Samhain

Samhain Lore

It is traditional on Samhain night to leave a plate of food outside the home of the souls of the dead. A candle placed in the window guides them to the lands of eternal summer, and burying apples in the hard-packed earth "feeds" the passed ones on their journey.

For Food,
beets, turnips, apples, corn, nuts, gingerbread, cider, mulled wines and pumpkin dishes are appropriate, as are meat dishes.

The Altar
apples, pomegranates, pumpkins, squashes and other late autumn fruits. Autumn flowers such as marigolds and chrysanthemums are fine too cauldron or some similar tool on a trivet or some other heat-proof surface (if the legs aren’t long enough). A small, flat dish marked with an eight-spoked wheel symbol should also be there(if not its ok)

The Ritual
cast circle of protection, ask every one to enter,(with each person place a small dab of scared space oil on their forehead asking "how do you enter this circle?" they then respond "with perfect love and perfect trust") call the corners, evoke the God and Goddess.

sit quietly and think of friends and loved ones who have passed away. Do not despair. Know that they have gone on to greater things. Keep firmly in mind that the physical isn’t the absolute reality, and that souls never die.

Lift one of the pomegranates and, with your freshly-washed white-handled knife, pierce the skin of the fruit. Remove several seeds and place them on the wheel-marked dish. Raise your wand, face the altar and say:

On this night of Samhain I mark your passing,
O Sun King, through the sunset into the Land of the Young.
I mark also the passing of all who have gone before,
and all who will go after. O Gracious Goddess,
Eternal Mother, You who gives birth to the fallen,
teach me to know that in the time of the greatest
darkness there is the greatest light.

Taste the pomegranate seeds(this can also be done with juice is a pomegranate is not available) burst them with your teeth(or simply swish the juice around in your mouth) and savoir the, bittersweet flavor. Look down at the eight-spooked symbol on the plate; the wheel of the year, the cycle of the seasons, the end and beginning of all creation.(if you don't have plate with the wheel just remember the cycle)

Write on a piece of paper an aspect of your life which you wish to be free of: anger, a baneful habit, misplaced feelings, disease.

Light a fire within the cauldron (a candle is fine). Sit before it holding the piece of paper, gazing at its flames. Say:

Wise One of the Waning Moon,
Goddess of the starry night,
I create this fire within your cauldron
to transform that which is plaguing me.
May the energies be reversed:
From darkness, light!
From bane, good!
From death, birth!

Light the paper in the cauldron’s flame and drop it inside you may chose to share what you have writen on the paper with the others in your circle or you can keep it between your self and the God & Goddess. As it burns, know that your ill diminishes, lessens and finally leaves you as it is consumed within the universal fires.
take this time to look into the past. Try to recall past lives too(if you want). Release any pain and sense of loss you may feel into the cauldron’s flames. See your self being reborn and becoming the person you want to become, losing all of the things you want lost.

thank the God and Goddess for their participation, close your corners, release the circle, enjoy your meal, remember the ones you have lost, and cherish the ones you still have.  




thanks to http://www.tryskelion.com/tryskelion/samhain2.htm for the help in this ritual

Midsummer Solstice

Summer solstice is the longest day of the year, it is also one of the few pagan holidays marked on your every day calender, it is the time when we celebrate the earths bounty. The sun God is at his peek here and the Goddess is pregnant. mid summer is to celebrate the earth and everything she has given us, some may also know it as Litha after an ancient European goddess. in this thyme the Oak king and the Holly king battle for supremacy this thyme the Holly king is triumphant, some say that on this day you can see the Fae, my mother gives a word of caution on this subject to keep a sprig of rue in your pocket so they can't lead you away.

This is a thyme that we turn to the Important men in your lives and paying tribute to them, some say this is where fathers day came from, but remember that any man you consider important should be paid tribute to not just your fathers, you may also include your brother, your friend, your grandfather, your significant other, or any one you just want to say thanks to for helping you out this past year, share the love! 

