Giving Thanks at Sacred Mabon

With the Sacred Sabbat of Mabon (the Pagan Thanksgiving) falling late in the month, the early, eager energies of September are too often ignored.

The focus is often on filling the cellar – in fact, and metaphorically – in preparation for the coming cold. It is important to remember that the first three weeks of September’s light provide us with a unique opportunity for personal reflection. It is a time for most children to return to school, for birds to begin their migration, for leaves to begin a spectacular plumage change all of their own, and for sun lovers to squeeze the last sizzling, golden rays into their outdoor activities.

Why not take time to reflect and give thanks, before the hectic months of change overtake you? It is my favorite time of year, and always strikes a very spiritual chord in me.

As a Solitary Practitioner of Wicca, my Pagan beliefs are religious, nor secular, and can be summed up as:

"Bide the Wiccan laws ye must, in perfect love and perfect trust...Mind the Threefold Law ye should – three times bad and three times good...Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill – an it harm none, do what ye will."

Mabon, (pronounced MAY-bun, MAY-bone, MAH-boon, or MAH-bawn) falls on September 23 this year, at the time of the Autumnal or Fall Equinox. It is a sacred Sabbat celebrated by Wiccans and other Pagans who honor the turning of the Wheel of the Year. It is the time to seek balance, as the Wheel is at its half-way point around the Eternal Circle.

This Sabbat can also be known as: the Second Harvest Festival, Feast of Avalon, Cornucopia, Wine Harvest, the Fall Equinox, Harvest Home, the Autumnal (or Autumn) Equinox, Festival of Dionysus, Alban Elfed (Caledonii, Druidic), Winter Finding (Teutonic), or Equinozio di Autunno (Strega).

The full moon closest to the Autumn Equinox is called the Harvest Moon, and farmers would harvest their corps by this moonlight as part of the Second Harvest celebration.

It is the time when the harvest is winding down. The fields are nearly empty, because the crops have been plucked and stored for the coming winter. Mabon is the mid-harvest festival, and it is when we take a few moments to honor the changing seasons, and celebrate the second harvest. For many Pagan and Wiccan traditions it is a time to give thanks for the things we have, whether it is abundant crops, or all other life’s many blessings.

Depending on your individual spiritual path, there are many different ways to celebrate Mabon, but typically the focus is on the second harvest aspect, or the balance between light and dark. This, after all, is the time when there is an equal amount of day and night. While we celebrate the gifts of the earth, we also accept that the soil is dying. We have food to eat, but the crops are brown and going dormant. Warmth is moving behind us, while the cold lies ahead.

The leaves begin to turn from green to brilliant reds and yellows, animals start to migrate, and the harvest is underway. The Autumn Equinox divides the day and night equally, and we all take a moment to pay our respects to the impending dark. We also give thanks to the waning sunlight, as we store our harvest of this year's crops.

The Druids call this celebration, Mea'n Fo'mhair, and honor the The Green Man, the God of the Forest, by offering libations to trees. Offerings of ciders, wines, herbs and fertilizer are also appropriate at this time. Wiccans celebrate the aging Goddess as she passes from Mother to Crone, and her consort, the God, as he prepares for death and re-birth.

Here is my personal prayer that I have written to honor the beloved Green Man, whom is a central figure and focus of my own spiritual path:

Robin of the Greenwood Glen,
Lord of the Forest thou hast always been.

My lips a song to praise,
My cup a toast to raise.

Hail and Hearty the Oak King is,
Now more than ever I am truly his.

So mote it be!

Mabon is considered a time of the Mysteries. It is a time to honor Aging Deities and the Spirit World. Considered a time of mystical balance, it is when we stop and relax and enjoy the fruits of our personal harvests, whether they be from toiling in our gardens, working at our jobs, raising our families, or just coping with the hussle-bussle of everyday life.

Various other names for this holiday, considered a Lesser Wiccan Sabbat are: The Second Harvest Festival, Wine Harvest, Feast of Avalon, Equinozio di Autunno (Strega), Alben Elfed (Caledonii), or Cornucopia. The Teutonic name, Winter Finding, spans a period of time from the Sabbat to October 15th, Winter's Night, which is the Norse New Year.

At this festival it is appropriate to wear all of your finery and dine and celebrate in a lavish setting. It is the drawing to and of family as we prepare for the winding down of the year at Samhain (Halloween). It is a time to finish old business as we ready for a period of rest, relaxation, and spiritual reflection.

The Science of the Equinox

Two days a year, the Northern and Southern hemispheres receive the same amount of sunlight. Not only that, each receives the same amount of light as they do dark – this is because the earth is tilted at a right angle to the sun, and the sun is directly over the equator. In Latin, the word equinox translates to "equal night."

The autumn equinox takes place on or near September 21, while its spring counterpart falls around March 21. If you're in the Northern hemisphere, the days will begin getting shorter after the autumn equinox and the nights will grow longer – in the Southern hemisphere, the reverse is true.

Global Traditions

The idea of a Harvest Festival is nothing new. In fact, people have celebrated it for millennia, all around the world. In ancient Greece, Oschophoria was a festival held in the fall to celebrate the harvesting of grapes for wine. In the 1700's, the Bavarians came up with Oktoberfest, which actually begins in the last week of September, and it was a time of great feasting and merriment, still in existence today. China's Mid-Autumn festival is celebrated on the night of the Harvest or Barley Moon, and is a festival of honoring family unity.

Giving Thanks

Although the traditional American holiday of Thanksgiving falls in November, many cultures see the second harvest time of the fall equinox as a time of giving thanks. After all, it's when you figure out how well your crops did, how fat your animals have gotten, and whether or not your family will be able to eat during the coming winter. However, by the end of November, there's not a whole lot left to harvest. Originally, the American Thanksgiving holiday was celebrated on October 3, which makes a lot more sense agriculturally.

Thanksgiving was originally celebrated on October 3. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued his "Thanksgiving Proclamation", which changed the date to the last Thursday in November. In 1939, Franklin Delano Roosevelent adjusted it yet again, making it the second-to-last Thursday, in the hopes of boosting post-Depression holiday sales. Unfortunately, all this did was confuse people. Two years later, Congress finalized it, saying that the fourth Thursday of November would be Thanksgiving, each year.

Symbols of the Season

The harvest is a time of thanks, and as has been said, also a time of balance – after all, there are equal hours of daylight and darkness. While we celebrate the gifts of the earth, we also accept that the soil is dying. We have food to eat, but the crops are brown and going dormant. Warmth is behind us, cold lies ahead.

Some Mabon symbols:


— Mid-autumn vegetables, like squashes and gourds
— Apples and anything made from them, such as cider or pies
— Seeds and seed pods
— Baskets, symbolizing the gathering of crops
— Sickles and scythes
— Grapes, vines, wine

Any of these items can be used to decorate home or an altar at Mabon.

Feasting and Friends

Early agricultural societies understood the importance of hospitality, as it was crucial to develop a relationship with neighbors, because they might be the ones to help if your family ran out of food. Many people, particularly in rural villages, celebrated the harvest with great deals of feasting, drinking, and eating. After all, the grain had been made into bread, beer and wine had been made, and the cattle had been brought down from the summer pastures for the coming winter. Celebrate Mabon with a feast – the bigger, the better.

Magick and Mythology

Nearly all of the myths and legends popular at this time of the year focus on the themes of life, death, and rebirth. Not much of a surprise, when you consider that this is the time when the earth begins to “die” before winter sets in.

Demeter and Her Daughter

Perhaps the best known of all the harvest mythologies is the story of Demeter and Persephone. Demeter was a goddess of grain and of the harvest in ancient Greece. Her daughter, Persephone, caught the eye of Hades, god of the underworld. When Hades abducted Persephone and took her back to the underworld, Demeter's grief caused the crops on earth to die and go dormant. By the time she finally recovered her daughter, Persephone had eaten six pomegranate seeds, and so was doomed to spend six months of the year in the underworld. These six months are the time when the earth dies, beginning at the time of the autumnal equinox.

Inanna Takes on the Underworld

The Sumerian goddess Inanna is the incarnation of fertility and abundance. Inanna descended into the underworld where her sister, Ereshkigal, ruled. Erishkigal decreed that Inanna could only enter her world in the traditional ways, by stripping herself of her clothing and earthly possessions. By the time Inanna arrived, Erishkigal had unleashed a series of plagues upon her sister, killing Inanna. While Inanna was visiting the underworld, the earth ceased to grow and produce. A “vizier” or sorcerer, restored Inanna to life, and sent her back to earth. As she journeyed home, the earth was restored to its former glory.

Modern Celebrations

For contemporary Druids, this is the celebration of Alban Elfed, which is a time of balance between the light and the dark. Many Asatru groups honor the fall equinox as Winter Nights, a festival sacred to the Goddess Freyr.

For most Wiccans and Pagans, this is a time of community and kinship. It's not uncommon to find a Pagan Pride Day celebration tied in with Mabon. Often, PPD organizers include a food drive as part of the festivities, to celebrate the bounty of the harvest and to share with the less fortunate.

Those who celebrate Mabon give thanks for their many blessing, and they take time to reflect on the balance within their lives, honoring both the darkness and the light.

