Happy Beltane

Countdown To Samhain

Hello My Beautiful Lovelies,
It's that time again, so without further a due.

This is how many days from Monday, sorry for the inconveniences.

Countdown To Samhain

Hello My Beautiful Lovelies,
This is my NEW series for are Sabbath, it's a count down so you can see how many days are left till that Sabbath. So with further ado.

Lot's of Love, Light and Magick

Samantha )0(

Day Till Yule

Day Until Yule

Lughnashdh 2013

The Simplified Witch

LUGHNASADH ~ From Scott Cunningham's, "Wicca A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner", 2005, p. 70

"Lughnasadh (August 1) is the time of the first harvest, when the plants of spring wither and drop their fruits or seeds for 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 necessarily observed on this day. It originally coincided with the first reapings.

As summer passes, Wiccans remember its warmth and bounty in the food we eat. Every meal is an act of attunement with nature, and we are reminded that nothing in the universe is constant."
‪#‎simplifiedwitch‬ ‪#‎sabbats‬

I found this on facebook, and I asked if I could post it on my blog. so here it is, and if you want you can find more for her by clicking on her name (The Simplified Witch)Thanks...Blessings )0(

March 21 -- Ostara -- Spring or The Vernal Equinox

Also known as: Lady Day or Alban Eiler (Druidic)
As Spring reaches its midpoint, night and day stand in perfect balance, with light on the increase. The young Sun God now celebrates a hierogamy (sacred marriage) with the young Maiden Goddess, who conceives. In nine months, she will again become the Great Mother. It is a time of great fertility, new growth, and newborn animals.

The next full moon (a time of increased births) is called the Ostara and is sacred to Eostre the Saxon Lunar Goddess of fertility (from whence we get the word estrogen, whose two symbols were the egg and the rabbit.

The Christian religion adopted these emblems for Easter which is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox. The theme of the conception of the Goddess was adapted as the Feast of the Annunciation, occurring on the alternative fixed calendar date of March 25 Old Lady Day, the earlier date of the equinox. Lady Day may also refer to other goddesses (such as Venus and Aphrodite), many of whom have festivals celebrated at this time. 

Traditional Foods:
Leafy green vegetables, Dairy foods, Nuts such as Pumpkin, Sunflower and Pine. Flower Dishes and Sprouts. 

Herbs and Flowers:
Daffodil, Jonquils, Woodruff, Violet, Gorse, Olive, Peony, Iris, Narcissus and all spring flowers. 

Incense:
Jasmine, Rose, Strawberry, Floral of any type. 

Sacred Gemstone:
Jasper 

Special Activities:
Planting seeds or starting a Magickal Herb Garden. Taking a long walk in nature with no intent other than reflecting on the Magick of nature and our Great Mother and her bounty.

Imbolc February 2

Imbolc

February 2

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I mbolc (im-bulk), meaning "in the belly", is also known as Oiemelc or "ewes milk" and celebrates the first lactation of the ewes, siginifying the beginning of the lambing season and considered by ancient agrarian cultures as the first sign of the coming spring. This is the time of the year when our days are becoming visibly longer as the Sun spends more and more time in the sky, and the first faint touches of Spring's greenery begin to show. It is a time of beginnings, a time when the first fields are plowed and prepared for the planting.

In many cultures this is also traditionally a time when signs are sought to fortell the next season's bounty. Most popular among these in Western culture is waiting to see if a snake or a groundhog,(both animals which hybernate during cold winters,) would leave their winter den, thereby predicting the length of the remaining Winter. Today we light a candle in every room in the house to chase away the darkness of winter anticipating the warmth of Spring. We cleanse and decorate our altars with the seasons first growth.

