Calendar of the Moon for November 19th

Calendar of the Moon

19 Ngetal/Maimakterion

Scathach’s Day

Colors: Black and Red
Element: Air
Altar: Upon cloth of black and red place three red candles, wooden practice swords, quarterstaves, and a cup of animal’s blood.
Offering: Mentor someone in something difficult that they fear, and do not be gentle with them.
Daily Meal: Meat.

Invocation to Scathach

Hail teacher of warriors!
Hail Lady who hones the edges
Of young hotbloods sharp and keen,
Who cools their seething heads,
Who makes them think of strategy and logic,
Who quickens their reflexes,
Who tempers their dross iron
Into serviceable steel.
Hail Lady of the sword and shield,
Lady of the spear and staff,
Lady many-weaponed, who knows the secrets
Of each killing blow,
Hail Lady of the Isle of Skye,
The crashing waves, the bridge of knives,
The salmon’s leap across the unknown.
You test our strength,
Giving us the cold reality
Of what we can and cannot do.
You push our boundaries,
Encouraging us to do more
That we thought possible.
You take no excuses,
And for that we must be grateful.
Hail teacher of warriors;
May we all learn beneath your implacable blows.

(The cup of blood is poured out as a libation. Each person steps up to the altar and names something that is difficult for them, where they need to be honed. They indicate one of the practice weapons, and one who has been chosen to do the work of the ritual strikes them three times with it. The first strike should be light, and the second and third strikes harder only if they ask for it to be so. Thus Scathach gives her blessing.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

About The Goddess Cailleach October 31 – Novenber

Cailleach

October 31 – November 27

In Irish and Scottish mythology, the Cailleach, Irish plural cailleacha [ˈkalʲəxə], Scottish Gaelic plural cailleachan /kaʎəxən/), also known as the Cailleach Bheur, is a divine hag, a creatrix, and possibly an ancestral deity or deified ancestor. The word Cailleach means ‘hag’ in modern Scottish Gaelic, and has been applied to numerous mythological figures in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man.

In Scotland, where she is also known as Beira, Queen of Winter, she is credited with making numerous mountains and large hills, which are said to have been formed when she was striding across the land and accidentally dropped rocks from her apron. In other cases she is said to have built the mountains intentionally, to serve as her stepping stones. She carries a hammer for shaping the hills and valleys, and is said to be the mother of all the goddesses and gods.

The Cailleach displays several traits befitting the personification of Winter: she herds deer, she fights Spring, and her staff freezes the ground.

In partnership with the goddess Brìghde, the Cailleach is seen as a seasonal deity or spirit, ruling the winter months between Samhainn (1 November or first day of winter) and Bealltainn (1 May or first day of summer), while Brìghde rules the summer months between Bealltainn and Samhainn. Some interpretations have the Cailleach and Brìghde as two faces of the same goddess, while others describe the Cailleach as turning to stone on Bealltainn and reverting back to humanoid form on Samhainn in time to rule over the winter months. Depending on local climate, the transfer of power between the winter goddess and the summer goddess is celebrated any time between Là Fhèill Brìghde (1 February) at the earliest, Latha na Cailliche (25 March), or Bealltainn (1 May) at the latest, and the local festivals marking the arrival of the first signs of spring may be named after either the Cailleach or Brìghde.

Là Fhèill Brìghde is also the day the Cailleach gathers her firewood for the rest of the winter. Legend has it that if she intends to make the winter last a good while longer, she will make sure the weather on 1 February is bright and sunny, so she can gather plenty of firewood to keep herself warm in the coming months.As a result, people are generally relieved if Là Fhèill Brìghde is a day of foul weather, as it means the Cailleach is asleep, will soon run out of firewood, and therefore winter is almost over. On the Isle of Man, where She is known as Caillagh ny Groamagh, the Cailleach is said to have been seen on St. Bride’s day in the form of a gigantic bird, carrying sticks in her beak.

In Scotland, the Cailleachan (lit. ‘old women’) are also known as The Storm Hags, and seen as personifications of the elemental powers of nature, especially in a destructive aspect. They are said to be particularly active in raising the windstorms of spring, during the period known as A’ Chailleach.

On the west coast of Scotland, the Cailleach ushers in winter by washing her great plaid (Gaelic: féileadh mòr) in the Whirlpool of Coire Bhreacain. This process is said to take three days, during which the roar of the coming tempest is heard as far away as twenty miles (32 km) inland. When she is finished, her plaid is pure white and snow covers the land.

In Scotland and Ireland, the first farmer to finish the grain harvest made a corn dolly, representing the Cailleach (also called “the Carlin or Carline”), from the last sheaf of the crop. The figure would then be tossed into the field of a neighbor who had not yet finished bringing in their grain. The last farmer to finish had the responsibility to take in and care for the corn dolly for the next year, with the implication they’d have to feed and house the hag all winter. Competition was fierce to avoid having to take in the Old Woman.

Some scholars believe the Old Irish poem, ‘The Lament of the Old Woman of Beare’ is about the Cailleach; Kuno Meyer states, ‘…she had fifty foster-children in Beare. She had seven periods of youth one after another, so that every man who had lived with her came to die of old age, and her grandsons and great-grandsons were tribes and races.

Etymology

The word cailleach (in modern Irish and Scottish Gaelic, ‘old woman’) comes from the Old Irish caillech (‘veiled one’), an adjectival form of Old Irish caille “veil”, an early loan from Latin pallium (‘cloak’, an ecclesiastical garment worn by nuns; displaying the expected p > c change of early loans).The word is found as a component in terms like the Gaelic cailleach-dhubh (‘nun’) and cailleach-oidhche (‘owl’), as well as the Irish cailleach feasa (‘wise woman’, ‘fortune-teller’) and cailleach phiseogach (‘sorceress’, ‘charm-worker’).

Related words include the Gaelic caileag (‘young woman’, ‘girl^] and the Lowland Scots carline/carlin (‘old woman’, ‘witch’). A more obscure word that is sometimes interpreted as ‘hag’ is the Irish síle, which has led some to speculate on a connection between the Cailleach and the stonecarvings of Sheela na Gigs.

Locations associated with the Cailleach

Ireland

In Ireland she is also associated with craggy, prominent mountains and outcroppings, such as Hag’s Head (Irish: Ceann Caillí, meaning “hag’s head”) the southernmost tip of the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare. The megalithic tombs at Loughcrew in County Meath are situated atop Slieve na Calliagh (Irish: Sliabh na Caillí, meaning “the hag’s mountain”) and include a kerbstone known as “the hag’s chair”. Cairn T on Slieve na Calliagh is a classic passage tomb, in which the rays of the equinox sunrise shine down the passageway and illuminate an inner chamber filled with megalithic stonecarvings.

Scotland

The Cailleach is prominent in the landscape of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. In later tales she is known as the Cailleach nan Cruachan (“the witch of Ben Cruachan”). Ben Cruachan is the tallest mountain in the region. Tea-towels and postcards of her are sold in the visitor shop for the Hollow Mountain, which also features a mural depicting her accidental creation of Loch Awe.

Legend has it that the Cailleach was tired from a long day herding deer. Atop Ben Cruachan she fell asleep on her watch and a well she was tending overflowed, running down from the highlands and flooding the valleys below, forming first a river and then the loch.The overflowing well is a common motif in local Gaelic creation tales – as seen in the goddess Boann’s similar creation of the River Boyne in Ireland. Other connections to the region include her above-mentioned strong ties with the fierce whirlpool in the Gulf of Corryvreckan.

Beinn na Caillich on the Isle of Skye is one of her haunts, as are other mountains which are prominent in the landscape, and from which fierce storms of sleet and rain descend, wreaking havoc and destruction upon the lands below.

There is a Glen Cailleach which joins to Glen Lyon in Perthshire. The glen has a stream named Alt nan Cailleach. This area is famous for a pagan ritual which according to legend is associated to the Cailleach. There is a small Shieling in the Glen, known as either Tigh nan Cailleach or Tigh nam Bodach, which houses a series of apparently carved stones. These stones, according to local legend, represent the Cailleach her husband the Bodach and their children.

The local legend suggests that the Cailleach and her family were given shelter in the glen by the locals and while they stayed there the glen was always fertile and prosperous. When they left they gave the stones to the locals with the promise that as long as the stones were put out to look over the glen at Beltane and put back into the shelter and made secure for the winter at Samhain then the glen would continue to be fertile.

This ritual is still carried out to this day.

Reference:

The Wikipedia

Samhain

by Arwynn MacFeylynnd

Date: October 31.

Alternative names: All Hallow’s Eve, Halloween, the Witches’ New Year, Third Festival of Harvest.

Primary meaning: Samhain, pronounced “sow-en” — not “sam hain” — marks the beginning of the cold months or winter; it is the Day Between the Years. Primary elements to contemplate are endings and beginnings, change, reflection and reincarnation. Celebrations honor the dead, ancestors, the wisdom of the Crone and the death of the God.

Symbols: Cauldrons, jack o’ lanterns, masks, balefires, besoms (brooms), bats, owls, ravens and the ever-present witch and black cat.

Colors: Orange, black, brown, golden yellow and red.

Gemstones: Carnelian, jet, obsidian and onyx.

Herbs: Aborvitae (yellow cedar), acorn, allspice, apple, autumn flowers, catnip, corn, chrysanthemums, dittany of Crete, fall leaves (especially oak), ferns, flax, fumitory, gourds, grains, hazel, heather, mandrake, mugwort, mullein, nightshade, pear, pumpkin, sage, straw, thistle, turnip, wormwood.

