Tag: Goddess

Hunting the Hunter

Hunting the Hunter

by Melanie Fire Salamander

When I first started work in the Craft, as a solitary, I hadn’t much use for the God. The deity Who attracted me was the Goddess. I remember communing with Her in candlelight, before an altar of old telephone books covered with blue-figured silk. I felt incorporated by Her, supported.

My concept then of the God was the God of the Christians. From my ninth year to my thirteenth, I attended an Episcopalian church, where everyone was too polite to save me, though I did enjoy singing in the Youth Choir. I found the Episcopalian services pretty on the outside, but within they seemed dry as dust. I tried to be moved, but I ended up yawning, more taken by my walks to church through the quiet, sun-splotched Sunday mornings than by the ritual. The most of God I sensed among the Episcopalians was the echo of a long-ago voice.

When I did feel a presence from the God, that presence was of God the Father. Jesus I always saw as a person, a visionary you had to respect; I never got in touch with the loving Christ. We see our gods through the archetypes we’ve found in life, I think, and I was reared in a patriarchal household, from which I wrenched fight by fight over a period of years. In that household, the looming male figure was my father, grey-haired before my birth, the raging patriarch. Though my father and I patched up our relationship as I started serious work as a witch, my wounds were still raw enough I wanted nothing to do with fathers.

One of the first books I read that spoke of witchcraft as a spiritual path was The Spiral Dance. I remember Starhawk’s descriptions of different versions of the God: the gentle, loving Blue God, the viny Green One, and the Horned God, the Hunter. But for me none of Starhawk’s gods rang true. They seemed merely constructs. The Blue God appeared too girlish, and for me green was female. I felt the Horned God as the most real, but frightening and lumpen, as if one would want to mate with a bull. I shrugged, paid lip-service to the God in the group rituals I attended, and on my own worshipped the Goddess.

Meanwhile, life went on. Though I had no vision of the God, I managed to enjoy His sex. In Ireland I had a fling with a 21-year-old boy with dyed black hair, who wore a black shirt his friend’s sister made; we drank too much ale and richocheted against the painted stone walls of his village at 2 a.m.. Back in Seattle, I dated a photographer, also younger than me, slender as a brown sapling, sarcastic; I eroticized the smell of developer. I dated men my own age, too, but I kept reverting. Take my intersection with the surly boy, a singer in a band: I fell in love with his pumped chest and pierced nipple, though we never once held a conversation without arguing. Or take my e-mail flirtation, which went on too long and was never consummated: spiky, poison-sweet, dysfunctional as a car crash.

That one finally brought me to full stop. Some of the others had been obsessions, too, but this one patently made no sense. He had a girlfriend; we’d seen each other in the flesh perhaps five times; we’d never touched. What was it about him that sent my head spinning?

Those attachments you get, which are too strong, in the end seem to have little to do with the persons who inspire them. We tend to worship the gods we see in our lives, and the corollary is that if we don’t see the gods, they try harder and harder to reveal themselves.

I came to the God slowly, through His fauns.

Luckily the gods will teach you lessons many times over. But even when you’ve learned a few things, nothing is for sure. This story I’m telling you now, none of it is “true”; it’s just the explanation I’m giving myself.

Right now for me, the God is a muse. He comes on as a lover, but he is not a husband, nor even exactly a friend, more a capricious mentor. Our relationship is only sometimes about satisfaction; mainly the point is longing.

The God inspires my fiction; the characters I find most fun to write are usually fauns. They’re not portraits of boys I’ve known, though on occasion they’ve started out to be. Often they begin as minor players, who then take on a life of their own. The God inspires them: fills them with His breath and sets them moving. As they move, they draw me into the work, and their touch inspires the other characters.

This particular God-energy seems to work better for me driving fiction than real-life relationships. My fauns were never good boyfriends; I don’t think the Muse makes a good partner. His and my relationship is about tension, a pleasurable discomfort that makes me itch. I wouldn’t want that tantalizing, unfulfilling energy in an ongoing human relationship, but it feels right in relating to a god. It keeps me writing.

But the God will not be bound only into fiction.

At a festival, I saw a boy all in leather, crouched among greenery, looking up at me: black eyes, black hair, trembling lips with a fringe of mustache. I knew for certain I wanted him when I saw him take off his shirt. At the firepit, I maneuvered to sit next to him, warmed my cold hands on his thighs.

The Aphrodite shrine was full, locked, so we found the Pan shrine. Under a fake-fur pelt, we made love by candlelight. Something there was intoxicating as whiskey, something glancing, a bit heart-rending. I remembered him a long time, and I wrote him letters, though no permanent connection came.

It was only later I saw the God was laughing at me.

In the Pan shrine? Melanie, don’t you get it?

So it is often, I think. The gods don’t just come when you call. They make cameo appearances, and later you wonder why you remember that scene.

To see Him in your life, use your peripheral vision. Some people He comforts, some He teases; it depends on what He thinks you need from Him. But never doubt the God is there.

Images of the Divine Masculine

Images of the Divine Masculine

by K. C. Holt

In these times, the masculine seems in danger of being devalued. Examples of the masculine demonized as the patriarchal oppressor and destroyer of the environment and all that is good in society are all too easy to find. However, the feminist movement that gained momentum in the ’60s held out much hope not only to women, but to a great many men – men who not only agreed with what women were saying but realized that their own liberation from unrealistic and emotionally crippling stereotypes hung in the balance. In the following paragraphs, we will explore views of the masculine that are not new but have been lost to many in the mainstream of society and religious orthodoxy.

Looking at today’s spiritual landscape, it appears the image of the “Divine Masculine” is in a state of flux. The men’s movement has been late to start, galvanized into existence by some very patriarchal behavior within the women’s movement as well as by the need to reclaim what orthodox patriarchal religion has suppressed and persecuted. Patriarchal society has a numbing effect on the souls of men. Men now seek the door to their feeling, spiritual side with a renewed vigor unfettered by past convention, allowing them to love and work in ways that heal their lives.

Rites of passage for men have become little more than preparation for surrender to the hero image. Men find themselves sent forth to compete, to accumulate wealth, power and dominion over their environment. Dominion separates men from nature; they lack the immediate connection to the earth women gain through the cycles of menstruation and birth.

Men, instead, are linked to nature’s cycles through the activities of hunting and gathering or farming and agriculture. But these activities have largely been removed or distorted through the industrialization of society. Industrialization has helped lead to the incorrect and damaging association of nurture with the feminine and domination with the masculine. This pigeonholing of the male psyche by society and modern psychology has produced a shallow conception of the nature of masculinity. Furthermore, such an association ignores aspects of feminine psychology that do not necessarily fit the image of nurturer.

