A Mabon Ritual

Mabon (the eve before the Autumn Equinox through the day's sunset) - 

This is the second of the harvest festivals, celebrating the vine harvest and wine.  God's presence is apparent on the Earth but weaker as He moves more toward being the protector above.  The Goddess, though sad, is comforted by the growing Child within Her, knowing the special role He will play in Her calling.  She continues in Her role as the Holy Spirit, guiding and teaching those on earth who wish to follow God's will.  She is the Great Mother who perseveres in guiding man to God as She moves toward becoming the Crone.

History -

Mabon does not have as storied of a history as many of the other Sabbats do.  Celebrating the Harvest and the equinox have been around for a while but while trying to research the actual history of this holiday it was very hard to find anything.  One thing does seem clear, it is a time to celebrate the Harvest and give thanks for the fruits of your labor!  As this is the only purely Wiccan holiday with no corresponding Christian version, it can also be a time to celebrate with your fellow Wiccans during a pride festival or other gathering.

Decorations -

Any autumn colors are appropriate. Corn, wheat, gourds, squash, pumpkins, apples, and grapes all make wonderful Mabon decorations for your altar.  Baskets and harvest gathering supplies to show the season are good as well.

Ritual -

Before you begin your ritual take a walk in the woods or anywhere you feel comfortable.  Feel Mother Nature around you, breathe in her essence in the air.  Look for any fallen leaves, nuts, seed pods or the like that will make additional decoration for your altar or home.  Take this time to thank the earth for everything that it provides us with.  Take a moment to thank the Father and Son for the support they give to the Blessed Mother in this time and all year long.  Although the Father is not walking beside the Mother at this time, His presence is always felt.

Sort any of the items you brought home into those that you would consider first fruits (the best of all of them) and the rest.  Those that are first fruits are the ones that you should use as an offering to the Goddess and God.  Keep them close at hand for the ritual.

Prepare your altar.  Place a yellow candle, orange candle, and black candle in sequence for past, present, and future.

Cast your circle and call the Lady and Lord.  You may also call the elements and corners if you wish.

State your intentions in the form of this:
Lady and Lord, today is the day to thank you for the fruits of the past year's labor.
The Harvest is complete, the bounty gathered, the season of the Hearth is drawing near.

Light the yellow candle and say:
Thank you for the glorious glow of the Sun; the representation for all to see of the strength of our Heavenly Father.  Although the Wheel has turned past this time, His presence is alway near.  On this day of equal light and dark, we remember the balance of life giving light and soul searching dark.

Light the orange candle and say:
Thank you for the time to collect the Harvest, to reap this bounty. 

Place the offering on the altar and say:
In this time of the present it is with a grateful heart that I give to you, Loving Mother, this offering.  May you accept it in all your grace and love.  Through this may the harvest of the year support and sustain those in my heart through the coming season.

Light the black candle and say:
We thank you for the future season of home and hearth.  On this day we remember that even as the physical being of the Father grows weaker, we will rejoice again at the birth of the Son who grows within the Maiden during this time of the home.  May [we/I] look within during this season to allow myself to grow into the plan that you have for [me/us].

Silently meditate for a few minutes.  Then say:
The Harvest has been great and will see those in my heart through the time of darkness.  Thanks to you Lady and Lord for providing everything needed to sustain us here on Earth.  

If you called the elements say:
Thank you Wind, Water, Fire, and Earth for your ever present dance upon this realm.

Thankfully dismiss those invited.  Within a day return your offering to the earth by either burying it, scattering it in water, or burning it and scattering the ashes.  Do whatever feels right for your practice.

Celebrate with a meal including various root vegetables.

What is a Wiccan? When do you become a Wiccan?

Honestly, I am not sure what the title of this post should be but that sounded good enough to me.  I have been thinking a lot about this lately.  What is a Wiccan?  What is a Witch?  Why would I claim a name for myself that brings fear to the heart of so many.  And then I look around me and I realize that so many more people live the life of a Wiccan than would ever claim to be a Wiccan.

The witches of old were the ones with the knowledge of the earth and the herbs.  They knew which herbs could cure a cold, keep parasitic bugs away, or even mix potions to combat the signs of aging.  The old witch was the one who the villagers would go to when they needed help.

Over the last year I have started diving into herbs and potions in a way I never thought I would be able to.  What has made this more possible is the prevalence today of clean living.  On its face, clean living is about giving up chemicals and embracing natural substances.  Therefore, the number of recipes available to be used as research for household cleaners, soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions, and serums are amazing.

