Festival of Lights

Lore:

Brigid is the Celtic Goddess of Inspiration, light, and the hearth. It is said the infant Goddess was born at the exact second of day break and rose into the sky with the sun as flames licked around her head. Her symbols include fire, cows, milk, candles, and light. Brigid is the spark of creation in all of us. She fills the empty vessel with light so that we may bring forth fruition.

Purpose:

Imbolc celebrates the initial stirrings of spring, and the return of the warmth and light to the world. It’s a perfect time for cleansing and purification! Basically time to come out of hibernation and greet the sun. As the wheel of the year turns at Imbolc the Goddess is a young mother, and the God is growing from an infant at Yule to a vigorous child.

Colors:

White (probably due to the ties to milk)

Yellow (the sun)

Tools:

Several white taper or tea light candles

Chalice filled with milk

Quarter candles

Seeds of some sort (herbs to transplant on Ostara work wonderfully)

A small pot with soil in it

Goddess and God candle

Sage Wand

Athame

Small Thing of water

Ritual:

Begin the ritual by placing the white taper or tea light candles throughout the house, and one on the altar. Once all the candles are placed turn out all the lights in the house. Pour your seeds into a bowl. Then light the sage wand and cleanse yourself, and your space. Once the space is cleansed walk deosil around the circle with your finger or athame. You can cast the circle silently or with the chant I have:

“I cast the circle round and round,

From earth to sky, and sky to ground;

Outside time, and outside space,

The circle is cast I reside between the worlds.”¹

Visualize the inside of the circle growing with white light.

Invoke the four quarters by standing at each coordinate point, light the candle after you have said the quarter invocation.

East (Air Candle): I open my mind to the East – Powers of Air, and the steady gale. Blow clean the negativity of the darkness passed. Moving breath of the Goddess may you bring fourth creativity and inspiration. Light the candle.

South (Fire Candle): I open my mind to the South – Powers of Fire, and the eternal flame. Ignite my inner passion. Sacred touch of the Goddess may you bring fourth my never ceasing inner will, and irrevocable change. Light the candle.

West (Water Candle): I open my intuition to the West – Powers of Water, and the flowing stream. Move within me. Sacred blood of the Goddess may you bring fourth my higher will, and the divine will of the Goddess. Light the candle.

North (Earth Candle): I open my Spirit to the North – Powers of Earth, and the gentle unfolding of Spring. Move around me.  Sacred womb of the Goddess may you bring fourth reverence, and compassion. Light the candle.

Once the quarters have been called proceed to the Goddess Invocation. “I dedicate myself and my ritual to Brigid Goddess of inspiration, creativity, and light. I welcome you into my circle, may your light fill me, and may it bring me replenishment in abundance. Blessed Be. Light the candle. Next close your eyes and visualize the silence and coldness of winter. Feel it all around. Open your eyes and light the taper candle on the altar. Visualize the light pulsating from the candle into your body. See your body aglow. Create a doorway in the circle and walk through your house lighting all the candles one by one. Once you get back to the center of your house or wherever your ritual is taking place close the circle, and say. “Goddess Brigid bringer of light may your divine energy spark the creativity within me, and birth inspiration to cultivate my dreams.” Take your potted plant and seeds. Pour your intentions into the seeds; see them representing your goals, your wishes, and your dreams. Once you’ve charged the seeds plant them into the pot, put your fingers into the soil. Feel it warm just as the sun warms the earth for the stirrings of spring. You too are warming the earth with your energy. Once this is complete pour a small amount of water unto the soil, and place it in a window seal after the ritual is complete.

Proceed to the cakes and ale portion of the ritual. On Imbolc I like to walk outside and pour a small amount of milk on the ground as offering to the Goddess Brigid, and thank her for once again stirring the Earth back to life from the coldness of winter. Thank and bid farewell to the quarters. At each candle say “Stay if you will go if you must in perfect love and perfect trust, So mote it be.” And extinguish the candle.

I hope everyone has a great Imbolc!

Blessed Be!

Les Flammes Dedans translates into English as The Flames Within it is my experience that as I, and the world get colder I have an almost insatiable urge to sleep. Getting out of bed becomes harder and harder as we approach the winter solstice. As everything appears to be suspended in transition we as humans along with the other inhabitants of our blue-green planet are forced to work and watch the Earth slumber. I being of a slightly artistic background, and I do say artistic very lackadaisically, I hate being in a winter block where I feel as if I can’t bring fourth creation. I hope this ritual puts some pep back in your step, some light back into your life, some inspiration/creativity back into your perception.

