My little bowl

About 30 years ago, Rhonda and I taught ourselves how to make pottery . We didn't have a kiln so built one out of red bricks filled with sawdust. This is called "sawdust firing." We learned about it from books. Today, there are You Tube videos that show how it's done. After making a bowl or other item, we buried it in the sawdust and started it in a slow burn that could take as long as eight hours to finish and another four or five to cool down. One of the signatures of sawdust firing is the darkness of the completed item as well as how it retains some of the markings of the fire.

I still have two bowls I made as well as a set of runes. This small bowl sits on my altar and I use it to burn sage or incense.

There's something very special about making something you use for your spiritual practices and I highly recommend it. You aren't creating a piece of art to be shared with the world. I never thought I would take this photo and share it. I made the bowl for my own use and treasure it. What could you make that fits within your tradition and how could you incorporate it into your life? Even something as simple as a drawing of a cross, a tree, or a candle could hold and focus your energy, making your spiritual work more personal, enduring, and endearing.

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