Mabon Correspondences

Symbolism: Second Harvest, the Mysteries, Equality and Balance.

Symbols: Wine, gourds, pine cones, acorns, grains, corn, apples, pomegranates, vines like ivy, dried seeds, and horns of plenty.

Herbs: Acorn, benzoin, ferns, grains, honeysuckle, marigold, milkweed, myrrh, passionflower, rose, sage, solomon's seal, tobacco, thistle, and vegetables.

Foods: Breads, nuts, apples, pomegranates, and vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and onions.

Animals/Mythical Creatures: Dogs, wolves, stag, blackbird, owl, eagle, birds of prey, salmon, goat, Gnomes, Sphinx, Minotaur, Cyclops, Andamans and Gulons.

Gemstones: Yellow agate, carnelian, yellow topaz, sapphire, lapis lazuli, and amethyst.

Incense/Oil: Pine, sweetgrass, apple blossom, benzoin, myrrh, frankincense, jasmine, sage wood aloes, black pepper, patchouli, cinnamon, clove, and oak moss.

Colors/Candles: Brown, green, orange, red, deep gold, scarlet, yellow, russet, maroon, all autumn colors, purple, blue violet and indigo.

Tools/Symbols/Decorations: Indian corn, red fruits, autumn flowers, red poppies, hazelnuts, garlands, grains especially wheat stalks, and colorful, fallen leaves, acorns, pine and cypress cones, oak sprigs, pomegranate, statue/or figure to represent the Mother Goddess, Mabon wreath, vine, grapes, gourd, cornucopia/horns of plenty, burial cairns, apples, marigolds, harvested crops, burial cairns, rattles, the Mysteries, sun wheel, all harvest symbols.

Goddesses: Modron (Welsh), Bona Dea, Land Mother, Aging and Harvest Deities (the Triple Goddess aspect), Persephone, Demeter/Ceres, Morgan (Welsh- Cornish), Snake Woman (aboriginal), Epona (Celtic-Gaulish), Pamona (Roman), and the Muses (Greek).

Gods: Mabon ap Modron (Welsh), Sky Father, Wine Gods, Aging Gods, John Barleycorn , the Wicker-Man, the Corn Man, the Green Man, Thoth (Egyptian), Hermes, Hotei (Japanese), Thor, Dionysus (Roman), Bacchus (Greek) and all wine deities.

Essence: Beauty, joy; fullness of life, harvest of the year's desires, strength, laughter, power, prosperity, equality, balance, appreciation, harvest, protection, wealth, security, self-confidence, and reincarnation.

Dynamics/Meaning: Death of the God, assumption of the Crone, balance of light and dark; increase of darkness, grape harvest, and completion of the harvest.

Purpose: The Second Harvest Festival, new wine pressing/making preparation for winter and Samhain (Halloween), rest after labor, Pagan day of Thanksgiving, honoring the spirit world, and celebration of wine.

Rituals/Magick: Celtic Festival of the Vine, prosperity rituals, introspection, rituals which enact the elderly aspects of both the Goddess and the God, and past life recall.

Customs: Offerings to land, preparing for cold weather, bringing in harvest, cutting willow wands (Druidic), eating seasonal fruit, leaving apples upon burial cairns and graves as a token of honor, walking in wild places and forests, gathering seed pods and dried plants, fermenting grapes to make wine, picking ripe produce, stalk bundling, fishing, and on the nearest full moon (Harvest Moon) harvesting corps by moonlight.

Foods: Cornbread, wheat products, bread, grains, berries, nuts, grapes, acorns, seeds, dried fruits, corn, beans, squash, roots (i.e. onions, carrots, potatoes, etc), hops, sassafras, apples, pomegranates, carrots, onions, potatoes, roast goose or mutton, wine, ale, and cider.

Herbs: Myrrh, thistle, tobacco, oak leaf, hazel, mums, hops, acorns, marigold, rose, sage, milkweed, Solomon's seal, aster, fern, honeysuckle, benzoin, myrrh, passionflower, pine and cedar, ivy, hazel, and hops.

Element/Gender: Water/male.

Threshold: Evening.

Activities: Making wine, gathering dried herbs, plants, seeds and seed pods, walking in the woods, scattering offerings in harvested fields, offering libations to trees, adorning burial sites with leaves, acorns, and pine cones to honor those who have passed over.

Spellworkings: Protection, prosperity, security, and self-confidence. Also those of harmony and balance.

A Mabon Ritual

As previously detailed, Demeter and Persephone are strongly connected to the time of the Autumn Equinox. When Hades abducted Persephone, it set in motion a chain of events that eventually led to the earth falling into darkness each winter. This is the time of the Dark Mother, the Crone aspect of the Triple Goddess. The goddess is bearing this time not a basket of flowers, but a sickle and scythe. She is prepared to reap what has been sown.

The earth dies a little each day, and we must embrace this slow descent into dark before we can truly appreciate the light that will return in a few months.

Difficulty: Average
Time Required: Varied

Here's What to Do:

01. This ritual welcomes the Dark Mother, and celebrates that aspect of the Goddess which we may not always find comforting or appealing, but which we must always be willing to acknowledge. Decorate your altar with symbols of Demeter and her daughter – flowers in red and yellow for Demeter, purple or black for Persephone, stalks of wheat, Indian corn, sickles, baskets. Have a candle on hand to represent each of them – harvest colors for Demeter, black for Persephone. You'll also need a chalice of wine, or grape juice if you prefer, and a pomegranate.

02. If you normally cast a Sacred Circle, or call the Quarters, do so now. Turn to the altar, and light the Persephone candle.

Say:

The land is beginning to die, and the soil grows cold.
The fertile womb of the earth has gone barren.
As Persephone descended into the Underworld,
So the earth continues its descent into night.
As Demeter mourns the loss of her daughter,
So we mourn the days drawing shorter.
The winter will soon be here.

Light the Demeter (Goddess) candle, and say:

In her anger and sorrow, Demeter roamed the earth,
And the crops died, and life withered and the soil went dormant.
In grief, she traveled looking for her lost child,
Leaving darkness behind in her wake.
We feel the mother's pain, and our hearts break for her,
As she searches for the child she gave birth to.
We welcome the darkness, in her honor.

03. Break open the pomegranate (it's a good idea to have a bowl to catch the drippings), and take out six seeds. Place them on the altar.

Say:

Six months of light, and six months of dark.
The earth goes to sleep, and later wakes again.
O Dark Mother, we honor you this night,
And dance in your shadows.
We embrace that which is the darkness,
And celebrate the life of the Crone.

04. Take a sip of the wine (grape juice), and savor the taste upon your lips. If you are doing this rite with a group, pass it to each person in the circle.

As each person drinks, they should say:

Blessings to the Dark Goddess on this night, and every other.

05. As the wine/grape juice is replaced upon the altar, hold your arms out in the Goddess position, and take a moment to reflect on the darker aspects of the human experience.

Think of all the goddesses who evoke the night, and call out their names:

Demeter, Inanna, Kali, Tiamet, Hekate (Note: she is my personal Dark Mother, and I talk to her daily,) Nemesis, and Morrighan.
Bringers of destruction and darkness,
I embrace you tonight.
Without rage, we cannot feel love,
Without pain, we cannot feel happiness,
Without the night, there is no day,
Without death, there is no life.
Great Goddesses of the night, I thank you.

06. Take a few moments to meditate on the darker aspects of your own soul. Is there a pain you've been longing to get rid of? Is there anger and frustration that you've been unable to move past? Is there someone who's hurt you, but you haven't told them how you feel? Now is the time to take this energy and turn it to your own purposes. Take any pain inside you, and reverse it so that it becomes a positive experience. If you're not suffering from anything hurtful, count your blessings, and reflect on a time in your life when you weren't so fortunate.

07. When you are ready, end the ritual in your established fashion.

[You may wish to tie this rite into a celebration of the Harvest Moon.]

Harvest or Barley Moon

September brings us the Harvest or Barley Moon, which occurs on Sept. 12 this year, sometimes referred to as the Wine Moon or the Singing Moon. This is the time of year when the last of the crops are being gathered from the fields and stored for the winter. There's a chill in the air, and the earth is slowly beginning its move towards dormancy as the sun pulls away from us.

Moon Correspondences:

Colors: Browns and greens, all earth tones.

Gemstones: Citrine, chrysolite, peridot, and bloodstone.

Trees: Bay, larch, and hawthorn.

Goddesses: Demeter, Brighid, Freyja, and Vesta.

Herbs: Wheat, valerian, witch hazel, and skullcap.

Element: Earth.

This is a month of hearth and home, which is the domain of the Goddess Vesta. Spend some time preparing your environment for the upcoming chilly months. If you don't already have one, why not set up a hearth or kitchen altar for those times when you're cooking, baking and canning. Use this time to clear out clutter – both physical and emotional – before you have to spend the long winter days inside.

The following are examples of Mabon Prayers:

Hail! Hail! Hail!
The grapes have been gathered!
The wine has been pressed!
The casks have been opened!
Dionysus and Bacchus,
watch over our celebration,
and bless us with merrymaking!
Hail! Hail! Hail!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Equal hours of light and darkness
we celebrate the balance of Mabon,
and ask the gods to bless us.

