Tag: Thanksgiving

Celebrating 365 Days of Legends, Folklore & Spirituality for November 24th – Thanksgiving (approximately)

autumn witch

November 24th

Thanksgiving (approximately)

 

The American Thanksgiving Day began in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts, in 1621, and celebrated the Pilgrims’ first year’s harvest. Originally set by president Abraham Lincoln as the last Thursday of November, the holiday was changed by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939 to the fourth Thursday of November.

Actually, days of thanksgiving are far older than our American can celebration, which is an adaption of Lammas (Loaf Mass Day). In Britain, it was celebrated on August 1, when the wheat crop was good. In fact, most agricultural peoples have special days set aside to celebrate a good crop and the end of the harvest-usually referred to as the Harvest Home. Our modern Thanksgiving is a combination of two very different customs: toms: the harvest home feast and a formal day of thanksgiving proclaimed by community leaders to celebrate a victory.

It was during the Revolutionary War that the need for national holidays, rather than local holidays, developed. It was George Washington that first declared November 1, as a national day of thanksgiving. But regional traditions were too strong and the day never caught on. With the Industrial Revolution and hundreds of immigrants pouring into America, the need for a national day of thanksgiving was once more addressed. It was finally during the Civil War that President Lincoln, in an effort to unite the country, declared the last Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day. The holiday began with the usual morning ing church service, followed by a feast and then games.

Today we celebrate Thanksgiving with parades, the largest being Macy’s New York display, which began in 1927 with the appearance of Macy’s huge balloons designed by puppeteer Tony Sarg. The construction of the balloons is carefully executed by the Goodyear Aerospace Corporation, in Akron, Ohio. Preparations for the parade are year round, reaching a peak the day before Thanksgiving when the balloons arrive at 77th Street and Central Park West. They are removed from their crates and anchored with sand bags and giant nets. On Thanksgiving Day, more than 2000 of Macy’s employees arrive at 6 a.m. to march in the parade, which, 75 years later, is still the highlight of Thanksgiving Day.

 

BE THANKFUL

Celtic Comments & Graphics

BE THANKFUL

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire.

If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something,

For it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations,

Because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge,

Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes.

They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you’re tired and weary,

Because it means you’ve made an effort.

It’s easy to be thankful for the good things.

A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.

Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.

Enhanced by Zemanta

What A Glorious & Beautiful Sunday Morning The Goddess Has Given Us!

Fantasy Images
Prayer of Daily Thanksgiving

Dear Father, thank you for this glorious day.
Thank you for the sunshine, and thank you for the rain.
Thank you for the blue skies, rivers, streams and lakes.
 
Dearest Mother, thank you for the green grass and thank
you for the trees.
Thank you for the many birds singing in the breeze.
 
My dearest Parents, thank you for giving of yourselves
so selflessly to me.
Thank you for life itself, a precious gift that’s free.

Blessed Be.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Gardnerian Traditional Witchcraft – B.1. On Chants (1953)

Gardnerian Traditional Witchcraft – B.1. On Chants (1953)

B.1. On Chants (1953)
Of old there were many chants and songs used especially in the Dances.  Many of these have been forgotten by us here, but we know that they used cries of IAU which seems muchly like the cries EVO or EVOHE of the ancients.  Much dependeth on the pronunciation if this be so.  In my youth, when I heard IAU it seemed to be AEIOU, or rather, AAAEEIOOOOUU.  This may be but the natural way to prolong it to make it fit for a call, but it suggests that these be possibly the initials of an invocation as Agla is said to be, and of sooth ’tis said that the whole Hebrew alphabet is said to be such, and for this reason is recited as a most powerful charm, but at least this is certain, these cries during the dances do have profound effect, as I myself have seen.
Other calls are IEHOUA and EHEIE; also Ho Ho Ho Ise Ise Ise.
IEO VEO VEO VEO VEOV OROV OV OVOVO may be a spell but is more likely to be a call.  ‘Tis like the EVOE EVOE of the Greeks and the “Heave ho!” of sailors.  “Emen hetan” and “Ab hur, ab hus” seem calls; as “Horse and hattock, horse and go, horse and Pellatis, ho, ho, ho!”
“Thout, tout a tout tout, throughout and about” and “Rentum tormentum” are probably mispronounced attempts at a forgotten formula, though they may have been invented by some unfortunate being tortured, to evade telling the real formula.

