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. 

Wiccanning

Wiccanning                                                        

This is the Wiccaning Ceremony I wrote for my daughter.  It worked very
well, and even the (several) non-pagan participants told me it was
beautiful, meaningful, and heart-warming.  :)

* Set up the altar as usual, but avoid all sharp objects.
* Use milk and cookies rather than wine and cakes.
* Cast the Circle before the guests arrive, as usual.
* When the guests arrive, bring everyone into Circle and close the Door
  (if there are those who might be "offended", you can easily have a
  Maiden or friend close the Door surrepituously...).

"Guardians of the Four Quarters
Air, Fire, Water Earth
Join us here, celebrate
Confirmation of a child's birth!"

* Have four people call the Quarters (arrange this beforehand).

"Maiden, Warrior, Mother, Crone,
Join us here; watch o'er Your own.
Young Lord, Old Lord; Husband, Son,
Be with us to bless this one."

Bless the milk:  "As the athame is to the male,
                 So the Chalice is to the female.
                 And conjoined they be one in truth.
                 For there is no greater magic in all the world
                 Than that of a man and a woman (alt: "two people")
                 Joined in the bonds of love."

Bless the cakes: "These cakes are the fruition of the union
                 of our Lord and Lady.
                 Let all but the blessings of that union
                 Be cast out, that we may all
                 Share in Their bounty!"

HPS:  We are met in this Circle to ask the blessings of the Lord and
Lady on (child's mundane name), daughter of (mother's name) and
(father's name).  May she grow in beauty and strength, joy and wisdom.

(Pause)

HPS:  There are many Paths, and each must find her own.  Therefore, we
do not seek to bind (baby) to any one Path while she is still too young
to choose.  Instead, we ask the Lord and Lady, who know *all* Paths, to
bless, protect and prepare her through the years of her childhood.
Then, when she is at last fully grown, she shall know, without a doubt,
which Path is hers, and shall tread it gladly.  (Father), please bring
(baby) forward that she may be blessed.

HPS:  (Baby's) mother has chosen a Hidden name for her.  (Mother), what
is that name?

Mother:  (Hidden name)

HPS:  Then in the silent senses of the Lord and Lady, she shall be known
as (Hidden name).

* Anoint forehead with oil (pentagram):
  "I anoint thee, (mundane name), with oil,
  and give thee the Hidden Name, (Hidden name)."

* Anoint forehead with wine/juice/milk:
  "I anoint thee, (Hidden name), with wine,
  In the name of the Lord."
  (Whisper private name of the God into baby's ear).

* Anoint forehead with water:
  "I anoint thee, (Hidden name), with water,
  In the name of the Lady."
  (Whisper private name of the Goddess into the baby's ear).

* Touch the baby's crown, and say:
  "You are named (mundane name), also (Hidden name).
  And I dedicate you to a life of peace and love.

* Touch baby's "third eye":
  "...That you may see your way clearly."

* Touch baby's throat:
  "...that you may speak the truth."

* Touch baby's heart:
  "...that your heart always be open."

* Touch baby's solar plexus:
  "...that your Will and Strength be strong."

* Touch baby's belly:
  "...that your sexuality be joyful and loving."

* Touch baby's vagina (penis):
  "...that you be a gateway (progenitor) of lives and creations to come."

* Touch baby's hands:
  "...that you may always do the Lord and Lady's work,
  no matter how you see or worship Them."

* Touch baby's feet:
  "...that you always walk the Path you're called to."

* Touch baby's crown:
  "Bless this child, who is a tiny Goddess...
  Bless her, protect her, and give her a joyful life!"

HPS:  In the story of Sleeping Beauty, the good fairies all blessed the
baby with a special gift.  (Mother) asks now that you each bestow her
with a personal blessing.  (Baby), I bestow upon you the gift of love.
(Kiss baby's head, then walk to Father, who says blessing, then to
Mother, etc. through all guests present.)

HPS:  Are there any here who would stand as Godparents to (baby)?

* Godparents step forward:  "We would."

HPS:  Do you, (names of Godparents, one at a time), promise to be a
friend to (baby) through her childhood; to aid and guide as needed; and
in concord with her parents, to watch over her and love her as if she
were of your own blood; until, by the grace of the Lord and Lady, she is
ready to choose her own Path?

Godparents (one at a time):  I, (name), do so promise.

HPS:  The Lord and Lady have blessed her;
      We, her friends and family have welcomed her;
      Therefore, Oh Circle of STars,
      Shine in peace on (baby),
      Whose Hidden name is (Hidden name).
      So mote it be!

* Thank guests, cut them a door, allow them to leave.
* Close Circle as usual.
* Party, and gift giving if the baby (or parents) are ready.

Ally

http://www.ladyoftheearth.com/rituals/wiccaning-3.txt

i love this ritual a lot!