John Conlin October, 2010

Samhain

“When the night drifts into stillness, past the witching hour’s toll,

Where the shadows fall in silence and darkness reaches for my soul.”

I stand before the large iron cauldron, waiting. Colder, heavy air settles down upon my robe and I breathe deeply. Patiently I wait, my senses spreading out, reaching into the night searching for the moment, listening for Her ancient whisper. Slow are her old ways, subtle is her deep touch as she presides over the decaying memories of yesterday. I imagine her walking through the forest laying her hands upon the trees she passes, reminding them its time to sleep. The last few golden leaves drift unseen, down to the forest’s floor to become forgotten as she continues her lone walk. I can feel the forest resign to its shadowed fate. I can smell the transformation of energy as all that the Sun has forgotten yields its essence back to the Earth. I’ve found my connection. I am within the moment. Nothing is moving as my self imposed boundaries fall away and the veil between the worlds fades before me. I strike my staff to the earth 3 times and call out…

“Deep between the worlds I call

Through the veil and down the halls

Within the other realms, my words heard true by all.”

Again I strike my staff 3 times saying out loud,…

“Through the above and through the below

Through the Quarters do my words now flow

Moving within, moving between

The realms of existence

Beyond what is seen”

3 last times I strike my staff, calling out ….

“Keeper of midnight, in shadow’s hold

For the Crone’s dark blessings and the secrets of old

Ancient ones, spirits of dark and light

All who have walked this path before me

I call to you this Samhain night”

I remain still for a moment before lighting a black candle and using it to ignite the wood in the cauldron. As it catches and the flames begin to dance above the cauldron I pull a list of names I wrote on a piece of parchment from my robe pocket. The fire illuminates the deep night just enough so I can read the names of those whose recent crossings have touched me. When I have thoughtfully read their names I give the parchment to the fire. I turn my thoughts to my own ancestors and make an offering of sage and incense into the cauldron. I stand alone in the quiet of the night but I feel surrounded. I drift between smiling and crying, between hope and despair, over what I want and those things that do not seem fair. Looking, reaching, almost begging to learn of the mysteries that move just beyond my comprehension, I feel the weight of the unknown upon me. I realize that I am wrapped in the cloak of the Crone. Her dark mantle feels so heavy as to seemingly slow my heart. That is exactly what is necessary in order to see into her world.  It is a world that lies hidden beneath what is easily seen by most. A world of patient strength and timeless support that transforms memories into new dreams, is the realm over which she watches.  Hers is the world that comforts the tired and the broken until they are ready to begin their journey anew. From so simple a thing as a golden leaf falling back to the forest floor, so do all things ebb and flow upon this great circle of life and death. It is here within the darkness where I best realize the sacred importance of all that quietly inspires life’s splendor and then welcomes it back when its beauty has withered. I do not know how long I have stood leaning on my staff before a dark cauldron but I sense dawn is near. The weight has left me and as I take a long deep breath I draw inside a small piece of the darkness. Maybe it will help me to see beyond the veils that so often distract me and keep me from seeing something more.

Tags: holiday, ritual, sabbat, samhain

• Spells & Rituals

Hearthkeeper October, 2010

Samhain is a time to honor our ancestors. The veil between here and Summerland is at it’s thinnest and we can commune and communicate with our loved ones who have moved on to the next phase of their lives.  It has become traditional to have a “dumb” supper. This is a meal that is eaten in silence by candle light. Each food can be as simple or as gourmet as you wish it to be. I like mostly simple made with foods from my garden or local farms. I will add the correspondences before the recipes.

Symbols: Third Harvest, wisdom of the Crone, death of the God, reflection on our place in the Wheel of the Year, reincarnation, the dark mysteries, Rebirth after Death.

Foods: Beef, Pork, Poultry, Colcannon, Bonfire Toffee,  anything with Apples, Doughnuts, Roasted Ear Corn, Popcorn, Caramel Corn, Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Bread, Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, King Cake, Pomegranates, Sweet Potatoes, Squash, Beets, Turnips, Nuts, Gingerbread, Cider, Mulled Wines, Mead, Late Autumn Fruits.

Plants & herbs: Angelica, Burdock, Catnip, Pennyroyal, Rosemary, Rue, Sunflower, Sage, Thyme, Wild Ginseng, Tarragon, Mugwort, Calendula, Chrysanthemum, Cosmos and Marigold.

HOT SPICED PUNCH

1 large can of unsweetened pineapple juice

1 quart of cranberry juice cocktail

1 cup brown sugar

3 – 2″ sticks of cinnamon

1 Tablespoon of whole cloves
Put the cloves in a cloth bag. Boil in 2 cups of water. Let cool. Pour clove water and juices into large container. Mix well. Pour into large kettle and bring to a boil. Serve hot in cups or mugs.

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
Sea salt
pepper, freshly ground
1 can (1 pound) pumpkin, or 2 cups fresh, peeled, and cubed
2 Yukon Gold (or yellow) potato, peeled and cubed
5 cups Chicken broth( or vegetable)
2-3 tablespoons dry sherry
1/2 cup half-and-half or soy cream (optional)

In a heavy soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the
Onion for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add in the chopped carrots
and celery and stir in the spices. Lower the heat and gently cook for
About 10 minutes, being careful not to overbrown the onions.

Add in the pumpkin, potato, and vegetable broth and stir. Add in the dry
Sherry, stir, and bring to a slow simmer, cooking the soup for about
25-35 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Remove from heat.

