Dreams, divination and buy now buttons ...

There are three new treats on the website (with more to follow!) ... all with "Buy now" buttons next to them to make things simpler - after all, if you're anything like me, you're juggling last minute Christmas shopping, finding decorations (I'm still looking ...) and all the usual everyday things on top so anything that can make things a bit quicker and easier are very welcome :~)

Above and below is a rowan wood Goddess dream amulet. She is filled with mugwort, a potent herb and also rests upon a bed of it within her rowan bark box. You can find full details of her here.


Below: Burr Oak Hare dream amulet. Hares are traditionally associated with the moon making this little treasure the perfect dream guide. She is carved from beautifully grained, warm-coloured oak burr wood and is stored within a rowan bark box. You can find full details about her here.

Above and below (and the picture further below too): Native Celtic Woods ogham staves with rowan bark box. As always, this set is crafted from the original twenty ogham woods, all carefully sourced and gathered from the wild in our local area. The picture below gives you a little hint of the range of colours and textures of the various woods and the energies from them are simply wonderful, perfect for divination. You can find full details of the set here.
Below: The staves stored within their rowan bark box.
Below: A closer picture of the Hare dream amulet, just because she's so lovely :~)
I'd be really interested in hearing what you all think about the whole idea of a more automated online ordering system on Spirit of Old (like the one here). It's something we've never really used before because it's nice to have that contact with customers when people order items but maybe it's something people would prefer after all. What do you think? Do you prefer to have email contact and place orders that way or is that too inconvenient? Would you prefer something faster and simpler?

If you'd like to share your views, please either leave a comment below or email me at enquiries@spiritofold.co.uk. Thank you :~)

25% off *all* pendants!

*NEW OFFER* 

25% off *all* pendants and beads until the end of December - perfect for Christmas gifts!

Don't forget there is also currently 25% off all wands and athames too.

If you're not in the UK please order before Wednesday 8th December for Christmas delivery (or by Monday 6th December if you need a wristband to be woven), thanks :~)

You can find the main jewellery page by clicking here and full details of the current offers here.

It's not marked on the main website yet, I thought I'd give you advance warning so you can get in quick if you have your eye on something in particular ... I'll be updating the main website this evening.

The photo above is of my two best furry friends playing together in the deep snowfall which has enveloped almost the whole of Britain. It was little Scampy's first time in snow and she wasn't too sure what to make of it when it went over her legs and up to her middle! Before long though she was bombing around couldn't get enough of it! 

New pendants with free postage!

New beads added to the main website - a selection of hare bone and oak burr ... perfect for Christmas gifts! Plus, if you'd like to order one and quote "BLOGGER" in your email, I'll give you **free postage** on the bead :~)

Huge selection of new knives!

Wow, I can't begin to tell you how busy we've been in the last couple of weeks between crafting, photographing and listing ... but I hope you'll agree, it's been well worth it because the new knives are both beautiful and wonderful to work with.

There are far too many to show them all here so I've just picked a select few ...

Above: Walnut Bushcarver Pro with rough out blade

Above: Bog Oak Bushcarver Pro with combination blade. The main blade is suited to rough-out work and the flattened tip is designed for finer detail. The handle is carved from ancient bog oak wood, naturally preserved for thousands of years and stained a warm, deep brown by the tannins.

Below: Burr Oak Bushcarver Pro with combination blade. I adore burr oak because of its simply stunning colours and markings.


Above and below: Rowan Owl Character Knife with detail blade. This Wildwood knife has a convex flat detail blade and a rowan wood handle which has been intricately carved with a beautiful owl, full of character.

Below: Another Character Carved knife. This time it's a Blackthorn Eagle Character Knife with detail blade. Can you see the colours in the handle? They range from pale creams through to rich red-browns.


Above: This is my favourite knife of them all from the news ones added. The handle of this Burr Oak Wildwood Carver with detail blade has such a wonderful range of colours and such depth to it that it's impossible to capture in a photograph. It's one of those rare pieces which would give you pleasure to work with every time you pick it up.

Below: Walnut Wildwood Carver with rough out blade and wonderful markings on the handle.


Above: Burr Wych Elm Wildwood Carver with rough out blade
Below: Bog Oak Wildwood Carver with detail blade

The prices for these knives start at £25 and they would make the perfect gift for the crafty person in your life ( ... or even for yourself ... !). Please don't forget though, if you're ordering from outside the UK you'll need to take the last recommended posting dates into consideration as they're currently around three weeks away for outside of Europe.

As always, if you have any queries regarding the knives please feel free to email me, Lou, at enquiries@wildwoodknives.com.

Thanks for looking :~)

Very special Ogham staves in boxes ...