Often when I find these they are associated with a person who has one of two things in mind.  The first is to live frugally.  It is true that the money we spend on commercial products is staggering. These people are simply trying to find a way to make ends meet.

The second are those people who do this because they are Christians who wish to live closer to God's creation.  It is true that God put everything on this earth that we need to survive.  We really don't need  most of the chemicals of science.  Please don't take this to mean I am anti-medicine or anti-science.  I will be the first to take my child to the doctor when they are ill and come away with a prescription if needed.  I love our doctors.  I will also not hesitate to use raw honey to cover a wound or to mix my own cough medicine for them when an over the counter remedy is needed.  I digress...as I read these blogs diving into clean living it amazes me how many Christians are truly practicing the ways of Witchcraft.  They mix potions as well as the rest of us.

At first, I felt a little odd putting my mixes for face cream, eye oil, cleaners and whatnot into my Book of Shadows.  It felt odd but strangely right.  And then as I started reading over them it started to make sense to me why it felt right.  Looking among them, citrus works for cutting grease.  Rosehip is a fantastic facial oil.  Rosemary and lavender have both preservative and cleansing properties.  As I was putting them in my book I was learning.  Learning what these herbs could do and how I could use my garden to live closer to nature and God/dess.

I look out now and I see so many witches who would never call themselves witches.  But it is what they are practicing.  Devout Catholics, Lutherans, any denomination you can imagine; they get together in groups to discuss the latest they have found on how these herbs and oils work.  They mix their potions and share the finer points.  It is amazing to me.

To be Wiccan is not to give up your God/dess or any belief you currently have.  It is simply to live as one with nature and to see the Divine in nature and yourself.  The Bible states that our bodies are the Temple for the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).  What more does one needs to see it is not an abomination to believe that God/dess lives in each of us.  When a Christian accepts our Brother Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells within and we become part of our Creator!  We are not equal to but we are a part of our God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  How well the life of the Christian Witch all fits together!

Every person has their own path and their own tolerance level for labels.  But that is all these are is labels.  If the word Witch or Wiccan did not have such a negative connotation how many of these people would embrace the path that others are persecuted for?  And giving the basis, why are they persecuted at all?

Homemade hand soap

I do love making my own products because then I almost know what is in them.  Ny husband sometimes doesn't like them but that never stops me from trying to switch out our commercial brands for ones that are more natural.  A few years ago we bought several foaming hand soaps.  It was just what we could find at the time.  I have wanted to switch over to my own castile based hand soap.  I may now have found a compromise.  We will see how this works:

Fill a bottle 1/3 with liquid castile soap.  Add 10 drops of an antibacterial oil (thieves or tea tree).  Fill the rest with water.

Done.

A Lammas Ritual

Lammas (July 30 at sunset through August 1 at sunset) -

Lammas is the first of the harvest festivals.  The grain is gathered in and loaves of bread are made and shared in celebration.  The God is needing to return to His place in the Heavens while the Goddess remains near the Earth to guide mankind as She may.  He spends more time away from Her and His light is felt less on the earth, but as a protector He always remains.

History -

Lammas was celebrated as a festival of the harvest.  The first of the grain was cut on this day and the first loaves of bread would be made for the coming year.  This has come to be a day to honor the work that our ancestors would pursue in order to sustain themselves through the year.

In the Christian faith some of the loaves of bread that were baked would be brought to the church and dedicated to the church to serve as the eucharist for the coming year.

The intent was always the same, to start to celebrate the fact that the hope of planting is now realized and to revel in the thought that one's family would have enough to eat for the coming year. 

Decorations -

Gardening and harvesting tools, grain, oats, corn dolls, fruit and vegetables, green, red, and yellow

Ritual -

You will need:
a red candle
a yellow candle
a white candle
bread

Set your altar for ritual.  Open your circle, call the corners, and spirits as you normally would for your tradition.

Light the yellow candle and say:
Lord above, we thank you for your continued light as we progress through the year's journey.  It is with your light that our harvest grows and we reap the bounty of our Mother Earth.

Light the red candle and say:
It is within your light that the fire burns, warmth is created.  It is without your light that we move toward the harvest, where green changes to red and orange; the heavenly fires dim and those in our hearths grow stronger.

Light the white candle and say:
It is through the purity of your goodness and creation, one with our Mother Goddess, that we are able to celebrate the harvest and what you have each provided for us.  Together you see us through the year in a cycle unending.  Together you brought forth your Son to guide us along your path.