Lore:

Cerridwen is a Celtic Welsh Goddess of Rebirth and Transformation. She is the Mother and Crone aspect of the Triple Goddess. She had two children born as twins, a daughter Creirwy and a son Afagddu. Creirwy was a beautiful fair maiden and Afagddu was a very ugly dark boy. As with other Celtic myth they represented light and darkness. Since her son was so ugly Cerridwen began to brew a magic potion for a year and a day that would grant him the knowledge of the world past and present. Helping tend to Cerridwen’s magic potion was a boy named Gwion. He helped stir and keep watch over it. One day while Cerridwen was out collecting more herbs for the brew the potion bubbled up and splashed the three drops of wisdom onto his hand. Instinctually he thrust the scolded hand into his mouth absorbing the magic meant for Afagddu.  Furious at Gwion, Cerridwen began to chase him in rage shape shifting into different animals. Gwion became a rabbit and she became a dog. He became a fish and jumped into water, and she became an otter. He became a bird and she became a large hawk. Finally he became a grain of wheat and she became a hen and ate him. The grain impregnated Cerridwen for nine moons. In her anger Cerridwen plotted to kill the baby once she gave birth, but the reborn Gwion was too beautiful at birth to kill. Instead she sewed up the newborn in a seal skin bag and threw him into the ocean. The baby was rescued, and was called Taliesin, he became the legendary and greatest Welsh bard. The Welsh belief that for true inspiration to be brought to the word there must be death and rebirth is represented by the story. Cerridwen’s womb like her cauldron has potential to birth all manifestation and is the beginning and end of life.

Purpose:

To ignite the flames of creativity and inspiration within your Spirit.

Colors:

White, Red, Yellow (Whatever color you link to creativity will work I always think of bright colors, but that’s just me.)

herbs:

Rosemary (I love the smell of burning rosemary it just ignites the senses!) I also like to mix a little Fire¹ with the Rosemary. Fire:  consists of Clove, Dragon’s Blood, Frankincense, Musk oil, Orange Peel, Sandalwood, and Spearmint.

Tools:

Candles (6-8 to outline the circle any color of your fancy works)

A raised flame resistant bowl/cauldron (to hold water, rubbing alcohol, or tea lights)

Optional: Tealights, Water, Rubbing Alcohol

Ritual:

*Rubbing alcohol burns cleanly without fumes if you choose to use the alcohol you will need a match or lighting apparatus to light the alcohol for the ritual. Also a moderate amount is wise, as you don’t want it to burn out. I personally love all three ways, if you want try all of them and see which you prefer.*

Set the bowl in the center of the circle I recommend something to sit on. Make your circle wide enough that you can walk cleanly around the bowl/cauldron without getting close to it if you are using fire. Light your candles, Start to smolder your incense. Cast your circle, and invoke the elements. Fill your cauldron/bowl with either the tealights, the rubbing alcohol, or the water. I prefer to kneel before the cauldron, but wherever you are comfortable or have room for is fine. Close your eyes and take a deep cleansing breath. Say, “Blessed Mother, Cerridwen, Goddess of transformation and rebirth. Bringer of inspiration, giver of light, and creativity, I pray of you. I invoke you, I call of your energy of your magic. I ask that you join me in my magic circle. Blessed be.” Light the tealights, or the alcohol. If you’re using water close your eyes and imagine the cauldron before you as Cerridwen’s sacred vessel.

As the flames dance close your eyes say:

“Bubbling, Churning, Never fading.

Inspiration free and wild.

I call you fourth by magic bidding.

Light the way for Mother’s Child.”

As you stare at the flames imagine that you are standing before Cerridwen’s cauldron dip your hands into her sacred cauldron and raise your fingers, raise your energy with hers. Imagine her magic filling your body, filling your spirit. Her fire ignites yours. Imagine white hot energy flowing out of you into her and vice versa. The cauldron is the catalyst and vortex of all life. What the Blessed Mother gives to you, you give back in energy, in life, in breath. If you are using the water you can use this same visualization but you have a physical representation if you the mood fits, and you’re up to it. Dip your fingers in the water and let it rain on you. Touch your forehead, your heart, connect with the Goddess. Her cauldron is the beginning and ending of all life. Her chase with Gwion can be seen as an analogy of the journey   our own spirit must participate.

