place the rose quartz in front of the mug to charge it. Add your honey, stirring clockwise to draw positive energy of love or health to you and filling the mug.
Yellow Picolyte:
- Cocoa powder (wealth, abundance)
- Sugar (sweetness)
- Milk or milk substitutes (abundance, wealth)
- Sun water
- Optional: orange extract (abundance)
- Optional: cinnamon (abundance, protection)
- Optional: pumpkin spice mix (lots of correspondences depending on the exact blend)
So this won’t be yellow in color obviously, but it gets the job done. Heat milk and stir in all ingredients, clockwise to draw in abundance and luck in money. Stir in the sun water to thin the hot chocolate out so it’s not as rich.
Orange Picolyte:
- Marshmallow root tea (protection, spirit work, death work)
- Star water (cosmic energy, psychic boost)
- Honey or sugar (entices spirits)
- Amethyst or other stones that boost intuition and psychic skills
Another drink that won’t be orange, but matches the intent. Heat star water and steep the tea, visualizing it full of boosting energies. Place the amethyst in front of the mug to charge. Stir in your sweetener of choice, filling it with more boosting energies. This tea is also good for sore throats and grouchy bellies, but don’t drink too much.
Clairvoyance – A Skyrim Spell
A Skyrim spell to help guide you in reaching an objective.
In Skyrim, Clairvoyance is a novice-level illusion spell that casts a line of blue light to the next objective in a quest. It’s not perfect however, as locked doors and multiple active quests can lead to an accidental dead end. The spell will also need to be recast occasionally, so this spell is best for focusing on short-term goals or goals that you intend to devote a lot of time to.
What you’ll need:
- An LED tea light
- Blue candle holder
- A pen and paper
- A sigil for “clairvoyance shows me the way”
First, create your sigil, either on paper, directly on your candle holder, or on the bottom of your electric candle. Next, write out your goal with the pen and paper. Pick a color ink that matches your goal for an extra kick. Write out the first steps you need to do to accomplish your goal. Fold the paper and put it inside the candle holder. Turn the LED candle on and place in the holder, then hold it in your hands, charging with intent and energy. Say “this light will guide me to my goal, it’s blue shine illuminating my path” as you envision a bright blue line of energy connecting you to your goal.
Recast whenever you feel stuck again.
A sweet treat
So, pillsbury has King’s Hawaiian crescent rolls, and we bought some, and I stuffed it with cinnamon-vanilla cream cheese and apple pie filling…
Recipe:
1 Can Pillsbury King’s Hawaiian crescent rolls
4oz Cream Cheese, softened
¾ cup powdered sugar
1tbsp vanilla extract
½ of a 21oz can of Apple Pie filling
Cinnamon to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Mix together cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon until smooth
3. Roll out your crescent dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
4. Spread cream cheese mixture onto one half of the dough, then cover with apple pie filling.
5. Fold the other half of the dough over the filling, crimp/fold edges over to close them.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or cold!
Fi, the Spirit of the Sword
Fi is one of the few companions that accompany the hero throughout the series. Much like Navi, she is given a bit of a hard time by some fans of the series, often called annoying and unnecessary. In my opinion this reputation is wholly undeserved.
Fi is the spirit that inhabits the Goddess Sword (and later, the Sword of Evil’s Bane). She is analytical, a bit sarcastic, but overall kind. She was somewhat aloof at the beginning of the Hero’s journey on the Surface, but soon became attached to the Hero and softer towards the other characters they met. She provides various types of information, such as information on enemies, the area the Hero is in, advice on how to move forward and hints and rumors. Fi can also scan people and animals, and sense auras, which she can utilize to find them with her Dowsing ability. She also provides warnings in the event of low health and weakened shields. Fi also is capable of translating messages, in particular messages from the Goddess Hylia. In addition, her ability to unlock the gateways to the Silent Realms may be useful for astral practice and shadow work, as the Realms are for spiritual growth.
The Goddess Sword also appears in Breath of the Wild as an amiibo drop, with the following description:
“A sword said to have once belonged to a hero of the sky. Its blade houses the fire of the goddess. When wielded, a strange yet heavenly breeze kicks up around you.”
This description fits well with the established canon from Skyward Sword. To call on Fi, one would need either a replica of the Goddess Sword or the Master Sword. It does not have to be a full size replica (and in fact there are many Master Sword necklaces available online!), as it’s purpose will be to act as a conduit. She does not eat or drink due to her nature as a weapon, however different types of energy can be used for offerings, particularly solar, lunar, and cosmic energy. These energies come from the sky and can provide the closest replacement to a proper Skyward Strike. Crystals can also make good offerings, and can be used to store energy for her. Singing, dancing and playing music can also be dedicated to Fi and can be used as a way to spend time with her by inviting her to join you.
Ritual to Contact Fi
What you need:
- Master Sword/Goddess Sword or an Athame (a sword necklace can work too)
- Three Candles, preferably one red, blue and green
- Music (Fi’s Theme)
- Best performed at night, as that was the time when the Hero first meets Fi.
