Wheel of the year pt1

History of the Wheel:
To early humankind the year was first divided into two parts: Summer and Winter. Although it was possible to grow food in the summer, it was necessary to hunt for animals for food in the winter. The God, as a God of hunting, predominated during the winter months and the Goddess, as a Goddess of fertility for the crops, predominated in the summer. The changes occurred at Samhain (November Eve) and Beltane (May Eve). Later in the development of humankind, it was learned how to store crops from the summer to last through the winter, so success in hunting became less important and the Goddess predominated throughout the whole year, though the God was by her side.
To mark the halfway point through each of the halves of the year, Imbolc (February Eve) and Lughnasadh (August Eve) came into being. The word Imbolc means ''in milk'' and is associated with lactating sheep and other domestic animals at that time. The word Lughnasadh means ''married to Lugh'' (the sun God).'' Like most of the festival names, these are of Celtic origin. The equinox and solstice celebrations tie in with the progress of the sun through the year, but the four major (and oldest) festivals are more agricultural in their associations, tying in to the land, crops and animals.
Sample Ritual
Casting the Circle
(3x clockwise with athame and 1 time with sage)
Here tonight the circle?s cast
Joining future, present, past
Truth and love shall light the way
Evil ones be kept at bay
Harm non and rule of three
By our intent, So Mote It Be!
Calling Quarters
East
Hail to the guardian of the watchtower of the East
Keeper of the element of Air
Please bless and protect this circle with your mighty winds.
(light candle and offer herb)
Hail and Welcome!
South
Hail to the guardian of the watchtower of the South
Keeper of the element of Fire.
Please bless and protect this circle with your searing flames.
(light candle and offer herb)
Hail and Welcome!
West
Hail to the guardian of the watchtower of the West
Keeper of the element of water.
Please bless and protect this circle with you cleansing waves.
(light candle and offer herb)
Hail and Welcome!
North
Hail to the guardian of the watchtower of the North,
Keeper of the element of earth.
Please bless and protect this circle with your timeless stones.
(light candle and offer herb)
Hail and Welcome!
Calling the Goddess and God
Goddess
Great Mother we call on thee tonight
To bless our circle with thy light
Behold your daughters, strong and true
Bring beauty and love to the work we do.
In thy honor, if it is thy will
See our spells become fulfilled.
(light candle and offer herb)
Hail and Welcome
God
Great Father we call on thee tonight
To bless our circle with thy might
Behold your daughters, strong and true
Bring honor and pride to the work we do
In thy honor, if it is thy will
See our spells become fulfilled.
(light candle and offer herb)
Hail and Welcome

Prosperity Spell
In love and truth
In truth and love
By the power of below,
Around, above
We ask to have prosperity
In our lives.
So Mote it Be!
(light green candle and place circle of prosperity powder around candle)
Meditate on what you wish for--each person says what they wish for and throws some prosperity powder on fire--candle must burn itself out--do not extinguish.
Blessing Cake and Ale
We bless these cakes in the name of the Great Mother
Who provides sustenance that we may live
(said while one holds plate up in the air)
We bless this ale in the name of the Horned God
In honor of his essence which gave us life.
(said while holding glass in the air)
Eat and drink saving some for the Gods.
Farewell to the God and Goddess
God
Great Father and Fierce Protector
Thank you for being with us tonight
May we retain your strength and bravery
(extinguish candle, throw herb on fire)
Farewell
Goddess
Great Mother and Wise Lady
Thank you for being with us tonight
May we retain your bounty and comfort.
(extinguish candle, throw herb on fire)
Farewell
Farewell to the Quarters
North
Farewell to the guardian of the watchtower of the North
Keeper of the element of earth.
Thank you for blessing and protecting our circle.
(extinguish candle and throw herb on fire)
Farewell
West
Farewell to the guardian of the watchtower of the West
Keeper of the element of Water.
Thank you for blessing and protecting our circle.
(extinguish candle and throw herb on the fire)
Farewell
South
Farewell to the guardian of the watchtower of the South
Keeper of the element of fire.
Thank you for blessing and protecting our circle.
(extinguish candle, and throw herb on fire)
Farewell
East
Farewell to the guardian of the watchtower of the East
Keeper of the element of air.
Thank you for blessing and protecting our circle.
(extinguish candle and throw herb on fire)
Farewell
Opening the Circle
3x with athame widdershins
May the circle be open but never broken
May the Goddess and God be ever in our hears
Merry meet and merry part
And merry meet again.
Herbs Used
Prosperity Powder
Allspice
Cinnamon
Myrrh
Orange Zest
Orrisroot
Patchouli
Vertiver
Offerings
God--Lavender
Goddess--Lemon
North--Patchouli
South--Mint
East--Sage
West--Chamomile




Yule
(from the Norse, Iul,, meaning wheel): In the Northern hemisphere, the winter solstice has been celebrated for millennia. The Norse peoples viewed it as a time for much feasting, merrymaking, and, if the Icelandic sagas are to be believed, a time of sacrifice as well. Traditional customs such as the Yule log, the decorated tree, and wassailing can all be traced back to Norse origins.
Celtic Celebrations of Winter
: The Celts of the British Isles celebrated midwinter as well. Although little is known about the specifics of what they did, many traditions persist. According to the writings of Pliny the Elder, this is the time of year in which Druid priests sacrificed a white bull and gathered mistletoe in celebration.
Roman Saturnalia
: Few cultures knew how to party like the Romans. Saturnalia was a festival of general merrymaking and debauchery held around the time of the winter solstice. This week-long party was held in honor of the god Saturn, and involved sacrifices, gift-giving, special privileges for slaves, and a lot of feasting. Although this holiday was partly about giving presents, more importantly, it was to honor an agricultural god.
One of the four Minor Sabbats:
The Goddess gives birth to a son, the God, at Yule who died at Samhain (circa on or about December 21 but it can vary from year to year). Yule is the celebration of the Goddess becoming the Great Mother. This is in no way an adaptation of Christianity. The winter solstice has long been viewed as a time of divine births. Mithras was said to have been born at this time. The Christians simply adopted it for their use in 273 C.E. (Common Era).
Yule is the time of the greatest darkness and is the shortest day of the year. Earlier peoples noticed such phenomena and supplicated the forces of nature to lengthen the days and shorten the nights. Pagans sometimes celebrate Yule just before dawn, then watch the sunrise as a fitting finale to their efforts.
Since the God is also the Sun, this marks the point of the year when the Sun is reborn as well. Thus the Pagan light fires or candles to welcome the sun's returning light. The Goddess, slumbering through the winter of her labor, rests after her delivery. Yule is the remnant of early rituals celebrated to hurry the end of winter and the bounty of spring, when food was once again readily available. To contemporary Pagan, it is a reminder that the ultimate product of death is rebirth, a comforting thought in these days of unrest.
Yule is a good time to think about your hopes for the coming year, and your plans and aspirations.
Decorations for Yule could be
: Ivy, Mistletoe, Holly, Pine Boughs, Bay and Rosemary. Candles can be Red, Green or Purple. The wreath is a typical Yule decoration, presenting the Wheel of the Year. The traditional Yule Log is also a custom, with the log decorated with evergreen and holly strands before being lit at sunset. The Yule log is burned throughout the night until sunrise the following morning, another representation of the returning of the sun and the turning of the Wheel of the Year.
Some events for the Yule Sabbat could include an exchange of gifts, a turning of a physical representation of the Wheel of the Year, to help our Goddess in the birth of our God, and the placing of wishes for the coming year on a Yule tree.
Other Names:
Jul (?wheel?, Old Norse), Saturnalia(Rome ~December 17 & 18), Yuletide(Teutonic), Midwinter, Fionn?s Day, Alban huan, Christmas (Christian~December 25), Xmas, Festival of Sol, Solar/Secular/Pagan New Year

Animals/Mythical beings
: Yule goat (Nordic), reindeer stag, squirrels, Yule cat, Sacred White Buffalo, Kallikantzaroi-ugly chaos monsters(Greek), trolls, phoenix, Yule elf, jule gnome, squirrels, wren/robin
Gemstones:
cat?s eye, ruby, diamond, garnet, bloodstone

