Here is some information on the Sabbats that has been posted to the list:
Lammas|Litha|Yule|Celebrating the Seasons|Samhain Superstitions and omens | Samhain |Yule Lore|Mabon and Ostara|Samhain and Beltane|
Lammas|Litha|Yule|Celebrating the Seasons|Samhain Superstitions and omens | Samhain |Yule Lore|Mabon and Ostara|Samhain and Beltane|
Lughnasadh or Lammas August 1st-
This is the time of the first harvest, when the spring plants are ripe and drop their seeds. At this time the God begins to weaken as the sun rises further in the south each day and nights begin to grow longer.
This holiday was not originally
observed on the 1st, it used to coincide with the
first day of harvest. This
is a time for remembering the warmth of summer as it
begins its passing. It is also
the time for reflection on the fact that nothing in nature is constant
and as this holds true for nature it also holds true for us.
There are eight festivals that
are celebrated about every six weeks which divide the Pagan year.
The organisation of these holidays
is also known as the Wheel of the Year, a phrase which
emphasises the cyclical nature
of the Pagan view of life. The next of these holidays is the
Summer Solstice, otherwise
known as Midsummer or Litha (an ancient Celtic holiday). The
equinoxes and solstices form
the four lesser holidays of the Pagan festival calendar. They are
often referred to as the Lesser
Sabbats. Also in keeping with close ties to nature, the date of this holiday
varies from year to year, being determined by astronomical events rather
than by a calendar. Litha falls on the day when we experience the longest
amount of daylight and the shortest night of the year. Just as Yule (see
below) was adopted by the Christian Church (celebrated as Christmas), so
too was the Midsummer holiday, celebrated as the feast of John the Baptist
(June 24th).
Litha is the celebration of
the God, especially in his aspect as the Sun God, who has reached the
height of his power at this
time. It is partly for this reason that Litha is considered a fire festival.
It is a time of fertility and a time for the working of strong magick.
The Goddess too is also at the height of her powers during the longest
day of the year. Bonfires representing the Sun were lit to rouse love,
purification, health and fertility. The season between the planting and
the harvest, June is also the "traditional" month for handfastings and
weddings. However, there is also a literal other side to this story!
Yule or Midwinter in Australia While Pagans in the Northern Hemisphere
are celebrating Midsummer, those of us way down south are celebrating Midwinter
or Yule because the Wheel of the Year in Australia turns differently. This
poses many problems for Australian Pagans. While our Northern cousins can
decorate their houses with holly and brightly lit trees to celebrate
Yule, which falls at the same time as Christmas, those of us in Australia
don't have that ability to blend in. Here Yule falls in mid-June and doesn't
line up with any major mainstream holiday. People deal with this in different
ways. In Yule in Australia, a Pagan Alliance member explains how Christmas
and Midsummer are a time for family while the celebration of Yule is a
much more personal time. A time to experience the God and Goddess. The
juxtaposition of seasons in relation to holidays has always been
obvious in Australia. In a country where any snow is a rarity, traditional
Northern Hemisphere images of snow, reindeer and fur-clad Santas in the
middle of a scorching Australian summer just seem silly! Spiritually,
Pagans see Yule as both the time of greatest darkness and the longest night
of the year and as the time of the birth of a "Divine King." Since the
Sun is considered to represent the Male Divinity in many Pagan Traditions,
this time is celebrated as the "return of the Sun God" where He is reborn
of the Goddess.
The issue of when to celebrate
the Sabbats is a complicated one. Many chose to follow the
Northern dates, seeing it as
an important way to keep in contact with ancestors and tradition.
Butothers, including myself, feel that as a nature-based religion, it
must follow a cycle of celebrationthat is dictated by the seasons of the
land that we inhabit. It is for these reasons that I wish all amerry
Yule and joyous Litha!