Aaron R. Kipnis, in his provocative book Knights Without Armor: A Practical Guide for Men in Quest of Masculine Soul, aptly states the problem: “Men in our culture today are undergoing a major restructuring of the basic paradigms governing masculine consciousness and behavior. It’s important to understand and uncover those aspects of the inner psychic life of persons that are essentially masculine in nature. We need to develop a working model that meets the needs of modern men on the basis of their own individual, personal experience. In many cases, this is very different from the constructs that have come out of heroic, monotheistic, patriarchal thinking or the revisions of feminist theory…. We need a more expansive psychology, which embraces the possibility of a moist, soulful, dark, authentic, mysterious, lunar, deep and earthy masculinity.”

Where might we look to find this concept of a mysterious, lunar, deep and earthy masculinity? Does it indeed exist, or does it need to be created? The answer is that it has existed for millennia. The evidence of its existence is carefully concealed by the orthodox monotheistic religions and the admittedly unbalanced patriarchal society we find ourselves in.

Wicca emphasizes polarity, worships the Earth God and has kept His memory alive. Most Wiccans see men and women as equal in spirit and intelligence but opposite in physical and emotional orientation. The practice and philosophy of Wicca is built around this polarity. I claim no authority to speak for any one tradition; Wiccans are as diverse as any religious group, ranging from what I like to affectionately call Fundamentalist Wiccans to Eclectic Wiccans. Some might prefer or better fit the title pagan or shaman. The point is that the gods associated with the deep and lunar side of masculinity are the gods of the earth and the sea.

Within the pagan and Wiccan philosophies, these gods find their emphasis, and as to their personal value to men, I speak from my experience as a son, father, grandfather and pagan. Men navigate their worlds through the powers of air (intellect) and fire (action). When they look to the depths of their souls, however, they find the earth and sea powers of love, attraction, affection, beauty, harmony, artistry and peace.

To turn inward to the subconscious, the feminine, in order to transform yourself does not mean to become feminine! The mistaken concept that one must become feminine has led many men astray from the God. A “real” man is one who lets the gods of the Earth teach him to understand his physical potential and limitations. He follows his heart with the warrior spirit to the depths of the sea, where he finds wisdom, sanctuary and the secrets of his strengths and weaknesses. The world problems we can attribute to the negative aspects of a male-dominated society cannot be solved by immersion only in the female aspects of divinity. They must include recovery of the forgotten and positive aspects of the God. The Great and Horned One, oldest of all the gods, sees women as equals and is a just and strong god rather than judgmental and vengeful.

The Horned God predates civilization. His image first appears in a Paleolithic cave in France, the meager beginnings of what we know as recorded history. He is the Wild Man, the Green Man, God of the Forest and Animals and Consort of Nature, the Goddess. The Horned God of Wicca, Cernunnos, is pictured holding a ram-headed serpent in his hands. He wears an open neck-ring or torque, in which we can see the symbol of the moon. He is the guardian of the cauldron, the lover and son of the Goddess who is Her partner in the sacred dance of creation.

With the shift in consciousness that led to patriarchal monotheistic thought, something was lost. The polytheistic pagan and matriarchal society’s concept of the one universal consciousness or deity that is expressed through a multiplicity of forms, both male and female, was forgotten or more likely totally ignored by the patriarchs. Cernunnos was devoted to Nature and the Goddess. He taught his sons to hunt, protect, nourish and cherish His mother, sisters, daughters and mate. The monotheistic patriarchy now vilified him as a devil.

The concept that sexuality leads men to confuse mystical ecstasy with eroticism led to the lie that the Goddess would seduce men to their folly. With the Horned One demonized and the Goddess expelled from the heaven of the patriarchs, Nature was open to plunder and rape. Is it any wonder that we see the anger of the Mother in the eyes of her female worshipers?

While Wicca has kept the memory of the Earth God alive, there are other places we may look to reclaim positive images of the Divine Masculine. In the pantheon of ancient Egypt, we find Nu, goddess of the night sky and stars, arching her naked body over Geb, god of the earth. He is depicted hard with desire, reaching upward for union with the stars. He strives towards Her, knowing that She will come to Him at Her need: a knowledge all men hold in their hearts.

Osiris was Geb’s heir. Sometimes he is depicted colored red for the earth, and more often green for vegetation. The Atef crown he wears sometimes is shown with a pair of horns sprouting from its solar disk.

Pan of the Greeks was linked to Aker of the Egyptians. A horned god who guarded the entrance to the Underworld, Assur was an Assyrian supreme god, who while associated with war was a fertility and moon god also. The moon has not always been the sole domain of feminine deities, nor the sun of male deities, for that matter. Osiris was referred to as Lord of the Moon in numerous instances. In Sumer, in the city of Ur, Nanna was worshipped as the Moon Father. In India, the Moon Father is referred to as Soma. The Babylonians knew him as Sinn.

Celtic mythology is also full of gods associated with the earth and the sea. Dagda brought back the cauldron of abundance and led the Tuatha De Danan underground to the faery mounds. He is associated with sexuality and fertility. Cromm Cruaich is known as the Lord of the Mound and associated with the harvest. Manannan Mac Lir was the Irish god of the sea, who separated the world of the faeries and humans.

The image of solar gods is lofty, dry and remote. The other side of masculinity, which is moist and deep with feeling, is to be found in the gods of the sea. Poseidon or Neptune was god of the sea. Poseidon conspired with Hera and Athena to overthrow the sky god Zeus. Most have seen Neptune as a patriarchal god, but this story shows us how the watery, earthy depths of our masculine feeling side can work to overthrow the Sky Father, high above the earth.

Whereas the sky gods often have hidden if not absent sexuality, the earth and sea gods are sexually well-endowed. Poseidon’s trident symbolizes his phallic nature. The trident is also associated with the wild dancing god Shiva of the Hindus. These are just some of the examples of where one may look to find a soulful, dark, lunar and earthy masculinity.

We are the sum total of all that has come before us: the Mesolithic hunters, gatherers and Neolithic farmers of matrilineal culture (7000-2000 B.C.); the Indo-European warriors emphasizing the male sky gods in the centuries of the Bronze and Iron Age (2000-800 B.C.); the turn of the millennium with the advent of Christian mythology and its concepts of dualistic division between body and soul, world and spirit and Original Sin; and finally the age of scientific rationalism. Rationalism allows for nothing supernatural and reduces the universe to a language of numerical abstraction – mathematics.

No one of these periods surpasses the other. They all possess a unique imprint on the human experience. Any one of them taken alone represents but a fraction of the evolutionary progress of the human soul. The earth gods, born in the distant past, still prove necessary to us; they are the force whereby the land springs forth in an ever-changing cycle. We must identify and nurture the positive aspects of maleness embodied in our God or gods and unite the God to the Goddess.

