Celebrating Samhain October 25, 2009
Posted by frootbat31 in sabbat.Tags: sabbat
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There are a number of traditions pagans and witches follow to celebrate Samhain, day of the dead.
Honoring those who passed on. In our coven, we light candles for everyone who we cared about that passed on. You can get even more creative by making luminaries for the dead, flower wreaths, or ribbons to tie to a tree or bush with messages to them. Sharing stories about them also honors their spirits, keeping them ‘alive’ for those who remain.
Pumpkin Luminaries- of course you can create any design with any color. Write names, or symbols of those who passed on.
Pagan Crafts- Lots of ideas here including wreaths.
Celebrating the ‘new year’. In the Celtic calendar, October 31st celebrates the new year. Considering we’ve switched how we recognize weeks and years for centuries, this comes to no surprise. October 31 belongs to neither the old year or to the year ahead, so this is when the Veil between the worlds of mortals and the spirit world are thinnest. Make resolutions and use divination this night.
Feasts and parties are always popular celebrations for just about everything. Assemble friends and family to eat and drink to appreciate them and the time together.
Butternut squash casserole- this recipes has been a favorite of the group for some time. My husband made it a few years ago and even my nine year old son asks for him to make it. Its similar to pumpkin pie.
Corned Beef Dip in a bread bowl is another popular appetizer in my family. This doesn’t last long whenever I make it.
Corned Beef Sandwiches- Another tasty food. We tried this and what makes them so nice is they’re food you can eat with your hands. They’re very filling too.
Feel free to post your own celebrations or traditions you enjoy on this holiday!
Samhain: Pumpkins October 15, 2009
Posted by frootbat31 in sabbat, tips.Tags: pagan, sabbat, wicca, witch
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Originally the Jack O Lantern was carved from a turnip. Once Americanized, the pumpkin filled the role as scary lantern against the spooks of Samhain.
Some things you may not know about pumpkins:
- Pumpkins are in the family of squashes and gourds. They are considered a fruit.
- The word pumpkin came from the Greek word pepon, meaning ‘large melon’.
- Pumpkin (and the seeds) are an excellent source of protein, zinc, Vitamin A,potassium and even Tryptophan, the same chemical you find in milk to help you sleep.
- The flowers of the pumpkin plant are edible
They also make a tasty pie, but the you need young, small sized pumpkins which are sweeter.
Carving tips:
- Draw the face ( or whatever you want to carve) onto the pumpkin first.
- When carving the ‘lid’, make the shape jagged to make it easier to fit back in place when carving is finished.
- The lid should also be cut at an angle, creating a ‘cone’ like shape. This will prevent it from falling back into the pumpkin.
- Sprinkle the inside with Cinnimon and Clove to add a nice scent through the holidays.
Symbols of Halloween October 12, 2009
Posted by frootbat31 in Uncategorized.Tags: celtic, pagan, sabbat, witch
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Black Cats- Black cats originated with the belief that witches kept an ‘imp’ or demonic spirit to serve them in their magic. All black animals, not just cats, were seen as a bad omen.
Pumpkins- Originally, the Jack-O-Lanterns were carved in Turnips, being that Pumpkins are indigenous to America. There is a story of Jack of the Lantern, where a man named Jack tricks the devil and ends up spending eternity walking the earth with only a coal form the pits of Hell to light his way. The belief of the jack-o-lantern is that the scary faces will ward off and confuse evil spirits.
Ghosts on Halloween- According to the Celtic calendar, October 31 belongs to neither the old year or to the year ahead, thereby allowing the Veil between mortals and the dead to thin. Thus, allowing ghosts and spirits to walk among us. These can be both good or bad ghosts.
Tarot reading and other divination practices- Being the Veil between the worlds is thinnest, what better time to ask the spirits for their guidance?
Bobbing for apples was one of many games traditionally was a fertility game. Apples are symbolic of love and fertility. The first person to bite the apple will be the first to marry.
Trick or treating is nothing that it was originally. Originally, begging for soul cakes or other food on All Hallow’s Eve. Dressing up in costumes were to confuse or placate the spirits.Years ago, if you didn’t give the treat, the trick-or-treater would play a trick such as soaping windows or spreading toilette paper on your lawn.
Samhain- Day of the Dead October 4, 2009
Posted by frootbat31 in sabbat.Tags: pagan, sabbat, seasonal, wiccan, witch
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The sabbat of Samhain (pronounced SOW-ain) will soon be upon us, wrapping us into the Veil between the worlds, and coaxing all sorts of mystical and haunting situations. I love this time of year, despite the chill and shortening days.
Samhain is one of the eight sabbats pagans celebrate through the year. Marked in the Celtic calendar as New Year’s Day, it was belonging to the past year nor to the year ahead. The Veil between mortal man, and the spirit world grew thin; allowing the dead to walk among us.
Popular traditions include:
The Dumb Supper- no, not dumb as in stupid, but dumb as in silent. You do not speak during the Dumb Supper to honest those how passed on. You cook the dishes your ancestors might like, and eat in silent introspection.
Honoring the dead- This can be done in many ways. Most common traditions include lighting candles for the people and pets who passed on through the past year. Stories are often shared of those gone.
Divination- Fortune telling such as Tarot reading is very common this night. What better time to speak to the dead, or ask the Spirits for answers. As ever, however, ask/speak with respect and honor.