Take the bread and say:
Your Son, Jesus, chose bread to represent him on earth through the Last Supper.  Again, I/We, dedicate this bread to you and to him.  May it continue to fulfill and sustain through the coming year, bringing me/us closer to you through the coming year.

You may thank and release the spirits and those called forth and close your circle as you see fit and then use the bread as part of your post ritual meal.  Or, you may quietly consume the bread in the circle and meditate on the coming season.

As always, this is merely an outline for a ritual.  Please adapt it to what you need.  If you are comfortable or your traditions allow, I don't see why you couldn't celebrate a full Christian communion within the circle.  It is after all the day to dedicate your bread to the God and Goddess and their Son.

A Lithia Ritual

Lithia (the eve before the Summer Solstice through the day's sunset) - The Sun is at the peak of its power.  The God continues to be with his Bride and the earth remains fertile although God is starting to feel the pull of the Heavens. The fires originally lit on Beltane are lit once again to celebrate the light of God.

History -

Lithia is the celebration of midsummer. This holiday was celebrated by many cultures under different names but always with the same intent: celebrating the power of the sun on the longest day of the year. The day is considered exceptionally potent with sun magic. This is a day to celebrate personal power and the balance of elements.

In Christianity,  the midsummer is celebrated as the Feast of St. John the Baptist. St. John is said to have been born six motnths before the Christ. For this reason, using St. John's Wort on an altar could be very appropriate.

Decorations - 

Summer flowers, herbs, fruits, summer vegetables, yellow, blue, green

Rituals -

The Beltane fires are relit. Hold a bonfire and meditate on the flames and how they relate to the sun. Thank God for the time that he has spent with the Goddess.

Hold a sun ritual. To do this take a yellow candle and inscribe a sun on it.  Light the candle and say

On this day we celebrate the power and love of our Brother Sun. In his light we bask and grow.  We celebrate his power and love. Without his light we would be cold and alone. We celebrate his power and love. Through his light the world grows, our food and our hearts. We celebrate his power and love. We celebrate the symbol given to us of our Father God. We celebrate his power and love.

Ponder the Wheel of the Year and thank the God and Goddess for all they have done and continue to do for the world and for you personally.  Realize that the Goddess is now pregnant with their son Jesus Christ and while the God may be preparing to return to the heavens the Heavenly family continues to grow.

A Beltane Ritual

Beltane (Apr 30 at sunset through May 1 at sunset) -The God and Goddess once again are united!  This is the third fertility holiday, celebrating the union of the God and Goddess in love.  The Baby is conceived during this time.  The Earth starts to produce more as the warmth of the love of the God and Goddess is evident.

History -

Beltane enjoys a rich history of fun and frivolity. Also known as May Day, it is often filled with singing, dancing, bon fires, and other enjoyment of nature.  Historically Beltane marked the first day of summer. It would be the day that the cows were driven out the the pasture. Rituals would be done to protect them. Fertility rituals would be held to represent the coming season. In the Roman Catholic church the month of May is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Decorations -

Yellow flowers, shells, ribbons of bright colors, May poles

Rituals -

It is possible and a beautiful ritual for a Christian Wiccan to to a May crowning on their own altar regardless of who the see their female Diety as.  To do this, ritually and purposefully gather yellow or white flowers. You will need enough flowers to create a ring of flowers for your chalice or cauldron on your altar. Pick whichever of these tools works best for you. After your ring is created,  cast your circle and invite the corners, spirits, or God/dess.

Place your flowers around your chalice or cauldron and say:
Mother above, Mother of love
We celebrate your coming
As you grow, ferility we know
Bring your touch to those around
May all produce abundantly
And all continue soundly
In the name of your beloved Son
Blessed be

You may leave the flowers on your altar as long as they hold up. Thank and dismiss those invited and close your circle.

This is also a perfect time for a garden blessing. There are many garden blessings that can be found on the Web. Here is a wonderful and simple blessing. This is a second equally good blessing.

Remember to evolve all spells and rituals (including mine) to your own path. For example, I would modify each of the above links to reference the Son as well as God/dess.

I have those days....

...those days when I wonder why.  Why am I writing?  Who am I reaching?  Am I really reaching anyone?  And if not, how do I reach more?  Do I really want to reach more?

I owe this blog, and myself, a Beltane ritual.  I haven't written it yet.  I am sorry to say that I haven't but I haven't.  I am thinking that I will try to get it done this weekend in between the other "I want to do" and "I need to do" tasks.  Above all, what I want to do and need to do is live my life!