For all that is bad, there is good.
For that which is despair, there is hope.
For the moments of pain, there are moments of love.

For all that falls, there is the chance to rise again.
May we find balance in our lives,
as we find it in our hearts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The harvest is ending, the earth is dying.
The cattle have come in from their fields.
The earth's bounty has been laid before us.
We give thanks to the gods for this abundance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The following are examples of prayers to the Dark Goddess:

Day turns to night,
and life turns to death,
and the Dark Mother teaches us to dance.

Hekate, Demeter, Kali, Nemesis, Morrighan, Tiamet –
Bringers of destruction,
You who embody the Crone.

I honor you as the earth goes dark,
and as the world slowly dies.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This incantation calls upon the goddess Morrighan, who is a Celtic deity of battle and sovereignty. As a goddess who determined kingship and land holdings, she can be called upon for assistance in protecting you, your pets, your property and the boundaries of your land. If you’ve been burglarzied lately, or are having trouble with trespassers or vandals, this prayer comes in particularly handy.

You may wish to make this as martial, loud and vigorous as possible, with lots of banging drums, clapping, and even a sword or two thrown in as you march around the boundaries of your property. (Perhaps this also works because your neighbors will be convinced that you are dangerous, and a little crazy, no?)

Hail Morrighan! Hail Morrighan!
Protect this land from those who would trespass upon it!
Hail Morrighan! Hail Morrighan!
Guard this land and all those who dwell within it!
Hail Morrighan! Hail Morrighan!
Watch over this land and all contained upon it!
Hail Morrighan! Hail Morrighan!
Goddess of battle, great goddess of the land,
She who is the Washer at the Ford, Mistress of Ravens,
And Keeper of the Shield,
We call upon you for protection.