December
21-23 (the Winter Solstice). The Winter Solstice is associated with thebirth
of the "Divine King" the Sun god. His light begins to grow at this time.Although
still young and weak, the days are getting longer now. This is the time
forfamily. The traditional solstice tree comes from Germanic heritage,
to appease thegod of winter. It was decorated with lights to encourage
and honour the sun. Thetinsel was significgant to encourage the melting
of the snow, and it
was decoratedwith fruits of
the last harvest to give thanks and to ensure a bounty for the next
planting season. Colours for
this sabbat: Green and Red. Long before Christianity developed in the Roman
Empire, the Sun was considered to represent the Male God of many Pagan
raditions. Gwyl Canol Gaeaf celebrates the return of the Sun God, reborn
of the Goddess. It celebrates the
arrival of the sun or son which
also represents the light of the world.
Our tradition performs a ritual
where the dark half of the year fights a battle withthe light half of the
year. (Oak King vs the Holly King) We also repeat this battle atMidsummer.
These two battles mark the change of the seasons as one wins over theother.
The Holly King rules the Waning year; the Oak King, the Waxing Year. The
twobattle each other for dominance at Midsummers and Yule, respectively.
This rite is a symbolic reenactment of the sacrifice of a young male of
the tribe, to appease the gods who ruled the seasons. The Persian god Mithra
(also born at Midwinter), was a symbol of rejuvenation and light. In cold
climates, basic survival was based upon subsisting from one harvest
to the next; honoring the return of the
sun was believed to ensure
a bountiful crop, and healthy livestock. In the British Isles (the birthplace
of modern Witchcraft, and a region bursting with centuries of religious
conflict and mystery) many other rites and customs still exist that reflect
these "heathen" (heath-dweller, or country folk) ways of life. The observance
of the winter solstice was very significant in ancient
times. Since this date represented
the moment when the days would again become longer,
when light would return to
the land, the rural folk who faced lean times in winter had reason
to
be thankful. The use of candles
as decorations and ritual objects, dating from ancient times, clearly indicates
the importance of honoring the deities of light. The sun's return meant
spring was on its way,and with it, the birth of new animals to the flock,
and the softening of the soil tilled by our ancestors who lived as
animal herders and farmers. Their celebration of this date as a holy day,
when they worshipped and honored the sun as a deity, was an affirmation
of
their survival of the cold
months of winter. They subsisted on the dried meats of the animals they
slaughtered at Samhain, and what little produce they could preserve
from the final
harvest.
Some of our Christian friends
are surprised at how enthusiastically we celebrate the
'Christmas' season. We prefer
to use the word "Gwyl Canol Gaeaf" instead of Yule, and our festival is
held a few days before Christmas Day or the 25th, but we do follow many
of the traditional customs of the season: decorated trees, caroling, presents,
Yule logs, and mistletoe. We might even construct a 'Nativity scene'. But
for us, the three characters portrayed would be Mother Donn, Father Math,
and the Baby Hu.
As everyone has heard I am sure,
Christmas has always been more Pagan than Christian, with it's associations
of Celtic fertility rites and Roman Mithraism. That is why both Martin
Luther and John Calvin abhorred it, why the Puritans refused to acknowledge
it, much less celebrate it (to them, no day of the year could be more holy
than the Sabbath), and why it was even made ILLEGAL in Boston! The holiday
was already too closely associated with the birth of older
Pagan gods and heroes. And
many of them (like Oedipus, Theseus, Hercules, Perseus, Jason,
Dionysus, Apollo, Mithra, Horus
and even Arthur) possessed a narrative of birth, death, and resurrection
that was uncomfortably close to that of Jesus. And to make matters worse,
many of them pre-dated the Christian Savior.
Ultimately, of course, the holiday
is rooted deeply in the cycle of the year. It is theWinter Solstice that
is being celebrated, seed-time of the year, the longest night andshortest
day. It is the birthday of the new Sun King, the Son of God -- by whatever
name you choose to call him. On this darkest of nights, the Goddess becomes
the Great Mother and once again gives birth. And it makes perfect poetic
sense that on the longest night of the winter, 'the dark night of our souls',
there springs the new spark of hope, the Sacred Fire, the Light of the
World, the Coel
Coeth. That is why Pagans have
as much right to claim this holiday as Christians. Perhaps
even more so, as the Christians
were rather late in laying claim to it, and tried morethan once to reject
it. There had been a tradition in the West that Mary bore thechild Jesus
on the twenty-fifth day, but no one could seem to decide on the month.Finally,
in 320 C.E., the Catholic Fathers in Rome decided to make it December,
inan effort to co-opt the Mithraic celebration of the Romans and the Yule
celebrations of the Celts and Saxons.
