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(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,…

   Not too long ago, I was pondering something that had been on my mind for some time.  As a past conservative creationist Christian, it had been somewhat difficult for me to reconcile my spirituality with evolution.  Not because paganism conflicts with evolution in any way. In fact, I’ve found that most pagans love science and are quick to point out just how well it can coexist with new scientific knowledge.  So if there was no contradictory theology, what was the problem?  It was something that built up slowly, with every biology teacher who taught about humans’ place in evolution as if we came along just like any other animal,…

My Grandma My grandma was the first Elder that I knew. She was a second generation witch and the main teacher of our family path. Grandma was independent, strong, wise, a champion for justice, compassionate, funny, and pouted when she couldn’t get her way. Grandma loved history and Zane Grey novels. We would go on walks in the fields and hills and everything had a meaning. She would point and say things: “A spider’s web can be used to clot blood” or “See these puff balls (a kind of fungus), once they are dry, you can open them and use the powder as an antibiotic”. I learned many things from…

Wiccan Basics   There are very few ‘rules’ in Wicca.  In fact, a lot of people like the fact that there is no rulebook, dogma or strict hierarchy in Wicca.  Of course, this varies between traditions, as some groups have more guidelines then others.   Rulebook or not, there are a few key tenets that most Wiccans follow, such as the Wiccan Rede, the Rule of Three, and even the Thirteen Principles of Wiccan Belief as set out by the American Council of Witches in 1974.   Wiccan Rede The Wiccan Rede provides a common moral system for those practicing Wicca and other pagan religions.  Doreen Valiente first published the…

Wheel of Year info Lughnasadh (Lammas/Loaf-mass) Thursday, August 1, 2013 – 6:11 am EDT (sunrise)   Names: Lammas, Lughnasadh, Festival of Lugh, August Eve (July 31st), Loafmas, Festival of Bread, 1st Harvest, Bread Harvest, Festival of First Fruits, Gwyl Galan Awst (Welsh) Date: Aug 1st (sometimes celebrated on the eve at sunset – July 31st) Astro correspondence: 15 degrees Leo Color: tans, oranges, yellows and reds Food: grains, cakes, breads, fresh fruits, mushrooms, lamb, berry pies, wine, ale, beer Common Info: Story of Lugh, Handfasting/Handparting, 1st Harvest Fest (grains mostly), Story of John Barleycorn as the Corn King (corn is synonymous with grain),   Lughnasadh is the Sabbat that celebrates…

UNFURLING FERN ~ Gift of Birth ~     “I had seen birth and death but had thought they were different.” ~ T. S. Eliot   Upon the great forest floor, ferns thrive abundantly. They also grow within a wide variety of habitats – from remote mountain heights to arid desert rock crevices, to wetland environs or in sweeping meadows. As an ancient plant, ferns are older than the dinosaurs. They first appear in the fossil record of the Carboniferous geologic period 360 million years ago, and were thriving on earth 2oo million years before the first flowering plants evolved. What can be said about Fern is that it enthusiastically…

Jade Relaxation, gives off peace, calm, and stability.  Aids stomach and digestive tract.  Worn in southeast Asia as an amulet.  Its various attributes include making women fertile, easing the pain of childbirth, curing intestinal upsets, bringing rain, and eliminating thirst.  Also thought of as a good luck stone to ward off evil.  In Asia a jade bracelet is said to have saved its wearer from danger if broken in half.  Health, Wealth, longevity stone.  Ancient Chinese used also for courage, wisdom, justice, mercy, emotional balance, stamina, love, fidelity, humility, generosity, peace, and harmony.  Lungs heart, thymus, immune, kidney and blood detoxification.  Nervous system.  A gentle, steady energy.  Jade helps connect…

Just off the Trail For many of us hiking and walking along nature trails is nothing new. We enjoy the energy and clarity it brings while admiring the plant and animal life around us. But how much do you really see? We know there’s more out there but only see a small portion of it. Some things I’ve learnt from my biology field trips is there’s much more beyond what we initially see and it’s closer than we think. Sometimes all you have to do is look down or just off the trail. Start by walking along one of your favourite paths, one that’s preferably out of the city limits.…

Lughnasadh (Lammas) Blessings! The Magick of Lughnasadh   Oh Lady, your breast is the field.  Your breast is your field.Your broad field pours out plants, your broad field pours out grain. Water flows from on high for your servant.  Bread flows from on high for your servant. Pour it out for me.  I will drink all you offer herbal correspondences for Lughnasadh: frankincense sunflower heliotrope poppies wheat juniper Sandalwood Vervain                                                        Lughnasadh Oils/Incense and Potpourri recipes: Lughnasadh Oil 2 drops peppermint oil 3 drops elder oil 1 drop fir oil 1 drop hazelnut oil corn oil as base *** Lugh Oil 1/4 oz. apricot oil 9 drops lime oil 9…

Ease Those Bug Bites with Easy Herbs     Summertime means insect bites and stings. Ouch! Take a leaf from Susun S. Weed’s storehouse of natural remedies: Soothe, heal, and prevent bites with safe herbal remedies that grow right where you live, north or south, east or west, city or country. The best natural remedies for insect bites are right underfoot.   Plantain, also called ribwort, pig’s ear, and the band-aid plant, is a common weed of lawns, driveways, parks, and playgrounds. Identify it by the five parallel veins running the length of each leaf. (Most leaves have a central vein with smaller ones branching out from it.) You may…