Category: All Regular Daily Posts

Simple Solitary Beltane Ritual

Seeing as I am spending Beltane night aboard the ferry to Harwich with my mother and sister and spending the day itself packing and celebrating our new king, I cannot have a full blown celebration. And thus I spend my sudnay planning a simple ritual. This became awfully complicated because I didn’t have time to shop for anything special: I have to work from 1 PM to 6 PM on monday, I can only do a minimum of shopping at the supermarket I work before I start work  because all the other shops will be closed when my shift ends. After hours of puzzling, I came to a solution. A simple ritual incorporating knotwork with candlemagick to honour the Horned God and the earth Mother and their union, and a little herd/pet blessing to finish things up. I will perform my little ritual in the early morning, before the festivities and packing begins.

You’ll Need:

  • 2 candles, in any shade of green, the church or pillar variant
  • Cinnamon sticks, and lots of them, you’ll need to wrap them arround the candles.
  • cooking twinge or rope ( be carefull with the latter and flames!)
  • Small flowers, dried or fresh
  • Moss agate, amber, animal bone or fossils, twigs or tree leaves
  • scissors
  • Beltane/Cernunnos Oil (my recipe will follow this post)
  • Protection oil (the recipe I use will follow this post)
  • a depiction of your pet

The Ritual

1. Calm your mind and clear it, find your center. Then focus your intent. Think only of this holy day, the symbolism attached to it. Think of the fertility of spring, as the ground explodes with an abundance of flowers and plants, as animals give birth to their ofspring. Think of the sacred union between the God and Goddess.

2.  Lay your items out in front of you and say thanks for them

3. Leave about 2-3 inches of twinge or rope at the end and tie it to the cinnemon stick about an inch from the top. As you do say one verse of the Cernunnos prayer out loud or to yourself.

4. Pick up the next cinnemon stick, and keep repeating step 3 until you have enough sticks to wrap around the candle.

5. Once you have enough sticks, wrap the twinge around the last one and tie it about an inch from the bottom. Then you repeat step 3 again, securing all the sticks to each other at the bottom. Still repeating a verse per knot. At the end you’ll have something that looks like a small rope bridge.

6. Now you annoint the candle. I do so by starting at the top, then rubbing it clockwise down until  I’m halfway and then from the bottom back up, also clockwise. If you use another method, use your own. While anointing the candle, say the prayer in full.

7. Then you take your little bridge and wrap it around your candle. It will fall at an angle.  Tie off the top section (the bottom of your bridge is now your top, because you need the loose twinge) so that the ends are secured. Then wrap the twinge all around the candle to keep it tight, then go a second round at the bottom section of the candle and secure the ends there as well.

8. Then you place the agate, amber, bones etc. on top of your candle (use small chips and chunks) and place it on it’s holder on your altar.

9. Repeat the steps above, this tim e chanting the earth mother prayer and adorning it with the flowers.

10. Light the Cernunnos candle, reciting his prayer in full.

11. Light the earth Mother candle, reciting her prayer in full.

12. Place the representaion of your pets) between the candles, and anoint them with protection oil while reciting the blessing for the herd.

13. Let the candles burn out during the day.

From: https://hbtwc.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/simple-solitary-beltane-ritual/

Blessed Samhain to All Our Friends Down Under

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We wish you a blessed and enjoyable Samhain.

May any ancestor you wish to speak with be open to you today and/or tonight.

This is the last Sabbat on the Celtic Wheel of the Year.

May the next year bring you more love, joy, happiness, laughter, blessings, everything you need and even some things you just want.

Happy New Year!!!

SAMHAIN

There are many other things about Samhain posted on this site and of Coven Life.

Mugwort Magic

This magical herb has a long connection to Samhain,
use for Clairvoyance, Scrying, Protection.
Rub this herb on “Magic Mirrors” and “Crystal balls”
to strengthen their powers.
Add to Scrying, clairvoyance and divination incenses.
Sprinkle about table top during Tarot readings.
Rub fresh Mugwort leaves on the blade of your ritual sword
or athame, and then let it soak up the light of the Full moon.
Use 3 tablespoons to 12 gallon spring (or rain) water to
cleanse your “Magical mirrors” crystals and stones.