There was never much pretense
that the date they finally chose was historically accurate. Shepherds just
don't 'tend their flocks by night' in the high pastures in the dead of
winter! But if one wishes to use the New Testament as historical evidence,
this reference may point to sometime in the spring as the time of Jesus'
birth. This is because the lambing season occurs in the spring and that
is the only time when shepherds are likely to 'watch their flocks by night'
-- to make sure the lambing goes well. Knowing this, the Eastern half of
the Church continued to
reject December 25,preferring
a 'movable date' fixed by their astrologers according to the moon.
Thus, despite its shaky start (for over three centuries, no one knew when Jesus wassupposed to have been born!), December 25 finally began to catch on. By 529, it wasa civic holiday, and all work or public business (except that of cooks, bakers, or anythat contributed to the delight of the holiday) was prohibited by the EmperorJustinian. In 563, the Council of Braga forbade fasting on Christmas Day, and fouryears later the Council of Tours proclaimed the twelve days from December 25 toEpiphany as a sacred, festive season. This last point is perhaps the hardest to impress upon the modern reader, who is lucky to get a single day off work. Christmas, in the Middle Ages, was not a SINGLE day, but rather a period of TWELVE days, from December 25 to January 6. The Twelve Days of Christmas, in fact. It is certainly lamentable that the modern world has abandoned this approach, along with the popular Twelfth Night celebrations.
Of course, the Christian version
of the holiday spread to many countries no faster than Christianity itself,
which means that 'Christmas' wasn't celebrated in Ireland until the late
fifth century; in England, Switzerland, and Austria until the seventh;
in Germany until the eighth; and in the Slavic lands until the ninth and
tenth. Not that these countries lacked their own mid-winter celebrations
of Yuletide. Long before the world had heard of Jesus, Pagans had been
observing the season by bringing in the Yule log, wishing on it, and lighting
it from the
remains of last year's log.
Riddles were posed and answered, magic and rituals were practiced,
wild boarswere sacrificed and consumed along with large quantities of liquor,
corn dollies werecarried from house to house while caroling, fertility
rites were practiced (girlsstanding under a sprig of mistletoe were
subject to a bit more than a kiss), and divinations were cast for the coming
Spring. Many of these Pagan customs, in an appropriately watered-down
form, have entered the mainstream of Christiancelebration, though most
celebrants do not realize (or do not mention it, if they do) their origins.
For modern Witches, Yule (from
the Anglo-Saxon 'Yula', meaning 'wheel' of theyear) is usually celebrated
on the actual Winter Solstice, which may vary by a fewdays, though it usually
occurs on or around December 21st. It is a Lesser Sabbat or Lower Holiday
in the modern Pagan calendar, one of the four quarter-days of the year,
but a very important one. his year (1988) it occurs on December 21st at
9:28 am CST. Pagan customs are still enthusiastically followed. Once, the
Yule log had been the center of the celebration. It was lighted on the
eve of the
solstice (it should light on
the first try) and must be kept burning for twelve hours, for good luck.
It should be made of ash. Later, the Yule log was replaced by the Yule
tree but, instead of burning it, burning candles were placed on it. In
Christianity, Protestants might claim that Martin Luther invented the custom,
and Catholics might grant St. Boniface the honor, but the custom can demonstrably
be traced back through the Roman Saturnalia all the way to ancient Egypt.
Needless to say, such a tree should be cut down rather than purchased,
and should be disposed of by burning, the proper way to dispatch any sacred
object. Along with the evergreen, the holly and the ivy and the mistletoe
were important plants of the season, all symbolizing fertility and everlasting
life. Mistletoe was especially venerated by the Celtic Druids, who cut
it with a golden sickle on the sixth night of the moon, and believed it
to be an aphrodisiac. (Magically -- not medicinally! It's highly toxic!)