This day is Sacred, particularly to the Goddess Bride (Brid, Brigid, Brighid, Brigit, depending on your tradition), the Goddess of Smithcraft, Poetry, Magick, Fire and Light. In some traditions a dolly representing the Goddess is made from the seasons first greenery and carried by the family's youngest maiden from house to house to receive the blessings of the community. That evening, a basket is prepared called the Bride's bed. The dolly is placed in the basket and a white wand is placed in her hand. The basket is then set on the previously smoothed ashes of the hearth until morning. The next day if the ashes are disturbed the Goddess has blessed the house with prosperity for the coming warmer months. If the ashes are not disturbed, it was taken to mean that the Goddess was offended, and an offering must be buried in the ground where two streams meet.

The Wheel turns, and the Sun is gaining strength, as the young God keeps pace. The Goddess renews herself at the Well of Eternal Life, casting aside all memory of the Darkness of Winter, and is once again the Young Maiden. She is again wild and free, cavorting and playing through the budding growth of creation with the God, both of them full of the energy and potential of Life.

How to Decorate a Wiccan Yule Altar

As Yule approaches, Pagan people's religious focus goes from death to life.

 Yule is a festive celebration of light, the sun, 

rebirth and nature, and the decorations on your altar should 

capture that merriment with rich colors,

 scents, evergreens and lots of lights.

 Even if you have not collected any Wiccan ritual tools yet,

 you can still have a beautiful and meaningful Yule altar with objects 

and decorations that are easy to find at this time of year.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Altar cloth of green, red or gold
• Red, Orange, Yellow or Gold pillar candle
• Evergreen branches
• Additional candles
• String of Christmas lights
• Forest animal figurines
• Cinnamon essential oil
• Citrus
• Crystals or icicle decorations
• Wiccan tools (optional)

1. 1
   Set up your Yule altar facing north, the direction that aligns with the season of Winter. Drape it with an altar cloth, scarf, sheet or piece of scrap fabric in one of the primary seasonal color: green, red or gold.
2. 2
   Set a cauldron, or some other festive bowl or vessel on the center of the altar. Place a pillar candle into it that is gold, red, yellow or orange--any solar color. The cauldron, or any such vessel, is a symbol of the Goddess' womb. The candle is a symbol of the Sun God being reborn at Yule. If you like, make solar symbols on the candle with paint or glitter to make it special and set it apart from the rest. Rub the candle with cinnamon oil. Leave it unlit until your begin your ritual observance, or until sunset on the eve of the solstice.
3. 3
   Place evergreens on the altar. This can be branches cut from a tree or found at a Christmas tree lot, a small potted evergreen, or imitation evergreen garland pinned around the side of the altar in a scalloped design.
4. 4
   Hang a string of Christmas lights above the altar. Hang additional evergreens or ornaments if you wish to make your altar the focal place in the room.
5. 5
   Add additional candles and any Wiccan tools that you may have to your altar, in an arrangement that pleases you. Place a bowl of citrus fruit, which with their bright orange and yellow colors represent the sun. Other things associated with the season are nuts, pine cones, acorns, holly, bayberry, or mistletoe that can also be scattered on the altar or placed in a pretty bowls. To represent the winter snow, use clear quartz crystals or icicle ornaments.
6. 6
   Place symbols of forest animals on the altar, as this is the season for nature's rebirth. Stags are especially meaningful as they are symbols of the Wiccan God. Snow birds, squirrels, and any other furry woodland creatures are also appropriate. Remember that your altar should be meaningful to you, so any other items that represent the season to you will be a nice addition.

   
   

   I thought that this might help anyone you was looking for some ideals for there alter, so I hope this help...Blessing )0(
   

   
   

Samhain Lore (October 31st)