Incense/Oils: Bayberry, cedar, ginger, cinnamon, pine, rosemary, frankincense, myrrh, nutmeg, wintergreen, saffron
Colors:
Gold, silver, red, green, white
Tools, Symbols, & Decorations:
Bayberry candles, evergreens, holly, mistletoe, poinsettia, lights, gifts, Yule log, Yule tree. Spinning wheels, wreaths, bells, mother & child images
Goddesses:
Great Mother, Befana (strega), Holda (Teutonic), Isis(Egyptian), Triple Goddess, Mary(Christian), Tonazin(Mexican), Lucina(roman), St. Lucy (Swedish),Bona Dea (roman), Mother Earth, Eve(Hebrew), Ops(roman Holy Mother), the Snow Queen, Hertha (German), Frey (Norse)
Gods:
Sun Child, Saturn(Rome), Cronos (Greek), Hours/Ra(Egyptian), Jesus(Christian-Gnostic), Mithras(Persian), Balder(Norse), Santa Claus/Odin(Teutonic), Holly King, Sol Invicta, Janus(God of Beginnings), Marduk (Babylonian)Old Man Winter
Essence:
Honor, rebirth, transformation, light out of darkness, creative inspiration, the mysteries, new life, regeneration, inner renewal, reflection/introspection
Dynamics/Meaning:
Death of the Holly (winter) King; reign of the Oak (summer) King), begin the ordeal of the Green Man, death & rebirth of the Sun God; night of greatest lunar imbalance; sun?s rebirth; shortest day of year
Purpose:
Honor the Triple Goddess, welcome the Sun Child
Rituals/Magicks:
Personal renewal, world peace, honoring family & friends, Festival of light, meditation
Customs:
Lights, gift-exchanging, singing, feasting, resolutions, new fires kindled, strengthening family & friend bonds, generosity, yule log, hanging mistletoe, apple wassailing, burning candles, Yule tree decorating; kissing under mistletoe; needfire at dawn vigil; bell ringing/sleigh-bells; father Yule
Foods:
Nuts, apple, pear, caraway cakes soaked with cider, pork, orange, hibiscus or ginger tea, roasted turkey, nuts, fruitcake, dried fruit, cookies, eggnog, mulled wine
Element:
Earth
Threshold:
Dawn
Herbs:
Blessed thistle, evergreen, moss, oak, sage, bay, bayberry, cedar, pine, frankincense, ginger, holly, ivy, juniper, mistletoe, myrrh, pinecones, rosemary, chamomile, cinnamon, valerian, yarrow.

Colors
:
Red:
The symbolic color of health during this time of year as the days are dark and cold. We wish for the continued or improved health of ourselves, loved ones, and herd beasts during the times of our constitutions and wills are tested.
Green:
Good fortune to all. The sun promises to return and we have stocked an abundance of food, renewed our friendships and surround ourselves with friends. Generosity is key and green is the color.
Gold:
The color of the Sun God as his birth is heralded on Yule morn. It is the color of intuition and many begin this day with a divination for the coming year.

Incense
2 parts Frankincense
2 parts Pine needles or resin
1 part Cedar
1 part Juniper berries
Mix and smolder at Pagan rites on Yule or during the winter months to cleanse the home and to attune with the forces of nature amid the cold days and nights.
Tools and Symbols
The element of earth is sometimes represented in the circle by the earth dish. The earth dish can be made of any material, but the most common in paganism is a dish mode of copper or wood. The function of the earth dish is to contain that which contains: earth. In most traditions, the earth dish is filled with salt, which represents earth. On Ostara or Beltane, it?s nice to fill it with soil to be blessed with the energy of the Sabbat, and then sprinkled over our gardens or potted plants.
Another item typically associated with the north, and earth, is the pentacle. This beautiful and traditional tool is typically a disc of copper, brass, or wood, in which a pentagram and other symbols are inscribed. The more traditional symbols include: a Horned God symbol; a crescent Goddess symbol; upright and inverted triangles for the first and third degree; and an inverted pentagram, the symbol--in traditional Wicca--of the second degree. The inverted pentagram in Wicca is also a powerful symbol indicating the concept of ?as above, so below?.
In addition to the other symbols, there are also two ?S? symbols--one with a line through it--for the two outer pillars of the Qabalah: Mercy and Severity. Now again, these are symbols of older traditions of Wicca. You may wish to use these symbols, or you may not. You can add or subtract as it pleases you should you decide to make yourself a pentacle, using symbols that have impact and meaning for you personally. In circle, some Wiccans/Pagans pour a small pile of salt on the pentacle and then bless it before stirring it into the chalice. There are some traditions that do not use the pentacle, choosing to only use the earth dish instead, and vice versa. Please remember that no matter what you choose to use to represent earth, if it is made of metal, you must remove the salt after ritual, or your beautiful sacred tool will become pitted and scarred and will take hours of work to buff out, if you have the equipment to do so (trust me, I know). It?s just not worth it to neglect the proper care of your tools.
Decorations
You can start this project, one of two ways. You can either get a star, that is already made, at a craft store, or you can make your own by tying vines together in a star shape with floral wire.

Than you just simply attach holly branches, with berries to the star, making a loop on the
back of it with wire, to hang.

You can even take this project one step further, which I plan on doing next year, by making a holly pentagram.

To do this, just purchase a 18' round metal frame, and make your star to fit in the middle.
Attach the 5 points to the metal circle, and than attach your holly.
How to make a Yule Log
As the Wheel of the Year turns once more, the days get shorter, the skies become gray, and it seems as though the sun is dying. In this time of darkness, we pause on the Solstice (usually around December 21st, although not always on the same date) and realize that something wonderful is happening.
On Yule, the sun stops its decline into the south. For a few days, it seems as though it?s rising in exactly the same place? and then the amazing, the wonderful, the miraculous happens. The light begins to return.
The sun begins its journey back to the north, and once again we are reminded that we have something worth celebrating. In families of all different spiritual paths, the return of the light is celebrated, with Menorahs, Kwanzaa candles, bonfires, and brightly lit Christmas trees. On Yule, many Pagan and Wiccan families celebrate the return of the sun by adding light into their homes. One of our family?s favorite traditions ? and one that children can do easily ? is to make a Yule log for a family-sized celebration. A holiday celebration that began in Norway, on the night of the winter solstice it was common to hoist a giant log onto the hearth to celebrate the return of the sun each year. The Norsemen believed that the sun was a giant wheel of fire which rolled away from the earth, and then began rolling back again on the winter solstice. As Christianity spread through Europe, the tradition became part of Christmas Eve festivities. The father or master of the house would sprinkle the log with libations of mead, oil or salt. Once the log was burned in the hearth, the ashes were scattered about the house to protect the family within from hostile spirits. Because each type of wood is associated with various magickal and spiritual properties, logs from different types of trees might be burned to get a variety of effects. Aspen is the wood of choice for spiritual understanding, while the mighty oak is symbolic of strength and wisdom. A family hoping for a year of prosperity might burn a log of pine, while a couple hoping to be blessed with fertility would drag a bough of birch to their hearth. In our house, we usually make our Yule log out of pine, but you can make yours of any type of wood you choose. You can select one based on its magickal properties, or you can just use whatever?s handy.
To make a basic Yule log, you will need the following
:
* A log about 14 ? 18'' long
* Pinecones
* Dried berries, such as cranberries
* Cuttings of mistletoe, holly, pine needles, and ivy
* Feathers and cinnamon sticks
* Some festive ribbon ? use paper or cloth ribbon, not the synthetic or wire-lined type
* A hot glue gun
All of these ? except for the ribbon and the hot glue gun -- are things you and your children can gather outside. You might wish to start collecting them earlier in the year, and saving them. Encourage your children to only pick up items they find on the ground, and not to take any cuttings from live plants.
Begin by wrapping the log loosely with the ribbon. Leave enough space that you can insert your branches, cuttings and feathers under the ribbon. In our house, we place five feathers on our Yule log ? one for each member of the family. Once you?ve gotten your branches and cuttings in place, begin gluing on the pinecones, cinnamon sticks and berries. Add as much or as little as you like. Remember to keep the hot glue gun away from small children.
Once you?ve decorated your Yule log, the question arises of what to do with it. For starters, use it as a centerpiece for your holiday table. A Yule log looks lovely on a table surrounded by candles and holiday greenery.
Another way to use your Yule log is to burn it as our ancestors did so many centuries ago. In our family, before we burn our log we each write down a wish on a piece of paper, and then insert it into the ribbons. It?s our wish for the upcoming year, and we keep it to ourselves in hopes that it will come true.
If you have a fireplace, you can certainly burn your Yule log in it, but we prefer to do ours outside. We have a fire pit in the back yard, and on the night of the winter solstice, we gather out there with blankets, mittens, and mugs full of warm drinks as we burn our log. While we watch the flames consume it, we discuss how thankful we are for the good things that have come our way this year, and how we hope for abundance, good health, and happiness in the next.

Questions:
Yule is the festival to honor what?
What color would you use to symbolize the improved health of ourselves, loved ones, and herd beast?
What time of day do most pagans celebrate Yule?
How many parts pine needles or resin used in the incense?
What did the Romans celebrate at this time of year?
What does Yule mean to the contemporary pagan?
What is the element of earth sometimes represented by in circle.
What did the Druids sacrifice at Yule?
Which color is used for renewed friendship?
Who is the Teutonic Goddess of Yule?
What plant was used to make the 5 pointed star?
What is the custom concerning mistletoe?
What do the two ?S? symbols stand for?
What element is associated with Yule?
What would a Yule log of pine be burned for?
Who is the Persian God of Yule?
A bough of birch would represent what?
The Yule celebration started where?
What symbol is associated with the north and earth?
Gold is the color symbolizing what?

