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August 22. 2007

Mabon

Second Harvest

Autumnal Equinox

September 23rd

Traditionally there have been harvest festivals from ancient times. Our modern day equivalent could be considered Thanksgiving. We that Mother Earth and the Sun God for our bounty which will sustain us during the dark cold of winter. On Mabon walks through wild places to collect acorns, pine cones and the like are taken. It is also hunting season. It is the time that the hours of light and darkness are equal. We prepare to say goodbye to the Sun God and send him into the bosom of the Goddess. It is also the time the Goddess is in her dark aspect, the Crone, till she is resurrected as the Maiden at Imbolc.( February 2nd)

Harvest festivals abound during this time of year all over the world. It is the time when the poor are gifted with the fruits and geese, mutton and grains of the more fortunate. We celebrate the bounty that our work and fields, gardens and orchards have given us. It is also the time of year when we honour death. As we reap, it results in the death of the plants and animals that we have raised. It is the time to remember our dear ones whom we have lost during the year, and for visiting gravesites.

As always physically clean your sacred space. Vacuum, dust and generally make your magic area as clean as possible. This can be done during the day, as well as preparing the Simple Feast to follow the ceremony. Grains, fruits and vegetables are foods for Mabon. I intend to bake corn bread. Beans and baked squash can also be served.

Here I include a recipe for corn bread that I found in “The Culinary Arts Institute Cookbook”.

2 eggs

2 cups buttermilk

3 tablespoons shortening

1 ½ teaspoons salt

2 ½ cups cornmeal

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1.Beat eggs until light. Add buttermilk and melted shortening: mix well

2.Mix dry ingredients together. Add to egg mixture; beat until smooth. Pour into a greased 9 inch square baking pan.

3.Bake at 375 degrees Farenhiet about 25 minutes.

Now you are ready for the night time ceremony. I usually begin at around 10 to 11pm so that the actual rites take place at midnight.

Purification Bath

Light candles all around and turn off the electricity. Run your bath water and as it’s filling put the point of you athame in the water and say:

Thou art water

Pure clear water

Hereby I cast out all impurities

And bless thee.

Then take a container of sea salt and put the point of your athame in the salt and say:

O Blessed salt.

Thou art pure;

Help me purify myself

Bless thee.

Then with your athame scoop three measures of salt into the bath, put the point of you athame in the water and say:

As this tub is a vessel symbolizing the Goddess

And this blade is male symbolizing the God.

So do I consecrate my bath to purify me.

Draw three circles and in the center of the circle draw a pentagram with your athame.

You may add scented oils to your water or bubble bath, whatever you wish to relax you. Incense too may be used.

Put a small heap of salt on our head and shoulders, then climb into the bath. Say over and over: Purify me, Mind, Body, and Spirit. Imerse yourself so that only your face is out of the water and keep repeating the mantra. Then you can proceed with taking a regular bath, soap, shampoo, whatever you usually do.

If you don’t have a tub a shower will do. Simply take a washcloth and put a generous measure of sea salt in it. With the washcloth scrub yourself from head to toe repeating: Purify me, Mind, Body, and Spirit.

Next is the time to arrange your space and set up the altar.

I put my altar facing north in the center of the room. I arrange all my furniture so that I can walk right around the room. Some Wiccans prefer the altar facing east so that if you do just adjust accordingly.

As I always have a white pillar candle burning when I’m at home and awake, I put this candle in the center. Also put your censor or joss stick holder in the center. I’ll use sweetgrass joss sticks. On the right arrange your athame, boline, and wand. I also have points from an antler that I put on the God’s side. On the left or Goddess side I have a miniature cauldron, sea shells, a bell, a chalice for wine, and there I place my crystal ball.

For Mabon decorate your altar with the appropriate acorns, pine cones and plaace a basket of different coloured and types of leaves. Also put whatever appropriate stones. These stones are: lapis lazuli, yellow agate, carnelian, sapphire and yellow topaz.

The appropriate herbs and plants are: benzoin, milkweed, mums, passion flower, sage, solomons seal, thistle, oak leaves and fruits and vegetables, marigold, rose, tobacco, ferns and grains.

The colours for Mabon are: red, russet, orange, maroon, brown, violet and gold.