But aphrodisiacs must have been the smallest part of the Yuletide menu
in ancient times, as contemporary reports indicate
that the tables fairly creaked
under the strain of every type of good food. And drink! The most
popular of which was the 'wassail
cup' deriving its name from the Anglo-Saxon term'waes hael' (be whole
or hale).
Medieval Christmas folklore
seems endless: that animals will all kneel down as the Holy Night arrives,
that bees hum the '100th psalm' on Christmas Eve, that a windy Christmas
will bring good luck, that a person born on Christmas Day can see the Little
People, that a cricket on the hearth brings good luck, that if one opens
all the doors of the house at midnight all the evil spirits will depart,
that you will have one lucky month for each Christmas pudding you sample,
that the tree must be taken down by Twelfth Night or bad luck is sure to
follow, that 'if
Christmas on a Sunday be, a
windy winter we shall see', that 'hours of sun on Christmas Day, so many
frosts in the month of May', that one can use the Twelve Days of Christmas
to predict the weather for each of the twelve months of the coming year,
and so on. Remembering that most Christmas customs are ultimately based
upon older Pagan customs, it only remains for modern Pagans to reclaim
their lost traditions. In doing so, we can share many common customs with
our Christian friends, albeit with a slightly different interpretation.
And thus we all share in the
beauty of this most magical
of seasons, when the Mother Goddess once again gives birth to the baby
Sun-God and sets the wheel in motion again. To conclude with a long- overdue
paraphrase, 'Goddess bless us, every one!'
Lore and Rituals
by: Selena Fox
Excerpts from a work
in progress by Selena Fox
The Solstices, Equinoxes,
and mid-points between, also known as the Cross Quarters, have been
celebrated by a variety of Nature peoples around the world and across
the ages. Today, Wiccans and other Pagans often blend together ancient
as well as contemporary approaches to celebrating these seasonal
festivals. For each of these holidays, I get a brief overview and
share some associated customs. I have had direct experience will
all of these. The
Sabbat cycle I describe
here reflects the climate zone in the Northern hemisphere where I
live as well as my own multi-cultural spiritual approach with a Wiccan
emphasis. Feel free to adapt these customs to reflect your own environment
and spiritual path. Wheel of the Year: Circle of Sun and Seasons
Study Group Guide for Pagan Paths Workshop
© 1995, Selena Fox, PO Box 219, Mt. Horeb, WI 53572 USA; [email protected]
Samhain
Also called: Halloween,
All Hallows Eve, All Saints & All Souls, Day of the Dead
dates: October 31, early
November
colors: black, orange,
indigo
tools: votive candles,
magic mirror, cauldron, pumpkins, divination tools
energy: death & transformation;
Wiccan new year
goddesses: Crone, Hecate
gods: Horned Hunter,
Cernnunos, Anubis
rituals: honoring ancestors,
releasing old, foreseeing future, understanding death and rebirth
customs: jack o'lanterns,
spirit plate, ancestor altar, divination, costumes
Winter
Solstice
Also called: Yule, Jul,
Saturnalia, Christmas, solar/secular New Year
dates: around December
21 colors: red, green, white
tools: mistletoe, evergreen
wreath, lights, gifts, holly, Yule log, Yule tree
energy: regeneration
& renewal
goddesses: Great Mother,
Isis, Mary, Tonazin, Lucina, Bona Dea
gods: Sun Child, Horus,
Jesus, Mithras, Santa/Odin, Saturn, Holly King
rituals: personal renewal,
world peace, honoring family & friends
customs: wreaths, lights,
gift-giving, singing, feasting, resolutions
Candlemas
Also called: Imbolc,
Oimelc, Brigid's Day; merged with Lupercalia/Valentines Day
dates: February 2, early
February
colors: white, red
tools: candles, seeds,
Brigid wheel, milk
energy: conception, initiation,
inspiration
goddesses: Brigid, Maiden
gods: Groundhog, other
creatures emerging from hibernation; young Sun
rituals: creative inspiration,
purification, initiation, candle work, house & temple blessings
customs: lighting candles,
seeking omens of Spring, cleaning house, welcoming Brigid
Spring
Equinox
Also called: Ostara,
St. Patrick's Day, Easter
dates: around March 21
colors: green, yellow
tools: eggs, basket,
green clothes
