Ostara & the Vernal Equinox 2010

by with No Comment Celebrate The Season

Saturday, March 20, 2010 Ostara, The Spring Equinox
Sun enters Aries

Ostara is the of hope, joy and expectation. The seeds planted at Imbolc are showing the fist signs of new growth. The tender shoots still have so much potential for growth. It’s the time to look forward toward a bright future. The earth awakens from its slumber, not just on the astral, but on the physical. What was only a thought at Imbolc becomes tangible at Ostara.
It is the equinox, the time of balance between the light and the dark, where the cycle is about to tip into the realm of the light, more and more each day until the Summer Solstice.
this is also a time to share good fortune. The tradition of decorating eggs can be as intricate as the Ukrainian art of pysanky, with elaborate designs filled with meaning, or as simple as eggs decorated with runes. After having the eggs for decoration, immerse them in bowls of seasonal colors (blue, green, pink, yellow). Once the color has set and dried, use paint or colored markers to adorn them with runes such as Feoh (wealth, cattle), Gebo (gift), Wunjo (joy), and Sowilo (Sun). Distribute the eggs to family and friends, and, if you consume eggs and have hardboiled them before decorating them, eat them to ingest the good wishes for the coming cycle.
by Cerridwen Iris Shea

Source: Llewellyn’s Witches’ Datebook 2010

If you do not consume eggs and have decorated non-edible eggs, place them on the altar as an offering in appreciation for receiving the good wishes in the coming cycle.

Click Here for more information about Ostara: The Festival of Renewal

Autumn Comments & Graphics

September Treasures

by with No Comment Celebrate The Season


Autumn Comments & Graphics
~Magickal Graphics~

September brings not only times of change and relfection but also many reasons to engage in joyful celebration.
For those of us who look into the vibration numerology we welcome September 9, 2009 as an opening, an open door to the world of energy and unlimited possibilites. (day 9, month 9, year 2009)

2 + 0 + 0 + 9 = 11 1+1 = 2

9 + 9 + 9 = 27 2 + 7 = 9

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2: Balance, harmony, unions, partnership

9: Ending

999: Completion. This is the end if a big phase in your personal and global life. Also, it is a message to lightworkers invloved in Earth healing: “Get to work because Mother Earth needs you right now.” — Doreen Virtue, Healing With The Angels

Then on the 18th, as the New Moon fulfills the celestial plan to bless all that is new, it heralds the Autumnal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, which arrives on the 22nd, and in turn the Spring Equinox in the Southern H. How lucky are we to be here on this beautiful planet during these times of growth and transformation.

September 21st has become the International United Nations Day of Peace, and people all around the world gather to celebrate in their own ways to promote continued Peace on Earth.

The Second Harvest Festival

by with No Comment Celebrate The Season

Merry Mabon Everyone!!

As the season of autumn rolls in, keep a watchful eye on nature as she begins her big show of the year with all the blazing autumn colors. The faeries of the fall are busy now, adding color to the landscape, coaxing the last of the flowers to bloom, and painting dewdrops on the morning grass. Leave out a small saucer of milk on a fine autumn evening in gratitude for all the nature spirit’s hard a work as the harvest is gathered.

In agrarian times, the solar event known as Mabon was regarded as a harvest festival to prepare the second of crops for the looming winter months – a time to complete the harvest that began at Lammas.
In terms of the cycle of day and night, Mabon represents sunset, as the Sun retreats and night begins to dominate. Accordingly, contemporary Witches decorate their altars with autumn leaves, pine cones and acorns along with nuts and dried fruits as offerings to Goddess. As a time of balance, make time for introspection. Reflect on your deeds
and celebrate your achievements as the proverbial “fruits of your labor”. Think about initiating closure on issues or tasks that are taking a long time to complete, or removing things that no longer serve a purpose.
Traditionally, Mabon is a time to ease the transition from warmth and abundance to the harshness of winter. Whilst the weather is still mild, wash and air your warmer bedding to prepare for ultimate comfort in the weeks ahead. Do the same for your favorite coats and sweaters. You will feel totally organized and ready for the cooler, yet cozy part of the year! –by Emely Flak

Courtesy of Llewellyn Worldwide

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Mabon is a time of harvest and of celebration. For more about this magickal holiday, recipes for food and incense, activities and more Click Here
For a Harvest and Mabon Ritual Click Here

Mabon Wine Recipe

Blackberry Wine
Recipe by Edain McCoy

What you need:
– 2 & 1/2 pounds fresh Blackberries
– 3 cups Sugar
– 2 cups Hot Water

What to do:
– Let the berries set out in a large bowl for about four weeks, stirring them occasionally. The berries will get a rank smell and may begin to mold.
– With mortar and pestle, crush the berries into as smooth a pulp as possible. Stir in the sugar and then the water.
– Pour the wine into casks to ferment for eight to ten months. The longer it is kept the better it will be. The wine will have to be aired every few days to allow building gases to escape.
This wine has a gentle port-like flavor when finished.

Source: This ‘Blackberry Wine’ recipe is from “Witta: An Irish Pagan Tradition” by Edain McCoy, Llewellyn Publications, 1994