Mikielah Trus Juggalette I's blog: "Wicca"

Samhain Lore (October 31st) Samhain, (pronounced SOW-in, SAH-vin, or SAM-hayne) means "End of Summer", and is the third and final Harvest. The dark winter half of the year commences on this Sabbat. Samhain Introduction @ Lady Bridget 1996 Symbolism of Samhain: Third Harvest, the Dark Mysteries, Rebirth through Death. Samhain, the third of the Harvest Festivals, occurs when the Sun is aspected at 15 ° Scorpio. Traditionally, this has been celebrated on October 31st, but since the precession of the equinoxes this date now falls on or about Nov 5th most years. Since the October 31st date has been so popular for so long, there is a lot of Samhain energy associated with that date. So whether you choose to celebrate on Oct. 31st, or whether you choose the actual astrological date of Samhain, the energies will be there for you to tap into. Most groups now pick the nearest available weekend between these dates that best fits into their schedule. In agricultural cultures, this was the last of the Harvests, when the gourds and pumpkins, and the last of the grains would be brought in. Whatever was left in the fields after this was considered "puka", or fairy blasted, and was certainly not considered fit to eat. For the fairies were said to go underground right after Samhain, and not show themselves again until the day after May Day. If a person was careless, they could find themselves in the land of Fairie! This was part of the tradition relating to costumes and masks at Samhain. This is the time when the veils between the world of the living and the world of the dead is the thinnest. Our ancestors knew this, and so there was also the fear that the dead would return to haunt, or even possess, the bodies of the living, or drag them back to the Underworld. Masks and costumes prevented the dead, and the fairies, from knowing who was who, and those with vengeful deceased relatives could feel safe from harm. We wear masks so that our playful side can come out and take over without fear of ridicule. Some traditions wore a mask at every Sabbat to preserve secrecy, along with the traditional black hooded robe. This would also be the time when the herds were "culled", which means that the farmer would have to decide which of his animals would most likely not survive the winter. These animals would be slaughtered, and the meat smoked and also used for the Feast. Reason being that if the animal would probably be too weak to live anyway, might as well eat it now, rather than waste fodder feeding it, and then have to kill it later, when it was tough and thin, or not be able to eat it at all if it suffered a long illness. Practicality was the most important survival trait. Thus it is that for us, this time of year is when we "cull" our habits, our possessions, and also our feelings. Getting rid of anything that we don't want to bring with us into the new year is what this is all about. Feelings of anger and resentment, bad habits that keep us from our desired goals, or even possessions can sometimes be holding us back from our spiritual goals. These are best evaluated and eliminated at this time of the year. In several traditions, the Goddess rules half of the year, and the God rules the remainder. In some this is an equal 6 months and 6 months, in others, it sometimes differs with the growing season. In our tradition, Samhain is when the High Priestess gives the Staff of the Coven over to the High Priest, to ritually comemorate that it is now his time to "rule". Since it is now the "hunter" time of the year, he leads the circle, casts the circle, and we will evoke the God first during ritual. At Beltain, he will ritually hand the Staff back to the High Priestess to signify that her "rule" begins, and so on. Since our coven is based in South Florida, our agricultural year doesn't coincide with our traditional one, so we don't keep this tradition in it's strictest sense. These are the foundations on which our religion is built, but our real guide is whether or not it works for us as a group and as individuals, and only each person can judge that for herself. The myth of Persephone going underground to Hades is a very popular Samhain Sabbat story. Actually, I have heard two similar versions. The first, is the matriarchal myth which told how Persephone loved all life, and was sad dened by the death of the things that she loved. Demeter, her mother, also was in charge of the Underworld, but she let Hades rule there without her, since she preferred the living world above. Persephone took pity on the souls who had no one to greet them and show them compassion, so she followed a hare down into a hole which became a cave and led her to the Underworld. There she met Hades, who fell in love with her. Eventually, she loved him as well, and so she stayed there. Demeter was distraught, and all the earth suffered her saddness, as she would allow nothing to grow until her daughter's return. Persephone, upon hearing this news, returned to her Mother, but as she had promised to love Hades, and the souls of the dead, so she returns to Hades for a few months each year. So goes what I believe to be a version of the original myth. After the takeover of the matrifocal cultures by the patriarchal invaders, this myth was changed, as were many that featured our Goddesses prominently. Now the myth had Persephone kidnapped against her will, held captive in Hades, raped, and tricked into eating pomegranate seeds so that she would have to return and dwell there. This version can be read in most Greek mythology books, but I prefer the prior version, where Persephone chooses freely out of her compassion for all creatures and beings to become Queen of the Underworld for a certain number of months each year. The number of months differs from culture to culture and depends on their own climate, it corresponds to the number of winter months they experience. It usually varies from 3 to 6, and also corresponds to the number of pomegranate seeds that Persephone ate. As Persephone descends into the Underworld, she also becomes a symbol of the Crone, wise with her years, and willing to face death. As the Crone, we seek within to find our fears and to release them. We can send our fears to the Underworld with Her, there to have them transformed into strengths, and be reborn to us. Our tradition teaches us that we will also be reborn, with those that we love, and that we will remember, and love them again. This is the promise of the Goddess, which is symbolized by the apple. When you slice the apple crosswise, a pentagram is revealed, the symbol of life. The Goddess's promise is that the seeds of rebirth are revealed in the fruit, even the fruit of death, as symbolized by the pomegranate. We say that the promise of a whole orchard is revealed in the pentagram of one apple. Many Sabbat celebrations will include divination, as this is the best time of year to confer and speak with the spirits of the dead, and to honor your ancestors and other deceased family and friends. The "dumb supper" is a place setting set out at the feasting table with food for the spirits of the dead, so that they may join in the feasting. Where others may fear their dead, we honor them, knowing that we will join them, and be reborn with those we love. As the veils between the worlds are sheer, the dead can tell us what we wish to know. But use caution, remember - just because they're dead, doesn't mean they are now virtuous! If someone was a liar in life, death won't change that! I do not condone the use of ouija boards for those who are inexperienced; spirit possession is not just a cheap movie script. At the very least, you could simply attract a malicious spirit and not be able to get rid of it, and it can cause you trouble. Tarot cards, runes, I Ching, and other means of divination are safer than a ouija board as they do not request that a spirit come and make direct contact with you. Rather, your higher self speaks through your subconcious mind by using the symbols there. Divination of this sort can be extremely accurate at this time, to let you know what is in your immediate future. Decorate with orange and black, also yellow, and deep russets and browns. Gourds are appropriate, especially carved pumpkins with candles in them! These originated as scary faces carved in gourds to frighten away any evil spirits in the vacinity, and were used with candles in them to light the way of carollers. Wassailing, or carolling, was once associated with most holidays. Groups of neighbors would go from house to house singing songs that were appropiate to the holiday in return for drinks and treats. This has now become the trick-or-treat associated with Halloween, and the Christmas carols associated with Christmas. However, once they were not divided, but done at the same time. Foods for this season are apples and pomegranates, the fruits of life and death. Also pumpkin pie, apple cider, venison, and root vegetables such as carrots, yams, potatoes, and turnips. Of course, we are lucky in that we can usually buy any kind of food we prefer, rather than having to rely on what is available locally. It is still fun, however, to tie the Sabbat together with the proper foods and drinks for the season. Have a Sweet Samhain, and a Happy New Year! The Origins of Halloween @ 1989, Rowan Moonstone In recent years, there have been a number of pamphlets and books put out by various Christian organizations dealing with the origins of modern-day Halloween customs. Being a Witch myself, and a student of the ancient Celts from whom we get this holiday, I have found these pamphlets woefully inaccurate and poorly researched. A typical example of this information is contained in the following quote from the pamphlet entitled "What's Wrong with Halloween?" by Russell K. Tardo. The Druids believed that on October 31st, the last day of the year by the ancient Celtic calandar, the lord of death gathered together the souls of the dead who had been made to enter bodies of animals, and decided what forms they should take the following year. Cats were held sacred because it was believed that they were once human beings ... We see that this holiday has its origin, basis and root in the occultic Druid celebration of the dead. Only they called it 'Samhain', who was the lord of the dead (a big demon) (1) When these books and pamphlets cite sources at all, they usually list the Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Americana, and the World Book Encyclopedia. The Britannica and the Americana make no mention of cats, but do, indeed list Samhain as the Lord of Death, contrary to Celtic scholars, and list no references. The World Book mentions the cats, and calls Samhain the Lord of Death, and lists as its sources several children's books (hardly what one could consider scholarly texts, and, of course, themselves citing no references). In an effort to correct some of this erroneous information, I have researched the religious life of the ancient Celtic peoples and the survivals of that religious life in modern times. Listed below are some of the most commonly asked questions concerning the origins and customs of Halloween. Following the questions is a lengthy bibliography where the curious reader can go to learn more about this holiday than space in this small pamphlet permits. 1. Where does Halloween come from? Our modern celebration of Halloween is a descendent of the ancient Celtic festival called Samhain. The word is pronounced sow-in, with sow rhyming with "cow". 2. What does "Samhain" mean? The Irish-English Dictionary published by the Irish Texts Society defines the word as follows: Samhain, All Hallowtide, the feast of the dead in Pagan and Christian times, signaling the close of harvest and the initiation of the winter season, lasting till May, during which troops were quartered. Fairies were imagined as particularly active at this season. From it, the half-year is reckoned. Also called Feile Moing finne (Snow Goddess).(2) The Scottish Gaelic Dictionary defines it as: Hallowtide. The Feast of All Souls. Sam + Fuin = end of summer. (3) Contrary to the information published by many organizations, there is no archaeological or literary evidence to indicate that Samhain was a deity. Eliade's Encyclopedia of Religion states as follows: The Eve and day of Samhain were characterized as a time when the barriers between the human and supernatural worlds were broken... Not a festival honoring any particular Celtic deity, Samhain acknowledged the entire spectrum of nonhuman forces that roamed the earth during that period.(4) The Celtic Gods of the dead were Gwynn ap Nudd for the British and Arawn for the Welsh. The Irish did not have a "lord of death" as such. 3. Why was the end of summer of significance to the Celts? The Celts were a pastoral people as opposed to an agricultural people. The end of summer was significant to them because it meant the time of year when the structure of their lives changed radically. The cattle were brought down from the summer pastures in the hills and the people were gathered into the houses for the long winter nights of story- telling and handicrafts. 4. What does it have to do with a festival of the dead? The Celts believed that when people died, they went to a land of eternal youth and happiness called Tir nan Og. They did not have the concept of heaven and hell that the Christian church later brought into the land. The dead were sometimes believed to be dwelling with the Fairy Folk, who lived in the numerous mounds, or sidhe, (pronounced "shee" or "sh-thee") that dotted the Irish and Scottish countryside. Samhain was the new year to the Celts. In the Celtic belief system, turning points, such as the time between one day and the next, the meeting of sea and shore, or the turning of one year into the next were seen as magickal times. The turning of the year was the most potent of these times. This was the time when the "veil between the worlds" was at its thinnest, and the living could communicate with their beloved dead in Tir nan Og. 5. What about the aspects of "evil" that we associate with the night today? The Celts did not have demons and devils in their belief system. The fairies, however, were often considered hostile and dangerous to humans because they were seen as being resentful of man taking over their land. On this night, they would sometimes trick humans into becoming lost in the fairy mounds, where they would be trapped forever. After the coming of the Christians to the Celtic lands, certain of the folk saw the fairies as those angels who had sided neither with God or with Lucifer in their dispute, and thus were condemned to walk the earth until judgment day. (5) In addition to the fairies, many humans were abroad on this night, causing mischief. Since this night belonged neither to one year or the other, Celtic folk believed that chaos reigned, and the people would engage in "horseplay and practical jokes" (6) This also served as a final outlet for high spirits before the gloom of winter set in. 6. What about "trick or treat"? During the course of these hijinks, many of the people would imitate the fairies and go from house to house begging for treats. Failure to supply the treats would usually result in practical jokes being visited on the owner of the house. Since the fairies were abroad on this night, an offering of food or milk was frequently left for them on the steps of the house, so the homeowner could gain the blessing of the "good folk" for the coming year. Many of the households would also leave out a "dumb supper" for the spirits of the departed.(9) The folks who were abroad in the night imitating the fairies would sometimes carry turnips carved to represent faces. This is the origin of our modern Jack-o-lantern. 7. Was there any special significance of cats to the Celts? According to Katherine Briggs in Nine Lives: Cats in Folklore, the Celts associated cats with the Cailleach Bheur, or Blue Hag of Winter. She was a nature goddess, who herded the deer as her cattle. The touch of her staff drove the leaves off the trees and brought snow and harsh weather.(7) Dr. Anne Ross addresses the use of divine animals in her book Pagan Celtic Britain and has this to say about cats: Cats do not play a large role in Celtic mythology ... the evidence for the cat as an important cult animal in Celtic mythology is slight (8) She cites as supporting evidence, the lack of archaeological artifacts and literary references in surviving works of mythology. 8. Was this also a religious festival? Yes. Celtic religion was very closely tied to the Earth. Their great legends are concerned with momentous happenings which took place around the time of Samhain. Many of the great battles and legends of kings and heroes center on this night. Many of the legends concern the promotion of fertility of the earth and the insurance of the continuance of the lives of the people through the dark winter season. 9. How was the religious festival observed? Unfortunately, we know very little about that. W.G. Wood-Martin, in his book, Traces of the Elder Faiths of Ireland, states: There is comparatively little trace of the religion of the Druids now discoverable, save in the folklore of the peasantry, and the references relative to it that occur in ancient and authentic Irish manuscripts are, as far as present appearances go, meager and insufficient to support anything like a sound theory for full development of the ancient religion.