It has been a tough month.  I don't know why, and I really am not going to complain about it.  But, I set out about six months ago with a mission: to write a blog that had a Christian Wiccan ritual for each of the Sabbats.  Maybe next year I will do all the full moons.  Just a small short ritual for each.

For now, I just need to keep going.  I need to keep writing and knowing that God/dess brought me to this place, to this desire to write for a reason.  I don't know what it is, but She does.

An Ostara Ritual

Ostara (as set by the Church for Easter, sunset the night prior through the day's sunset) -

The light and darkness is equal at this time.  On Earth the light is proven equal to the darkness as The Child of God is crucified.  However, spiritual light overcomes darkness as Jesus conquers the world of the dead and rises, eventually taken to Heaven.  Here He awaits the union of the God and Goddess. The God comforts the Goddess through Her sadness.  Her tears fall to the Earth as rain.  They are bittersweet tears, for She knows that all humans must die but the conquering of the darkness gives Her hope.  New life starts to come from the Earth as it celebrates light overcoming darkness.  As the second fertility holiday, the God returns to the Goddess to comfort and court Her again, to show His love and tenderness for the world.

History -

The history of Easter is the second most well known story coming from the Bible.  It starts with the Last Supper.  During Passover, Jesus met with the disciples for a traditional seder.  At the end of the dinner he took the bread, broke it, gave it to the disciples and told them to eat it as His body and to continue this tradition in remembrance of Him.  He then took the wine, blessed it, gave it to the disciples and told them to drink it as His blood and to continue this tradition in remembrance of Him.  He then went to the garden to pray.  There he was arrested.  He was thrown in jail.  The next day, the people of Jerusalem were given the opportunity to free him but they chose to have him crucified instead.  After being crowned by thorns and beaten, Jesus was given a cross to carry through the streets.  At the end of the journey, He was nailed to the cross and He died.  His body was taken to a tomb but not fully prepared because it was the Sabbath.  When the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene and another Mary went to the tomb but found it was open and the body was gone; replaced by an angel who told them Jesus had risen.

The history of Ostara is also one of re-birth but that of the Goddess who has fully returned to the Maiden form.  She and the newly returned God encourage the fertility of the Earth which awakens in Their love and encouragement.

It is believed that Ostara derives from the Germanic goddess Eostre, for which the month of April was named after.  A spectacular quote on the Wikipedia page for her states, "Ostara, Eástre seems therefore to have been the divinity of the radiant dawn, of upspringing light, a spectacle that brings joy and blessing, whose meaning could be easily adapted by the resurrection-day of the Christian's God."

Decorations -

Easter decor is typically pastels, rabbits, and eggs or newly hatched chicks.  These signs of fertility show the God and Goddess encouraging the Earth to be fertile again.  Also, decor of a cross, the last supper, communion, or the ladies at the cross or tomb are appropriate.  Purple, green, or gold may also adorn your altar.

Rituals -

Ostara is the time to prepare your garden for planting.  A garden blessing at this time would be appropriate.  To do this, decide if you need to prepare the soil with any particular fertilizer.  Gather together some acorn, marjoram, and poppy.  Mix all these together.  Then while sprinkling them on the earth or mixing the fertilizer into the soil say:

Goddess of fertility, lend your energy to me now, allow it to prepare this earth to bring forth life as you will in time.

When the soil is prepared thank the Goddess for Her assistance and meditate for some time on what you hope to see in the garden.

For a more complex ritual to honor the God and Goddess, I particularly like this one at About.com.

For me, Ostara is a day of simplicity until getting to seder in the evening.  Easter dinner is typically a seder-like dinner which honors the Jewish heritage of the holiday.  This very simple, yet effective, ritual has no words to go with it as it is a quiet contemplation:

This is best done outside at sunrise.  Gather a white, purple, and green candle.  Place the candles in front of you, close together, almost as a triangle.  Cast your circle if you wish.

Light the purple candle. Think about the meaning of the risen Jesus in your life.  What effect does He have on you?  How are you glorifying Him in your daily walk?  Are you the Christian you want to be?  How can you participate in the rebirth and become who you want to be?  How can you honor Him this day?

As your thoughts clear on this topic, light the green candle.  Think about the meaning of the earth.  What is your connection to the ground beneath you?  Are you fulfilling your destiny?  Are you walking the path that the God/dess intend for you?  Can you make your connection to the God/dess stronger in any way through your actions with the earth and nature?  How can you honor Them this day?