Trespassers beware! The great Morrighan stands guard,
And she shall unleash her displeasure upon you.
Let it be known that this land falls under her protection,
And to do harm to any within it is to invite her wrath.
Hail Morrighan! Hail Morrighan!
We honor and thank you this day!
Hail Morrighan! Hail Morrighan!

~~~~~~~~~

[Note: The following ritual was written by the fabulous Marie Bruce, who has been called the Official Witch of the U.K.]

As this is the time of Persephone, the following ritual calls upon her for assistance in our protection magic. Persephone is Queen of the Underworld, and she rules over the Dark Season. Her fruit, as already mentioned, is the pomegranate.

Purpose of the Ritual: To call on Persephone for protection.
What you need: Two pomegranates, a knife, your pentacle.

01. Take the pomegranates to your altar and light the candles, calling on the powers of Persephone.

02. Cut each fruit in half, putting the four pieces on your pentacle to charge with power.

03. The Number Nine is sacred to the Goddess, so repeat the following chant nine times:

Sweet Persephone, enchantress, queen;
Protect me from harm, seen and unseen.
Protect me from theft, fire and flood;
Protect me from those who mean no good.
Keep me safe in your season of dusk;
Grant me the wisdom to know who to trust.
Protect me at work, protect me at home;
Keep safe my abode of earth, wood and stone.
I bury your fruit in the depths of earth’s womb;
Weave now my safety at the magical loom.
So mote it be!

04. Extinguish the candles, and bury the four pomegranate halves at the four corners of your property.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are some other dates of importance in September

05: Labor Day. Spend some time today thinking about your work. If you are dissatisfied with your current job, make a list of what you could do differently so that work would be meaningful for you. Light a green candle that you have dressed with oil of pine. Fold your work list into a tiny square and pass it through the candle smoke. Now wrap the square in a dollar bill and place it in a green bag with an agate and the Three of Pentacles tarot card. Sleep with this bag under your pillow for thirteen nights.

12: Full Moon – Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon is sometimes referred to as the Wine Moon or the Singing Moon. This is the time of year when the last of the crops are being gathered from the fields and stored for the winter. There's a chill in the air, and the earth is slowly beginning its move towards dormancy as the sun pulls away from us.

It is also referred to as Moon of Siduri, the Heavenly Barmaid. The Full Moon in Pisces illuminates the cosmic river of souls, the collective unconscious, and the powers of prophecy. Siduri is the bartender who offers food and drink (and sympathy, generosity, and kindness) to weary souls on the path to the cosmic river. Her mythic role is critical. After visiting Siduri, souls are refreshed and ready to journey to the afterlife.

We are all travelers of the road of life, and sometimes need a place to sit, have a drink and find a compassionate shoulder to lean on. Sympathy requires listening without judging, supporting without telling someone what to do and easing the long and weary road by sharing food and drink.

The Solitary Practitioner can embody Siduri's role during this Full Moon by feeding a widow, listening sympathetically or giving to a charity. A Coven ritual may include filling a special chalice with drink and passing it around the circle. Members can take turns serving food or pouring drinks. Offer prayers for the weary to find comfort, for the hungry to be fed, and for departing souls to journey in safety. Have sympathy for one another and listen without judging. Pass a tip glass for Siduri and donate the proceeds.

12: Chinese Moon Festival. The Festival of Chang O, on the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox, the Chinese people pay homage to the moon goddess Chang O. Some Chinese celebrate this day as the moon's birthday.

19: The Fast of Thoth, this day-long fast honors the Egyptian god of wisdom and magick.

21: International Day of Peace. Carve a peace symbol into a white candle. Fill a small dish with a little dirt from outside and place the candle on top. Relax and focus on the energy of peace. Hold your cupped hands near the candle and visualize very bright light coming down from above, entering the crown of your head, going down to your heart, through your arms, out your hands, and into the candle.

Light the candle, close your eyes, and see this white light of peace spread to the hearts of all people. See all humans everywhere filled with love and existing harmoniously with one another. Believe that this is our future. See if you can get your friends to do it too. The more people who do this spell, the better.

21: The Feast of the Divine Life, this ancient Egyptian feast honored the great goddess in her three-fold aspect as Mother (Creator), Daughter/Maiden (Renewer), and Dark Mother/Crone (the Absolute).

21: Sun enters Libra.

23: Mabon, the time of the Autumnal/Fall Equinox.

23: Michaelmas is a medieval, pagan holiday, which the was turned into a Christian celebration as “Michaelmas,” a feast in honor of the Archangel Michael.

It is thought that the Roman Catholic Church at some point considered assigning the quarter dates to the four Archangels, since they had assigned the cross quarters to the four gospel-writers. Making the Vernel Equinox a holiday called “Gabrielmas” was taken into consideration in honor of the angel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary on Lady Day.

23: Ostara (Southern Hemisphere).

27: New Moon.

May your Mabon be blessed and merry, and your hearts and spirits be filled with the abundance of this Second Harvest. Let us look ahead to the darkening of the year with excitement, honoring the God for the warmth of his passing life, and the Goddess for her cold beauty and dark strength that will empower the Wheel to Turn until the Earth is once again reborn.

— Danu’s Daughter

Celebrate the Wanning Days of Summer

It is the time of the sacred Sabbat of Lughnasadh, or Lammas, which falls this year on Aug. 1in the Northern Hemisphere, while Pagans who live in the Southern Hemisphere are celebrating the Sabbat of Imbolc, so here’s wishing everyone has a very blessed holiday season.

[Imbolc is at the opposite side of the Wheel of the Year, celebrating the spark of light that was born at Yule and has become a flame to warm people and the land.]

Today also begins the sacred month of Ramadan for our Muslim brothers and sisters in the North Hemisphere, while it begins tomorrow in the Southern Hemisphere. I wish them a memorable and spiritually rewarding time of faith and renewal.

According to the Holy Koran regarding Ramadans:

O you who believe, fasting is decreed for you, as it was decreed for those before you, that you may attain salvation. (2:183)

Ramadan is the month during which the Quran was revealed, providing guidance for the people, clear teachings, and the statute book. Those of you who witness this month shall fast therein.... (2:185)

For those reading this who are not Pagan, it might seem strange to mention a different faith in this blog, which is primarily devoted to Wiccan practices. As a Wiccan, I honor all beliefs and faith paths, even atheists who do not believe in the existence of a Sacred Other or Sacred Others.

Before describing this joyous Sabbat, it is important to restate what is the platform of my Wiccan faith:

"Bide the Wiccan laws ye must, in perfect love and perfect trust...Mind the Threefold Law ye should – three times bad and three times good...Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill – an it harm none, do what ye will."

Lughnasadh, or Lammas, means the funeral games of Lugh (pronounced Loo), referring to Lugh, the Irish sun god. However, the funeral is not his own, but the funeral games he hosts in honor of his foster-mother, Tailte. For that reason, the traditional Tailtean craft fairs and Tailtean marriages (which last for a year and a day) are celebrated at this time.

This day originally coincided with the first reapings of the harvest. It was known as the time when the plants of spring wither, and drop their fruits or seeds for our use, as well as to ensure future crops.

As autumn begins in later weeks, the Sun God enters his old age, but is not yet dead. The God symbolically loses some of his strength as the Sun rises farther in the South each day, and the nights grow longer.

The Christian religion adopted this theme and called it “Lammas,” meaning 'loaf-mass,' a time when newly baked loaves of bread are placed on the altar. An alternative date, which fell around Aug. 5 (Old Lammas), when the sun reaches 15 degrees in Leo, is sometimes employed instead of Aug. 1, by certain Pagan Covens.

In the Celtic Ogham, August is the Month of the Vine (muin), whose fruit has been used for centuries to make wine. The vine itself is symbolic of joy and euphoria, and in the past wine was often drunk as part of Ritual to enhance divination and vision quests.

This month’s Full Moon is the Wyrt (Corn or Barley) Moon, closely linked to the Goddess and the Green Man, and falls on Aug. 13.

In mid to late August, we celebrate the beginning of the Wyrt or Corn Moon. This moon phase is also known as the Barley Moon, and carries on the associations of grain and rebirth that we saw back at Lughnasadh. August was originally known as Sextilis by the ancient Romans, but was later renamed for Augustus (Octavian) Caesar. Some Native American tribes knew that the sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain were most readily caught during this Full Moon, for them it was the Full Sturgeon Moon. Others called it the Green Corn Moon or the Grain Moon.

Day of Hekate

On the same day as this month’s Full Moon, is the Day of Hekate, the Dark Mother. She is the Goddess of the Crossroads, a Triple Goddess, representing the Crone Aspect of our Mother.

Hekate is primarily a goddess of the Underworld, holding dominion over death and rebirth. This is meant both in the literal sense and in the metaphorical as well. For life is filled with many deaths and rebirths aside from that of the flesh. Because of this the Dark of the Moon especially is her time of the month, since it is a time of endings and beginnings, when what was is no more, and what will be has yet to become.

Hekate guards the limenoskopos (the doorstep), for she is a goddess of liminality and transition. Of being on and crossing boundaries. This includes not only the boundary between life and death, but any boundaries, such as those between nature and civilization, waking and sleep, sanity and madness, the conscious and the subconscious minds. Indeed, any transition can be said to be her domain.

As such she is also goddess of the crossroads, where the paths of one's life fork and a person must choose which future to embark upon. In ancient times these were believed to be special places where the veil between the worlds was thin and spirits gathered.

In the ancient world a crossroad was a point where three roads met to form a "Y"-shaped intersection. It was believed to be a place where spirits gathered, including those of the Underworld and those of Fate. It is also a metaphor for the divergence of possibilities in an individual's future. Their life will bring them to the crossroad along one of the roads, and they will be met with a branching, where they must choose one path or the other to continue onward. As goddess of transitions, Hekate rules this place where the roads separate and differing futures are possible.

Hekate is often portrayed as a three torch-bearing female figures standing in a circle looking outward, with their backs joined so that they are in fact one being. This exhibits her dominion over the triple-crossroads and her ability to see in all directions simultaneously. The road a person had come from, and the directions they might take in the future. These hektarion (or hekataion) were placed at crossroads. Their earliest forms consisted of a pole upon which three masks were hung, with one facing each road. In more recent times these became statuary, sometimes of three figures standing with their backs to a central pillar, other times a similar portrayal without the column in the center. Typically, devotees often left her gifts of grain at these markers.