Carefully ladle the soup into a blender. Cover and puree the soup until
It is smooth and creamy. Return the puree to the soup pot and adjust the
Seasoning to your taste. Stir in the half-and-half, if desired, and
Blend until smooth. Serve at once in a festive bowls with a basket of
Warm bread  or croutons.

Serves 4-6

Wild Thyme Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
1 package spiral pasta
1 jar artichoke hearts

Lightly sautéed (or steamed) mushrooms, onion, broccoli, zucchini, carrots and

peppers(I use frozen broccoli stir fry veggies) cooled
Sliced tomatoes
Wild Thyme dressing( see below) you can use robusto Italian dressing in a pinch
Boil pasta. Let cool then add sliced tomatoes, mushrooms & artichoke hearts.
Mix well & add the seasoning. Let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours, Serve chilled.

Wild Thyme Dressing

1/2 c olive oil

1/8 c vinegar

½ tsp wild thyme

¼ tsp rosemary

¼ minced garlic

1/8 c roasted red pepper

Salt/ pepper to taste

Place in blender and blend until smooth. Place in jar and refrigerate until needed.

Quick and Simple fruit compote

INGREDIENTS:
4 apples, peeled, cored, chopped into chunks
1/2 cup pineapple with juice
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tbs. Brown sugar

DIRECTIONS:
Place the apples in a food processor or blender and process
For 1 minute. If you don’t have either of these appliances,
Then just chop the apples by hand, very small. Place the
Apples, pineapple and juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a
Saucepan and stir to combine the ingredients. Cook on medium
Low for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the
Heat and let the sauce cool for 15 minutes. Store the sauce
In a jar in the refrigerator.

Yield: 2 cups of Apple Sauce

Remembrance roast

1 chicken or pork loin roast

1 small Onion, chopped

1 cloves Garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon Fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 Bay leaf, crushed

1/2 teaspoon Celery seeds

1/2 teaspoon Dry thyme

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon

Garlic powder

salt & pepper to taste

Fold 2 large sheets of aluminum foil together with a double fold. There should be enough to enclose the roast. Place roast on foil. Sprinkle other ingredients over top. Enclose roast tightly in foil and cook in 300 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes PER pound. Until roast reaches 160 degrees.

Cheesy Rosemary Biscuits

Old fashioned biscuits are a treat at any season.

2 cups unbleached, all purpose flour
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese or cheddar
2 1/2tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced
1 stick unsalted butter or margarine, chilled
1/2 cup milk (or more if needed)
2-3 Tbs. dry sherry
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl combine the flour, cheese, baking powder,
salt, rosemary .
Cut the chilled butter into pieces and mix into the
flour mixture, crumbling the dough.
Add the milk and sherry and quickly ,mix the dough
just until the ingredients are moistened. Lightly
knead the dough inside the bowl a few times to
form a ball, and place on a floured surface. Roll out the dough with
a floured rolling pin ), to  about 1/2 inch thick.

Cut out rounds with a cookie cutter or jelly glass
and place them on a baking sheet. Bake them for 10
to 12 minutes, until they are golden brown.

Makes about 15 to 18 biscuits.

Garlic String beans

1-2 pounds fresh string beans

2 cloves garlic

Butter or olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Sautee green beans with garlic in the butter/oil until cooked crisp tender

Pumpkin Bread

2/3 cup Shortening

1 teaspoon Nutmeg

2 2/3 cups Sugar

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

4 large Eggs

2 teaspoons Baking soda

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1/2 teaspoon Baking powder

3 1/3 cups Flour

2/3 cup Water

1 can Pumpkin

1 1/2 teaspoons Salt

Mix all the above ingredients together, pour into 2 loaf pans. Bake at 350~F for 50 – 60 minutes. You can add dates and nuts if you like.

Quick Apple Spice Cake

This is the fastest quickest cake recipe for those pagans that have not got enough time

to really cook!

You will need the following:

1 spice cake mix

1 small package of vanilla pudding

1 can apple pie filling

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup milk

1 container of caramel apple dip (optional)

you will also need a microwave safe pan or Bundt type pan.

Mix all of the ingredients together except for the dip, they do not have to be mixed until
the mix is smooth. Pour into your pan and cook on 70% for 16 – 18 minutes or until done
(dry on top and pulling away from the sides). Let it cool slightly and pour the caramel
apple dip over the top and Enjoy!

Until next month
Merry Cooking and Blessed Eating
The Hearthkeeper

PS. If there is anything you would like to see here.. Please email me at  thehearthkeeper@gmail.com

Tags: holiday, Recipes, sabbat, samhain

• Recipes

CricketSong October, 2010

Our Family’s Samhain Traditions

Samhain is my favorite of the eight annual Sabbats that my family and I observed as part of the Wheel of The Year. It is a time for us to let go of the old and look ahead to the new, to break out of negative habits and to begin a healthier way of being. We understand that in dark silence comes the whisperings of new beginnings. We reflect on nature’s cycle of life, death, and rebirth as it marks the end of the harvest season. Samhain is our spiritual new year.

Our family celebrates this festival together. The children begin to look forward to it as soon as the weather turns cooler because they are aware that this sabbat is special. If Samhain falls on a week day then we keep them out of school so that we can spend the day together my husband if needed will also take the day off from work. My sister, her boyfriend and children celebrate with us. This sabbat is a family affair.