Your Charm for December 18th is The Cornucopia

 Your Charm Today

The Cornucopia 

Today’s Meaning:       

This aspect is need of some pampering, you are in need of some pampering and who better to do it than yourself? Do something extravagant, something out of character and make this aspect a more pleasant place to be.         

General Description:        

This is a Roman amulet and was worn for many centuries as a charm to attract good fortune. The Cornucopia represents Amaitheia’s Horn, and is a symbol of prosperity, abundance and fruitfulness. Amaltheia daughter of Melissus, King of Crete, nursed the infant Jupiter with goats milk. Jupiter afterwards endowed the goats horn with magical properties, and promising that it would supply in abundance whatever she desired, gave it to his nurse. The idea most probably originated from using the horns of oxen and goats as drinking cups.

Your Animal Spirit for December 11th is The Turkey

Your Animal Spirit for Today
December 11, 2013

Turkey

Has turkey gobbled his way into your life today? If so he brings a message of sacrificing for the greater good. To some indigenous tribes, Turkey represents the spirit of the giveaway–a ceremony where those who have more give to those who have less, thus “sacrificing” for others. If Turkey helps you feel the spirit of giving, who can you help?

December 5 – Daily Feast

December 5 – Daily Feast

The Cherokee calls this month U Ski’YA – the Snow Month. A dusting of snow softens the rustling leaves and defines the edges of rocks and trees that are hidden in heavy foliage in other seasons. This is the quiet time, the sharp edge of winter adjusting the land unto itself. The woods would be gray if it were not for the blue mist that hangs like soft gauze drapery through every glen and cleft in the hills. Evergreens thrive in soft leaf-matted ravines, and cottonwoods stand stark against the dark woods. When the winds lay down in late evening the horizon clears to show vivid colors and every window is gilded gold until the sun disappears and the blue hour comes. It is as quiet as when the earth was created – and then an owl calls.

~ I stand here upon this great plain with the broad sunlight pouring down upon it. We shall be brothers and friends for all our lives. ~

RED CLOUD – OGLALA SIOUX

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

December 2 – Daily Feast

December 2 – Daily Feast

Some of our greatest victories come when they are least expected and from sources that we have the least faith in. If the most beat-down person keeps the faith and moves ahead just as though he has a written contract with success, he will, even to his own amazement, come out a winner! Most people think there’s not a chance of success without great publicity and promotion – and the right connections. But the best connections are spiritually motivated by faith and caring that far overshadow puny human efforts. The will to win is important – but the Almighty Hand never has a failure.

~ The Great Spirit whispers in my ear! ~

BLACK HAWK – SAC

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Daily Feng Shui News for Nov. 29th – ‘You’re Welcome Day’

I’m sure it’s no coincidence that ‘You’re Welcome Day’ comes right on the heels of Thanksgiving. But if you want to welcome health, happiness, prosperity and opportunity into your life, then be sure to have a red flowering plant outside your front door, sitting to the left as you face it. This powerfully effective Feng Shui fortune cure invites abundance and empowerment, two more things that you can be grateful for.

