Hecate Rising The Time of the Crone As the Wheel of the Year turns and
the winter dark approaches, the energy of the underworld and the
blood-wisdom of the crone pours through the barren land. Here, Fiana Horne
reveals the mysteries of the festivals of Mabon and Samhain, and gives
personal rituals to perform to help you work with their power.
During the year a Witch celebrates eight important festivals, which are
called Sabbats. Four are the Lessor Sabbats which relate to astronomical
events - The Spring and Autumn Equinoxes, and the Summer and winter
Solstices. The other four are the Greater Sabbats. These relate to
agricultural events like the sowing and reaping of crops.
Witches of different paths recognize the Sabbats in different ways. Those
of the Wiccan tradition use the Wheel of the Year Myth to feel closer to
these sacred times. The Myth evolved from our European ancestors,
specifically the Celts, as a way of explaining the turning of the seasons
and the cycles of life and death. There are a few versions of the Myth (all
correct) and they focus on the story of a Queen and King and their
offspring.
The start of the Witches year is Samhain - Winter is approaching. The
Goddess in the form of the wise Crone, descends to the Underworld where she
is renewed and joins with the God in the Great rite and conceives a son.
The child grows within her womb until she gives birth to him at Yule, or
Winter Solstice (around the 22 of June - the longest night) ((21 December,
Northern Hemisphere)) . Just as her son grows and strengthens so does the
sun, warming the earth.
The next festival is Imbolc (1st August) ((February 2nd)) and this is when
the Goddess reappears on the land as the Maiden. The land is awakening and
it is the time of the Virgin; a time to contemplate the Female Mysteries.
Ostara, or the Spring Equinox (around the 22nd of September) ((22nd of
March)), is the following festival which honors the young God. The land is
alive and blossoming and it is time to focus on the Male Mysteries.
Next is Beltane (31st October) ((May 1st)) where the Maiden and the God
join and she become pregnant.
This is a great fertility festival, a time where new life is springing up
everywhere.
From Beltane to Litha, or the Summer Solstice (around the 22 of December)
((June 21st)), the couple, now King and Queen, live happily together and
thrive. As much as Litha is a time of abundance and ripeness, it is also
the time of the longest day and from this time on the days will gradually
grow shorter and the sun weaker as it descends toward winter. This is
represented in the Myth by the appearance of a challenger who fights the
King. The King defeats him but is wounded in the process.
The next festival is Lammas (2 February) ((August 1st)), the first harvest
before winter and in the Myth the Queen gives birth to the child conceived
at Beltane. From Lammas to the next festival, Mabon, the days are
noticeably growing shorter and the King is weakened from the wound he
received at Litha.
The son born at Lammas is growing strong and the Queen nurtures him and it
is now that the King realizes that to maintain his hand in the Kingdom he
will have to battle his own son.. As they fight they realize that they are
one and the same and one without the other cannot exist, so that they impale
themselves on each other's sword.
Their spirits descend to the Underworld where they are united again as the
God. The Queen now transforms into the Crone and ponders the mystery of
life and death as she grieves the loss of her lover and son. On the land
the final harvest is stored away for the winter and the land is still. At
Samhain the Crone see the veils between the worlds are at their thinnest and
descends into the Underworld. And so the Myth ends and begins here.
When contemplating the Myth, the important thing to remember is not to take
it literally. Obviously, it is impossible for a woman to give birth to two
children within the space of the year, weather she's a Goddess or not! It
helps to understand that the myth is pointing out that a woman's role in
creation is omnipresent; the Goddess transforms herself into the
Maiden, Mother, Crone - she lives eternally. The God repeatedly lives and
dies as her lover and son - his role is no less important but more dynamic
and transitory in the physical realm.
Also the above version of the myth evolved in the northern hemisphere in a
time where people lived close to the land and the planting and harvesting of
crops were an integral part of live. In modern day Australia our seasons
are very different, and most of us live closer to the supermarket than the
land.
Formally celebrating the myth, however, is a way of keeping in touch with
nature and in touch with our own lives.
Mabon 21st March Autumn Equinox (September)
Mabon acknowledges balance - the day is as long as the night. It is a time
to celebrate the harvests in your life, to look back over the year and
acknowledge where the seeds of ideas and plans you had sown have now yielded
results. It is a time to acknowledge success and the returns for hard work
done. It is also a time for introspection, a time to learn and prepare for
the future sowing of dreams. Mabon is a time to increase knowledge and gain
wisdom by connecting with the energy of the Crone and honoring the
elderly.
A Personal Ritual for Mabon
If you are already a practicing Witch you most likely have an altar set up
in your home. If you are a newcomer to the powers of Witchcraft you will
need to create a simple altar. Cover a small table (a coffee table is
ideal) with orange cloth. Orange is an Autumn color and perfect for Mabon.
Place on the altar orange and gold candles, a bowl of water, a bowl filled
with some sand on which is placed a charcoal block to burn Mabon incense on,
(or a couple of incense sticks and holder), and a bowl filled with earth or
sea salt.
To prepare Mabon incense, grind together two teaspoons of frankincense
resin and one teaspoon sandalwood chips in a mortar and pestle and add to
this seven drops of cypress or pine oil. If you can't manage this, a stick
each of sandalwood and pine incense will suffice.
Now it is time to decorate your Mabon altar. Gather together documents,
certificates, letters, photographs and any other items (for example, potted
plants that you have nourished from seed or seedling) that attest to your
successful endeavors. Place these around the edges of your altar and on the
floor surrounding it, if necessary.