Feasting- Every sabbat includes a meal including traditional foods. For Samhain, the last harvest of the year, you eat just about anything. It was traditionally the time you made sure all the crops were sown and herds culled by this night.
What traditions do you enjoy on Samhain?
Lammas: First Harvest July 21, 2008
Posted by frootbat31 in sabbat.Tags: harvest, holiday, lammas, lugh, pagan, sabbat, wicca
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Lammas, or ‘loaf mass’, marks the time of the year that you begin celebrating the harvest season. August first celebrates one of three harvests, which include Lammas (Aug 1), Mabon (Sept 19-23), and ending with Samhain (Oct 31).
Celebrating the ‘first fruits’ of the year, Lammas includes a feast of thanksgiving, and honors the Sun/Harvest god(s) of the field. They days grow shorter, the nights lengthen as the Sun weakens in this waning half the year. Preparations of the colder months begin, and the holiday marks a time of bounty.
Many traditions mark this holiday:
Pentacle Wreaths from grapevine
Some sites including rituals for Lammas:
Moonshadow realm- Includes some nice pictures such as a beautiful homemade loaf of bread and some recipes you can make.
About.com Pagan/Wiccan – Includes links for crafts, recipes, and celebrations of Lammas.
Cyberwitch.com – Their page on Lammas is packed with Lammas traditions and history.
Midsummer: The Sabbat of Litha May 13, 2008
Posted by frootbat31 in sabbat.Tags: celtic, crafts, holly king, litha, mead, midsummer, oak king, pagan, recipes, ritual, sabbat, wicca
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By the old folk calendar, summer began on May Day and ends on Lammas (August 1st). This puts the celebration of Litha right in the middle, making it ‘midsummer’. This is the longest day of the year, the height of the growing season, and the time the Sun God has reached his strength. The Holly King fights the Oak King for his throne, returning rule at the time of Yule. Click here for more on this…
The Goddess is seen heavy with child, and at the height of her power. The Sun God also is at his height, so energies and Life abounds at this time of the year. Litha is a time for full celebration and enjoying of Life and all that its providing you.
Some activities you can do to celebrate:
*Feasting with foods such as
*Cleansing and ridding oneself of negative in your life. Make a small pouch of natural materials such as wool or cotton. Fill this with a combination of midsummer herbs. Tie the pouch with a red string. Focus on any problems, pain, or illness you with to be rid of and concentrate to the bag. Now throw the bag into the fire to be transformed into something positive.
*Jumping the fire. Put some herbs/incense in a small cauldron. Jump over the smoke and name what you wish to leave behind.
*This is a fire festival so bonfires are common. Another tradition is burning wheels but be very careful with this- this can set a field on fire. Wheels were covered in straw then set alight. The burning wheels represented the sun’s travel across the skies. Rolling downhill, it was said if the wheel continued to burn the entire way down, this meant a bountiful harvest in the Fall.
*Making flower or herb wreaths can be fun. Mixing the plants can create a beautiful and aromatic decoration to wear.
Some Midsummer rituals:
Some Crafts:
Make a sundial (also includes how they work)
Eye of God(or Goddess) Many pagans make these on Midsummer
Finger knitting (video)I often make cords from embroidary thread in this same method
Some Recipes:
Circles and cycles January 2, 2008
Posted by frootbat31 in esbat, sabbat.Tags: estbat., god, menstrual, moon, pagan, sabbat, seasonal, sun, triple goddess, year
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One thread of belief that is shared within most pagan spiritual paths is that the belief of circles and cycles of all living things intertwine with one another. This touches on many practices, and threads through myth and an interconnectedness with all things.
You can see cycles in the seasonal changes; of winter warming to spring, to the hot days of summer fading into the months of autumn back to winter again. You can see the same cycle in gardens and crops, with seeds coming to fruition, then turning back to seed to start over the cycle. Even the moon goes through her monthly changes, and the sun cyclestravels through the solar year. An endless wheel that keeps on turning.
The solar year is broken into eight major holidays known as Sabbats. Based on the Celtic year and that of seasonal changes and crops, the year ends and begins October 31st, a day named Samhain. Other holidays cycle through Yule, Imbolc, Oastara, Beltane, Midsummer (Litha), Lughnasadh, Mabon, and then back to Samhain. This ‘wheel of the year’ follows the life, death, and rebirth of the sun/harvest god.
The lunar cycles are celebrated in Circles called esbats. The Full moon wanes to the New moon, waxing to the Full once more. This is also revered as a feminine symbol. This comes to no surprise when a woman’s menstrual cycles matches the 28 day cycle. Without the artificial light, a woman’s cycle will match that of the moon, proving the connection is stronger than one might think. The very word ‘menstrual’ derives from the Latin ‘mensis’ meaning month which in turn means moon.
Crop cycles of planting to harvest are essential to the celebration of the holidays. The harvest/sun god(s) goes through Birth to his Death in the fall/winter, to Rebirth in the springtime. More often than not, however, the ‘crops’ have become metaphors to whatever goals are selected for the year. Success of these goals are symbolic of the harvest.
Even the sacred space the is evoked for Circles is created and dismissed in a cycle. The invoking of the Quarters/Elements/Directions, the god/ddesses, and doing one’s working, is then dismissed opposite to how the Circle was cast.
Beginning to ending…to beginning again.