~ Barbara Morris

Fire Scrying

As the power of the Sun fades, we embrace the harvest season and the decline of the fire element. This is a perfect time, as we approach the introspective tide of winter, to scry with flame. On a night close to the New Moon, cast a circle of protection, and light a purple candle. Sit silently and breathe deeply, allowing your conscious mind to grow quiet. Gaze at the candle flame and permit your thoughts to drift by without judgment. Soften your focus and relax your vision. Concentrate only on the flame. Ask a question. Observe the flame expectantly, and open your observations to your intuition. Invite the flame to impart images. Write down your insights, and carefully date your interpretation for future reference. Perfect to do on Samhain eve…

~ by: Karri Allrich

Samhain Mirror Incantation

Recite this incantation before scrying into your black mirror on Samhain eve…

“Mirror of shadow, reveal what I seek.
Powers of old, secrets so deep.

East then South, West and North.
Watch tower guards, I call you forth.

Traveling sphere, no harm to fear.
Circle protects, here and there.

Stars beyond, from Pluto’s realm,
Scorpio rules God’s golden sun.

By the power of three times three,
Lord and Lady, so mote it be.”

~ Barbara Morris

 

Remembrance Cookies

These cookies can be made on Samhain Eve. They can be shaped like people (use a gingerbread man cookie cutter to achieve this easily) and the herb rosemary is added to the dough as a symbol of remembrance. Some of the cookies are eaten while telling stories or attributes of special ancestors, reminding us that we still have access to their strengths–or perhaps a predisposition to their weaknesses. The rest of the cookies are left outside by a bonfire or by window next to a black candle as an offering. This can be a solemn ritual, but it need not be.

Ingredients for the cookies:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter or margarine (softened)
1 egg
2 t. vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cream of tartar
1 1/2 T. chopped fresh rosemary (substitute dry)

Please note: Small – t – = TEASPOON, big -T- = TABLESPOON

Heat oven 375 degrees. In a large bowl, beat sugar, butter, egg, vanilla, almond extract, and rosemary until creamy. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Fold flour mixture into sugar mixture. Beat until dough forms and refrigerate for three hours. Divide dough into halves. Roll out one portion to 3/16 of an inch on a floured surface. Cut out with gingerbread women or men cutters and place on an un-greased cookie sheet. Repeat rolling and cutting with second portion of dough. Bake for 5-7 minutes. You can also punch a hole in top of each cookie with a wooden skewer (BEFORE baking) and thread black ribbon through, these can be hung for decorations, or top gifts.

~ Barbara Morris

Spiritualist Seance Invocation

‘There is a land where we all go,
Where never the frost or cold winds blow.
And friends remembered reunite,
where those who hate, forget their spite.
In glow, surround these gentle beings,
we call you now to bless our meetings,
Heaven’s promise, our spirits thrive,
So now for the living, let the dead come alive.
Greetings spirits, Speak now to us?’

From “The Spirit Speaks! Weekly Newspaper” 1901
~ Revised by Barbara Morris

Samhain Ritual

By Dorothy Morrison

This ritual was written at a time when I did not have a qualified Priest in my group. However, it may easily be adapted for those groups in which the Priestess and Priest work together. It may be just as easily adapted to solitary work.

Place an apple and pomegranate upon the altar. There should also be a “planted” pot of earth for each participant – these may be arranged on the altar as well, if there is ample space. Instruments of divination may be placed within the Circle perimeter for use during the ritual if you wish. Arrange the altar as usual and decorate with Autumn leaves, pumpkins, etc.

The Circle is cast and purified the Circle in the usual manner. Dancing around the Circle in a shuffle step (deosil), all chant three times:

The Moon is bright, the Crone is old
The body lifeless – the bones so cold
We all live and pay our dues
To die in ones and threes and twos.

