Yesterday I was making magic for a Latitude53 fundraiser called Parka Patio. Weeks ago they sent me a request to donate a piece of art, on the theme Ice/Land. Having having been deeply affected by my visit to the place of fire and ice less than a year ago, I wanted to give them something that meaningfully addressed the theme, while staying true to my practice. Eventually I came to the idea of baking a loaf of country bread from a book of Icelandic recipes I found while in the country.
This wouldn't be any ordinary bread though. I would put a spell on it—in true icelandic fashion—with a stave. The stave I chose was the Sólarkross and it looks like this:
Also known as the Solar-hringar (solar-ring) it is associated with the Sun.
"This symbol is typically connected to the element of Fire. You can use it in ritual workings honoring the sun or the power, heat and energy of flames. Fire is a purifying, masculine energy, associated with the South, and connected to strong will and energy. Fire can destroy, yet it also creates, and represents the fertility and masculinity of the God. Use this symbol in rituals that involve casting away the old, and rebirthing the new, or for celebrations of the solstices at Yule and Litha." — Galdrabok by Stephen E. Flowers
May whoever eats this bread have their hunger nourished and their wishes fulfilled. As the oven heated the bread and transformed it from its basic ingredients to something beautiful, so shall your desires be given energy and strength to be birthed into something amazing!
Sólarkross Rugbrau∂ by Chelsea Boos, 2014