(10) The Druids were the priests of the Celtic peoples. They passed on their teachings by oral tradition instead of committing them to writing, so when they perished, most of their religious teachings were lost. We do know that this festival was characterized as one of the four great "Fire Festivals" of the Celts. Legends tell us that on this night, all the hearth fires in Ireland were extinguished, and then re-lit from the central fire of the Druids at Tlachtga, 12 miles from the royal hill of Tara. This fire was kindled from "need fire" which had been generated by the friction of rubbing two sticks together, as opposed to more conventional methods (such as the flint- and-steel method) common in those days.(11) The extinguishing of the fires symbolized the "dark half" of the year, and the re-kindling from the Druidic fires was symbolic of the returning life hoped for, and brought about through the ministrations of the priesthood. 10. What about sacrifices? Animals were certainly killed at this time of year. This was the time to "cull" from the herds those animals which were not desired for breeding purposes for the next year. Most certainly, some of these would have been done in a ritual manner for the use of the priesthood. 11. Were humans sacrificed? Scholars are sharply divided on this account, with about half believing that it took place and half doubting its veracity. Caesar and Tacitus certainly tell tales of the human sacrifices of the Celts, but Nora Chadwick points out in her book The Celts that: It is not without interest that the Romans themselves had abolished human sacrifice not long before Caesar's time, and references to the practice among various barbarian peoples have certain overtones of self-righteousness. There is little direct archaeological evidence relevant to Celtic sacrifice. (12) Indeed, there is little reference to this practice in Celtic literature. The only surviving story echoes the tale of the Minotaur in Greek legend: the Fomorians, a race of evil giants said to inhabit portions of Ireland before the coming of the Tuatha de Danaan (or "people of the Goddess Danu"), demanded the sacrifice of 2/3 of the corn, milk, and first born children of the Fir Bolg, or human inhabitants of Ireland. The de Danaan ended this practice in the second battle of Moy Tura, which incidentally, took place on Samhain. It should be noted, however, that this story appears in only one (relatively modern) manuscript from Irish literature, and that manuscript, the "Dinnsenchus", is known to be a collection of fables. According to P.W. Joyce in Vol. 2 of his Social History of Ancient Ireland, Scattered everywhere through our ancient literature, both secular and ecclesiastical, we find abundant descriptions and details of the rites and superstitions of the pagan Irish; and in no place - with this single exception - do we find a word or hint pointing to human sacrifice to pagan gods or idols. (13) 12. What other practices were associated with this season? Folk tradition tells us of many divination practices associated with Samhain. Among the most common were divinations dealing with marriage, weather, and the coming fortunes for the year. These were performed via such methods as ducking for apples and apple peeling. Ducking for apples was a marriage divination. The first person to bite an apple would be the first to marry in the coming year. Apple peeling was a divination to see how long your life would be. The longer the unbroken apple peel, the longer your life was destined to be. (14) In Scotland, people would place stones in the ashes of the hearth before retiring for the night. Anyone whose stone had been disturbed during the night was said to be destined to die during the coming year. 13. How did these ancient Celtic practices come to America? When the potato crop in Ireland failed, many of the Irish people, modern descendants of the Celts, immigrated to America, bringing with them their folk practices, which were remnants of the Celtic festival observances. 14. We in America view this as a harvest festival. Did the Celts also view it as such? Yes. The Celts had 3 harvests. Aug 1, or Lammas, was the first harvest, when the first fruits were offered to the Gods in thanks. The Fall equinox was the true harvest. This was when the bulk of the crops would be brought in. Samhain was the final harvest of the year. Anything left on the vines or in the fields after this date was considered blasted by the fairies ("pu'ka") and unfit for human consumption. 15. Does anyone today celebrate Samhain as a religious observance? Yes. many followers of various pagan religions, such as Druidism and Wicca, observe this day as a religious festival. They view it as a memorial day for their dead friends and family, much as the world does the national Memorial Day holiday in May. It is still a night to practice various forms of divination concerning future events. It is also considered a time to wrap up old projects, take stock of one's life, and initiate new projects for the coming year. As the winter season is approaching, it is a good time to do studying on research projects, and also a good time to begin hand work such as sewing, leather working, woodworking, etc., for Yule gifts later in the year. And while "satanist" are using this holiday as their own, this is certainly not the only example of a holiday (or even religious symbols) being "borrowed" from an older religion by a newer one. 16. Does this involve human or animal sacrifice? Absolutely NOT! Hollywood to the contrary, blood sacrifice is not practiced by modern followers of Wicca or Druidism. There may be some people who THINK they are practicing Wicca by performing blood sacrificing, but this is NOT condoned by reputable practitioners of today's neo-Pagan religions. Symbols of Samhain: Gourds, Apples, Black Cats, Jack-O-Lanterns, Besoms. Herbs of Samhain: Mugwort, Allspice, Broom, Catnip, Deadly Nightshade, Mandrake, Oak leaves, Sage and Straw. Foods of Samhain: Turnips, Apples, Gourds, Nuts, Mulled Wines, Beef, Pork, Poultry. Incense of Samhain: Heliotrope, Mint, Nutmeg. Colors of Samhain: Black, Orange, White, Silver, Gold. Stones of Samhain: All Black Stones, preferably jet or obsidian. Deities: October celebrates the "Feast of the Dead" a farewell feast to the God, who as the "King of the Hunt" sacrificed himself at the time when his animals where being slaughtered to provide sustenance throughout the coming winter months. The Goddess begins her descent into the underworld in search of the God. And so the cycle of the year begins again. ALL HALLOW'S EVE by Mike Nichols * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Halloween. Sly does it. Tiptoe cats paw. Slide and creep. * * But why? What for? How? Who? When! Where did it all * * begin? 'You don't know, do you?' asks Carapace Clavicle * * Mound shroud climbing out under the pile of leaves under the * * Halloween Tree. 'You don't REALLY know!' * * --Ray Bradbury from 'The Halloween Tree' * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Samhain. All Hallows. All Hallow's Eve. Hallow E'en. Halloween. The most magical night of the year. Exactly opposite Beltane on the wheel of the year, Halloween is Beltane's dark twin. A night of glowing jack-o-- lanterns, bobbing for apples, tricks or treats, and dressing in costume. A night of ghost stories and seances, tarot card readings and scrying with mirrors. A night of power, when the veil that separates our world from the Otherworld is at its thinnest. A 'spirit night', as they say in Wales. All Hallow's Eve is the eve of All Hallow's Day (November1st). And for once, even popular tradition remembers that the Eve is more important than the Day itself, the traditional celebration focusing on October 31st, beginning at sundown. And this seems only fitting for the great Celtic New Year's festival. Not that the holiday was Celtic only. In fact, it is startling how many ancient and unconnected cultures (the Egyptians and pre-Spanish Mexicans, for example) celebrated this as a festival of the dead. But the majority of our modern traditions can be traced to the British Isles. The Celts called it Samhain, which means 'summer's end', according to their ancient two-fold division of the year, when summer ran from Beltane to Samhain and winter ran from Samhain to Beltane. (Some modern Covens echo this structure by letting the High Priest 'rule' the Coven beginning on Samhain, with rulership returned to the High Priestess at Beltane.) According to the later four-fold division of the year, Samhain is seen as 'autumn's end' and the beginning of winter. Samhain is pro- nounced (depending on where you're from) as 'sow-in' (in Ireland), or 'sow-een' (in Wales), or 'sav-en' (in Scotland), or (inevitably) 'sam-hane' (in the U.S., where we don't speak Gaelic). Not only is Samhain the end of autumn; it is also, more importantly, the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. Celtic New Year's Eve, when the new year begins with the onset of the dark phase of the year, just as the new day begins at sundown. There are many representations of Celtic gods with two faces, and it surely must have been one of them who held sway over Samhain. Like his Greek counterpart Janus, he would straddle the threshold, one face turned toward the past in commemoration of those who died during the last year, and one face gazing hopefully toward the future, mystic eyes attempting to pierce the veil and divine what the coming year holds. These two themes, celebrating the dead and divining the future, are inexorably intertwined in Samhain, as they are likely to be in any New Year's celebration. As a feast of the dead, it was believed the dead could, if they wished, return to the land of the living for this one night, to celebrate with their family, tribe, or clan. And so the great burial mounds of Ireland (sidhe mounds) were opened up, with lighted torches lining the walls, so the dead could find their way. Extra places were set at the table and food set out for any who had died that year. And there are many stories that tell of Irish heroes making raids on the Underworld while the gates of faery stood open, though all must return to their appointed places by cock-crow. As a feast of divination, this was the night par excellence for peering into the future. The reason for this has to do with the Celtic view of time. In a culture that uses a linear concept of time, like our modern one, New Year's Eve is simply a milestone on a very long road that stretches in a straight line from birth to death. Thus, the New Year's festival is a part of time. The ancient Celtic view of time, however, is cyclical. And in this framework, New Year's Eve represents a point outside of time, when the natural order of the universe dissolves back into primordial chaos, preparatory to re-establishing itself in a new order. Thus, Samhain is a night that exists outside of time and hence it may be used to view any other point in time. At no other holiday is a tarot card reading, crystal reading, or tea-leaf reading so likely to succeed. The Christian religion, with its emphasis on the 'historical' Christ and his act of redemption 2000 years ago, is forced into a linear view of time, where 'seeing the future' is an illogical proposition. In fact, from the Christian perspective, any attempt to do so is seen as inherently evil. This did not keep the medieval Church from co-opting Samhain's other motif, commemoration of the dead. To the Church, however, it could never be a feast for all the dead, but only the blessed dead, all those hallowed (made holy) by obedience to God - thus, All Hallow's, or Hallowmas, later All Saints and All Souls. There are so many types of divination that are traditional to Hallowstide, it is possible to mention only a few. Girls were told to place hazel nuts along the front of the firegrate, each one to symbolize one of her suitors. She could then divine her future husband by chanting, 'If you love me, pop and fly; if you hate me, burn and die.' Several methods used the apple, that most popular of Halloween fruits. You should slice an apple through the equator (to reveal the five-pointed star within) and then eat it by candlelight before a mirror. Your future spouse will then appear over your shoulder. Or, peel an apple, making sure the peeling comes off in one long strand, reciting, 'I pare this apple round and round again; / My sweetheart's name to flourish on the plain: / I fling the unbroken paring o'er my head, / My sweetheart's letter on the ground to read.' Or, you might set a snail to crawl through the ashes of your hearth. The considerate little creature will then spell out the initial letter as it moves. Perhaps the most famous icon of the holiday is the jack-o-lantern. Various authorities attribute it to either Scottish or Irish origin. However, it seems clear that it was used as a lantern by people who traveled the road this night, the scary face to frighten away spirits or faeries who might otherwise lead one astray. Set on porches and in windows, they cast the same spell of protection over the household. (The American pumpkin seems to have forever superseded the European gourd as the jack-o-lantern of choice.) Bobbing for apples may well represent the remnants of a Pagan 'baptism' rite called a 'seining', according to some writers. The water-filled tub is a latter-day Cauldron of Regeneration, into which the novice's head is immersed. The fact that the participant in this folk game was usually blindfolded with hands tied behind the back also puts one in mind of a traditional Craft initiation ceremony. The custom of dressing in costume and 'trick-or-treating' is of Celtic origin with survivals particularly strong in Scotland. However, there are some important differences from the modern version. In the first place, the custom was not relegated to children, but was actively indulged in by adults as well. Also, the 'treat' which was required was often one of spirits (the liquid variety). This has recently been revived by college students who go 'trick-or-drinking'. And in ancient times, the roving bands would sing seasonal carols from house to house, making the tradition very similar to Yuletide wassailing. In fact, the custom known as 'caroling', now connected exclusively with mid-winter, was once practiced at all the major holidays. Finally, in Scotland at least, the tradition of dressing in costume consisted almost exclusively of cross-dressing (i.e., men dressing as women, and women as men). It seems as though ancient societies provided an opportunity for people to 'try on' the role of the opposite gender for one night of the year. (Although in Scotland, this is admittedly less dramatic - but more confusing - since men were in the habit of wearing skirt-like kilts anyway. Oh well...) To Witches, Halloween is one of the four High Holidays, or Greater Sabbats, or cross-quarter days. Because it is the most important holiday of the year, it is sometimes called 'THE Great Sabbat.' It is an ironic fact that the newer, self-created Covens tend to use the older name of the holiday, Samhain, which they have discovered through modern research. While the older hereditary and traditional Covens often use the newer name, Halloween, which has been handed down through oral tradition within their Coven. (This is often holds true for the names of the other holidays, as well. One may often get an indication of a Coven's antiquity by noting what names it uses for the holidays.) With such an important holiday, Witches often hold two distinct celebrations. First, a large Halloween party for non-Craft friends, often held on the previous weekend. And second, a Coven ritual held on Halloween night itself, late enough so as not to be interrupted by trick-or-treaters. If the rituals are performed properly, there is often the feeling of invisible friends taking part in the rites. Another date which may be utilized in planning celebrations is the actual cross-quarter day, or Old Halloween, or Halloween O.S. (Old Style). This occurs when the sun has reached 15 degrees Scorpio, an astrological 'power point' symbolized by the Eagle. This year (1988), the date is November 6th at 10:55 pm CST, with the celebration beginning at sunset. Interestingly, this date (Old Halloween) was also appropriated by the Church as the holiday of Martinmas. Of all the Witchcraft holidays, Halloween is the only one that still boasts anything near to popular celebration. Even though it is typically relegated to children (and the young-at-heart) and observed as an evening affair only, many of its traditions are firmly rooted in Paganism. Interestingly, some schools have recently attempted to abolish Halloween parties on the grounds that it violates the separation of state and religion. Speaking as a Pagan, I would be saddened by the success of this move, but as a supporter of the concept of religion-free public education, I fear I must concede the point. Nonetheless, it seems only right that there SHOULD be one night of the year when our minds are turned toward thoughts of the supernatural. A night when both Pagans and non-Pagans may ponder the mysteries of the Otherworld and its inhabitants. And if you are one of them, may all your jack-o'lanterns burn bright on this All Hallow's Eve.