Death, dance and play the harp
Piercing silence in the dark
The Woman’s old with withered limbs
Death beckons Her to dance with Him

As She accepts the Dance of Death
The Earth is cooled by ghostly breath
To lie in dormancy once more
To have Her strength and life restored

Go to the Western Quarter and draw an invoking pentagram with the athame to open the gate. Then evoke the dead by saying:

All ye spirits who walk this night –
Hearken! Hearken to my call!
I bid you in our Circle join!
Enter! Enter – one and all!

Come ye, spirits of the dead:
Be ye spirit of plant or pet
Or human being who still roams!
Into this Circle you are let!

Speak to us of things unknown!
Lend your energies to this rite!
To speed your journey, we have joined
On this sacred Samhain night!

All ye spirits who walk this night –
Hearken! Hearken to my call!
I bid you in our Circle join!
Enter! Enter – one and all!

Bestow blessings upon the dead, saying:

Oh Mighty Pan of the Summerlands:
Guardian of the beloved dead
We pour forth love on those you keep
Safely, in your peaceful stead
We bless those who have walked the path
That someday, we as well, shall rove
We offer peace unto their souls
While resting in your arms, below

Now is the time for divination (Ouija Board, pendulum, cards, etc.) and communication with those who have gone on before us. Allow plenty of time for this. [Note: I have found that it is helpful to have a tape recorder handy within the Circle for recording any communications that may be “channeled” during this time. Some people disagree with this suggestion, saying that the metal of this electronic device causes scattered energies in the Circle; however, if the recorder has been cleansed and purified as the rest of the ritual tools, the problem seems to be resolved.]

When the divinatory processes are completed, the Priestess goes to the Western Quarter and draw the banishing pentagram, saying:

Blessings be upon thee, oh wondrous Spirits of the
Summerlands. We humbly thank thee for your presence in our
Circle and honor you in celebration this sacred night. We
beseech thee, oh Pan, keeper of the sacred dead, embrace
once again those souls within your keep and hold tightly
to your breast those which have been lost and wandering.
Grant them safe passage to the Summerland, where they may
rest peacefully in your strength until they are refreshed
and reborn again in perfect love. We bid thee all a fond
farewell. So mote it be!

The gate is now closed.

The Priestess goes to the altar and hold up the pomegranate, saying:

Behold the pomegranate, fruit of Life…

The athame is plunged into the pomegranate, splitting it open to display the seeds. She says:

Whose seeds lie in the dormancy of Death!

The Priestess eats one of the seeds, saying:

I Taste the seeds of Death.

The pomegranate is then passed hand to hand through the participants of the ritual, each eating a seed and saying to the next person:

“Taste the seeds of Death.”

The Priestess then holds up the apple, saying:

Behold the apple: fruit of wisdom, fruit of Death…

She then cuts the apple crosswise, saying:

Whose symbolism rewards us with life eternal!

She holds up the apple, displaying the inner pentagram, and says:

Behold the five-fold star – the promise of rebirth!

Consecrate the fruit and wine. Each person then tastes of the apple and sips the wine, saying to the next person:

Taste the fruit of rebirth and sip from the cup of wine of Life.

After libation, the Priestess presents each member of the group with a small pot of earth, planted with three seeds [preferably rue or lavender]. She briefly explains to the group that this is the season of the seed – it is a time of dormancy, but also a time of re-generation for growth. Further, as the seed rests in the earth, they should also take time to rest and re-evaluate their lives, metaphorically planting only those values which will enrich and enhance the growth within the Divine Self. She then instructs them to name the seeds within their pots with three values they wish to incorporate into their lives, knowing that as the seeds sprout with new life, their lives will be new, as well.

After the presentation, all join hands and hold them skyward.

PRIESTESS:

Thus is the Circle of Rebirth.
All pass from this life through the great god, Pan
But through My love you are all reborn
In the cycles of nature – through the Cosmic Plan.

In living we die – in dying we live
The fruit is first seed, yet seed comes from the fruit
In the mystery of life and death and rebirth
The Circle turns ever, and I am its root.