As your thoughts clear again, light the white candle.  Tie the previous two topics together.  Can you start over as pure as the white candle now burning?  In what way can God/dess or Jesus help you to do so?  Who are you directed to help?  How are you directed to live and love?

Sit and commune with nature and the Trinity as long as you need.

If you did cast your circle, without spoken word, close the circle.  Move the candles to a place that they can harmlessly burn out.  Remember to keep an eye on them!  Fire safety must always be practiced.






Images found on Bing Image Search.

An Imbolc Ritual

Imbolc (Feb 1 at sunset through Feb 2 at sunset) - 

The winter has ended!  The Child of God continues to grow under the guidance of His Mother and protection of His Father.  His light is starting to shine on the World.  The Goddess starts to let Him make His own way into the World to start His teachings in the tradition of His Father.  As the first fertility holiday, the Goddess moves toward Maiden as She prepares to become the Bride of the God again as Her Son finds His way without Her on His path as laid out by His Father.

Interestingly, Imbolc falls 40 days following Christmas which has a meaning described below.  Recall that Jesus is said to have left home when he turned 30.  Assuming that he went into the desert on his 30th birthday, he would have been tempted by the devil for forty days.  This would put his baptism by John roughly on Imbolc.  This movement of Jesus out of his mother's care is what allows Her to progress through her yearly transitions.

History -

Imbolc has a very rich history surrounding it as both a Pagan and a Christian festival.  In Christianity, this day belongs to Saint Brighid.  Girls would create a poppet of Saint Brighid and take it from house to house.  At times they would ask for coins to give to the poor.

There are many who believe that Saint Brighid is the Christianization of the Celtic goddess Brighid.  If this is the case, it is just yet one more example of religions borrowing from and learning from each other.  Christians also celebrate the day as Candlemas.  

Forty days following Christmas is the purification of the Virgin.  According to Jewish law it takes 40 days following the birth of a son for a woman to become pure again.  Therefore, this is the day that Mary, Jesus' earthly mother, would have been allowed back into the Temple and again considered clean.  Jesus would also have been allowed in the temple for the first time on this day.

In Ireland it was believed that Imbolc was the day that the Crone would gather her firewood for the rest of winter.  If the day dawned bright and sunny, then the Crone was out to gather a lot of firewood and a hard rest of winter would occur.  If the day was overcast and foul, then the Crone was not able to go out to gather firewood and the winter would end soon.  This appears to be a precursor to the American tradition of groundhog day.

Decorations -

Saint Brighid's Crosses are a wonderful decoration for the day as well as yellow candles and fresh flowers to welcome the early aspects of spring.  The colors should be red, white, green, and yellow.  Red for the rising sun or purification blood.  White represents the snow and purity of the Virgin.  Green represents the state the earth is moving to.  Yellow represents the coming light.  Other decorations would be seeds and bulbs (ones you plan on planting later would make an excellent choice) or a

Making Saint Brighid's Cross can be a fun activity for children using the pipe cleaner method in the link.  Or, an adult can follow the same directions using reeds or grasses.  You can either keep your cross until next year or burn it as an offering to the Goddess.  Or you may burn last year's cross as an offering if you made one of reeds.

You could also use a crown of candles as decoration for this day.  To make this simply get a wreath and wire.  Using the wire secure the candles onto the wreath.  This method may not make a crown suitable for wearing and always use caution with flames.

Imbolc is a fire festival so light a lot of candles if you wish.

Rituals -

Imbolc is considered a day to practice divination.  It is a day for looking for the small signs of spring and starting to transition to a time of warmth.

Light a yellow candle to welcome the light.  Meditate over the candle about the things you wish to happen in spring.  Think about the many ways the Goddess in her time of purity can help to purify your life.

Plan your garden for the year and ask the Goddess and God to bless the plan.

And a final ritual which may need to be done in two parts:

Place a cube of ice or a small ball of snow if available in your cauldron or another dish.  Over the snow say:

The time for cold has come to an end
I invite the light that will bring life

Wait for the ice or snow to melt.  Place a yellow candle in the water along with herbs or plants that symbolize purification such as fennel, lavender, lime, bay leaf or any others you desire.  Light the candle and say:

I call upon fire, which has brought warmth to my home
Extend from here to melt the snow
As new life comes
The signs to me please show










History was found using both Wikipedia and About