energy: birthing, sprouting,
greening
goddesses: Ostara, Kore,
Maiden
gods: Hare, Green Man
rituals: breakthrough,
new growth, new projects, seed blessings
customs: wearing green,
egg games, new clothes, egg baskets
Beltane
Also called: May Eve,
May Day, Walspurgis Night
dates: April 30, early
May
colors: rainbow spectrum,
blue, green, pastels, all colors
tools: Maypole &
ribbons, flower crowns, fires, bowers, fields
energy: youthful play,
exhuberance, sensuality, pleasure
goddesses: May Queen,
Flora
gods: May King, Jack
in the Green
rituals: love, romance,
fertility, crop blessings, creativity endeavors
customs: dancing Maypole,
jumping fire, mating, flower baskets
Summer
Solstice
Also called: Midsummer,
Litha, St. John's Day
dates: around June 21
colors: yellow, gold,
rainbow colors
tools: bonfires, Sun
wheel, Earth circles of stone energy: partnership
goddesses: Mother Earth,
Mother Nature
gods: Father Sun/Sky,
Oak King
rituals: community, career,
relationships, Nature Spirit communion, planetary wellness
customs: bonfires, processions,
all night vigil, singing, feasting, celebrating with others
Lammas
Also called: Lughnassad
dates: August 2, early
August
colors: orange, yellow,
brown, green
tools: sacred loaf of
bread, harvested herbs, bonfires
energy: fruitfulness,
reaping prosperity
goddesses: Demeter, Ceres,
Corn Mother
gods: Grain God, Lugh,
John Barleycorn
rituals: prosperity,
generosity, continued success
customs: offering of
first fruits/grains, games, country fairs
Fall
Equinox
Also called: Mabon, Michaelmas
dates: around September
21
colors: orange, red,
brown, purple, blue
tools: cornucopia, corn,
harvested crops
energy: appreciation
& harvest
goddesses: Bona Dea,
Land Mother
gods: Mabon, Sky Father
rituals: thanksgiving,
harvest, introspection
customs: offerings to
land, preparing for cold weather, bringing in harvest
Mirror Superstitions:
Many people in various parts of the world consider it to be extremely unlucky to look at their reflection in a mirror by candlelight on Samhain.
Many people also believe that mirrors are the gateways to the other worlds, and cover mirrors with black cloths to keep the gateway closed.
Candle Superstitions:
A burning candle placed inside
a hollowed out pumpkin or jack-o-lantern on Samhain works to keep evil
spirits and demons at bay.
For good luck, burn black and orange candles on Samhain. Black and Orange are the traditional colors of Samhain and Halloween. On this day their magickal vibrations are at their peak.
If a candle should suddenly go out by itself on Samhain, as thought being blown out by wind or by breath, this is said to be a sign that a ghost has come to call.
Always burn new candles at Samhain
to ensure the best of luck. Likewise, its s not a good idea to burn Samhain
candles at any other time of the year. To do so may cause you to experience
bad luck and/or strange happenings over
which you will have no control.
Gazing into the flame of a candle on Samhain will enable you to peer into the future. Many witches traditionally scry candle flames on Samhain to receive clairvoyant visions.
It is believed that if a person lights a new orange-colored candle at midnight on Samhain and lets it burn until the sun rises, he or she will be the recipient of good luck. However, according to an old legend from Europe, any person who bakes bread or journeys after sunset on Samhain (Halloween) runs the risk of conjuring forth bad luck in great abundance.
Halloween Moon Omens:
If the moon is new on Samhain, this indicates that the coming year will be fertile ground for new beginnings to take place, such as the start of a new project, a new career, or even a new way of thinking. For those desiring children, a new moon at Samhain is a lucky omen, indicating a new birth within a year's time.
If the moon is waxing on Samhain, this indicates good luck throughout the coming year. It also indicates growth and an increase of all things that are positive nature.
If the moon is full on Samhain, this ensures the that the powers of all forms of magick and divination practiced on this night will be at their greatest. A secret wish made at midnight will be realized within the coming year., and do not be surprised if an experienced of a psychic nature awaits you in the very near future.