ALL RESPOND:

The Sun conceived in Darkness, cold
In the Shadow of Death, a Life unfolds
A shred of Light begins to burn
From Death comes Life – the Circle turns.

Dismiss Quarters and Dissolve Circle.

PRIESTESS:

The rite is ended.

ALL:

Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again!

Outdoor libation to the Lord and Lady, and the spirits of the dead.

Spells, herbs and Aromatherapy to Help with Fevers and Colds

Keep away Fevers {Folk Magic} # 4 

Ingredients: Honeysuckle

Another way of keeping fevers at bay, is to grow Honeysuckle above your front door, and/ or around the windows around your house.

Protection from Colds {Aromatherapy & Folk Magic} # 5

Ingredients: Eucalyptus Leaves

Another method of preventing colds from infecting you is to place eucalyptus leaves under your pillow before going to sleep. These can be fresh or dried leaves.

Flowers, Dawn (2012-03-24). The Spell Book of Wiccan Shadows (Kindle Locations 902-906). Under the Moon. Kindle Edition.

A Final Thought About Beltane……..

Beltane Comments & Graphics
Even though it is not Beltane yet, you can feel the magick start to fill the air. It is swirling all around you, can you feel it? I believe my favorite Sabbats are Beltane and Samhain. Unusual combination isn’t it? One is the celebration of life and the other is the celebration of death. Both part of our natural cycle we call life.

 

 

I believe when the Sabbats roll around I still have something that was once said to me still haunt me to this day. I know some of you have heard it over and over again but, here goes again…..I had a dear friend I asked how was his Samhain? His reply to me was, “I guess alright, however Pagans are suppose to celebrate it.” That has been a few years back and that still haunts me. We do our best to try to provide you with the information you need to celebrate the Sabbats. Or at least I thought we did till I received my friend’s reply.

 

 

We give you the information to celebrate the Sabbats. Truthfully, the way you celebrate each turning of the Wheel is in your heart. No text book, no site, not even us can tell you how to celebrate. Look into your heart. You know the meaning of each Sabbat, celebrate them the way you want to. Do what  feels right for you? Start a new tradition for your family or yourself.

 

 

My celebration is going to be simple this year. I know most of you don’t know it because I told everyone to keep it quiet, I was in the hospital for four days. So my celebration will be rather low key. I plan on going outside around midnight when all the stars are shining brightly, looking up at the sky and giving thanks to the Universe and my Divine Mother for a very blessed year and a bountiful one to come. Then I plan on sitting quietly on the porch, with soft music playing in the background, watching the fairies play. I almost forgot the small bonfire in my grill, lol! Thanking them for their presence and the joyful gifts they bring into my life each day. After a little bit, I will get up and go in but before I do, I will say one more little prayer which will probably go like this….

 

 

Divine Mother,

Shine your love and your blessings down upon us all,

For they are needed now more than ever.

Bring peace, love and comfort back to us once again.

Continue to bless us not only tonight but for every night to come.

My Divine Mother,

I humbly ask this for not only myself but for

all my brothers & sisters of your great world.

So Mote It Be

A Beltane Prayer


Beltane Comments & Graphics

“The leaves are budding across the land
on the ash and oak and hawthorn trees.
Magic rises around us in the forest
and the hedges are filled with laughter and love.
Dear lady, we offer you a gift,
a gathering of flowers picked by our hands,
woven into the circle of endless life.
The bright colors of nature herself
blend together to honor you,
Queen of spring,
as we give you honor this day.
Spring is here and the land is fertile,
ready to offer up gifts in your name.
we pay you tribute, our lady,
daughter of the Fae,
and ask your blessing this Beltane.”

So Mote It Be

Altar Maypole Centerpiece – Make a Beltane Maypole for Your Altar

Altar Maypole Centerpiece

Make a Beltane Maypole for Your Altar

 

For many people, a Maypole Dance is the best way ever to celebrate the fertility holiday of Beltane… but let’s face it, you may not have the ability to do that. Not everyone can stick a 20-foot pole in their yard, or you may not even know enough other Pagans (or Pagan-friendly non-Pagans) to have a Maypole Dance in the first place. If that’s the case, there’s a much smaller alternative. You can easily make a Maypole to put on your Beltane altar.