Please write a short ritual for the Yule Celebration.

Imbolc or Oimelc is basically an early spring festival. Imbolc (February 2) marks the recovery of the Goddess after giving birth to the God. The lengthening periods of light awaken her. The God is a young, lusty boy, but his power is felt in the longer days. The warmth fertilizes the earth (the Goddess), causing seeds to germinate and sprout. And so the earliest beginnings of spring occur.
This is the Sabbat of purification after the shut-in-life of winter, through the renewing power of the Sun. It is also a festival of light and fertility, once marked in Europe with huge blazes, torches and fire in every form. Fire here represents our own illumination and inspiration as much as light and warmth.
Imbolc is also known as the Feast of the Torches, Lupercalia, Feat of Pan, Snowdrop Festival, Feast of the Waxing Light, Brigid's Day, and probably by many other names. Some Female Pagans follow the old Scandinavian custom of wearing crowns of lit candles, but many more carry tapers during their invocations.
Spring is Coming!:
Imbolc is a holiday with a variety of names, depending on which culture and location you?re looking at. In the Irish Gaelic, it?s called Oimelc, which translates to ?ewe?s milk.? It?s a precursor to the end of winter when the ewes are nursing their newly born lambs. Spring and the planting season are right around the corner.
The Romans Celebrate
: To the Romans, this time of year halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox was known as Lupercalia. For them, it was a purification ritual in which a goat was sacrificed and a scourge made of its hide. Thong-clad men ran through the city, whacking people with bits of hide. Those who were struck considered themselves fortunate indeed. This is one of the few Roman celebrations that is not associated with a particular temple or deity. Instead, it focuses on the founding of the city of Rome, by twins Romulus and Remus, who were suckled by a she-wolf -- in a cave known as the ''Lupercale''.
The Feast of Nut
: The ancient Egyptians celebrated this time of year as the Feast of Nut, whose birthday falls on February 2 (Gregorian calendar). According to the Book of the Dead, Nut was seen as a mother-figure to the sun god Ra, who at sunrise was known as Khepera and took the form of a scarab beetle.
Christian Conversion of a Pagan Celebration
: When Ireland converted to Christianity, it was hard to convince people to get rid of their old gods, so the church allowed them to worship the goddess Brighid as a saint -- thus the creation of St. Brigid's Day. Today, there are many churches around the world which bear her name. This is one of the traditional times for initiation into covens, so self dedication rituals can be performed or renewed at this time.
A major symbol of Imbolc is the Grain Dolly made from last year's grain sheaves twisted or woven to represent a symbolic figure of the Goddess. The figure is then laid in a small bed on Imbolc night to wait for the appearance of her Sun God consort. Another custom of the holiday is the weaving of a ''Brigit's Cross'' from straw to hang around the house for protection.
Evergreen and willow are traditional plants of Imbolc, and the typical colors for the altar candle are pink or pale green. Altar displays could include seeds and nuts.
Deities of Imbolc
: All Virgin/Maiden Goddesses, Brighid, Aradia, Athena, Inanna, Gaia, and Februa, and Gods of Love and Fertility, Aengus Og, Eros, and Februus.
Symbolism of Imbolc
: Purity, Growth and Re-Newal, The Re-Union of the Goddess and the God, Fertility, and dispensing of the old and making way for the new.
Symbols of Imbolc
: Brideo'gas, Besoms, White Flowers, Candle Wheels, Brighid's Crosses, Priapic Wands (acorn-tipped), and Ploughs.
Foods of Imbolc
: Pumpkin seeds, Sunflower seeds, Poppy seed Cakes, muffins, scones, and breads, all dairy products, Peppers, Onions, Garlic, Raisins, Spiced Wines and Herbal Teas.
Incense of Imbolc
: Basil, Bay, Wisteria, Cinnamon, Violet, Vanilla, Myrrh.
Colors of Imbolc
: White, Red, Blue.
Stones of Imbolc:
Amethyst, Bloodstone, Garnet, Ruby, Onyx, Turquoise.
Activities of Imbolc
: Candle Lighting, Stone Gatherings, Snow Hiking and Searching for Signs of Spring, Making of Brideo'gas and Bride's Beds, Making Priapic Wands, Decorating Ploughs, Feasting, and Bon Fires may be lit.
Herbs of Imbolc
: Angelica, Basil, Bay Laurel, Blackberry, Celandine, Coltsfoot, Heather, Iris, Myrrh, Tansy, Violets, and all white or yellow flowers.
Colors:
White:
The color of protection, peace, and purity. Symbolic of the nature of the beast that are born during this time.
Blue:
Tranquility for the mother who labors, patience and health as she watches her infants grow strong on her love and nourishment.
Red:
The symbolic color of sex and power, and health. Red also represents Brigid?s fires which continue to provide solace from the cold.




Incense
3 parts Frankincense
2 parts Dragon?s Blood
? part Red Sandalwood
1 part Cinnamon
A few drops Red Wine
To this mixture add a pinch of the first flower (dry it first) that is available in your area at the time of Imbolc. Burn during Wiccan/Pagan ceremonies on Imbolc, or simply to attune with the symbolic rebirth of the Sun--the fading of winter and the promise of spring.
Pathworkings:
Go for a holiday walk. It can be short or long, whichever you like. See if you can feel the impending season. Imagine, as you walk, what activities are occurring under the soil.
Clean house. Physically first, then psychically, magically.
Make a list of things you would like to plant in yourself, and keep the list in a place you will remember. Add to it between now and Ostara, whenever the mood strikes you.
Light candles for yourself and your loved ones, saying prayers and sending them light ad color symbolizing that which they most need or want to come into their lives.
Make some candles. One can make hand-rolled ones from sheets of beeswax (they?re easy and quite beautiful), poured candles (this requires a mold---see what kinds of molds you can make from inexpensive items around the house), or you can ever try hand-dipping some. You will need to heat your wax in a deep vessel---I suggest a large coffee can, and have another can nearby with very cold, or even iced water. You will start with only a string of wick, perhaps a foot and a half long, divided in half. Dip both ends in the wax a few times, then dip them into the cold water to set the wax. Be sure to keep the ends from sticking together. Repeat the above (it will take some time), until they look right to you. Remember to dip in and out of the wax quickly, or you?ll melt off what you?ve just dipped.
See your healers, and give your body a ?tune-up.? You?ll feel better, more energetic, more able to let in the light and energy that is growing so rapidly this time of year.
Purchase some small (I call the ?seed?) crystals, and think of what you will program into them, so that you will be ready to ?plant? them at Ostara.




Decoration

Materials
:
Craft wreath
Eight white candles
Ivy leaves or vines
Glue gun
Directions
: Either drill thick holes into the wreath so that candles can be placed inside, or just secure them with screw-bottom candleholders or glue gun glue. Place the ivy leaves around in a decorative fashion.
Ritual use
: The eight candles are symbolic of the eight spokes of the year, and spinning the circle into motion at Imbolc is important. In ritual, the candles can be solemnly lit with a cauldron or bowl placed in the middle of the candle wheel. The cauldron or bowl can have the Wish Tree in the middle of it, with water all around it, and have new pennies thrown into it while cementing the wishes. Also the tree and the candle wheel can be toasted.
How to Make Ice Candles
Ice candles are a lot of fun and easy to make during the winter months. Since February is traditionally a snow-filled time, at least in the northern hemisphere, why not make some ice candles to celebrate Imbolc, which is a day of candles and light?
You'll need the following:
Ice
Paraffin wax
Color and scent (optional)
A taper candle
A cardboard container, like a milk carton
A double boiler, or two pans
Melt the paraffin wax in the double boiler. Make sure that the wax is never placed directly over the heat, or you could end up with a fire. While the wax is melting, you can prepare your candle mold. If you want to add color or scent to your candle, this is the time to add it to the melted wax.
Place the taper candle into the center of the cardboard carton. Fill the carton with ice, packing them loosely in around the taper candle. Use small chunks of ice -- if they're too large, your candle will be nothing but big holes.
Once the wax has melted completely, pour it into the container carefully, making sure that it goes around the ice evenly. As the hot wax pours in, it will melt the ice, leaving small holes in the candle. Allow the candle to cool, and then poke a hole in the bottom of the cardboard carton so the melted water can drain out (it's a good idea to do this over a sink). Let the candle sit overnight so the wax can harden completely, and in the morning, peel back all of the cardboard container. You'll have a complete ice candle, which you can use in ritual or for decoration.

Questions
:
What awakens the Goddess at Imbolc?
The color white is symbolic of what?
Imbolc is the Sabbat of what?
In what way would you clean the house?
The Eygptians called Imbolc what?
For the Imbolc incense what do you need a few drops of?
The Christians call this day what?
Blue is the color for what?
What is a major Imbolc symbol?
How many candles on the wheel of light?
What are the traditional plant of Imbolc?
What kind of wax is used to make an ice candle?
What color flowers are appropriate at Imbolc?
Who do you light candles for on this day?
All Goddesses of Imbolc are what?
One ingredient of the incense calls for 2 parts which is it?
Imbolc is a festival of what?
What doe Brigid?s fires do?
Altars can contain what?
Why would you want to see our healer for a tune-up?