Mabon/Autumn Equinox (September 20-23) Mabon, (pronounced MAY-bun, MAY-bone, MAH-boon, or MAH-bawn) is the Autumn Equinox. Mabon Introduction @ Lady Bridget 1996 Mabon, or the Autumnal Equinox, occurs when the Sun is at zero degrees Libra, and as the name implies, it is the time when day and night are of equal length. Libra is the sign of the zodiac symbolized by the scales in balance, and it is a perfect symbol also for the day and night in balance. Balance is the theme for many of our Mabon rituals, as this is a good time to restore balance to your life. As we see the winter time approaching, it is a time to get your priorities in order. The night conquers day, as we slide into the dark half of the year. This was the true Thanksgiving, the Harvest Home, the second of the harvest festivals, and the most important one to the agricultural cultures as this is when the majority of the harvest came in. The Harvest Moon is the brightest of all the Moons, and a good thing, because many farmers had to work long into the night under the light of this Moon to get all their harvesting finished in time. Usually the last bit, or a small corner of the harvest was left in the fields and not taken up. It was bound and left to stand until the Harvest Festival, when it would be symbolically sacrificed to represent the Sacrificed God of Vegetation. It was considered unlucky to cut down the very last of the Harvest, and so was also left to stand in the field by some traditions. If wheat or a grain, it was bound tightly, and also could be dressed in men's clothing, and was the fore-runner of the scarecrow. This "man" was often burned in a sacrifice to the Gods, as well as animals, in a large "wicker man". In many fields today, you may see one small area left unharvested, as many farmers still believe it to be unlucky to harvest the last corner. Animals are also preparing for the winter, storing food, getting fatter, eating more. And as we are also animals, you will find your body tending toward the same trend. It isn't lack of willpower that puts pounds on you at this time of year, it is centuries of the species survival training that tells your body that fat will keep you from starving through the winter! People also get testy, edgy, and more competative at this time, because subconciously we still see this as the beginning of the "lean time". Just as the animals compete, butting heads, so do people, and males will especially be more apt to want to be in control of things. This is not sexist, this is ingrained survival of the species. Men at this time would take stock of their hunting equipment, to repair or replace whatever they need to, in order to provide for their families in the coming winter months. This is the height of the agricultural harvest, and the beginning of the hunting time of year. As the Goddess is in the Mother stage, bountiful, full and ripe, so we celebrate this aspect, we celebrate what we have harvested in our lives up to this point. We look to see what has grown and matured from the "seeds" we have sown earlier. We take stock now to see what we still need for our own growth, both mentally and spiritually. And we also give thanks for what we have, this is the true Thanksgiving season. The reasons the American Thanksgiving is so late in November are twofold: firstly, the Pilgrim's were ignorant of the growing season and had the Indians not gone and brought in the harvest, they all would have died during that first bitter winter; secondly, the United States government changed the date of Thanksgiving to always be the fourth Thursday of the month, so that more shopping days could be added for Christmas shopping, thus improving our economy at that time. (But that's another story for another holiday!) This was also the time for replacing your old broom with a new one. As the broom corn is ripe now, besom making is traditional and magickal this time of year. (Unless you live in an extreme southern sub-tropical climate such as south Florida or southern California, when more things are ripe in Feb!) The Harvest Moon was also referred to as the Wine Moon, because the grapes also ripen now in the wine making countries. The first wine dieties were female, and wine is one of the oldest libations known to us; it symbolizes the blood of the Sacrificed God in many religions. The apple is also a fruit that comes ripe now, and is a staple of Mabon recipes, such as apple pie and apple cider. Tradionally apples were rubbed before eating to remove all demons or evil spirits that were thought to be within them. Apples are thought to restore health, aid longevity, and restore physical strength. Apples have long been associated with health, as "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" will tell you! Apple cider, or hard cider was often a traditional wassailing drink, appropriate as the term "wassailing" means to wish good health. Beer is also appropriate at this time of year, as at Lammas, and so also is Mead, which is a lightly alchoholic drink made from fermenting honey and water. As honey is mostly gathered in the fall, mead was made at this time of year. Small mead, which only takes about 12 days to mature, is still a favorite of ours at all the harvest festivals. (See also Baron Sir Riekin's Mead Making Recipe at this website.) Incidentally, the word Sabbat comes from the Babylonian SA-BAT meaning heart's rest and was when the Goddess Ishtar had her period & rested. This was her period of "tabu" which originally meant "set apart" and had no negative connotations, but instead was a time for women to rest from their normal labors. Only woman had the sacred bleeding, therefore, only women could bless the harvest, or the crops. The word blessing comes from the anglo-saxon word BLES which means blood. Women were the greatest mystery, since only women bled, and did not die, and when they did not bleed, they gave birth, and shed milk. Thus the two colors most associated with the Goddess are red and white. Colors for Mabon are reds, maroons, oranges, golden yellows, deep greens, russets, browns, and other colors reflective of the autumn season. The incenses are woodsy and musky, such as pine smoke, sage, or animal musk. Your altar decorations could be fall leaves, ears of corn, nuts, acorns, apples, fall colored flowers, or any seasonal thing which is common where you live. Themes for our Mabon celebration can be the harvest, as an individual and as a community, what have we reaped? What did we sow? Also realizing that we need to share abundance, and that there is abundance for all - one person's good fortune doesn't diminish another's! We are thankful for blessings, especially those we normally take for granted, i.e. good jobs, homes, friends, freedoms, food, etc. There are many who don't have the lifestyle that we enjoy today in this country. This is also a time to reflect on the nature of sacrifice, the God of vegetation, and also the plants and animals who sacrifice themselves so that we may survive. Willing sacrifice must always be honored. Other themes include the equality of day and night, and also equality among ourselves, sexual equality, racial equality, etc. and what real equality means to us as a community. The ability to draw on one anothers strengths and to honor equally all strengths, not just those of one sex, or age related ones. Balance is another theme, balance in our lives, and in other areas of our culture, as symbolized by the Libran scales, and what we might have to do to achieve that balance. The legend of Lugh and Goronwy, in some versions, takes place at the Equinox, rather than the Solstice, and can be a theme for Mabon Sabbats. As also can the legend of John Barleycorn, who symbolized the Sacrificed God. You can, if you have outdoor facilities and a fire permit - even make a "wicker man" and fill it with tokens of your harvest, to burn as a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Gods! Your imagination is all you need to create as powerful a ritual as you can wish. Blessed Be! Symbolism of Mabon: Second Harvest, the Mysteries, Equality and Balance. Symbols of Mabon: wine, gourds, pine cones, acorns, grains, corn, apples, pomegranates, vines such as ivy, dried seeds, and horns of plenty. Herbs of Mabon: Acorn, benzoin, ferns, grains, honeysuckle, marigold, milkweed, myrrh, passionflower, rose, sage, solomon's seal, tobacco, thistle, and vegetables. Foods of Mabon: Breads, nuts, apples, pomegranates, and vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and onions. Incense of Mabon: Autumn Blend-benzoin, myrrh, and sage. Colors of Mabon: Red, orange, russet, maroon, brown, and gold. Stones of Mabon: Sapphire, lapis lazuli, and yellow agates. Activities of Mabon: Making wine, gathering dried herbs, plants, seeds and seed pods, walking in the woods, scattering offerings in harvested fields, offering libations to trees, adorning burial sites with leaves, acorns, and pine cones to honor those who have passed over. Spellworkings of Mabon: Protection, prosperity, security, and self-confidence. Also those of harmony and balance. Deities of Mabon: Goddesses-Modron, Morgan, Epona, Persephone, Pamona and the Muses. Gods-Mabon, Thoth, Thor, Hermes, and The Green Man. Mabon is considered a time of the Mysteries. It is a time to honor Aging Deities and the Spirit World. Considered a time of balance, it is when we stop and relax and enjoy the fruits of our personal harvests, whether they be from toiling in our gardens, working at our jobs, raising our families, or just coping with the hussle-bussle of everyday life. May your Mabon be memorable, and your hearts and spirits be filled to overflowing! September completes the harvest begun at Lammas. The days and nights become equal as darkness overtakes light. The God dies as the "Lord of the Harvest" a willing sacrifice and descends into the earth to the Underworld, there to await his renewal and rebirth of the Goddess. Nature declines and draws back its bounty in readiness for the winter and it's time of rest. The Goddess looks at the weakening sun, and a fire burns in her womb as she feels the presence of the God. She prepares for her own journey into the Underworld, to search for him again.

July 31st Lughnasadh / Lammas Lughnasadh means the funeral games of Lugh (pronounced Loo). Lammas Introduction Copyright Lady Bridget 1997 Lammas, Lughnasadh, the First Harvest, all are names by which the Major Sabbat which occurs in August is known. Astrologically, this Sabbat is when the Sun is 15 ° Leo, and is a major Sabbat because it is at the peak of the season and the highest point of energy. If you check your astrological calendars or ephermeris, this energy now peaks around August 4th, though the traditional date for celebrating Lammas is August 1st. This is the time of the Sacrificial King, whose self sacrifice allows the people who worship him to survive through the winter. We say that his blood is poured out upon the fields so that the corn and grain harvest will thrive. His Spirit enters into the corn and the grain, and is then known as John Barleycorn. As the God dies with the harvesting of the grain, so also is he resurrected in the new sprouts. So therefore, we are given the myths of the Gods who are sacrificed, and then reborn, again and again. These myths occur in every country and culture, and are just too numerous to name here. "Ancient Ways" by Pauline and Dan Campanelli, and "The King Must Die" ( I forget the author on this one) are highly recommended for further reading. Baking bread and corn muffins, then, are very sacred to this Sabbat. The cakes for ritual are usually homemade corn muffins, or if you can find a pan shaped like a person (gingerbread man perhaps?) then you can bake your own John Barleycorn to share in circle. Be sure to invoke the God of the Grain when you are baking the bread/muffins/cakes, and to chant positive affirmations while stirring or kneading the dough! Corn husks are excellent to outline the circle area, and to burn in the cauldron after they have dried out. We use corn on the cob as part of our feast, to make corn necklaces from, and also to make corn dollies. See "Wheel of the Year" by Pauline and Dan Campanelli for more ideas on making corn dollies and necklaces. At this time you should be seeing the efforts of your work beginning to manifest as this is the start of the harvest season. Look at your life and see where you have aimed, and if you are still on target. What have you accomplished that you set out to do? What do you still have to get done? Many times we get bogged down in the day to day details and we forget to take stock and look at the larger picture of our lives. Are we where we want to be? Are we who we want to be? Meditate on how what has happened has been directly or indirectly caused by the choices we have made. Reflect now on those choices, and see where your free will has led you. Are you happy about them? If not, what can you change now? As the sun is waning now, even though the heat has increased, we will be turning more and more inward, until we finish this process at Samhain. This is just the start, so don't be too hard on yourself if you haven't done all you set out to do. There is still time before the winter to get accomplished those things which need the sunlight and summer breezes to grow. Don't let the lazy sultry summer heat sap you of your strength and determination. In the days of our ancestors, this would mark the beginning of the hardest work they had to do, the back breaking labor of bringing in the harvest. Getting all of it in, and packed, stored, canned, cooked, salted, etc. before the storms of winter set in, was sometimes a race against time. No wonder they needed the help and strength of the Gods, and no wonder they partied so wildly when they were given the chance! Lammas teaches us to live in the Now, as fully as possible, and get done what can be done now; and to plan for the future at the same time. To share what we have an abundance of with others, and to share the burdens of survival so that the burdens are lightened by many other shoulders. Get in touch with your Pagan community in your area, and network, share, and commune with them. Bring in the harvest together, and make new friendships that will sustain you through the coming dark of winter. Blessed Be! Traditional Foods: Apples, Grains, Breads and Berries. Herbs and Flowers: All Grains, Grapes, Heather, Blackberries, Sloe, Crab Apples, Pears. Incense: Aloes, Rose, Sandalwood. Sacred Gemstone: Carnelian. Special Activities: As summer passes, many Pagans celebrate this time to remember its warmth and bounty in a celebrated feast shared with family or Coven members. Save and plant the seeds from the fruits consumed during the feast or ritual. If they sprout, grow the plant or tree with love and as a symbol of your connection with the Lord and Lady. Walk through the fields and orchards or spend time along springs, creeks, rivers, ponds and lakes reflecting on the bounty and love of the Lord and Lady. Deities: August is a celebration of the bounty brought to the earth by the union of the Goddess and God. It's the time of the first harvest when the plants of spring begin to wither and die. They drop their fruits for our use, and seeds to ensure a future harvest. So too does the God begin to die as daylight decreases and the nights grow longer. The Goddess looks on in sorrow and watches God dying, but with joy she realizes he lives on inside her, her unborn child.

