Harvesting Gourd Magick: Autumn Rituals and Energies of Nature’s Sacred Vessels

Native to the Americas, Cucurbita gourds come in a variety of textures, colors, and shapes, including smooth, ridged, or warty; plain, patterned, or striped. These are the types most commonly sold as decorations. These are mostly used as they are, or painted, without altering the physical structure.

These can be made into protection charms, used in spirituality spells or rituals when connecting with another plane is the goal. They are great additions to sabbat altars and decorations.

There are many types of Lagenaria siceraria gourds. Lagenaria siceraria means “drinking vessel,” a common use for the different shapes that fall into this gourd group. These gourds have been used for birdhouses, bowls, drinking vessels, serving implements, storage containers, instruments, and more. Gourds in this group include bottle gourds, canteen gourds, speckled swan gourds, dipper gourds, penguin gourds, and caveman's clubs.

These gourds have a range of uses in Witchcraft, especially when crafted into something like a ritual bowl for a sabbat. Though they have the same energy as their smaller counterparts, they have far more uses as their sturdy structure allows for crafting.

An additional gourd type is the sponge gourd, or Luffa aegyptiaca. Yes, THAT luffa! Sponge gourds are used to make bath sponges. These are especially good for use in ritual baths and showers, especially at Mabon.

Gourds have had many different uses across cultures throughout history. Here are a few examples:

As we mentioned, gourds’ wood-like structure makes them incredibly friendly to crafting. A bowl made from a dried gourd brings the magick of the gourd and of the sabbat to the bowl. Though you can make a simple bowl that can be reused at other sabbats, this ritual is to create and bless a bowl specifically for Mabon. A gourd bowl can be used to hold pinecone crafts made for the sabbat, ingredients for spells and rituals, holding freshly-made bread for the sabbat, or presenting an offering to deities or fae at the sabbat. Or a number of other uses! This project takes multiple days to complete.

For this ritual, you will need:

• a fully dried gourd

• It is dry when you can hear the dry seeds rattling around inside. The type of gourd you want will depend on the bowl size you want. Canteen and bottle gourds are good choices for making a gourd bowl. Choose one with as flat a bottom as possible that sits well.

• cutting implement

• This will largely depend on what you have on hand and what you are comfortable with. A Dremel, small hand jigsaw, small hacksaw, or keyhole saw all work well. You may also want a hand drill to drill starting holes.

• safety goggles and a dust mask
• pencil, string and nail or tack
• beeswax
• rough and fine sandpaper
• a wide-coiled pot scrubber
• decorative materials

This depends on your aesthetic. Will you be carving your designs into the bowl, painting them on, or a combination of both? Will you be adding things like beads, decorated seeds, or other items that need to be glued on? If painting, use colors of the sabbat, such as orange, maroon, and brown.

If your dried gourd still has its outer skin, start by soaking it for about an hour in a bleach, soap, and water mixture. This can weaken the hard shell of the gourd, so be gentle when handling after the soak. The soap helps loosen the membrane, while the bleach kills any mold that may have grown during the drying process. Once soaked, use the wide-coiled scrubber to remove the soft outer-skin membrane from the gourd. Once the skin is removed, leave the gourd to dry again fully—usually a full day.

Once you have a dry gourd with no outer skin, pin the string to the center of the gourd using the nail or tack. Place the pencil where you would like the rim of the bowl to be. Tie the string to the pencil at that position. Keeping the string taut, pull the pencil around the gourd to mark where you will cut.

Put on your safety goggles and a dust mask. If your gourd is thick, use the hand drill to create pilot holes for cutting. Use your cutting implement along your guideline to cut off the top of the gourd. Remove the top and empty the gourd of its dried-out inner flesh and seeds (you can save those for other crafts or discard).

Use a spoon or other hard implement to fully empty the inside. Fill with salt water and soak overnight. Let it dry fully—two to three days—and use the rough and then fine sandpaper to smooth out the inside. Use the fine sandpaper on the outside to smooth out any ridges on the surface.

Heat the gourd in the oven at 200 °F for a few minutes, until warm. Melt the beeswax while the gourd is warming in the oven. Remove the gourd from the oven and pour the melted beeswax inside. Turn the gourd repeatedly or use a paintbrush to fully coat the inside with the beeswax (this helps make it watertight and food safe). Let dry.

Prepare your space for decoration. Focus your intentions. You may wish to light candles or incense that heighten creativity or align with the sabbat. Decorate the bowl with the symbols of the season, symbols that have meaning to you, and symbols that relate to what the bowl will be used for. You can do a dark coat of paint and then carve it into the bowl to create a stark relief. You can use puff paints to create texture or raised designs. Use glue, gems, beads, or decorated seeds to create three-dimensional patterns—the possibilities are endless.

Once your decorations are dry, you may wish to coat the outside of the bowl with a sealant to protect them.

Bless your bowl. You can adjust the spell from this issue for blessing a pinecone craft or use a spell specific to blessing the type of vessel you have created.

Use your new bowl at Mabon and be ready for all the compliments you’ll get for your handiwork!