Please write up a short ritual for Imbolc.

Ostara (also spelled Estra, Eostre and Eostra) (circa March 20), the spring Equinox also known as spring, Rites of Spring and Eostra's Day, marks the first day of true spring. The energies of nature subtly shift from the sluggishness of winter to the exuberant expansion of spring. The Goddess blankets the earth with fertility, bursting forth from her sleep, as the God stretches and grows to maturity. He walks the greening fields and delights in the abundance of nature.
On Ostara, the hours of day and night are equal. Light is overtaking darkness; the Goddess and God impel the wild creatures of the earth to reproduce.
This is a time of beginnings, of action, of planting spells for future gains, and of tending ritual gardens.
This Pagan festival is symbolized by eggs as the meaning of new life. The decorations for Ostara should be any of the spring flowers. This is a time to contemplate new beginnings or fresh ideas.
Spring Celebrations Around the World
:
In ancient Rome, the followers of
Cybele believed that their goddess had a consort who was born via a virgin birth. His name was Attis, and he died and was resurrected each year during the time of the vernal equinox on the Julian Calendar (between March 22 and March 25). Around the same time, the Germanic tribes honored a lunar goddess known as Ostara, who mated with a fertility god around this time of year, and then gave birth nine months later ? at Yule.
The indigenous Mayan people in Central American have celebrated a spring equinox festival for ten centuries. As the sun sets on the day of the equinox on the great ceremonial pyramid,
El Castillo, Mexico, its ''western face...is bathed in the late afternoon sunlight. The lengthening shadows appear to run from the top of the pyramid's northern staircase to the bottom, giving the illusion of a diamond-backed snake in descent.'' This has been called ''The Return of the Sun Serpent'' since ancient times.
According to the Venerable Bede,
Eostre was the Saxon version of the Germanic goddess Ostara. Her feast day was held on the full moon following the vernal equinox -- almost the identical calculation as for the Christian Easter in the west. There is very little documented evidence to prove this, but one popular legend is that Eostre found a bird, wounded, on the ground late in winter. To save its life, she transformed it into a hare. But ''the transformation was not a complete one. The bird took the appearance of a hare but retained the ability to lay eggs...the hare would decorate these eggs and leave them as gifts to Eostre.''
Modern Celebrations
This is a good time of year to start your seedlings. If you grow an
herb garden, start getting the soil ready for late spring plantings. Celebrate the balance of light and dark as the sun begins to tip the scales, and the return of new growth is near.
Many modern Wiccans and Pagans celebrate Ostara as a time of renewal and rebirth. Take some time to celebrate the new life that surrounds you in nature -- walk in park, lay in the grass, hike through a forest. As you do so, observe all the new things beginning around you -- plants, flowers, insects, birds. Meditate upon the ever-moving
Wheel of the Year, and celebrate the change of seasons.
Correspondence Table
:
Appropriate Deities for Ostara:
include all Youthful and Virile Gods and Goddesses, Sun Gods, Mother Goddesses, Love Goddesses, Moon Gods and Goddesses, and all Fertility Deities. Some Ostara Deities to mention by name here include Persephone, Blodeuwedd, Eostre, Aphrodite, Athena, Cybele, Gaia, Hear, Isis, Ishtar, Minerva, Venus, Robin of the Woods, the Green Man, Cernunnos, Lord of the Greenwood, The Dagda, Attis, The Great Horned God, Mithras, Odin, Thoth, Osiris, and Pan.
Key actions to keep in mind during this time in the Wheel of the Year:
include openings and new beginnings. Spellwork for improving communication and group interaction are recommended, as well as fertility and abundance. Ostara is a good time to start putting those plans and preparations you made at Imbolc into action. Start working towards physically manifesting your plans now.
Stones:
aquamarine, rose quartz, and moonstone.
Animals:
rabbits and snakes.
Mythical beasts:
unicorns, merpeople, and Pegasus.
Plants:
crocus flowers, daffodils, jasmine, Irish moss, snowdrops, and ginger.
Foods:
(linking your meals with the seasons is a fine way of attuning with Nature) include eggs, egg salad, hard-boiled eggs, honey cakes, first fruits of the season, fish, cakes, biscuits, cheeses, honey and ham. You may also include foods made of seeds, such as sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds, as well as pine nuts. Sprouts are equally appropriate, as are leafy, green vegetables.
Herbs
: lily of the valley, tansy, lavender, marjoram, thyme, tarragon, lovage, lilac, violets, lemon balm, dogwood, honeysuckle, oakmoss, orrisroot, sunflower seeds, rose hips, oak, elder, willow, crocus, daffodil, jonquil, tulip, broom (Scotch or Iris), meadowsweet, acorn, trefoil (purple clover), vervain.



Colors
Green:
Symbolic of fertility and prosperity, for in these days is nothing that cannot be achieved. The world is a fertile bed of infinite possibilities.
Pink:
Friendships and harmony and creativity are represented with this color.
Purple:
The driving force behind power and transformation.

Incense:
2 parts Frankincense
1 part Benzoin
1 part Dragon?s Blood
? part Nutmeg
? part Violet flowers (or a few drops of violet oil)
? part Orange peel
? part Rose petals
Burn during Wiccan/Pagan rituals on Ostara or to welcome the spring and to refresh your life.
Pathworkings:
On Ostara, feast on things that remind you of air, spring, newness. Before eating, bless the food with the energy of change and new beginnings. Buy yourself an Ostara gift. Go for a walk, preferably in a strong breeze. I would venture to guess a strong breeze on Ostara would be a lucky sign.
A meditation you can do is to let your spirit float on the air, sailing to faraway lands, touching the tops of trees with your bare feet, opening your mind to possibility, newness, and change.
Visit an aviary, or even better, go out in nature to where you now you?ll see some birds. Watch their flight patterns, how they dip and glide and turn. If you know where they nest, look for feathers on the ground; if you find any, thanks the birds by leaving an offering of birdseed. Visit a butterfly pavilion. Many larger cities have them. If ever there was a creature of spring, it is the butterfly. Born in spring, and living only until the first cold snap or sooner, their lives are a dedication and a tribute to the seasons of air and fire. Bright wings fill the air; and in the wind, we can see them swept away by the sheer force of what is nothing more than a breath to us, reminding us yet again of the tremendous power of air.
Create a mental wand. Imagine its length, its power. Imagine the crystal tip glowing with the blue-white light of the magic circle. Hold it in your hand, heft its weight. Imagine something in your life that needs to have boundaries, and see the glow of blue-white energy coming from the tip of the wand, down to the earth as you draw the line.
Make a besom or a fan. You can decorate these any way you like, and use them in circle or as decorations. (Be sure to hang the besom with the ?male? end up, for the energy of action and fertility).
Undertake some new project or field of study you?ve been wanting to pursue. Know that your mental powers, mingled with Nature?s, are now at their peak. Start the project in the morning on Ostara?s Day, and your work will be twice blessed.
Think about your path: where you?ve been and where you?re going. Communicate with your teacher, ask questions, give feedback. If you are happy with what you?re learning, tell your teacher. If you are on the solitary path, write yourself a letter of appreciation for all that you?ve done to improve your life since beginning this path.
Decorations:

Eggshell Candles

Perfect for the ritual altar, these candles are easy to make and pretty to look at.

You Will Need:
Raw eggs
Wax beads
Birthday candles
Egg dye (optional)
Craft scissors
Knife

Tap the egg gently but firmly on the top, ''pointed'' end. Peel back a small section of shell and allow the egg to fall out. Try to keep the bottom 3/4 of the egg intact. Reserve the eggs for recipes.

Rinse the inside of the eggshells very carefully with very hot water. Set them on a rack to dry.

If you like, take a craft scissor and trim around the broken edge, or break off pieces by hand for a more jagged look.

At this point, if you want to dye the egg shells, you can do so. Again, be careful with the delicate shells. Set them again on a rack or paper towel to dry.

Fill the candle ? to 3/4 of the way with craft wax beads. Insert a birthday candle into the center for an easy wick. If necessary, trim off the bottom of the birthday candle so that it is even with the wax beads, or you can just let it burn down.

