The Darkest Points of the Wheel of the Year

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We have previously discussed the Wheel of the Year and have given a brief overview of what each of the dates mean in Wicca. Now, we will pay special attention to four of these points in the wheel. We have chosen points associated with the coming of cold weather: Lughnasadh or Lammas, Mabon, Samhain, and, finally, Yule. Though Yule is the coldest and darkest of the four, it is also where light is actually found in the most auspicious manner.

We will discuss them in detail, looking at relevant energies that acquire significance around the time they take place. However, remember that you can celebrate Yule or Lammas whenever you feel it is Yule or Lammas, or whenever you feel their energies match what you need in your personal life. After all, time is not linear, and you have access to the energy of all sabbats at any time.

Remember that each point in the wheel of the year brings with it invaluable insight. This insight can be turned into a gift that can get you through the most challenging times of your life.

Lughnasadh, also known as Lammas, is a celebration of the last days of summer. It usually takes place on August 1st, but it is celebrated by many the night before, on July 31st. This day is not just about celebrating the fruits of our labor. The idea of mortality appears, as well. The myth surrounding this day is that the God Lugh (according to some Wiccans, one of the faces of the Horned God) sacrificed himself. He did this to save humanity. Lammas has a component of reflecting on the sacrifices others made for our sake.

Something that will resonate with many people in contemporary life is thinking about your ancestors. Most of us have at least one person in our bloodline who was an immigrant. This person left everything they knew and everyone they loved to start all over in a new country. This new country, at least in their time, offered more opportunities for economic growth and a more stable political climate. It is because of them that we are where we are now. Thinking about them around this date is a great day.

On Lammas, we reap what we sow. However, we may start to think about our own mortality as well. The days are starting to get shorter, and so are our lives. There was a component of this in the early farming days when the farmers would look at their accounts. They also froze or otherwise preserved some of the seeds and the doughs for later.

Lughnasadh gives way to Mabon. Mabon takes place on September 21st. Its counterpart is Ostara. Both are days of celebration, as the fruit is plentiful. They are times of abundance. However, during Mabon, the green colors of summer give way to the fire hues of autumn – orange, brown, gold, fiery red. This sabbat receives its name from a Welsh God. However, there are no records of this celebration being celebrated in the times of the Celts.

During this time, we return to the darkness. Wiccans don’t see darkness as something evil. It is a part of the whole, and, as the whole is present in all of us, it is present in all of us. From darkness we come and to darkness we must return. It isn’t winter yet, but we can almost feel it coming. Winter, according to Wicca, is a time of introspection. It is a time for thinking about what may be possible. A time for dreaming and planning, but not for manifestation necessarily.

During Mabon, we reflect on the hopes and expectations we had last Imbolc and how they manifested into our lives. Some may have come exactly as you imagined. Some of your desires may have taken quite an unexpected shape or turn. This is a time to enjoy the fruits of your labor (and the consequences of your mistakes). We are asked to complete what we started.

After Mabon comes Samhain. Now we are in the dark, we may need some guidance to traverse through it. During Samhain, it is believed that the boundaries between the physical world and the Otherworld start to get blurry. We may hold dance or music festivals to commune with spirits from the Otherworld and our ancestors. We ask for guidance when it comes to this time of deep introspection.

In the Western World, a lot of the ancient traditions from the Celtic world are present in Halloween celebrations. The Celts also dressed up in costumes during this date. The Celts called it “mumming.” Once they were dressed up, they would go from door to door singing songs for the dead in each household. They would receive cake as payment. Sounds familiar?

The ancient Celts would also play pranks during Samhain. However, in this ancient time, they blamed their wrongdoing on the Fae (and the Fae would, for sure, be involved in a few naughty tricks of their own).

So far, we have gone from storing away the seed for later, to a time of great abundance, to a time where we seek guidance among the darkness. What comes next? Yule, of course.