Our celebration begins around nine o’clock in the morning with everyone arriving at our house for a leisurely breakfast that I lovingly prepare for everyone. We discuss our scheduled plans for the day and what the children have decided to wear for that evening as they will be donning costumes to pass out the treats to the anticipated Trick-or-Treaters.

After we are all finished eating breakfast and the dishes have been washed, dried and put away, we head out to the local park to collect twigs, leaves and acorns. These items will be used to craft Sentinels (our gaurdians) that we charge with the energy of protection. We do this each year removing the old Sentiels from above the doors and windows and replacing them with the new ones we craft that day.

From the park we visit a local produce stand where we chose at least two large pumpkins perfect for hollowing out and carving to look like protective spirits. We also purchase a few small gourds which we will leave at the graves of our ancestors. The boys and men happily discuss how they will do the pumpkin carving, what the faces should look like and what technique they will use, as they examine our chosen pumpkins.

This is a time to celebrate the lives of our ancestors, family members, friends, pets and others whom we loved and cared about who have transitioned. We welcome their visits for we view death as a natural end to life. With this belief in our minds we pay a visit to the cemetary where our (my sister and my) Grandmother, Grandfather and Meimei are buried. We visit each grave lighting a candle, burning some incense and extending an invitation to each loved one, to come to our home and join us that evening as we hold our ritual ancestoral dinner. We take a few moments to meditate and feel the energy that is so available to us at this time of year. We leave behind one of the small gourds that we purchased.

From there we travel home as we have a lot of things left to do. We need to set out the white candles in the first floor windows to mark the way for our invited spirit guests, set up our ancestor altar with photographs and personal items of those we wish to honor on this night, craft our Sentinels, carve our pumpkins, bake pumpkin bread, make hot apple cider and begin preparing dinner. Dinner usually consists of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn and dessert; my Grandmother’s favorite meal.

We set an extra chair and place setting at the table for our ancestors whom we invited to dinner. Our carved pumpkin becomes the centerpiece for our table. We are sure to enjoy dessert before the main entrée in honor of our Grandmother. Dessert first or you may not have room later, was her motto. During the meal The Remembrance Cup is passed from family member to family member as we recite our genealogy line. We also share memories that we have of each of our grandparents. We do this with love, honor and respect. The setting is left in place on the table overnight.

Once the ritual dinner is completed, the children scamper upstairs to change into their costumes. I prepare a Reading table for my guests. Earlier in the week I was sure to send out invitations to my Samhain Open House. This evening time and space are temporarily suspended; the Veil between here and there is the thinnest allowing those who have transitioned to communicate with those who are still on this physical plane. Knowing this I offer my friends, family members and clients Tarot Readings. I schedule appointments beginning at seven o’clock and ending around midnight. I offer them homemade pumpkin bread and the hot apple cider that we prepared that afternoon. It is always such an amazing experience.

Tags: holiday, sabbat, samhain

• Articles

Administrator October, 2010

Other Names:
celtic ~ Summer’s End, pronounced “sow” (rhymes with now) “en” (Ireland), sow-een (Wales) – “mh” in the middle is a “w” sound – Greater Sabbat(High Holiday) – Fire Festival Oct 31-Nov 1(North Hemisphere) – Apr 30-May 1 – The Great Sabbat, Samhiunn, Samana, Samhuin, Sam-fuin, Samonios, Halloween, Hallomas, All Hallows Eve, All Saints/All Souls Day(Catholic), Day of the Dead (Mexican), Witches New Year, Trinoux Samonia, Celtic/ Druid New Year, Shadowfest (Strega), Martinmas or Old Hallowmas (Scotttish/Celtic) Lá Samhna (Modern Irish), Festival of the Dead, Feile Moingfinne (Snow Goddess), Hallowtide (Scottish Gaelis Dictionary), Feast of All Souls, Nos Galen-gae-of Night of the Winter Calends (Welsh), La Houney or Hollantide Day, Sauin or Souney ( Manx), oidhche na h-aimiléise-the night of mischief or confusion(Ireland), Oidhche Shamna (Scotland)

Rituals:
End of summer, honoring of the dead,scrying, divination, last harvest, meat harvest

Incense:
Copal, sandalwood, mastic resin, benzoin, sweetgrass, wormwood, mugwort, sage, myrrh or patchouli

Tools:
Besom, cauldron, tarot, obsidian ball, pendulum, runes, oghams, Ouija boards, black cauldron or bowl filled with black ink or water, or magick mirror

Stones/Gems:
Black obsidian, jasper, carnelian, onyx, smoky quartz, jet, bloodstone

Colors:
Black, orange, red

Symbols & Decorations:
Apples, autumn flowers, acorns, bat, black cat, bones, corn stalks, colored leaves, crows, death/dying, divination and the tools associated with it, ghosts, gourds, Indian corn, jack-o-lantern, nuts , oak leaves, pomegranates, pumpkins, scarecrows, scythes, waning moon

Foods:
Apples, apple dishes, cider, meat (traditionally this is the meat harvest) especially pork, mulled cider with spices, nuts-representing resurrection and rebirth, nuts, pomegranates, potatoes, pumpkins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, roasted pumpkin seeds, roasted pumpkin seeds, squash.