[Note: The Romans knew Hekate as Triva, which means "where the three roads meet."]

Hekate is also the goddess of psychological transformation. Her Underworld is the dark recesses of the human subconscious as well at that of the Cosmos. Many have accused her of sending demons to haunt the thoughts of individuals. What they fail to understand is that the demons are not hers, but their own. By the light of her twin torches Hekate only reveals what is already there. These are things which the person needs to see in order to heal and renew. However, if they are not prepared for the experience of confronting their Shadow then it can truly feel like they are being tormented. Hekate is not motivated by cruelty, nor is she seeking to harm. But her love can be tough love. She will prompt a person to face the things that they must, whether they like it or not.

Then and now Hekate is a goddess of Witchcraft and those who walk between the worlds. In the ancient world she was the patroness of those magicians – often women and the transgendered – who practiced magick, herbalism, and religion outside of the boundaries of the established temples and civil authorities of Greece. This is one reason she and her followers have often been feared and reviled. They stand with at least one foot outside of the conventional world.

Hekate is my personal Goddess to whom I am deeply devoted. Here are the prayers I say in her honor daily:

“To she who leads us into the cave of our own darkness, and brings us back to the light of our true being.”

And,

“Hear her words children, worship and be glad, for if you seek Her, She will be with you always. She was with you in the beginning, and shall be at the end.”

And,

“Dark Mother, Dark Mother, You walk with me like no other!”

I also repeat the following at dawn and at dusk, reversing the language depending on the time of day:

“At the gate of (dawn/dusk) I stand, Hekate Dark Goddess on either hand.
Guard me with you magick power,
Guide me through the Crossroads hour.
From the (glory/beauty) of the (night/light) to the (beauty/glory) of the (light/night),
In the name of the Ancient She and He,
So mote it be,
Now and forevermore,
Tod estu.”

I truly look forward to her Feast Day each year, as I owe her a great debt and much love for all she has brought and taught me throughout my life.

Lughnasadh General Correspondences

Traditional Foods: Apples, Grains, Breads and Berries.
Herbs and Flowers: All Grains, Grapes, Heather, Blackberries, Sloe, Crab Apples, and Pears.
Incense: Aloeswood, Rose, and Sandalwood.
Sacred Gemstones: Carnelian, Citrine, and Tiger Eye.

Special Activities

As summer passes, many Pagans celebrate by remembering its warmth and bounty in a feast shared with family, friends or Coven members. As a Solitary Practitioner, I do not belong to a Coven, so my religiously open-minded family and friends attend the feast.

As a devotion, you might want to save and plant the seeds from the fruits consumed during the feast or ritual. If they sprout, grow the plant or tree with love and as a symbol of your connection with the Lord and Lady. Walk through any fields and orchards you live near, or spend time walking or sitting by springs, creeks, rivers, ponds and lakes reflecting on the bounty and love of the Lord and Lady. If you have access to an ocean, the beach and its rocks overlooking the waves can be especially spiritual at this time of year.

A Prayer and Ritual to Celebrate Lughnasadh

“Oh Lady, your breast is the field. Inanna, your breast is your field.
Your broad field pours out plants, your broad field pours out grain.
Water flows from on high for your servant.
Bread flows from on high for your servant.
Pour it out for me Inanna. I will drink all you offer.”

Bake a loaf of bread making sure to honor the source of the flour as you work the dough. Shape the loaf into the figure of a man or a woman and give your grain-person a name such as Lugh or Demeter.

If you have a garden add something you've grown to the loaf. Bread combines the elementals of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water to become a substance that has nourished and sustained people since the first discovery of grain. Bread combines seeds from the Earth (flour and salt), with Water and Air (yeast the secret, airborne traveler, sacred changer of the Gods), adding Fire to bake. Suddenly, from those four ancient, basic elements: Bread.

If you don't wish to bake bread, consider making corn bread, muffins or even popping popcorn. It is the important to honor the harvest, and the baking process allows us to mindfully enter the sacred by being fully aware of our intentions.

In many parts of the world, it is traditional to make a “corn dolly,” out of cornstalks/husks from the late season harvest. If you decide to do this, as you work on her, think of what you and your family and friends have “harvested” this year. If you are like most people, you have brought both the positive and negative into your life. This is the perfect time to reflect on your life as a whole, deciding if there are aspects you wish to change.

Traditions

— Place an ash leaf under your pillow for prophetic dreams.
— Decorate sheaves of grain with flowers or ribbons.
— Eat and drink in the name of the Goddess and God. Begin with a prayer of thanks for the bounty laid before you.
— Leave offerings of bread to the Faerie Folk.
— Honor the pregnant Goddess and the waning energy of the Sun God by offering them bread and wine.
— Hang crystals, faceted glass and sun catchers in the windows of your house to deflect unwanted energy and to create dancing rainbow colors in your home.
— Sacrifice unwanted habits and things from your life by throwing symbols of them into the Sabbat fire. Prayer scrolls can contain written descriptions of offerings, or they can be doodled or drawn representations. Thus, they can include symbols or words, whatever makes the most powerful emotional connection/association for you.

Detailed Lughnasadh Correspondences

Goddesses – Anat, Blodeuwedd, Ceres, Cerridwen, Demeter, Isis, and Sif.
Gods – Adonis, Hercules, Tammuz, Lugh, Odin, Loki, and Baal.
Colors – Orange, gold, yellow, citrine and gray.
Candle Colors – Golden yellow, orange, green or light brown.
Stones – Yellow diamonds, adventurine, sardonyx, peridot and citrine.
Animals – Roosters, calves, and stags.
Mythical Creatures – Phoenix, griffins, centaurs and speaking skulls.
Plants – Corn, rice, wheat, rye, oats and ginseng.
Herbs – Acacia flowers, aloes, calendula, cornstalks, cyclamen, fenugreek, frankincense, heather, hollyhock, myrtle, oak leaves, sunflower, and vervain.
Incense – Aloes, rose, rose hips, rosemary, chamomile, passionflower, frankincense and sandalwood.
Foods – Homemade breads, corn, potatoes, berry pies, barley cakes, nuts, wild berries, apples, rice, roasted lamb, acorns, crab apples, summer squash, turnips, oats, all grains, and all First Harvest foods.
Traditional Drinks – Elderberry wine, ale and meadowsweet tea.

Recipes

Apricot Wine

1 pound dried apricots
4 quarts warm water
6 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 Tablespoon minced ginger
2 lemons, thinly sliced
2 oranges, thinly sliced
1/2 cup yeast

Preparation:

Wash the apricots in several batches of water and then dry them and cut in halves. Place in a large crock and pour on the warm water, reserving 1/2 cup, which is then used to dissolve the yeast. Stir in the sugars, fruit, raisins and ginger. Then add the dissolved yeast and mix well. Cover and let stand for 30 days, stirring the mixture every other day. After 30 days, strain the mixture and bottle.

Lughnasadh Incense

1 part oak bark
1/4 part pine resin
A few drops oak moss oil
2 parts red sandalwood
1 part cedar wood
A few drops cedar oil
3 parts frankincense
1/2 part sunflower petals

Summer Pudding

6 cups berries
1 cup sugar
Loaf of white bread, one or two days old

Preparation:

Wash the fruit and leave in a bowl with the sugar overnight. The next day, put the contents into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Gently simmer for 2 or 3 minutes., there should be lots of juice.

Cut the loaf into 1/4 " thick slices and remove the crusts.

Cut a circle from one slice of the bread slightly larger than the bottom of a 34-ounce pudding dish and place in position. Cut wedges of bread to fit around the sides of the bowl. If there are any gaps push in small pieces of bread.

Pour half of the fruit and juice mixture, cover with bread cut to shape and add the remainder of fruit and juice.

Cover the top with a couple slices of bread, trimming off the excess to make a nice, neat finish to the pudding.

Place a plate on top and weigh it down with two or three cans of food. Leave in the refrigerator for a day or two.

When serving, run a thin, flexible knife between the pudding and the bowl to loosen it. Place a serving dish upside down on top of the bowl Quickly turn it over and remove the bowl. Serve with lots of whipped cream.

Barley Mushroom Soup

5 cup vegetable broth
1 cup uncooked barley
1/2 pound of mushrooms (use morels or enoki for a woodsy flavor)
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup chopped, fresh carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves minced fresh garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Bring the vegetable broth to a low rolling boil on the stove and then reduce heat. Add the mushrooms, onions, carrots and celery, and allow to simmer for ten minutes. Add the barley and garlic, cover and simmer for another hour.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Lughnasadh Corn Fritters

1 can corn
1 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp salad oil
Additional oil for frying

Preparation:

Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, eggs and salad oil in a bowl until the batter is smooth. Add the can (or 1 cup of fresh) corn kernels and mix well. Heat 1/4 " of salad oil in a frying pan and drop fritters by level tablespoon full into the hot oil. Fry until golden, turning once. Drain and serve.

Here are some other August dates of note:

— Aug. 9; Festival of Sol Indigis, the Roman sun god.
— Aug. 13; The Vertumnalia, the Festival of Vertumnus, the Roman god of seasons, gardens and orchards.
— Aug. 13; Day of Hekate.
— Aug. 13; Full Moon Wyrt (Corn) Moon
— Aug. 15; Festival of Torches – Nemoralia
— Aug. 17; The Portunalia, or the Festival of Portunes, the Roman god of gates, doors and harbors. At this festival, people would throw keys into the fire in order to bless them.
— Aug. 19; The Vinalia, the Festival of Jupiter, who was the primary Roman god.
— Aug. 21; Festival of Consus, the Roman god of good council.
— Aug. 21; Sun enters Virgo.
— Aug 23; The Volcanalia, the Festival of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire (from which we get the word Volcano.)
— Aug. 25; The Opiconsivia, the Harvest Festival of Ops, the Roman goddess of harvest.
— Aug 29; New Moon.

As always, any Sabbat is the perfect opportunity to offer thanks to the Goddess and God through sacred sex. If you are a consenting adult, take your partner, or just yourself, and shout your thanks in the perfect expression of ectasy.

— Danu’s Daughter

Let Ostara Re-Awaken Your Pagan Spirit!

March is a very magickal, verdant month for Wiccans and Pagans and many other faith paths because of the expectation of the emergence of Spring, which has been a focal point of spiritual and secular celebrations for millennium.

For Pagans, it is one of the most exciting times of the year because of the Spring Equinox, which we celebrate with the Sabbat of Ostara, signaling the re-awakening of the Earth after the long slumber of late Fall and the deepening coldness of Winter. It is the core knowledge — faith — of Pagans that the Earth was not dead, but merely asleep and gathering its strength to burst forth with beauty and fertility.

In addition to Ostara, there are a lot of other days in March that provide opportunities to honor the Goddess and God, too. Each important date will be discussed below.

Spring is almost here, and as a resident of the North Eastern U.S., I am beyond thrilled because it has been the coldest and snowiest on record! True to the tradition, March has roared in here like a lion, and if we're really lucky, it will roll out like a lamb.