Gods and goddesses: Crone goddesses, the Father or dying gods, gods of the underworld or death including Arawn, Cerridwen, Cernunnos, the Dagdha, Dis Pater, Hades, Hecate, Hel, Inanna, Ishtar, Kali, Lilith, Macha, Mari, the Morrigan, Osiris, Pomona, Psyche, Rhiannon, Samana, Sekhmet, Teutates and Taranis.

Customs and myths: In England, it formerly was the custom to go “a-souling” on this night, asking for little “soul cakes” and offering prayers for the dead in return. In the British Isles, lanterns carved out of turnips (in the New World pumpkins) were at one time used to provide light on a night when bale fires were lit, and all households let their fires go out so they could be rekindled from the new fire. Another custom was the Dumb Supper, in which an extra plate was laid for the dead and the meal was eaten in silence. Bobbing for apples, roasting nuts in the fire and baking cakes that contained tokens of luck are ancient methods of telling the future now. Ducking for apples was a divination for marriage. The first person to bite an apple would be the first to marry in the coming year. Apple peeling was a divination to see how long your life would be. The longer the unbroken apple peel, the longer your life was destined to be. In Scotland, people would place stones in the ashes of the hearth before retiring for the night. Anyone whose stone had been disturbed during the night was said to be destined to die during the coming year.

SAMHAIN, All Hallow’s Eve / Halloween

SAMHAIN

All Hallow’s Eve / Halloween

by Mike Nichols

Halloween. Sly does it. Tiptoe catspaws. Slide and creep. But why? What for? How? Who? When! Where did it all begin? “You don’t know, do you?” asks Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud climbing out of the pile of leaves under the Halloween Tree. “You don’t really know!” —Ray Bradbury, The Halloween Tree

Samhain. All Hallows. All Hallow’s Eve. Hallow E’en. Halloween. The most magical night of the year. Exactly opposite Beltane on the wheel of the year, Halloween is Beltane’s dark twin. A night of glowing jack-o’-lanterns, bobbing for apples, tricks or treats, and dressing in costume. A night of ghost stories and séances, tarot card readings and scrying with mirrors. A night of power, when the veil that separates our world from the Otherworld is at its thinnest. A “spirit night”, as they say in Wales.

All Hallow’s Eve is the eve of All Hallow’s Day (November 1). And for once, even popular tradition remembers that the eve is more important than the day itself, the traditional celebration focusing on October 31, beginning at sundown. And this seems only fitting for the great Celtic New Year’s festival. Not that the holiday was Celtic only. In fact, it is startling how many ancient and unconnected cultures (the Egyptians and pre-Spanish Mexicans, for example) celebrated this as a festival of the dead. But the majority of our modern traditions can be traced to the British Isles.

The Celts called it Samhain, which means “summer’s end”, according to their ancient twofold division of the year, when summer ran from Beltane to Samhain and winter ran from Samhain to Beltane. (Some modern covens echo this structure by letting the high priest “rule” the coven beginning on Samhain, with rulership returned to the high priestess at Beltane.) According to the later fourfold division of the year, Samhain is seen as “autumn’s end” and the beginning of winter. Samhain is pronounced (depending on where you’re from) as “sow-in” (in Ireland), or “sow-een” (in Wales), or “sav-en” (in Scotland), or (inevitably) “sam-hane” (in the U.S., where we don’t speak Gaelic).

Not only is Samhain the end of autumn; it is also, more importantly, the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. Celtic New Year’s Eve, when the new year begins with the onset of the dark phase of the year, just as the new day begins at sundown. There are many representations of Celtic Gods with two faces, and it surely must have been one of them who held sway over Samhain. Like his Roman counterpart Janus, he would straddle the threshold, one face turned toward the past, in commemoration of those who died during the last year, and one face gazing hopefully toward the future, mystic eyes attempting to pierce the veil and divine what the coming year holds. These two themes, celebrating the dead and divining the future, are inexorably intertwined in Samhain, as they are likely to be in any New Year’s celebration.

As a feast of the dead, this was the one night when the dead could, if they wished, return to the land of the living, to celebrate with their family, tribe, or clan. And so the great burial mounds of Ireland (sidhe mounds) were opened up, with lighted torches lining the walls, so the dead could find their way. Extra places were set at the table and food set out for any who had died that year. And there are many stories that tell of Irish heroes making raids on the Underworld while the gates of faery stood open, though all must return to their appointed places by cockcrow.

As a feast of divination, this was the night par excellence for peering into the future. The reason for this has to do with the Celtic view of time. In a culture that uses a linear concept of time, like our modern one, New Year’s Eve is simply a milestone on a very long road that stretches in a straight line from birth to death. Thus, the New Year’s festival is a part of time. The ancient Celtic view of time, however, is cyclical. And in this framework, New Year’s Eve represents a point outside of time, when the natural order of the universe dissolves back into primordial chaos, preparatory to reestablishing itself in a new order. Thus, Samhain is a night that exists outside of time and, hence, it may be used to view any other point in time. At no other holiday is a tarot card reading, crystal reading, or tealeaf reading so likely to succeed.

The Christian religion, with its emphasis on the “historical” Christ and his act of Redemption 2000 years ago, is forced into a linear view of time, where seeing the future is an illogical proposition. In fact, from the Christian perspective, any attempt to do so is seen as inherently evil. This did not keep the medieval church from co-opting Samhain’s other motif, commemoration of the dead. To the church, however, it could never be a feast for all the dead, but only the blessed dead, all those hallowed (made holy) by obedience to God—thus, All Hallow’s, or Hallowmas, later All Saints and All Souls.

There are so many types of divination that are traditional to Hallowstide, it is possible to mention only a few. Girls were told to place hazelnuts along the front of the firegrate, each one to symbolize one of her suitors. She could then divine her future husband by chanting, “If you love me, pop and fly; if you hate me, burn and die.” Several methods used the apple, that most popular of Halloween fruits. You should slice an apple through the equator (to reveal the five-pointed star within) and then eat it by candlelight before a mirror. Your future spouse will then appear over your shoulder. Or, peel an apple, making sure the peeling comes off in one long strand, reciting, “I pare this apple round and round again; / My sweetheart’s name to flourish on the plain: / I fling the unbroken paring o’er my head, / My sweetheart’s letter on the ground to read.” Or, you might set a snail to crawl through the ashes of your hearth. The considerate little creature will then spell out the initial letter as it moves.

Perhaps the most famous icon of the holiday is the jack-o’-lantern. Various authorities attribute it to either Scottish or Irish origin. However, it seems clear that it was used as a lantern by people who traveled the road this night, the scary face to frighten away spirits or faeries who might otherwise lead one astray. Set on porches and in windows, they cast the same spell of protection over the household. (The American pumpkin seems to have forever superseded the European gourd as the jack-o’-lantern of choice.) Bobbing for apples may well represent the remnants of a Pagan “baptism” rite called a seining, according to some writers. The water-filled tub is a latter-day Cauldron of Regeneration, into which the novice’s head is immersed. The fact that the participant in this folk game was usually blindfolded with hands tied behind the back also puts one in mind of a traditional Craft initiation ceremony.

The custom of dressing in costume and “trick-or-treating” is of Celtic origin, with survivals particularly strong in Scotland. However, there are some important differences from the modern version. In the first place, the custom was not relegated to children, but was actively indulged in by adults as well. Also, the “treat” that was required was often one of spirits (the liquid variety). This has recently been revived by college students who go ‘trick-or-drinking’. And in ancient times, the roving bands would sing seasonal carols from house-to-house, making the tradition very similar to Yuletide wassailing. In fact, the custom known as caroling, now connected exclusively with Midwinter, was once practiced at all the major holidays. Finally, in Scotland at least, the tradition of dressing in costume consisted almost exclusively of cross-dressing (i.e., men dressing as women, and women as men). It seems as though ancient societies provided an opportunity for people to “try on” the role of the opposite gender for one night of the year. (Although in Scotland, this is admittedly less dramatic—but more confusing—since men were in the habit of wearing skirtlike kilts anyway. Oh well…)

To Witches, Halloween is one of the four High Holidays, or Greater Sabbats, or cross-quarter days. Because it is the most important holiday of the year, it is sometimes called “The Great Sabbat”. It is an ironic fact that the newer, self-created covens tend to use the older name of the holiday, Samhain, which they have discovered through modern research. While the older hereditary and traditional covens often use the newer name, Halloween, which has been handed down through oral tradition within their coven. (This often holds true for the names of the other holidays, as well. One may often get an indication of a coven’s antiquity by noting what names it uses for the holidays.)

With such an important holiday, Witches often hold two distinct celebrations. First, a large Halloween party for non-Craft friends, often held on the previous weekend. And second, a coven ritual held on Halloween night itself, late enough so as not to be interrupted by trick-or-treaters. If the rituals are performed properly, there is often the feeling of invisible friends taking part in the rites. Another date that may be utilized in planning celebrations is the actual cross-quarter day, or Old Halloween, or Halloween O.S. (Old Style). This occurs when the sun has reached fifteen degrees Scorpio, an astrological “power point” symbolized by the Eagle. The celebration would begin at sunset. Interestingly, this date (Old Halloween) was also appropriated by the church as the holiday of Martinmas.