Goddesses:
The Crone, Hecate(Greek), Cerridwen(Welsh-Scottish), Arianrhod(Welsh), Caillech (Irish-Scottish), Baba Yaga (Russian), Al-Ilat(persian), Bast (Egyptian), Persephone (Greek), Hel(Norse), Kali(Hindu), all Death & Otherworld Goddesses

Gods:
Horned Hunter(European), Cernnunos(Greco-Celtic), Osiris(Egyptian), Hades (Greek), Gwynn ap Nudd (British), Anubis(Egyptian), Coyote Brother (Native American), Loki (Norse), Dis (Roman), Arawn (Welsh), acrificial/Dying/Aging
Gods, Death and Otherworld Gods

Herbs and Flowers:
Almond, apple leaf , autumn joy sedum, bay leaf, calendula, Cinnamon, Cloves cosmos, garlic, ginger , hazelnut, hemlock cones, mandrake root, marigold, mums, mugwort (to aid in divination), mullein seeds, nettle, passionflower, pine needles, pumpkin seeds, rosemary (for remembrance of our ancestors), rue, sage, sunflower petals and seeds, tarragon, wild ginseng, wormwood

Animals:
Stag, cat, bat, owl, jackal, elephant, ram, scorpion, heron, crow, robin

Mythical Beings:
Pooka, goblin,medusa, beansidhe, harpies

Essence:
Magick, plenty; knowledge, the night, death & rebirth, success, protection; rest, new beginning; ancestors; lifting of the veil, mundane laws in abeyance, return, change

Dynamics/Meaning:
Death & transformation, Wiccan new year,wisdom of the Crone, end of summer, honoring, thinning of the veil between worlds, death of the year, time outside of time, night of the Wild Hunt, begin new projects, end old projects

Work:
Sex magick, release of bad habits, banishing, fairy magick, divination of any kind, candle magick, astral projection, past life work, dark moon mysteries, mirror spells (reflection), casting protection , inner work, propitiation, clearing obstacles, uncrossing, inspiration, workings of transition or culmination, manifesting transformation,creative visualization, contacting those who have departed this plane

Purpose:
Honoring the dead, especially departed ancestors, knowing we will not be forgotten; clear knowledge of our path; guidance, protection, celebrating reincarnation

Rituals/Magicks:
Foreseeing future, honoring/consulting ancestors, releasing the old, power, understanding death and rebirth, entering the underworld, divination, dance of the dead, fire calling, past life recall

Customs:
Ancestor altar, costumes, divination, carving jack-o-lanterns, spirit plate, the Feast of the Dead, feasting, paying debts, fairs, drying winter herbs, masks, bonfires, apple games, tricks, washing clothes

Element:
Water

Gender:
Male

Threshold:
Midnight

Tags: halloween, holiday, sabbat, samhain

• Correspondences

Administrator September, 2010

MAY-bon, MAY-bun, MAY-bone, MAH-boon or MAH-bawn, – Lesser Sabbat – Fall/Autumn Equinox, September 21-23
Michaelmas (September 25th, Christian), Second Harvest Festival, Witches’ Thanksgiving, Harvest Home (Anglo-Celtic), Feast of Avalon, Wine Harvest, Festival of Dionysus, Cornucopia, Equinozio di Autunno (Strega), Chung Chiu (China), Night of the Hunter, Alban Elfed “The Light of the Water”(Caledonii/ Druidic-celebrates Lord of the Mysteries), Winter Finding (Teutonic, from Equinox ’til Winter Night or Nordic New Year, Oct 15th.)

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!

Purpose:
Second harvest festival, new wine pressing/making preparation for winter and Samhain, rest after labor, Pagan day of Thanksgiving, honoring the spirit world, celebration of wine.

Dynamics/Meaning:
death of the God, assumption of the Crone, balance of light and dark; increase of darkness, grape harvest, completion of the harvest.

Essence:
Beauty, joy; fullness of life, harvest of the year’s desires, strength; laughter; power; prosperity, equality, balance, appreciation, harvest, protection, wealth,
security, self-confidence, reincarnation.

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.

Tools, Symbols & Decorations:
Indian corn, red fruits, autumn flowers, red poppies, hazelnuts, garlands, grains especially wheat stalks, and colorful, fallen leaves, acorns, pine & cypress cones, oak sprigs, pomegranate, statue/or figure to represent the Mother Goddess, mabon wreath, vine, grapes, gourd, cornucopia/horns of plenty, burial cairns, apples, marigolds, harvested crops, burial cairns, rattles, the Mysteries, sun wheel, all harvest symbols.

Herbs & Plants of Maybon:
Acorn, aster, benzoin, cedar, ferns, grains, hazel, honeysuckle, hops, ivy, marigold, milkweed, mums, myrrh, oak leaf, passionflower, pine, rose, sage, solomon’s seal, tobacco, thistle, and vegetables.

Foods of Mabon:
Breads, nuts, apples, pomegranates, cornbread, wheat products, grains, berries, grapes, acorns, seeds, dried fruits, corn, beans, squash, roots (ie onions, carrots, potatoes, etc), hops, sasssafras, roast goose or mutton, wine, ale, & cider.

Incense & Oils of Mabon:
Pine, sweetgrass, apple blossom, benzoin, myrrh, frankincense, jasmine, sage wood aloes, black pepper, patchouly, cinnamon, clove, oak moss, & sage.

Colors/Candles of Mabon:
Red, orange, russet, maroon, brown, gold, deep gold, green, orange, scarlet, all autumn colors, purple, blue, violet, & indigo.