Some activities that you might like to do are to make dream pillows, or decorating some brooms, this is a good day to recharge dream catchers because of the extra hours of sun.

some of the food for a good feats, are fresh fruits and veggies, and really anything you can harvest fresh from a garden grilling is a good thing to do, you can visit this site for more ideas http://hearthnhomewitchery.tripod.com/celebrations/midsummer/midsummerfeast.html  really just think your normal summer foods and you've got a feast :D

once again im not posting a ritual because i am encouraging you to go out and find, or write one of your own.

Happy solstice and Blessed be

Beltane

Beltane or May day is celebrated on the first day of May(go figure) some may argue that this is the true "lady day" and not Ostara. on this day we celebrate the warmth, fertility and growth of nature around us, as well as the union of the god and goddess which is made obvious by the greening of the plants and earth around us as they burst into life.  this is the last of three spring fertility ceremonies the other two being Imbolc and Ostara. pagans consider this holy day the second greatest sabbat of the 8 pagan ceremonies. it is the holiday of the bale fire that brings blessings into the home. Beltane is known for is feasting, laughter and fun. Romance and love play and intricate role in the celebrations. This Holiday we in vision the love between the lord and lady, laughter, song and dance take high precedence our rites.

 you can do many crafts this holiday you can make floral crowns, maypoles(either normal size or miniature), you can plant flowers(as this is the best time to do so) drums and rattles are also a good thing to make this time of year. a small tea set for the faeries with offerings of milk and honey can be a fun thing to do as well. Be creative in this time of growth.

a large feast with friends is always a fun thing to do as well, some foods associated with Beltane are,  oats, cakes, custards, cream cakes, honey, eggs, dandelion, Spring greens, shellfish, edible Spring flowers, it is common to include phallic symbols in the form of eclairs(God) or jam filled tarts (Goddess). Dairy, any foods known for their aphrodisiac properties. most fruits and any edible flowers are very highly recommended. 

 once again as with Ostara i am leaving the task of finding a good ritual for you, you can go online and look or you can write one your self, so blessed Beltane, marry meat marry part and marry meat again         

A Wiccaning for Adults.

I have one wiccaning on here already, but it is meant more for small children I have two friends who will be getting their pagan names this week and I thought I'd share what we are doing for them for privacy purposes I'll be changing their mundane names :D Also I can not take full credit for this...the Goddess sent it to me in a dream.

Prepare your alter in the normal way, cast your circle of protection, and call your quarters. place some small cakes or cookies on a platter, and a glass(or many if  you are uncomfortable with sharing germs) with wine, mead, or juice.

(who ever is giving the ritual says)
  "As we journey through life we choose many important paths, you have chosen to take the path  to the Gods and Goddesses, and so today we give you your pagan names.

John the God and Goddess have given you the name Tintean, meaning hearth, for like a Tintean you keep your family protected, you hold them in your arms keeping them warm. With you they are loved. do you promise to up hold the name the God and Goddess have  given you?"

John- "I do so promise"

"Marie the God and Goddess have given you the name Gypsy Flame  for as a Gypsy loves and protect her family so do you, as a Flame warms and provides so do you. do you promise to uphold the name the God and Goddess have given you?"

Marie- "I do so promise"

"Then I send you Tintean, and you Gypsy Flame on your new path with the God and Goddess, may your voice be heard, your words ring true, and your heart be open. With these cakes and wine may we all be blessed by the God and Goddess."   

pass around the cakes and wine for every one to enjoy, when done every onw says
"Hail Tintean!"
"Hail Gypsy Flame!"

calling your true love to you

now most love spells you would cast on a specific person...this is a bad idea because it causes infatuation not love and often makes people become obsessive to a point that they hurt either you them self's or someone else... this one you cast into the universe and it helps you find true love...and yes i did write this my self


Tools-
cauldron(or a small glass or metal bowl,NOT PLASTIC!)
something to stir with
rose petals(dried)
rose red candle
love oil
sexual energy oil
lovers incense
small cup of water
something symbolizing you, or something you keep with you always(i have a lock of my own hair, you could also use a piece of jewelery,a picture of you, ect.)

prep-
set up your alter as you normally would using the lovers incense to represent air, but use a different candle or hot coal(shisha-lite) to represent fire. make sure you have a representation of the god and goddess. place all your items on your alter, the cup of water to be set aside.