I look ahead to Ostara, on March 20 (it generally falls on the 20th or the 21st depending on the year) to celebrate the greening of the earth and fertility of all life. It is the time of the vernal equinox if of you live in the Northern Hemisphere, and it's a true marker that Spring has come. There are many different ways you can celebrate this holy Sabbat, depending upon your chosen tradition.

Most Pagans and Neo-Pagans agree its origins lie in the early Easter story as a Springtime sacrificial festival named after the Saxon Goddess Eostre, in which became "Ostara." With the celebration of this Spring festival, it is not surprising to find so many versions and legends with the accompanying twists and turns throughout most of the world, including German and Eastern European customs, and even in Asian and early Aztec rituals.

There are always so many ways to interpret the times and tides of nature, and all of our earliest ancestors who followed the Wheel of the Year would naturally observe and feel the fertility and literally visceral call of Spring that is present in every living creature. Ostara answers that call — to celebrate the Awakening Earth at the Spring Equinox!

The Ostara story is told through a variety of customs — through the foods we prepare and the manner in which we prepare our homes and gardens for the coming activities of spring and then summer. Ostara is a highly creative time — limited only by your willingness to try new spells, rituals and recipes.

March 4: 2:46 p.m. — New Moon

Pisces dominates this New Moon. There are five planets in the twelfth sign of the zodiac, immersing us in this subtle water sign – the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Mars and Uranus along with the asteroid, Chiron.

Where ever Pisces falls in your chart deserves your full attention on this lunation because if you have unfinished business there, now is the time to address it. If there ever was an ideal time to quietly sort through the matters of the house Pisces rules in your chart, this is it. Once the Aries volume starts cranking up, that’s it, folks! Remember Jupiter leads the way into Aries with Mercury following him on March 9 and the biggie, Uranus, on March 11.

Speaking of Jupiter in Aries, he is part of a small triangular formation with Mars in Pisces at the apex and the waning square to Pluto in Capricorn as the base. This gives Mars in Pisces far more edge than he usually has and normally mild mannered types could surprise their friends and co-workers by standing up for themselves and speaking out in defense of their cherished compassionate values. Pisces is often the champion of the underdog and those who cannot defend themselves. Besides most Pisces folks often have a Scorpio or three for back up, not to mention friends in high places (Pluto in Capricorn).

Pisces is often underestimated because they are chameleons, happy to show others the face they want to see while keeping far more to themselves. It has been said Pisces has a bit of all the signs within them and that’s why they are so good at blending in. Whimsical, amusing, generally kind and as tough as nails is a fair description of your average Pisces.

Saturn in Libra is in conjunction with the New Moon, providing support with reservations. Libra and Pisces are generally pretty friendly but they do have different priorities. Saturn in Libra is committed to fairness and equity from an intellectual perspective while the New Moon in Pisces illuminates the need for compassion first and foremost. Both parties can be satisfied though because compromise is in both Libra and Pisces vocabularies.

Venus is newly arrived in cool, detached Aquarius and forms no major aspects at this time. Venus in Aquarius can be described as faithful but not rigid and not given to jealousy. Love is more of an intellectual exercise than expression of passion under this influence. Besides, most of us will be too busy taking care of old business to make time for romance right now anyway.

This is a very focused New Moon chart with Saturn in Libra as the leading planet of a Bowl Pattern, making it easier than usual for normally languid Pisces to step up and get things done. Just remember to be kind and forgiving of others as you bustle around wrapping up all those loose ends!

March 8: Mardi Gras

In medieval times, a similar-type festivity to that of the present day Mardi Gras was given by monarchs and lords prior to the Christian Lent, in order to ceremoniously conscript new knights into service and hold feasts in their honor.

The landed gentry would also ride through the countryside rewarding peasants with cakes (thought by some to be the origin of the King Cake), coins (perhaps the origin of present day gifts of Mardi Gras doubloons) and other trinkets.

In Germany, there still remains a Carnival similar to that of the one held in New Orleans. Known as Fasching, the celebrations begin on Twelfth Night and continue until Shrove Tuesday.

To a lesser degree, this festivity is still celebrated in France and Spain. A Carnival season was also celebrated in England until the Nineteenth Century, originating as a type of "renewal" festival that incorporated fertility motifs and ball games which frequently turned into riots between opposing villages, followed by feasts of pancakes and the imbibing of alcohol.

The preparing and consumption of pancakes on Shrove Tuesday (also known as "Pancake Day" or "Pancake Tuesday" and occurring annually between February 2 and March 9, depending upon the date of the Christian Easter) is a still a tradition in the United Kingdom, where pancake tossing and pancake races (during which a pancake must be tossed a certain number of times) are still popular.

One of the most famous of such competitions, which takes place in Olney, Buckinghamshire, is said to date from 1445. It is a race for women only and for those who have lived in the Parish for at least three months. An apron and head-covering are requisite. The course is 415 yards and the pancake must be tossed at least three times during the race. The winner receives a kiss from the Ringer of the Pancake Bell and a prayer book from the local vicar. "Shrove" is derived from the Olde English word "shrive," which means to "confess all sins."

March 13: 2:00 a.m. — Daylight Savings Time Begins

Remember to set your clocks forward (Spring Forward-Fall Back) one hour.

March 15 — The Ides of March

In ancient Rome, the calendar year began on March 15. The 15th of each of month was known as the ides, from a Latin word that indicates division of a month. At any rate, back in 44 b.c., the legendary emperor Julius Caesar summoned members of the Senate to meet in the Theater of Pompey on March 15. Previously, a soothsayer had warned Caesar to "beware the ides of March," but since not much had happened that day, Caesar felt confident attending a Senate session. After all, the men of the Senate were loyal to him, so how much harm could he possibly come to?

Unfortunately, Caesar had enemies within his own Senate, and upon his arrival, several members of a group known as the Liberatores fell upon him and stabbed him to death. Some notable names were in the group, particularly Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus, the son of Caesar's lover. They claimed that their actions were not treasonous, but in fact tyrannicide.

In 1599, when Shakespeare wrote his famous play, he made sure to include the seer's cautionary line about being wary on the date, and thus the term "beware the ides of March" has come to bring about a sense of impending doom. He also attributed an equally famous line to the dying emperor, "Et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar."

Falling just a week or so before the Ostara holiday, some members of Religio Romana celebrate an ides ritual each month, because the ides are sacred to the god Jupiter.

In the U.S., the ides often coincide with windy or very unpredictable and powerful weather. I can remember watching the limbs of trees being whipped about, and feeling the life force of the planet so strongly in my body that I wanted to run around wildly, too!

March 17: St. Patrick's Day

While St. Patrick's day is not officially recognized as a "National" Holiday, it is certainly one of the most recognized celebrations in the U.S. Celebrations began in Boston, MA in the year 1737. Irish immigrants missed their home country and with the help of the Catholic Church they came to honor the arrival of Spring with the legend of St. Patrick bringing Christianity to Pagan Ireland.

As the legend goes, St. Patrick was born in Kilpatrick Scotland in 387. His real name was believed to be Macwyn Succat. His parents were of Roman high rank. At 16, he was captured by Irish Marauders and sold as a slave to chieftain Milchu in Dalaradia. Milchu was a Druidical High Priest, leaving Patrick to tend sheep in the fields. Patrick remained in captivity for 6 years.

He learned the Celtic language as well as all the facets of Druidism. However, as he remained a slave, he grew in his belief in Christianity and prayed to the Christian God. Finally, one day he fled, traveling 200 miles and boarded a ship and sailed to Britain.

Patrick stayed in Britain for 18 years bring Christianity to various cultures through war and conquering lands. Pope Celestine allowed Patrick to return to Ireland and bring Christianity to the country and named him "patritius" derived from "ater civium" meaning "father of the people." A legend says that St. Patrick chased all the snakes out of Ireland. With Ireland being an island, there actually were no snakes to begin with. Patrick's chasing out the snakes is in reference to chasing out the Druid's, Ireland's indigenous religion.

As the legend continues, in 433, Patrick fought in Ireland with the Druids and was able to infiltrate the culture since he knew the language of the ancient pagan religion. Legend has it that St. Patrick died on the 17th of March 460 and this is the reason he is honored on this date. However, the Spring Equinox occurs anywhere from the 19th to the 22nd of March. Celebrating St. Patrick's day on the 17th was actually symbolic of the famous legend where Patrick arrived on Tar hill and lit the ritual fire before the Druid priests arrived and overtook the site.

Another symbolic act of Patrick overtaking Ireland's Druid heritage involves his use of the Shamrock (three-leaf clover). It is said that Patrick used the clover to explain the Trinity of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. However, the shamrock (Persian word for three-leaf clover), known as a "Seamroy" to Ireland, was a symbol used in Druidism to explain the three faces of the Goddess found in the Moon: Maiden, Mother, and Crone.

All the symbols used in St. Patrick's Day celebration are pagan in origin. The wearing of the green is associated with Ireland's green fields and nickname "Emerald Isle." The Leprechaun is the face figure of the Faeries known in Ireland.

The legend of the Leprechauns is that they know all the secrets of hidden treasures. Their affiliation with shoe-making, rainbows, and pots of gold is really symbolic of them being earth elemental spirits. They are the spirits that take raw material to work and shape it into something useful for humans. Trolls are the raw materials, found in their raw state, in their original locations.

Leprechauns are one of the many tribes belonging to the Faerie gods known to pagan Ireland. They live in the Land of Faeries known as "Tir Non Og" which lies in the West. The Irish originally called all faeries the Tuatha de' Danann, a pantheon of gods from which Lugh and Danaan were a part, and are my personal sacred pantheon. Other such faerie gods include the high king "Fin Bheara." He is known to be skilled a the game of chess and running the hunt.

There are also the Banshee, angels of death. They are beautiful women in white or sometimes seen as old hags. They can be heard before seen because they are mournful. Their responsibilities are actually like guardian angles in that they help the deceased reach their designation. There are variety of others including: Lhiannon Sidhes (The faerie sweethearts), Phookas, Fir Darrig, Merrows (Faerie mermaids), Roanes (The Seal People), and the Glaistigs (Female Water Spirits).