Yule takes place on December the 21st. It marks the Winter Solstice. Despite the usual cold weather that comes around this date, it is a day of hope and resurrection. The Sun God is rising. It is no coincidence that Christians celebrate Christmas a few short days after it. Christ would be the Sun starting to appear again.

We have gone through the dark night of the soul, and now there’s a spark of hope. The Sacred Fire of the Celts, however weak, starts to be present again. But first, we must undergo a metaphorical death once again. We must go through the longest night of the year before the days start to get shorter once more.

The symbol of the wheel is particularly important for this sabbat. After all, Yule comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “jõl,” which means “wheel.” Yule is one of the climactic points of the wheel of the year. This is a great date to reflect on the cyclical nature of time. This is counterintuitive to the Western idea that time is linear. However, the more spiritually aligned and intuitive among you probably know that very few things are actually linear. Like the Moon and the seasons of the year, everything is cyclical. Processes finish and restart all the time. Old matters may resurface when we least expect them, if we can benefit from looking at them from a brand new perspective. And, even in the deepest despair, we can see flashes and sparks from the future. This is hope. The spirit of Yule is all about the cyclical.

In short, we have observed how Lammas prepares us for the winter ahead by encouraging us to not only celebrate but think about the darker times ahead. One of the most valuable things you can do around Lughnasadh is think about ways in which you can make your future self’s life easier right now. Then, Mabon is a last celebration of abundance before we enter the darkness of autumn and winter. During the Samhain, the veil between our world and the Otherworld becomes thinner. This is an opportunity to ask for the guidance of our ancestors during this dark time. Finally, in Yule we go through the longest night of the year to see the resurrection of the Sun at the end.

How do you celebrate these dates, if at all? Let us know in the comments!

References:

https://www.goddessandgreenman.co.uk/mabon/

https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/samhain

http://www.thewhitegoddess.co.uk/the_wheel_of_the_year/yule_-_winter_solstice.asp

 

 

 

Some Rituals for Beltane

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beltane

Beltane is an ancient Celtic ritual that dates back from the Iron Age. The word Beltane roughly translates as bright fire. It’s also known as Cétshamain, which can be translated from Gaelic as first of summer. It takes place the night before May 1st and it celebrates the first signs of summer. Fire is very important on this day, and many of the rituals of Beltane involve fire. Fire is believed to purify, heal, and protect, and people would jump around, walk around and dance a ceremonial fire lit for Beltane to benefit from its properties.

The time of Beltane is around the time that cattle were first taken out for pasture. Cattle were among the first beings to walk around the ritual fires of Beltane so they would be protected for the season. Beltane celebrates the return of fertility for the land. Fertility and creativity are rekindled and celebrated and courtship rituals took place around this time as well. It was historically celebrated in modern-day Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. In fact, a lot of mythological events in Ireland are tied to Beltane.

Some rituals you can do on this date is lighting a bonfire outside to encourage the creative endeavors of your community. This is a great day to donate to causes that fund creative pursuits for children and other members of marginalized communities. You can speak to the fire and ask for it to burn away anything that may be ailing you – either physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually.

Yellow and white May flowers are often used to decorate doors and windows during Beltane. This is a way to invite the energy of the element of Fire to your home. Passion, energy, vitality, and creativity will enter your abode and help you in your daily duties. During Beltane, some people also make a May Bush, which is a thorn bush or branch decorated with flowers, ribbon, shells, and fairy lights. This is a great activity to do with children and celebrate the joyful spirit of Beltane. Beltane dew is thought to bring beauty and maintain youthfulness, so you may also go on a walk during the early morning to benefit from this.

Because of its links to creativity and fertility, Beltane is a great day to work on your Sacral Chakra by doing yoga or meditations that aim to open it up and harmonize it. You may also meditate with Carnelian placed four fingers under your belly button (where the Sacral Chakra is) so the chakra is harmonized.

Have you ever celebrated Beltane? Which of the rituals are you the most excited to try? Tell us all about it in the comments!