Of all the Witchcraft holidays, Halloween is the only one that still boasts anything near to popular celebration. Even though it is typically relegated to children (and the young-atheart) and observed as an evening affair only, many of its traditions are firmly rooted in Paganism. Incidentally, some schools have recently attempted to abolish Halloween parties on the grounds that it violates the separation of state and religion. Speaking as a Pagan, I would be saddened by the success of this move, but as a supporter of the concept of religion-free public education, I fear I must concede the point. Nonetheless, it seems only right that there should be one night of the year when our minds are turned toward thoughts of the supernatural. A night when both Pagans and non-Pagans may ponder the mysteries of the Otherworld and its inhabitants. And if you are one of them, may all your jack-o’-lanterns burn bright on this All Hallow’s Eve.

A Solitary Samhain

A Solitary Samhain

Many covens and circles celebrate this most sacred of pagan holidays as groups, often opening their circles to non-initiates and others who wish to participate. I find myself preferring a solitary ritual, perhaps with some socializing earlier or later in the evening. For me, much of the meaning of Samhain suggests such a practice, though traditionally it is a communal celebration.
Samhain is pronounced as sow-in (in Ireland), sow-een (in Wales), and sav-en (in Scotland). It marks the end of the harvest, the end of the year, and the death of the god. Self-reflection becomes not simply a custom, but a necessity. One cannot (or at least should not) allow the Wheel of the Year to turn without some kind of examination of what has occurred. How have I spent the last year? Did I grow or remain stagnant? Did I live according to the values I claim to embrace? These are questions which must be addressed in solitude and solemnity.
Just as Samhain ends the old year, it must begin the new, though many witches do not celebrate the New Year until Yule. Reflection should continue during this dark time, but reflection should be accompanied by a growing sense of the changes to be made and the light to be sought. I sometimes make many lists during this time — lists of what I have accomplished and what I still want to accomplish, things I have neglected and those I have tended, and other similar lists. Samhain symbolizes both the past and the future, illuminated by the cycle of the seasons, forever linked as steps on the journey we must all make.
The Goddess tells us: “And you who seek to know Me, know that your seeking and yearning will avail you not, unless you know the Mystery: for if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without.” We must look inside ourselves for self-knowledge and for the spirit that will sustain us in life’s trials. Silence is one of the keys to seeking truth, for we cannot hear the answers in the midst of this noisy world in which we walk everyday, nor in the noise of holiday celebrations however joyous.
Samhain is also said to be the time when the veil between the living and te dead is thinnest, allowing us some communication with those who have departed. How befitting this is for such a time of endings and beginnings. Reflections on death can be as instructive as the self-examinations just mentioned.When we think of those who have died, it reminds us of time passing by and of things we could have or should have done. These reminders, coupled with our lists of past and future actions, encourages us to take our New Year’s resolutions far more seriously. We know our time is limited, and most of us have much to do in our alloted time. Most of us have to make a living somehow, but death reminds us that we had better spend some of that time in pursuit of our other dreams lest they be lost in the struggle merely to survive.
Samhain Ritual
The Samhain rituals I follow change a little from year to year. I don’t like to have a set of mandatory words or actions that might prevent me from exploring new possiblities in meaning. However, I do include the traditional Samhain rituals of sharing a feast (even if I am alone) and some form of divination. Since it is best that you write/say your own words in performing rituals, I will only include an outline here.
Prepare your house or room
Use black and orange candles, pumpkins (carved or not) and other traditional “Halloween” items if you wish (most are actually traditional for Samhain).
Prepare a table for the Feast of the Dead. It should be covered with a black table cloth and set with black dishes (black paper plates will do just fine). Place a chair at the head of the table, drapped in black cloth, to represent the spirit. The spirit’s place is set with a plate with a white votive candle on it. Set places for each of the dead that you hope will join you., and place black votive candles on their plates. Plates for the living (in my soitary ritual, just one) are empty, of course, awaiting the feast food to be served.
Food preparation
My feast is usually very simple: bread, fruit, nuts, and juice or wine. If you’ve invited living guests, it is common to make the feast potluck. However, since the actual feast will take place in silence, try not to have too many things that would have to be passed or requested.
Light the candles and turn out the lights
Call the quarters (ask the Guardians of the Watchtowers to witness and protect your circle).
Cast a circle (use whatever method you’ve been taught).
Invite the deities
There are certain Goddesses that I always invite to my rituals. It seems especially important to invite them on Samhain, as I will want to thank them for their help during the past year, and of course, ask that they continue to help me in the coming year. If the departed loved ones were especially close to any deities, I invite them as well.
Feast of the Dead
Light the candles on the plates of the dead and the spirit. The feast should take place in silence so that you can think about your departed friends and relatives. Think of their passing and your hopes for their joyous return. If someone is recently departed, try to put aside your sadness and think of that soul as well and happy in the presence of the Goddess.
Speak in silence an invitation to these loved ones, asking them to join in your feast. Use your own words for this. You know these individuals and can speak to them in a way to which they are likely to respond.
Sit at your table and eat the food you have brought to it. Feel the presence of those who have joined you and rejoice in their presence. Allow them to speak to you of whatever they want to communicate. Take as long as you wish at the table, listening to those you have invited and speaking to them in silence.
When the feast is over, thank your spirit guests for coming, bid them farewell, extinguish the candles on the plates, and leave the table.
Banishings and Resolutions
Now is the time to bring out one of those lists! Before Samhain, write a list of things from the last year that you want to banish: bad habits and addictions, unkind feelings toward others, unkind feelings toward yourself …. anything you do not want to carry over to the New Year. Light a black candle and burn the list, asking the Goddess and God to help you get rid of these and all negative things in your life. If you prefer, you can put about 1/4 cup of alcohol in a cauldron, light it, and burn the paper there. Speak to the deities (you can speak aloud now) about your sincere wish to remove these things from your life. Use a banishing chant, if you wish.
Now you should speak to the deities about those things you want to bring into your life in the New Year. I do these things rather informally, but there are many poems and prose pieces in books that you might want to use. Asking the deities for future rewards must be accompanied by resolutions as to how you will accomplish your goals. They will help you if you are sincere in your efforts to help yourself.
Divination
Because the two worlds are so close at Samhain, it is the perfect time for divination. I prefer to use a cauldron of water for scrying, since the cauldron seems to fit the mood of Samhain (not to mention Halloween tradition). You may prefer Tarot cards, a pendalum, or runes….whatever method worksbest for you. Obviously, the goal of this divination is to see what lies ahead in the next year.
Meditation
All of my rituals include some form of meditation. This is when I ask my personal Goddesses to guide me, advise me, and generally keep me on the right path. I also use this time to thank them in a more personal way than by reciting a poem of thanksgiving. At Samhain, I thank them for all theirgifts in the last year and ask them to continue helping me in the New Year.
Sometimes this part of the ritual takes the form of a shamanic journey in which I am taken to a far away place (sometimes familiar, sometimes not) and where I may be given signs that will help me know what I should do (either in general or in specific situations). Take as long with your meditation as you need.
Thank the Deities
Give thanks to the deities you have invited by offering them food. I usually say something like “all things come from the Earth and to the Earth they must return.” Whatever food and drink I offer (usually bread and wine), I eat a little and save the rest to place or pour on the Earth later.
Open the circle
Thank and dismiss the Guardians
Blessed Be!
A word about invitations to the dead
For my solitary Samhain Feast of the Dead, I invite not only departed humans but special animals as well. I doubt that this is customary since the feastis usually for one’s ancestors. However, when one of my beloved pets has passed away, his or her passing leaves an empty place in my household and in my life, just as the passing of a person would. I choose to believe that the Goddess takes these creatures and cares for them as She would any human. They are far purer in heart than any human could be, and their love is perfect and unconditional. Surely their spirits deserve whatever rewards await the rest of us. So, at Samhain, I invite these loving creatues to join in my feast where I can once again feel their presense and their uncomplicated devotion to those they love. In their honor, I also invite either Bast, the Egyptian Cat Goddess, or Diana, Goddess of the hunt and mistress of dogs, both wild and tame.

Quiz of the Day – Which Bird Will Help You Today?

Which Bird Will Help You Today?

By Cait Johnson

Birds can be powerful allies for becoming our truest selves or for simply helping us to get through our busy and challenging days. Do you need the sharp-eyed eagle, merry finch, or something else? Take the quiz and find out, here:

Answer the following questions TRUE or FALSE.

1. I need the ability to wait patiently until the right time comes to act.

2. I need to get a clear overview of my life right now; I’m too bogged down in details to have perspective.

3. I feel like I’m operating in the dark and could really use some help finding my way.

4. I need to feel more cheerful and optimistic.

5. I want my brain to feel sharp and flexible, making the best possible use of what I know.

6. I want to feel more loving, gentle, and affectionate.

7. I need to feel that my territory is protected and safe.

8. I need help getting rid of outworn things in my life.

If you answered TRUE to:

1, then Crane will be helpful to you.

2, then Eagle is your guide.

3, then Owl is your ally.

4, then Finch will aid you.

5, then Crow is your helper.

6, then Dove will be your companion.

7, then Jay is your friend.

8, then Vulture is your guide.

You may want to put photos or other images of your bird where you can see it and be reminded of its basic nature, which offers itself to you for help and guidance. Be sure to put an offering of birdseed outside, if you can, as a

Answer the following questions TRUE or FALSE.