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com

About This Day, November 29th, Black Friday 2013

November 29th

Black Friday 2013

　

That the day after Thanksgiving is the “official” start of the holiday shopping season may be linked together with the idea of Santa Claus parades. Parades celebrating Thanksgiving often include an appearance by Santa at the end of the parade, with the idea that ‘Santa has arrived’ or ‘Santa is just around the corner’ because Christmas is always the next major holiday following Thanksgiving.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many Santa or Thanksgiving Day parades were sponsored by department stores. These include the Toronto Santa Claus Parade, in Canada, sponsored by Eaton’s, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade sponsored by Macy’s. Department stores would use the parades to launch a big advertising push. Eventually it just became an unwritten rule that no store would try doing Christmas advertising before the parade was over. Therefore, the day after Thanksgiving became the day when the shopping season officially started.

Later on, the fact that this marked the official start of the shopping season led to controversy. In 1939, retail shops would have liked to have a longer shopping season, but no store wanted to break with tradition and be the one to start advertising before Thanksgiving. President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the date for Thanksgiving one week earlier, leading to much anger by the public who wound up having to change holiday plans. Some even refused the change, resulting in the U.S. citizens celebrating Thanksgiving on two separate days. Some started referring to the change as Franksgiving.

Good Black Friday Morning, my dear family & friends!

Good Black Friday Morning, dear family & friends!

How many of you have braved the crowds and the cold this morning? You are a braver soul than I am, lol! We had one of heaters that we use to keep the critters warm go out. So I have to venture out today and pick up a new one. Believe it or not, I am dreading that.

So did everyone have a nice Thanksgiving? Lots of good food & good company? I know I had an excellent meal yesterday. My daughter has turned out to be an wonderful cook. We got ready to leave, she packed me down with leftovers galore. I’m not complaining I will probably has turkey for the next week. I love turkey. I don’t know why I think you can eat it only a certain time of the year. The funny thing, no sooner had we got through with eating turkey and dressing, she started talking about Christmas. She knows I celebrate Yule and she also knows when she was growing up I celebrated Christmas with them. Since both of my children have become adults, I have come out and told them, “I don’t celebrate Christmas.” I do believe that is when I was told I was going to hell, huh? The funny part was, she would mention getting the fixings and me doing the cooking. Every time she would say, “So I buy everything you need and you can cook?” I believe she is getting a taste of what dear old mom did all these years. It is good though to be with family at this time of year. It would be even better that this feeling we have or perhaps tradition to be with family would last all year long. Don’t get me wrong about what I am trying to say. It just seems like at special season, we long for family and friends, to be with them is a must. We should have that feeling last all year long.

I am stopping now, I feel a soapbox moment coming on and I am hushing. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and may the rest of the holiday be relaxing and joyful. Don’t get knocked about in the malls and please don’t get shot (yes, shot! We had a local shooting around here this morning over sales!). Perhaps if you do go out, wear some body armor. We also had several fights around here too. The world, what is it coming too!

I am going to get busy now. Enjoy your holiday and please stay safe!

Luv & Hugs,
Lady A

Approximate Day of Thanksgiving, November 24th

Approximate Day of Thanksgiving, November 24th

The American Thanksgiving Day began in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts, in 1621, and was celebrated the Pilgrims’ first year’s harvest. Originally set by President Abraham Lincoln as the last Thursday of November, the holiday was changed by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939 to the fourth Thursday of November.

Actually, days of thanksgiving are far older than our American celebration, which is an adaption of Lammas (Loaf Mass Day). In Britain, it was celebrated on August 1, when the wheat crop was good. In fact, most agricultural peoples have special days set aside to celebrate a good crop and the end of the harvest—usually referred to as the Harvest Home. Our modern Thanksgiving is a combination of two very different customs: the harvest home feast and a formal day of thanksgiving proclaimed by community leaders to celebrate a victory. It was during the Revolutionary War that the need for national holidays, rather than local holidays, developed. It was George Washington that first declared November 1, as a national day of thanksgiving. But regional traditions were too strong and the day never caught on. With the Industrial Revolution and hundred of immigrants pouring into America, the need for a national day of thanksgiving was once more addressed. It was finally during the Civil War that President Lincoln, in an effort to unite the country, declared the last Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day. The holiday began with the usual morning church service, followed by a feast and then games.

