Dearest Beautiful Friend,
This is the sacred healing garland that I was called to make, as a contribution to our community traditional Christmas - Natalizio - event these two weekends....
I was called by the neighbours to contribute something inherently Scottish - and I thought of all kinds of things like shortbread, dances, songs, Christmas pudding, etc - and I collaborated with my beautiful friend 
The plant medicine also called to me, as I began to construct a traditional midwinterfest wreath - which in my culture we might put on the door as a blessing and celebration spell. I felt strongly called to also be creating something powerfully healing in this ghirlanda for my community, based on my unique relationship with the town here.
The main shape is constructed from 3 different types of pine, trees that I often visit in a wee not-much-maintained park down from the medieval quarter... Just wrapped green wool around each section and branch, and connected them until they made a vaguely circular form.
I wove into them some rosemary branches which have their bright blue-violet winter blooms showing, from a neighbour's straggly hedge that I tend to occasionally.... This helped to shape the natural roundness and gave a nice full, bushy effect to the ghirlanda.
To this I added dried orange circles, from blood oranges below the Arthouse.
And some beautiful cones from the pine trees, which I'd painted gold. One large half-opened one I placed in the lower centre, as it seemed to convey fertility - she looked to me like a pregnant figure. This is them drying on top of the stove, next to the mulled wine/ vin brulé.
I finished the garland off with miniature winter apples, very fragrant, and a specific series of white ivy leaves that grow on a variegated ivy bush in the middle of town - just a hand-full of them are purely this specific white-creamy colour...
...Onto which I placed wee peperoncini- tiny hot red peppers:
I can't specifically describe the magical energy of the creation and my part in the event, which included several small paintings on brick, highlighted in gold - wee paintings I'd made on the old, old terracotta mini bricks from my dismantled bread oven - and the candles, using a pheonix/ firebird candle-holder Gifted to me by a neighbour who since passed away - and the historical brass candle-holders of my mum's side of the family... and the music - the blessed songs of my musician friend, which I played over and over, being moved, energised and activated more by each playing.... And my art filling this old stable room, directly below the chapel bedroom...
But you get a glimpse of it here:
The perfumes of pine and rosemary, apples and burned herbs as the candles interacted! - and the mulled wine and spices - the soft light of candles - the guitar and glorious voice - the camaradery and open-mind-heart-spirit of the conversation... The wee guy in the photo above was very moved and sat down to pray, then gave me the most beautiful hug as the family left - such an energetic blessing! The last, deep conversations of the night went on in this room, even well after everyone had stumbled off to bed - we were chilly and tired, but still debating the culture inter-contamination of Europe as we yawned and hugged goodnight... jib-jabbed and non-jib.-jabbed ;-)
Looking forward to Saturday and the last evening of the event...
BLESSED BE - health, vitality and wealth to ALL OF US AS ONE!
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