1. I need the ability to wait patiently until the right time comes to act.

2. I need to get a clear overview of my life right now; I’m too bogged down in details to have perspective.

3. I feel like I’m operating in the dark and could really use some help finding my way.

4. I need to feel more cheerful and optimistic.

5. I want my brain to feel sharp and flexible, making the best possible use of what I know.

6. I want to feel more loving, gentle, and affectionate.

7. I need to feel that my territory is protected and safe.

8. I need help getting rid of outworn things in my life.

If you answered TRUE to:

1, then Crane will be helpful to you.

2, then Eagle is your guide.

3, then Owl is your ally.

4, then Finch will aid you.

5, then Crow is your helper.

6, then Dove will be your companion.

7, then Jay is your friend.

8, then Vulture is your guide.

Burning Of Witches, Our Ancestors (Actual Names, See If Any of Your Kin Is Listed)

THE KILLINGS OF “WITCHES”

The following are all documented incidents in the killings of “witches.”
ONLY incidents solely relating to witchcraft accusations have been included.
Bear in mind that this is probably NOT all of them. Some were guilty. Most
were probably innocent. Some were Satanists, others were not. Some were just senile.

ALL on this list died as a result of a witchcraft accusation.

**************************

Adamson, Francis: executed at Durham, England, in 1652
Albano, Peter of: died in prison circa 1310
Allen, Joan: hanged at the Old Bailey, London, England, in 1650
Allen, Jonet: burned in Scotland in 1661
Amalaric, Madeline: burned in France in mid-1500’s
Ancker, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Andrius, Barthelemy: burned at Carcassonne, France in 1330
Andrius, Jean: burned at Carcassonne, France in 1330
Andrius, Phillippe: burned at Carcassonne, France in 1330
Arnold, (first name unknown): hanged at Barking, England, in 1574
d’Arc, Joan: burned at Rouen, France, on 30 May, 1431 (note: the witchcraft
charge in this case was -implied- and not specific)
Ashby, Anne: hanged at Maidstone, England, in July, 1652
Askew, Anne: burned for witchcraft 1546
Audibert, Etienne: condemned for witchcraft in France, on 20 March 1619
Aupetit, Pierre: burned at Bordeaux, France, in 1598

Babel, Zuickel: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Babel, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Baker, Anne: executed in Leicester, England, in 1619
Balcoin, Marie: burned in the reign of Henry IV of France
Balfour, Alison: burned at Edinburgh, Scotland, on 16 December, 1594
Bannach, (husband) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany,
1628-1629
Bannach, (wife) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Barber, Mary: executed in Northhampton, England, on 22 July, 1612
Barker, Janet: burned in Scotland in 1643
Baroni, Catterina: beheaded and burned at Castelnovo, Italy, on 14 April, 1647
Barthe, Angela de la: burned at Toulouse, France, in 1275
Barton, William: executed in Scotland (year unknown)
Basser, Fredrick: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Batsch, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Bayerin, Anna: executed at Salzburg, Austria, in 1751
Beaumont, Sieur de: accused of witchcraft on 21 October, 1596
Bebelin, Gabriel: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Beck, Viertel: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Beck, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Belon, Jean: executed in France, in 1597
Berger, Christopher: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Berrye, Agnes: hanged at Enfield, England, in 1616
Bentz, (mother) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Bentz, (daughter) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany,
1628-1629
Beuchel, Anna: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1581
Beutler, (first name unknown) beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Bill, Arthur: executed in Northhampton, England, on 22 July, 1612
Birenseng, Agata: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 25 June, 1594
Bishop, Briget: hanged at Salem, New England on 10 June, 1692
Bodenham, Anne: hanged at Salisbury, England, in 1653
Bonnet, Jean: burned alive at Boissy-en-Ferez, France, in 1583
Boram, (mother) (first name unknown): hung at Bury St Edmunds, England, in
1655
Boram, (daughter) (first name unknown): hung at Bury St Edmunds, England, in
1655
Bolingbroke, Roger: hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn, England, on 18
November, 1441
Boulay, Anne: burned at Nancy, France, in 1620
Boulle, Thomas: burned alive at Rouen, France, on 21 August, 1647
Bowman, Janet: burned in Scotland in 1572
Bragadini, Mark Antony: beheaded in Italy in the 1500’s
Brickmann, (first name unknown) beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Brose, Elizabeth: tortured to death in the castle of Gommern, Germany, on
4 November, 1660
Brown, Janet: burned in Scotland in 1643
Browne, Agnes: executed in Northhampton, England, on 22 July, 1612
Browne, Joan: executed in Northhampton, England, on 22 July, 1612
Browne, Mary: hanged at Maidstone, England, in July, 1652
Brooks, Jane: hanged in England on 26 March, 1658
Brugh, John: burned in Scotland in 1643
Buckh, Appollonia: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1581
Bugler, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Bulcock, John: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Bulcock, Jane: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Bull, Edmund: hanged at Taunton, England, in 1631
Bulmer, Matthew: hanged at Newcastle, England, in 1649
Burroughs, George: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 August, 1692
Bursten-Binderin, (first name unknown) beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-
1629

Calles, Helen: executed at Braynford, England, on 1 December, 1595
Camelli, Domenica: beheaded and burned at Castelnovo, Italy, on 14 April, 1647
Canzler, (first name unknown) beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Carrier, Martha: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 August, 1692
Caveden, Lucia: beheaded and burned at Castelnovo, Italy, on 14 April, 1647
Cemola, Zinevra: beheaded and burned at Castelnovo, Italy, on 14 April, 1647
Corey, Martha: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692
Corey, Giles: prssed to death at Salem, New England, on 19 September, 1692
Corset, Janet: killed by a mob at Pittenweem, Scotland, in 1704
Challiot, (first name unknown): murdered at St. Georges, France, in February,
1922
Chalmers, Bessie: tried for witchcraft in Inverkiething, Scotland 1621
Chambers, (first name unknown): died in prison, in England, in 1693
Chamoulliard, (first name unknown): burned in France, in 1597
de Chantraine, Anne: burned as a witch in Waret-la-Chaussee, France, on
October 17, 1622
Chatto, Marioun: tried for witchcraft in Inverkiething, Scotland 1621
Ciceron, Andre: burned alive at Carcassone, France, in 1335
Cockie, Isabel: burnt as a witch, at a cost of 105 s. 4 p., in England 1596
Cox, Julian: executed at Taunton, England, in 1663
Couper, Marable: burned in the north of Scotland in 1622
Craw, William: burned in Scotland in 1680
Crots, (son) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Cullender, Rose: executed at Bury St Edmunds, England, on 17 March 1664
Cumlaquoy, Marian: burned at Orkney, Scotland in 1643
Cunningham, John: burned at Edinburgh, in January, 1591
Cunny, Joan: hanged in Chelmsford, England, in 1589

Deiner, Hans: burned at Waldsee, Germany (year unknown)
Delort, Catherine: burned at Toulouse, France, in 1335
Demdike, Elizabeth: convicted, but died in prison, in Lancaster, England,
in 1612
DeMolay, Jacques: Grand Master of the Templars, burned in France on
22 March 1312
Desbordes, (first name unknown): burned in France, in 1628
Deshayes, Catherine: burned on 22 February, 1680
Device, Elizabeth: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Device, James: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Device, Alizon: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Doree, Catherine: executed at Courveres, France, in 1577
Dorlady, Mansfredo: burned at Vesoul, France as being the Devil’s banker, on
18 January, 1610
Dorlady, Fernando: burned at Vesoul, France as being the Devil’s banker, on
18 January, 1610
Dormar, Anna: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 9 October, 1586
Douglas, Janet: burned at Castle, Hill, Scotland, on 17 July, 1557
Drummond, Alexander: executed in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1670
“Dummy” (name unknown; he was deaf-and-dumb): killed by a mob at Sible
Hedingham, England, on 3 August, 1865
Duncan, Gellie: hanged in Scotland in 1591
Dunhome, Margaret: burned in Scotland (year unknown)
Dunlop, Bessie: burned at Castle Hill, Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1576
Duny, Amy: executed at Bury St Edmunds, England, on 17 March, 1664
Dyneis, Jonka: burned in the north of Scotland in 1622

Easty, Mary: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692
Echtinger, Barbara: imprisoned for life at Waldsee, Germany, on 24 August,
1545
Edelfrau, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Edwards, Susanna: hanged at Bideford, England in 1682
Einseler, Catharina: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 6 July, 1581
Erb, Anna: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 9 March, 1586
Eyering, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629

Fian, John: hanged at Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1591
Fief, Mary le: of Samur, France, accused of witchcraft, on 13 October 1573
Fleischbaum, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Flieger, Catharina: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 6 July, 1581
Flower, Joan: died before trial, at Lincoln, England, 1619
Flower, Margaret: executed at Lincoln, England, in March, 1619
Flower, Phillippa: executed at Lincoln, England, in March, 1619
Foster, Anne: hanged at Northhampton, England, in 1674
Fray, Ursula: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 12 June, 1587
Fray, Margaret: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 25 June, 1594
Fynnie, Agnes: burned in Scotland in 1643