Today, we celebrate Thanksgiving with parades, the largest being Macy’s New York display, which began in 1927 with the appearance of Macy’s huge balloons designed by puppeteer Tony Sarg. The construction of the balloons is carefully executed by the Goodyear Aerospace Corporation in Akron, Ohio. Preparations for the parade are yearround, reaching a peak the day before Thanksgiving when the balloons arrive at 77th Street and Central Park West. They are removed from their crates and anchored with sand bags and giant nets. On Thanksgiving Day, more than 2000 of Macy’s employees arrive at 6 a.m. to march in the parade, which, 75 years later, is still the highlight of Thanksgiving Day.

The Witches Almanac for Thursday, November 28th

The Witches Almanac for Thursday, November 28th

Thursday (Jupiter): Expansion, money, prosperity and generosity.

Thanksgiving Day – Hanukkah Begins

Waning Moon

The Waning Moon is a time for study, meditation and little magickal work (except magick designed to banish harmful energies).

Moon Phase: Fourth Quarter

Moon Sign: Libra

Libra: Favors cooperation, social activities, beautification of surroundings, balance, and partnership.

Incense:  Clove

Color: Cinnamon

Good Thanksgiving Morning, dear family & friends!

 

I have a request,  Please don’t run off because I showed up. Today is going to be a very short edition of our daily publications. I will be here probably a hour or two, then I have to run off to my daughter’s house.

I just wanted to take a moment and spend some time with my online family today.  I don’t know if you believe or celebrate Thanksgiving but I know I do. I have always said it, “Pagans have the best of everything!” That is probably why we had so much of our traditions and practices stolen from us, lol! A fight for another day, not today!  I don’t view Thanksgiving as a religious holiday. I believe it is part of my American heritage just as well as my Celtic heritage is. I do stop to thank the Goddess for all the wonderful gifts and blessings She has given me. I thank the Goddess for bringing each and everyone of you into my life.  You have touched my heart and soul so much. I can feel your love, support and caring every time I am here. I am very proud and honored to be able to call each of you my family. I have truly been blessed.

I hope each and everyone has a very blessed and joyous Thanksgiving Day. Don’t eat too much, stay safe, and stay warm.

Happy Thanksgiving, dear family and friends!

Love & Blessings,

Lady A & The WOTC

November 27 – Daily Feast

November 27 – Daily Feast

Those who have always been self-sufficient find it going against the grain to accept help from someone else. They have become the caretakers and giving over that responsibility is clearly unacceptable. But they can come to realize that leaning on someone else can be a sign of strength. Not everyone can do it – not everyone is willing. It takes a special strength to ask for help. But who knows what part this plays in the healing process. A time can come to show kindness and to be cooperative and to make it easy on someone else. This may be the proving time – the time that gives us a new understanding and compassion.

~ My brothers, a power which I cannot resist crowds me down the ground. I need help. ~

CHIEF STANDINGBEAR – PONCA

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Thanksgiving Feng Shui Tips

Thanksgiving Feng Shui Tips

Give thanks and attract positive energy in return!

Stephanie Dempsey  Stephanie Dempsey on the topics of thanksgiving, feng shui

Thanksgiving is a marvelous opportunity to acknowledge all of the bounty we enjoy on a daily basis. By being more receptive to abundance, you can attract it more readily.

Mellow out

Muted colors like chocolate brown, goldenrod, pumpkin and olive lend a sense of safety, protection and support. If you’re preoccupied with financial worries, integrate these colors into your decorating scheme. They will make you more content with what you have. Earth tones can also make you more resourceful.

Back to square one

Sturdy and reassuring, square shapes promote contentment. Using square plates instead of round ones will make you slow down and appreciate meals more fully. If you have a hard time sitting still and enjoying your surroundings, put some square cushions on your sofa or square pillows on your bed. And a square-shaped mirror will make you more satisfied with your appearance.