In a time when the orthodox concept of God has become sterile and sexless, the deities of the earth and sea await all men. They possess the ability to guide men to a fuller meaning of what it is to be sons, fathers and grandfathers. They offer a positive alternative of what it means to be male in a world that has lost sight of the good nature of Man. As men, we have the task to reclaim the divine masculine and unite with our sisters in perfect trust and perfect love.

Yule Log Magick

Yule Log Magick

The yule log is a remnant of the bonfires that the European pagans would set ablaze at the time of winter solstice. These bonfires symbolized the return of the Sun.

An oak log, plus a fireplace or bonfire area is needed for this form of celebration. The oak log should be very dry so that it will blaze well. On the night of Yule, carve a symbol of your hopes for the coming year into the log. Burn the log to release it’s power. It can be decorated with burnable red ribbons of natural fiber and dried holly leaves. In the fireplace or bonfire area, dried kindling should be set to facilitate the burning of the log.The Yule log can be made of any wood (Oak is traditional). Each releases its own kind of magick.

Ash –brings protection, prosperity, and health

Aspen– invokes understanding of the grand design

Birch– signifies new beginnings

Holly– inspires visions and reveals past lives

Oak– brings healing, strength, and wisdom

Pine– signifies prosperity and growth

Willow– invokes the Goddess to achieve desires

The burning of the Yule Log can easily become a family tradition. Begin by having parent(s) or some other family member describe the tradition of the Yule Log. The tale of the Oak King and Holly King from Celtic mythology can be shared as a story, or can be summarized with a statement that the Oak represents the waxing solar year, Winter Solstice to Summer Solstice, and the Holly represents the waning solar year, Summer Solstice to Winter Solstice.

Lights are extinguished as much as possible. The family is quiet together in the darkness. Family members quietly contemplate the change in the solar year. Each in her/his own way contemplates the past calendar year, the challenges as well as the good times.

Then the Yule Log fire is lit. As it begins to burn, each family member throws in one or more dried holly sprigs and says farewell to the old calendar year. Farewells can take the form of thanksgiving and appreciation and/or a banishment of old habits or personal pains.

Once the Yule Log itself starts blazing, then the facilitator invites family members to contemplate the year ahead and the power of possibilities. Each member then throws in an oak twig or acorn into the fire to represent the year ahead, and calls out a resolution and/or a hope.

Families using a Yule Log with candles each family member can write a bad habit and/or a wish for the upcoming year on a slip of paper and burn it in the candle flame.

When this process is done, the family sings a song together. The traditional carol, “Deck the Halls,” is good because it mentions the Solstice, the change in the solar year, and the Yule Log.

Let the Yule Log burn down to a few chunks of charred wood and ashes (or candles burn down). Following an ancient tradition, save remnants of the fire and use them to start the Yule Log fire the following year.

Drawing Down the Power of the Sun Goddess or God

Drawing Down The Power of the Sun Goddess or God

 

In witchcraft, as you know, there is a ceremony known as ‘drawing down the moon’ in which the High Priestess takes into herself the power and wisdom of the Moon. In some traditions the power of the Sun is called down by the High Priest at the beginning of the Esbat or monthly celebration and on other major seasonal ceremonies into the Priestess. There is another ceremony where Sun power is called down into the Priest by the High Priestess or into herself, especially at seasonal solar change points such as the Equinoxes or Solstices.

However, in both cases, whether you work alone as a witch or in a coven or practice less formally, you can at any time of the day or year call into yourself the strength, fertility and joy of your chosen Sun God or Goddess.

At dawn:  Draw down the powers of the rising Sun for a new beginning or for a fresh approach or for optimism or inspiration

At noon:  Plug into the rush of pure life and light force for a make or break situation or to spur yourself on if you are tired or dispirited – or for sudden illumination.

At dusk.  The Sun consoles, heals and harmonizes desperate demands or people and draws gentle abundance to you.

It Is A Very Blessed & Glorious Monday Morning, dear friends!

I truly hope you are having a very good Monday morning. I know this morning is much better than yesterday. Yesterday, I came to you with tears of sorrow. I must apologize I probably sounded like a babbling idoit or witch (in this case). But the news I received from WordPress truly upset me. It was a miracle that Annie came by and was able to finish up yesterday. I know she was also furious with WordPress and upset because I was. I know we have our disagreements at times but I am so fortunate to have her as a friend. I know you might think it is silly the way I reacted because this is “just” a website. But I feel very differently about it. To me, it is a work of love. I love the Goddess and I made a commitment to her. I cannot falter on the commitment. When I closed the old group on Yuku, I was off the internet for about two months. During those months, I was very depressed and felt like I didn’t have a friend in the world. Then one day something told me to get back on my computer. So I did. I realized what was missing in my life and what truly made me happy. It was spreading the message of the Goddess and my fellowship with other Pagans. As I started to look around for a place to start a new site, I was lost. The a voice in my ear whispered, “blog, do a blog.” I believe I was led to WordPress to start up a new Witches Of The Craft. I didn’t know anything about blogging.  I believe the Goddess took me by the hand and showed me. It was the Goddess’ love that built this site. You see that is why this is more to me than just a “website.” It is my commitment to Her that I must fulfill and continue. It is my love for you that I must continue. I have looked around the internet. There really isn’t anymore Pagan communities left on the net. That is another reason we must survive. All of the Pagan leaders, teachers and individuals, past and present, have brought the Craft this far. We must continue their work. Witchcraft must be brought to the forefront of mainstream Religion. The Pagan groups, blogs, websites that exist now, we must support all of them. Because together, we will bring Witchcraft back to its rightful place in history. Fifty years from now, our great-grandchildren will look back and see our painful past. They will also see were we persevered, fought on and made the Craft one of the foremost Religions in the world. For our children and their children, we must continue the fight. I have come to realize with the Goddess all things are possible.

When I left the site yesterday, my heart was breaking. I turned to the Goddess and let my soul and mind rest. I decided the fate of this site was in Her hands. If it was meant to be, it would. If we have gone as far as we were suppose to go, then I would accept it. Today, is a brand new day. My prayers are being answered and the Goddess’ will is being done. I come to you today with tears of joy. In one day, we have received enough donations to meet our domain payment. All things are possible with the Goddess. Thank you so much. I still can’t believe it. You are so wonderful and loving. I can never thank you enough. You are truly the greatest friends the WOTC and I have ever had. I consider each of you more than friends, you are my family. I wouldn’t know what to do if I couldn’t get up every morning and talk to you. I can feel your presence and your love. This is our home and it will continue to be our home, THANK YOU! I wish I could give each of you a great big hug. But unfortunately, I can’t. I am hoping you can feel my heart. It is singing with joy and gratitude.