Set it in an egg holder or a candle holder where it fits snugly.
Use Natural Dyes to color your Ostara Eggs:
Ostara is a time of fertility and rebirth, and few things symbolize this as well as the egg. By coloring them with bright pinks, blues and yellows, we're welcoming the colors of spring back into our lives, and saying farewell to winter. However, a lot of commercially available egg-dying products are made from chemicals. They may not be toxic, but on the other hand, you might not have a clue what the ingredients are. Why not try using natural sources to get a variety of shades, and REALLY celebrate the colors of the season?
Difficulty:
Easy
Time Required:
Varied
Here's How:
First of all, plan on only doing about 3 - 4 eggs at a time. You'll want them to have room to bob around in the pan, and not be piled on top of one another. Before starting, poke a small hole with a pin or needle in the end of each egg. This will help keep them from cracking while they boil. You'll really want to have at least a dozen eggs, just because it's a lot of fun to experiment with different colors.
Start your water boiling. Use enough to cover about an inch over the tops of the eggs, but don't put them in the pan yet. Add 2 tsp of white vinegar, and bring the water to a boil. Once it's boiling, add 3 - 4 eggs using a slotted spoon (helpful hint: do NOT let your kids drop them in the water. Trust me on this one). Next, you'll add your coloring material. Here's where it gets really fun!
To color your eggs, add one of the following items. You'll have to experiment a little to see how much to add, but try different amounts to get different shades of each color. Once you've added your coloring, allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
Red/pink: paprika
Purple: concentrated grape juice (Welch's works nicely, about half a can)
Yellow: Skins (only) of a half dozen yellow onions
Gold: Curry powder or turmeric
Beige: coffee grounds
Light green: frozen chopped spinach (1/3 to 1/2 package)
Blue: 1 Cup frozen blueberries (with juice)
After they've boiled, carefully remove the eggs from the pot with your slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel to dry. If you'd like them darker, you can allow them to sit over night in the pot of dye, but the vinegar can weaken the eggs' shells. When the eggs have dried completely, dab a little bit of vegetable oil on a paper towel and ''polish'' the eggs to give them some shine.
Keep your eggs refrigerated until it's time to hide them, eat them, or show them off to your friends. Remember to never eat eggs that have been sitting at room temperature for more than two hours.
Tips:
If your kids are more into the coloring than the eating of Ostara eggs, consider brushing your colored eggs with a thin layer of glue, and then sprinkling some glitter on top.
Eggs can take on the flavor of whatever you use to dye them, so unless you enjoy coffee-flavored eggs, put some thought into using dyed eggs in recipes.
Use a wax crayon to make designs and sigils on the eggs before dying -- the waxed area will appear as white once you've finished.
What You Need:
Eggs
A pot of water
Vinegar
Natural ingredients for colors

Questions:
On Ostara the day and night are what?
Which color represents fertility and prosperity?
This festival is symbolized by what?
If you don?t have Violet flowers what can be substituted?
What is the great pyramid in Mexico called?
What do you use in the egg candle for a wick?
Eostre the Saxon version of Ostara, her feast day was held when?
What other type flower is used in the incense?
Many modern pagans celebrate Ostara as a time of what?
Which end should be up on your besom?
Name 3 appropriate deities for Ostara?
The color purple symbolizes what?
Spellwork is used for?
If you find a feather on the ground, what should you do?
What should you meditate on?
Friendships, harmony, and creativity are represented with what color?
Name 3 stones associated with Ostara.
When dying eggs how many should you plan on doing at a time?
There is one seed associated with Ostara what is it?
Beside an aviary what is another good thing to visit for Ostara?
Please write a short ritual for Ostara.

Beltane( spelled variously Bealtaine, Bhealtyainn, Bealtuinn and similar) is Opposite Samhain, as one of the main turning points of the year. April 30 marks the emergence of the young God into manhood. Stirred by the energies at work in nature, he desires the Goddess. They fall in love, lie among the grasses and blossoms, and unite. The Goddess becomes pregnant of the God. The Pagan celebrate the symbol of her fertility in ritual.
Beltane (also known as May Day) has long been marked with feasts and rituals.
Maypoles, supremely phallic symbols, were the focal point of old English village rituals. Many people rose at dawn to gather flowers and green branches from the fields and gardens, using them to decorate the Maypole, their homes and themselves. The flowers and greenery symbolize the Goddess, and the Maypole the God. Beltane marks the return of vitality, of passion and hopes consummated. Maypoles are used by Pagans today during Beltane rituals, but the cauldron is a more common focal point of ceremony. It represents, of course, the Goddess-the essence of womanhood, the end of all desire, the equal but opposite of the Maypole, symbolic of the God. Any spring flower, especially the rose, is a symbol of Beltane. Beltane is the time to appreciate and accept the love and affection in your life given by a partner or even by the Lord and the Lady. Like Ostara, it may even be considered a time to dwell on new beginnings, new concepts or new ideas that have just been impregnated.
Correspondence table
:
Foods of Beltane:
May Wine is served on May Day. In Germany, May Wine is the quintessential summer drink. It is usually flavored with Sweet Woodruff (Waldmeister or Maikraut), perhaps because it improves the taste of thin, new wine. May wine is also the name for any wine punch flavored with herbs, fruits, berries and occasionally flowers. To make May wine, pick sweet woodruff that does not have open blossoms the day before you want to serve the wine. The herb has more flavor when slightly dry. Tie the stems of a bunch with cotton thread and hang it in a bottle of wine so the leaves are covered. After ten or fifteen minutes, remove the woodruff. I have seen other recipes for May Wine that tell you to leave the woodruff in the wine for days, even weeks. However, woodruff contains coumarin, a substance similar to coumadin which is prescribed to thin blood for people suffering from clots. Also too much can cause a headache, so it is best to use only enough to flavor the wine. Woodruff can also be used in the same way to flavor milk or apple juice. The traditional Mai Bowle also has strawberries in it.
The Seven Virtues:
In Abruzzo, a special minestrone called Le sette virtu is made on May Day from all the leftovers in the larder. It contains seven kinds of leftover dried pasta, seven kinds of dried beans, stock made from seven types of preserved leftovers of pig (such as the feet), seven kinds of fresh vegetables (including artichokes, fennel and fava beans) and seven fresh herbs. In Fruili and Piedmont, the dish to eat on May 1st is frittatta primaverile Verde alle sette erbe, a fritatta flavored with sage, parsley, thyme, basil, mint, marjoram and a bitter herb known as amarella. This must be a very old tradition for on Nawruz, Persian New Year, which coincides with the spring equinox, Iranians serve seven dishes which start with S. This is also the time when Kabbalists spend seven weeks studying the seven attributes of God represented in the Kabbalah. Create your own tradition of a meal based on the number seven.
Symbols
: Many pagans represent Beltane with fresh flowers all around and a cauldron filled with flowers. All of the following flowers are symbolic of Beltane: roses, bluebells, marigolds, daisies, primroses and lilac. Mirrors are also appropriate. Altar decorations may also include a small Maypole or phallic-shaped candle and a daisy chain. Plaiting and weaving straw, creating in wicker and making baskets and fabrics are traditional arts. Other symbols are the traditional full-sized Maypole (about 10 feet tall), May baskets, crossroads, eggs, butter churns and chalices.
Gemstones
: Sapphires, bloodstones, emeralds, orange carnelians and rose quartz.
Gods and goddesses
: All virgin-mother goddesses, all young father gods and all gods and goddesses of the hunt, of love and of fertility. Some Beltane goddesses to mention by name include Aphrodite, Arianrhod, Ariel, Artemis, Astarte, Cybele, Diana, Freya, Rhiannon, Shiela-na-gig, Skadi, Var, Venus and Xochiquetzal. Beltane gods include Apollo, Bacchus, Bel/Belanos, Cernunnos, Cupid/Eros, Faunus, Frey, the Great Horned God, Herne, Odin, Orion, Pan, Puck and Robin Goodfellow.
Customs and myths
: Wrapping the Maypole is a Beltane tradition. In the old days, the Maypole was often made from a communal pine tree decorated at Yule, with most branches removed for Beltane. In some traditions, the ribbons around the top are red and white; the white can represent the Virgin Goddess and the red the Sun God, or the white the Maiden and the red the Mother. The participants dance around the Maypole with the ribbons -- the males holding the red and the females holding the white. As they dance, they intertwine the ribbons to form a symbolic birth canal around the phallic pole, representing the union of the Goddess and God. Many Pagans choose this time to perform their own handfastings; others hold that the Goddess frowns on marriage in this month. Another great choice would be the next Sabbat at the Summer Solstice.
The Great Rite, jumping the balefire, blowing horns and gathering flowers are other Beltane traditions. Solitary practitioners might weave ribbons as an alternative to dancing around the Maypole. It is considered taboo to give away fire or food on this day.
Herbs
: Herbs: Almond, angelica, ash trees, birch trees, bluebells, cinquefoil, daisies, frankincense, hawthorn, ivy, lilac, marigolds, primroses, rosemary, roses, satyrion root, woodruff and yellow cowslip.





Colors:
White:
A balance of all colors. Symbolizes peace, purity, innocence, and power of higher nature.
Green:
The color that connects to nature, fertility, and rejuvenation.
Rainbow:
Represents the wonderful colors of all the flowers of this season.