If you do not have anything like suggested above, write a list of
everything you have proudly achieved over the last year.
In the center place one photo (or more) of an elderly female relative whom
you love and admire. If you cannot do this, find a photo of any wise woman
whom you respect. Surround the photo with autumn leaves.
The final thing you need on your altar is a sheet of paper, orange if you
can, but any will do and a black pen.
To prepare yourself for the ritual, shower or bathe and dress in simple
black garments or be skyclad (naked) if you prefer.
If you are adept, it is now time to cast a Circle and welcome the
elements. If you're just starting out you can create a sacred space to
perform your ritual within by standing with your back to your altar and with
your right arm outstretched and the index finger pointed. Walk deosil
(counter clockwise) ((clockwise in Northern Hemisphere)) around your altar
saying, "I now create a sacred space, between the worlds, blessed in the
eyes of the Goddess and the God." As you do this imagine an egg-like sphere
of white light extending from your finger and encasing your altar area.
Now return to you altar and light the candles and incense. Hold a candle
up in front of you and say, "This Circle is empowered by Fire." Hold the
incense up and say, "This Circle is empowered by Air." Hold the bowl of
earth or sea salt up and say, "This Circle is empowered by Earth." Finally
hold up the bowl of water and say, "This Circle is empowered by Water."
Sit in front of your altar and breathe deeply and meditatively, enjoying
the fruitfulness of your life. Hold your hands raised over your bounty and
say, "I have sown. I have nurtured. I have achieved a god harvest. I
enjoy and give thanks for the fruits of my labors." At this point feel free
to elaborate on what you are saying by focusing specifically on any
particular achievements.
It is now time to focus on the Crone, who in the autumn of her life has
experienced many harvests and knows that for new beginnings and life there
must also be endings and death. Meditate on your Crone image, acknowledging
the wisdom and experience of the person in the autumn of their life. If you
are a Crone yourself, contemplate your inner strength gained from your life
experience. In patriarchal society it is the Crone, or old woman, who is
vilified most, when in fact, of the three faces of Goddess - Maiden, Mother,
and Crone - it is she who should be horned most as the keeper of secrets of
life and death.
When you are in touch with your Crone energy and are resonating with her
deep, knowing presence, take a pen and write a list of personal plans for
the future, particularly plans of a spiritual nature. When you have
finished hold the list in front of your Crone image and say, "Wise and
honored Crone, Grand Mother of all that is, I ask you to acknowledge and
bless my plans. Guide me with your wisdom." Now sit for some time
meditating and see what the Crone reveals to you.
To finish the ritual, snuff the candles, and close the Circle by walking
widdershins (clockwise) ((counterclockwise in Northern Hemisphere)) around
the altar with your arm outstretched saying, "I now bid farewell to the
elements and open this sacred space." See the white light sphere slowly
fade away.
Samhain 1st May (October 31st Northern Hemisphere)
Witches know that at Samhain a window opens between this world and the one
beyond the grave. It is a time when we can communicate with the spirits of
those who have departed this world. Samhain is a day to honor our dead
ancestors and is also a good time to do divinations of a personal nature.
It is now that all the frustrations and failures of the past must be buried
so that life can be born anew at Yule.
A Personal Samhain Ritual
Cover your altar with a black cloth. place black and red candles on it, a
dish filled with earth or sea salt, and a dish with water. Make some
Samhain incense by grinding together two teaspoons of dried patchouli
leaves, one teaspoon of myrrh resin and three drops of peppermint oil. If
this isn't possible, sticks of patchouli and myrrh incense will be fine. If
you have tarot cards, a crystal ball or any other kind of divination tool,
place these on the altar. Cut open two apples so that the pentacle
arrangement of the seeds is displayed. Place these on a dish with a
pomegranate sliced in half. Gather together pictures of loved ones who have
departed this earth and place these on your altar. Finally, a vase filled
with red poppies or any other red flower, to represent the rebirth that
comes after death. Prepare yourself by bathing, dressing in black and
covering your head with a black veil as a sign of respect for the dead.
Open the Circle and declare the four elements as described in the Mabon
ritual. Then, sitting in front of your altar, raise your arms and say, "I
dedicate this night to Hecate, Goddess of the Underworld. Great wise Crone,
Keeper of the Mysteries of Life and Death, Grand Mother of All. Honored
Hecate bless the souls of my loved departed ones and my own."
Now eat some of the seeds of the pomegranate. This is the sacred fruit of
the Underworld that Persephone ate during her time there - the seeds will
help you commune with the world beyond the veils. Invoke your dead loved
ones. "All of you have gone before me, I honor you and give you my
respect. Tonight is a time for us again to share in friendship and love.
Join me in my sacred Circle."
See those you have called sitting with you companionably. Talk to them,
tell them all your latest news, eat a few more of the seeds to continue the
link. And, maybe tell them things you wanted to say before they died but
didn't have a chance to. Get everything off your chest, laugh, cry, be
silent and listen to them.
When you are ready, thank your loved ones and bid them farewell until next
Samhain. Eat one the apples to affirm that there is always life after
death. While you are still in a contemplative state spread out the Tarot
cards, or gaze into your crystal ball to reveal to you that which is hidden
deep in the Underworld of your subconscious. Finally, close the Circle as
described in the Mabon ritual.
http://crystalsands .wiccan.net/ articles/ hecate