I guess I better stop for now, I am starting to sound mushy. You will never see me mushy except on a day like today. It is a glorious and blessed Monday for the WOTC!

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

We love you,

Lady Of The Abyss & The WOTC

THANK YOU!

More Thank You Comments

Today’s Tarot Card for November 18th is The High Priestess

The High Priestess

Sunday, Nov 18th, 2012

Traditionally called the High Priestess, this major arcana, or trump, card represents human wisdom. She can be viewed as a kind of female Pope, the ancient Egyptian Priestess of Isis, the even older snake and bird Goddesses, the Greek Goddess Persephone, or the Eve of Genesis before the Fall.

For the accused heretics who were burnt at the stake for revering her in the 14th and 15th century, she symbolized the prophecy of the return of the Holy Spirit, which was perceived as the female aspect of the Holy Trinity.

In the sequence of cards in the major arcana, the High Priestess appears as soon as the Fool decides he wants to develop his innate powers, making a move toward becoming a Magus. The High Priestess is his first teacher, representing the Inner Life and the method for contacting it, as well as the contemplative study of Nature and the Holy Mysteries.

Calendar of the Sun for November 8th

Calendar of the Sun

8 Blutmonath

Feast of the Kitchen God/dess

Colors: Red and blue
Element: Fire
Altar: On this day the altar is built in the kitchen, on the center of the main table. All activity of the day centers around the kitchen. Crowning the pile should be the paper portrait of the Kitchen Goddess. Decorate the altar with dishes of food, glasses of drink, and copper pots. Use the best china. The portrait of the next kitchen goddess should be hidden under someone’s clothing, rolled up and waiting.
Offerings: The entire kitchen should be cleaned thoroughly. Afterwards, the kitchen should be cleaned again. A pot of honey should be placed nearby.
Daily Meal: Enough food should be made and laid out to feed the entire community for the lunch and dinner period, and outsiders should be invited in to share it if possible. The food should be lavish and elaborate and aesthetically prepared.

Invocation to the Kitchen Goddess

Lady who watches over
The heart of our home,
Lady who fills our bellies
And who observes all our faults,
Today we send you to heaven
On a curl of smoke from your hearth.
We ask you, be generous,
And speak well of our efforts.
When you speak of our faults,
Have compassion on our humanity
Lady who guides our hands,
Send us pots that do not burn,
And enough love and peace
To infuse every morsel
Of nourishment that we here consume.

(Each person present should step forward, dip their finger in the honey, and touch it to her picture, asking her aloud or silently to forgive them for whatever pettiness occurred in the kitchen that year, be it actions or thoughts. Then she is taken to the hearth and burned in the flame, while everyone present claps and chants rhythmically. After that, lunch is eaten, and then a new Kitchen Goddess is installed in her place.)

Chant: Fire of the hearth, Fire of the wine,
Fire of the heart, Fire of the mind,
Fire of the Art, Fire out of time.

 

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Simple Self Dedication

Simple Self Dedication

A simple self dedication rite for beginners or for those who would like to rededicate themselves to nature path


SELF DEDICATION RITE

 

Prepare yourself by doing the Ritual Bath and Self Blessing. If you are performing this ritual at the sea or a river, bathe there if you so desire. As you bathe, prepare for the coming rite. Open your consciousness to higher levels of awareness. Breath deep. Cleanse your mind as well as your body. After bathing, dry and dress for the journey.

 

Go to a place in the wild where you feel safe. It should be a comfortable spot where you won’t be disturbed by others, an area where the powers of the Earth and the Elements are evident. It may be a mountain top, a desert canyon or cave, perhaps a dense forest, a rocky outcropping over the sea, a quiet island in the center of a lake. Even a lonely part of a park or garden can be used. Draw on your imagination to find the place.

 

You need take nothing with you but a vial of richly scented oil. Sandalwood, frankincense, cinnamon or any other scent is fine. When you arrive at the place of dedication, remove your shoes and sit quietly for a few moments. Calm your heart if you’ve exerted yourself during your travel. Breathe deeply to return to normal, and keep your mind free of cluttered thoughts. Open yourself to the natural energies around you. When you’re calm, rise and pivot slowly on one foot, surveying the land around you. You’re seeking the ideal spot. Don’t try to find it; open your awareness to the place. When you’ve discovered it (and you’ll know when), sit, kneel or lie flat on your back. Place the oil on the Earth beside you, Don’t stand – contact the Earth. Continue deep breathing. Feel the energies around you.

 

Call the Goddess and God in any words you like, or use the following invocation. Memorize these words before the rite so that they’ll spill effortlessly from you, or improvise:

 

O Mother Goddess, O Father God, Answers to all mysteries and yet mysteries unanswered; In this place of power I open myself to Your Essence. In this place and in this time I am changed; From hence forth I walk the Paths of the Craft. I dedicate myself to you, Mother Goddess and Father God. (rest for a moment, silent, still.)

Then continue:

 

I breathe your energies into my body, commingling, blending, mixing them with mine, that I may see the divine in nature, nature in the divine, and divinity within myself and all else. O Great Goddess, O Great God, Make me one with your essence Make me one with your essence Make me one with your essence.

 

You may feel bursting with power and energy, or calm and at peace. Your mind might be in a whirl. The Earth beneath you may throb and undulate with energy. Wild animals, attracted by the psychic occurrence, might grace you with their presence. Whatever occurs, know that you have opened yourself and that the Goddess and God have heard you.

 

You should feel different inside, at peace or simply powerful. After the invocation, wet a finger with the oil and mark the symbols of the Goddess and God somewhere on your body. It doesn’t matter where; you can do this on your chest, forehead, arms, legs, anywhere. As you anoint, visualize these symbols sinking into your flesh, glowing as they enter your body and then dispersing into millions of tiny points of light.

 

The formal self-dedication is ended. Thank the Goddess and God for Their attention. Sit and meditate before leaving the place of dedication. Once home, celebrate in some special way.

Living Life As The Witch ~ Dedication and Initiation In Wicca

Witchy Comments

What are “dedication” and “initiation” in Wicca?

These things mean different things in different traditions. Usually
“dedication” ceremonially marks the beginning of Wiccan study, while
“initiation” may mark full membership in a coven/tradition (such as after
“a year and a day”) or may indicate elevation in skill or to special
clergy status. Some traditions look on all initiates as co-equal clergy,
while others have grades or “degrees” of initiation, which may be marked
by distinct sacramental ceremonies, duties or expectations within the
tradition.