Gabley, (first name unknown): executed at King’s Lynn, England, in 1582
Galigai, Leonora: beheaded at the Place de Grieve, France, on 8 July, 1617
Garnier, Gilles: burned as a werewolf in Dole, France 1574
Gaufridi, Louis: burned at Marseilles, France, at 5:00 pm on 30 April, 1611
Geissler, Clara: strangled at Gelnhausen, Germany circa 1630
Georgel, Anna Marie de: burned at Toulouse, France, in 1335
Geraud, Hughes: burned in France in 1317
Gering, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Glaser, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Glover, Goody: hanged at Salem, New England, in 1688
Gobel, Barbara: burned at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1639
Goeldi, Anna: hanged at Glaris, Switzerland, on 17 June, 1782
Goldschmidt, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Good, Sarah: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 July, 1692
Grandier, Urbain, burned at Loudon, France, on 18 August, 1634
Goodridge, Alse: executed at Darbie, England, in 1597
Gratiadei, Domenica: beheaded and burned at Castelnovo, Italy, on 14 April,
1647
Green, Ellen: executed in Leicester, England, in 1619
Greensmith, (first name unknown): hanged in Hartford, New England, on 20
January, 1662
Greland, Jean: burned at Chamonix, France, in 1438, with 10 others
Grierson, Isobel: burned in Scotland in March, 1607
Gutbrod, (first name unknown:) beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629

Haan, George: burned at Bamberg, Germany, circa 1626, with his wife, daughter,
and son
Hacket, Margaret: executed at Tyburn, England, on 19 February, 1585
Hamilton, Margaret: burned in Scotland in 1680
Hafner, (son) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hammellmann, Melchoir: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hamyltoun, Christiane: tried for witchcraft in Inverkiething, Scotland 1621
Hans, David: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hans, Kilian: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Harfner, (first name unknown): hanged herself in the prison of Bamberg,
1628-1629
Harlow, Bessie: tried for witchcraft in Inverkiething, Scotland 1621
Harrisson, Joanna, and her daughter: executed in Hertford, England, in 1606
Harvilliers, Jeanne: executed in France, in 1578
Haus, (wife) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hennot, Catherine: burned alive in Germany in 1627
Henry III, King of France: assassinated on 1 August, 1589
Hewitt, Katherine: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Hezensohn, Joachim: beheaded at Waldsee, Germany, in 1557
Hibbins, Anne: hanged in Boston, Massachusetts on 19 June, 1656
Hirsch, Nicodemus: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hoecker, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hofschmidt, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Holtzmann, Stoffel: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hofseiler, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Hoppo, (first name unknown): executed in Germany in 1599
How, Elizabeth: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 July, 1692
Hoyd, Anna: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 24 November, 1586
Huebmeyer, Barbara: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 11 September, 1589
Huebmeyer, Appela: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 11 September, 1589
Hunt, Joan: hanged in Middlesex, England in 1615
Hunter, Alexander: burned at Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1629
Huxley, Catherine: hanged at Worcester, England in the summer of 1652

Isel, Ursula: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 7 November, 1586
Isolin, Madlen: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 6 July, 1581

Jacobs, George: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 August, 1692
Jenkenson, Helen: executed in Northhampton, England, on 22 July, 1612
Jennin, (first name unknown): burned at Cambrai, France, in 1460
Jollie, Alison: executed in Scotland, in October, 1596
Jones, Katherine: burned in the north of Scotland in 1622
Jones, Margaret: executed in Charlestown, North America, on 15 June, 1648
Jordemaine, Margery: burned at Smithfield, England, on 27 October, 1441
Junius, Johannes: of Bamberg, executed as a witch, on 6 August, 1628
Jung, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629

Kent, Margaret: tried for witchcraft in Inverkiething, Scotland 1621
Kerke, Anne: executed at Tyburn, England, in 1599
Kleiss, Anna: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 30 October, 1586
Kless, Catharina: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 12 June, 1587
Knertz, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Knor, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Knott, Elizabeth: hanged at St. Albans, England, in 1649
Kramerin, Schelmerey: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Kuhnlin, Elsa: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1518
Kuler, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629

Lachenmeyer, Waldburg: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 5 July, 1585
deLarue, (first name unknown): burned at Rouen, in 1540
Lauder, Margaret: burned in Scotland in 1643
Leclerc, (no first name given): condemned for witchcraft, in France 1615
Lakeland, (first name unknown): burned at Ipswich, England, in 1645
Lamb, Dr.: stoned to death by a mob at St. Paul’s Cross, London, England,
in 1640
Lambrecht, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Leger, (no first name given): condemmned for witchcraft in France, on 6 May,
1616
Liebler, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Lloyd, Temperance: hanged at Bideford, England in 1682
Louis, (first name unknown): executed at Suffolk, England, in 1646
Lowes, John: hanged at Bury, England, about 1645
Lutz, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629

Macalzean, Euphemia: burned alive in Scotland for witchcraft, on 25 June, 1591
Marigny, Enguerrand de: hanged in France in 1315
Marguerite, (last name unknown): burned at Paris, France, in 1586
Mark, Bernhard: burned alive at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Martin, Marie: executed in France, in 1586
Martin, Susannah: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 July, 1692
Martyn, Anne: hanged at Maidstone, England, in July, 1652
Mayer, Christina: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 9 October, 1586
Mazelier, Hanchemand de: arrested at Neuchatel, Germany 1439
Meath, Petronilla de: burned as a witch, the first such burning in Ireland,
on 3 November, 1324
Meyer, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Mirot, Dominic: burned at Paris, France, in 1586
Morin< (first name unknown): burned at Rouen, in 1540
Mossau, Renata von: beheaded and burned in Bavaria, Germany, on 21 June, 1749
Mullerin, Elsbet: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1531
Mundie, Beatrice: tried for witchcraft in Inverkiething, Scotland 1621

Napier, Barbara: hanged in Scotland in 1591
Nathan, Abraham: executed at Haeck, Germany, on 24 September, 1772
Newell, John: executed at Barnett, England, on 1 December, 1595
Newell, Joane: executed at Barnett, England, on 1 December, 1595
Newman, Elizabeth: executed at Whitechapel, England in 1653
Nottingham, John of: died in custody, Coventry, England, 1324
Nurse, Rebecca: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 July, 1692
Nutter, Alice: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612

Oliver, Mary: burned at Norwich, England, in 1658
Orchard, (first name unknown): executed at Salisbury, England, in 1658
Osborne, (husband) (first name unknown): killed by a mob at Tring,
Herefordshire, England, in 1751
Osborne, (wife) Ruth: killed by a mob at Tring, Herefordshire, England, in
1751
Osburne, Sarah: died in prison at Boston, Massachusetts, 10 May, 1692
Oswald, Catherine: burned in Scotland in 1670

Paeffin, Elsa: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1518
Pajot, Marguerite: executed at Tonnerre, France, in 1576
Paris, (first name unknown): hanged at St. Andrews, Scotland, in 1569
Parker, Alice: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692
Parker, Mary: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692
Palmer, John: hanged at St. Albans, England, in 1649
Pannel, Mary: executed in Yorkshire, England, in 1603
Pearson, Alison: burned in Scotland on 28 May, 1588
Peebles, Marion: burned in Scotland in 1643
Peterson, Joan: hanged at Tyburn, England, in April, 1652
Pichler, Emerenziana: burned at Defereggen, Germany, on 25 September, 1680
(her two sons, aged 12 and 14, were also burned two days later)
Poiret, (first name unknown): burned at Nancy, France, in 1620
Pomp, Anna: executed at Lindheim, Germany, in 1633
Porte, Vidal de la: condemned at Riom, France, in 1597
Powle, (first name unknown): executed at Durham, England, in 1652
Prentice, Joan: hanged in Chelmsford, England, in 1589
Preston, Jennet: executed in York, England, in 1612
Pringle, Margaret: burned in Scotland in 1680
Procter, John: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 August, 1692
Pudeator, Anne: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692

Quattrino, Dominic: burned at Mesolcina, Italy, in 1583

Rais, Gilles de: on charges of witchcraft, executed 26 October, 1440
Rattray, George: executed in Spott, Scotland, in 1705
Rattray, Lachlan: executed in Spott, Scotland, in 1705
Rauffains, Catharina: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 7 November, 1586
Reade, Mary: hanged at Maidstone, England, in July, 1652
Redfearne, Anne: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Reed, Wilmot: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692
Reich, Maria: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 5 July, 1585
Reid, John: hanged himself in prison, in Scotland, in 1697
Reoch, Elspeth: burned in the north of Scotland in 1622
Robey, Isobel: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Rodier, Catala: burned alive at Carcassone, France, in 1335
Rodier, Paul: burned alive at Carcassone, France, in 1335
Rohrfelder, Margaret: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 24 August, 1585
Rosch, Maria: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 6 July, 1581
Rosseau, (no first name given), and his daughter, (no name given) of France,
accused of witchcraft on 2 October 1593
Rue, Abel de la: of Coulommiers, France, accused of witchcraft on 20 July,
1592
Roulet, Jacques: burned alive for being a were-wolf, at Angiers, France, in
1597
Rum, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Russel, Alice: killed by a mob at Great Paxton, England, 20 May, 1808
Rutchser, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Rutter, Elizabeth: hanged in Middlesex, England in 1616