Some Blessings to Expect on Ostara

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spring equinox

Ostara is the celebration of the Spring Equinox. In the Northern Hemisphere, this takes place around March the 21st. Christianity has adapted this Pagan holiday and calls it Easter, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus and even going as far as adapting certain symbols of Ostara, such as the egg and the rabbit. Ostara or Eostre is also a West Germanic spring Goddess, and this festival celebrates her.

Ostara marks a point of perfect balance between the day and night, which are now of equal length. The year is now waxing and light is starting to defeat dark. Ostara is seen as a day of perfect balance in which light and dark and the masculine and the feminine are in equilibrium. The energy feels expansive and exuberant, and the promises of Imbolc start to be fulfilled. This day was often celebrated by planting seeds. In Ostara, the agricultural cycle begins and farmers begin to plant seeds. The seed and the egg are two of the symbols linked to Ostara because of their promise of new life. The rabbit and the hare are also symbols of this holiday, as March is their mating season and they are seen everywhere. Ostara is a day for fertility, rebirth, and renewal, so it makes sense that a fertile animal like the hare is one of the symbols of this holiday.

Ostara’s colors are green, pink, white, and yellow. You may light candles in her honor in any or all of these colors asking for her blessing in any new undertaking you may have – from a work of art to a business you want to start. Whatever Ostara blesses will grow immensely. If you want to be pregnant or if your partner has this desire, gaining Ostara’s blessing is key. Ostara is a great time to conceive indeed.

Other activities include the typical Easter activity of painting eggs, as well as cooking with one of Ostara’s sacred ingredients, such as honey. You may leave a jar of honey outside early in the morning of Ostara for the Goddess to bless. A simple meditation while sitting on the ground of your garden or a nearby park is also a wonderful way to celebrate Ostara. Let nature speak to you and communicate how it feels and how it’s growing.

Have you ever celebrated Ostara? Which of the ideas on this post are you the most excited to try? Tell us in the comments!

Some Blessings to Manifest on Imbolc

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spring

Imbolc celebrates the halfway point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. More, specifically, the first stirrings of spring are celebrated. After a long winter, we start to observe little patches of life and a small amount of plants and flowers coming into bloom. In the Northern Hemisphere, it’s celebrated between January the 31st and February the 1st. It originated in Neolithic Ireland and Scotland, and it’s no surprise it’s intimately linked to a Celtic Deity, Brigid.

Rebirth is celebrated during this time. This makes it a great time to manifest or rebuild yourself after a hard time. The color of Imbolc is red and fire is a very important part of the celebration. You’re encouraged to light candles and enjoy fire in other ways, such as lighting a fire in your hearth, if you’ve got one in your home. Use this time to ask for guidance and help during a transformation process.

Red is one of Brigid’s sacred colors. Some people leave a piece of red ribbon outside of their homes overnight on Imbolc and then look at the state of it once the night has passed. If it looks lush and may even look longer, you’ve been blessed by Brigid and can expect a fruitful springtime. If, on the contrary, it looks dull and it looks shorter than it was the night before, you may expect hardship this coming spring. The ribbon that you dedicated to Brigid during Imbolc can be used later as a healing tool. Tie it around your head when you have a headache, your stomach if you need to settle it, and so on. You may reuse the same piece of red ribbon every Imbolc to make it stronger.

Apples and dairy products are also sacred to Brigid, though, if you’re vegan or allergic to dairy, you may replace dairy with vegan milk. Almonds are a very abundant dry fruit and oats have cleansing and protective qualities, for example. A great activity to do during Imbolc is to bake an apple pie, as it combines many products that are sacred to Brigid. Given the fact that apples have ties to longevity, you can set an intention of manifesting stability and solid relationships and job opportunities while you bake the apple pie.

You may also light a red candle in honor of Brigid. As Brigid is the Goddess of Poets and Imbolc is her holiday, you may use this opportunity to manifest the end of a creative’s block or eloquence. Crystals like Orange Calcite are great for putting an end to creative’s block, whereas Blue Aventurine is a better choice for eloquence. Brigid may also restore the passion in a relationship that seems to have lost it along the way. Remember, Imbolc is all about rebirth.