I always find that this ritual sparks me, and I get out of the rut that I’m in. I also feel very connected to the Goddess and the web we call living. I hope it ignites in you the same fire that it does me.

Blessed Be,

Rayne

1. Estelril Enterprises can be found at the Texas Renaissance Festival as well as his website http://www.estelril.com/Insense.html, for all of his incense blends.  Also at: Estelril@estelril.com.

There’s no denying the hypnotic, mesmerizing power of fire, whether in the gentlest candle flame or in the terrifying destruction of a forest fire.  Of the four elements, fire is the most volatile and fast-acting.  Its effects are often permanent and dramatic on the physical plane and the same can be said for when it is used in magick.  The element of fire encompasses passion, determination, action, success, anger, sex, big changes and fast transformation.

You don’t need to have access to a bonfire to harness the energy and spirit of fire in your spells and rituals.  Most of us have to make do with candles, and this is fine:  a small flame can pack just as much energetic punch as a large one, so long as your intent and belief are strong.

Think about it.  Fire is truly amazing.  It can turn wood into ash, water into vapour, paper into a whirl of smoke.  It can make things disappear, in a way.  It is a natural fact that a forest or prairie grows faster and lusher than ever after it has been consumed by a large-scale blaze.  For this reason, I feel fire is perfect for use in banishing and purifying all types of negativity, be it bad habits, self-defeating thoughts, shyness, a lingering broken heart, loneliness, poverty or even negative people that keep popping up in your life.  Ridding yourself of these things clears the way and makes room for personal growth.   Here is a simple spell or ritual using a candle flame to banish negativity.

You will need:

-a black or white candle (I prefer black for banishing, white for purifying…  it really is your own preference).

-a small twig about the size of a pencil stub.  Some trees with a history of being connected with banishing and purifying are Lilac, Peach, Pine, Cedar and Birch.  If you can’t find any of these, any twig will do in a pinch.

-A small piece of paper.  An alternative to the paper is a shred of birch bark, if you have it.  Birch is associated with cleansing and purification, and the bark is thin and paper-like.  The more natural materials you have the better, after all.

-A fire-proof dish (Cast iron is good).

-This ritual is best done during a full moon, or just after.  Then as the moon continues to wane and decrease so should your problem.

Before you begin, decide what you would like to remove from your life.  Do you want to stop attracting hurtful relationships?  Maybe you have trouble saying no, or you have an excess of stress in your life.  It can be any influence, energy or thought you’d like to stop experiencing, as long as you are not trying to harm anyone.  This ritual will not make your boyfriend’s Ex spontaneously combust, in other words!

When you are ready, do your usual circle casting or calling upon deities if you wish, depending on your beliefs or if you feel a need to incorporate your own tradition into it.  Light the candle and spend some time feeling its heat with your hands, appreciating its powerful bright light in the darkness.  Note how it melts the wax and consumes the wick.  Know that it has the same ability to transform and cause change to your life.  Respect it and acknowledge its power.   Once you feel you have achieved an understanding for the fire, take your twig and dip it into the candle flame.  Allow it to burn for a couple of seconds and then blow it out.  When all the embers are dead, it will be blackened with soot.  Using the black soot like ink, start to write out the word, phrase or a symbol of that which you are letting go of.  You may chose runes, a simple drawing, a personally designed sigil, initials, or to simply print out a word.  If your black “pencil” runs out, dip it into the flame again, blow it out, and continue until you are finished.  Draw with power and feel what you are doing.  Pour your problem into the drawing and paper.  An easy way to do this is to picture a bubble of light in front of you.  Fill it up with your negative feelings about the issue.   See the feelings leaving you and entering the bubble in the form of splotches of color.  Once you feel unburdened and lighter, sink the “bubble “ into the paper, symbol and stick.

When you are done, extinguish the stick thoroughly and hold the paper in both hands.  Pour the negativity into it until you are cleansed and empty.  Do this as long as you wish, until you feel the heaviness begin to lift or your focus starts shifting.  Then, light the paper carefully on fire with the candle (you may want to use tongs to protect your fingers).  Set the paper in the fire proof dish to burn.  As the fire consumes the paper and the symbol of your ills know that the spirit of fire is also consuming the problem and rendering it powerless.  Symbolically, your problem is going up in smoke.  Burn the remainder of the stick in the dish as well.