Summer Solstice/Litha (June 21) Litha Introduction Copyright Lady Bridget 1997 Summer Solstice, or Litha as it is also called, occurs on or about the 21st of June, when the Sun enters zero degrees Cancer. It marks Midsummer for many cultures, even though in most of the US, summer has barely started and the kids are just now getting out of school! It is the longest day of the year, and the shortest night; when the sun reaches his apex in the sky, and the days will now grow shorter as the light begins to wane. Many legends explain this phenomena as the darkness triumphing over the light. The darker brother kills the lighter brother in these legends, and the brother who dies resides in the underworld until it is time for him to return and slay his brother again, to rule for the next 6 months. The stories of Lugh and Goronwy, and the Oak King and the Holly King are but two of these legends. It is interesting to note here that the Christian religion has also tried to usurp this holiday by decreeing it the birth of John the Baptist, and declaring it his feast day. Now, other Saints in the Church are only remembered for the day they died (usually in martyrdom) so it is very curious that St. John the Baptist should be the only one recognized on his natal day. Also, the original birth of Christ was moved from late Spring when he was actually born, to December 25 to coincide with the birth of all the other "Sun" Gods. So even the Christian religion has rotated to the Pagan cycle of the Earth, with their births lining right up with our Solstices. The natural cycle, what we call the Wheel of the Year, is evidently highly compelling! This was the traditional time of year to harvest your magickal and medicinal herbs. Cut them with a scythe or boline, by the light of the Moon, while chanting the appropriate chant for the purpose for which the plant will be used. Leave an offering for the rest of the plant, and try not to harvest more than 1/3rd of the plant so that the rest will remain healthy and vigorous. If you have to harvest the roots, then you will need to find a bunch of them growing together, and then only harvest 1/3 of them, so that the rest will thrive in the space you have just provided. Harvesting a branch should be done at the lowest junction where the branch joins the main plant, and be careful not to damage the remaining plant. Nature will provide all our needs, but not if we destroy Her gifts! If you live in the southern part of the US, you can harvest many plants now also, unless you are in the deep south. This far south, like southern Florida, and southern California, not much that has magickal or medicinal value will still be alive by this time. Most of the harvesting must be done at Imbolc, or Ostara, because the intense heat and sunlight will have burned off many herbs by this time. One way to try to save them is to put them under screening, or indoors with diffused light. That will enable some of the hardier varieties to survive through the early summer at least. Since the Sun at Litha is entering Cancer, a water sign, this holiday is one of the best ones for gathering your magickal water which will be used on your altar and in your spells for the coming year. We usually go to the beach at Litha, and gather salt-water. We bring offerings of flowers and nuts, and 3 pennies or 3 dimes for prosperity and throw these into the waves before we take our water. We honor Aphrodite and Yameya as the Goddesses of the Sea by taking some jewelry as an offering. It can be simply a broken silver chain, a ring you used to wear, one half of an earring set, things like that. We find that doing this means that when we visit the beach anytime at all, we don't have to worry about losing any of our "good" jewelry to a jealous Goddess! If you don't live near the sea, another excellent source of magickal water, is rain water from a thunderstorm, and there are plenty that occur at this time of year. The more electrical energy the storm puts out, the more energized the water is, so the fiercer the better! Collect in a glass jar, or porcelain, avoid metal containers. Store on a shelf, and don't leave the jar on the ground, or the energy will ground. We only use our water for 6 months, after that we return the water to the source, and collect fresh. The energized water really only lasts about 6 months. If you add shells, rocks from the sea, or other non-perishable sea items such as coral, the energy of the water will stay higher during the 6 months. This water is not for drinking, but only for magickal use. In June, the Full Moon is called the Honey Moon, because this is the time to collect the honey from the beehives. Mead is an excellent brew made from honey, and there is Lord Riekin's Mead making recipe on this web-page, or you can e-mail Lady Bridget for his instructions also. Mead is the traditional drink for Summer Solstice for that reason. Small mead, or Soda-Pop mead, can be made about 10 days prior to drinking, and is low in alcohol and on the sweet side. For these reasons, it is the preferred Mead to make just prior to this Sabbat. Incidentally, it was believed that since the Grand Union between the Goddess and God happened in May, at Beltain, that it was unlucky to have mortal weddings in May. In addition, many couples found that after the May Day frolic, they were "expecting" and so June became the most popular month for weddings, and still is today. Since the June Full Moon is called the "Honey Moon", can you guess now why that term is used for the time right after the marriage ceremony?!! It is appropriate also, to have honey on the altar during the Cakes and Wine to dip your cakes in for this celebration. In our tradition, we always have honey on the altar to symbolize the sweetness of life. It also is a symbol of what combined energies to a single goal can accomplish! There are many songs associated with Litha, or the Summer Solstice, and chants dealing with the ocean and the ebb and flow of the year are especially appropriate. Do some research, find books of poetry and see how much material is available with the Sun theme, and the Ocean theme. Our ancestors have been worshiping the Sun for long ages, and the wealth of material out there will astound you. Anything that pleases you and your group can be used in your rituals without copyright infringement as long as it is not published, and if you distribute words be sure to credit the proper sources. Happy Litha! A MIDSUMMER CELEBRATION Copyright by Mike Nichols (a.k.a. Gwydion) In addition to the four great festivals of the Pagan Celtic year, there are four lesser holidays as well: the two solstices, and the two equinoxes. In folklore, these are referred to as the four 'quarter-days' of the year, and modern Witches call them the four 'Lesser Sabbats', or the four 'Low Holidays'. The Summer Solstice is one of them. Technically, a solstice is an astronomical point and, due to the precession of the equinox, the date may vary by a few days depending on the year. The summer solstice occurs when the sun reaches the Tropic of Cancer, and we experience the longest day and the shortest night of the year. Astrologers know this as the date on which the sun enters the sign of Cancer. However, since most European peasants were not accomplished at reading an ephemeris or did not live close enough to Salisbury Plain to trot over to Stonehenge and sight down it's main avenue, they celebrated the event on a fixed calendar date, June 24th. The slight forward displacement of the traditional date is the result of multitudinous calendrical changes down through the ages. It is analogous to the winter solstice celebration, which is astronomically on or about December 21st, but is celebrated on the traditional date of December 25th, Yule, later adopted by the Christians. Again, it must be remembered that the Celts reckoned their days from sundown to sundown, so the June 24th festivities actually begin on the previous sundown (our June 23rd). This was Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Eve. Which brings up another point: our modern calendars are quite misguided in suggesting that 'summer begins' on the solstice. According to the old folk calendar, summer BEGINS on May Day and ends on Lammas (August 1st), with the summer solstice, midway between the two, marking MID-summer. This makes more logical sense than suggesting that summer begins on the day when the sun's power begins to wane and the days grow shorter. Although our Pagan ancestors probably preferred June 24th (and indeed most European folk festivals today use this date), the sensibility of modern Witches seems to prefer the actual solstice point, beginning the celebration at sunset. Again, it gives modern Pagans a range of dates to choose from with, hopefully, a weekend embedded in it. As the Pagan mid-winter celebration of Yule was adopted by Christians as Christmas (December 25th), so too the Pagan mid-summer celebration was adopted by them as the feast of John the Baptist (June 24th). Occurring 180 degrees apart on the wheel of the year, the mid-winter celebration commemorates the birth of Jesus, while the mid-summer celebration commemorates the birth of John, the prophet who was born six months before Jesus in order to announce his arrival. This last tidbit is extremely conspicuous, in that John is the ONLY saint in the entire Catholic hagiography whose feast day is a commemoration of his birth, rather than his death. A generation ago, Catholic nuns were fond of explaining that a saint is commemorated on the anniversary of his or her death because it was really a 'birth' into the Kingdom of Heaven. But John the Baptist, the sole exception, is emphatically commemorated on the anniversary of his birth into THIS world. Although this makes no sense viewed from a Christian perspective, it makes perfect poetic sense from the viewpoint of Pagan symbolism. In most Pagan cultures, the sun god is seen as split between two rival personalities: the god of light and his twin, his 'weird', his 'other self', the god of darkness. They are Gawain and the Green Knight, Gwyn and Gwythyr, Llew and Goronwy, Lugh and Balor, Balan and Balin, the Holly King and the Oak King, etc. Often they are depicted as fighting seasonal battles for the favor of their goddess/lover, such as Creiddylad or Blodeuwedd, who represents Nature. The god of light is always born at the winter solstice, and his strength waxes with the lengthening days, until the moment of his greatest power, the summer solstice, the longest day. And, like a look in a mirror, his 'shadow self', the lord of darkness, is born at the summer solstice, and his strength waxes with the lengthening nights until the moment of his greatest power, the winter solstice, the longest night. Indirect evidence supporting this mirror-birth pattern is strongest in the Christianized form of the Pagan myth. Many writers, from Robert Graves to Stewart Farrar, have repeatedly pointed out that Jesus was identified with the Holly King, while John the Baptist was the Oak King. That is why, 'of all the trees that are in the wood, the Holly tree bears the crown.' If the birth of Jesus, the 'light of the world', is celebrated at mid-winter, Christian folk tradition insists that John the Oak King was born (rather than died) at mid-summer. It is at this point that I must diverge from the opinion of Robert Graves and other writers who have followed him. Graves believes that at midsummer, the Sun King is slain by his rival, the God of Darkness; just as the God of Darkness is, in turn, slain by the God of Light at midwinter. And yet, in Christian folk tradition (derived from the older Pagan strain), it is births, not deaths, that are associated with the solstices. For the feast of John the Baptist, this is all the more conspicuous, as it breaks the rules regarding all other saints. So if births are associated with the solstices, when do the symbolic deaths occur? When does Goronwy slay Llew and when does Llew, in his turn, slay Goronwy? When does darkness conquer light or light conquer darkness? Obviously (to me, at least), it must be at the two equinoxes. At the autumnal equinox, the hours of light in the day are eclipsed by the hours of darkness. At the vernal equinox, the process is reversed. Also, the autumnal equinox, called 'Harvest Home', is already associated with sacrifice, principally that of the spirit of grain or vegetation. In this case, the god of light would be identical. In Welsh mythology in particular, there is a startling vindication of the seasonal placement of the sun god's death, the significance of which occurred to me in a recent dream, and which I haven't seen elsewhere. Llew is the Welsh god of light, and his name means 'lion'. (The lion is often the symbol of a sun god.) He is betrayed by his 'virgin' wife Blodeuwedd, into standing with one foot on the rim of a cauldron and the other on the back of a goat. It is only in this way that Llew can be killed, and Blodeuwedd's lover, Goronwy, Llew's dark self, is hiding nearby with a spear at the ready. But as Llew is struck with it, he is not killed. He is instead transformed into an eagle. Putting this in the form of a Bardic riddle, it would go something like this: Who can tell in what season the Lion (Llew), betrayed by the Virgin (Blodeuwedd), poised on the Balance, is transformed into an Eagle? My readers who are astrologers are probably already gasping in recognition. The sequence is astrological and in proper order: Leo (lion), Virgo (virgin), Libra (balance), and Scorpio (for which the eagle is a well-known alternative symbol). Also, the remaining icons, cauldron and goat, could arguably symbolize Cancer and Capricorn, representing summer and winter, the signs beginning with the two solstice points. So Llew is balanced between cauldron and goat, between summer and winter, on the balance (Libra) point of the autumnal equinox. This, of course, is the answer to a related Bardic riddle. Repeatedly, the 'Mabinogion' tells us that Llew must be standing with one foot on the cauldron and one foot on the goat's back in order to be killed. But nowhere does it tell us why. Why is this particular situation the ONLY one in which Llew can be overcome? Because it represents the equinox point. And the equinox is the only time of the entire year when light (Llew) can be overcome by darkness (Goronwy). It should now come as no surprise that, when it is time for Llew to kill Goronwy in his turn, Llew insists that Goronwy stands where he once stood while he (Llew) casts the spear. This is no mere vindictiveness on Llew's part. For, although the 'Mabinogion' does not say so, it should by now be obvious that this is the only time when Goronwy can be overcome. Light can overcome darkness only at the equinox -- this time the vernal equinox. So Midsummer (to me,at least) is a celebration of the sun god at his zenith, a crowned king on his throne. He is at the height of his strength and still 1/4 of a year away from his ritual death at the hands of his rival. The spear and the cauldron have often been used as symbols for this holiday and it should now be easy to see why. Sun gods are virtually always associated with spears (even Jesus is pierced by one), and the midsummer cauldron of Cancer is a symbol of the Goddess in her fullness. It is an especially beautiful time of the year for an outdoor celebration. May yours be magical! Traditional Foods: Garden fresh fruits and vegetables are made into a variety of dishes and eaten by Pagan's who choose to celebrate this day. Herbs and Flowers: Mugwort, Vervain, Chamomile, Rose, Honeysuckle, Lily, Oak, Lavender, Ivy, Yarrow, Fern, Elder, Wild Thyme, Daisy, Carnation. Incense: Lemon, Myrrh, Pine, Rose, Wisteria. Woods Burned: Oak Sacred Gemstone: Emerald Special Activities: An Ideal time to reaffirm your vows to the Lord and Lady or your dedication to following the old traditions. Deities: June embraces the beginning of summer, the solstice marking the longest days of the year. The God is in his prime and the powers of nature reach their highest point. The earth is awash in the fertility of the Goddess and God.