For this simple craft project, you’ll need the following:

  • A 1″ thick dowel rod, about a foot long
  • A wooden circle, about 4″ in diameter
  • Pieces of ribbon in various colors, about 2 feet long each
  • A hot glue gun

Use the hot glue gun to attach the dowel rod to the center of the wooden circle. Once the glue has dried, you can stain or paint the wood if you choose. Attach the center of each ribbon to the top of the dowel rod, as shown in in the photo.

Use the Maypole as a centerpiece on your altar. You can braid the ribbons as a meditation tool, or include it in ritual. Optional: add a small floral crown around the bottom to represent the feminine fertility of the Sabbat.

 

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How To Celebrate Beltane with a Maypole Dance

How To Celebrate Beltane with a Maypole Dance

The Maypole is one of the traditional symbols of Beltane, and let’s not kid ourselves about its purpose: it’s a giant phallus.

Because Beltane festivities usually kicked off the night before with a big bonfire, the Maypole celebration usually took place shortly after sunrise the next morning. This was when couples (and probably more than a few surprised triads) came staggering in from the fields, clothes in disarray and straw in their hair after a night of bonfire-inspired lustiness.

The pole was erected on the village green or common, or even a handy field — thrust into the ground either permanently or on a temporary basis — and brightly colored ribbons attached to it. Young people came and danced around the pole, each holding the end of a ribbon. As they wove in and out, men going one way and women the other, it created a sleeve of sorts — the enveloping womb of the earth — around the pole. By the time they were done, the Maypole was nearly invisible beneath a sheath of ribbons.

To set up your own Maypole dance, here’s what you’ll need:

  • Dig a hole in advance, a few feet deep. You don’t want your friends to wait while you hunt for a shovel. The hole should be at least three feet deep, to keep the pole from flopping over during the ceremony.
  • A pole anywhere from 15 to 20 feet long, preferably made of wood
  • Guests who like to have fun

Ask each participant to bring their own ribbon — it should be about 20 feet long, by two to three inches wide. Once everyone arrives, attach the ribbons to one end of the pole (if you put a metal eyelet screw in the pole beforehand, it makes it a lot easier — you can just tie each ribbon to the eyelet).

Have extra ribbons on hand, because inevitably someone will have forgotten theirs.

Once the ribbons are attached, raise the pole until it is vertical, and slide it into the hole. Be sure to make lots of bawdy jokes here. Pack dirt in around the base of the pole so it won’t shift or fall during the dance.

If you don’t have an equal number of male and female guests, don’t worry. Just have everyone count off by twos. People who are “1” will go in a clockwise direction, people who are “2” go counterclockwise. Hold your ribbons in the hand that is closest to the pole, your inside hand. As you move in the circle, pass people by on first the left, and then the right, then the left again. If you’re passing them on the outside, hold your ribbon up so they pass under it. You might want to do a practice round beforehand. Keep going until everyone runs out of ribbon, and then knot all the ribbons at the bottom.

One thing that’s always welcome at a Maypole Dance is music. There are a number of CDs available, but there are some bands whose music have a May theme to them. Look for the phrase “Morris music” or traditional pipe and drum tunes. Of course, the best thing of all is to have live music, so if you have friends who are willing to share their skill and sit out the dance, ask them to provide some musical entertainment for you.

Tips:

  • If you’re doing a kids’ Maypole, it’s probably easier just to have them all go in one direction with their ribbons. It doesn’t look quite as fancy when it’s done, but it’s still pretty.
  • You may want to have a crown of flowers attached as well — put that at the top once all the ribbons are in place, but before you raise the pole.