Violet is important. My walls in my room are violet. It’s properties are: healing, meditation, tranquility, stops arguments, tension, power and sadness. Induces piety and sentimentality. It’s for: spirituality, intuition, insight, clarity, the astral plane the Akashic Principal and is associated with the third eye or the sixth charka. The organs the sixth charka represents are: the lower brain, left eye, nose, spine, ears, and the pituitary gland. The themes are: clairvoyance, telepathy, seat of the will, thought control, inner vision and understanding, inspiration and spiritual awakening.

Also have a brown altar cloth which I will use.

Next purify your space with your besom.

Draw your circle.

Consecrate your circle with air, fire, water and earth.

Invite the Lords of the Watchtower. (see below at Midsummer).

Bless the wine and the food, ( also see below).

Here again I shall quote Scot Cunningham.

“Stand before the altar, holding aloft the basket of leaves, and slowly scatter them so that they cascade to the ground within the circle. Say such words as these:

Leaves fall,

The days grow cold.

The Goddess pulls her mantle of Earth around Her

As You, O Great Sun God, sail toward the West

To the lands of eternal enchantment,

Wrapped in the coolness of night.

Fruits ripen,

Seeds drop,

The hours of day and night are balanced.

Chill winds blow in from the North wailing laments.

In this seeming extinction of natures power, O Blesssed

Goddess, I know that life continues.

For spring is impossible without the second harvest,

As surely as life is impossible without death.

Blessings upon you, O Fallen God, as you journey into

The land of winter and into the Goddess’ loving arms.

Place the basket down and say:

O Gracious Goddess of all fertility, I have sown and

Reaped the fruits of my actions, good and bane.

Grant me the courage to plant seeds of joy and love in

The coming year, banishing misery and hate. Teach me the secrets

Of wise existence upon this planet,

O luminous one of the night.

Works of magic may follow. Celebrate the Simple Feast. Say goodbye to the Gaurdians of the Watchtowers, say goodbye to the Goddess and the God, and close the circle.

Blessed Be,

Nora

July 29. 2007.

Lughnasadh

I must apologize that I haven’t written a ceremony of my own yet. I’ve been using Scott Cunningham’s book for years now. So for you that have not yet purchased this excellent book yet I’m just going to quote his entire ceremony. Also refer to Ravenhawks excellent newsletter on the First Harvest.

I quote:

“Place upon the altar sheaves of wheat, barley or oats, fruit and breads, perhaps a loaf fashioned in the figure of the Sun of a man to represent the God. Corn dollies, symbolic of the Goddess, can be present there as well.

Arrange the altar, light the candle and censer, and cast the Circle of Stones.

Recite the Blessing Chant.

Invoke the Goddess and God.

Stand before the altar, holding aloft the sheaves of grain, saying these or similar words:

Now is the time of the First Harvest,

When the bounties of nature give of themselves

So that we may survive.

O God of the ripening fields, Lord of the Grain,

Grant me the understanding of sacrifice as you

Prepare to deliver yourself under the sickle of the

Goddess and journey to the lands of eternal summer.

O Goddess of the Dark Moon,

Teach me the secrets of rebirth

As the Sun loses its strength and the nights grow cold.

Rub the heads of the wheat with your fingers so that the grains fall onto the altar. Lift a piece of fruit and bit it , savoring its flavor, and say:

I partake of the first harvest, mixing its energie

With mine that I may continue my quest for the starry

Wisdom of perfection.

O Lady of the Moon and Lord of the Sun,

Gracious ones before Whom the stars halt their courses,

I offer my thanks for the continuing fertility of the Earth.

May the nodding grain loose its seeds to be buried in the Mother’s greast, ensuring rebirth in the warmth of the coming Sping.

Consume the rest of the fruit.

Works of magic, if necessary, may follow.

Celebrate the Simple Feast.

The circle is released.

Lughnasadgh Lore

It is appropriate to plant the seeds form the fruit consumed in ritual. If they sprout, grow the plant with love and as a symbol of your connection with the Goddess and God.

Wheat weaving (the making of corn dollies, etc.) is an appropriate activity for Lughnasadh,. Visits to fields, orchards, lakes and wells are also traditional.

The foods of Lughnasadh include bread, Blackberries and all berries, acorns (leached of their poisons first), crab apples, all grains and locally ripe produce, A cake is sometimes baked, and cider is used in place of wine.

If you do make a figure of the God from bread, it can be used for the Simple Feast.”

I realize that this version is quite scant, but if you just scroll down to my previous writings, you will find the fitting missing sections.

