This is a lovely craft for Solstice, which can be done on your own or with your family and friends, each creating their own wishing cone with their hopes and dreams inserted and held for the coming year. And you can add a little magic and ritual by sending those wishes to Spirit by burning the cones as part of your Winter Solstice celebrations on either the First Day of Solstice of the 12th Day of Solstice.
All you need is a few pine cones and some paper for scribing your dreams. Embedded in the header image are a couple of examples of a finished wishing cone, sourced from the Etsy shops of Divine Moon Boutique and Crimson Sage.
Method
Forage or purchase pine cones. When they are quite dry, cones should open to release their seeds, creating the space to insert a tiny paper scroll or folded strip inscribed with your wish or affirmation.
TIP: If the cones are not yet open, you can encourage the process by placing them in a warm spot (roughly 104 - 113 Fahrenheit) until they do so.
Inscribe your wishes or intentions onto small thin pieces of paper, then roll or fold the paper so that they can be placed in the pinecone.
Consider decorating the cones by dipping in beeswax or soya wax and embellishing with finely chopped herbs, powdered resins, etc. You could also add some twine, thread or wire for hanging on a tree or in a window.
Once your scrolls have been inserted — perhaps one for each month in the coming year or one from each family member, etc — hang them on a tree or amongst other Solstice decorations.
Add a little magic and ritual
Kick it up a notch by burning the cones on your Solstice bonfire or in a fireproof vessel on a day of your choosing, to send those wishes to Spirit for manifesting in the coming year.
You could burn the cone(s) on Solstice (December 21), Christmas Day, the 12th day of Solstice or Christmas, New Year’s Day, etc.
Alternative: Scent your pinecones
You can scent dried pinecones for a rustic pine potpourri with a few drops of a favourite essential oil blend. The lovely folks at Aromahead shared this Pine Cone Potpourri essential oil blend as part of their Tea Time 5 free series, and the video with formulation and tips can be found on their YouTube channel (along with many other videos from the Tea Time and other series). Click here or the video below to view.
The essential oil formulation shared in this video is:
- 30 drops Siberian Fir Oil (Abies sibirica)
- 30 drops Sweet Orange Oil (Citrus sinensis)
- 15 drops Peppermint Oil (Mentha × piperita)
- 10 drops Nutmeg Oil (Myristica fragrans)
- 5 drops Clove Bud Oil (Syzygium aromaticum/Eugenia caryophyllata)
You can use this stock blend in many ways: in a potpourri, in a diffuser, added to distilled water for a room spray, or for adding to clay stones for a subtle scent.