Incense:
3 parts Frankincense
2 parts Sandalwood
1 part Woodruff
1 part Rose Petals
A few drops Jasmine oil
A few drops Neroli oil
Burn during Wiccan/Pagan rituals on Beltane (April 30th) or on May Day for fortune and favors and to attune with the changing of the seasons.
Pathworking:
Take a holiday walk. As you move through the area you?ve chosen, think of how you move through life. Observe the nature scene around you, and breathe deeply of the spring air. Plan your own special way to celebrate this holiday, either on our own or with a partner.
Take a ritual bath. Splurge on a fresh rose or two, and scatter the petals on the water. Add a few sprinkles of salt, for purifying. Light candles, and burn a favorite incense. Rub your body with oil, and caress all the parts, giving special attention to those areas you have previously judged yourself by. Remember that the Goddess and God made you the way you are, right now, for a reason. Let yourself see yourself as desirable. Enjoy yourself in any way you feel inclined to, and when the bath is over and the water is draining away, let any judgments, doubts, or fears you hold about yourself slide down the drain with the water.
Purchase or pick some fresh flowers, and bring them into your personal space. Tell yourself they are a gift to you, from you. You deserve them.
Go shopping for ritual garb, make your own, or do some sketches of what you think you might like. Be sure to smudge and bless the garment if you buy something. You can also just go window shopping for these items, as well as for ritual jewelry. Just getting an idea of what you might like is good---and you can make or purchase your ritual garb and jewelry a little at a time.

Decorations
:
Make Your Own May Pole
You can make your own small tabletop version of the May Pole, this apparently ancient pagan agricultural symbol around which much festivity and dancing ensues. Most agricultural cultures seem to have similar institutions.
Needed:
Paper Towel Roll
Paint
Cardboard
Ribbon or streamers
Tape
Scissors
Flowers (optional)
Paint the paper towel roll a bright color and let it dry. Tape one end of the painted roll onto a small piece of cardboard so it stands up straight. Wrap colorful ribbon around the roll and secure with tape. Cut lengths of ribbon or streamer to hang on the outside of your May Pole. The ribbon pieces should be just a little longer than the roll. Going around the roll, tape one end of each ribbon length to the inside top edge of the roll. If you like, decorate the top of your May Pole with flowers.
Make a Faerie Chair
Some people believe that Faeries inhabit their flower gardens. If you think you've got friendly Fae out there, this craft project is a great way to get kids into gardening at the beginning of spring. You'll need the following items:
An old wooden chair
Some primer paint
Exterior paint in your favorite Faerie color(s)
Polyurethane or sealant
Seeds for a climbing flower, such as morning glory or clematis
A sunny spot in your garden
To make this cute outdoor project, start by applying a coat of primer paint to the chair. It's really easiest if this is in white or another light color. Next, apply a coat of your favorite Fae-attracting color -- pastels look very pretty, such as lavenders or sunny yellows. Decorate the chair with designs in acrylic paints if you like. Once the paint has dried, apply a coat or two of polyurethane to protect the chair from the elements.
Find a sunny spot in your garden, and loosen the soil a bit. Place the chair where you want it, but be sure that it's the right spot, because it's going to become a permanent fixture. Once the chair is in place, plant seeds around the base of the chair, just a few inches away from the legs.
Water the soil each day, and as your climbing plants appear, twine the vines up through the legs of the chair and around it. Pretty soon, you'll have a chair covered with leafy greens and bright flowers. It's the perfect place for your kids to spot a Faerie!
Questions
What happens to the Goddess at Beltane?
What should you be thinking about as you take your holiday walk?
Beltane is also known as what?
What do rainbow colors represent?
What are the two major symbols of Beltane?
Name the two oils used in the Beltane incense?
What did people do at dawn on Beltane?
What do people believe about Fairies?
Which flower best represents Beltane?
What color represents nature, fertility, and rejuvenation?
What herb is in May Wine?
What should you bring into your personal space?
What was the Maypole traditionally made of?
Why would you burn the Beltane incense?
What color ribbons do the male and female hold during the maypole dance?
What is the color white?
What is traditionally jumped on Beltane?
If you buy or make a ritual garment what should you do with it?
Name two Goddess of Beltane.
What is the optional item on the Maypole craft?

Please write a short Beltane ritual.

I love that you add such detailed information for the beginners on the Wiccan path, and those interested in it Silver. I must say your poor fingers are probably in a great deal of pain after writing all of that. -lol-


Blessed Be and Best Wishes,
Katinar

Yeah thanxs this is good to learn as im trying to learn all i can on wicca :)

This is a class that a friend of mine on this site is taking, and she sends it to me for me to share with my students and coven

History: Midsummer, the summer solstice (circa June 21) also known as Litha, arrives when the powers of nature reach their highest point. The earth is awash in the fertility of the Goddess and the God.
In the past, bonfires were leapt to encourage fertility, purification, health and love. The fire once again represents the Sun, feted at this time of the longest daylight hours.
Midsummer is a classic time for magic of all kinds. Litha represents the midpoint of the year, and Pagans understand that the winter months will soon follow. It was custom on this night to light large bonfires after sundown, which served the purpose of providing light to the revelers and warding off evil spirits. Other customs included decking the house with birch, St. John's Wort, and white lilies. Two chief icons of the holiday are the spear, as the symbol of the Sun God in his glory, and the summer cauldron, as the symbol of the Goddess in her bounty. Litha is also a time for family gatherings or reunions, parties, and entertainment including various athletic games. The Sabbat is also known for the blessing of animals of all types, from farm animals to familiars. Decorations are any summer flower.
Correspondence Table
:
Plants:
The plants associated with Litha are: :oak, mistletoe, frankincense, lemon, sandalwood, heliotrope, copal, saffron, galangal, laurel and ylang-ylang
Colors:
White, Red, Gold, Green, Blue and Tan

Stones: Include all green gemstones, especially emerald and jade. Other appropriate gemstones are tiger's eye, lapis lazuli and diamonds

Incense and oils: you can use any of the following scents, either blended together or alone: frankincense, myrrh, sandalwood, lemon, pine, jasmine, rose, lotus, or wisteria.

Animals and mythical beasts: robins, wrens, all Summer birds, horses and cattle.

Mythical Being: satyrs, faeries, firebirds, dragons, thunderbirds and manticores.

Gods and Goddess: Father Gods and Mother Goddesses, Pregnant Goddesses and Sun Deities. Particular emphasis might be placed on the Goddesses Aphrodite, Astarte, Freya, Hathor, Ishtar, Venus and other Goddesses who preside over love, passion and beauty. Other Litha deities include Athena, Artemis, Dana, Kali, Isis, Juno, Apollo, Dagda, Gwydion, Helios, Llew, Oak/Holly King, Lugh, Ra, Sol, Zeus, Prometheus, Ares, and Thor.

Symbols: fire, the Sun, blades, mistletoe, oak trees, balefires, Sun wheels and faeries.
Altar decorations:
Summertime flowers - especially sunflowers - love amulets, seashells, aromatic potpourri and Summer fruits.

Foods: fresh vegetables of all kinds and fresh fruits such as lemons and oranges. Summer squash and any yellow or orange colored foods. Traditional drinks are ale, mead, and fresh fruit juice.
Herbs
: Carnation, chamomile, cinquefoil, daisy, elder, fennel, hemp, honeysuckle, ivy, larkspur, lavender, lily, male fern, mugwort, pine, roses, Saint John's wort, wild thyme, wisteria, vervain and verbena.
Colors
Orange:
Energy and confidence. Orange is the color of summer. It is adaptability and stimulation. Celebrate with a midsummer bonfire!
Gold:
The color of the Sun God as he is at his strongest this day. It is the color of intuition and many make their wishes for health and prosperity written in gold ink.
Incense:
2 parts Sandalwood
1 part Mugwort
1 part Chamomile
1 part Gardenia petals
A few drops Rose oil
A few drops Lavender oil
A few drops Yarrow oil
Burn at Wiccan/Pagan rituals at the Summer Solstice or at that time to attune with the seasons of the Sun.
Pathworking:
Go for a holiday walk. Get out in the fresh air, and as you get your walking rhythm going, let your mind slip into a light trance. Think about what this day means to you, and the abundance that is undoubtedly coming your way.
Think about what you have planted recently in your life. Are you working to keep in thriving? What can you do to add fire to this new and tender joy in your life? How can you make it stronger? Listen, and go to where the gods beckon you.
Send a wish to the Goddess on the petals of a rose. Kiss your wish onto the flower, and float it upon a natural body of water. Chant a spell of passion, and know that your wish will make it home to her.
Plan a summer celebration. If you wish, make it a potluck. Enjoy all the fruits and young, tender vegetables of the season. Visit your local farmers? market for the region?s ripest and finest, and use your imagination to create a truly seasonal and magnificent meal. Be sure and include some pork, or something creatively ?fiery? and summery if you?re a vegetarian. Mmmm?barbecued tofu comes to mind. And what about those complex carbs? How about some ?wild? rice?