Soft as silk

Soft textures can make you more receptive to warmth, kindness and affection. Go ahead and splurge on a downy comforter, some plush pillows or a set of luxurious sheets. Positioning a plush, comfortable love seat in the far right corner of your home or office will make you more open to loving, nurturing relationships. This will also stimulate your own generous instincts …

A trip to bountiful

It’s easy to be thankful when you’re surrounded by symbols of abundance. A bowl filled with fresh fruit, a vase of colorful flowers, a rack filled with fine wine, a painting of a harvest field … all of these things will make you feel prosperous and content. If you have a collection, display it to its best advantage. The sight of it will remind you that there is more to wealth than money in the bank.

Stay focused

Do you have a hard time putting work aside, even after you come home? Hang a shelf bracket in the far left corner of your bedroom, and then place a beautiful vase or sculpture on it. This will help you lift your thoughts to a higher plane.

Picture this

Sometimes a desire to get ahead at work can cause you to neglect the people and things you love most. Displaying a recent photo of your loved ones on the far right corner of your desk can help you to strike a better balance between work and home.

Create boundaries

If you have no choice but to keep a desk in your bedroom, create a barrier between your sleep and work stations. Suspend a flowing curtain so that you can’t see your desk when you’re lying in bed. Alternately, you can shield the desk with some lush plants.

Soften up

Your bathroom represents your ability to nurture yourself. Make this space more inviting with soft lighting, fluffy towels and a tactile rug. Add soaps, candles and lotions that are pleasing to your sense of smell. A radio tuned to a relaxing music station can also transform your bathroom from a utilitarian space to a mini-spa.

Give thanks

The best way to enjoy the fruits of your labor is to pause and acknowledge them. Make a list of 27 things for which you are grateful, and then place this list in a red envelope. Put the envelope under your mattress and keep it there until the Winter Solstice. The energizing power of your list will suffuse you with peace and contentment, allowing you to enjoy autumn’s blessings to the very fullest.

The Daily OM for Nov. 26th – Beyond Counting Blessings

Beyond Counting Blessings
Being Truly Thankful

by Madisyn Taylor

Our gratitude deepens when we begin to be thankful for being alive during this time and living the life we are living.

Often when we practice being thankful, we go through the process of counting our blessings, acknowledging the wonderful people, things and places that make up our reality. While it is fine to be grateful for the good fortune we have accumulated, true thankfulness stems from a powerful comprehension of the gift of simply being alive, and when we feel it, we feel it regardless of our circumstances. In this deep state of gratitude, we recognize the purity of the experience of being, in and of itself, and our thankfulness is part and parcel of our awareness that we are one with this great mystery that is life.

It is difficult for most of us to access this level of consciousness as we are very caught up in the ups and downs of our individual experiences in the world. The thing to remember about the world, though, is that it ebbs and flows, expands and contracts, gives and takes, and is by its very nature somewhat unreliable. If we only feel gratitude when it serves our desires, this is not true thankfulness. No one is exempt from the twists and turns of fate, which may, at any time, take the possessions, situations, and people we love away from us. Ironically, it is sometimes this kind of loss that awakens us to a thankfulness that goes deeper than just being grateful when things go our way. Illness and near-miss accidents can also serve as wake-up calls to the deeper realization that we are truly lucky to be alive.

We do not have to wait to be shaken to experience this state of being truly thankful for our lives. Tuning in to our breath and making an effort to be fully present for a set period of time each day can do wonders for our ability to connect with true gratitude. We can also awaken ourselves with the intention to be more aware of the unconditional generosity of the life force that flows through us regardless of our circumstances.

The Daily OM

Hail & Merry Meet My Dear Brothers & Sisters of the Craft!

I must apologize for our absence. We have all had the flu. I still feel like crap but the world goes on, and I must hop back on, lol!