Samhain Lore (October 31st)  Samhain, (pronounced SOW-in, SAH-vin, or SAM-hayne) means "End of Summer", and is the third and final Harvest. The dark winter half of the year commences on this Sabbat. It is generally celebrated on October 31st, but some traditions prefer November 1st. It is one of the two "spirit-nights" each year, the other being Beltane. It is a magical interval when the mundane laws of time and space are temporarily suspended, and the Thin Veil between the worlds is lifted. Communicating with ancestors and departed loved ones is easy at this time, for they journey through this world on their way to the Summerlands. It is a time to study the Dark Mysteries and honor the Dark Mother and the Dark Father, symbolized by the Crone and her aged Consort. Originally the "Feast of the Dead" was celebrated in Celtic countries by leaving food offerings on altars and doorsteps for the "wandering dead". Today a lot of practitioners still carry out that tradition. Single candles were lit and left in a window to help guide the spirits of ancestors and loved ones home. Extra chairs were set to the table and around the hearth for the unseen guest. Apples were buried along roadsides and paths for spirits who were lost or had no descendants to provide for them. Turnips were hollowed out and carved to look like protective spirits, for this was a night of magic and chaos. The Wee Folke became very active, pulling pranks on unsuspecting humans. Traveling after dark was was not advised. People dressed in white (like ghosts), wore disguises made of straw, or dressed as the opposite gender in order to fool the Nature spirits. This was the time that the cattle and other livestock were slaughtered for eating in the ensuing winter months. Any crops still in the field on Samhain were considered taboo, and left as offerings to the Nature spirits. Bonfires were built, (originally called bone-fires, for after feasting, the bones were thrown in the fire as offerings for healthy and plentiful livestock in the New Year) and stones were marked with peoples names. Then they were thrown into the fire, to be retrieved in the morning. The condition of the retrieved stone foretold of that person's fortune in the coming year. Hearth fires were also lit from the village bonfire to ensure unity, and the ashes were spread over the harvested fields to protect and bless the land. Various other names for this Greater Sabbat are Third Harvest, Samana, Day of the Dead, Old Hallowmas (Scottish/Celtic), Vigil of Saman, Shadowfest (Strega), and Samhuinn. Also known as All Hallow's Eve, (that day actually falls on November 7th), and Martinmas (that is celebrated November 11th), Samhain is now generally considered the Witch's New Year. Symbolism of Samhain: Third Harvest, the Dark Mysteries, Rebirth through Death. Symbols of Samhain: Gourds, Apples, Black Cats, Jack-O-Lanterns, Besoms. Herbs of Samhain: Mugwort, Allspice, Broom, Catnip, Deadly Nightshade, Mandrake, Oak leaves, Sage and Straw. Foods of Samhain: Turnips, Apples, Gourds, Nuts, Mulled Wines, Beef, Pork, Poultry. Incense of Samhain: Heliotrope, Mint, Nutmeg. Colors of Samhain: Black, Orange, White, Silver, Gold. Stones of Samhain: All Black Stones, preferably jet or obsidian.

Witches at Halloween

Halloween is the witches favourite time of year.  On the night of Samhain, 31st October, witches gather in their coven.  The purpose of this meeting is to weave spells;  for examples witches cast spells to sever sour relationships and end bad situations.  If possible witches should create such destructive spells during the waning phase of the moon.

While the three witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth were concerned with predicting the future (Double, double toil and trouble).  At Halloween, a coven of witches traditionally focuses their attention on the spirits of the dead.  Indeed, this is where the black cat comes into the legend, for it is believed that a witch can turn into a black cat and thus freely enter the spirit world. 

Witches use the powers of the waxing moon to improve the efficacy of good luck spells.  For example, they use white candles for positive energy and green candles for healing.  Here is a witches spell to cure nightmares: repeat this incantation 13 times:

'Red leaves, gift from earth,
Birth to death and death to birth,
Keep all evil far away,
Day to night and night to day.'

Here is a famous witches poem - The Witching Hour by John Keats

Tis the witching hour of night,
Or bed is the moon and bright,
And the stars they glisten, glisten,
Seeming with bright eyes to listen
For what listen they?

Wrong Name (Halloween Joke)

Wrong Name
One Halloween night, two friends were walking through a graveyard, where they were frightened to death as they heard a tap-tap-tapping noise from a grave. When they approached the grave cautiously, they were relieved to see an old man with a hammer and chisel working dexterously at one of the headstones. They heaved a sigh of relief and said to the old man, "Why are you working so late this night, old man. You almost scared us to death. The old man groaned and grumbled, "What am I to do? Those fools misspelled my name!"