MAKE YOUR OWN RITUAL

MAKE YOUR OWN ROBES

Making one’s own Ritual tools is something all Wiccans should strive to do as much as possible, or adapt existing items in some way, so you impart something of yourself. Of course tools need to be Ritually cleansed of their earlier life / use, and from bad people who may have left traces of misuse. Even if you are working from virgin materials items still need to be consecrated for service to the Goddess. (More on this later).

In this issue of the Burning Times I shall advise on making your own robes for use in Rituals when robes are required (most times).

To start with we need to buy (no bartering) natural fibred material (new if possible), such a cotton or calico. Not too lightweight and most probably white / cream to start with, dyed a natural colour later. I would suggest dying black on a light colour as it will come out dark grey. Darker the better for outdoor use as in the moonlight we won’t show up too brightly. All in white may look like a gathering of the KKK

Best if you have use of a sewing M/c but it can be made with just a needle, cotton, and sissors.

SIZE OF MATERIAL? It needs to be twice your height long by just over finger tip to finger tip (arms stretched out wide) wide.

MARKING OUT? This type of robe is called “Tau” after the Greek letter Tau. Have a large floor area clear and clean to work on. Fold the material half way down the longest length; the fold will sit across your shoulders when finished. A small slit should be made in the middle of this fold the width of your head; this is where your hood can be fitted later out of remnants.

Now with the material double and flat on the floor lie down on the material with your shoulders in line with the fold neck over the hole. You need an assistant now to help you mark out the outline shape. You should lie feet wide apart towards the bottom corners, your arms out wide towards the top corners. (Stretched out like the pentacle). Depending on the size of the opening for your hands I would say on the flat double material about a 12” drop from the top corner each side. Then allowing for room under the arm draw to these points in a upward curved line just below the armpits. Still allowing a little seam for sewing, draw lines from the arm pit area to the bottom corners, again in straight lines. That gives you the basic shape/size to cut out.

SEWING THE ROBE? Still with the material double and flat on the floor. (Don’t cut along the original fold). The surplus material can be use to make the hood, which is just two triangles sewn together and last of all sewn in to the neck hole after positioning on your head with the robe resting on your shoulders. You can pin the two half together before sewing the front and back, along the seems which should be about an inch all along the edges. When this is done turn the robe inside out and try for size, at this stage fitting the hood.

DYING & DECORATION? Like I have said Dark for out side, but you may like to check out your colours in the correspondence tables to see what colour is right for indoors use? There are no restrictions on this, but cord colours will be discussed in the next issue, along with advice on athame’s, these are the first tools a witch will need. Decoration should be minimal; I marked out a large pentacle across the back with masking tape and painted special material dye paint (Gold) inside the tapes. With the masking tape removed it left a perfect pentacle with the top tip towards the hood. A woman may like to use silver to represent the Moon? Just an idea, but don’t over do it !

By Orion.