Briscola and Martenitsa (Flower Essence Workshop)
Starting to feel better after doing the first 2 hours of @motherwortandrose grief flower essence workshop. I think it helps having something tangible from the experience.
I rolled up a picture of some italian playing cards I printed from online, I remember that my dad used to play Briscola with when I was small. (I don't know how to use them myself and don't know the first thing about Briscola but my dad enjoyed playing it and won a tournament with a trophy the year I was born) I rolled it up like a message in a bottle and covered it in water infused with Bath and Body Works "A Thousand Wishes" perfume then added petals from a yellow daisy and purple carnation (flowers my mom had bought for the purpose) then sealed the bottle. Some of the coloured ink seeped through the paper so it made the water a pinkish colour and you could kinda see what was on the inside, the patterns from the cards. I'm gonna keep it on a shelf next to a bottle of sand from Nauset Beach, Massachusetts that I collected when I was in my mid-20s.
Today is the 13th anniversary of my grandmother's death as well (from my mom's side), There is a tradition in Macedonia I would have done in solidarity this year but I ended up in hospital for the better part of February and was told about it (my youngest nieces and nephew are half Macedonian) when I got out, it's something they have done for their other grandmother (in 2006) and reprised for their grandfathers (my dad and their mom's father who also just passed away 6 months ago) in blue. It was to wear a Martenitsa bracelet (usually a red and white bracelet) for 21 days. From March 1st to the 21st and then put it under a tree or something when spring starts. According to the Greek tradition, they burn these bracelets on the 21st but the Macedonian tradition of putting it under a tree sounds much nicer. Unfortunately a dusting of snow out kinda sucks right now, hopefully it won't snow more.
I rolled up a picture of some italian playing cards I printed from online, I remember that my dad used to play Briscola with when I was small. (I don't know how to use them myself and don't know the first thing about Briscola but my dad enjoyed playing it and won a tournament with a trophy the year I was born) I rolled it up like a message in a bottle and covered it in water infused with Bath and Body Works "A Thousand Wishes" perfume then added petals from a yellow daisy and purple carnation (flowers my mom had bought for the purpose) then sealed the bottle. Some of the coloured ink seeped through the paper so it made the water a pinkish colour and you could kinda see what was on the inside, the patterns from the cards. I'm gonna keep it on a shelf next to a bottle of sand from Nauset Beach, Massachusetts that I collected when I was in my mid-20s.
Today is the 13th anniversary of my grandmother's death as well (from my mom's side), There is a tradition in Macedonia I would have done in solidarity this year but I ended up in hospital for the better part of February and was told about it (my youngest nieces and nephew are half Macedonian) when I got out, it's something they have done for their other grandmother (in 2006) and reprised for their grandfathers (my dad and their mom's father who also just passed away 6 months ago) in blue. It was to wear a Martenitsa bracelet (usually a red and white bracelet) for 21 days. From March 1st to the 21st and then put it under a tree or something when spring starts. According to the Greek tradition, they burn these bracelets on the 21st but the Macedonian tradition of putting it under a tree sounds much nicer. Unfortunately a dusting of snow out kinda sucks right now, hopefully it won't snow more.