You can either let the candle burn out on its own now, or over the duration of the waning moon light it for a while each night and pour your negatives into the fire until the new moon.  You can bury what is left, compost it, throw it into a body of water or otherwise dispose of the candle stub at this point.

In my experience this is an empowering and transformative ritual, which helps with personal growth and inner strength, and helps cleanse out lingering grievances from the past.

Bright and fiery blessings to you!

***PLEASE exercise caution and common sense when using fire.  Don’t wear loose clothing.  Keep fire away from flammable items and surfaces.  Keep a bucket of water and a fire extinguisher nearby.  Don’t leave a candle or any flame unattended, ever.  Use a sturdy candle holder and a flat surface.

“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.

“I remember I held you, up high on the mountain’s side.

As I looked out over the land, all your magick filled my eyes.

I hear the ravens call my name, reminding me everything must change.

For the Earth, she lays waiting for me.”

This month I stand between the Summer Solstice and the Autumnal Equinox. It is a moment upon the Wheel that seems to defy my ability to discern the turning changes still taking place. The morning air is warm and sweet. I can see and feel a richness of the land. The bounty of Summer’s end is now ripened and ready to be savored within the lazy last days before the turn to Fall. The forest around me is so quiet as the Sun’s light peaks over the tree covered ridge. An occasional bird briefly sings but their calls now sound more like a contented sigh than anything else. Although I realize the Wheel must still be turning at the same speed, it surely does not feel that way to me. All around me there is a deep stillness. As if the forest was trying to take one last nap in the light before the shadows of the Fall claim their place, pushing Summer back into dark memory. Not yet though I think to myself as I pick some grapes and a few plums before heading down to the river. Slowly, as I breathe in the warm morning air, I step further away from the mundane allowing my senses to align with the natural world. The deeper I step, the clearer the subtle changes that mark Lughnasadh and this Moon become. I can see that the light, ever so slightly, has a hint of darker gold within it. There are spider webs everywhere, commanded by large garden spiders and adorned with the empty carcasses of the less fortunate. The moss on the trees is now dry and brittle. The once vibrant green has now faded toward a more sage like gray as it yields to August’s heat. My steps are noisy as the parched ground beneath my feet crackles under my steps. There are no more wildflowers in the small clearings and the few bees I see seem frustrated by their disappearance. Making my way down to the river I notice there is an osprey sitting upon one of the large branches reaching out from a shoreline tree. The river is at its lowest levels of the year now and although she is a little off colored from glacial melt, the water is too low to provide any decent cover for the fish. As a result, the ospreys and kingfishers are now having their day but even they seem relaxed. I finish making my way down to the river and head over to one of my favorite rocks. It has been scoured smooth and partially hollowed by the river’s rage but at this time of the year it makes a comfortable vantage point for observing. I set down my backpack, pulling out some water and sit on the cool rock. The morning Sun has not yet reached this spot and for a few minutes longer I am within the shade of the large trees. I think about the coming of Lughnasadh and the traditional start of the harvest season as I bite into one of the plums I picked earlier. I close my eyes, remembering the mornings I first saw the blossoms appear and then the initial signs of the fruit to come. For all things given there is an equal amount of energy given back, returned to the source for the Circle to flow and be complete. I remember the baby birds I found beneath the tree that had fallen from their nest to be returned to the Earth. Sitting quietly, the Sun now embracing me, I can see the ebb and flow of energy around that tree as the Wheel turned, the seasons changed and the Circle spun. The Sun is warm but now in August not nearly so direct and it feels gentle upon my tanned skin. I open my eyes, looking around and notice a heron fishing just upstream from where I sit. I watch him catch a few fish and wonder how much harder it will be for him to be so successful once the rains return in a short while. The native people call the moon of August the Full Sturgeon Moon, for it is one of the best times to catch these large fish. Others call it the Grain Moon, the Fruit Moon, the Full Red Moon for the reddish tint it takes on rising through the sultry haze of late Summer, as well as the Moon when all things ripen. They all have their connections and depending upon ones own relative perceptions a stronger or lesser personal relevance. I simply call it the Moon of Harvest, for it marks the first hint of noticeable transition the seemingly endless days toward those requiring a more structured and responsible effort. Not yet though I remind myself as I walk over to one of the larger pools in the river. This is one of the few times during the year when Fire and Water are gently entwined. The energies between the two seem closer and for a short time the river is refreshingly cool and not freezing cold. As I drift in the pool and then sit at its edge I think about everything I harvest from this world around me. Not just those things I physically consume but all that I take, borrow and use along my journey. Do I return or give back anything close to what I take?  While I sit there in the river, wondering, I see the first Chinook salmon of the season to make it this far up river. She is a large female, her fins torn and tattered from her long promised journey. She has come to spawn and then give back all that she has left, returning what she has harvested along her way.  Once again I am awed by Nature’s magickal perfection and as I head back home I have a deeper understanding of this moment upon the Wheel.