Stones of Mabon:
Sapphire, lapis lazuli, yellow agates, carnelian, yellow topaz, & amethyst.

Customs:
Offerings to land, preparing for cold weather, bringing in harvest, cutting willow wands (Druidic), eating seasonal fruit, leaving apples upon burial cairns & graves as a token of honor, walk wild places & forests, gather seed pods & dried plants, fermenting grapes to make wine,picking ripe produce, stalk bundling; fishing,. on the closest full moon (Harvest Moon) harvesting corps by moonlight.

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 and Rituals of Mabon:
Protection, security, and self-confidence. Also those of harmony and balance. Celtic Festival of the Vine, prosperity rituals, introspection, rituals which enact the elderly aspects of both Goddess & God, past life recall.

Animals/Mythical beings:
Dogs, wolves, stag, blackbird, owl, eagle, birds of prey, salmon & goat, Gnomes, Sphinx, Minotaur, Cyclops, Andamans and Gulons.

Goddesses:
Modron (Welsh), Bona Dea, Land Mother, Aging & Harvest Dieties: the Triple Goddess-Mother aspect, Persephone, Demeter/Ceres, Morgan (Welsh- Cornish), Snake Woman (aboriginal), Epona (Celtic-Gaulish), Pamona (roman), the Muses (greek)

Gods:
Mabon ap Modron (Welsh), Sky Father, The Green Man, Wine Gods, Aging Gods, John Barley Corn , the Wicker-Man, the Corn Man, Thoth (Egyptian), Hermes, Hotei (Japanese), Thor, Dionysus (Roman), Bacchus (Greek) & all wine Deities

Element/Gender:
Water

Threshold:
Evening

Tags: holiday, mabon, sabbat

• Correspondences

Administrator August, 2010

(Loo-nas-ah) Major Sabbat (High Holiday) – Fire Festival August 1, 2

Other Names: Lunasa (meaning August), Lughnasaad, Lughnasa Celtic),First Harvest, August Eve, Feast of Cardenas, Feast of Bread, Tailltean Games(Irish), Teltain Cornucopia (Strega), Ceresalia (Ancient Roman) Harvest Home, Thingtide (Teutonic), Lammas (Christian). Laa Luanys, Elembious, Festival of Green Corn (Native American)

Animals and Mythical beings: Griffins, Basilisks, Roosters, Calves, Centaurs, Phoenix

Gemstones: aventurine, citrine, peridot, sardonyx, yellow diamonds, citrine

Incense and Oils: wood aloes, rose, rose hips, rosemary, chamomile, eucalyptus, safflower, corn, passionflower, frankincense, sandalwood

Colors: red, orange, golden yellow, green, light brown, gold, bronze, gray

Tools, Symbols, and Decorations: corn, cornucopias, red, yellow flowers, sheaves of grain (wheat, barley, oats), first fruits/vegetables of garden labor, corn dollies, baskets of bread, spear, cauldron, sickle, scythe, threshing tools, sacred loaf of bread, harvested herbs, bonfires, bilberries, God figures made of bread or cookie dough, phallic symbols

Goddesses: The Mother, Dana (Lugh&’s wife & queen ), Tailltiu (Welsh-Scottish), Demeter (Greek), Ceres (Roman grain goddess .. honored at Ceresalia), the Barley Mother, Seelu (Cherokee), Corn Mother, Isis (Her birthday is celebrated about this time), Luna (Roman Moon Goddess), other agricultural Goddesses, the waxing Goddess

Gods: Lugh (Celtic, one of the Tuatha De Danaan), John Barley Corn, Arianrhod’s golden haired son Lleu (Welsh God of the Sun & Corn where corn includes all grains, not just maize), Dagon (Phoenician Grain God), Tammuz/ Dummuzi (Sumerian), Dionysus, plus all sacrificial Gods who willingly shed
blood/give their life that their people/lands may prosper, all vegetation Gods & Tanus (Gaulish Thunder God), Taranis (Romano-Celtic Thunder God), Tina, (Etruscan-Thunder God), the waning God

Essence: fruitfulness, reaping, prosperity, reverence, purification, transformation, change, The Bread of Life, The Chalice of Plenty , The Ever-flowing Cup , the Groaning Board (Table of Plenty)

Meaning: Lugh’s wedding to Mother Earth, Birth of Lugh; Death of Lugh, Celtic Grain Festival

Purpose: Honoring the parent Deities, first harvest festival, first fruits grains & drink to the Goddess in appreciation of Her bounty, offering loaves of sacred bread in the form of the God (this is where the Gingerbread Man originated)

Rituals and Magicks: astrology, prosperity, generosity, continued success, good fortune, abundance, magickal picnic, meditate & visualize yourself completing a project you’ve started

Customs and Activities: games, the traditional riding of poles/staves, country fairs, breaking bread with friends, making corn dollys, harvesting herbs for charms/rituals, Lughnasadh fire with sacred wood & dried herbs, feasting, competitions, lammas towers (fire-building team competitions), spear tossing, gathering flowers for crowns, fencing/swordplay, games of skill, martial sports, chariot races, hand-fastings, trial marriages, dancing ’round a corn mother (doll)

Foods: loaves of homemade wheat, oat, & corn bread, barley cakes, corn, potatoes, summer squash, nuts, acorns, wild berries (any type), apples, rice, pears, berry pies, elderberry wine, crab apples, mead, crab, blackberries, meadowsweet tea, grapes, cider, beer