Have you ever celebrated Imbolc before? What’s your favorite part of Imbolc? Tell us in the comments!

Yule

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The Winter Solstice celebration, also known as Yule, has its origins in Norse Paganism. The name it was given by modern Druid traditions is Alban Arthan. It is a celebration for new beginnings. This is so because the Sun is returning to us, so it’s a great time to dream big for the coming year and make plans that bring in some brand new energy into our lives.

The word Yule comes from Old English. It’s an ancient word, it even predates the term witch! In Old Norse, jól meant a large celebratory feast. Another way to refer to Yule is Yuletide. The first documented use of this word dates back to the 15th century. The suffix tide, found in the names of other festivals, refers to a period of time that includes a celebration. Ancient Romans called this festival Saturnalia, as it was held in honor of the God Saturn.

Yule also celebrates darkness, given that the period of time it takes place in encompasses the shortest day of the year. This makes it a great time for reflection and Shadow Work. When both introspection and new plans take place during Yule, you will have an excellent year! Yule lasts for a total of twelve days. Ever wondered why the Christmas season is celebrated in twelve days? It comes from Yule!

Some of the traditions associated with Yule include handing out mistletoe and burning logs. The Druids handed out mistletoe to their loved ones to symbolize the connection between the sky and the earth. Mistletoe is also revered because of its protective and healing qualities. They also handed out Holly to repel harmful spirits. Other significant plants associated with Yule are Ivy, a symbol of immortality, Yew, a symbol of rebirth, and Pine for healing and joy. These species of greenery are known as the evergreens.

Pagan people also used to light logs in antiquity because they believed that the smoke would keep evil away and attract good fortune into the household. Not only are the Yule logs themselves significant, Fire in Yule is of utmost importance, as it symbolizes the Sun.

When Christianity started to become prominent in Europe, they appropriated certain Yule rituals as part of the Christmas celebrations. Even the custom of decorating the Christmas tree comes from Yule. In the past, people would bring about greenery from outside and decorate a tree in their house to celebrate the coming fertile seasons. They were hung in the form of wreaths in points of entry in a house, such as doorways and windows.

The best way to take advantage of Yule is to allow ourselves space to expand our inner worlds. Remember that change starts from within! Yule is a great reminder that darkness can’t last forever, and light is always meant to come back. It’s also a great time for loved ones to gather together, an aspect that has been retained by Christianity.

Wiccan Festivals

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Wicca has a cyclical view of time. They divide the whole year into a Wheel of the Year, an annual cycle of seasonal festivals. It’s a way for them to honor the cyclical nature of time by celebrating and honoring the cyclical nature of time. By celebrating these rituals, they open themselves up to the changing nature of the seasons. They honor their belief that time is a never-ending circle of growth and retreat, heavily influenced by the Sun’s phoenix-like quality of death and rebirth. The Sun is seen as a symbol of divine inspiration.

The Sabbats, as these festivals are known, are the year’s main solar events (solstices and equinoxes), as well as some significant midpoints between them. They mark the beginnings and midpoints of the four seasons. These are times of community celebrations.

Yule or the Winter Solstice celebrates the fact that the Sun is slowly becoming more present in the sky. This is seen as a time of rebirth for the Solar God. It may be the most important time of celebration in Wicca. People celebrate by bringing twigs, leaves, and other plants (known as evergreens) into their homes. The tradition of decorating trees during Christmas is based on Yule celebrations.

Yule is followed by Imbolc or Candlemas. It’s understood as the middle point in Winter. The first signs of spring are often observed at this time. The tradition to do spring cleaning is based on Imbolc celebrations.

Ostara is the Spring Equinox. Light and darkness are now balanced again, and light is becoming more and more prevalent. It’s seen as a time of creativity and a great time to manifest new beginnings.