Blessed Be

Nora.

June 18. 2007.

Midsummer

Once again I find that I’m going to draw heavily from Scott Cunningham’s book “Wiccca, A Guide For the Solitary Practitioner. Also see Ravenhawks’ newsletter.

The Summer Solstice, or Litha is usually around the 21st of June, as it is this year. The celebrations are traditionally held the night before, midnight being the most powerfull time. It is said that plants and herbs are more potent at this time so people pick them on this night. Also great bonfires were lit, so if you can hold your rituals outdoors a sacred fire is the best. I, however have to hold mine indoors.

First, start off by physically cleaning the space in which you will hold the ritual. Then comes self-purification. I take a ritual bath with candles lit and perhaps some incense Insences for Midsummer are: frankinsence, myrrh, sandalwood, lemon, pine, jasmine, rose, lotus or wisteria.

Then comes the setting up of your altar and point candles in the north, south, east and west if you use them. I set up a pot of earth usually with a plant in it, for Midsummer I shall use marigold, also adorn your altar with summer flowers, particularly yellow ones. In the east, which is air I shall set up an insence burner with myrrh insence ready, myrrh is especially good since it has cleansing and purifying properties. In the south I have a candle ready for fire, Then in the wet I have a chalice of water.

You also might want to arrange on your altar stones that are appropriate for Midsummer. These are all green gemstones, especially emerald and jade. A good substitution for emerald is beryl, since emeralds are so expensive. Also appropriate are tigers eye, lapis lazuli and diamond. You can substitute quartz for diamond also because of the expense.

After you’ve set up your altar assemble appropriate herbs in a cloth satchel. A piece of any cloth will do. These herbs are: carnation, chamomile, cinequfoil, daisy, elder, fennel, hemp, honeysuckle, ivy, larkspur, lavender, lily, male fern, mugwort, pine, roses, St. John’s wort, wild thyme, wisteria, vervain and verbane. As you are assembling whatever herbs you have, imagine all the banes and hurts of the past going into the bag.. Then tie it with a red string. Make sure that you have your cauldron nearby for later.

Then purify your space with your besom, or broom. Saying words such as: I prify this circle with my magic broom. You needn’t actually toch the floor with the broom but imagine all the phsycic rubbish being swept away with a blue or violet light.

I then cast the circle with my athame.

After casting my circle I hold up my wand with my right hand and face north, (some Wiccans face east, so you have to make appropriate changes) and recite:

Auriel before me,

Micheal behind me,

Raphael to my right,

Gabriel to my left.

Oh Great Lords of the Watchtowers,

Please witness my rites.

Then I go to the east and light the insence. With the insence I walk around the circle and say: With air I do purify thee. Then I light the candle in the south and walk around the circle and say: With fire I do purify thee. After comes the water in the west, then the earth in the north with the appropriate words.

Then I recite Cunningham’s Blessing Chant:

May the powers of the One,

The source of all creation;

All-pervasive, omnipotent eternal;

May the Goddess,

The Lady of the Moon;

And the God,

Horned hunter of the Sun;

May the powers of the Spirits of the Stones,

Rulers of the elemental realms;

May the powers of the stars above and the Earth below,

Bless this place and this time, and I who am with You.

Invoke the Goddess and the God. I say:

Oh Gracious Goddess;

Mother of us all,

Protector of us all,

Provider of abundance for us all;

Mother Earth, Lady of the Moon, Queen of the Oceans;

Isis, Aradia, Diana, Hecate;

Please come be with me within my magic circle.

Then:

Oh Gracious God;

Father of us all;

Protector of us all;

Lord God of the Hunt,

God of all growing and wild things,

God of the Sun,

God of Justice,

God against evil;

Kernunnos, Apollo, Jupiter, Saturn,

Please come be with me within my magic circle.

Then I bless the wine and food for the Simple Feast. (This was covered in the Full Moon Rite.)

From Cunningham’s book. “Stand fefore the altar and say, with wand upraised:

I celebrate the noon of summer with mystic rites.

O great Goddess and God,

All nature vibrates with your energies

And the Earth is bathed with warmth and life.

Now is the time of forgetting past cares and banes;

Now is the time for purification.

O fiery Sun,

Burn away the unuseful,

The hurtful,

The bane,

In your omnipotent power.

Purify me!

Put your wand on the altar and light the pouch with your berbs in the candle or fire and drop it in the cauldron.