Casting-
cast your circle and call your corners.
take 1/2 of your petals and place them in the cauldron saying

"petals of the Rose so delicate and pure. True love may you bring to me"

light you rose-red candle

"fire of love ring true, with this candle i rid myself of bad relationships and false love"

light the rose petals on fire with the candle(this may take a few tries depending on how dry the petals are) lte them burn almost all the way out. pour the extra water over it

"Crystal  clear water make it easy for me to see true love when it finds me"

add 2 drops of the love oil

"mother goddess please send to me the one you know is meant for me"

add 2 drops of the sexual energy oil

"father god let my love be attracted to me sexually"

place the representation of you in and stir

"this is me true love may come and be known, please find the heart you own"

continue to stir while you visualize love finding you and being happy, take as long as you need until you feel you have gathered enough of this energy within your circle. put the other 1/2 of the petals on your alter, take your representation out and place on the petals to dry close you circle releasing the energy, thank the corners and the god and goddess for joining you in your rite. once the representation of you is dry keep it close to where you sleep, or on you as often as possible. and remember give it time to work, and don't ever give up on love.

Ostara

Ostara is the beginning of spring, the Christan's call it Easter and believe that it is when Christ was resurrected. We as pagans believe that this is when the Holly God of winter is getting old and lays down his sword to let the Oak God of summer reign, in one story The God and the Goddess need more magic to bring the earth out of winter.
  They gathered all of Eggs with the plan to boil and color them to draw upon the magic but as they did so the trickster was steeling them and hiding them all over the earth, but the trick back fired and caused the raw magic to work better and faster bringing spring sooner. The God and Goddess gathered all the fairies and children (for they were the only ones who could find the eggs) and sent them to look for the eggs so that they might all have a great feast, the eggs them self's were cleaned and polished to look like gems. Then all of the creatures of the world gathered together, joined hands and danced in a circle spinning faster and faster to raise the energy of love, light, and new hope until they could spin no longer and collapsed to the ground laughing while the earth around them turned to spring. The children marveled at the miracle they had just seen, the Sun king gathered the children to him and told them of the magic they had just witnessed and told them that this magic must happen every year not only by the animals but by the humans as well, and if they watch closely they may see the fairies dancing with them. Then the Goddess told them that if they did this every year as thanks they would receive gifts from the Goddess on the morning of Ostara.

So you see, we color the eggs and hide them to help spread the magic for spring we have the children look for them because they are the ones to find them, our Ostara baskets are our gifts from the Goddess the chocolate bunny represents new life, young children, and the hope that the earth will continue on. hot cross buns represent the balance of the seasons, and eggs represent the promise of new life.


 their is another story of the Goddess Eostre little is known of this goddess because a lot has been lost over time but one story remains that i loved and wanted to share...(found this on Wikipedia)

"Once, when the Goddess was late in coming, a little girl found a bird close to death from the cold and turned to Eostre for help. A rainbow bridge appeared and Eostre came, clothed in her red robe of warmth, vibrant sunlight which melted the snows. Spring arrived. Because the little bird was wounded beyond repair, Eostre changed it into a snow hare who then brought rainbow eggs. As a sign of spring, Eostre instructed the little girl to watch for the snow hare to come from the woods."

So this year while you are celebrating don't forget to give thanks to this almost forgotten Goddess.