Some people claim that “only a Witch can make a Witch,” whereas
others say that only the Goddess and God or demonstrated skill can make a
witch. Doreen Valiente was initiated by Gardner himself, but slyly asks
“who initiated the first witch?” Valiente and others assert that those
who choose to “bootstrap” a coven into existence (by an initial
initiation) or to use self-initiation may do so, citing the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. Self-dedications are also quite common among
new practitioners and solitary Wiccans (“solitaries”).



~Magickal Graphics~

Wishing You Many Blessings This Super Sunday, My Friends!

Good Sunday Morning, dear friends! How is your day going so far? Mine! Great, I feel much better. I did nothing at all yesterday except watch  OnDemand with my husband all day. Good grief, we watched every new series that was out. I thought my eyes would burn out of my head. Kiki got all upset because her routine was screwed up and so did the other two. I didn’t think it would kill me to be nice and cooperate since he has waited on me hand and foot. :s!

I have one business issue I would like to address this morning. I have noticed in the back that our articles are being reblogged all over the net. Hey, I don’t care that is what we put the information out for, for you to use. It is free to use, always has been, always will be. But I would ask just one thing of you. If you have a blogroll, a link page or something like that could you at else mention us. I go out and submit this site to 500 search engines a month. I bust my butt to draw Pagans, Witches, Wiccans and other Tradition here. So you just mentioning us in a link or a blogroll, would be doing me a great service. In return, I will list your link or site on our site. It is only fair in my humble opinion. Just remember the info is free but it would be great to have a tiny mention in your blogroll or link page. Thank you, sweeties!

Bet you can’t guess the next thing on my mind, now can you, lol! I would not continue to urge you to get out and vote this year if I did not consider it very, very important. It is especially important to us as Pagans and those among us as women to vote, vote, vote! My husband and I were kidding, he said he was going to vote and go back and vote again. You know of course that is a joke. That is totally illegal. It is also criminal for anyone that is a registered voter this year to sit at home and not vote. It is one of your freedoms in this country and please get out and express that right. I feel so strongly this year that I believe our Religion is at stake and also I believe our rights as women are. As I mentioned before Romney has repeated over and over there is only one God perhaps but his God is not my God. If you are a Pagan, Witch, Wiccan, etc., you realize that also. He has mentioned there is a force that is taking over this country. It is moving like a wave to wipe out Religion as it is known in this country. Do I have to tell you what wave he is referring to? It is us and our Religion. Statistics show more people are leaving mainstream Religion and returning to the Ways of Old. We are the Ways of Old. We are the Old Religion. With Romney in the Presidential office, I am afraid our religious freedoms might be in jeopardy. Do you want to take that chance? I don’t. If that happens, I will not stand idly by and watch it happen. I don’t believe there are others reading this that will too. We will return to the time of our Ancestors. Fighting all over to retrieve what they have accomplished for us and what we have accomplished since then. Don’t sit home this election year, our freedom and rights are on the line here!

As far as women go, I have heard enough talk about men deciding what rape is and rape isn’t. What a women has the right to do with her own body? What man on this planet has the right to tell me what I can and cannot do with my own body? Not even my husband. My body is mine. My body is a temple of the Goddess. I believe the Goddess gives us free will to do with our bodies as we choose. The talk of rape and legitimate rape make me sick to my core. Rape is rape. If a woman is raped and then comes up pregnant. It is her right, not the government or anyone else’s place to say what she is to do with that fetus. It is her choice. Rape is a terrible crime. Who is to say that child might remind that woman of that terrible day every time she looks at it. That woman might not want to experience that the rest of her life. And the idoit that made the statement about legitimate rape, he ought to be ran out of the state of Illinois.

I watched the “Meet the Press” show on NBC this morning. There was a Republican representative on there clarifying the rape situation for us. He said that it was meant to be interpreted as “God would choose if those women who turn up pregnant from rape should carry the baby to term or not.” If the baby was meant to be from this horrible crime, she would carry it to full term. If not, then she would miscarry. WHAT THAT HELL? No, NOPE, No, NOPE, not for me. Nor is his God, my God. My God is a Goddess. She has given my body to me as a gift and as a temple. Rape is defiling the Temple of the Goddess. The people making these ridiculous statements don’t know what a woman suffers when she is raped. They have the nerve to make these statements. How dare they? If these people are elected to office, the women of this country will be set back 50 years as for as our rights go. We will no longer have the right to do with our bodies as we like. We will be told what to do. If this is not the hidden agenda, then why was it ever mentioned in the first place? You know yourself, this had to be discussed somewhere. The men making this statements don’t look smart enough to come up with these stupid and pathetic statements on their own. I believe some planned the idea in their little pea brains. Then to top it all off, Romney had an ad endorsing one of those candidate before he made his stupid remark. Romney did not pull his endorsement after the statement was made. He continues to run the ad and continues to endorse this candidate. What does that tell you? Perhaps I am coming down to hard on this issue. But I am a woman. I believe the Goddess gave me my body and it is MY TEMPLE. Not anyone else’s, nor is it anyone else’s business to tell me what to do with it. I am Pro Choice and I am not ashamed to say it because of the way I believe. You as Pagans, Witches, Wiccans and all the other Traditions in our Religion,  should also believe that our bodies are our own Temples. Are you going to stand by and let someone tell us how we should treat our bodies?  Our bodies that our Temples of our Goddess?

Vote! Vote! Vote!

Now that I am off my soapbox, I would like to thank all of you that have written to me at our site’s addy. I appreciate all of your good wishes and love. You don’t know how much it means to me. I can feel you love and warmth and it is indeed appreciated. I would also like to thank a very good friend that I will be writing a letter to today. This person is a good friend and a great supporter of the WOTC especially our animal refuge. He is helping spreading the word throughout California about our little old group in Kentucky. Which we deeply appreciate. KoolTrainer, I do not wish to embarrass you but I want to thank you for your  generous donations to our Refuge. I haven’t had the chance to email you. So this way, I was assured you would know I love you and thank you so much.

Well after having a wonderful blow-hard session here. I am off to work. I see Annie must be sleeping in again. She deserves a break. She has worked very hard and done an amazing job (even if she did try to adopt me out the other day, lol!). I hope everyone has a very enjoyable Sunday. Please stop and consider who you are voting for and most of all make plans to vote. This year is extremely important to us, our families and our Religion. Thank you for listening.

Love and Blessings to all,

Lady A

I would love it if you would reblog this everywhere on the net! People need to open their eyes and see what is at stake and what we have to lose this year!