Beltane or May Eve recognizes the power of life and the fertility of the soil. It’s a time of flourishing. The custom of crowning a Spring Queen, common in many cultures, is based on Beltane celebrations.

Litha or the Summer Solstice is considered a turning point for the Sun. During this time, the Sun reaches its highest point and it shines for the longest time. It’s at its strongest point. This is seen as a point of decline for the Sun, as it can only get weaker from this time on.

Lammas, also known for its Irish name Lughnasadh, is the first of three Harvest festivals (the other two are Mabon and Samhain). The typical celebration is to bake the figure of the Sun God and eat it. This stands for the sanctity of harvest. It’s an agrarian-based festival of thanksgiving for the fruits of the Earth.

Mabon is the Autumn Equinox. It’s also about thanksgiving and recognizing that sharing is part of an abundance mentality. Those who share what they receive are seen with kind eyes by the God and the Goddess during the winter months.

Finally, Samhain or Hallowe’en, aligned with Halloween and the Day of the Dead, is a time to celebrate our loved ones that have passed on. It’s believed that, on this day, the veil between our world and the spirit world is thinner than usual, and we can communicate with them. It’s a festival of the darkness, which contrasts directly with Beltane and other festivals of light and fertility.

Did you know about the Wiccan festivals? Have you ever celebrated one?

Wicca and the Wiccan Rule

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wicca

Since its inception in the mid 20th century, the religion of Wicca has continued to witness increasing acceptance from people all over the globe.

Wicca is unlike most religion. It has no higher authority, prophet, leader or even a bible to guide its followers. Instead, individuals are free to choose how they follow this religion and grow themselves as they deem fit.

This freedom and ability to chose what to believe and act on may strange to most people, but in every essence, it is the strength of the Wicca religion and one of the profound qualities of the faith.

Wicca is a complex religion that most people often associate with witchcraft, paganism and the devil. This usually is not far from the truth but not in the way most people seem to understand it. For a Wiccan, religion is about bending or redirecting spiritual forces in nature to affect the world and their lives.

A Wiccan belief that the world we see and all of its elements – rocks, trees, crystals, rivers etc. all have special forces in them which can be channelled and controlled to affect our lives in extraordinary ways. To most Wiccans, there isn’t anything magical about magic – it is just another toolset in a Wiccan’s arsenal.

Since the Wiccan religion deals with believers attuning themselves to the natural rhythm of life forces within the natural elements, it makes perfect sense to have minimal rules or orders to guide the process – after all, we are all different, and our experiences and ability to channel these natural forces will differ significantly.

This, of course, does not mean that there are no rules in the Wiccan religion. There are two core rules a Wiccan should adhere to when they are practising their crafts: The Wiccan Rede and Rule of Three.

Wiccan Rede

The Wiccan Rede is a part of 26-line poetry that outlines how a Wicca should behave. It is one of the most critical moral compasses for practising Wiccans and helps to ensure they do only that which is good not only to them but to others as well.

The Wiccan rede reads “An it harms none, do what ye will”. This can be translated to means that whatever energy you will be channelling or whatever sacrifice or spell you will be casting, if it does not harm anyone, then you are free to do it. If the magic, on the other hand, is contrary to the law, then the rule of three will apply.

The Rule of Three

The rule of three is one of the most popular law in the Wiccan community. This law is also known as Three-fold Law or Law of Return. It states that whatever energy a Wiccan puts out whether good or bad will return to the Wiccan in three-fold. This means that whatever a person does, whether physically or spiritually, there will be a return three times the initial result of the action. This is often called karma – though a good comparison but the rule of three is quite different from the concept of karma – it manifests in this present life.

There are many other rules which are generally accepted by Wiccans all over the world, such as personal responsibility for every action, belief in ancestry, belief in the afterlife, special holidays and so many others. These laws, however, are not as widely accepted and adhered to as much as the rule of three and the Wicca rede.