Beltane (May 1st) Beltane Introduction @ Lady Bridget 1997 La Baal Tinne, Beltane, Beltain, all are names for the ritual which was traditionally held on May 1st, also known as May Day. The astrological festival occurs when the Sun reaches 15 ° Taurus, which lately has been happening more towards May 4-6th. Either the traditional date or the astrological date can be used to determine when to hold your festival as both will have significant energies for the season. And the season is Spring! The lusty month of May is called so for a reason! Watch the animals, they are "rutting" now, looking to attract mates to raise their families. Butterflies and insects are pollenating flowers all over, and trees are bursting into blossoms and new green growth. In spring, "the young man's fancy turns to love.." and the young girls fancies turn to young men! Beltane, named for the Celtic Sun God, Bel, or Bal, or Baal, also means Bale, to banish, as in the bale fires, which are lit on Beltane to cleanse and purify. Cattle were led between two fires to cleanse them, and I have heard theories that the Druids quite possibly may have put purifying herbs on the fires to physically help the process along, but there is no actual proof of this. Couples would jump the fire to bless their union and to make it fruitful. You can jump the fire to leave behind bad habits or thoughts. Or stand close enough to the fire so that it's heat can "burn out" sickness. You may call upon the flames to burn away whatever you want to be free of by mentally casting it into the fire. Virgin women would jump the fire to be blessed by a child of the fire, an immaculate conception, as it were. The fire symbolizes life, passion, love and sex, and can also protect you for the coming year. To gaze into the flames and become "firestruck" is to cause an altered state of conciousness that is useful for divination. "Nine woods in the Bale fire go, Burn them fast and burn them slow..." (from the Wiccan Rede) Those nine woods were usually: Oak for the God Birch for the Goddess Fir for birth Willow for death Rowan for magic Apple for love Grapevine for joy Hazel for wisdom Hawthorne for purity and for May Now of course if you live in an area, such as South Florida, where there is a definite lack of some of these woods (such as apple) you can always substitute another wood - as long as this wood is also known for the same properties! So do some research, and make intelligent substitutions. Probably the most memorable and obvious symbol of Beltane is the May Pole. A phallic symbol, it represents the male regenerative force in nature, and is used to show the Sacred Union between the Goddess and God that takes place at this time. The pole represents the God of course, and the earth represents the Goddess. Red and white were the traditional colors of the ribbons on the pole, and there are different explanations for them, one being that they represent the male semen and the female menstrual blood, and are a reminder that this is a "game" that only men and women enjoy, and is not for children. The other is that the red and white represent the two fluids that women safely give, milk and blood, of which men were in awe. Either way, these can still be seen in the cadaceus, the symbol of healing and also the red and white barbers pole. In ancient times, the Doctor was also the Barber, hence the similar symbolism! Today we choose a ribbon color which represents something we wish to "weave" into our lives as we weave it onto the pole, hopefully something that will also benefit the community as a whole, since this is a communal dance. Yellow for wisdom and inspiration, orange for success, blue for peace, or peace of mind, pink for friendship or patience, green can be healing or financial gain, white for health, and protection, etc. I have even seen rainbow ribbons, and also plaid ribbons! They certainly do stand out in the pattern. The pole is erected, with appropriate ritual ceremony (see the file containing the ritual for this Sabbat for details), with the ribbons all tied to the top of the pole. The dancers stand in the circle around it each holding to the ends of the ribbon. Typically this is done with the males and females alternating around the circle, but we almost never have an exactly even number, and it doesn't matter that much. If you do have an almost equal number, then you can have all the males go deosil, and the females go widdershins (clockwise and counter-clockwise) as they go around the pole. If your numbers are too uneven, then have the participants count off by twos, with all the number "ones" going one way and the number "twos" going opposite. It is better to have some lively music to dance to, we use celtic jigs and reels, and have a half hour tape with just that on it, which is easy to leave on the player, so it can be unattended. 30 minutes is quite sufficient, even a bit long! Believe me, unless you are a professional dancer, you will be tired out long before 30 minutes are over. You can also use Louisiana cajun zydeco, or Tennesse bluegrass, as well as the celtic songs, since all of these have a similar beat, and are very lively. That is the most important thing for a successful dance, because we have found that chanting leaves you out of breath very quickly. To start the dance, have all the people facing deosil raise their ribbons and the people going widdershins will go under them. Then the widdershins group will raise their ribbons and the deosil group will go under them. So it continues, over and under, over and under, as you progress around the pole. Very quickly a beautiful pattern will emerge, as these bright ribbons are woven together. Don't worry if people forget which way they were supposed to go, this often happens when you have first time dancers, or an uneven number of people, someone is bound to go under when they should have gone over, no matter. It is the enjoyment of the dance that matters most, not whether the weave comes out perfect, and no one can tell the difference anyway! When the ribbons become too short to allow for comfortably continuing, then it it time to tie off. Tie the ribbon to the pole at the end of the weaving, and you can leave the ribbon hanging loose below the knot. Some groups leave the ribbons on year after year, and simply allow them to build up on the pole, until they decide a new pole is needed, then the old pole with all the layers of ribbons, is ritually burned during the Beltane circle. Other groups will carefully work the old ribbons off the pole just prior to this years dance, and these ribbons will be ritually burned in the balefire. Of course, you could use a new pole each year, and ritually burn the old pole with ribbons intact. Another exception I have seen is where a wheel was used at the top of the pole, and this group actually "unwove" all the ribbons, and left the pole bare again. Personally, I think that it is undoing the magick of weaving into your life if you unweave the ribbons after the dance, but each group must decide for themselves what works best for them. In our groups, we have men and women, and there is a lot of playing that goes on in the Maypole dance. We kiss, we stroke, we nuzzle a neck here or an outer thigh there, or we give a quick pat on the posterior as we pass by the person. These are all welcome and perfectly expected in our group, and we announce ahead of time, that if anyone is uncomfortable with that then please let us know now so we will not invade their space. You can tell when someone is "unapproachable", they will let you know that these advances are not welcome, and you should honor that. Some groups I know have asked participants not to do any touching or kissing as they dance, and while that may make all the cowans more comfortable, it also leaves the energy of the dance flat. For this is a dance for fertility! For abundance of the fields! For abundance in our lives! It was meant to be a courtship dance and to raise the libido of both those dancing and those watching, and to add to the sexual flavor that permeates this Sabbat. Keep that in mind, and the pats, hugs, kisses, and squeezes, are simply affection between friends and NOT sexual harrassment! Please bear in mind that this is a Sabbat about sexual fertility, and it was very important to our ancestors, and it is a lot of fun for us today. One of the biggest taboos in mainstream religions is about sex, and we as Pagans have always understood the real power behind sexual energy. Please let's not let a "sue happy" society ruin this aspect of our religion and take this away from us! Keep it joyous as it was intended. Another Beltane traditon is that of electing a King and Queen of the May, a young women and man, who may not necessarily be a couple already, or they can be newlyweds. They are crowned with flowered wreaths, and paraded before everyone, while people cheer "Hurrah for the King and Queen of the May!" In ancient times, this couple would be expected to go into the woods and consummate the energy of the circle for abundant hunts during the coming year, or in the fields for abundant crops. It was not unusual for young ladies and young men to pair off in the forest, and was called a "green wedding". Any child which was a result of those unions was considered a great blessing. This is also the reason for so many June weddings, and why the period after the wedding is call the "Honeymoon", after the Moon in June, which is also called the Honey Moon. The "scarf chase" is another Beltane tradition, which the couple who are the King and Queen of the May or the couple who are the Lord and Lady, will start. The Lady teases the Lord with a green scarf, and then drops it as his feet as a signal for him to pursue her. She eludes him success fully for a few rounds, then allows him to catch her and rewards his efforts with a kiss. The scarf can then be passed on to another women to do the same to a man of her choice. This originated as a courtship ritual at a time when sexuality was not expressed openly, and was a way for a woman to tastefully let a man know that she was interested in him in a publicly acceptable manner. (Many of our traditional courtship rituals were evolved when it was not considered "lady like" or "genteel" for men and women to be open about their partnership preferences.) Another variation is to use a wreath with flowers in it, and the woman walks around the circle parading it before her, as men attempt to take a flower out of the wreath. Whoever is successful is rewarded with a kiss, and the wreath is them passed on to another woman. These "chases" can be used to lead into the Spiral dance, which is another Beltane ritual dance, but is used at other Sabbats as well. The Spiral dance is especially appropriate at Beltane, in that it is reminescent of the DNA chain. (Which of course we are told our ancestors knew nothing about!) To do the Spiral dance, one person starts by taking the hand of someone next to her, and they take another hand, and so on until all are holding hands and moving in a circle. Usually, the step done with the feet is called the "grapevine" step, and involves one foot crossing in front of the other, then the other foot crossing behind, and the knees are kept flexed for balance. However, the main reason why this is a Spiral dance is that the first person leads the dancers in a tighter and tighter ring toward the center, then abruptly turns inward to face the other dancers, and still everyone follows. The end result is that all the dancers face another person, and the circle then spirals outward again. This sometimes takes practice, but remember not to duck under anyone's arms, for this will only end up in a knot! (Knots can be fun, too, but they do interrupt the flow of energy in the dance!) Beltane is the exact opposite of Samhain on the wheel of the year, and just as Samhain is an aknowledgement and celebration of death, so Beltane is an equally powerful reaffirmation of life. Other societies have had traditions in the same manner, and have myths that equate with ours regarding the Sacred Union of Lord and Lady; indeed that of all nature, without which life on this planet would cease to exist. Beltane and Samhain are considered the two most powerful, most important Sabbats, and there were cultures that celebrated only those two for many centuries. Today we have the Solar Sabbats and the Agricultural Sabbats, that were the celebrations of two types of culture which were "married" together to form the wheel of the year we know. And of these Sabbats, still the two most powerful and most important are Samhain and Beltane. Have a joyous, powerful, and wonderful Beltane everyone! Deities: May marks the courtship of the Goddess and God a renewal of the ancient marriage of polarity. As the young God emerges into manhood, he desires the Goddess and they fall in love. They meet together in fields and forests, where spurred on by the energies at work in nature, they unite and the Goddess again becomes pregnant of the God. A Celebration of MAY DAY @ Gwydion Cinhil Kirontin * * * * * * "Perhaps its just as well that you won't be here...to be offended by the sight of our May Day celebrations." --Lord Summerisle to Sgt. Howie from "The Wicker Man" * * * * * * There are four great festivals of the Pagan Celtic year and the modern Witch's calendar, as well. The two greatest of these are Halloween (the beginning of winter) and May Day (the beginning of summer). Being opposite each other on the wheel of the year, they separate the year into halves. Halloween (also called Samhain) is the Celtic New Year and is generally considered the more important of the two, though May Day runs a close second. Indeed, in some areas -notably Wales - it is considered the great holiday. May Day ushers in the fifth month of the modern calendar year, the month of May. This month is named in honor of the goddess Maia, originally a Greek mountain nymph, later identified as the most beautiful of the Seven Sisters, the Pleiades. By Zeus, she is also the mother of Hermes, god of magic. Maia's parents were Atlas and Pleione, a sea nymph. The old Celtic name for May Day is Beltane (in its most popular Anglicized form), which is derived from the Irish Gaelic "Bealtaine" or the Scottish Gaelic "Bealtuinn", meaning "Bel- fire", the fire of the Celtic god of light (Bel, Beli or Belinus). He, in turn, may be traced to the Middle Eastern god Baal. Other names for May Day include: Cetsamhain ("opposite Samhain"), Walpurgisnacht (in Germany), and Roodmas (the medieval Church's name). This last came from Church Fathers who were hoping to shift the common people's allegiance from the Maypole (Pagan lingam - symbol of life) to the Holy Rood (the Cross - Roman instrument of death). Incidentally, there is no historical justification for calling May 1st "Lady Day". For hundreds of years, that title has been proper to the Vernal Equinox (approx. March 21st), another holiday sacred to the Great Goddess. The nontraditional use of "Lady Day" for May 1st is quite recent (within the last 15 years), and seems to be confined to America, where it has gained widespread acceptance among certain segments of the Craft population. This rather startling departure from tradition would seem to indicate an unfamiliarity with European calendar customs, as well as a lax attitude toward scholarship among too many Pagans. A simple glance at a dictionary ("Webster's 3rd" or O.E.D.), encyclopedia ("Benet's"), or standard mythology reference (Jobe's "Dictionary of Mythology, Folklore & Symbols") would confirm the correct date for Lady Day as the Vernal Equinox. By Celtic reckoning, the actual Beltane celebration begins on sundown of the preceding day, April 30, because the Celts always figured their days from sundown to sundown. And sundown was the proper time for Druids to kindle the great Bel-fires on the tops of the nearest beacon hill (such as Tara Hill, Co. Meath, in Ireland). These "need-fires" had healing properties, and sky- clad Witches would jump through the flames to ensure protection. * * * * * * Sgt. Howie (shocked): "But they are naked!" Lord Summerisle: "Naturally. It's much too dangerous to jump through the fire with your clothes on!" * * * * * * Frequently, cattle would be driven between two such bon-fires (oak wood was the favorite fuel for them) and, on the morrow, they would be taken to their summer pastures. Other May Day customs include: processions of chimney-sweeps and milk maids, archery tournaments, morris dances, sword dances, feasting, music, drinking, and maidens bathing their faces in the dew of May morning to retain their youthful beauty. In the words of Witchcraft writers Janet and Stewart Farrar, the Beltane celebration was principly a time of "...unashamed human sexuality and fertility." Such associations include the obvious phallic symbolism of the Maypole and riding the hobby horse. Even a seemingly innocent children's nursery rhyme, "Ride a cock horse to Banburry Cross..." retain such memories. And the next line "...to see a fine Lady on a white horse" is a reference to the annual ride of "Lady Godiva" though Coventry. Every year for nearly three centuries, a sky-clad village maiden (elected Queen of the May) enacted this Pagan rite, until the Puritans put an end to the custom. The Puritans, in fact, reacted with pious horror to most of the May Day rites, even making Maypoles illegal in 1644. They especially attempted to suppress the "greenwood marriages" of young men and women who spent the entire night in the forest, staying out to greet the May sunrise, and bringing back boughs of flowers and garlands to decorate the village the next morning. One angry Puritan wrote that men "doe use commonly to runne into woodes in the night time, amongst maidens, to set bowes, in so muche, as I have hearde of tenne maidens whiche went to set May, and nine of them came home with childe." And another Puritan complained that, of the girls who go into the woods, "not the least one of them comes home again a virgin." Long after the Christian form of marriage (with its insistence on sexual monogamy) had replaced the older Pagan handfasting, the rules of strict fidelity were always relaxed for the May Eve rites. Names such as Robin Hood, Maid Marion, and Little John played an important part in May Day folklore, often used as titles for the dramatis personae of the celebrations. And modern surnames such as Robinson, Hodson, Johnson, and Godkin may attest to some distant May Eve spent in the woods. These wildwood antics have inspired writers such as Kipling: Oh, do not tell the Priest our plight, Or he would call it a sin; But we have been out in the woods all night, A-conjuring Summer in! And Lerner and Lowe: It's May! It's May! The lusty month of May!... Those dreary vows that ev'ryone takes, Ev'ryone breaks. Ev'ryone makes divine mistakes! The lusty month of May! It is certainly no accident that Queen Guinevere's "abduction" by Meliagrance occurs on May 1st when she and the court have gone a-Maying, or that the usually efficient Queen's guard, on this occasion, rode unarmed. Some of these customs seem virtually identical to the old Roman feast of flowers, the Floriala, three days of unrestrained sexuality which began at sundown April 28th and reached a crescendo on May 1st. By the way, due to various calendrical changes down through the centuries, the traditional date of Beltane is not the same as its astrological date. This date, like all astronomically determined dates, may vary by a day or two depending on the year. However, it may be calculated easily enough by determining the date on which the sun is at 15 degrees Taurus. British Witches often refer to this date as Old Beltane, and folklorists call it Beltane O.S. ("Old Style"). Some Covens prefer to celebrate on the old date and, at the very least, it gives one options. If a Coven is operating on "Pagan Standard Time" and misses May 1st altogether, it can still throw a viable Beltane bash as long as it's before this date. This may also be a consideration for Covens that need to organize activities around the week-end. This date has long been considered a "power point" of the Zodiac, and is symbolized by the Bull, one of the four "tetramorph" figures featured on the Tarot cards the World and the Wheel of Fortune. (The other three are the Lion, the Eagle, and the Spirit.) Astrologers know these four figures as the symbols of the four "fixed" signs of the Zodiac (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius, respectively), and these naturally align with the four Great Sabbats of Witchcraft. Christians have adopted the same iconography to represent the four gospel- writers. But for most, it is May 1st that is the great holiday of flowers, Maypoles, and greenwood frivolity. It is no wonder that, as recently as 1977, Ian Anderson could pen the following lyrics for Jethro Tull: For the May Day is the great day, Sung along the old straight track. And those who ancient lines did ley Will heed this song that calls them back.