More Sunday Comments

LUNAR PHASES AND MAGICKAL WORK

LUNAR PHASES AND MAGICKAL WORK  

  
Moon Myths
When people lived with Nature, the changing seasons had a great impact on religious    ceremonies. The Moon was seen as a symbol of the Goddess. Because of this, the light of the Moon was considered magical, and a source of energy. Wiccans    often practice magic at a Full Moon to tap into this energy thought to exist at this time. Plutarch once said “Egyptian priests called the Moon the    “Mother of the Universe,” because the moon, “having the light which makes moist and pregnant, is promotive of the generation of living    beings..” The Gnostic sect of Naassians believed in a primordial being known a “the heavenly horn of the moon.” The Moon was the Great Mother. Menos meant “Moon” and “power” to the Greeks. To the Romans, the morality of the Moon Goddess was above that of the Sun God. In many cultures the Moon Goddess and the Creatress were the same. Polynesians called the Creatress Hina, “Moon.” She was the first woman, and every    woman is a wahine, made in the image of Hina. Scandinavians sometimes called the Creatress Mardoll, “Moon Shining Over the Sea. Ashanti people had a    generic term used for all their deities, Boshun, meaning Moon. Sioux Native Americans call the moon The Old Woman Who Never Dies. Iroquois call her    “Eternal One.” Rulers in the Eritrean zone of South Africa held the Goddesses name “Moon.” The Gaelic name of the Moon, gealach, came    form Gala or Galata, the original Moon-Mother of Gaelic and Gaulish tribes. Britain used to be called Albion, the milk-white Moon-Goddess. The Moon was    called Metra, which means Mother , “whose love penetrated everywhere.” In the Basque language, the words for deity and moon are the same. The    root word for both “moon” and “mind” was the Indo-European manas, mana, or men, representing the Great Mother’s “wise    blood” in women, governed by the Moon. The derivative mania used to mean ecstatic revelation, like lunacy used to mean possession by spirit of Luna, the Moon.
To be Moon-Touched or Moon-Struck meant to be chosen by the Goddess. When patriarchal thinkers belittled the Goddess, these words came to mean    craziness. Orphic and Pythagorean sect viewed the Moon as the home of the dead, a female gate known as Yoni. Souls passed through on the way to the    paradise fields of the stars. Greeks often located the Elysian Fields, home of the blessed dead, in the moon. The shoes of Toman senators were decorated    with ivory crescents to show that after death they would inhabit the Moon. Roman religion taught that “the souls of the just are purified in the Moon.” Wearing the crescent was “visual worship” of the Goddess. That was why the prophet Isaiah denounced the women of Zion for wearing    lunar amulets. Because the moon was the holder of souls between reincarnations, it sheltered both the dead and unborn, who were one in the same. If a man    dreams of his own image in the Moon, he would become the father of a son. If a woman dreamed of her own image in the Moon, she would have a daughter. The    Moon Goddess created time, with all its cycles of creation, growth, decline, and destruction. This is why ancient calendars were based on phases of the    moon and menstrual cycles. The Moon still determines agricultural work in some parts of India. Indonesian moon priestesses were responsible for finding the    right phase of the moon for every undertaking. The Moon was to have been the receptacle of menstrual blood by which each mother forme the life of her    child. This sacer, taboo moon-fluid kept even the Gods alive. The moon was “the cup of the fluid of life immortal, quickening the vegetable realm and    whatsoever grows in the sub-lunar sphere, quickening also the immortals on high.” The Moon was supposed to rule life and death as well as the tides. People living on the shores were convinced that a baby could only be born on an incoming tide and a person could not die until the tide went out. It was often said birth at a full tide or a full moon means a lucky life. Girls in Scotland refused to wed on anything but a Full Moon. Witches invoked their    Goddess by “drawing down the Moon.” It is said to be a rite dating back to moon worship in Thessaly, centuries before the Christian era.
Esbats   
Lunar holidays are also known as Esbats, but any Wiccan ritual held at any time other than a Sabbat is an Esbat. Due to the rotation of the earth, the Wiccan calendar contains 13 Full Moons and 8 Sabbats, also known as Days of Power. A full moon happens every 28 1/4 days. Full Moon energy is used for banishing unwanted influences, protection and divination. A Full Moon is also a good time for planning, releasing and working backwards in time. Full Moon Magic can be done for seven days, three days before the full moon and three days after the full moon.
There are thirteen Full Moons. Each has a traditional name.
Wolf Moon January
Storm Moon February
Chaste Moon March
Seed Moon April
Hare Moon May
Dyad Moon June
Mead Moon July
Wyrt Moon August
Barley Moon   
September Blood Moon
October Snow Moon
November Oak Moon
December Blue Moon variable
The New Moon is used for personal growth, healing, the blessing of a new project etc. Between the New Moon and Full Moon is the phase called Waxing Moon. Magic for this phase includes attraction magic, increasing, growth, and gain. Between the Full Moon and New Moon is the phase called the Waning Moon. Magic for this phase includes banishing magic, such a loosing negative emotions, bad habits etc. Three days before the New Moon is known as the Dark Moon, as it is not visible in the sky. Traditionally, no magic is performed    at this time. It is a time for rest.

A Very Good & Blessed Sunday Morning to everyone out there this morning!

How’s everyone doing this morning? I hope the weather is beautiful where you are at. Around here, the wind is blowing around 70 mph. The backside of the house sounds like it is about ready to blow off. I have already been up and out this morning. We went to check on the animals, make sure no trees have fell on them, their tarps still over the tops and most of all feed the little vultures, lol! Just kidding, they are all growing and recovering fine. Next week, the weather is suppose to be back to normal. So Guess What? You get to put up with me, you lucky dogs, lol! I know at least three little fuzzy kids of mine will be glad of that. I come home every morning and the minute I walk through the door, I am jumped. Stinker, Kiki and Razzy all want to smell me. Razzy has gotten so big, she wraps one of her paws around my leg and she stops me. I have gotten were I just sit down in the floor and let them sniff away. I just can’t wait till I get sprayed by one of those baby skunks, lol! I shouldn’t even say that, I will jinx myself. I have never gotten sprayed, knock on wood.

I am getting ready to open up a can of worms now. I know I said I don’t talk about Politics on the blogs, but….something about this campaign is really eating at me. I just feel this need to express myself on certain subjects. I don’t know how many of you watched the Presidential Debate the other night. You know the one that Obama lost, yeah right! Romney made a comment that has been eating at me every since then. I don’t remember what he was replying too but he made the comment, “All Gods are one God!” That scares me. Now if a Pagan said that, I wouldn’t think a thing about it. But for him to say it, it bothers me. “All Gods are one God!” It makes me wonder if he is implying all Gods are one God and that God is his God. What is he planning on doing, making the U. S. a nation of one religion. Forget diversity! Forget Religious Freedom! I remember a comment that he made early in his campaign and I guess that is where these fears are coming from. His comment was, “a very unsavory influence was spreading across the United States.” The “unsavory influence” makes me think he is talking about Witchcraft and Paganism. You hear it on the News just like I do, people are leaving mainstream religions. The other night there was a Poll done and there was a big jump in people not claiming any religion at all anymore. Of course, the Poll did not mention “if you were affiliated with Witchcraft or Paganism.”