I discourage pagans from giving money for gifts at this time of year because chritsans used to pay small children for telling on their parents for following the old ways

a fun activity to do this time of year would be a bird feeder
 take a pine cone(or bagel or toilet paper roll) and string it so that you can hang it, then take bird seed and peanut butter and mix them together then using a spoon spread the mixture over the pine cone, hang and watch the birds come to feast!

this season I am not posting a ritual I am encouraging you to find your own on the internet that you like, remember no one ritual will work for every one, find the one that works for you and use it!

About me

I have people ask me what kind of a pagan I am, I have found that question to be harder to answer than I would have thought. their are all kinds of pagans all around the world, I know a druid, and a Wiccan, but I don't really fall under a certain category. So I've decided that instead of my usual post involving a spell or ritual, I'm going to tell you a little about my self and what I believe, so here we go.

I believe that every religion has a glimmer of truth, after that the rest is just a really really good fictional story. every god and goddess exists in one way or another, Freya, Rhiannon, Morgan, Gia  its all essentially the same person. the same can be said of gods, The pagan Gods, Buddha, The Christan God, and so on, its all the same manifestation and it means the basic same thing to the different people who worship them. It's similar to human and their names take Robbert for example can also be called Bobby and Rob and its all the same person.
And I know that magic exists and for even the most persistent of non believers cant argue about that, all they have to do is look around and see the magic around us, the universe, the world, the mountains, the oceans, a mother has felt the magic of life when shes gives  birth, and so do those around her, the "miracles" of god is also just magic, it takes a little magic to make a miracle.

I try to keep my workings around the Elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit) and the Sun God and Moon Goddess, not to mention the faeries, I'm sure they exist, to many shiny things go missing when I stop paying them contribute. In short, believe what you feel is right and it will not lead you in the wrong direction. no mater what any one says to try to change what I believe i feel that i have found the right path, and that is all that matters.              

Personal Alters/ Scared space

A home or personal altar can mean different things to different people. It can be a place to celebrate the turning of the seasons, an area to perform magickal work, or a retreat where one can meditate and reflect. Essentially an altar is a sacred space where we connect to what is divine within us and around us; how you choose to create one is entirely up to you. It should be a reflection of your own unique style and what is important to you in your spiritual life.
That being said, it can sometimes be difficult to find the space to create a personal altar. But you don’t need a lot of space or money to set one up and with a little creativity and ingenuity you’ll find that just about any place in your home or living space has potential. Just remember that what is truly important in the creation of your altar is the intention or what it represents to you rather than the size or location. Focus on the purpose of the items you place on your altar and what they mean to you; in this way your altar will bring you a greater connection to your spiritual path.

Here are some ideas for space saving altars to get your creative juices flowing:

Wall Altar: A small knick-knack wall shelf is a good place to keep ritual items such as crystals, nature objects or deity figures. You can also hang up a plaque, drawing or painting with a representation of an element or deity.

Drawer Altar: This is a terrific space saver and can be used in your home or office. Just clear out a drawer and line it with fabric or decorative shelf paper. Then place your items inside, but for safety’s sake be sure not to use any burning items such as candles or incense. In place of candles you can use a representation of fire such as onyx, ruby, small dragon figures or even a fake battery powered candle. In place of incense you can represent air with feathers or potpourri.

Windowsill Altar: Create a nice out-of-the-way altar on any windowsill. As with a Drawer Altar be sure not to use any flammable items on the windowsill. Sun catchers and small wind chimes are great ways to represent the elements fire and air on a windowsill altar.

Portable Altar: This is especially good for people living in small apartments or students living in dorms and who need a place to perform magickal work. Just use a small wooden board to hold your spiritual objects. You can sand and decorate the board or you can cover it with lightweight fabric. You can also use a wooden chopping board or a breakfast tray to create a portable altar. When not in use the objects and tray can be stored away

Box Altar: A slight variation of the portable altar but rather than a board you can use a wooden box. Many craft stores have unfinished wooden boxes of various sizes that you can decorate and use to create your own box altar. Shoe boxes can also work; just decorate them with paint, glitter, or whatever you can think of to make a nice portable box altar.