-candles

-athame

-carving knife

-oil for your candle

-wand or staff

-death card top represent waning moon

1. Cast your circle as you normally would, but only with your Athame or Sword.

2. Chant: “To the will of the gods, my heart is yours! My will is yours. I wilt be whom I am inside and who makes me be. I cast this circle under perfect love and perfect trust in this circle of pretection and intent of the mind in full focus! This night is for the Crone, Hecate, and the greater unknowledge that lies in the Abyss. O’ Hail to the might gods. I love thee and honor thee with highest respect and utmost honor. This wand shalt be guidance of the will.”

3. Hold the wand out and move the wand in a circle representing your will. Then point your wand to the sky and see a white light being shot from wand to the gods above in the cosmic universe. Feel the cosmic energies start to go into your wand to your body. The forces should put you in a trance as they override your emotions.

4. Lay your wand on the alter and carve one word in your candle to tell what knowledge you want to obtain. The candle should be black, as the abyss represents unknown knowledge. Then you start to light it in your trance like state and rub the oil in it properly and focusing on the knowledge and feeling the blackness becoming lighter as the knowlesge speaks to you.

5. Spell birth chart

Sun Cancer 29.08, Ascendant Capricorn 11.22, Moon Cancer 24.38, II Pisces 4.17, Mercury Leo 7.49, III Aries 19.14, Venus Gemini 18.17, IV Taurus 17.03, Mars Gemini 6.45, V Gemini 6.39, Jupiter Aquarius 24.59, R VI Gemini 23.30, Saturn Virgo 18.20, VII Cancer 11.22, Uranus Pisces 26.27, R VIII Virgo 4.17, Neptune Aquarius 25.48, R IX Libra 19.14, Pluto Capricorn 1.21, R Midheaven Scorpio 17.03, Lilith Capricorn 22.04, XI Sagittarius 6.39, Asc node Aquarius 0.15, XII Sagittarius 23.30

Chant:

“To the Lord and the Lady The waning moon of cancer makes this ceremony thus in my circle in emotions phasing into the phase of the abyss and Cancer shalt be the will of the spell with with its pyschic emotions in the water. Capricorn shall make the intent grounded and loved.”

Say all this while rubbing you energies into the candle.

6. Then when you are done rubbing you will into the candle then you geto out your death Tarot card to represent the waning mood and this card will allow you do have a new incite of knowledge you wish for you wrote on the candle.

Chant with your hand on the Death card and your eyes shut meditating:

“Do what you will, but abide by the hands of fate. Knowledge has come, knowledge is my will.”

Your meditation should be going smooth with every word said and your body should start to heat up the more you say these lines and they will put you in such a trance that your body will feel liike a milliion degrees. This is when you will know the will has been sent.

7. The once the will is sent to the gods and goddesses you say:

“The will is come! The will is sent! All is gone. All is passed, so now I wait! Thank you all for whom I have invited. None shall be hurt nor smited. Be with me and you will see. Blessed BE!”