 

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Author:
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Call to the Lord of the Wood

Beltane Comments & Graphics

Call to the Lord of the Wood

It is You that I dream of,
My Horned One-
Lord of the Hunt
Filled with Passion
And ecstasy…
And yet, You hold back.
Standing at the edge
Of the great forest
You await My call…
Come to Me,
My Love!
For I am the Maiden,
Filled with desire for life…
I am the Mother,
Who will offer You sustenance…
I am the Crone,
And promise rebirthing
Come to Me,
My Love,
And let Me fill You
With joy everlasting
Come to Me
And find peace.

By Judith Nerbetski

Floralia: The Roman May Day Celebration

Floralia: The Roman May Day Celebration

 

The Romans had a celebration for just about everything. Certainly, any Roman deity worth their salt got a holiday of their own, and Flora was no exception. She was the goddess of spring flowers and vegetation, and one of many fertility goddesses. In fact, she was so well respected as a fertility deity that she was often seen as a the patron deity of Roman prostitutes.

Her holiday originated around 235 b.c.e. It was believed that a good festival ensured that Flora would protect the blooming flowers around the city. At some point the celebration was discontinued — but it clearly took its toll when wind and hail did some serious damage to the flowers of Rome. In 173 b.c.e., the Senate reinstated the holiday, and renamed it the Ludi Floralis, which included public games and theatrical performances.

Oxford professor and anthropologist E.O. James discusses the Maypole and its connection to Roman traditions in his 1962 article, The Influence of Folklore On the History of Religion. James suggests that trees were stripped of their leaves and limbs, and then decorated with garlands of ivy, vines and flowers as part of the festival of Floralia. Other theories include that the trees, or poles, were wrapped in violets as homage to Attis and Cybele.

The Floralia took place during the five days between April 28 and May 3. Citizens celebrated with drinking and dancing. Flowers were everywhere, in the temples and on the heads of revelers.

Anyone making an offering to Flora might give her a libation of milk and honey.

 

 

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Author:

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Beltane


Beltane Comments & Graphics

Beltane

Build the bonfire,
Raise the pole
The Great Stone Wheel
Once again rolls
Red and White
Become entwined
As ‘round the pole
The children wind
Sympathetic fertility
To nature it lends
As down the pole
The wreath descends
Flower garlands,
Wore on the head
Or given to woo
And to wed
Silver and gold
To fast the hands
And shades of green
Across the land
Becoming one
By cup and blade
The Lord and Lady
In the glade.

By Devyn Barat

Astronomy Picture of the Day – Across the Sun

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2015 April 30


Across the Sun
Image Credit & Copyright: Göran Strand

 

Explanation: A long solar filament stretches across the relatively calm surface of the Sun in this telescopic snap shot from April 27. The negative or inverted narrowband image was made in the light of ionized hydrogen atoms. Seen at the upper left, the magnificent curtain of magnetized plasma towers above surface and actually reaches beyond the Sun’s edge. How long is the solar filament? About as long as the distance from Earth to Moon, illustrated by the scale insert at the left. Tracking toward the right across the solar disk a day later the long filament erupted, lifting away from the Sun’s surface. Monitored by Sun staring satellites, a coronal mass ejection was also blasted from the site but is expected to swing wide of our fair planet.

Daily Planet Tracker: Moon in Libra, Apr 30, 2015 to May 2, 2015

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Planet Tracker

Moon in Libra

Apr 30, 2015 to May 2, 2015

 

You’re Ginger Rogers today. And everyone and everything you meet is Fred Astaire. During this Libra Moontime think “grace in space.” If you meet an obstacle or encounter resistance, dance like you expected it to be there. Libra’s skill is knowing just how to receive whatever shows up. The trick is recognizing its beauty, which is all there is to diplomacy and charm. Any “couple tension” on this Moon is especially instructive. With as much neutrality as you can muster, examine the feedback loop of offering and receiving. If your lower back hurts, you might be doing too much or expecting too much from others. Court the idea that all the support you need lies within, as in a yoga balancing posture. This Moon asks, “Can you keep the peace and your balance at the same time?” The atmosphere is light and neutral today. It’s okay to be indecisive. Enjoy the ability to dance (gracefully) around the possibilities.

 

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