It's been an absolutely beautiful day today - inbetween days of dreary greyness and seemingly neverending rain! We decided to seize the moment and skip off to the woods to enjoy the sun while it lasted and to also photograph these very special ogham sets with their rowan bark boxes. I love the way the woods look in the background of these pictures ... you can almost see the Fae folk flitting here and there!


These wonderful sets contain the original 20 ogham sticks, each one handcrafted from the traditional corresponding wood. Truly correct ogham sets are extremely rare, if not unheard of but we have gathered each and every type of wood to create these beautiful tools to divination.

We work and play in the ancient Celtic heartlands of Britain where the Durotriges and Atrebates tribes ruled in prehistory. These ogham staves are handcrafted ritual tools with real Celtic soul and they retain the feel of their natural spirit.

The staves are stored within a beautifully rustic rowan bark box. Bark has been used by many cultures throughout time to make containers and this sturdy box has been crafted with natural materials including cedar root which is used to sew the join.

Each set is priced at £100 plus postage and packing and you can find full details (including a list of the woods lower down the page) here.

Autumn colours ...

Pumpkins, fireworks and new items in the shop ...

We've had a busy, busy couple of weeks! Samhain saw our little ones carving out the pumpkin with great enthusiasm! Did you have a good Samhain?

Then, last night was Bonfire Night here in the UK so there were plenty of fireworks. Littlest One was too scared of the bangs and fizzes so we hid behind the door together and peeped out into the night where the slightly Bigger Ones were enjoying it far more :~)



It's also been a busy time for the Spirit of Old shop aswell and we have several new items freshly listed ...

Below: Alder Raven/ Bran dream pendant in a birch bark box listed here for £50.

Above: A very, very special burr oak moon-gazing hare dream pendant in her own birch bark box. You can find her here, priced at £80. She's hard to part with as she's just so beautiful!

Above and below: Two Avalonian bog oak Goddess pendants with spirals on their bellies. Spirals have been used for millennia as a symbol for life and life force. You can find the Goddesses here, priced at £35 each. It's lovely to think that this wood is 6,000 years old and still being treasured. If only it could share its memories!


Above: A new Avalonian bog oak rune set which you can find here for the special price of just £40 which is £10 off the usual listing price of £50. This is very special wood to work with for divination and, who knows? Perhaps it will share its thousands of years of wisdom :~)

As always, thanks for looking!

Happy Samhain!

When the year is turning to harvest,

and the wind invites you to ride,

light fires on every hilltop,

and greet those beloved who died.

Happy Samhain!

Etsy and Folksy Ravens

We've very recently started listing a few of the website items on Etsy and Folksy just to try something different and test the waters a little. Two newly-crafted Raven dream pendants were ready for listing today so we've added the one above to Folksy and the one below to Etsy. For now, they're available through those sites rather than the main Spirit of Old site but if you'd like to purchase either and you're not a member of the sites please email me at enquiries@spiritof old.co.uk.


Above: Rowan Raven dream pendant and birch bark box listed here on Folksy.com, priced at £60. This dream pendant is crafted from pale-coloured rowan wood and is carved into a beautifully detailed raven. Rowan has long associations with witchcraft and protection.

Below: Alder Raven dream pendant and birch bark box listed here on Etsy.com, priced at US$115. Ravens and alder are both traditionally associated with the Celtic god, Bran. Amongst the Celts, the raven was a very sacred bird and they have long been seen as protectors and birds of prophecy.


Both pendants are handcrafted from wood gathered within the Wessex area of Britain. They are threaded onto cord thonging and filled with mugwort which was respectfully gathered from next to the prehistoric site of Stonehenge in southern Britain. They also rest upon a bed of mugwort within a birch bark storage box when not in use.

Mugwort has been used for millennia to aid clairvoyance, lucid dreaming and astral projection. Our ancestors drank tea made from the leaves and it has also been used in incenses or smoked to induce visions. The pendants are infused with the energies of this potent ancient herb from both inside and out and are charged with the spirit of the ancient people of Stonehenge.

They are perfectly suited for those seeking night-visions and dream journeys but are also suitable for everyday wear, a special talisman or a beautiful gift. As an alternative to wearing the pendants, they are also ideal for hanging near the bed for a dream charm.

My walk to photograph the ravens today took me past trees which were full of the colours of the English autumn and I kicked my way through their fallen leaves ... I adore this time of year ... the golden sun was simply breathtaking and you can see it casting its light in a few of the above photos. It's a time for teapots filled with steaming tea, picnics of hot soup and fresh bread and cobwebs covered with morning dew. Keep a look-out for plenty more photos as the weeks go on ... :~)

Shapeshifting fire flames ...

Can you see the bird of prey in the shapeshifting flames above? He has his wings outstretched, ready to swoop.