D is for Daedalus

For 'D', I decided I wanted to write about something I knew little or nothing about, to use the Pagan Blog Project as a learning experience. From the moment I made that decision I have had one name echo around my mind.
Daedalus.
As usual when the Gods put something in my mind, I feel quite a connection and sympathy with Daedalus. Although I am by no means a master craftsman, I am a maker, and sell some of my own humble creations in my Etsy shop. Though they are not inventions in league with those of Daedalus, they are all my own designs. I also have a son who doesn't listen to a word I say!
Anyway, enough about me, here's some info on Daedalus:

Daedalus Attaching Wings to Icarus, by Pyotr Ivanovich Sokolov

Daedalus, which in Ancient Greek means "clever worker" was a highly skilled craftsman and artisan. However, each of the main legends about him involve his great skills ending tragically.
The first legend is that of the Wooden Bull. The story is that Poseidon gave a white bull to King Minos to use as a sacrifice, but being a rather selfish and ungrateful creature, King Minos decided to keep it for himself. Poseidon was pretty hacked off at this and in revenge made the King's wife Pasiphae lust after the bull. Enter Daedalus, who built a hollow wooden bull so that the Queen could indulge in her lust. (This certainly conjures up an image you weren't expecting!) As a result the Queen gave birth to a son ~ the Minotaur.
So I'm betting you've guessed the second legend now? Yes, King Minos obviously wasn't happy with having an illegitimate bull-headed kid hanging around, and ordered Daedalus to build a Labyrinth to imprison the Minotaur. This in turn leads to the third legend. The ever-ungrateful King then decided that he didn't want Daedalus wandering around with the knowledge of how to escape the labyrinth, so he locked him and his young son Icarus away.
So now we come to the most famous legend. Daedalus built wings for himself and his son, fixing feathers to a wooden frame using wax and string. Daedalus repeatedly cautioned his son to take care not to fly too high, as the heat of the sun would melt the wax, or too low, as the sea foam would soak the feathers. But Icarus, enraptured by the sensation of flight, soared ever higher until, just as his father had warned, the sun softened the wax and he plummeted to his death.

Daedalus's story is quite tragic. In each case he is using his prodigious skills in a positive way, to help someone, and yet the results are always negative. What can poor Daedalus have done to deserve such rotten luck? Well, funny you should ask. Because before Daedalus moved to Crete and the court of King Minos he lived in Athens. His nephew Perdix was apprenticed to him, but he was a skilled and ingenious student and in a jealous rage Daedalus pushed him off the Acropolis. Although none of the accounts I have read have directly attributed his subsequent misfortune to this act of murder, it doesn't take much of a leap to make the connection.

Even though I'm hoping fervently that none of you readers have murdered anyone (!) I still feel there are lessons for us here. No matter how good our intentions, we can never be sure our actions will have the positive results we hope for. Like Daedalus, I don't think that should stop us at all, but we should definitely think about how our actions could pan out or affect others.

What lessons do you take from the life of Daedalus?

C is for Candles

I'm not sure where I stand on Magick yet. It's never been the part of Paganism that calls to me. But there's something almost primal about Candle Magick. Candles are linked to pretty much every religious and spiritual practise I can think of. Not only do they simply exude symbolism, but they are doing some basic (yet still blimmin' awesome) physics ~ converting matter into energy. I think that subconsciously it is this that attracts me.
There are lots of different types of Candle Magick, but as with any spiritual practises I believe that the more you can personalise things the better. Making your own candles is easier than you might think, you don't need a lot of fancy equipment so it's not expensive (hoorah!). The easiest (and less messy) method is to buy sheets of beeswax and roll your own. Kits are available for less than £5 on ebay, and are a great activity to do with children as there's no melted wax to burn little fingers. You can even sprinkle the sheet with herbs before rolling to add extra oomph to your spell.
But you can also make a simple moulded candle very easily by melting down some plain cheap candles (I use Ikea block candles) in an old saucepan. You can colour the wax either using a coloured candle or by adding some children's crayons to the mix. You will need to buy some wicks with sustainers (little metal bases that hold the wick) but again these can be found very cheaply on ebay. Simply melt the candle gently in a pan over a low heat ~ you're not cooking the wax, you just want to liquefy it ~ then pour it into your mould. You can use an old tumbler, a teacup, even a couple of plastic cups (I'd use at least 2 to avoid distortion). Again, you can sprinkle some herbs into the molten wax before you pour to more deeply infuse your spell.
Best of all though, in my humble opinion, is the ice candle. You put so much of yourself into making this candle ~ making the ice, melting the wax, making the candle, burning the candle ~ it is this giving of yourself that I believe infuses the real power of a spell. All you do is fill your mould with ice cubes before pouring the wax in. The ice is melted by the hot wax and leaves behind all kinds of interesting shapes. This kind of candle is especially good for transformation magick.

 

 

If you'd like to try making your own candles but you're a bit nervous, check out this website, where there are lots of easy to follow instructions.