Spring or The Vernal Equinox/Ostara (March 20 -23) Ostara Introduction @ Lady Bridget 1997 Ostara, Eostre, Easter, Vernal Equinox, Spring Equinox, and First Day of Spring are all names for the same festival time. This is the day when the light and darkness are of equal length, and afterwards the days get longer. This occurs when the Sun enters Aries, which is on March 20th or 21st. This is the time when the light symbolically "triumphs over darkness", so it is no wonder that the Christian's put their Easter, wbere the God of Light triumphs over darkness and rises again, at this time of year. It has long been the time for Gods to return from the Underworld, or the darkness, as we shall see. Agriculturally, this is the time in most of Europe and America when the seeds are sown and planted in the ground. This corresponds in Wicca also to the planting of new ideas, new goals for the coming year, new businesses or new activities to be started. This holiday is sacred to Eostre, Anglo-Saxon Goddess of Spring, also known as Ostre. Sacred to Her are eggs, and white rabbits. There is a legend in which a white rabbit fell in love with her, and to prove his love he laid colored eggs for her everyday. (Eggs and white rabbits, sound familiar anyone?) The white rabbit symbolizes the transformation of innocence, and constant fertility. The eggs symbolize new life, and also rebirth. In ancient times, when hens were not domesticated, it was necessary to climb trees and hunt for these eggs, no doubt a welcome treat after the dreary winter fare. Thus we may have the origination of the egg hunt so many cultures still do today. Also, since the eggs are found in the woven nests of birds, which were the inspration for woven baskets, we can see the link between the ancient ways and our traditions today of putting the colored eggs into pretty woven baskets. Why decorate eggs? Birds eggs are naturally decorated for camoflauge or for other reasons having to do with the preservation of the species. And that is the same reason why we decorate our eggs today and why our pagan ancestors did theirs, the presevation of the species! They used not only color to symbolize what they wanted to be "born" but also, signs, runes, and different geometric designs. If you want to see a very old tradition still in practice today, research the Ukranian art form of making "pysanky" (from the word "pysaty" which means "to write"). These eggs have highly stylized decorations of geometric and other designs, and are also quite beautiful. To decorate your own eggs, here are some of the ancient signs and what they mean: CIRCLE and CONCENTRIC RINGS for the cycles of life and rebirth SOLAR CROSSES union of matter and spririt, or the union of the God and Goddess TRIANGLES triple Goddess SQUARES the earth PINWHEELS and 8-POINTED STARS the sun WAVY LINES, or 3 "C's" water more modern symbols are: $ for money, HEARTS for love, SMILEY FACES for happiness, etc. You can also use pentagrams, ankhs, and any other symbols which have meaning for you. Conincide the symbol with the color, for example, an egg for love and friendship would have a heart on it and be pink or red. One for healing might be green or blue. One for new ideas might be yellow and show an "!" on it! Be creative - use your imagination, this is how we grow and learn our traditions, and incorporate them into our lives. Decorated eggs were found in Egyptian tombs, and were not for food, since the eggs were hollow, they were more of an amulet intended to help the soul find rebirth. It is known that the Druids dyed eggs red in honor of the sun. Today, we have choices, such as whether to use either commercial dyes, or natural ones. If you want to experiment with natural dyes, here are some that I have seen listed in books. I must tell you that I have not personally tried these, but they have been published by several authors I respect, so I will pass them on for your benefit: GREEN : colts-foot or bracken YELLOW: turmeric YELLOW-GREEN: carrot tops ORANGE: onion skin RUST: onion skin RED: madder root or cochineal PINK: madder root or cochineal BLUE: blueberries BRIGHT BLUE: red cabbbage leaves Leaving the eggs in the dye longer, will create the darker colors. Many of these must be boiled, or brought to a boil, then add the egg and vinegar, and allow both to cool. Eggs should be hard=boiled first, before dying. Mark the eggs before hand with crayon or wax, or afterwards you can use lemon juice for the darker colors, or even "magic markers". Be sure to add white vinegar to your colors so they will stick to the eggshell. With the natural dyes, the eggs do scratch more easily, so handle with care! Before your circle you may want to take your ritual bath and add an egg, and use an "egg shampoo" by putting raw egg in your hair. It is wonderful for your hair, and also for your bath! Getting back to the theme of returning from the Underworld, there are quite a few myths surrounding this holiday which all have the same theme, though the names and circumstances may differ slightly. All have the common thread of the Goddess's love bringing them back from the Underworld. Most were of lovers, such as Isis and Osiris, Ishtar and Tammuz, Aphrodite and Adonis, Cybele and Attis. However, Mother and daughter, Demeter and Persephone also follow this theme. As does the myth of Mother and Son Bacchus and Semele, except that it was Bacchus who loved his Mother so much even though he had never seen her, that he descended into the Underworld to bring her back to Mount Olympus with him. These myths can be read in many books, so I won't go into them here, but they are all appropriate themes for any Ostara Sabbat rite. (A note: in our tradition and living in Florida we have already experienced the return of the Goddess at Imbolc, so this is less appropriate for us, being in the warmer climate. You can adapt the seasonal celebrations to more closely follow what your seasons are.) All pastel colors are sacred to Eostre, but her color is especially blue. (Robin's egg blue!) She is the Goddess of the East, and Spring. She is the same as Eos, the Greek Goddess of the East, and of sunrise and dawn. Is this why so many Christians celebrate Easter Sunday with a sunrise service? She is the Maiden aspect of the triple Goddess. In Hindu, she is called Ushas, and her lover and opposite is the God of the West, of death, of the sunset. This also corresponds to the Norse God, Vestri, god of the sunset and of fire, and the latin word "Vespers". The Greek Goddess Vestra, who was goddess of fire and had a perpetual flame tended by the Vestal Virgins also fits the fire in the west theme. In our tradition, we put fire in the west, and it seems at some time in the past, fire was the traditional element for the west, representing death, as most funerals were done by cremation in many cultures. Even the Norse ships which carried the dead out to sea were first set aflame, then launched. It seems a natural opposite to the water in the East where all life begins, (amniotic fluid) and where the Goddess of Spring, the Maiden, rules. In Ireland, the Shamrock is associated with Ostara, because it is the green of new life, and the three-leafed variety was sacred to the triple Goddess. Four-leaved clovers were and still are considered lucky, they represent the four elements in balance, and also a symbol of the sun wheel. Foods for this Sabbat include eggs (of course!), and hot cross buns, which have the solar wheel representation on them in the form of the cross. Also the traditional Easter ham comes to us from cultures which had a wild boar hunt at this time, and paraded the boar's head around on a platter. However you celebrate this holiday, remember that the traditions which have been passed down to us are all pagan in origin, (as is the case with so many holidays!) and you can join right in with them whole-heartedly! If you would like to read further on this or any other holiday I strongly recommend two books by Dan and Pauline Campanelli, "Wheel of the Year", and "Ancient Ways". They are a wealth of well-researched information, and also have a lot of practical "hands on" recipes for many traditional holiday endeavors. Traditional Foods: Leafy green vegetables, Dairy foods, Nuts such as Pumpkin, Sunflower and Pine. Flower Dishes and Sprouts. Herbs and Flowers: Daffodil, Jonquils, Woodruff, Violet, Gorse, Olive, Peony, Iris, Narcissus and all spring flowers. Incense: Jasmine, Rose, Strawberry, Floral of any type. Sacred Gemstone: Jasper Special Activities: Planting seeds or starting a Magickal Herb Garden. Taking a long walk in nature with no intent other than reflecting on the Magick of nature and our Great Mother and her bounty. Deities: March celebrates the return of the Goddess from the Underworld. Warmed by the strengthening light of the Sun, she wakes bursting forth from her sleep and blankets the earth with fertility. The first true days of spring begin as days and nights become equal, and light is overtaking darkness. The God stretches and grows to maturity. He walks the fields and forests delighted with the abundance of life and nature. He and the Goddess impel all living creatures out of hibernation, to mate and reproduce.

Imbolc Lore (February 2nd) Imbolc, (pronounced "IM-bulk" or "EM-bowlk"), also called Oimealg, ("IM-mol'g), Imbolc Introduction Copyright Lady Bridget 1997 Imbolc, Oimelc, Imbolg, or Candlemass (the Christianized version of the name) is the celebration that occurs when the Sun reaches 15 ° Aquarius, and is therefore considered a Major Sabbat. This date was traditionally celebrated on Feb 1st or 2nd, and is still noted today in our country as "Ground Hog's Day", which marks that there is only 6 more weeks of winter; we have reached the half-way point. There are some traditions that may say this holiday marks the beginning of Spring, but this doesn't hold up under scrutiny. Imbolc marks the middle of the winter season, just as Yule marked the beginning, and Ostara will mark the beginning of Spring at the Equinox. The Celts marked this holiday as "Brigit's Day" or "Brid's Day" in Irish. Bridget is one of the few Pagan Dieties to have survived as Saints in the Christian religion. She was a very powerful and meaningful Goddess, and there was no way to force the populace to give her up, therefore they canonized her as "Saint Brigit" and up until 1220 BCE, her shrine at Kildare had a perpetual fire that was constantly tended by virgins, by the Priestesses of the Goddess, and after Christianity took over, it was continued by the virgin nuns. In the 1960's after Vatican II, it was decided that Saint Brigit did not have enough evidence to canonize her and then she was decanonized. However, in Ireland, she is still very much reverenced, as she is by Wiccans, as the triple Goddess. One aspect ruled poetry, writing, inspiration, and music; one ruled healing and midwifery and herbology, and one ruled fire, and the arts of smithcraft. Incidentally, this holiday was also called by the Christians, the Feast of the Purification of Mary, for it was believed that women were "unclean" for six weeks after giving birth. So since she had given birth at the Winter Solstice, this is the date when she would be purified. We look upon this as the time when the Goddess who gave birth at the Winter Solstice, is now transformed in the Maiden once again. The Imbolc, or Oimelc, was the ancient Celtic festival celebrating the birth and freshening of sheep and goats, the Feast of Milk. Brigit's feast day was called "La Feill Bhride" and represents the seed that is waiting to stir again. It is a time of great anticipation and the celebration of possibilities. New life is about to awaken in the earth, the earth is furrowed and prepared to receive the seed. The Valentine's Day festivities were also connected to this time, being celebrated now on Feb 14th. There are different explanations for this day, the Christian church having one, and folklorists having another. The Christian version states that a Dr. Valentine in ancient Greece used to perform illegal Christian weddings and he was sacrificed to the lions on this date and became Saint Valentine. Therefore, hearts and flowers are exchanged to honor the love that he had and the love of the Christian couples he joined in matrimony. The folklorists attribute this holiday to the "gallant" or "galantine" young men who pursued their sweethearts at this time, since some Latin languages pronounced "g" as a "v" in earlier times. Thus, the "valentine" would be the attentions of a would-be suitor, and whatever methods he might employ to win the maiden's heart! At this time the Roman's celebrated Lupercalia, which also was a fertility festival. The Priests of Pan ran through the streets insuring women's fertility by spanking them with thongs made from goatskin and blessed by the local Strega. There are many cultures which had similar holiday practices at similar times. So much so that one has to wonder if this was due primarily to an agricultural society having a tendency to celebrate the same things at the same times of the year, or to an more universal religion or culture, having roots far in antiquity and being handed down over the centuries, changing only slightly over the generations? Our tradition celebrates with a Brid's Bed, in which our Brid's Doll, made of corn, or straw, and dressed very prettily, is placed. She is the Maiden at this time, young, playful, and belonging only to herself, or virginal. Alongside her is placed an acorn wand, sized according to the Doll's size, which represents the penis, the regenerative male force in nature. We tell Brid our secret dreams and wishes that we want to see manifest. This is a time when we look to the future and dream! This is the Sabbat where we can plan ahead for what "seeds" we will "sow" in the coming year, and how we plan to nurture our seeds for a successful harvest later. Other customs include lit candles in every window of the house, and keeping a perpetual candle on the Altar to Brid. Seeds are brought into circle to be blessed by the Goddess and the Gods and to absorb the circle's vibrant energy. Chant, dance, and sing, and send energy back into the earth to help her awaken, so that Spring may once more bloom. Straw can be woven into "Brid's Cross", "Bridget's Knot", or "Corn Maiden" and hung in the corners of rooms, over doorways, and over beds, for fertility, prosperity, and for the blessings of the Goddess. Remember - fertility doesn't necessarily mean having babies! Fertility of the mind, imagination, and of projects you are working to bring to "birth" are also desired manifestations, and will be blessed by fertility rituals. If you are of child-bearing ability and do not wish to be pregnant, than stress that the fertility you desire is of the mind, or of a certain project, or your creativity, etc, and that is what you will manifest. It is also traditional in some covens for the Priestess to wear a crown of thirteen candles, a lunar number, representing herself as the Maiden of Light. Some covens have a crown made up, others use thirteen small electric bulbs instead of candles (which seems safer!). This is the Feast of Light, as the winter is dying away, and the sun grows stronger, and so bonfires are especially appropriate as well. In ages past, people jumped the bonefires to be cured of winter colds and flu. This is the holiday to bring your candles to circle, to have them be blessed by the Sabbat energies. We have small candles of each color in circle, and we mark them appropriately with symbols. Then during the year, when we dress any candle for any purpose, we add a few drops from our Imbolc candles, so that the Sabbat blessings and energy will also be added to the working. The candles, the bonefires, and the lights are all symbolically adding energy to the waxing sun. In addition, they have another purpose. For remember at Samhain, Persephone went to the Underworld, to greet and care for the spirits of the dead? That was three months ago, and now, it is time for us to signal to her to return, and bring Spring back to the earth. We light the way for her to see her way back from Hades, and to remind her that we, with Demeter, are awaiting her here among the living. In our tradition, this Sabbat is the only Sabbat where new coveners can be initiated into first degree. This makes this holiday a special one for us as it marks our "birthday" into the Craft! We always have a birthday cake for ourselves, and we celebrate together our inititation anniversary. We also use one candle for each covener, a large white candle, which is dressed, blessed, and lit only on Imbolc, and on each succeeding Imbolc thereafter until it is burned out. This candle is special to us, and among other things is a symbol of the Light which we are now celebrating, and which we embody. The usual colors for Imbolc are white and yellow. White contains all the other colors in the spectrum, and therefore embodies all colors, and is a symbol of all possibilities; the beginning, the new. Yellow has always been the color associated with the Sun, along with gold, and is a call to the Sun to continue strengthening, and chase winter away. Traditional foods include potatoes, carrots, and any root vegetables, as people in ancient times were getting near the bottom of their root cellar by now. Also corn, as it is yellow for the Sun, and so many cultures relied on corn as a main staple of their diets. Lambs were being born around this time, and so lamb was also served at this holiday, along with rabbits, which were easy to trap, and other wild animals who stayed above ground during the cold months. We serve a hearty red wine during the God's half of the year, but you can also serve milk, since this was a celebration of the "freshening" of the goats as well. Indeed, it was often a "Milk Festival" and Oimelc means "milk of ewes". Ideas for ritual can be the making of Brid's Beds, Brigit's Knots, Corn Dollies, as well as blessing seeds for your garden, blessing the water for the seeds, and blessing your candles for the coming year, to name just a few. In our tradition, we don't do personal magick on the Sabbats. We save that for the remaining 357 days of the year! Sabbats are for returning energy to the Gods and Goddesses, for being thankful for our blessings, and for blessing our dreams, wishes, and hopes. We make plans for the development of our lives on a spiritual level; for example: a happy home, healthy environment, peaceful country, and the renewal of the earth would be appropriate blessings for the Sabbat, and wonderful ideals to give your energy towards. Symbols of Imbolc: Brideo'gas, Besoms, White Flowers, Candle Wheels, Brighid's Crosses, Priapic Wands (acorn-tipped), and Ploughs. Herbs of Imbolc: Angelica, Basil, Bay Laurel, Blackberry, Celandine, Coltsfoot, Heather, Iris, Myrrh, Tansy, Violets, and all white or yellow flowers. Foods of Imbolc: Pumpkin seeds, Sunflower seeds, Poppyseed Cakes, muffins, scones, and breads, all dairy products, Peppers, Onions, Garlic, Raisins, Spiced Wines and Herbal Teas. Incense of Imbolc: Basil, Bay, Wisteria, Cinnamon, Violet, Vanilla, Myrrh. Colors of Imbolc: White, Pink, Red, Yellow, lt. Green, Brown. Stones of Imbolc: Amethyst, Bloodstone, Garnet, Ruby, Onyx, Turquoise. Activities of Imbolc: Candle Lighting, Stone Gatherings, Snow Hiking and Searching for Signs of Spring, Making of Brideo'gas and Bride's Beds, Making Priapic Wands, Decorating Ploughs, Feasting, and Bon Fires maybe lit.