I know Romney keeps mentioning he wants to take us back to the times of Reagan. That’s a laugh. Reagan never did a thing for us. We like to have starved to death and my husband was out of work all the time. My husband was a union man and I remember Reagan trying to bust every union in this country. But all that is beside the point, if Romney wants to take us back to the past, how much further does he really want to go? “All Gods are one God,” “Unsavory Influences,” is he planning on taking away our Religious freedom. Enforcing how we worship. What happens if we don’t want to worship that way? Are they going to burn us at the stake again?  There is something about that man, he has a hidden agenda. This feeling I do have and it is very strong. Romney has never come right out and told us what his plans are. How is he going to cut the debt? How is he going to handle the Middle East and our Foreign policies? He wants to do away with “Obama care,” what does he have in mind to replace it with? He has never answered any of these questions. Some say he has no idea what he is going to do. I believe he does. And it is my worse fear and I pray to the Goddess this country wakes up before it is too late. I believe he will take us back to Reagan’s time. We will all be broke and starving. Those who haven’t lost their homes already will. We will all be living in tents and be damn glad to Have’em. I sincerely believe this, Romney will take this country back to worshipping one Religion. I believe he will try but this time I don’t think it will happen. We have all, Pagans and non-Pagans, who have learned from the world’s history. We will never let another people be persecuted again. We are all individuals and we all have rights. That is our Goddess given birthright.

Whether you agree with me or not, that is your right (for now). I believe everyone needs to pay very close attention to every word that comes out of Romney’s mouth. I also believe you need to stop and think, “why isn’t he laying out any of his plans for the country?” I don’t believe it is because he doesn’t have any. I believe it is truly because he has a hidden agenda. Think about what I said. Then listen to the debate this week. Then we will talk afterwards.

Just remember the Goddess has given us our rights and freedom. This time we will not let anyone or any person take them away from us.

 

 

More Friendship Glitter Phrases Comments

Today’s Tarot For Oct. 9 is The High Priestess

The High Priestess

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Traditionally called the High Priestess, this major arcana, or trump, card represents human wisdom. She can be viewed as a kind of female Pope, the ancient Egyptian Priestess of Isis, the even older snake and bird Goddesses, the Greek Goddess Persephone, or the Eve of Genesis before the Fall.For the accused heretics who were burnt at the stake for revering her in the 14th and 15th century, she symbolized the prophecy of the return of the Holy Spirit, which was perceived as the female aspect of the Holy Trinity.

In the sequence of cards in the major arcana, the High Priestess appears as soon as the Fool decides he wants to develop his innate powers, making a move toward becoming a Magus. The High Priestess is his first teacher, representing the Inner Life and the method for contacting it, as well as the contemplative study of Nature and the Holy Mysteries.

Calendar of the Moon for October 6

Calendar of the Moon

 

5 Muin/Boedromion

Kharisteria

Colors: Red and Yellow
Elements: Fire and Earth
Altar: Upon cloth of yellow and red place a bow and arrows, three torches, wreaths of twigs, cookies shaped like goats or deer, a flaming brazier, and a chalice of Greek wine.
Offerings: Goat cookies and wine.
Daily Meal: Goat meat or venison, if possible.

Kharisteria Invocation

We hail on this day Artemis Agrotera,
Divine Huntress of the forests.
Lady who roams the high mountains,
Lady who delights in the circle dance,
Light-Bringer, Silver Bow,
Huntress of the deep Arcadian woodlands,
Leader of nymphs, and first among them,
Ever-virgin, enclosed within yourself,
Lady of Munikhia, Harbor Watcher,
You whose bow lies always before Ephesus,
All hail, Goddess, and be gracious to our song!
We sing of Artemis, whose shafts are of gold,
Pure maiden who cheers on the hounds,
Shooter of stags who delights in archery,
The protectress of young suckling creatures,
We call you on this day!
For long ago when they called upon you
For protection, you saw that many were slaughtered,
Too many even to give sacrifice!
So we ask also protection from you,
For us, for our haunts, for the creatures
Under our care, O Divine Huntress,
Whose silver tracks range far and wide.

(One who has been chosen to do the work of the ritual shall pass around first the basket of cookies, and all shall take one, and then the chalice of wine, and all shall toast to Artemis. Then all shall cry out together, “Artemidae!” and snap the heads off of their cookies, and throw them into the brazier as sacrifice. The rest shall be eaten, and the wine poured out as a libation.)

 

[Pagan Book of Hours]

It A Super, Super Beautiful Saturday, my friends!

Surprise, Surprise we are up at the crack of dawn, lol! Well for me, it’s the crack of dawn. Remember I am the night owl. I think I went to bed about 3 a.m., and now up. I feel a nap coming on, lol!

I have something that I wanted to tell you.  We are all up and working because we are going to double post today. What I mean by that, right after I get through doing today’s horoscopes, tarot, runes and etc., I will turn right around and post tomorrow’s. From now on, we will be running a day ahead in our postings. I am sure everyone will enjoy this. Now there will be no more daily horoscopes at twelve o’clock in the afternoon. You will have all that info waiting for you to read when you get ready.

There is a reason though for us changing our policy. We have had numerous, and I mean numerous, emails from our friends down under. Also from others that are a day ahead of us or in other time zones than the States. I have never thought about it but they all mentioned they loved following the blog, but…..they were reading everything that happened yesterday. We discussed it among ourselves and we decided that it would be a good idea to run a day ahead. Like I stated earlier, I believe people in the States would even enjoy that. I know I have had a few complaints because I can’t get up earlier. Well this takes care of that problem, lol! So to get this rolling, we have to have a day when we double post and this will get us on track. Today is the day we decided to do just that. I wanted to let everyone know what was going on and about our new publication changes. I think you will enjoy them. If you do, please let me know. If you don’t, let me know that too. You are not going to hurt my feelings because we publish this everyday for you to enjoy. If you aren’t enjoying our work, we want to know about it.

Now for all of you down under, I want you to spread the word about this little old group in Kentucky. OK! That goes for everyone else in all those different time zones too! Spread the word! Remember it is the WOTC’s goal to be the number one Pagan resource on the net! We need your help to do that. By doing so you are helping us spread the truth about our Religion and the Goddess and Her Love. So come on, spread the word, get those followers for us. Remember most of all, we love everyone of you. We are all part of one huge family that spans the whole wide world. And this is just my opinion but I think it is the greatest family on the planet. No matter if we are Witches, Wiccans, Druids or whatever, we are all on family. It is absolutely beautiful how we can all come together, you know it. With your help and the Goddess’ Love and Inspiration, we will bring Witchcraft back into the mainstream of today’s Religions.