Sailler, Ursula: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 24 August, 1585
Sampsoune, Agnes: tried, strangled, and burnt for a witch in Scotland 1591
Samuels, (family): three members condemned for witchcraft in Warboys,
England, on 4 April, 1593
Sawyer, Elizabeth, hanged at Tyburn, England, on 19 April, 1621
Scharber, Elsbeth: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1581
Schneider, Felicitas: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 9 March, 1586
Schnelling, Anna: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 11 September, 1589
Schutz, Babel: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Schwaegel, Anna Maria: beheaded at Kempten, Germany, on 11 April, 1775
Schwartz, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Schenck, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Schellhar, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Schickelte, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Schneider, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Schleipner, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Schuler, (first name not known): burned at Lindheim, Germany on 23 February,
1663
Schultheiss, Ursula: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 9 March, 1586
Schwarz, Eva: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1581
Schwerdt, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Scott, Margaret: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692
Scottie, Agnes: burned in the north of Scotland in 1622
Sechelle, (first name unknown): burned at Paris, France, in 1586
Smith, Mary: hanged at King’s Lynn, England, in 1616
Stadlin, (first name unknown): executed in Germany in 1599
Steicher, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Steinacher, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Steward, William: hanged at St. Andrews, Scotland, in 1569
Stewart, Christian: strangled and burned in Scotland, in November, 1596
Stolzberger, (son) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany,
1628-1629
Stolzberger, (wife) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany,
1628-1629
Stolzberger, (granddaughter) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg,
Germany, 1628-1629
Stubb, Peter: executed as a werewolf near Cologne, Germany, in 1589
Stuber, Laurence: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Sturmer, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Style, Elizabeth: died in prison, at Taunton, England, in 1664
Seiler, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Silberhans, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Steinbach, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Stier, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Stadelmann, Ursula: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 7 November, 1586
Sutton (mother) (first name unknown): executed in Bedford, England in 1613
Sutton, Mary: executed in Bedford, England in 1613

Thausser, Simon, and his wife (no name given): burned at Waldsee, Germany,
in 1518
Thompson, Annaple: burned in Scotland in 1680
Tod, Beigis: burned at Lang Nydrie, Scotland, on 27 May, 1608
Treher, Anna: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 5 July, 1585
Trembles, Mary: hanged at Bideford, England in 1682
Trois-Echelles (pseud.): executed at Paris, France, in 1571 (or 1574)
Tungerslieber, (first name unknown) beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Turner, Ann: murdered in England, in 1875

Uhlmer, Barbara: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 24 August, 1585
Upney, Joan: hanged in Chelsford, England, in 1589
Utley, (first name unknown): hanged at Lancaster, England, in 1630

Valee, Melchoir de la: burned at Nancy, France, in 1631
Vallin, Pierre: executed in France, in 1438
Valkenburger, (daughter) (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany,
1628-1629
Vaecker, Paul: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Vickar, Bessie: burned in Scotland in 1680

Wachin, Ursula: burned at Waldsee, Germany, in 1528
Wagner, Michael: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Wagner, (first name unknown): burnt alive at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Wallace, Margaret: executed in Glascow, Scotland, in 1622
Wardwell, Samuel: executed at Salem, New England, on 22 September, 1692
Waterhouse, (first name unknown): hanged in Dorset, England in 1565
Wanderson, (wife 1) (first name unknown): executed in England, in January,
1644.
Wanderson, (wife 2) (first name unknown): executed in England, in January,
1644.
Weir, Thomas: burned between Edinburgh and Leith, Scotland, on 11 April, 1670
Weiss, Agatha: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 9 October, 1586
Weydenbusch, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Whittle, Anne: executed in Lancaster, England, in 1612
Wildes, Sarah: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 July, 1692
Willard, John: executed at Salem, New England, on 19 August, 1692
Willimot, Joan: executed in Leicester, England, in 1619
Wilson, Anne: hanged at Maidstone, England, in July, 1652
Wirth, Klingen: beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629
Wirth, Trauben: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 5 July, 1585
Wright, Mildred: hanged at Maidstone, England, in July, 1652
Wuncil, Brigida: burned at Waldsee, Germany, on 6 July, 1581
Wunth, (first name unknown): beheaded at Wurzburg, Germany, 1628-1629

Younge, Alse: hanged in Connecticut, North America, on 26 May, 1647
Yullock, Agnes: burned in the north of Scotland in 1622

GENERAL SECTION: THE UNKNOWNS

8000 “Stedingers” killed on 27 May, 1234
180 burned for witchcraft at Montwimer, France, on 29 May, 1239
36 Knights Templar died under torture in France, in October, 1307
54 Knights Templar burned in France, on 12 May, 1310
39 Knights Templar burned in France, on 18 March 1314
“Some” burned at Kilkenny, Ireland, 1323
200 + burned at Carcassonne, France, between 1320-1350
63 burned at Toulouse, France, in 1335
8 burned at Carcassonne, France, in 1352
31 burned at Carcassonne, France, in 1357
67 burned at Carcassonne, France, between 1387-1400
1 burned at Berlin, Germany, in 1399
“Several” witches burned alive at Simmenthal, Switzerland, circa 1400
“Several” burned at Carcassonne, France, in 1423
200 + executed in the Valais, France between 1428-1434
167 executed in l’Isere, France, between 1428-1447
16 executed in Toulouse, France, in 1432
8 executed in Toulouse, France, in 1433
150 executed in Briancon, France, in 1437
3 burnt in Savoy between 1446 and 1447
7 killed at Marmande, France, in 1453
1 burned at Locarno, Italy, in 1455
“Many” burned in Arras, France in 1459
2 burned in Burgundy, France, in 1470
3 burned at Forno-Rivara, Italy, in 1472
2 burned at Levone, in Italy, in 1474
5 burned at Forno, Italy, in 1475
12 women and “several” men burned at Edinburgh, in 1479
4 burned at Metz, Germany, in 1482
48 burned at Constance, between 1482-1486
2 burned at Toulouse, France, in 1484
2 burned in Chaucy, France in 1485
1 died in prison, at Metz, Germany 1488
3 executed at Mairange, Germany, on 17 June, 1488
2 executed at Mairange, Germany, on 25 June, 1488
3 executed at Chastel, Germany, on 26 June, 1488
3 executed at Metz, Germany, on 1 July, 1488
1 executed at Salney, Germany, on 3 July, 1488
2 executed at Salney, Germany, on 12 July, 1488
3 executed at Salney, Germany, on 19 July, 1488
1 executed at Brieg, Germany, on 19 July, 1488
2 executed at Juxney, Germany, on 19 August, 1488
5 executed at Thionville, Germany, on 23 August, 1488
1 executed at Metz, Germany, on 2 September, 1488
1 executed at Vigey, Germany, on 15 September, 1488
1 executed at Juxney, Germany, on 22 September, 1488
1 executed in France circa 1500
30 burned in Calahorra, Spain, in 1507
1 burned in Saxony, Germany, in 1510
60 burned in Northern Italy, in 1510
500 + burned in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1515
2 burned in Besancon, France, in 1521
64 burned in Val Camonica, Italy between 1518-1521
100 burned in Como, Italy, in 1523
1000 + in Como, Italy, in 1524
900 executed by Nicholas Remy (years unknown, about 15 years total)
“A large number” executed at Saragossa, Spain, in 1536
7 burned at Nantes, France, in 1549
1 burned at Lyons, France, in 1549
3 burned alive at Derneburg, Germany, on 4 October, 1555
1 burned alive at Bievires, France, in 1556
5 burned at Verneuil, France, in 1561
17,000 + in Scotland from 1563 to 1603
4 burned at Potiers, France, in 1564
1 burned at St. Andrews, Scotland, in 1569
“Many” burned in France in 1571
1 burned at St. Andrews, Scotland, in 1572
70,000 killed in England after 1573
“Several” executed in Paris, France, in 1574
80 executed in one fire at Valery-en-Savoie, France, in 1574
3 executed in Dorset, England, in 1578
36 persons executed at Kilkenny, Ireland, in 1578
18 killed at St. Oses, England, in 1582
“Several” burned in Mesolcina, Italy, in 1583
368 persons killed for witchcraft between 18 January, 1587, and 18 November,
1593, in the diocese of Treves.
1 burned at Riom, France, in 1588
133 persons burned in one day at Quedlinburg, in Germany, in 1589
48 burned in Wurttemberg, Germany, in 1589
2 burned at Cologne, Germany in 1589
54 burned in Franconia in 1590
300 burned in Bern, Switzerland, between 1591-1600
1 burned in Ghent, Holland, in 1591
9 executed in Toulouse, France, in 1595
1 burned in Ghent, Holland, in 1598
24 burned in Aberdeen, Scotland, circa 1598
77 burned in Vaud, Switzerland, in 1599
10 -daily- were burned (average) in the Duchy of Brunswick between 1590-1600
20 executed (other than those listed by name above) in the reign of King James
VI and I of England.
40,000 executed between 1600-1680 in Great Britain
205 burned at the Abbey of Fulda, Germany, between 1603-1605
“Several” witches executed in Derbyshire, England, in 1607
24 burned + 3 suicides in Hagenau, Alsace, in 1607
“A number of women” burned at Breehin, Scotland, in 1608
1 burned alive by a mob at St. Jean de Liuz, France, circa 1608
18 killed at Orleans, France, in 1616
9 hanged at Leicester, England, in 1616
8 hanged at Londinieres, France, in 1618
“Several” witches condemned at Nerac, France, on 26 June, 1619
200 + executed at Labourt, France, in 1619
2 executed at Bedford, England, in 1624
56 executions at Mainz, Germany, between 1626-1629
77 executions at Burgstadt, Germany, between 1626-1629
40 executions at Berndit, Buttan, Ebenheit, Wenchdorf and Heinbach, Germany,
between 1626-1629
8 executions in Prozelten and Amorbach, Germany between 1626-1629
168 executions in the district of Miltenberg, Germany, between 1626-1629
85 burned in Dieburg, Germany, in 1627
79 burned at Offenburg, Austria, from 1627-1629
274 executed in Eichstatt, Germany in 1629
124 executed by the Teutonic Order at Mergentheim, Germany in 1630
900 executions at Bamberg, Germany, between 1627 and 1631
22,000 (approx) executed in Bamberg, Germany between 1610 and 1840
1 hanged at Sandwich, in Kent, England, in 1630
3 executed at Lindheim, Germany in 1631
20 executed in Norfolk, England, on evidence of Matthew Hopkins, before
26 July, 1645
29 condemned, on the evidence of Matthew Hopkins, at Chelmsford, England,
on 29 July, 1645
150 killed in England in the last six months of 1645
2 executed at Norwich, England, in 1648
14 hanged at Newcastle, England, in 1649
220 + in England and Scotland, on evidence of a Scottish Witch-finder, circa
1648-1650
2 killed by a mob at Auxonne, France, in 1650
30 burned in Lindheim, Germany, between 1640-1651
900 killed in Lorraine, France (years unknown)
30,000 (approx) burned by the Inquisition (not all may have been witches)
3-4000 killed during Cromwell’s tenure in England
102 burned in Zuckmantel, Germany, in 1654
18 burned at Castle Hill, Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1658
85 executed at Mohra, Sweden, on 25 August, 1670
71 beheaded or burned in Sweden between 1674-1677
90 burned at Salzburg, Austria, in 1678
11 burned at Prestonpans, Scotland, in 1678
36 executed in Paris, France, in 1680
“Several” burned at Rouen, France, in 1684-1685
3 executed (Suzanna, Isle and Catherine (last names unknown) at Arendsee,
Germany, in 1687
36 burned at Nordlingen, Germany between 1690-1694
5 burned at Paisley, Scotland, on 10 June, 1697
9 persons burned at Burghausen, Germany, all under 16 years of age, on 26
March, 1698
1 burned at Antrim, Ireland, in 1699
“Many” burned at Spott Loan, Scotland, in 1705
2 persons killed in the Trentino, Austria, between 1716 and 1717
1 executed in France, in 1718
2 persons, a mother and daughter, burned in Scotland, in 1722
13 burned at Szegedin, Hungary, in 1728
1 burned at Szegedin, Hungary, in 1730
13 burned alive at Szegedin, Hungary on 23 July, 1738
3 burned at Karpfen, Germany, in 1744
3 burned at Muhlbach, Germany, in 1746
1 executed at Szegedin, Hungary, in 1746
1 executed at Maros Vasarheli, (nation unknown), 1752
100 + executed at Haeck, Germany between 1772 and 1779
2 burned in Poland in 1793
“Several” burned in South America during the 1800’s
1 shot by a policeman at Uttenheim, Germany, on suspicion of being a were-
wolf, in November, 1925
1 murdered in Pennsylvania in 1929