Yule Lore (December 21st) Yule, (pronounced EWE-elle) is when the dark half of the year relinquishes to the light half. Starting the next morning at sunrise, the sun climbs just a little higher and stays a little longer in the sky each day. Yule Introduction Copyright Lady Bridget 1996 Yule, also known as the Winter Solstice, has so many traditions associated with it that there are entire books dedicated to this subject. Many of the customs will be quite familiar as they have been adopted by other religions into their practices, and that is how much of the tradition has survived. Firstly, Yule, or the Winter Solstice, occurs when the Sun enters the sign Capricorn, and is at 0 ° Capricorn. Thus, Yule is a "minor" Sabbat because it is at zero degrees, the beginning of the energy. This is the longest night of the year, at the darkest time of the year. In ancient times, it was believed that the Sun needed our help to return, so the people would light bonfires both to strenghthen the Sun through sympathetic magic and also to show the Sun the way back to the earth. Lighted candles in windows and lights on houses and trees (Christmas tree lights) are the leftover symbols of these bonfires, and are meant to symbolize and aid the return of the Sun. This was also a season of the year when the herds were culled, as there was only enough food to feed the strong and young who would be needed to breed in the spring. Weak cattle who may not survive the winter anyway were sacrificed, or just slaughtered, and used for feasting, or salted and saved. They were also traded, along with many other items, for this time of year, many people had time on their hands. The hunting was harder now because of the weather, and there was no agricultural concerns going on in the northern areas, so people had time to create and make things. The gifts that some of us still exchange at Yule originally were from trading what one had extra for what one lacked. During the Kalends in Rome, January 1-3, handmade gifts were exchanged, and this tradition also took place in Egypt at their new year, where people exhcanged scent bottles and scarabs for good luck in the coming year. We still exchange gifts at Yule, the only rule we adhere to is that they must be handmade - and I have always been the lucky recipient of the most excellent crafted things imaginable! The main focus of most Yuletide celebrations is the rebirth of the Sun, as this is when the Goddess gives birth to the Sun in many traditions. In addition to the theme of birth, we also have the theme of death, symbolized by the Yule log. The ancient druids worshiped the Great Trees, symbolic of the Gods, and often sang or chanted to them and poured libations to them, as well as made other offerings. The custom of "wassailing" is a descendent of of the druids "wassailing" the trees. The word means to "wish good health to" and at one time was associated with many other holidays, not just this one. The Yule log is also "wassailed", being decorated with mistletoe, holly, ivy, red berries, and bright ribbons, and having libations poured over it, and also being sung to, especially while it is burning. The Yule log symbolized the sacrificed god, since the druids believed that only the sacrifice of a Great Tree was strong enough to bring back the Sun. In Rome, their Yule log was expected to burn during the entire 12 days of the Saturnalia, a mighty Tree indeed! Pieces of the Yule log were then kept to protect the home and family throughout the coming year, and also used to light the following years log. This is the last traces of the Perpetual Fire that was once kept in honor of many Gods and Goddesses. Many of the older celebrations were extremely baudy and a time for regular hierarchies in society to be turned around. During the Saturnalia, for example, slaves were allowed freedom, there was cross-dressing between the sexes and also between the classes. Inhibitions and prohibitions were mostly lifted, and drunkeness and lascivity were allowed. This kind of behavior was associated with many of the traditions celebrated at the Winter Solstice, and even carried through to the Middle Ages. So much so, that the Puritans in England, and in New England, forbid the practice of Christmas, saying that it was a Pagan holiday, and would not allow it in their religion. The Christmas season, as we know it, with it's high emphasis on the birth of Christ, on family reunions, and on gift-giving, is largely a product of our American culture, and is only about 150 years old, if that. As far as the birth of Christ is concerned, prior to 354 AD there was no official date for the birth of Jesus. However, the Mithraic religion, as Chritianity's closest rival, celebrated the birth of Mithras on Dec. 25th. Constantine, the Roman emperor at that time, and more or less converted to Chrisianity himself (though not actually baptized until he was on his death- bed), was being pressured by the Christian priests to ban this Pagan holiday. Contstantine was a pragmatic ruler, by all accounts, and he knew that the common people would either revolt, or celebrate it anyway. He therefore decreed that Dec. 25th was to be celebrated as the birth of Jesus. The observance of this date as Jesus' birthday was not actually accepted by Christians except in Rome. The Bible, and the early Christians, were much more interested in Christ's resurrection, as proof of immortality in Jesus, than in his birth. Today, almost the only Christian sect to oppose celebrating Christmas is the Jehovah's Witnesses, who rightly recognize that the traditions carried out are totally Pagan in their origin. Especially the Christams tree, with it's garland, lights, and ornaments, has it's roots in the Druid worship of the Trees. The garland represents the circle of life, the never-ending cycles of the Goddess, and also the snake, which is a sacred animal to the Goddess. The lights, as discussed above, add energy to the Sun, and are an encouragement for the Sun's return. Glass balls were to reflect evil, thereby protecting against the "evil eye", and also to reflect the lights on the tree (originally candles on the tree) and increase the effectiveness of their light. Candy canes are a reminder of the renewal of all life as they are symbolic of the maypole, with their red and white colors, which stand for the blood and the milk of the Goddess, the ancient waters of life. Ti1nsel and icicles are fertility magic also, representing the rains which will come to fertilize the earth in the spring. Bells were used to purify the air, and to summon the friendly spirits for protection. The star at the top of the tree is our own pentagram, representing the four elements of air, earth, fire and water, overseen by Spirit. Holly and Ivy were seen as the male and fenale principles (respectively) and were believed to bring good luck and fertility to men and women. Holly, berries, pine cones, and acorns were all used to signify the God aspect at this season, while the wreath symbolized the Goddess aspect. As a complete circle, the wreath symbolized the circle of life, the wheel of the year, and the sacred cycles of the Goddess, and was usually decorated with the holly, berries, ribbons, etc. of the God, and so combined both aspects in one decoration. Of course, mistletoe has come down as the plant most associated with the Yule season. Being a parasite, it only grows high in trees, where the seeds land after being borne on the wind. The Druids therefore believed the plant was put there by the Gods, probably by lightning bolt, or put there by the Sun. It was believed to have miraculous healing powers, be very strong good luck, and have many other magical and mystical attributes, and thus was referred to as "the Golden Bough". In Scandanavian countries, enemies would often be reconciled underneath boughs containing mistletoe, and any contract thus made could never be broken. Thus comes our custom of kissing beneath the mistletoe. There are many other customs from many cultures, as was mentioned earlier, and these are but a few. The Yuletide season was celebrated in almost every known civilization, and many traditions have survived in altered forms from many different cultures. Researching these customs is both informative and fascinating, and will enrich your knowledge and understanding of both your own Pagan roots, as well as the roots of other religions. The bibliography to follow is just a sampling of what is available on this subject...Enjoy! Symbolism of Yule:Rebirth of the Sun, The longest night of the year, The Winter Solstice, Introspect, Planning for the Future. Symbols of Yule: Yule log, or small Yule log with 3 candles, evergreen boughs or wreaths, holly, mistletoe hung in doorways, gold pillar candles, baskets of clove studded fruit, a simmering pot of wassail, poinsettias, christmas cactus. Herbs of Yule: Bayberry, blessed thistle, evergreen, frankincense holly, laurel, mistletoe, oak, pine, sage, yellow cedar. Foods of Yule: Cookies and caraway cakes soaked in cider, fruits, nuts, pork dishes, turkey, eggnog, ginger tea, spiced cider, wassail, or lamb's wool (ale, sugar, nutmeg, roasted apples). Incense of Yule: Pine, cedar, bayberry, cinnamon. Colors of Yule: Red, green, gold, white, silver, yellow, orange. Stones of Yule: Rubies, bloodstones, garnets, emeralds, diamonds Activities of Yule: Caroling, wassailing the trees, burning the Yule log, decorating the Yule tree, exchanging of presents, kissing under the mistletoe, honoring Kriss Kringle the Germanic Pagan God of Yule Spellworkings of Yule: Peace, harmony, love, and increased happiness. Deities of Yule: Goddesses-Brighid, Isis, Demeter, Gaea, Diana, The Great Mother. Gods-Apollo, Ra, Odin, Lugh, The Oak King, The Horned One, The Green Man, The Divine Child, Mabon. December celebrates the birth of the Sun God, born of the Goddess and God. Yule is the time of greatest darkness and has the shortest days of the year. Fires and candles are lit to welcome the return of the Sun Gods light, while the Goddess rests after delivery, and the hardships of her winter in labor. Adorning the Yule Log Materials: Holly, Mistletoe, Rosebuds, Pine Cones, Evergreen Sprigs, Gold String/Cord, Gold Bows, Apple Cider, Flour. After cleaning off the Yule log, let the children decorate it how ever they chose. Glue, wire, or small holes in the log will help to adhere the decorations. Once the log is decorated, "wassail" (toast and douse) it with a libation of apple cider. Finally, dust the log with white flour, set in grate in fireplace, and (parents only) set ablaze. (Explain to children how Yule logs used to smolder for 12 days before there was another ceremony to put the log out. Then apart of the log was strapped to the plow the next spring to spread the blessings over the land, and another piece was saved to light the next Yule's log, the next year.) Sunny Disposition Wreath (For the older kids) Materials: 1-2 Large Bundles Evergreen Boughs, 1 Bundle Holly, 1 Wreath Frame (Wire or Styrofoam), Garden Clippers, Spool of Fine Green Wire, 2 Yards Red Ribbon, Adornments. Cut boughs into 6" to 8" pieces. Same with Holly. Cut about 20- 15" pieces of the wire. Gather a bundle of boughs together, thicker at the back and fanning out in the front. Wrap wire around the bundle about 2/3 from the top. Hold bundle in place and wrap wire around the bundle and the frame. Repeat this step, only adding a sprig of holly in front. Repeat steps 1 and 2, adding holly to bundle every other time. Make sure that all the bundles face the same direction. Where the last bundle meets the bottom of the first bundle is usually barer than the rest of the wreath, so that is where you can attach a large yellow, orange, red, or gold bow to symbolize the Sun King. Now you are ready to wire on all sorts of adornments, candies, pine cones, rosebuds, seashells, small bells, or anything to make it more personal. (Tell kids about how evergreen boughs and holly were hung both inside and outside of the homes to extend and invitation to the nature sprites to join in the Yule celebration.) The Yule Tree The Celtic Druids venerated evergreen trees as manifestations of deity and as symbols of the universe. To the Celts, these trees were sacred because they did not die from year to year like deciduous trees. Therefore they represented the eternal aspect of the Goddess who also never dies. Their greenery was symbolic of the hope for the sun's return. The Druids decorated the evergreen trees at Yule with all the images of the things they wished the waxing year to bring. Fruits for a successful harvest, love charms for happiness, nuts for fertility, and coins for wealth adorned the trees. These were forerunners to many of the images on today's Christmas trees. Candles were the forerunners of today's electric tree lights. In Scandinavia, Yule trees were brought inside to provide a warm and festive place for tree elementals who inhabited the woodland. This was also a good way to coax the native faery folk to participate in Solstice rituals. Some believed the Saxons were the first to place candles in the tree. Gradually sacred tree imagery was absorbed and minimalized by the Christian church--but it was never able to destroy trees' resonance within our collective unconscious completely. We realize when we plant a tree we are encouraging the Earth to breathe. And when we decorate our evergreen trees at Yule, we are making a symbol of our dream world with the objects we hang upon it. Perhaps a chain or garland, reflecting the linking of all together on Earth. Lights--for the light of human consciousness, animal figures who serve as our totems, fruits and colors that nourish and give beauty to our world, gold and silver for prosperity, treats and nuts that blend sweet and bitter--just as in real life. The trees we decorate now with symbols of our perfect worlds actually animate what we esteem and what we hope for in the coming year; as from this night, the light returns, reborn. Decorating the Tree It's best to use a live tree, but if you can't, you can perform an outdoor ritual thanking a tree, making sure to leave it a gift when you're finished (either some herbs or food for the animals and birds). Start a seedling for a new tree to be planted at Beltane. If apartment rules or other conditions prevent you from using a live tree indoors, be sure to bring live evergreen garlands or wreaths into the house as decorations. * String popcorn and cranberries and hang them on the Yule tree or an outdoor tree for birds. * Decorate pine cones with glue and glitter as symbols of the faeries and place them in the Yule tree. * Glue the caps onto acorns and attach with a red string to hang on the Yule tree. * Hang little bells on the Yule tree to call the spirits and faeries. * Hang robin and wren ornaments on the tree. The robin is the animal equivalent of the Oak King, the wren of the Holly King. Each Yule and Midsummer they play out the same battle as the two kings. * Hang 6-spoked snowflakes on the branches of the tree. The Witches Rune, or Hagalaz, has 6 spokes. * Hang sun, moon, star, Holly King, faery, or fruit decorations. * String electric lights on your tree to encourage the return of the Sun. Consecrating the Tree Consecrate the Yule tree by sprinkling it with salted water, passing the smoke of incense (bayberry, pine, spruce, pine, spice, cedar, or cinnamon) through the branches, and walking around the tree with a lighted candle saying: By fire and water, air and earth, I consecrate this tree of rebirth. Symbolizing: Continuity of Life, Protection, Prosperity Types: Pine, Fir, Cedar, Juniper, other evergreens Forms: boughs, wreaths, garlands, trees Divinities: Green Goddesses & Gods; Hertha; Cybele, Attis, Dionysius (Pine); Woodland Spirits Traditions: Roman, Celtic, Teutonic, Christian OAK Symbolizing: New Solar Year; Waxing Sun; Endurance, Strength, Triumph, Protection, Good Luck Forms: Yule log, acorns, wood for sacred fires Divinities: Oak King; Oak Spirit; Sky Gods including Thor, Jupiter, Zeus Traditions: Teutonic, Celtic, Christian SACRED TREES OF WINTER SOLSTICE from the Celtic Tree Calendar Yew: Last Day of Solar Year; Death. Silver Fir: Winter Solstice Day; Birth. Birch: Month following Winter Solstice; Beginnings. written by Selena Fox The Yule Log, an ancient symbol of the season, came to us from the Celts. The log, a phallic symbol, is usually cut from an Oak tree, symbolic of the god. The entire log was decorated with holly, mistletoe, and evergreens to represent the intertwining of the god and goddess who are reunited on this sabbat. The log was burned in the hearth or fireplace. Modern pagans also have the option of using pieces of oak small enough to be burned in the cauldron. In modern times, another tradition has emerged since not everyone has fireplaces. Three holes are bored in the top of the log for three candles, representing the goddess in her three aspects -- maiden, mother, and crone. Normally these candles are white, red, and black in honor of this triple aspect. This log may be reused year after year, with the candles changed each year. An ancient rhyme of unknown origin reflects the importance of the Yule Log on this sabbat: May the log burn, May the wheel turn, May evil spurn, May the Sun return. The ashes of the yule log or spent wax from candles are tied up in a cloth for the entire year as a charm for protection, fertility, strength, and health. Yule Log Magick The yule log is a remnant of the bonfires that the European pagans would set ablaze at the time of winter solstice. These bonfires symbolized the return of the Sun. An oak log, plus a fireplace or bonfire area is needed for this form of celebration. The oak log should be very dry so that it will blaze well. On the night of Yule, carve a symbol of your hopes for the coming year into the log. Burn the log to release it's power. It can be decorated with burnable red ribbons of natural fiber and dried holly leaves. In the fireplace or bonfire area, dried kindling should be set to facilitate the burning of the log. The Yule log can be made of any wood (Oak is traditional). Each releases its own kind of magick. Ash -- brings protection, prosperity, and health Aspen -- invokes