Lavender Wands
Lavender bottles or wands have been used to freshen linens and impart fragrance for centuries. Elizabethan ladies used to gather lavender and transform it into these delightful 'wands' or 'bottles' to put in their linen cupboards. Use them to fragrance linen or lingerie drawers, or wherever you would use a sachet. You can use your basket weaving skills to make one or more of these wands from the fresh lavender flowers in your garden.
15 Fresh cut lavender stalks at the height of bloom with the longest stems possible
Short piece of lightweight string
2-3 yards of 1/4' wide satin ribbon
Scissors
Select and pick 15 stems of fresh lavender with stems as long as possible. Strip the leaves from the stems. Allow the stems to wilt slightly to allow flexibility. Align the tops of the flower clusters. Tie the stems into a bundle just below the flowers with string. Tie one end of the ribbon onto the bundle just below the flowers. Bend the stems back over the flowers, arranging them to surround the flower heads neatly and evenly. Use the ribbon to weave the stems in a plain weave (over one / under one) around the bundle. Be careful not to catch any of the flower buds into your weaving. Keep an even tension on the weaving as you progress. Pack the weaving gently as you proceed so that each new row touches the previous row. Make certain to adjust the stems so that they remain vertical as you weave. Begin to increase your tension on the weaving as you reach the end of the flower buds to close in the wand. Once the weaving completely encapsulates the flowers, stop weaving. Adjust the tension of the weaving if necessary. Cut the stem ends to the length you desire. Tightly wrap the ribbon in a spiral down the length of the stems. Reverse direction and spiral the ribbon snugly up the length of the stems. Tie the ribbon off just below the weaving. Clip off remaining ribbon. Use the remaining ribbon to tie a decorative bow onto the stems, just below the weaving. To refresh the scent, gently squeeze the woven section (referred to as the 'bottle' or the 'Bouteille'.)

Make a stone Circle Sundial
:
Stonehenge is one of the world's best known
stone circles, and many researchers have noted that the structure functions as a giant astronomical calendar and sundial. Most people can't build a Stonehenge replica in their back yard, but what you can do is create a sundial of your own using stones you've found. If you have children, this is a great science project to do, but even if you don't have kids, it's fascinating to create your own sundial. If you can do this around Litha, at Midsummer, you'll have the perfect opportunity to recognize the powerful energy of the sun!
You'll need the following items:
A pole or straight stick
Several large stones
A clock or watch to calibrate your sundial
Find a place in your yard that gets sun for most of the day. Although it's ideal to do this in the grass of even a patch of dirt, if all you have is a sidewalk or driveway, then that's fine too. Mount the pole by sticking it into the dirt. If you're making your sundial on a hard surface like concrete, then use a block of clay or a bucket of soil to secure the pole.
Keep an eye on your clock. At each hour, take note of where the pole's shadow falls, and mark the spot with a stone. If you start this project in the morning, you'll be able to mark most of the daytime spots - if you start later in the day, you may have to come back the next morning to figure out where your morning hours are.
To tell the time with your sundial, look for the pole's shadow. Where it falls between the stones will give you the time.

Questions
Litha is also known as what?
Energy and confidence go with what color?
It is what time of year?
When going for a walk where should your mind be?
What was the custom on the night of Litha?
How many fresh sticks of lavender is recommended for a wand?
What are the two chief icons of Litha?
To send a wish to the Goddess what do you use?
What is usually blessed on Litha?
What do you make wishes for on this day?
The Goddesses of Litha provide over what?
Where is the best place to put your sundial?
Name two Gods of Litha?
What oils are used in the Litha incense?
What color foods are traditional at Litha?
There is only one ingredient that has 2 parts what is it?
Name two herbs of Litha.
Where should you visit if possible to get your fruit and veggies?
Name two altar decorations.
Midsummer is a classic time for what?

Please write a short ritual for Litha.

Lughnasadh- Installment 6

Lughnasadh (August 1) is the time of the first harvest, when the plants of spring wither and drop their fruits or seeds four our use as well as to ensure future crops. Mystically, so too does the God lose his strength as the Sun rises farther in the south each day and the nights grow longer. The Goddess watches in sorrow and joy as she realizes that the God is dying, and yet lives on inside her as her child.

Lughnasadh, also known as August Eve, Feast of Bread, Harvest Home, and Lammas, wasn't always observed on this day. It originally coincided the first reapings.
As summer passes, Pagans remember it's warmth and bounty in the food we eat. Every meal is an act of attunement with nature, and we are reminded that nothing is the universe is constant.

Depending on your individual spiritual path, there are many different ways you can celebrate Lughnasadh, but typically the focus is on either the early harvest aspect, or the celebration of the Celtic god Lugh. It's the season when the first grains are ready to be harvested and threshed, when the apples and grapes are ripe for the plucking, and we're grateful for the food we have on our tables. Lughnasadh is a time of excitement and magic. The natural world is thriving around us, and yet the knowledge that everything will soon die looms in the background. This is a good time to work some magic around the hearth and home.

Since this Sabbat is one of feasting, it is customary to eat samples of each of the grains, melons, and fruits harvested at this time, including the consumption of various breads, particularly corn bread, and drinks of ale or mead. The feast is typically dedicated to our Earth Mother, even though it is really the God Lugh who is really being honored. Nuts and grains, as well as late summer flowers, are typical decorations for the Sabbat. A piece of fruit symbolizing the perfect fruit of the harvest is served at ritual, and a loaf of cornbread can also be consumed as part of the cakes and ale rite.

Correspondence table:

Colors: red, orange, gold, yellow, brown, bronze.

Stones: Carnelian, Citrine, Amber, Tourmaline, Aventurine, Peridot, Sardonyx.

Incense and oils: Aloes, Rose, Sandalwood, frankincense, Allspice, carnation, rosemary, vanilla.

Animals and mythical beasts: Roosters, calves, the Phoenix, griffins, basilisk, centaurs

Gods and Goddess: All grain, agriculture, and mother Goddesses; Alphito (Greek), Ashnan (Sumerian), Bast (Egyptian), Bau (Assyro-Babylonian), Ceres (Roman), Demeter (Greek), Gaia (Greek), Ishtar (Assyro-Babylonian), Isis (Egyptian), Libera (Roman), Persephone (Greek), Rhiannon (Welsh), Robigo (Roman), Tailtiu (Irish)
All grain, agriculture, Sun, and father Gods; Cernunnos (Celtic), Dagon (Babylonian), Lahar (Sumerian), Liber (Roman), Llew (Welsh), Lugh (Irish), Neper (Egyptian), Ningirsu/Ninurta (Assyro-Babylonian), Odin (Norse), Osiris (Egyptian)

Symbols: Corn dollies, cornucopia, grains, the Sun.

Foods: Breads, grains, potatoes, summer squash, cider, blackberry pies and jellies, berries, apples, roasted lamb, elderberry wine, meadowsweet tea.

Activities: baking of bread and wheat weaving - such as the making of Corn Dollies, or other God & Goddess symbols. Sand candles can be made to honor the Goddess and God of the sea. You may want to string Indian corn on black thread to make a necklace, and bake corn bread sticks shaped like little ears of corn, gathering of first fruits and the study of Astrology.

Spell Work: Astrology, prosperity, generosity, continued success, good fortune, abundance, magical picnic, meditate & visualize yourself completing a project you?ve started.

Plants and herbs: All Grains, Apples, Grapes, Heather, Blackberries, Sloe, Crab Apples, Pears, hollyhocks. Sunflower, oak, acacia, ginseng, beets, parsnips, carrots, onions, cabbage, Aloes, Rose, Sandalwood, frankincense, ash, camphor, caraway, fern, geranium, juniper, mandrake, marjoram, thyme

Colors

Yellow: The color of intellect and imagination. It is still summer and we are creative and confident. We are inspired in the rays of the sun which continues to bathe us during this time.

Orange: Nature?s power color signifies stimulation and control. There is still a great deal of encouragement with the season as what is around us continues to grow and produce.

Green: Abundant and leafy in it?s very feel, this color signifies generosity and balance.


Incense

2 parts Frankincense
1 part Heather
1 part Apple blossoms
1 pinch Blackberry leaves
A few drops of Ambergris oil

Burn Lughnasadh incense during Wiccan/Pagan rituals or at the time to attune with the coming harvest.

Pathworking:

Take a holiday walk. Let the sun into your body, even if you?re not a sun lover. Visualize the Sun God smiling down at you, penetrating your skin, your muscle, your very bones. Know that this energy he sends is light, illumination, truth. As you walk, think about our personal truths, your role as a healthy Wiccan/Pagan in a sometimes less then healthy culture. Ask your gods, what will your path be? As you walk further, let your mind go blank. What you?ve just done, talking to your gods, is prayer. Now, as you blank your mind and continue to walk, letting the heat in, letting truth and light in, letting your gods talk to you, it is meditation. It?s that easy.
Make and herbal charm or poppet. Decide what you would most like or need in your life right now. Is it love, healing, abundance? Is it something more subtle, like deeper faith, respect of your peers, clarity of purpose? Whatever the need, there are herbs and other items you can put into a charm, such as gemstones, coins, even small drawings.
Write some herbal formulas and go herb shopping. You may want to try some wild crafting too. Take Cunningham or another reliable sourcebook and walk around in your region. See if you can identify any of the herbs indigenous to your area.