Introduction to spells and magic

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witch

Is magic any good? Are spells evil? Do spells really work, and can we use them to make things happen?

And more importantly, is magic an innate ability – one that you need to be born with to access the supernatural or just about anyone can learn and master the art of casting spells?

As a newbie to the world of magic, the supernatural, and witchcraft, it is understandable and useful to ask questions, get to understand how it all began and how these things work in other to grow and master the craft.

A lot of beginners get sidelined easily after trying their hands on a few potions and spells and see no result. They give up easily, forgetting that power comes from knowing – knowing the very things that happen when you cast a spell, prepare a potion, or make your incantation.

Knowledge is power. This is true even when it comes to exploring magic and spells, just as it is in the physical world. As such, in this brief guide on spells and magic, we are going to walk you through the basics of the origin and whys of magic. The aim of this is enlightenment. To open your eyes on how magic works so that you can understand the changes that go on from the very moment you make your magic or cast a spell.

On the origin of magic

Magic is the most potent weapon in the world. For the ancient, magic is, first and foremost, a technology, a powerful tool for accessing the power of the invisible world that is all around them.

As such, they see magic as a powerful tool for making their wishes, intents, and heart desires come to pass. Magic was their source of comforts in the rather cruel and cold world they find themselves in. The idea of magic came to them when times are really bad, and when there is chaos all around their lives – bad weather, harvest, drought, famines, epidemics, etc.

When such bad times occur, people summon shamans, spiritual healers, witches, etc. to harness the power of the supernatural (gods and goddesses) to restore the balance and comfort to their lives.

Magic, more accurately denoted as magick today, is the practice of harnessing the connective forces of nature to bring about changes that otherwise would not be possible by any natural means.

To bring about these changes, spiritual healers, shamans, witches, etc. must use a vehicle, a driving force. The driving force most times is either a spell in combination with a physical tool such as an amulet or a potion.

Spells are the driving force of magic. Words are used in casting spells because words are powerful, communicate our intentions, and, most importantly, gathers the power that brings about such intentions.

We often take for granted the actions that our words can perform. But the truth is, our words are far more powerful than we can ever imagine. A simple “I now pronounce you husband and wife” transforms the legal status of people almost daily and instantly. These are simple yet powerful words and a demonstration of how powerful our words can be. Words can transfer ownerships, mitigate personal injury, cause wars, and so on.

A spell

Spells are not just words per se. They are carefully chosen phrases that help communicate our intents to the invisible forces, and gather such forces to do our biddings.

As such, spells often have two sides: the phrase that contains our intentions and the phrase that contains the forces we are calling upon to do our biddings. The one part of any spell often involves gathering the forces needed to perform an action and a second part, which directs these forces on the intent and degree of such actions.

How does magic work?

In the late middle ages, witches who perform magic were seen as evil and worshippers of the devil who held black masses, hex people, and causes havoc and death in their community and who flew on brooms at night.

As such, witches and generally, anyone who performs magic is seen as a devil worshipper and one who gets magical powers from the devil. As such, witches were often hunted down and murdered for their supposed roles in any natural disaster or seemingly unnatural epidemics. This has almost become a mainstream belief except for the few faithful who still held onto their beliefs that magic is a force for good and not of the devil.

But where does the power of magic come from? Where does the power to make rain, heal the sick, cause love, or attract fortune come from?

On 5 July 1687, sir Isaac Newton published his book, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica. This book contains a very important law, which is still held as true today, even in classical mechanics.

In his book, Isaac Newton proposed that all things in the universe are held together or connected by a force which is proportional to the products of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

Consequently, we are bonded to everything in the universe by an invisible force, and this same invisible force binds everything to us.

Magic is the practice of harnessing this invisible force using our desires and intentions to attract to us those things that we want. Spells tend to vibrate the very energy and atoms of the connecting force to cause an action.

When you understand how everything else is connected to you and how you are connected to them, you begin to see the infinite opportunity to change reality and make it conform to your bidding. This is the very essence and power of magic and spells.