understanding of the grand design Birch -- signifies new beginnings Holly -- inspires visions and reveals past lives Oak -- brings healing, strength, and wisdom Pine -- signifies prosperity and growth Willow -- invokes the Goddess to achieve desires The burning of the Yule Log can easily become a family tradition. Begin by having parent(s) or some other family member describe the tradition of the Yule Log. The tale of the Oak King and Holly King from Celtic mythology can be shared as a story, or can be summarized with a statement that the Oak represents the waxing solar year, Winter Solstice to Summer Solstice, and the Holly represents the waning solar year, Summer Solstice to Winter Solstice. Lights are extinguished as much as possible. The family is quiet together in the darkness. Family members quietly contemplate the change in the solar year. Each in her/his own way contemplates the past calendar year, the challenges as well as the good times. Then the Yule Log fire is lit. As it begins to burn, each family member throws in one or more dried holly sprigs and says farewell to the old calendar year. Farewells can take the form of thanksgiving and appreciation and/or a banishment of old habits or personal pains. Once the Yule Log itself starts blazing, then the facilitator invites family members to contemplate the year ahead and the power of possibilities. Each member then throws in an oak twig or acorn into the fire to represent the year ahead, and calls out a resolution and/or a hope. Families using a Yule Log with candles each family member can write a bad habit and/or a wish for the upcoming year on a slip of paper and burn it in the candle flame. When this process is done, the family sings a song together. The traditional carol, "Deck the Halls," is good because it mentions the Solstice, the change in the solar year, and the Yule Log. Let the Yule Log burn down to a few chunks of charred wood and ashes (or candles burn down). Following an ancient tradition, save remnants of the fire and use them to start the Yule Log fire the following year. (from the Llewellyn's Witch's Calendar 1998) MAKE A YULE LOG To make a Yule Log, simply choose a dried piece of oak and decorate with burnable ribbons, evergreens, holly, and mistletoe. To make a Yule Log with candles (suitable for indoor observances when a fireplace is not available), you will need a round log at least thirteen inches long and five inches thick. Flatten the bottom of the log with a saw (preferably a power saw) by trimming off an inch or two so the log will sit without wobbling. Next determine where the three candle holes should be drilled along the top of the log. They should be evenly spaced. The size of the holes will be determined by the size candles you are using. Drill the holes 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch to accommodate the candles. The log with candles may be painted or sprayed with varnish or shellac to keep it from drying out. When the varnish is dry, insert candles and decorate it with holly, evergreens, and mistletoe. Candles may be green, red, and silver or white to represent the Oak King, the Holly King, and the Goddess; or white, red, and black to represent the Triple Goddess. Midwinter Night's Eve: Yule Introduction by Mike Nichols distributed in the public domain Our Christian friends are often quite surprised at how enthusiastically we Pagans celebrate the 'Christmas' season. Even though we prefer to use the word 'Yule', and our celebrations may peak a few days BEFORE the 25th, we nonetheless follow many of the traditional customs of the season: decorated trees, carolling, presents, Yule logs, and mistletoe. We might even go so far as putting up a 'Nativity set', though for us the three central characters are likely to be interpreted as Mother Nature, Father Time, and the Baby Sun-God. None of this will come as a surprise to anyone who knows the true history of the holiday, of course. In fact, if truth be known, the holiday of Christmas has always been more Pagan than Christian, with it's associations of Nordic divination, Celtic fertility rites, and Roman Mithraism. That is why both Martin Luther and John Calvin abhorred it, why the Puritans refused to acknowledge it, much less celebrate it (to them, no day of the year could be more holy than the Sabbath), and why it was even made ILLEGAL in Boston! The holiday was already too closely associated with the birth of older Pagan gods and heroes. And many of them (like Oedipus, Theseus, Hercules, Perseus, Jason, Dionysus, Apollo, Mithra, Horus and even Arthur) possessed a narrative of birth, death, and resurrection that was uncomfortably close to that of Jesus. And to make matters worse, many of them pre-dated the Christian Savior. Ultimately, of course, the holiday is rooted deeply in the cycle of the year. It is the Winter Solstice that is being celebrated, seed-time of the year, the longest night and shortest day. It is the birthday of the new Sun King, the Son of God -- by whatever name you choose to call him. On this darkest of nights, the Goddess becomes the Great Mother and once again gives birth. And it makes perfect poetic sense that on the longest night of the winter, 'the dark night of our souls', there springs the new spark of hope, the Sacred Fire, the Light of the World, the Coel Coeth. That is why Pagans have as much right to claim this holiday as Christians. Perhaps even more so, as the Christians were rather late in laying claim to it, and tried more than once to reject it. There had been a tradition in the West that Mary bore the child Jesus on the twenty-fifth day, but no one could seem to decide on the month. Finally, in 320 C.E., the Catholic Fathers in Rome decided to make it December, in an effort to co-opt the Mithraic celebration of the Romans and the Yule celebrations of the Celts and Saxons. There was never much pretense that the date they finally chose was historically accurate. Shepherds just don't 'tend their flocks by night' in the high pastures in the dead of winter! But if one wishes to use the New Testament as historical evidence, this reference may point to sometime in the spring as the time of Jesus's birth. This is because the lambing season occurs in the spring and that is the only time when shepherds are likely to 'watch their flocks by night' -- to make sure the lambing goes well. Knowing this, the Eastern half of the Church continued to reject December 25, preferring a 'movable date' fixed by their astrologers according to the moon. Thus, despite its shaky start (for over three centuries, no one knew when Jesus was supposed to have been born!), December 25 finally began to catch on. By 529, it was a civic holiday, and all work or public business (except that of cooks, bakers, or any that contributed to the delight of the holiday) was prohibited by the Emperor Justinian. In 563, the Council of Braga forbade fasting on Christmas Day, and four years later the Council of Tours proclaimed the twelve days from December 25 to Epiphany as a sacred, festive season. This last point is perhaps the hardest to impress upon the modern reader, who is lucky to get a single day off work. Christmas, in the Middle Ages, was not a SINGLE day, but rather a period of TWELVE days, from December 25 to January 6. The Twelve Days of Christmas, in fact. It is certainly lamentable that the modern world has abandoned this approach, along with the popular Twelfth Night celebrations. Of course, the Christian version of the holiday spread to many countries no faster than Christianity itself, which means that 'Christmas' wasn't celebrated in Ireland until the late fifth century; in England, Switzerland, and Austria until the seventh; in Germany until the eighth; and in the Slavic lands until the ninth and tenth. Not that these countries lacked their own mid-winter celebrations of Yuletide. Long before the world had heard of Jesus, Pagans had been observing the season by bringing in the Yule log, wishing on it, and lighting it from the remains of last year's log. Riddles were posed and answered, magic and rituals were practiced, wild boars were sacrificed and consumed along with large quantities of liquor, corn dollies were carried from house to house while carolling, fertility rites were practiced (girls standing under a sprig of mistletoe were subject to a bit more than a kiss), and divinations were cast for the coming Spring. Many of these Pagan customs, in an appropriately watered-down form, have entered the mainstream of Christian celebration, though most celebrants do not realize (or do not mention it, if they do) their origins. For modern Witches, Yule (from the Anglo-Saxon 'Yula', meaning 'wheel' of the year) is usually celebrated on the actual Winter Solstice, which may vary by a few days, though it usually occurs on or around December 21st. It is a Lesser Sabbat or Lower Holiday in the modern Pagan calendar, one of the four quarter-days of the year, but a very important one. Pagan customs are still enthusiastically followed. Once, the Yule log had been the center of the celebration. It was lighted on the eve of the solstice (it should light on the first try) and must be kept burning for twelve hours, for good luck. It should be made of ash. Later, the Yule log was replaced by the Yule tree but, instead of burning it, burning candles were placed on it. In Christianity, Protestants might claim that Martin Luther invented the custom, and Catholics might grant St. Boniface the honor, but the custom can demonstrably be traced back through the Roman Saturnalia all the way to ancient Egypt. Needless to say, such a tree should be cut down rather than purchased, and should be disposed of by burning, the proper way to dispatch any sacred object. Along with the evergreen, the holly and the ivy and the mistletoe were important plants of the season, all symbolizing fertility and everlasting life. Mistletoe was especially venerated by the Celtic Druids, who cut it with a golden sickle on the sixth night of the moon, and believed it to be an aphrodisiac. (Magically -- not medicinally! It's highly toxic!) But aphrodisiacs must have been the smallest part of the Yuletide menu in ancient times, as contemporary reports indicate that the tables fairly creaked under the strain of every type of good food. And drink! The most popular of which was the 'wassail cup' deriving its name from the Anglo-Saxon term 'waes hael' (be whole or hale). Medieval Christmas folklore seems endless: that animals will all kneel down as the Holy Night arrives, that bees hum the '100th psalm' on Christmas Eve, that a windy Christmas will bring good luck, that a person born on Christmas Day can see the Little People, that a cricket on the hearth brings good luck, that if one opens all the doors of the house at midnight all the evil spirits will depart, that you will have one lucky month for each Christmas pudding you sample, that the tree must be taken down by Twelfth Night or bad luck is sure to follow, that 'if Christmas on a Sunday be, a windy winter we shall see', that 'hours of sun on Christmas Day, so many frosts in the month of May', that one can use the Twelve Days of Christmas to predict the weather for each of the twelve months of the coming year, and so on. Remembering that most Christmas customs are ultimately based upon older Pagan customs, it only remains for modern Pagans to reclaim their lost traditions. In doing so, we can share many common customs with our Christian friends, albeit with a slightly different interpretation. And thus we all share in the beauty of this most magical of seasons, when the Mother Goddess once again gives birth to the baby Sun-God and sets the wheel in motion again. To conclude with a long-overdue paraphrase, 'Goddess bless us, every one!'

FIVE FOLD KISS FEMALE The High Priest kneels before the High Priestess and gives her the Five Fold Kiss; that is, he kisses her on both feet, both knees, womb, both breasts, and the lips, starting with the right of each pair. He says, as he does this: "Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways. Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar. Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be. Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty. Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names." For the kiss on the lips, they embrace, length-to-length, with their feet touching each others. When he reaches the womb, she spreads her arms wide, and the same after the kiss on the lips. FIVE FOLD KISS MALE The High Priestess kneels before the High Priest and gives him the Five Fold Kiss; that is, she kisses him on both feet, both knees, phallus, both breasts, and the lips, starting with the right of each pair. she says, as she does this: "Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways. Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar. Blessed be thy phallus, without which we would not be. Blessed be thy breasts, formed in strength. Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names." For the kiss on the lips, they embrace, length-to-length, with their feet touching each others. When she reaches the phallus, he spreads his arms wide, and the same after the kiss on the lips. Farrar, Janet and Stewart; "Eight Sabbats For Witches"; Robert Hale 1983 Transcribed to computer file by Seastrider

"What's in a name? A rose by any other name, wouldst smell as sweet." --William Shakespeare Perhaps that is so, and if so, why all the fuss about choosing the right magickal name or craft name? Indeed, why even bother to choose a name at all? What's wrong with just being "Sue" or "Bill" ? Let's take the example of the rose. When you hear the word "rose" you get a definite picture in your mind, you see a color, you see the flower, you know what scent to expect, and you also know it will have thorns. Those are the attributes of a rose. So when I say "rose" and you hear "rose" we may not be seeing exactly the same mental image, but we will be talking about basically the same flower. So it is with names, craft names and magickal names especially. Not every "Sue" or "Bill" is alike, and when you hear that name, it may not bring up any mental images for you at all. If you know someone already with that name, you will naturally think of that person, and compare them to this one. Magickal names, therefore, are to conjure up a mental image of the attributes of the name itself, or the God or Goddess associated with it. The same holds true with magickal names that are of plants or animals. Each has attributes that are beneficial and will bring those to mind when you hear that name. People will take the name of an animal to encourage the good qualities of that animal in their personalities, or to strengthen tendencies they already possess towards those qualities. Not all qualities are desirable, however, and you need to remember when picking this name that you will also get the less beneficial ones along with the ones you are seeking. For example, a rose has thorns. Many animals have sharp teeth and claws for defense or attack. Some are carnivores and prey on creatures smaller than themselves. Does this mean that if you take the name of a tiger (such as tigershadow) that you will become a bully? Probably not, but why ARE you taking the name? Be clear just what the attributes are, both the positive ones that you want, and also the ones that you may not like very much. Our tradition usually encourages people to take on God or Goddess names as a craft name, especially for inner court working. This requires research in at least three different sources to be sure that all sides of this personality are known. You see, these names have been used for centuries, and myths have been told and retold, and there is definite energy associated with these names on the astral plane. The myths will give you clues as to how this Deity behaves, and what are his or her attributes. Three sources are the minimum needed because many books will give you slightly different versions or different stories. I was researching my first degree name and I had almost chosen a Goddess, when I came across a few stories where she was said to have eaten her children. I took that to be selfishness, (myths are almost never literal) and decided that as a mother of two, I didn't want to take on that much selfishness. A little is necessary for your own survival, but I judged that story to illustrate an attribute I didn't want to emphasize in my life. I kept looking and chose another name at that time. Another reason to choose a magickal name is to let your younger self out to play, and to expand and allow your rational self to be the person you have always wanted to be. You are not the mundane person who goes to work from 9 to 5 everyday - when you are in circle, you let the magickal, spiritual, real you come out! A magickal name will assist you in this, if you are careful and choose the correct one for you. From time to time, a student may ask a teacher or close friend to aid them in choosing a name, or in choosing between a few names that they like. That's fine if the person knows you well and will be honest with you, but please, don't ask another person to name you. This is too great a responsibility for another person. It's up to you to decide how you want to grow in the Craft, and what kind of person you wish to be. Others can help, but only by doing the research and the actual choosing yourself can you be certain that you have picked a name which will allow you to grow into it gracefully. One last thought on names - when you are choosing this name, know that it will not be the last name that you choose. You aren't stuck with it for life! As you grow in the Craft and change, your name can change with you. Try not to take on more than you can handle at first. "Isis" is not a name to start with, as this Goddess is widely worshipped, powerful, and has a lot of hidden mysteries. You can end up as Isis as you grow in the Craft, but you will be much better off, and have less to deal with, if you choose a more local diety, or one that is less complicated. That will give you smaller changes that are easier to handle, and attributes that may be more smoothly integrated into your life. Blessed Be!