Herbs: grain, acacia, heather, ginseng, sloe, cornstalks, cyclamen, fenugreek, aloes, frankincense, sunflower, hollyhock, oak leaf, wheat, myrtle

Element: Fire

Gender: Female

Threshold: Noon

Tags: holiday, lughnasadh, sabbat

• Correspondences

Administrator July, 2010

(Loo-nas-ah) Major Sabbat (High Holiday) – Fire Festival August 1, 2

Other Names: Lunasa (meaning August), Lughnasaad, Lughnasa Celtic),First Harvest, August Eve, Feast of Cardenas, Feast of Bread, Tailltean Games(Irish), Teltain Cornucopia (Strega), Ceresalia (Ancient Roman) Harvest Home, Thingtide (Teutonic), Lammas (Christian). Laa Luanys, Elembious, Festival of Green Corn (Native American)

Animals and Mythical beings: Griffins, Basilisks, Roosters, Calves, Centaurs, Phoenix

Gemstones: aventurine, citrine, peridot, sardonyx, yellow diamonds, citrine

Incense and Oils: wood aloes, rose, rose hips, rosemary, chamomile, eucalyptus, safflower, corn, passionflower, frankincense, sandalwood

Colors: red, orange, golden yellow, green, light brown, gold, bronze, gray

Tools, Symbols, and Decorations: corn, cornucopias, red, yellow flowers, sheaves of grain (wheat, barley, oats), first fruits/vegetables of garden labor, corn dollies, baskets of bread, spear, cauldron, sickle, scythe, threshing tools, sacred loaf of bread, harvested herbs, bonfires, bilberries, God figures made of bread or cookie dough, phallic symbols

Goddesses: The Mother, Dana (Lugh&’s wife & queen ), Tailltiu (Welsh-Scottish), Demeter (Greek), Ceres (Roman grain goddess .. honored at Ceresalia), the Barley Mother, Seelu (Cherokee), Corn Mother, Isis (Her birthday is celebrated about this time), Luna (Roman Moon Goddess), other agricultural Goddesses, the waxing Goddess

Gods: Lugh (Celtic, one of the Tuatha De Danaan), John Barley Corn, Arianrhod’s golden haired son Lleu (Welsh God of the Sun & Corn where corn includes all grains, not just maize), Dagon (Phoenician Grain God), Tammuz/ Dummuzi (Sumerian), Dionysus, plus all sacrificial Gods who willingly shed
blood/give their life that their people/lands may prosper, all vegetation Gods & Tanus (Gaulish Thunder God), Taranis (Romano-Celtic Thunder God), Tina, (Etruscan-Thunder God), the waning God

Essence: fruitfulness, reaping, prosperity, reverence, purification, transformation, change, The Bread of Life, The Chalice of Plenty , The Ever-flowing Cup , the Groaning Board (Table of Plenty)

Meaning: Lugh’s wedding to Mother Earth, Birth of Lugh; Death of Lugh, Celtic Grain Festival

Purpose: Honoring the parent Deities, first harvest festival, first fruits grains & drink to the Goddess in appreciation of Her bounty, offering loaves of sacred bread in the form of the God (this is where the Gingerbread Man originated)

Rituals and Magicks: astrology, prosperity, generosity, continued success, good fortune, abundance, magickal picnic, meditate & visualize yourself completing a project you’ve started

Customs and Activities: games, the traditional riding of poles/staves, country fairs, breaking bread with friends, making corn dollys, harvesting herbs for charms/rituals, Lughnasadh fire with sacred wood & dried herbs, feasting, competitions, lammas towers (fire-building team competitions), spear tossing, gathering flowers for crowns, fencing/swordplay, games of skill, martial sports, chariot races, hand-fastings, trial marriages, dancing ’round a corn mother (doll)

Foods: loaves of homemade wheat, oat, & corn bread, barley cakes, corn, potatoes, summer squash, nuts, acorns, wild berries (any type), apples, rice, pears, berry pies, elderberry wine, crab apples, mead, crab, blackberries, meadowsweet tea, grapes, cider, beer

Herbs: grain, acacia, heather, ginseng, sloe, cornstalks, cyclamen, fenugreek, aloes, frankincense, sunflower, hollyhock, oak leaf, wheat, myrtle

Element: Fire

Gender: Female

Tags: holiday, sabbat

• Correspondences

Hoi Sum July, 2010

Modern Sabbats

Last month on June 21^st we celebrated the summer solstice, the longest day of sunlight in the year. There are many traditions, symbols, and meanings associated with each sabbat within the wheel of the year, and Litha (aka Midsummer or the summer solstice) is no different. While Litha is considered a lesser sabbat it is still a time of great celebration for many witches and Pagans. Litha falls during the summer, which for many means it is the perfect time for a family sabbat celebration. Kids are out of school and many parents starting to plan out their family vacations. In the ancient times the summer season was a time of rest and fun. Summer meant the harvest was planted and steadily growing. In modern times the season holds much of the same meaning. We may not literally plant all of our food during the spring, but summer time is still traditionally a time of days off and lots of fun in the sun. We hold many of the same sabbat traditions and symbolism as our ancestors, but we might not always have such a nature-based focus this modern age.