“I banish you by the powers of the Goddess and God!

I banish you by the powers of the Sun, Moon and Stars!

I banish you by the powers of Earth, Air, Fire and Water!

Pause, seeing the hurts and pains burning into nothingness then say:

O Gracious Goddess, O Gracious God,

On this night of Midsummer magic

I pray that you charge my life with

The energies adrift on the enchanted air.

I give thanks.”

Reflect and feel the energies of nature.

You can then do works of magic. I plan on doing healing work for my mother and father. Especially my father since he is very sick and in great pain from a huge gallstone. If anyone out there would like to join me in this I would greatly appreciate it. His name is Steven and he is mentioned on my site.

Then celebrate the Simple Feast and say:

Oh Gracious God,

Thank you for being with me.

Oh Gracious Goddess thank you for being with me,

Please come again.

Say farewell to the Lords of the Watchtowers and release the circle.

A final note. Midsummer is the only time that the general public is allowed into Stonehenge.

Blessed Be.

Nora

June 4. 2007.

Hello Fellow Seekers!

It is time to add to my website as the Full Moon was on the 31st of May, and now it’s the 4th of June.

Let me start be recommending another one of Scott Cunningham’s books: “Cunningham’s Encyclopedia Of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic”. It is truly another gem.

By far my favorite magical workings are with crystals, gems, stones and metals. Mostly stones of all kinds. Out of these amethyst is probably my favorite. Some of what you are reading is out of Cunningham’s book, but by far most is my own and from a myriad of sources which I have accessed since I was fifteen.

Amethyst is a light to dark purple quartz. The purple colour is caused by the presence of the mineral manganese.

“The energy is receptive. The planets associated with it are Jupiter and Neptune. The element is water. The deities are Bacchus, Dionysus and Diana. It’s powers are: dreams, drives off insomnia and nightmares, overcoming alchoholism, healing, psychism, peace, love, protection against thieves, courage, and happiness”. (From Cunningham’s book.)

If you can find your own amethyst rock hunting that would be ideal. However, most of us are relegated to buying our rocks. Luckily most cities have some sort of Wiccan shop but be careful, usually they are disguised as gift shops as is the one here in Niagara Falls. Look carefully as you will not know until you look around inside. Also gift stores, souvenier shops, some jewelry stores, rock shops, and curio shops will carry gems and crystals. Also most museums sell rocks in their gift shops. So happy hunting!

To cleanse or purify any stone or crystal.

It isn’t strictly necessary to cast a circle although if you with to, and certainly if you are doing this bit of magic during an Esbat or Sabbat you would.

I usually cast a circle. All you need to do is hold your receptive hand, (the left for right-handed people, although if you are left-handed it would be the right hand), upraised about shoulder height with palm up and elbow bent. Hold the first two fingers of your projective hand, the right, with the other fingers in a fist held by the thumb. Then point your two fingers to the ground or floor where you will envision your circle, or rather the part of the sphere that dissects the ground, and pointing, circle clockwise, or deosil starting and ending at the north. (Some Wiccans start in the east.) Also it is clockwise in the northern hemisphere but counter-clockwise or widdershins, in the southern hemisphere. Now envision a bright blue or purple sphere in which you will do your work.

Since I live in a city and don’t have ready access to natural spring water, which would be best if you have it, I buy spring water by the bottle at the store. In a pinch tap water will do unless it is unsafe to drink. I pour enough water into a glass container, although you can use whatever container you have, to cover the stone you are going to purify.

I use sea salt which can be bought at any grocery store. I keep this in a special ceramic container with a lid.

To consecrate the water and salt and thus make it the purifier you want hold the container of water with your receptive hand and with your projective hand hold the tip of your athame in the water and say these words, or words like it that you write.

By my Will, I cast out of you all that is unclean

You are Water, pure clear Water:

I seek your power to aid me in this rite.

By Earth, by Sky, by Sea,

As I Will, so Mote it be!

Now hold the container of salt with your left, or receptive hand and with your right hand hold the tip of your athame to the salt and say these words or words of you own:

Blessed salt, crystal of the sea,

I summon your power to purify and guard.

By Earth, by Sky, By Sea,

As I Will, so Mote it be!

Then I set the amethyst into the mixture and say such words as:

Oh purifying waters,

Cleanse this crystal of all negativity.

