Four clumps of earth from the four sides of the affected land are dug up. It is presumably the local priest who sprinkles these clumps with a mixture of holy water, oil, milk and honey, and fragments of trees and herbs, all while reciting in Latin God's words to Adam and Eve, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth'. The four clumps of earth are then brought to the church, where the priest sings four masses over them. Before sunset the clumps are taken back out to the fields, where they will spread the power for growth to all the land. Holy objects of the church used as amulets and protections include the notion that wax blessed on the Feast of the Purification was effective against thunderbolts and that the ringing of churchbells would protect a parish from storms.
Gargoyles are an example of pagan symbolism used by the church.
Typically found on the outside of churches and cathedrals, these scultped figures were used originally on buildings as drains or spouts for rainwater. Although some gargoyles depict scenes from the bible, most were just plain grotesque, their presence intended to scare off evil spirits. Celtic symbolism dating from the 5th century survived in the form of disembodied gargoyle heads. The Celts worshipped severed heads, believing them to contain powerful forces. Foliage entwining heads of gargoyles or branch crowns were a sign of divinity.