Each family has his/her own protective Faerie spirit according to ancient Ireland and Druid tradition. These family spirits are cared for, fed, and given gifts. to do this strengthens the spirit and in time one can actually communicate with his/her spirit faerie. Among other things, one can learn the dame of his/her family spirit faerie and acquire favors.

The myth of finding gold at the end of the rainbow contains hidden meanings because in ordinary reality there is not end of a rainbow. Rainbows are circular. They are created by water particles in the sky. A rainbow can only be seen in the morning and late afternoon when the sun is closer to the horizon. The rainbow will be found opposite the sun. To see a rainbow, the seeker must be between the sun and the area of the sky where the water particles reside. It is hard to see the full circle of the rainbow because in order to see the rainbow at all, we can only see it from an angle. It is not visible straight on perpendicular. IF one can solve the puzzle of the rainbow being circular and how a pot of gold can be at the end of a circle when there is no end to a circle, then he/she will achieve the winnings of a pot of gold.

March 19: 1:10 p.m. — Full Moon
Stonehenge Moon

Casting a circle creates sacred space to worship, meditate, heal, create and commune with the spiritual realms. The Full Moon in Virgo occurs just before Ostara. Ancient henges, temples and ziggurats feature archways that frame the light from the rising sun on Spring Equinox.

Although modern Pagans haven't built the next Stonehenge, gatherings begin with a circle-casting ritual to create sacred space that is oriented to and defined by the cardinal directions, just like the ancient henges.

The solitary practitioner may wish to obtain a floor mat and paint a cross on it. Orient the cross to the points of the compass and meditate on each quadrant's elemental association and symbols.

At the coven gathering, dedicate gifts to each directional element as the circle is cast. In particular, honor the East and the equinoctial rising Sun. Emphasize that the circle is a sacred space where coven members have gathered to encounter the divine, to rise above their daily selves and connect with the seasons, the pulse of the turning Earth, the light of the revolving Moon. This bond is at the heart of Pagan and Earth spirituality.

March 20, 6:21 pm – Ostara/Spring Equinox

Ostara Correspondences

Animals/Mythical Creatures — Unicorn, merpeople, Pegasus, rabbit/Easter bunny, chicks, swallows, snakes
Gemstones — Rose quartz, moonstone, amethyst, aquamarine, bloodstone, red jasper
Incense/Oil — African violet, lotus, jasmine, rose, magnolia, sage lavender, narcissus, ginger, broom, strawberry
Colors/Candles — Gold, light green, grass green, robin’s egg blue, lemon yellow, pale pink, anything pastel
Tools/Symbols/Decorations — Colored eggs, baskets, green clothes, shamrock, equilateral cross, butterfly, cocoons, sprouting plants; violets, lily, spring wildflowers, new clothes, lamb, hare/rabbit
Goddesses — Eostre (Saxon Goddess of Fertility), Ostara (the German Goddess of Fertility), Kore, Maiden, Isis, Astarte (Persia, GrecoRoman), Ishtar (Babylonian), Minerva (Roman), Youthful Goddesses. Faerie Queen, Lady of the Lake (Welsh-Cornish), the Green Goddess
Gods — Hare, Green Man, Youthful Gods, Warrior Gods, Taliesin, Lord of the Greenwood (English), Dagda (Irish), Cernunnos (Greco-Celtic), Pan (Greek), Adonis (Greek)
Essence — Strength, birthing, completion, power, love, sexuality, embodiment of spirit, fertility, opening, beginning
Dynamics/Meaning — The God comes of age, sexual union of the Lord & Lady, sprouting, greening, balance of light and dark
Purpose — Plant and animal fertility, sowing
Rituals/Magick — Spellcrafting, invention, new growth, new projects, seed blessing
Customs — Wearing green, new clothes, Celtic bird festival, egg baskets coloring eggs, collecting birds eggs, bird watching, egg hunts, starting new projects, spring planting
Foods — Light foods, fish, maple sugar candies, hot crossed buns, sweet breads, hard boiled eggs, honey cakes, seasonal fruits, milk punch, egg drinks
Herbs — Acorns, celandine, tansy, cinquefoil, crocus, daffodil, dogwood, Irish moss, ginger, honeysuckle, iris, jasmine, rose, hyssop, linden, strawberry, violets
Element/Gender — Air/male
Threshold — Dawn

Every year at Ostara, everyone begins chatting about a goddess of spring known as Eostre. According to the stories, she is a Teutonic goddess associated with flowers and springtime, and her name gives us the word "Easter," as well as the name of Ostara itself.

However, if you start to dig around for information on Eostre, you'll find that much of it is the same. In fact, nearly all of it is Wiccan and Pagan authors who describe Eostre in a similar fashion. Very little is available on an academic level. So where does the Eostre story come from?

Eostre first makes her appearance in literature about thirteen hundred years ago in the Venerable Bede's Temporum Ratione. Bede tells us that April is known as Eostremonth, and is named for a goddess that the Anglo-Saxons honored in the spring. He says:

"Eosturmonath has a name which is now translated "Paschal month", and which was once called after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, in whose honor feasts were celebrated in that month.

After that, there's not a lot of information about her, until Jacob Grimm and his brother came along in the 1800's. Jacob said that he found evidence of her existence in the oral traditions of certain parts of Germany, but there's really no written proof.

Interestingly, Eostre doesn't appear anywhere in Norse mythology, in the poetic or prose Eddas, so one could make the argument that she's not a Norse goddess at all... but she could certainly have belonged to some other tribal group in the Germanic areas. It's fairly unlikely that Bede, who was a scholar as well as a Christian academic, would have just made her up. However, it's equally possible that Bede simply misinterpreted a word at some point, and that Eostremonth was not named for a goddess at all, but for some other spring festival.

So, did Eostre exist or not? No one knows. Some scholars dispute it, others point to etymological evidence to say that she did in fact have a festival honoring her. Regardless, she has come to be associated with modern-day Pagan and Wiccan customs, and certainly is connected in spirit, if not in actuality, to our contemporary celebrations of Ostara.

The Sabbat

As Spring reaches its midpoint, night and day stand in perfect balance, with light on the increase. The young Sun God now celebrates a hierogamy (sacred marriage) with the young Maiden Goddess, who conceives. In nine months, she will again become the Great Mother. It is a time of great fertility, new growth, and newborn animals.

The next full moon (a time of increased births) is called the Ostara and is sacred to Eostre the Saxon Lunar Goddess of fertility (from whence we get the word estrogen, whose two symbols were the egg and the rabbit).

The Christian religion adopted these emblems for Easter which is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox. The theme of the conception of the Goddess was adapted as the Feast of the Annunciation, occurring on the alternative fixed calendar date of March 25 Old Lady Day, the earlier date of the equinox. Lady Day may also refer to other goddesses (such as Venus and Aphrodite), many of whom have festivals celebrated at this time.

Embrace Ostara as a point of balance in your life, a moment in time where both dark and light and night and day are in harmony before the light is victorious and carries us on to the bounty of summer pleasures. Ostara is packed with rituals, spells, recipes, crafts, and customs to celebrate the awakening earth.

Rituals and Ceremonies

Depending on your particular tradition, there are many different ways you can celebrate Ostara, but typically it is observed as a time to mark the coming of Spring and the fertility of the land. By watching agricultural changes — such as the ground becoming warmer, and the emergence of plants from the ground — you'll know exactly how you should welcome the season.

Below are some suggested rituals. I will not address foods, because they are so varied and well-known, they are based on Spring flavors, and lost of sweets! Remember, make this Sabbat (and all Pagan celebrations, for that matter) uniquely yours. Change any of the elements to adapt them to your faith paths, and have a blessed Ostara!

Ostara Spells

The Spring Equinox, called Ostara by most Pagans and Wiccans, is a day of perfect balance between night and day, darkness and light, slumber and awakening. Many craft traditions, covens, and solitaries have devised their own rituals for awakening Mother Earth at this time. Many of these can be traced back to England.

One common practice is to walk through a natural area, tap the earth three times with a staff or wand, and make a joyful noise to welcome the Goddess's return. This ritual is performed three times in keeping with the sacred number of many of the Pagan sects from western European countries. Now is not only a good time to awaken Mother Earth, but also to awaken ourselves.

To awaken your own body, mind, and soul to spring's rebirth, give back to Mother Earth some of the things we've taken from her. Plant a tree, herb garden, or flowers. Feed her animals and birds.

Sex is always a great way to celebrate any Wiccan Sabbat, but it is especially appropriate on Ostara. Take time to have a very special, and sacred union with your partner, and give thanks for the glories of being so alive – so very alive – in each other's arms. As a sex-positive bisexual woman, no Ostara celebration would be complete with a truly orgasmic celebration! (For variety, you can always have your blessed encounter privately outdoors where you will not be discovered.)

As you do any of these things, consecrate your offering or activity by saying:

Mother Earth,
Goddess we walk upon,
May my gifts be of value
Even after I'm gone.
Today, while I'm here,
May my offering be,
An act of love
for you from me.

Sabbat Rite

Ostara is a time of equal parts light and dark. At Mabon, we have this same balance, but the light is leaving us. Today, six months later, it is returning. Spring has arrived, and with it comes hope and warmth. Deep within the cold earth, seeds are beginning to sprout. In the damp fields, the livestock are preparing to give birth. In the forest, under a canopy of newly sprouted leaves, the animals of the wild ready their dens for the arrival of their young. Spring is here.

Difficulty: Average
Time Required: Varied

Here's How:

For this ritual, you'll want to decorate your altar with symbols of the season. Think about all the colors you see in nature at this time of year — bright daffodils, crocuses, plump tulips, green shoots — and incorporate them into your altar. This is also a time of fertility in the natural world — the egg is the perfect representation of this aspect of the season. Symbols of young animals such as lambs, chicks, and calves are also great altar adornments for Ostara.

In addition, you'll need the following:

Three candles — Yellow, green, and purple
A bowl of milk
A small bowl of honey or sugar

Perform this ritual outside if at all possible, in the early morning as the sun rises. It's spring, so it may be a bit chilly, but it's a good time to reconnect with the earth. If your tradition normally requires you to cast a circle, do so now.

Begin by taking a moment to focus on the air around you. Inhale deeply, and see if you can smell the change in the seasons. Depending on where you live, the air may have an earthy aroma, or a rainy one, or even smell like green grass. Sense the shift in energy as the Wheel of the Year has turned.

Light the green candle, to symbolize the blossoming earth. As you light it, say:

The Wheel of the Year turns once more,
and the vernal equinox arrives.
Light and dark are equal,
and the soil begins to change.
The earth awakes from its slumber,
and new life springs forth once more.

Next, light the yellow candle, representing the sun. As you do so, say:

The sun draws ever closer to us,
greeting the earth with its welcoming rays.
Light and dark are equal,