By filling a cornucopia with simple treasures from nature, you can bring a little bit of the outdoors inside to decorate your home.

You'll need:
A grapevine cornucopia (available? at craft stores)
Wheat stalks, or other types of grain?
Sunflowers?
Other found items such as feathers, corn stalks, etc.?


Fill the cornucopia with stalks of wheat and sunflowers. If you have feathers handy, or corn stalks, arrange those in there as well. Hang it on your door as a greeting for guests, or place it on your altar during Lammas ritual.


Make a Berry Bracelet:

In some counties in Ireland, it became traditional to celebrate Bilberry Sunday at the beginning of August. Everyone went out with buckets to gather berries, and it was custom that a big berry harvest in August meant the rest of the crops would be bountiful a few weeks later. Berry-picking was also an excuse to sneak off into the woods with a lover. Young men plaited fruit and vines into bracelets and crowns for their ladies. Afterwards, the best berries were eaten at a big fair, complete with singing, dancing, and general merrymaking.

You can make a berry bracelet easily, if you can find firm berries that still have stalks attached to them. Ideally, if you can pick them right before you begin this project, you'll get a really nice result. You'll need:
Berries?
A needle?
Sturdy cotton thread?


Thread the needle with the cotton thread. Run the needle through the stalks of the berries to make a bracelet. If you have other items handy, like seeds or nuts, feel free to add those into the mix as well. Give them to a loved one to wear as a Lughnasadh token.

Questions

1. Who looses strength at Lughnassdh?
2. What is the color of intellect and imagination?
3. What is the focus of the Sabbat?
4. Where is Bilberry Sunday traditional celebrated?
5. This Sabbat reminds us of what?
6. When making an herbal charm or poppet what is it for?
7. What type of bread is customary?
8. What type of oil is used in the incense?
9. What type of magick is good this time of year?
10. Name two items that you could put in your cornucopia?
11. Name two stones associated with the sabbat?
12. What is the energy that the Sun God sends down?
13. Name one thing that should be sampled at the Sabbat?
14. What does nature?s power color signify?
15. Name two herbs associated with the sabbat?
16. What spell working would be good for this sabbat?
17. Who is typically celebrated this time of year?
18. The incense provided, what is it to help you attune with?
19. Who is the Greek Goddess of this Sabbat?
20. What day is Lughnassdh celebrated?


Please write a short sabbat ritual.

Mabon (circa September 21), the autumn equinox, is the completion of the harvest begun at Lughnasadh. Once again day and night are equal, poised as the God prepares to leave his physical body and begin the great adventure into the unseen, toward renewal and rebirth of the Goddess.
Nature declines, draws back it's bounty, readying for winter and it's time of rest. The Goddess nods in the weakening Sun, though the fires burn within her womb. She feels the presence of the God even though he wanes.
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 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 Roosevelt 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 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 symbols of Mabon include:
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
You can use any of these to decorate your home or your altar at Mabon.
Feasting and Friends
: Early agricultural societies understood the importance of hospitality -- it was crucial to develop a relationship with your neighbors, because they might be the ones to help you when 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 were brought down from the summer pastures for the coming winter. Celebrate Mabon yourself with a feast -- and the bigger, the better!
Magic 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 at which the earth begins to die before winter sets in!
Correspondence Table
:

Colors: Red, orange, russet, maroon, brown, violet and gold.

Stones: Sapphire, lapis lazuli, yellow agates, yellow topaz, carnelian

Incense and oils: Pine, Sweetgrass, Sage, Frankincense, Myrrh, Benzoin aloe wood, jasmine, cinnamon, musk, and cloves.

Animals and mythical beasts: dogs, wolves, birds of prey, gnomes, minotaur, sphinx, Cyclopes, andamans and gulons.

Gods and Goddesses: Modron, Morgan, Epona, Persephone, Pamona, the Muses. Mabon, Thoth, Thor, Hermes, and The Green Man

Symbols: wine, gourds, pine cones, acorns, grains, corn, apples, pomegranates, vines such as ivy, dried seeds, and horns of plenty

Foods: Corn bread, nuts, apples, berries, cider, fruits, vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and onions and wines.

Activities: Making wine, gathering dried herbs, plants, seeds and seed pods, walking in the woods, scattering offerings in harvested fields, offering libations to trees

Spell Work: Protection, wealth and prosperity, security, spells to bring a feeling of self-confidence and spells for balance and harmony.
Plants and Herbs
: Acorn, benzoin, ferns, grains, honeysuckle, marigold, milkweed, myrrh, marigold, mums, passion flower, rose, sage, Solomon's seal, tobacco, thistle, oak leaves and vegetables.


Colors
Red:
Connects with love, passion, fertility, physical energy and strength. Red symbolizes the element of Fire as well as being a God symbol.
Orange:
Is a stimulating and energizing color. It connects to attraction, stimulation, control, personal strength, authority, and power.
Brown:
Studiousness and balance are the key as we realize that the frolic has gone from the year. Our concentration begins to turn to weathering the winter, though it is still some time away.
Violet:
Vibrating color that is highly spiritual and traditionally connected to mysticism, inspiration, wisdom, idealism, purification, success, peace, and power. Aids in meditation, sensitivity and higher psychic talents.
Incense
2 parts Frankincense
1 part Sandalwood
1 part Cypress
1 part Juniper
1 part Pine
? part Oakmoss (or a few drops Oakmoss bouquet)
1 pinch pulverized Oak leaf
Burn during Wiccan/Pagan ceremonies on Mabon or at that time to attune with the change of the seasons.
Pathworking
Go for a holiday walk. Smell the fires in the fireplaces of your neighbors; feel the energy of the earth slowing down. Try to time your walk so that you can be outside to see the sunset in all of the glorious colors Helios brings. It is the exalted time for Mabon.
Plan some romance. Evening and autumn are very romantic times. If you are involved with someone, spend some special time telling him/her how you feel. Light candles and buy flowers if you can afford to. If you are not involved with someone, now would be a good time to reflect on what you love and appreciate about yourself. Buy yourself flowers, too!
Go shopping for a chalice. The traditional ones are silver or clear crystal. Will you decide to go with a traditional vessel or something very unusual? You can find some beautiful and inexpensive pieces in thrift stores and flea markets. Your imagination and personal preferences are your only limit.
Look through your recipes and see which ones speak of the main harvest to you, and then make a few of them for your Sabbat feast. If there is a local farmers? market, you may want to get some of your ingredients there, if you don?t have your own garden. Nothing like fresh, vine-ripened veggies for a harvest meal.
Apple Candle Holders for Mabon
Take two bright red apples that are the same size and will sit up nice and straight. Polish them with a soft cloth so they?re shiny. With an apple corer, hollow out a hole in the top of the apple (the stem end) about an inch deep and as wide as your candles. Then, into the hole, place a sprig of rosemary and two soft, grey leaves of Lambsear (a type of plant). Insert a candle that?s about 6 inches tall in each apple. (This will also help anchor the herbs in place).
Make a Mabon Cleansing Wash
: This herbal infusion can be used as a skin wash or a cleanser for your ritual space. By infusing the herbs in water, you can take advantage of the medicinal properties as well as the magical ones. A quart-sized jar, like the type used in food canning, is ideal for this because it allows for a tight seal, and they hardly ever break.
Here's How: To make this cleansing wash, we'll be using herbs that are in full bloom in the weeks before Mabon.
You'll need a handful of each of the following:
Spearmint or peppermint
Sage
Honeysuckle
Goldenseal
Marigold
Place the herbs in the glass jar. Pour boiling water over them until the jar is filled. Screw the lid on loosely, and allow to steep for four to six hours. Strain out all the plant material. Cap the jar, and store in a cool place. Use as a skin wash or to
asperge your home or sacred space.
Questions:
Who is close to death at Mabon?
Red symbolizes what?
Who feels the fire burn in her womb at Mabon?
Evening and autumn are very what?
The day and night are what on Mabon?
What is the one leaf that you would add to the Mabon Incense?
What do the Germans celebrate this time of year?
Name the 5 herbs in the cleansing wash?
Mabon is a festival of what?
Which color aids in meditation, sensitivity, and higher psychic talents?
Name two foods associated with Mabon.
When on your holiday walk, what should you do? .
What do you offer to the trees at Mabon?
Orange is what?
Name two plants associated with Mabon.
In your path working what does it say to shop for?
What do you do to the harvested fields at Mabon?
One of the incense ingredients has two parts which is it?
What are the themes focused on at Mabon?
Name two activities that can be done at Mabon.

Please write a short Mabon ritual.