How to Make a God's Eye

The God's eye is a very simple decoration which is fit for every Sabbat...the only thing you will need to change is the colors of the material you use. Since I made my God's eye for Mabon (the autumn equinox), I chose autumn colors (brown, red and yellow). If you're making yours for another holiday, then simply choose the colors that are appropriate for the time of year. Of course, you can make it for other holidays and not just Sabbats and decorate it as you please. But before I get to the actual making and decorating part of the post, I would like to say a few words on what this decoration represents.

Symbolism

The skelet of the decoration itself is made up of two crossed sticks; one horizontal and the other vertical. The horizontal stick represents our connection to this world and the mundane in general, while the vertical stick (by which we hang this decoration) represents our relationship with the Divine. The weaving (if you can call it that) of this decoration is in itself a type of meditation, some would even say prayer. You may find this decoration in several traditions and the only thing that will differ is the way in which it is woven, but the final result will be similar, if not the same. 

In Paganism, the four arms of the cross represent the four cardinal/compass points, the four solar Sabbats (two solstices and two equinoxes which Pagans celebrate), the Wheel of the Year (which is directly connected to the four Sabbats mentioned before) and the four elements (and everything that goes with them). Some Pagans will turn the act of weaving into a magical ritual by focusing on a certain goal that they wish to "weave into" the God's eye (the goal is most often protection of one's house or family since this decoration is put somewhere in the house, but it can be anything else you want).

In the process of making this, notice how the two sticks become more and more stable the more you weave. The ribbons/thread/yarn you use represent that which connects you to the Divine and also that which connects you mundane world to divine forces. This, of course, varies from religion to religion, but you can meditate on what these threads mean to you.

If you follow a Pagan tradition, you may be interested in the following section on the colors that correspond to the Sabbats because it will make it easier to choose your materials.

Appropriate Colors:

• Yule: red, green, white, gold, silver
• Imbolc: white, red, pink, green, blue
• Ostara: gold/yellow, pastel colors (primarily purples, but also pinks, blues and greens)
• Beltane: dark green, white, the colors of the rainbow
• Litha: blue, green, yellow, dark green, the colors of the rainbow
• Lughnasadh: golden-yellow, orange, red, green, brown
• Mabon: orange, dark red, brown, yellow, indigo,
• Samhain: red, black, orange, white

Appropriate Decorations

I believe that the appropriate decorations are the things you see around you in period you're making your God's eye in. For instance, if you see flowers blooming during Beltane then include fresh/plastic flowers. For Litha, which marks the beginning of summer, add sea shells or pebbles if you live near the sea or a river. If you notice the ground is full of pine cones in the autumn, then use them.

Some decorations with which you just can't go wrong are crystals, special decorations made from ribbons/yarn, little bells, buttons of appropriate colors etc. I'm sure your imagination will go wild when you start weaving so I'll leave the decoration part to you. :)

You Will Need:

• two sticks of equal length (tree branches, popsicle sticks, fine wood or even cinnamon sticks which give you a bonus of a house that smells wonderful...your choice)
• some material of different colors (yarn or ribbons are usually used; yarn is definitely the cheapest option and two colors are advisable, if not more)

Don't be afraid to experiment and play around a bit by using different materials, multicolored yarn or even weaving in certain decorations in stead of adding them at the end. Be free! :D

The Process

Mark the middle of both the sticks.

Cross the two sticks as shown in the picture below and hold them like that (or glue them together if you want to make it easier).

Note: from now on, follow the diagram below (click on the picture to view it full-size and save it onto your computer)

1. Wrap the yarn a few times around arm a (the upper arm of the cross) just a bit above the point where the two sticks overlap. Start wrapping from the arm's left side (the green dot on the diagram); pass below the arm then over and to the left and after this go below and to the right etc. as depicted by the arrow on the diagram.
   
   
   
   
2. The yarn will now be on top of/over arm a and the end will be on the left. Pull it diagonally towards arm b (so towards the left) then cross below arm b and go upwards (follow the arrow next to the number 2 on the diagram).
3. You will come out above arm b. Now pull the yarn diagonally across arm b and arm c until you get to arm c's right side.
4. Keep the yarn strained and pass below arm c (so from its right side and come around to the left).
5. Pass over arm c again going diagonally towards arm d and stop when you get the arm d's upper side.
6. Go below arm d so you come out on its lower side.
7. Cross the yarn over arm d and go diagonally towards arm a.
8. When you come out on arm a's left side (step 8 in the diagram), you will pass below arm a again and come out onto its right side.

After these eight steps, you will have something that looks like the photo below. And yes, I am aware that the photo doesn't look like anything at this stage, but these first steps have to be done in order to keep the sticks together. You will start seeing the form a bit later on.

Keep wrapping the yarn according to these instructions (when you finish step eight, go back to step two etc.). Just take care to keep the yarn strained at all times, but not too tightly so it doesn't break.

After some time, your God's eye will start to be visible and will look something like this:

When you feel that it's time to change colors, do the following:

1. Wrap the yarn around arm a (when you get to it) as described in step no. 1 previously.
   
   
   
2. Take a new color of yarn and lay it over arm a in the opposite direction of the first color of yarn (i.e. the end towards the right). Wrap it around arm a as described previously.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Tie together the two loose ends of yarn at the back or arm a (a double simple knot will do).
   
   
   
4. Continuing from step no.2, you will come out on the upper side of arm a and the yarn will be turned towards the left. Now simply follow the steps 2-8 from below the diagram (Pull the yarn diagonally towards arm b...).
   
   
   
5. If you decide to add more colors then repeat the steps 2, 3 and 4 above. I added brown yarn so my God's eye looked something like this at this stage:
   
   
   
6. Finish wrapping the yarn as describe in step 1 just above.
   
   

To finish weaving, you will have to make a loop which you will use to hand the God's eye. To do this, cut the ball of yarn so you leave about 40cm of yarn attached to the eye. In order to keep that left-over yarn in place, pass below arm a then above it again keeping the yarn loose (like you have been wrapping so far) and then pass through this loose part with the end of the yarn. If this is unclear to you for some reason, then hopefully the following photograph will help you understand better. :)

Once you have done this, don't pull downwards (towards your eye), but pull upwards (from it) as shown in the following photo.

You only have to make the actual loop now and you're done. If you don't know any quality knots for this, I recommend the surgeon's loop knot.

I hope that you will be satisfied with your God's eye and that it will serve its purpose for a long time as well as decorate your home. :)

Until next time. Yours,

Witch's Cat