and the sky fills with light and warmth.
The sun warms the land beneath our feet,
and gives life to all in its path.

Finally, light the purple candle. This one represents the Divine in our lives — whether you call it a god or a goddess, whether you identify it by name or simply as a universal life force, this is the candle that stands for all the things we do not know, all those things we cannot understand, but that are the sacred, the mysteries in our daily lives.

As you light this candle, focus on the Divine around and within you. Say:

Spring has come! For this, we are thankful!
The Divine is present all around,
in the cool fall of a rain storm,
in the tiny buds of a flower,
in the down of a newborn chick,
in the fertile fields waiting to be planted,
in the sky above us,
and in the earth below us.
We thank the universe* for all it has to offer us,
and are so blessed to be alive on this day.
Welcome, life! Welcome, light! Welcome, spring!

Take a moment and meditate on the three flames before you and what they symbolize. Consider your own place within these three concepts — the earth, the sun, and the Divine. How do you fit into the grand scheme of things? How do you find balance between light and dark in your own life?

Finally, blend the milk and honey together, mixing gently. Pour it onto the ground around your altar space as an offering to the earth**.

As you do, you may wish to say something like:

I make this offering to the earth,
As thanks for the many blessings I have received,
And those I shall some day receive.

Once you have made your offering, stand for a minute facing your altar. Feel the cool earth beneath your feet, and the sun on your face. Take in every sensation of this moment, and know that you are in a perfect place of balance between light and dark, winter and summer, warmth and cold — a time of polarity and harmony.

When you are ready, end the ritual – or, if you are a consenting adult, move to the next delicious step, Sacred SEX!

Tips:

* Instead of "the Universe", feel free to insert the name of your patron deity or the gods of your tradition here.
** If you're doing this rite indoors, take your bowl of milk and honey and pour it in your garden, or around your yard.

Protect Your Home and Family

The not-so-humble egg is arguably the most pervasive symbol of the worlds spring festivals, Ostara included. Within its shell is contained all the archetypal connections humanity has ever held with life, death, and life renewed. This eternal cycle of rebirth at spring is a major theme in the spring holidays of virtually every one of the worlds religions, from the most ancient Pagan expressions of spirituality to the most modern sects of Christianity.

How did the egg — particularly the chicken egg — get appointed to this lofty position of symbolizing a universe full of new life? Like many of our modern holiday customs, the eggs place in spring spiritual rites is derived from the way our ancestors observed the natural world around them and honored their deities through these natural occurrences. With modern refrigeration, factory farming, and a fast-moving global marketplace making a variety of food abundant to us year round, its hard for us to fully comprehend that food was once a seasonal commodity that as impossible to obtain when the natural conditions allowing it to be produced were unavailable.

The eyes of a laying hen and the amount of light she receives are the components responsible for her ability to produce eggs. A hen lays eggs when the retina, the part of the eye that captures light and images, is stimulated for periods of twelve hours or more by sunlight. When that light stimulation ends, so does her laying cycle. Because fire, the only source of light for our ancestors, was not a strong enough light to fool the hens retina, there were no fresh eggs for a full six months out of every year.

Though the scientific connection between light stimulation and laying cycles would be not known for many more centuries, their laying pattern was still reliable. Hens could be counted on to begin producing fresh eggs at the spring equinox and cease producing them around the autumnal equinox, a holiday period associated with dying and death and imagery opposite that of Ostara. As the world bloomed and greened anew each Ostara, the abundance of fresh eggs made them a natural symbol of new life.

In Asia, red-colored eggs are on occasion offered at funerals and births to symbolize the natural cycles of life, death, and rebirth. In the Ukraine, eggs called krashanka sometimes dyed in shades of bright yellow are eaten to celebrate the rebirth of the sun. More elaborate eggs, called pysanky, are decorated to use as talismans of fertility, prosperity, and protection. In places as diverse as west-central Africa and the southern Appalachian Mountains of the U.S., eggs are buried near cemeteries to encourage reincarnation.

Protective Egg Charm

What you need:

An egg (or several, one for each member of your family)
A mini spell candle in white, green or yellow

Traditionally cinquefoil leaf and dogwood are used as a filling, but you can vary this depending on where you live and your personal protective arsenal of herbs. Take an egg and, by poking small holes at each end of it, empty it out.

Light your candle, and when it has gone down at least halfway, fill the egg with your protective herbs, then seal the holes with wax from your candle.

Decorate the egg with symbols from Runes or other symbols of protection, and the names of each member of your family or you can leave it natural. Gather a nice basket full of fresh grass and flowers, and display it prominently.

our home, family and property will be protected.

Rabbit in the Moon

February 3 marked the beginning of the Chinese Year of the rabbit, and since Ostara is coming up, it's a good time to look at how the "Ostara bunny" came to be. As has been said, the name for this Ostara actually comes from that of the Teutonic lunar Goddess, Eostre.

Her chief symbols were the bunny for fertility and because the Ancient Ones who worshiped her often saw the image of a rabbit in the full moon and the egg representing the cosmic egg of creation.

It is commonly believed that this is where the customs of "Easter Eggs" and the "Easter Bunny" originated, but if you dig deeper you'll find Rabbit Lore going back to the Pre-Aztec Era

Rabbit Moon

The Moon Rabbit (also called the Jade Rabbit) lives on the moon. Dating back as far as 278 BC and based on pareidolia that identifies the markings of the moon as a rabbit. The story exists in many cultures, particularly in East Asian folklore, where it is seen pounding in a mortar and pestle.

In Chinese folklore, it is often portrayed as a companion of the moon goddess Chang'e, constantly pounding the elixir of life (immortality) for her; but in Japanese and Korean versions it is just pounding the ingredients for rice cake.

A famous poet of the Tang Dynasty period, Li Bai, relates how: "The rabbit in the moon pounds the medicine in vain" in his poem "The Old Dust " about a White Rabbit in the Moon making the elixir of immortality.

In the poem, a monkey, an otter, a jackal, and a white rabbit resolved to practice charity on the day of the full moon (Uposatha), believing a demonstration of great virtue would earn a great reward.

When an old man begged for food, the monkey gathered fruits from the trees and the otter collected fish, while the jackal wrongfully pilfered a lizard and a pot of milk-curd.

The rabbit, who knew only how to gather grass, instead offered its own body, throwing itself into a fire the man had built. The rabbit, however, was not burnt. The old man revealed himself to be the God and, touched by the rabbit's virtue, drew the likeness of the rabbit on the moon for all to see. It is said the lunar image is still draped in the smoke that rose when the rabbit cast itself into the fire.

Similar legends occur in Mexican folklore, where people also identified the markings on the moon as a rabbit.

According to an Aztec legend, the god Quetzalcoatl, then living on Earth as a man, started on a journey and, after walking for a long time, became hungry and tired. With no food or water around, he thought he would die. Then a rabbit grazing nearby offered himself as food to save his life. Quetzalcoatl, moved by the rabbit's noble offering, elevated him to the moon, then lowered him back to Earth and told him, "You may be just a rabbit, but everyone will remember you; there is your image in light, for all men and for all times."

Another Mesoamerican legend tells of the brave and noble sacrifice of Nanahuatzin during the creation of the fifth sun. Humble Nanahuatzin sacrificed himself in fire to become the new sun, but the wealthy god Tecciztecatl hesitated four times before he finally set himself alight to become the moon.

Due to Tecciztecatl's cowardice, the gods felt that the moon should not be as bright as the sun, so one of the gods threw a rabbit at his face to diminish his light. It is also said that Tecciztecatl was in the form of a rabbit when he sacrificed himself to become the moon, casting his shadow there.

A Native American (Cree) legend tells a different variation, about a young rabbit who wished to ride the moon. Only the crane was willing to take him.

The trip stretched Crane's legs as the heavy rabbit held them tightly, leaving them elongated as crane's legs are now. When they reached the moon Rabbit touched Crane's head with a bleeding paw, leaving the red mark cranes wear to this day. According to the legend, Rabbit still rides the moon to this day.

Lucky Rabbit Spell

An Olde English custom is to repeat: "Rabbits-rabbits-rabbits" before going to sleep on the last day of the month to bring prosperity and luck to you and your home. The following describes this practice.

HARE OR RABBIT: SAYING AT CHANGE OF MONTH – 1920 'Folklore' 319. According to several correspondents in the 'Westminster Gazette' (Spring of 1919) the following belief is common in many parts of Great Britain, with local variants: To secure good luck of some kind, usually a present, one should say 'Rabbits' three times just before going to sleep on the last day of the month, and then 'Hares' three times on waking the next morning.1982 Woman c.50 (Stockton-on-Tees, Co. Durham)

The first words you say for a lucky month are 'white rabbits.' If you can remember to say that 12 times a year, you'll have a very lucky year...If you say 'black cats' on the last night of the month and 'white rabbits' the next morning, you will get a present before the month is out." From "A Dictionary of Superstitions" (Oxford University Press, Oxford & New York, 1989).

March 30, 3:48 pm to April 23, 5:04 am - Mercury Retrograde

Mercury will go retrograde in the sign of Aries on March 30th and will be in that sign the entire period of its retrograde journey. If there was a zodiacal hot spot this would be it. As Mercury does its retrograde dance in Aries, it will be accompanied by Jupiter and Uranus and joined by Mars on the 2nd and Venus on the 21st.

Even the Sun and Moon will join in at the New Moon on the 3rd. We can expect many Aries themes to be highlighted. Some of them might be: Independence, hot-headedness, anger, individuality, identity and much more.

Aries is a fire sign and means to burn up whatever is in the way of new growth. On the positive side think, ‘crocus’ on the negative side think, ‘aggression.’

The truth is that everything needs a push to get born. This is true for babies and democracies as well as fruits and vegetables of all sorts not to mention ideas. Aries is a sign that likes to go at life head first.

The interesting thing about the New Moon is that it will be exactly opposite Saturn. This suggests that for every action there is a consequence. Mercury retrograde seriously seconds that concept. So think before you act but don’t be overly passive. Change is inevitable just consider the consequences first.

Days on which to pay special attention to Aries themes are the 3rd because of the New Moon (consider the consequences of all intentions); 9th when Mercury conjuncts the Sun (be still and listen to your heart); 11th when Mercury conjuncts Jupiter (temper opinions with wisdom); and the 19th when Mercury conjuncts Mars (act impulsively now, pay later).

— Danu's Daughter