for a total of 236,870 (unknowns listed)

REFERENCES:

THE BOOK OF DAYS
W. J. Bethancourt III (unpublished ms.)

CHRONICLE OF THE WORLD
Jerome Burne; Ecam, 1990

A NATURAL HISTORY OF UNNATURAL THINGS
Daniel Cohen; McCall, 1971

NEVER ON A BROOMSTICK
Frank Donovan; Bell, 1971

A HISTORY OF SECRET SOCIETIES
Arkhon Daraul; Citadel, 1962

THE WEAKER VESSEL
Antonia Fraser, Borzoi, 1984

EXTRAORDINARY POPULAR DELUSIONS AND MADNESS OF CROWDS
Charles MacKay; L.C.Page, 1932
(orig. pub. 1841)

THE HISTORY OF MAGIC AND THE OCCULT
Kurt Seligmann; Harmony Books, 1975

THE GEOGRAPHY OF WITCHCRAFT
Montague Summers, University Books, 1965

TREASURY OF WITCHCRAFT
Harry E. Wedeck; Philosophical Library, 1961

SOUNDINGS IN SATANISM

pp 46-54. ISBN 0 264 64627 4

Deity of the Day for August 12 – Scathach

Scathach

by Almut Wille

Scathach (“the shadowy one”), is a warrior queen and mistress of a school for young warriors. The school is located in Scotland on the island of Skye

, reputedly named after Scathach; other sources say she’s living in the Alps. She initiates young men into the arts of war, as well as giving them the “friendship of her thighs”, that is to say, initiating them sexually. She grants three wishes to the hero Cuchulainn, because her daughter Uathach, being in love with him, has told him how to make her do it. The three wishes are to train him in the arts of war, to marry her daughter Uathach and to tell his fortune which she does by using imbas forosnai(“charm of the palms”), party foretelling the events of the Tain Bo Cuailgne (Cattle Raid of Cooley) in dark terms.

Scathach is said to be the daughter of the king of Scythia. Aoife, another fierce warrior queen, is reputed to be her sister, while Uathach, her daughter, is a fellow teacher at her school. She also has two sons named Cet and Cuar from an unnamed man and trains them within a secret yew tree. Another source tells that she is mother to three maidens named Lasair, Inghean Bhuidhe and Latiaran, the father being a man named Douglas.

Calendar of the Sun for August 10th

Calendar of the Sun

10 Weodmonath

Oats And Maize Day

Color: Brown
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon a brown cloth set a scythe, a basket of unthreshed oat stalks, ears of corn and cornstalks, a clay jug of milk, a loaf of cornbread or cornmeal flatbread, and a bowl of oatmeal.
Offering: Give food to the poor.
Daily Meal: Oatmeal and oat flour cookies.

Oats And Maize Invocation

(Pass the milk around, and pour the remainder out as a libation.)

I sing the praises of oats!
Fed to the horses in England
But fed to the warriors of Scotland,
Porridge that fills the belly
Of the men with the woad paint
For thousands of years.
You grow in the cold, wet mud
Where wheat cannot stand.
You are forgiving of foul weather,
Bringing forth each feathery oat-baby
To be devoured by us.
I sing the praises of oats!

(Pass the oatmeal around until it is eaten.)

I sing the praises of Maize,
Great corn of the North Continent,
Yellow, white, red, blue, and black,
Colors of the four directions
And the center of spirit,
Whose name means “Life” –
I sing the praises of Maize.

Song: Corn Rigs

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Fasting of the hands

Handfasting is the marriage rite used by many neo-Pagans and Wiccans. The term
itself comes from the custom of shaking hands over a contract. It was used in
Scotland for the engagement period of a year and a day before a wedding was
proved.

In most Pagan traditions today it may mean a non-state registered wedding or one
in which a marriage license is filed. For some it is a year and a day,
renewable “so long as love shall last” and for others a commitment to be
together through many lives.

There are probably as many rituals for this as there are people who have joined
themselves together.

The hands are generally bound with a cord as part of the ritual.

A LITTLE HISTORY ON “HANDFASTING”

What is “Handfasting”?

Until the time leading up to, and during the Middle Ages, weddings were
considered affairs that included both family and community.

The only thing needed in those times to create a marriage was for both partners
to state their consent to take one another as spouses.

The tradition of handfasting started in Scotland and was considered more of a
contract than a romantic endeavor. Witnesses were not always necessary, nor was
the presence of the bride!

The role of the clergy at a medieval wedding was simply to bless the couple.

Until the council of Trent in the 15th century it was not official that a third
party such as a priest or minister officiate the vows of marriage.

Until that time it was left up to the individuals involved to perform the
ceremony. This was done many times in the home of the bride.

In the later medieval period, the wedding ceremony moved from the house of the
bride to the
church.

It began with a procession to the church from the bride’s house.

Vows were exchanged outside the church and everyone would then move inside for
high Mass.

After Mass, the procession went back to the bride’s house for feasting and
musicians accompanied the procession.

Deity of the Day for Monday, June 11 – Cailleach

Deity of the Day

Cailleach

In Irish and Scottish mythology, the Cailleach (Irish pronunciation: [ˈkalʲəx], Irish plural cailleacha [ˈkalʲəxə], Scottish Gaelic plural cailleachan /kaʎəxən/), also known as the Cailleach Bheur, is a divine hag, a creatrix, and possibly an ancestral deity or deified ancestor. The word Cailleach means ‘hag’ in modern Scottish Gaelic, and has been applied to numerous mythological figures in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man

The Cailleach displays several traits befitting the personification of Winter: she herds deer, she fights Spring, and her staff freezes the ground.

In partnership with the goddess Brìghde, the Cailleach is seen as a seasonal deity or spirit, ruling the winter months between Samhainn (Wintermas or first day of winter) and Bealltainn (Summermas or first day of summer), while Brìghde rules the summer months between Bealltainn and Samhainn. Some interpretations have the Cailleach and Brìghde as two faces of the same goddess, while others describe the Cailleach as turning to stone on Bealltainn and reverting back to humanoid form on Samhainn in time to rule over the winter months. Depending on local climate, the transfer of power between the winter goddess and the summer goddess is celebrated any time between Là Fhèill Brìghde (February 1) at the earliest, Latha na Cailliche (March 25), or Bealltainn (May 1) at the latest, and the local festivals marking the arrival of the first signs of spring may be named after either the Cailleach or Brìghde.

She intends to make the winter last a good while longer, she will make sure the weather on February 1 is bright and sunny, so she can gather plenty of firewood to keep herself warm in the coming months. As a result, people are generally relieved if February 1 is a day of foul weather, as it means the Cailleach is asleep, will soon run out of firewood, and therefore winter is almost over. On the Isle of Man, where She is known as Caillagh ny Groamagh, the Cailleach is said to have been form of a gigantic bird, carrying sticks in her beak.