8. Cast Away Circle

9. Cakes and Ale

10. Grounding

Ostara and the Quickening Moon

The light has changed and all but the most stubborn shadows have yielded their hold. Darkness gives way to green. All that was forgotten by the Sun and left to Fall’s descent, now lies transformed, ready to fulfill the promise of Spring. Ostara, the Vernal Equinox, brings us to the moment where the dreams of Imbolc begin to physically manifest. It is the point upon the Wheel where color begins to return in earnest to the world around you. The solemn quiet of Winter gives way to Nature’s chorus, as more and more of Her creatures follow the Goddess’ and God’s lead into the throes of the great dance. You can feel the energy blowing across fields and through the forests, refreshing your senses. You can feel it dancing over your skin; cool yet warm, flickering back and forth like a candle, as the seduction of Spring reawakens the desire to want more. Under the Spring rains and within the growing incandescence of the heightening Sun, you can feel wet and warm touch. The sky above fills your eyes with blue and the ground below vibrates with new life reaching outward. In all of this I can hear and feel the Earth, through Nature, speaking to me and showing me, that it is time to move ahead. It is time for me to take action on those dreams born at Yule and then nurtured at Imbolc. To act upon those discoveries I made, venturing into the darkness while embracing the wolf moon and those ideas I thought over as I sat in the stillness and quiet of the snow moon.  The Wheel has turned, the energies are converging and it is our moment, as well to apply our energy to a time and place. I recognize that traditionally the union of the Goddess and the God, (the aspect energies of each within Nature), is celebrated on May 1^st at Beltaine. From my perspective, where I live, I feel their energies unite much closer to Ostara. And by the 1^st of May, feminine and masculine energies have not only embraced but have been set to their destinies. I guess what I am trying to say is that I feel Ostara marks the union of the Goddess and the God, while Beltaine is the celebration of that prior union. The mystery and wonder of Nature move with her whim and such things are difficult at best to capture with even the most enlightened of calendars. I give this explanation, not so any who read this will follow my interpretation word for word, but instead, hoping that they will seek to feel what is present in their own world and interact accordingly. Before I address the ritual components I use for Ostara, I would like to talk a little about the Quickening Moon. This month’s full moon falls just after Ostara and as such, it directly corresponds to the same energies. To me it is the Quickening Moon but many know it by other names. The Full Worm Moon, the Crow Moon and the Sap Moon are some of the most common names. They all speak to the same concept though, a recognition and acknowledgement of the convergence of energies present at this point upon the Wheel. Each name serves as a reminder for us to constantly tune our awareness, a reminder for us to try to see the small, subtle actions taking place around us that ultimately shift the seasons. There are many ways to see and experience this world. Through both the mundane and the poetic we can find ways to make sense of all we encounter, thereby furthering our own understanding. No two beings find their way in exactly the same manner, because each of us interfaces with a different way or rate, to the Universe. What I see, what I feel, when I walk through the forest will be completely different and quite possibly somewhat irrelevant to another. For I think it is true, that each of us, can only experience, some lesser part of that which we imagine possible. That being said, there are still some things, like the turning to Spring, that can move and make us smile. It is not realistic to hold every ritual outside or travel to some natural location you deem to be sacred. Ostara however is one that I highly recommend you try to take outdoors. Whether you hold your ritual on the Vernal Equinox or need to wait a week to find the time, do what it takes in order to have it in Nature. I prefer to keep my ritual simple, heading down to where the forest touches the river, with just a few items. A candle each for the Goddess and the God, a chalice and my blade, a bottle of water, (not plastic), a piece of cake, (usually something slightly cinnamon), some incense and a magnifying glass, is about all I will bring. I like to use water for this ritual, as I see the coming together of fire and water as the catalyst of Spring. I tend to use the same cake recipe throughout my rituals, increasing or decreasing the cinnamon levels according to the season, in relation to the aspect present of the God’s energy. The magnifying glass is for lighting the incense, but it’s a good idea to bring along a few matches just in case the Sun does not cooperate. After doing everything involved with casting circle, I will light some incense and just sit or stand quietly. I will close my eyes at times to rely more heavily upon my other senses and allow myself to drift in between. The most important aspect of this ritual though is to breathe and feel the Spring. To pull the energy of the great dance within yourself, melt away the last of Winter’s hold and re-ignite your flame. Then as you stand in the Sun’s light, feeling the Earth tremble with energy, hold your vision brought forth from Imbolc and wrap it with the magick of Ostara. I will then tap three times on large rocks, trees and upon the Earth while saying,” Mother Earth, through soil and stone I call to thee,

For Father Sun has returned the light to see.

Awaken anew from your Winter’s sleep,

the promise of Spring is yours to keep.”

For me, every full Moon represents an opportunity to peer into an aspect of nature and try to find the spiritual relevance for the path I seek to walk.  There are many names given to the full Moons of each month and I believe that each of us must decide which best fits the place we live. In doing so, remember to acknowledge the memories of the past, while maintaining an awareness of the present and casting an eye toward the future. This month, January, I am going to share how I celebrate and understand the Wolf Moon, through my ritual.

I set my altar basically the same for each full moon. I use three candles to form a triangle. There is one to honor the Goddess, one for the God and the third candle to signify the energies joining to create a full moon. Along with the objects I’ve chosen to represent the elements, I will place a few items, small statues and photographs that visually remind the Circle of the wolf. In addition, I include an incense of pine or cedar, something that is able to conjure the deep dark of a forest, an anointing oil of similar design and an ambient music source that contains wolf sounds. If you are unable to find oil you like, try using a small branch from a conifer.  I find that when you include items that pull the senses more deeply into the ritual, the mind more easily follows and stands open within the sacred space. There are many gods and goddesses who are connected with wolves among the different pantheons, too many to mention here, so I suggest that each person does a little research to discover the deities who best relate to their own individual path.  The rituals I lead always begin with a breathing exercise with everyone standing around the altar. Once we have all relaxed and stepped away from the mundane, I start the circle cast. Most reading this probably have a circle cast, so I will not go into detail about the cast that I use. However if there is any interest in learning another one or any questions regarding casting circle, perhaps I can address this in a future column. This is a good place I think, for me to say how honored I feel to be asked to share how I experience this world and to share a little about myself. I am blessed to live in a place, with my wife and our two wolf dogs, where the Earth still sings loud and clear. Here in the forest, I am allowed to witness the cycles of nature. It is a place where salmon come to create anew and are granted release from their long promise. It is a place where a raging river reminds me that change is the only constant, while ancient trees stand patient and wise. Most important though, it is a place that whispers to the spirit, of the magick that exists in just a single breath of fresh air.

Once the Circle is cast, the space is cleansed, purified and sealed, the calls to the Watchers of the Quarters are made. The female and male leading the ritual then call to the Goddess and to the God and in turn light the appropriate candle. Together they hold a large wooden match, igniting it within the God’s flame while saying,” the God shines his light”. Then while moving the lit match into the Goddesses’ flame they say,” the Goddess captures and enchants the light”. Finally they light the full Moon candle saying,” and this night, bathes the world in her light and love”.  When this is completed and the altar is aglow it is time to speak of the meaning and the direction for the ritual. I feel it is important to give those in the Circle a basic framework so they can be at ease with me leading them into a meditative state. For this moon I let them know that we will be thinking about the significance the energies and spirit of the wolf may hold for each of us. Next I will light the incense and begin passing the wolf photographs around the Circle. As everyone is looking at the pictures and connecting in some way to the wolf, I make my way around the Circle to anoint their foreheads and say, ”I connect you to the Earth”. Once anointed each person takes a comfortable seat, within the Circle, closes their eyes and listens. The music begins, a lone wolf howls and I remember when,….

in the midst of a cold winter’s night we huddled together in fear of the wolf. He was a hunter, a walker of shadow, silent and ghostly he would come. Out of the darkness, from where the forest held its secrets and I dared not venture, the wolf crossed into my world.  I sat by the fire, fighting the sleep that called to me tirelessly and felt my heart beat ever faster as the howls grew closer.

Now I have taken much of the land for myself and seemingly conquered the night. I am safe, warm, dry and fed, yet I feel that there is something missing. It is not a thing I have forgotten to gather, but instead something I have lost. Perhaps my quest for dominance has quelled too much, the mysteries of life and I have allowed complacency to overshadow ancient fears that once raced my blood.

I have come full circle and now, as I peer into nature, I can realize what the wolf was always willing to teach me. To embrace the dark of night in the same way I do the light of day, to step away from the fire’s light and trust my eyes to see within the shadows and to remember that I am still a part of the wolf’s world. There is a haunting honesty I can hear in their calls, a cry out to remember that we feel something more, something that we need, to feed our spirit.

After I share these thoughts with out loud with the Circle, I tell everyone to continue with their own journey and I let the music finish. When it is done I give them a few minutes of quiet before gently bringing everyone back to the Circle. We share cakes and ale in some form, honor the Goddess and the God, release the Watchers, then begin to close our Circle. Once the Circle is been opened, we go outside to make an offering and give back some of our energies to the Earth.

Goddess of all that is, within and beyond all that I comprehend,

Maiden of magick, Mother and Crone of Earth and Moon,

I stand beneath you and I am complete,

a precious moment in between.

When I am more than just a man (or woman)

and nothing less than what I dream.

A glimpse of that which always holds true,

of the life that flows through me from you.