Recently a friend visited the studio and she gave me the kind company and enthusiasm I needed to make something I’ve wanted to for some time. Together we made what are commonly known as Hag Tapers or Mullein Torches.
I've been collecting mullein stalks for over a year now, and even then I don't have as many as I'd have liked. Mullein eludes us in places easily accessible, but such is the nature of these chthonic plants. They grow in liminal spaces where you must earn your harvest - either through attentive observation or by crawling through brush and bramble to reach them.
Places I have found mullein include the median strip on a busy highway, amongst overgrown grass in a place where snakes are known to dwell and on a cliffs edge travelling beyond my mountain home.
If you've never heard of mullein, let me give you a little bit of background.
Mullein is native to Europe and Asia, and is known by many folk names. Some of the most common names are Aaron's Rod, Candlewick, Hag's Taper and Blanket Leaf (due to its characteristic velvety leaves - not unlike lamb's ear but much larger). Its small and abundant seeds have spread this plant across the world, and it in fact now grows around our home due to the seeds that have sprinkled out of the stalks I've been collecting.
Mullein is known as Hag's Taper or Candlewick because it burns rather well, especially when dipped in wax. The dried stalks were apparently used by Romans as funeral torches. This created an association of this plant with death and the underworld.
Nowadays, a lot of folk practitioners and witches still use mullein as a torch for spiritual work. The dried stalks are ready to harvest at the end of Summer once the plant has died, naturally giving this plant another association with death and liminality.
The Autumn season is a time commonly used for spirit and ancestor work, as it itself is a transitional and liminal time. I find that mullein torches are a rather special way to connect to that energy.
Natasa and I started by shaking all the seeds out from the stalks and laying some baking paper out on the work bench. I turned on Andromeda, my first wax melter that is now used exclusively for beeswax that I source throughout the Blue Mountains.
I prepared a jug of black beeswax, using charcoal powder, as well as a large jug full of water to dip our stalks into to help cool them down between layers of wax.
We then just proceeded to dip the stalks into the wax.
We also used some crystal chips and flower petals to adorn some of our torches. This actually proved harder to do that it might seem, as beeswax hardens in the cold rather quickly. We ended up using the heat gun and pushing the flowers into the wax by hand.
Natasa and I made a lovely selection of torches, some with stalks and some without. I'm keeping some to use for an upcoming Samhain gathering with friends, and for my own work with the liminal spirits of Autumn.
Natasa took hers home and now we are left with the offerings intended for you, dear members.
Hag Tapers can be burned as an offering to chthonic deities, or while doing spirit work. They can be used to create gateways/portals for spirit communion and prayer, and they can also just create a beautiful light on a dark night.
I have used them in the past to mark the doorways of my home, banishing all beings and energy that are not welcome through those thresholds, and acting as a guiding light for the spirits I want to welcome in. As such, they can take the place of a jack'o'lantern on Samhain night if you're not the pumpkin/turnip carving type (more on turnips later).
A small batch of these are now available to Pact members only in the shop. As usual, they will come with care and safety instructions, as well as how to use them.
Our next restock is tomorrow night, Wednesday 5th April 6pm AEST. As always, if you end up with multiple orders we will automatically combine them, or you can reach out to us via email or Instagram just to be sure.
Warm wishes,