Small elemental Altars: There are many simple ways to create small altars in your home that honor the elements. Here are a few ideas:

Water: Blue: You can use a tabletop fountain, sea shells, a chalice or bowls of purified water.(always place in a west facing position)

Air: Yellow: Bird feathers, small wind chimes, incense and pictures of birds or wind are ways of representing the element of air.(always place in an east facing position)

Fire: Red: One of the most common ways to represent fire is with candles, but you can also use fiery gemstones or even dragon figures. Images or symbols of the sun is another way to honor the element of fire.(always place in a south facing position)

Earth: Green: Houseplants are a great way to honor the element of earth, as are potted herbs, pentacles and stones such as obsidian and red jasper.(always place in a north facing position)

Remember that your altar is your own sacred space and there is no wrong way to create one or arrange it. Approach it with a loving heart and listen to your, heart, inner wisdom, the god and goddess or spirit guides in order to find what’s best for you.

Their is no limit to what you can do with your alter or scared space. I have pictures of Fairies, Inspirational pagan sayings, a plaque with my Magical name, my witch hat, and a pentagram dream catcher for each element. And I'm still working on it :D

A Child's Pagan Altar

How to Help Your Child Create a Sacred Space

Sharing the Pagan faith with your child is a wonderful way to pass on your traditions and knowledge, and helping your child to create their first altar is a great way to do this. A personal altar can give a child a sense of direction in their Pagan path and can bring a lot of enjoyment to both you and your child. It’s important to give your child some free rein in setting up their altar as it will be their own personal, sacred space to work with. But there are ideas that you can share with your child to give them a little inspiration, and also measures you can take to make sure your child’s altar is safe for them.

The first step in setting up your child’s altar is to find a good location. Children, as we all do, value their privacy and this is often especially true for older children. So they may want to have it set up in an area that doesn’t get a lot of foot traffic, such as a corner of their room or any other area of the home that is fairly quiet. Of course some children may want everyone to be able to see their altar, but even then certain things need to be considered such as available space and the possibility of disturbance by pets and younger siblings. Though you as a parent need to have some say in where the altar can be set up, it’s important to keep in mind that it should be in a place that is comfortable for your child. Even if a certain area seems particularly sacred to you, if your child isn’t happy with it, then it would be pointless to have it in that area.

After you and you child decide on the best area of your home to keep their altar, the next step is setting it up. We as adults often have very clear ideas of how we want our altars to look but with children it is usually an entirely different process. Children learn a lot through play and exploration so what may look like an unorganized process to you at first, can actually be your child’s way of tuning into his or her inner wisdom. So one of the most helpful things to do at that point is to step back and observe as your child creates their sacred space.

But that’s not to say you shouldn’t assist at all in the process. There are certain items that children should not have on their altar for safety’s sake. These items include things such as candles and incense, because of fire danger, any sharp items or anything that could be potentially toxic if swallowed, such as essential oils.
As far as objects to keep on the altar, many children love to collect objects from nature, so keeping such things as rocks, shells, small sticks and feathers are often popular choices. Some other ideas for altar items include:

Colored ribbons

Glow sticks or Battery Operated Candles

A favorite toy or stuffed animal

A shatter-proof cup or goblet

 A wand

A small goddess figure

These are just suggestions and as long as safety is taken into consideration then your child’s creativity and intuition can take flight as they create their own personal sacred space. Once the altar is set up and completed you can share in the joyful accomplishment and know that you are helping them to take one of their first steps on their Pagan path.

If they want to represent each element try to make sure they put them in their proper places, teach them that Earth elements belong in the North, Air in the East, Fire in the South, and Water in the West

 An easy way to remember that is they go in order

Earth, Air, Fire, Water
North, East, South, West

another fun way is to come up with your own mnemonic (nu-mon-ic) or the like for you and your kids to remember the order.