WE LOVE YA’!

Let’s get this show on the road! Have a Super, Fantastic weekend, my luvs!

 

 

More Saturday Comments

Oh, It Is A Glorious Tuesday! Wishing You A Very Blessed Day, My Friends!

 

The Law of the Power

The Power shall not be used to bring harm, to injure or
control others. But if the need rises, the Power shall be
used to protect your life or the lives of others.

The Power is used only as need dictates.

The Power can be used for your own gain, as long as by
doing so you harm none.

It is unwise to accept money for use of the Power, for it
quickly controls its taker. Be not as those of other
religions.

Use not the Power for prideful gain, for such cheapens
the mysteries of Wicca and magick.

Ever remember that the Power is the sacred gift of the
Goddess and God, and should never be misused or abused.

And this is the law of the Power.

The Law

We are of the Old Ways, among those who walk with the
Goddess and God and receive Their love.

Keep the Sabbats and Esbats to the best of your
abilities, for to do otherwise is to lessen your connection
with the Goddess and God.

Harm none. This, the oldest law, is not open to
interpretation or change.

Shed not blood in ritual; the Goddess and God need not
blood to be duly worshipped.

Those of our ways are kind to all creatures, for hurtful
thoughts are quiet draining and aren’t worth the loss of
energy.

Misery is self-created; so, too, is joy, so create joy and
disdain misery and unhappiness. And this is within your
power. So harm not.

Teach only what you know, to the best of your ability, to
those students who you choose, but teach not to those
who would use your instructions for destruction or
control. Also, teach not to boost pride, forever
remember: She who teaches out of love shall be enfolded
in the arms of the Goddess and God.

Ever remember that if you would be of our way, keep the
law close to your heart, for it is the nature of the Wicca
to keep the Law.

If ever the need arises, any law may be changed or
discarded, and new laws written to replace them, so long
as the new laws don’t break the oldest law of all: Harm
None.

Blessings of the Goddess and God on us all.

Reference:

The Law & The Law Of Power, Author Scott Cunningham

More Tuesday Comments

Witches Spell-A-Day for September 22 – Giving Thanks Spell

Mabon Comments & Graphics

Witches Spell-A-Day for September 22

Giving Thanks Spell

 

Known as the Witch’s Thanksgiving, Mabon occurs at the Autumnal Equinox. As the year shifts from light to dark, the focus shifts from the masculine to the feminine, from the God to the Goddess, and from external work to internal reflection. On this day Lugh, honored at Lughnasadh, sacrifices himself in battle with his dark twin. In Wiccan mythology, the Goddess, full and radiant in her own abundance, waits to give birth to the new Sun God at Yule. Also known as Harvest Home, the Feast of Avalon, Wine Harvest, and the Festival of Dionysus, Mabon can also be seen as a celebration of the God of the Vine. In either form, it marks the second harvest and is a time to relax, enjoy, and give thanks for the bounty of the Earth. Create an altar with the colors, fruits, and flowers of Fall. Decorations could include leaves, grain, acorns, apples, grapes, a cornucopia, the Empress card from your favorite tarot deck, and a picture or statute of Demeter, Persephone, Lugh, or Dionysus. Light an orange or rust candle, and reflect on all that you have harvested in the past year. Light another candle in thanks for each item or event, saying: “Thank you, Lady for your great gift of abundance.” End by raising a chalice containing a small amount of juice, wine or mead, saying: “Thank you, Lord, for your gift of sacrifice and bounty.” Take one sip, and then go outside and offer the rest in libation to the Earth. Let the candles burn down and leave the altar, adding fresh items as needed until Samhain.

 

Reference:

“Giving Thanks Spell”

by Lady MoonDance

Llewellyn’s Witches’ Spell-A-Day Almanac
~Magickal Graphics~

The Wicca Book Of Days for September 21 – Autumnal Equinox

Mabon Comments & Graphics

The Wicca Book Of Days for September 21

Autumnal Equinox

 

On the Autumnal Equinox, which generally occurs on September 22 – give or take a day – Wiccans celebrate the (lesser) Sabbat that they may call Mabon. With the fruits of the earth safely gathered in, there is at last time for a harvest festival, and for thanksgiving. Yet while day and night may be of equal length, the balance will imminently shift in favor of darkness, and everything associated with it, including death. And it is now that the Horned God, having conquered the demons of the underworld, returns to Earth to claim the Goddess, so that together they descend to their dark realm.

Meditate on Mabon

 Mabon heralds a time of turning inward. This is a good occasion on which to give thanks to the Goddess and Horned God for their fruitfulness and for all that you have metaphorically reaped this year. You may also want to plan your spiritual development for the coming months.

~Magickal Graphics~

Goddess Bless You On this Glorious Day of Mabon!

Mabon Comments & Graphics
I give thanks to you, my Lord and Lady,

eternal God and Goddess, for all my

worldly blessings.

I give thanks for a beautiful year and a

glorious harvest. Your bounty is never

ending!

You give much more than needed, and in

your name I will share my good fortune

with my family and neighbors.

 Praise be my eternal parents, the Lord

and Lady!

Blessed Be.

  ~Magickal Graphics~

New To The Craft – Questions to Ask Yourself

New To The Craft – Questions To Ask Yourself

 

I can’t tell you the right path for you to take to your personal goddess; no one can. Each Witch is different, and we walk many different roads to get to where we are going. I can, however, suggest a few questions for you to ask yourself as you travel.

Do I feel drawn to the Goddess in her manifestation as Maiden, Mother, or Crone?

Is my Goddess more light than dark or more dark than light?

Am I looking for a Goddess from a particular pantheon, mythology or culture?

Do I feel as special connection to any animals, birds, or totems?

Is my Goddess more nurturing or is she a warrior?

Does my Goddess have a consort I will also worship?

What do I want from this relationship? Support? Strength? Wisdom? Righteous anger on my behalf? Love? A kick in the butt? (Different Goddesses will definitely give you different things—including the last, if you need it!)

If you can come up with a list that has the answers to these questions, as well as anything else you can think of that applies to your path and your practice of magick, you should be able to find the Goddess you seek, or any of the myriad of wonderful reference materials on Pagan deities.

In the end, the search is just as much a part of your magickal education as anything else you will pursue during the course of your magickal studies. And whether or not you find your personal Goddess right away or continue to call  on her in a more general form, rest assured that even if you don’t know her name, she knows yours. And She hears your prayers, no matter what you call her.

Excerpt from:

Find Your Personal Goddess
By Deborah Blake
Llewellyn’s 2012 Magickal Almanac