Not only to we live in a modern era that is somewhat removed from nature thanks to a dependency on technology and electronics. In addition to these modern distractions, what many Pagans forget is the seasons are not the same for everyone. The weather and plants associated with each season varies depending on where you live. While I do think the nature-based focus and symbolism of each sabbat is very important, I try to also focus on the spiritual and emotional meanings of the sabbats. The nature based meanings of sabbats are not always the same for everyone. For example many Pagans love Yule because it means the days are about to get lighter and warmer-it means spring is approaching. I do not hold Yule in that same positive light though because I live in a desert. For those of us who live in an area that does not have traditional seasons spring might not be a good thing. For me Yule means the days are going to be getting lighter and warmer which means the scorching hot weather of spring and summer are on the way. It means gone are the beautiful days of cool comfortable winter weather. This is probably not the opinion of someone who lives in a cold snow filled region though.

Just because I do not get excited for the end of winter, as Yule symbolizes, does not mean that Yule is not special or important to me. This holds true for all of the sabbats, including last month’s summer solstice. Summer solstice for me may have included temperatures well above a hundred degrees (Fahrenheit), but that is not what I chose to focus on. For me the summer solstice was less about the celebration of the sun (it tends to be our enemy here in the desert) and more about the celebration of my friends, magick, and the Divine. The summer solstice whether un-comfortably hot or not, is still a time for Pagans and witches to get together with other like-minded friends and family. I got to have my first summer solstice with my new coven and that was really special for me. I also got to go to attend a solstice party with my co-workers, and the party was put on by one of my non-Pagan co-workers. My co-workers know I am Pagan and they thought it would be a fun new thing to do (to host a Solstice party and celebration). This was a huge deal in my eyes because it means Paganism and witchcraft is being more accepted in the general population! While it is very important to connect to nature during the wheel of the year, it is also important to find our own modern meanings in the sabbats. What do the sabbats mean to you? Do you think the sabbats mean something different to us then they did to our ancestors?

Tags: holiday, sabbat

• Articles

Administrator February, 2010

February 1, 2

Other Names: Imbolg (im-molc)(em-bowl’g) (Celtic), Candlemas (Christian), Brigantia (Caledonii), Oimelc, Festival of Light, Brigid’s (Brid, Bride) Day, La Fheill, An Fheille Bride, Candelaria (Mexico), Chinese New Year, Disting-tid (Feb 14th, Teutonic), DisaBlot, Anagantios, Lupercalia/Lupercus (Strega), Groundhog Day, Valentines Day.

Animals & Mythical Beings: Firebird, dragon, groundhog, deer, burrowing animals, ewes, robin, sheep, lamb, other creatures waking from hibernation.

Gemstones: Amethyst, garnet, onyx, turquoise.
Incense/Oil: Jasmine, rosemary, frankincense, cinnamon, neroli, musk, olive, sweet pea, basil, myrrh, and wisteria, apricot, carnation.
Colors/Candles: Brown, pink, red, orange, white, lavender, pale yellow, silver.
Tools,Symbols, & Decorations: White flowers, marigolds, plum blossoms, daffodils, Brigid wheel, Brigid’s cross, candles, grain/seed for blessing, red candle in a cauldron full of earth, doll, Bride’s Bed; the Bride, broom, milk, birchwood, snowflakes, snow in a crystal container,evergreens, homemade besom of dried broom, orange candle annointed in oil (see above)can be used to sybolize the renewing energy of the Sun’s rebirth.
Goddesses: Virgin Goddess, Venus, Diana, Februa, Maiden, Child Goddess, Aradia, Athena, Inanna, Vesta, Gaia, Brigid, Selene(Greek), Branwen(Manx-Welsh).
Gods: Young Sun Gods, Pan, Cupid/Eros(Greco-Roman), Dumuzi(Sumerian).
Essence: Conception, initiation, insight, inspiration, creativity, mirth, renewal, dedication, breath of life, life-path, wise counsel, plan, prepare.
Meaning: First stirring of Mother Earth, lambing, growth of the Sun God, the middle of winter.
Purpose: Honoring the Virgin Goddess, festival of the Maiden/Light.
Rituals & Magicks: Cleansing; purification, renewal, creative inspiration, purification, initiation, candle work, house & temple blessings, welcoming Brigid, feast of milk & bread.
Customs: Lighting candles, seeking omens of Spring, storytelling, cleaning house, bonfires, indoor planting, stone collecting, candle kept burning dusk till dawn; hearth re-lighting.
Foods: Dairy, spicy foods, raisins, pumpkin, sesame & sunflower seeds, poppyseed bread/cake, honey cake, pancakes, waffles, herbal tea.
Herbs: Angelica, basil, bay, benzoin, celandine, clover, heather, myrrh, all yellow flowers, willow.
Element: Earth
Gender: Female
Threshold: Midnight

Tags: holiday, imbolc, sabbat

• This Month

Anne Baird November, 2009

Thanksgiving & Harvest Celebrations

On Thursday, November 26^th, Americans will celebrate Thanksgiving. Families will gather, and feasts, including turkey and pumpkin pie, will be eaten. Some may go to church. Some may even think back to the first U.S. Thanksgiving, celebrated in New Plymouth, Massachusetts in November of 1621. The fifty-three survivors of the one hundred two passengers who had set sail from Plymouth, England, aboard the Mayflower, in search of religious freedom, adventure, and profit, in the New World, offered thanks that they were still alive.

Of the eighteen women who embarked on that grueling two-month journey, fourteen died during their first brutal winter ashore. Only four remained to prepare that first Thanksgiving dinner for the forty-nine surviving men and children.