I then hold up my left hand palm up, and take the container of consecrated water with the amethyst in it and hold it up high in my right hand and say these words:

By my Power, and the Power of the One;

In the names of the Goddess and the God;

I call upon thee oh purifying waters

To cleanse this amethyst to make it pure for my purposes.

As I Will, so Mote it Be.

Then I set it aside till the following day or shenever I hold my next ritual and close the circle.

To charge the amethyst, I cast my circle. Then simply take the amethyst out of the water and hold it up high facing north with my right hand, with my left hand palm up about shoulder height. Then I say these words:

By my Power, and the Power of the One;

In the names of the Goddess and the God;

I charge thee oh amethyst to be a tool to help me sleep.

(If that’s what I want)

As I Will, So Mote it Be.

Then I close the circle and it is done. I keep the amethyst close to me at all times, usually in my left pocket, and I put it under my pillow at night. I find that it really does help my insomnia.

Blessed Be,

Nora.

***

May 28. 2007.

A few years ago, I have discovered a marvelous author by the name of Scott Cunningham. Sadly he has passed from this incarnation after a long illness on March 28, 1993. I currently own three of his books, by far the most valuable of them being “Wicca, A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner”. As I am quite isolated where I live I have found this book indispensable.

The Full Moon is coming up on the 31st of this month and I thought it would be appropriate to include his Full Moon Rite although reading the entire book would be beneficial to all who are interested as this Rite does not include everything you need.

***

The Full Moon Rite

“Perform this at night, in view of the Moon if possible. It is appropriate for crescents, white flowers, silver and other lunar symbols to be present on the altar for this ritual. The quartz crystal sphere can be placed on the altar as well. Or, if you prefer, use the cauldron (or a small white or silver bowl)filled with water. Place a piece of silver into the water.

Arrange the altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the Circle of Stones. (The Circle of Stones is the way in which Scott Cunningham casts his Circle, you may use your own way of course.)

Stand before the altar and invoke the Goddess and God, with the Blessing Chant: P.123

“May the powers of the One,

The source of all creation;

All-pervasive, omnipotent, eternal;

May the Goddess,

The Lady of the Moon;

And the God,

Horned Hunter of the Sun;

May the powers of the Spirits of the Stones,

Rulers of the elemental realms;

May the powers of the stars above and the Earth below

Bless this place, and this time, and I who am with You.”

And/or any other invocations (see Prayers, Chants and Invocations in this Book of Shadows).

Now gaze at the Moon, if possible. Feel its energies sinking into your body. Feel its cool Goddess energy wash you with power and love.

Now say these or similar words:

Wondrous Lady of the Moon

You who greets the dusk with silvered kisses;

Mistress of the night and of all magics,

Who rides the clouds in blackened skies

And spills light upon the cold Earth;

O Lunar Goddess,

Crescented-One,

Shadow maker and shadow breaker;

Revealer of mysteries past and present;

Puller of seas and ruler of women;

All-wise Lunar Mother,

I greet Your celestial jewel

At the waxing of its powers

With a rite in Your honor.

I pray by the Moon,

I pray by the Moon.

Continue chanting “I pray by the Moon” for as long as you will. Visualize the Goddess if you so desire, perhaps as a tall, robust woman wearing silver jewelry and white, rippling, draped clothing. A crescent Moon may rest upon Her brow, or She may toss a glowing silvery white orb in Her hands. She trods the starfield of eternal night in an eternal round with Her lover, the Sun God, spreading moonrays wherever She goes. Her eyes laugh, Her skin is white and translucent. She glows.

Now is the time for magic of all types, for the full of the Moon marks the height of its powers, (that does not mean any destructive or negative or manipulative magic of any kind) and all positive spells cast then are powerful.

Full Moons are also excellent times for meditation, mirror magic and psychic workings, for such are often more successful within the circle. Crystal-scrying is particularly recommended; flood the crystal with moonlight prior to the ritual. If you have no crystal sphere, use the cauldron filled with water and the piece of silver. Gaze at the water(or at the Moon glinting on the silver) to awaken your psychic awareness.

Lunar liquids such as lemonade, milk or white wine can be consumed during the Simple Feast that follows. Crescent cakes are traditional as well.

Thank the Goddess and God and release the circle. It is done.”

I must add that the partaking of food is necessary in order to bring you back to the physical world in which we live. Thus the simple feast.

Scott Cunningham: Wicca, A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner

***