In Scotland, the Cailleachan (lit. ‘old women’) were also known as The Storm Hags, and seen as personifications of the elemental powers of nature, especially in a destructive aspect. They were said to be particularly active in raising the windstorms of spring, during the period known as A’ Chailleach.

On the west coast of Scotland, the Cailleach ushers in winter by washing her great plaid in the Whirlpool of Coire Bhreacain. This process is said to take three days, during which the roar of the coming tempest is heard as far away as twenty miles (32 km) inland. When she is finished, her plaid is pure white and snow covers the land.

Beltane Prayers

Am Beannachadh Bealltain (The Beltane Blessing)

In the Carmina Gadelica, folklorist Alexander Carmichael shared with readers hundreds of poems and prayers that he had collected from residents in various areas of Scotland. There is a lovely prayer in the Gaelic entitled simply Am Beannachadh Bealltain (The Beltane Blessing), which pays tribute to the Holy Trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. This is a much shorter version, and has been adapted for a Pagan-friendly format.

Bless, O threefold true and bountiful,
Myself, my spouse, my children.
Bless everything within my dwelling and in my possession,
Bless the kine and crops, the flocks and corn,
From Samhain Eve to Beltane Eve,
With goodly progress and gentle blessing,
From sea to sea, and every river mouth,
From wave to wave, and base of waterfall.

Be the Maiden, Mother, and Crone,
Taking possession of all to me belonging.
Be the Horned God, the Wild Spirit of the Forest,
Protecting me in truth and honor.
Satisfy my soul and shield my loved ones,
Blessing every thing and every one,
All my land and my surroundings.
Great gods who create and bring life to all, I ask for your blessings on this day of fire.

A Prayer to Cernunnos:

God of the green,
Lord of the forest,
I offer you my sacrifice.
I ask you for your blessing.

You are the man in the trees,
the green man of the woods,
who brings life to the dawning spring.
You are the deer in rut,
mighty Horned One,
who roams the autumn woods,
the hunter circling round the oak,
the antlers of the wild stag,
and the lifeblood that spills upon
the ground each season.

God of the green,
Lord of the forest,
I offer you my sacrifice.
I ask you for your blessing.

A Thanks to the Earth Mother

Great earth mother!
We give you praise today
and ask for your blessing upon us.
As seeds spring forth
and grass grows green
and winds blow gently
and the rivers flow
and the sun shines down
upon our land,
we offer thanks to you for your blessings
and your gifts of life each spring.

Honoring the May Queen

Make an offering of a floral crown, or a libation of honey and milk, to the Queen of the May during your Beltane prayers.

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.

Celebrations Around The World, February 16th

Celebrations Around The World

Start of Chinese New Year ~ Year of The Rabbit
Feast of Sticky Buns
Auld Deer (Cattle Fair; Scotland)
St. Valentine’s Day (Greek)
Bumper Car Day
Mule Day
Annual Sit and Spit Contest
St. Flavian’s Day (Eastern)
National Almond Day
Imperial Valley Lettuce Ball (El Centro, California @)
Lithuania Independence Day
St. Pamphilius’ Day (Eastern)
Do A Grouch A Favor Day
St. Juliana’s Day
Respectable Tales of Kelp-Koli (5 minutes only; Fairy)
World Championship Crab Races (Crescent City, California)

NOTE: Because of the large number of ancient calendars, many in simultaneous use, as well as different ways of computing holy days (marked by the annual inundation, the solar year, the lunar month, the rising of key stars, and other celestial and terrestial events), you may find these holy days celebrated a few days earlier or later at your local temple.

…

GrannyMoon’s Morning Feast

The Wiccan Book of Day for Jan. 30th – Up-Helly-Aa

Up-Helly-Aa

Around about now–on the last Tuesday of January–the citizens of the small Shetland town of Lerwick celebrate Up-Helly-Aa, a festival around two hundred years old that harks back over a millennia in celebrating these remote Scottish islands’ Norse heritage. Essentially a fire festival hailing the reborn sun, a “Guizer Jarl’s squad” of men dressed as Vikings carries a replica Viking longship through the streets at night, followed by hundreds of “guizers” (men in various, often termed, disguises) carrying firebrands. At journey’s end, the longship is set alight, initiating a night of wild carousing (womenfolk included)

“A Saintly Savior”

Remember St Aidan (Maedoc of Ferns, d. 626) on his feast day, for this Irish bishop protected wild animals. He is symbolized by the stag that he is said to have rendered invisible to its pursuers. (A stag, or its antlers, also represents the Horned God.)

Magickal Graphics

Celebration Around The World, Jan. 26th

Spike the Punch Day
Uphellyaa Day (Scotland) – Norse galley burned in Viking sacrifice to sun.
Australia Day
St. Timothy’s Day (patron against stomachaches)
Duarte Day (Dominican Republic)
Republic Day (India)
St. Titus’ Day (patron of Crete; against freethinking)
National Popcorn Day
St. Paula’s Day (patron of widows)
Gone To Croatan Festival
Smeltania (Boyne City, Michigan)
National Peanut Brittle Day
St. Polycarp’s Day
Fond du Lac Winter Celebration (Lake Winebago @)
St. Xenophon’s Day (Eastern)
End of the Fifth Quarter of the Ninth Dozen of the Thirteenth Set (Fairy)

Tu Bishrat: New Year of the trees in ancient Palestine. Families plant a tree for each child born in the year (cedar for boys, cypress for girls).

GrannyMoon’s Morning Feast – Source: The Daily Globe, School Of The Seasons and The Daily Bleed

Pagan Studies -Smooring Ritual

Pagan Studies –Smooring Ritual

In ancient times, the hearth-fire was rarely allowed to go out, especially in winter. When the fire had burned down to an ember, it was carefully preserved under a blanket of ashes. In Scotland, this was called “smooring,” and it was done in a ritualistic way. The embers were arranged in a circle divided into three parts, with an ember in the middle known as Tula nan Tri (Hearth of the Three). You can perform this fire magic with three candles, with a fourth in the center symbolizing what you wish to preserve and encourage in the season to come. Close your eyes and pass your hand over the candles, saying:

I am smooring the fire
As Bridget would smoor.
The gods’ protection
Be upon the flame.
I will build this power
As I build the hearth
At the dawn of the red sun of day.

By: Sharynne NicMhacha

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GrannyMoon’s Morning Feast Archives

Earth Witch Lore – Trolls

Trolls, or trows as they are sometimes called, are often thought to live under bridges. They are said to be ugly little creatures, but there are some old myths that claim that trows could pass for human. Some of the myths infer that trows are nocturnal and can only move about at night, while others say they are invisible and therefore simply unseen. Folklore from the Shetland Islands in Scotland lays claim to one distinguishing character trait carried by trolls; they walk backwards. Trolls has a distinct hatred for locked doors and are known to sneak into people’s homes at night if the occupants have locked the door before retiring.

While the tales of the trolls feature in folklore contain both gruesome and nonsensical elements there is little doubt that the troll relates to and falls under the rule of earth. Trolls were known to have magical powers. It was said that they could fly and enchant the wind and were masters of mixing healing potions, ointments and elixirs.

Today’s Goddess: BANBA

Today’s Goddess: BANBA

Burning of the Clavie (Scotland)

Theme: Protection

Symbol: Soil

About Banba: A Celtic War Goddess, Banba extends safety to those who follow her, wilding magic in their support. In Irish

tradition, she protected the land from invaders. As a reward for her sorcery’s assistance. Banba’s name became linked with

ancient poetic designations for parts of Ireland. Interestingly enough, Baba translates as “unplowed land,”

meaning it is left safe and untouched to grow fertile.

To Do Today: Considering crime and other societal problems, a little extra protection from Banba seems like something we

could all use year-round. Think of your home and possessions as the “land” she guards. Gather a pinch of dirt from near your residence, take it inside, and keep it in a special spot. Light a candle (white is good) near this anytime you feel you need

Banba’s diligent sheltering.

On this day the Scots burn a pole attached to a barrel of tar (a Clavie) and take it around town to banish evil influences,

especially magical ones. The Clavie’s remaining ashes are gathered by people as an anticurse amulet. In keeping with this

custom, burn a small bit of wood (perhaps oak) on a safe fire source. As it burns, recite this incantation:

“Banba, burn away negativity, burn away malintent.

Let the energy return from where it was sent.”

Keep the ashes as an anti-negativity talisman.

By Patricia Telesco

Spell Of The Month

Thin Veil Spell

Best Day To Cast: December 21st – Yule – Winter Solstice

Color of the Day: White

Incense of the Day: Vanilla

The Spell:

The Winter Solstice marks the beginning of the returning light of the Sun. It is the shortest day and longest night. In pre-Celtic Ireland, a wonderful ancient tomb and fairy mound called Brug na Boinne, located near modern Newgrange, contained a passageway which was aligned with the Sun on the Winter Solstice. On this day, sunlight streamed into the back of the sacred site. Like other sacred days, the Winter Solstice is a time when the veil between the worlds is thin, and contact with the Gods may be auspicious. A ritual sleep or vision quest prior to the solstice morning ceremony may bring you visions of what is to grow in your life. Before bed, recite these words inspired by the Scottish “Lullaby of the Snow” until you fall asleep:

Cold, cold this night,

Lasting this night my

sleep.

My eye is closed,

My sleep is heavy,

Bring visions of my soul

to me.

– Sharynne NicMhacha

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