Added to their catering challenge were ninety Native American guests, led by Chief Massasoit. The natives generously contributed five deer to the feast of waterfowls, wild turkeys, and fish, provided by the thankful colonists.

That three-day celebration was an affirmation of Life! The Pilgrims were grateful both for survival, and for their first successful harvest.  The harvest of 1621 gave them hope and the promise of future survival. That reminds us of countless earlier pre-Christian Harvest celebrations.

The Pilgrim Fathers were obviously not the first to suffer deprivation, disease, and starvation. Our Pagan ancestors knew well what it cost to survive a bitter winter. That is why, in Greek mythology, the goddess Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest, was one of the most beloved of the Olympians.

The Greeks loved her, not just because she showered them with abundance from on high, but also because they credited her with teaching them how to grow, preserve and prepare grain. Demeter’s promotion of the cultivation of the Earth to provide agricultural sustenance meant that her followers could progress from being nomadic hunter-gatherers, to becoming settled villagers and townspeople, whose harvests could sustain life through the cruelest winter. Even when game was scarce. Furthermore, she walked among them. She loved, and shared in their life.

It was for that, above all else, that they worshipped her.

The great story of her love for her abducted daughter, Persephone, and her relentless search for her, also endeared her to the people. They identified with her feelings of loss and despair. And while they suffered terribly when, in deep depression, she withdrew her care for the world, they understood her grief. Their petitions to Zeus, King of the Gods, for Persephone’s return, helped bring about the restoration of Demeter’s lost child for spring, summer and fall.  (She would still have to return to the Underworld to spend winter with her abductor and husband, Hades.)

Still, it was enough to guarantee a fine harvest. And that was all the excuse they needed for a great Harvest Festival!

Such festivals occur and have occurred at harvest time in every part of the world, throughout history – though dates vary according to the time of their harvest. Many customs and traditions have sprung up that reflected the culture of their people.

Our Celtic ancestors created corn dollies by plaiting wheat stalks to create a straw figure that was kept until spring. This was done in order to keep the spirit of the corn alive for next year’s crop. In spring, the dolly would be ploughed back into the soil to ensure an abundant harvest.

In Egypt, the spring harvest festival was dedicated to Min, the god of vegetation and fertility. When Egyptian farmers harvested their corn, they wept, to fool the spirits they believed lived in the corn into thinking that they were grieving – so they wouldn’t take revenge on the pickers.

The African people hold festivals at harvest time. In some parts of Africa, good grain harvests are cause for celebration. But the tribes of West Africa celebrate the yam harvest with a Yam Festival, held in August at the end of the rainy season.  Yams, songs and dances are offered to the ancestors and the gods.

In Alaska each fall, after the end of salmon fishing and the berry harvest, people hold a series of festivals with feasting, dances and songs addressed to the spirits who help them, and to the souls of animals on whom their lives depend.

Across Britain, Canada and the USA, churches still celebrate harvest festivals after the wheat has been cut and fruits and vegetables picked. Churches are decorated in flowers and greenery. Fresh produce is displayed, with a loaf of bread in the middle, symbolizing the bountiful harvest. Food collections are taken up for the poor, so that they too may share in the bounty of Harvest.

And so it goes. People across the world, in every time and place, have given thanks for Earth’s bounty that sustains them. That statement is particularly true of farmers, and of those agrarian cultures that still live close to Nature, and to the bone.

For those of us who live now in great cities where food appears magically in supermarkets, and where abundance is so common that we take it for granted, it is hard to imagine the profound relief and gratitude that our forefathers felt for a harvest that might guarantee them another year of life.

But on Thanksgiving Day, it is good to remember that abundance is a blessing that should never be taken for granted. We should always approach it with grateful hearts.

In 1844, 223 years after the celebration in New Plymouth, Henry Alford wrote the lyrics to a hymn by Sir George J. Elvey, the organist at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle for nearly 50 years. Come Ye Thankful People Come has become one of the most beloved of all Thanksgiving hymns.

Our Pilgrim Fathers, the ancient Greeks and Celts, Africans, Alaskans, and Egyptians, would all have recognized the sentiments it expresses:

Come ye thankful people come,

Raise the song of harvest home!

All is safely gathered in,

Ere the winter storms begin;

God our Maker, doth provide

For our wants to be supplied:

Come to God’s own temple, come,

Raise the song of harvest home.

Harvest blessings to all. Happy Thanksgiving!

Anne Baird, Designer/Owner of GODDESS CARDS, is a self-taught artist who has been painting and writing since childhood. Her chosen media for her unique line of greeting cards is watercolor, with touches of gouache, ink and colored pencil.

Her GODDESS CARD line grew from a birthday card she created for her daughter, Amanda, in 2001. Amanda was disheartened at being a curvaceous beauty in the Land of Thin. (Los Angeles.) That seminal card declaring, “You’re a GODDESS, not a nymph!” evolved into a long line of love notes and affirmations for ALL women. At over 125 cards, the line is steadily growing.

Anne is inspired by the archetypal Legendary Goddesses, who have so much to teach today’s women. Her greatest inspiration however, comes from the Goddesses of Today, who write her with wonderful suggestions and thoughts that expand her consciousness and card line.

She has launched  an E-Goddess Card website, where the Goddess on the Go can send Goddess “e-cards”, enriched with music and stories, at the click of a mouse. (A virtual mouse.)

Tags: celebration, harvest, holiday

• Articles