Sabbats Almanac: Samhain to Mabon - Kristoffer Hughes 2018

Crafty Crafts by Natalie Zaman
Lammas

THE BURNING MAN—A human figure made out of wicker, straw, or twigs, built hollow so that offerings can be put inside him—is a very old tradition that we know little about. The ancient people who first made them didn’t write about their practices. The first person to actually record anything about Burning or Wicker Men was Julius Caesar, who wrote that the Celts created huge, human-shaped wicker figures, into which small animals, grains, and slaves (yes, people), were placed inside to be burned as offerings. His description, a part of his record of the Gallic Wars, included not only his experiences but those of others, so his is not an eye-witness account of a Burning or Wicker Man ritual. We’re not 100 percent sure why Burning Men were built, at what times of the year they were burned, or what was really placed inside them, but we can make elements of this tradition work in a positive way.

The Burning Man

Effigies have been burned for thousands of years and usually for the same purpose: to send a message (usually to the “person” being burned) and so promote change. A Burning Man can be a means of sending a message. When he is lit, the intentions, requests, and offerings inside him are sent out into the Universe. Our Burning Man is crafted from recycled cardboard and dressed and crowned with grains and glitter. He’s a John Barleycorn-come-Lugh through whom your wishes, intentions, and messages of gratitude will be “brought to light” at Lammas.

Time Lavished: You might spend an hour or two constructing and embellishing your Burning Man, but time must also be allowed for the glue that holds his elaborate outfit in place to dry. If you’re making him for a ritual, build him at least a day in advance.

Coinage Required: If you buy everything on the list, a Burning Man build will cost about $25—$30. Please, please, PLEASE don’t purchase boxes! I didn’t include these in the cost as cardboard boxes are readily available almost everywhere. If you have none in your recycle bin, ask at your neighborhood shops; they’ll be happy for you to take them off their hands.

Supplies

2 recycled boxes. One box will be kept intact to make the body and the other will be cut up to make the arms, head and feet. You can use any size box, but it’s probably best to work with something of small to medium size (8 × 11 or 11 × 14 with a depth of 4—5 inches). Unless you’re hosting a gathering in which hundreds of people will be stuffing their intentions into the Burning Man’s belly, he doesn’t need to be huge.

Scissors and/or a craft knife

Stapler

Craft glue

1—2 bunches of wheat sheaves

Masking tape

Recycled newspaper, paper bags, etc. for covering your work surface

Paint brush

Grains such as rice, oats, cereals, and wheat

Glitter

Small pieces of paper

Pens

First, prep the box you’ve chosen as the body. Stand it up vertically (so that it’s taller, rather than wider), then cut a small window (mail-slot sized) in the front—this is where folks will put their intentions inside the Burning Man before he burns. Don’t seal the box up yet, as you might need to maneuver your hands inside it to attach the feet and arms.

From the second box, cut a rectangular piece of cardboard that has a length that is approximately three times the width of the body (when it is standing up vertically). The width of the arm piece should be no more than the depth of the body box. (Example: If your Burning Man’s body is 8 inches wide by 14 inches tall by 5 inches deep, you’ll need an arm piece that is about 24 inches long and no more than 5 inches wide.)

Once cut, center the arm piece along the top of the body box. Bend the “arms” down to either side of the body box before tacking it in place with the stapler. (Staple it as many times as you need to; it will be covered with the grains and glitter.)

Cut two circles that will serve as the wicker man’s feet and glue them to the bottom of the box.

To assemble the head, cut out two identical cardboard circles with 3 inch by 3 inch tabs on the bottom (see illustration). Proportion the size of the head to the size of the body. Smaller is better as the head will have some weight once you add all the embellishments—you don’t want it to flop over!

Glue or staple wheat stalks around the edge of one of the circles you cut for the head. Line up the bottom of the sheaves with the edge of the cardboard so that they stick out like a crown or a halo. Place the second head circle on top of the first, and lining up the tabs, attach the circles together with the stapler. Do not staple the tabs together.

One at a time, brush both sides of the head, excluding the tabs, with glue, then cover them with a mixture of grains and glitter. Cover the cardboard completely. When the head is dry, fold the tabs outward so that they form a stand for the head. Set the head aside.

Now it’s time to dress the Burning Man’s body. First, seal up the box with the masking tape, making sure that the window remains open. Lay the newspaper, brown paper, or other covering over your workspace to protect it.

Work on one side of the body at a time. Brush one side of the body box with glue and cover it with grains and glitter. An easy way to do this is to pour a mixture of grains and glitter over the freshly glued surface, then tap off any excess onto your paper-covered workspace. This will also minimize waste. Allow each side to dry and fill in any bare patches before moving onto the next. Leave the top of the box (where the arms are tacked on) for last.

Center the head on top of the box (where you already attached the arm piece), then tack it down with the stapler. Once the head is secured, brush the top of the box with glue and cover with the grain and glitter mixture. Allow it to dry completely before tapping off any excess. Be sure to support the head as you do so! Should the head bend forward or backward, place some palm sized stones (ones you don’t mind setting alight—you can always clean them later) in front and in back of his head to support it.

Once he’s completely dry, he’s ready to burn!

Light up your Burning Man in a safe place (outdoors in a fire pit or bowl) and keep a fire extinguisher close by in case it’s needed. At Lammas, have everyone who is participating in your ritual write their intentions and wishes on the small pieces of paper and place them inside. You can also make the Burning Man ahead of time and have him on display in the days (or weeks) leading up to the sabbat. Keep papers and pens near him so that anyone who passes by can add his intentions and wishes. When you light him, have participants concentrate on their intentions; they may even want to say them aloud as he burns. Scatter the cooled ashes over your garden, or on your plants or in your favorite park; the ash is good for the soil, and it will put your good thoughts right to work in the earth.

Any celebration that involves fire is good for a Burning Man build. Think of building one for Yule—a great way to welcome the return of the Sun!