Step 1: Turn on Fi’s Theme, and cast any circles or barriers or other ritual prep work that you prefer.
Step 2: Arrange your candles into a triangle and light them. Visualize them as the three Goddess Flames, their warmth and color filling your workspace.
Step 3: Take your Master Sword in hand and stand it in the center of your candles.
Step 4: As you visualize the Goddess Flames filling your sword, call on Fi
I call to the spirit of the Goddess Sword
The spirit Fi I call to you!
I wish to meet and learn from you
Step 5: At this point you can add some of your own energy to the mix and channel it into the sword as an offering. You may here her telltale sound when she responds to you. When you feel her presence, greet her and introduce yourself!
It may take a bit to wake her as she is “slumbering” within the sword. If it doesn’t work the first time, take a break and try again later. Also, look out for her in dreams as she first spoke to Link in a dream before leading him to the Goddess Statue to meet face to face!
Poe Lanterns
It’s October, and that means the Carnival of Twilight, and with it, Halloween, or Poe’s Night! So for a little fun decorative Poe’s Night craft, Poe Lanterns! These can be decorated with sigils for protection and will keep Poes, Ghinis, Gibdos and ReDeads away! If you don’t feel up to making a lantern, you can easily purchase a paper globe lantern from any party store or some dollar stores.
disclaimer: you won’t be able to put a light in these as they don’t have bottoms and will get stretched out under the candle weight.
What you’ll need:
- Paper, any color. Sturdier paper will hold up better!
- Scissors
- Tape or glue
- Pens, markers or other items to decorate with
- String or twine
Directions:
Step 1: Fold the paper in half lengthwise. Measure and mark every 3 inches along the fold. You can vary the width of the cuts however you like, alternating between wide and thin strips.
Step 2: At these markings, cut ¾ of the way up the paper along the folded edge. It’s up to you how long you want the slits to be. The longer the slits, the more light will shine through and the more flexible/floppy your lantern will be.
Step 3: Unfold the paper. On the cut strips, draw protection sigils or write protective phrases in Hylian
Step 4: Glue or tape it into a cylinder shape. Pull the fringed sections outward, and push in the other sections.
Step 5: Decorate further however you like. Attach string and hang!
These will be a fun activity for children and can be varied in lots of ways! You can make a second lantern of a different color to fit inside another to provide contrasting colors (orange and black, perfect for Halloween!). You can add fringe, or stickers or use colored markers to decorate however you like!
Botw Dragon Jars
These jars are meant to encapsulate the energies of the three Dragons Farosh, Naydra and Dinraal.
Farosh Jar
What you’ll need:
- clean jar or bottle
- Storm water, enough to fill ½ of the jar
- green food coloring or liquid watercolor
- Fine green and white glitter
- Baby oil or karo syrup
- lightning bolt charm or large green bead and yellow thread (optional)
Naydra Jar
What you’ll need:
- clean jar or bottle
- moon water or melted snow, enough to fill ½ of the jar
- blue food coloring or liquid watercolor
- Fine blue and silver glitter
- Baby oil or karo syrup
- snowflake charm or large blue bead and purple thread (optional)
Dinraal Jar
What you’ll need:
- clean jar or bottle
- Sun water, enough to fill ½ of the jar
- red food coloring or liquid watercolor
- Fine gold and pink glitter
- Baby oil or karo syrup
- sun charm or large red bead and orange thread (optional)
Directions:
- In a measuring cup, add the food coloring to your water until it is the shade you want. The more color you add, the more opaque the bottle will be.
- Fill the jar or bottle up about halfway with baby oil or karo syrup. Add the glitter on top.
- If you’re using karo syrup, warm your water first. Pour the water into the bottle, leaving about an inch of space. Screw on the lid and shake vigorously to mix the ingredients. As your shaking, envision the dragon’s energy filling the jar.
- Tie the charm around the jar with the yarn. You can program the charm to draw more energy into the jar. If you like, draw a sigil of the dragons names on the lid of their respective jars.
- Charge the jars in different conditions. Farosh’s jar should be charged during rain or stormy conditions. Dinraal’s jar should be charged in sunlight. Naydra’s jar should be charged in moonlight or snow.
Kid’s Dream Jar
This was the dream jar I made for my son when he started complaining of bad dreams.
Ingredients:
- A jar
- Salt (cleansing, protection)
- Sage (cleansing, protection)
- Lavender (sleep, relaxation)
- Rose Petals (healing)
- A pinch of Sugar (sweetness, happiness)
- An amethyst chunk or chips (sleep, relaxation, dreaming)
- Open the jar and add the salt at the bottom.
- Next add the sage and the sugar, followed by the lavender and rose petals.
- Close the jar and give it a few good shakes to mix everything together, envisioning peaceful dreams.
- Add the amethyst in and close the jar again. Place near where you sleep, such as by your pillow or even under your bed.