I was going to talk a little about Thanksgiving and should Pagans celebrate it or not. Until I opened our email and found a message in there from I guess a follower or someone who wants to be. Apparently they want to be, excuse me there. But they wanted me produce proof that our Religion is real, not something that I  made up. That comment sent me into wicked witch mode and it shouldn’t have. See proof I am still sick. But the very idea, someone wants proof our Religion is REAL???

We have no bible or written words, well a few not many because of the persecution we have endured.  It was never safe for any of our ancestors to write anything down. If they were caught, they were killed. If not for our ancestors passing our Religion down orally, we probably wouldn’t even have a Religion today. I cannot speak for everyone here but I know my Religion is real because of the Goddess. She is my Mother and I can feel her presence in my body and soul everyday. I see Her beauty around me everywhere I look. I do not need written words for I know the Goddess. My Religion is about as real as it gets. It is the oldest Religion on this planet.

I would imagine you want proof because other Religions have Bibles and the such. I have no Bible, my Bible is written in the wind and also on my heart.. Yours will fade and the papers will crinkle and grow old. Mine never will it will always blow in the wind. I will hear the Goddess speak to me as She has spoken to thousands. And there are thousands still left to be reached. I don’t know what Religion you are and I really don’t care because you have insulted me and my Religion. Asking for written proof. The proof is inside you, all you have to do is believe and the Goddess will come to you. Just because She is not in a bible somewhere does not make Her any less real than any other Gods that are worshipped on Sundays. Let me ask you a question, the bibles published by man, how do you know they are real? If you will notice each chapter in the King James Version of the Bible is authored by an ordinary man. It is an ordinary man giving his account of what happened. Or who said what and who did what. How do you know that his account is correct. How do we know any Religion is correct? All religions are based on faith. I guess you could call it a luck of the draw when it comes to religious beliefs. We all hope we have chosen the right one. In my case, it is not a guessing game.

You see at one time I was a very dark witch. I know who grabbed a hold of me and my soul and pulled me back from the darkness, it was the Goddess. She spoke to me as clear as day. She showed me what Path I should have chosen.  Her Path. Since that day, I know in my heart and mind She is very real. She changed my life, She changed my heart and soul with Her Love. I know why our ancestors died to protect Her beautiful Religion. So others like myself might see the actual light and follow the true Path.

I cannot give you proof that my Religion is real and I feel like I shouldn’t have too. I wonder if you have that much doubt that you need actual proof, then why have you followed that longing in your soul to this Religion? Listen to the voice inside you. That is the Goddess calling you and talking to you. All you have to do is have faith. That is what all religions call for, Faith! You are the one that has the proof and it is inside you. All I can offer you is the teachings of the Old Ways. I am just the messenger. That’s it. I serve my Goddess as She deems fit. Listen to your inner voice. Listen very carefully, then follow the voice. Something has drawn you here. Now it is up to you to take the next step. Take that leap of faith that all religions require. The Goddess will provide you with the proof. And when She does, you will never, ever question my Religion again. She will open your eyes and your heart in ways no mere mortal can. Just listen.

Let’s Talk Witch – Simple, “Just Be Thankful”

hecate4

Let’s Talk Witch – Simple, “Just Be Thankful”

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something,
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary,
Because it means you’ve made an effort.
It’s easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the
setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.

October 10 – Daily Feast

October 10 – Daily Feast

If you argue with stupid reasoning you end up being stupid. Expressing an opinion can run you out of bounds and into areas that are not yours to argue. And no one has any business matching wits with someone who hasn’t a notion of honor. Consider what good can possibly come from a heated debate with someone who is in it for the argument alone. When there is noise and insult, the reason is weak. Someone said ignorance is behind every argument – but let’s not let it be ours.

~ You pretty good fighter, Quanah, but you not know everything. ~

QUANAH PARKER – COMANCHE, 1800s

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler