Administrator November, 2010

Lesser Sabbat – Winter Solstice, circa Dec 21

Other Names:
Jul (“wheel”, Old Norse), Saturnalia(Rome ~December 17 & 18), Yuletide(Teutonic), Midwinter, Fionn’s Day, Alban huan, Christmas (Christian~December 25), Xmas, Festival of Sol, Solar/Secular/Pagan New Year

Animals/Mythical beings:
yule goat (nordic), reindeer stag, squirrels, yule cat, Sacred White Buffalo, Kallikantzaroi-ugly chaos monsters(greek), trolls, phoenix, yule elf, jule gnome, squirrels, wren/robin

Gemstones:

cat’s eye, ruby, diamond, garnet, bloodstone

Incense/Oils:
bayberry, cedar, ginger, cinnamon, pine, rosemary, frankincense, myrrh, nutmeg, wintergreen, saffron

Colors:
gold, silver, red, green, white

Tools,Symbols, & Decorations:
bayberry candles, evergreens, holly, mistletoe, poinsettia,mistletoe, lights, gifts, Yule log, Yule tree. spinning wheels, wreaths, bells, mother & child images

Goddesses:
Great Mother, Befana (strega), Holda (teutonic), Isis(egyptian), Triple Goddess, Mary(christian), Tonazin(mexican), Lucina(roman), St. Lucy (swedish),Bona Dea (roman), Mother Earth, Eve(Hebrew), Ops(roman Holy Mother), the Snow Queen, Hertha (German), Frey (Norse)

Gods:
Sun Child, Saturn(rome), Cronos (Greek), Horus/Ra(egyptian), Jesus(christian-gnostic), Mithras(persian), Balder(Norse), Santa Claus/Odin(teutonic), Holly King, Sol Invicta, Janus(God of Beginnings), Marduk (Babylonian)Old Man Winter

Essence:
honor, rebirth, transformation, light out of darkness, creative inspiration, the mysteries, new life, regeneration, inner renewal, reflection/introspection

Dynamics/Meaning:
death of the Holly (winter) King; reign of the Oak (summer) King), begin the ordeal of the Green Man, death & rebirth of the Sun God; night of greatest lunar imbalance; sun’s rebirth; shortest day of year

Purpose:
honor the Triple Goddess, welcome the Sun Child

Rituals/Magicks:
personal renewal, world peace, honoring family & friends, Festival of light, meditation

Customs:
lights, gift-exchanging, singing, feasting, resolutions, new fires kindled, strengthening family & friend bonds, generosity, yule log, hanging mistletoe, apple wassailing, burning candles, Yule tree decorating; kissing under mistletoe; needfire at dawn vigil; bell ringing/sleigh-bells; father yule

Foods:
nuts, apple, pear, caraway cakes soaked with cider, pork, orange, hibiscus or ginger tea, roasted turkey, nuts, fruitcake, dried fruit, cookies, eggnog, mulled wine

Herbs:
blessed thistle, evergreen, moss, oak, sage, bay, bayberry, cedar, pine, frankincense, ginger, holly, ivy, juniper, mistletoe, myrrh, pinecones, rosemary, chamomile, cinnamon, valarion, yarrow

Element:
earth

Threshold:
dawn

Tags: christmas, holiday, log, sabbat, yule

• Correspondences

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

John Conlin September, 2010

Mabon, the Autumnal Equinox

“And now we stand here, within the shadows of the Fall.

Let me hold you just once more, so I can try to remember it all.

Sing to me my love this day. Sing to me as I fade away,

back to the shadows, where I’ll dream of you.”

With my eyes closed I alone stand apart from my coven sisters and brothers and feel the last waning light of the Autumnal Equinox’s setting Sun fade away. I know that the tops of the old conifers I stand beneath still bask in Summer’s last light, as the forest floor begins to hear the shadows awaken. The dance between shadow and light is always present and ever changing as the seasons we recognize ebb and flow around the Wheel. There are fleeting moments though when we are able to witness and truly feel the energies shift. I am sure that each of us has a special and sacred marked time upon the Wheel’s turning, that calls more deeply to the spirit within us. For me, this is that moment and with each passing year I am blessed to glean something more meaningful. It is said that the true journey of the witch is the path walked alone. I think about that as I stand within the forest envisioning the God. I can see the Lord of the Forest holding the Goddess, looking into her eyes, trying to understand how his seemingly endless time with Her has passed. He hears the ravens calling his name, reminding him that all things must change and that the Earth is waiting for him to return. “You can not out run the turning of the Wheel”, she whispers, “for the Wheel, it turns strong.” “The shadows within await your fires return to open the way for their claim upon the land”, she paused staring into his eyes.  “I need your fire to embrace the deep dark of the Earth and re-ignite the energy that lies hidden within all that shall soon fall back.” “It is your light that shall push forth the veil of the Crone I must become to rule the night”, the Goddess continued.  “Remember my consort that the Wheel still strongly turns back toward you and your days will come again. Until those days though, know that I will walk though forest and field cloaked in my dark mantle and set them afire with your colors to honor your sacrifice”, she passionately finished. The Lord of the Forest kissed her one last time as his tears fell to the earth and turned to walk away. The ravens grew silent in the trees that lined the edge of the worn path as the God began walking into the west and listened to the Goddess sing. With each step he faded further from this realm, until like the setting Summer Sun, he was but a memory.

The Goddess now stands alone. As this first night deepens I see her tears wash away the aspect of the Mother and summon forth the dark wisdom of the Crone. In my eyes, Her total transformation will take a while longer, until the heavy grey clouds gather and the smell of damp decay drifts over the forest floor. Until the shadows creep across all those forgotten by the Sun and the trees’ splendor fades to gloom, only then, when Her walks grow evermore long pushing night into the day, will she stand fully as the Crone.

As I slowly make my way out of the forest and back to our Circle, these are the thoughts and visions that stir my spirit. No matter how many times I enact this ritual, I am moved to tears. This is the only ritual of the year where I am not present when our ceremony is closed. After casting the complete Circle, calling to the Quarters and honoring the Goddess and the God we talk about all that has transpired since Imbolc. We talk about our Summer experiences and what we are looking forward to regarding the rest of the harvest. Then we ask to feel what the Goddess and God of Nature experience and do our best to reenact the visions I described earlier. When the moment comes, I ritually open a small door in the Circle and walk away. As I leave I trail a long piece of black cord behind me attached to the altar. When I have disappeared into the dark, my wife pulls back the black cord and opens the small pouch that I secured to my end. I have never seen this next part of our ritual but I have been told by those within our Circle that it is beautiful. My wife then sheds her red shawl as she pulls the dark veil from the pouch and places it over head. She turns back to face the Circle and says,” know you this, the God is dead. Let us keep his fire sacred within each of us until he is reborn at Yule. As it is willed, so mote it be”, she ends. For all that is given, something must be returned. There is always a cycle, a sacred journey of energy that moves through all, entwined with the dance of shadow and light. Mabon, to me, is so truly reflected in the movements of Nature. I see it in the way the Sun’s light now falls more soft and golden within the forest. I see it in the slowly dying Chinook salmon who have kept their long promise and returned home to give back all that remains of them. I see it all around me when I take the time to be still, to breathe, to remember to see with open eyes and to listen……….

“The Wheel turns and I feel my fire has burned away

I feel the Earth holding me tight

I know the Crone will rule through the night

And I know the Wheel still slowly turns,

Back to me to make me burn,

With the love I forever hold for thee.”

Blessed be

Tags: mabon, sabbat

• Spells & Rituals

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

John Conlin August, 2010

Lughnasadh and the Moon of August

“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.

Tags: lughnasadh, moon, rite, ritual, sabbat

• Spells & Rituals

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