If the moon is waning on Samhain,
this can be an omen of either good or bad consequences. It can indicate
the elimination of such things as bad habits, unhealthy relationships and
obstacles within the coming year. Or it can
point to a decrease (such as
in one's health) or a loss of some kind soon to take place.
If the moon is in the dark phase
on Samhain, this is believed to be a very negative omen. Exercise
extreme caution in all of your endeavors within the next twelve months,
and it wouldn't hurt to protect yourself by wearing or
carrying any type of amulet
or talisman designed to ward off bad luck and misfortune.
On Samhain, the old King dies and the Crone Goddess mourns his passing for the next six weeks. The sun is at its lowest point on the horizon as measured by the ancient standing stones in Britain and Ireland; the reason that the Celts chose this sabbat rather than Yule as the end of the year. Samhain divides the year in half, winter and summer. It is the day on which the new year and winter begin together. It is a time of beginnings and endings. It is the last of the three harvest festivals, the harvest of meat.
It is also the day we honor
the dead. On this night, the veil between the worlds is thinnest.
The doors of the sidhe-mounds are open and neither human nor faery need
any magickal passwords to come and go. Our ancestors,
the blessed dead, are more
accessible, more approachable. Samhain is a day to commune with the
dead and a celebration of the eternal cycle of reincarnation.
ALTAR
Altar candles should be orange,
representing the magic of fire and the remaining fire in autumn leaves;
black, to absorb light and keep you warm for the coming winter; white,
to send out energy; silver and gold, representing the moon and sun.
Decorate with autumn leaves and flowers, gourds, squashes, corn. As this is the meat harvest, you may also include an animal talon, horn or feather.
HERBS
Rosemary, for remembrance of
our ancestors; mullein seeds, to project abundance for the new year; mugwort,
to aid in divination. At Samhain, witches give one another acorns as gifts.
During the Burning Times, giving someone an acord was a secret way of telling
him or her that you were a witch. Acorns are fruits of the oak, a
sacred tree to the Celts. They are symbols of protection, fertility, growth
and friendship.
STONES
Obsidian, smoky quartz, jet,
amber, pyrite, garnet, granite, clear quartz, marble, sandstone, gold,
diamond, ruby, hematite
SPELLS
At Samhain, cast spells to
keep negative things from your past (evil, harm, greed, corruption, betrayal)
out of your future. Cast spells to contact the dead and receive ancient
knowledge.
ACTIVITIES
Make resolutions, write them
on a piece of paper and burn them in the flame of a black candle. Bury
an apple or pomegranate in teh garden as food for spirits passing by on
their way to rebirth or the Summerlands. Do divinations for the coming
year. Make a besom to protect and purify your sacred space. Make a magick
wand from a branch of oak, holly, ash, rowan, birch, hazel, elm, hawthorne
or willow. This is a traditional time to make candles for the coming year.
FOOD
Meat dishes (especially pork),
rosemary, pumpkin dishes, apple dishes, turnips, nuts.
Yule, (pronounced EWE-elle) is when the dark half of the year relinquishes to the light half. Starting the next morning at sunrise, the sun climbs just a little higher and stays a little longer in the sky each day. Known as Solstice Night, or the longest night of the year, much celebration was to be had as the ancestors awaited the rebirth of the Oak King, the Sun King, the Giver of Life that warmed the frozen Earth and made her to bear forth from seeds protected through the fall and winter in her womb. Bonfires were lit in the fields, and crops and trees were "wassailed" with toasts of spiced cider.
Children were escorted from house to house with gifts of clove spiked apples and oranges which were laid in baskets of evergreen boughs and wheat stalks dusted with flour. The apples and oranges represented the sun, the boughs were symbolic of immortality, the wheat stalks portrayed the harvest, and the flour was accomplishment of triumph, light, and life. Holly, mistletoe, and ivy not only decorated the outside, but also the inside of homes. It was to extend invitation to Nature Sprites to come and join the celebration. A sprig of Holly was kept near the door all year long as a constant invitation for good fortune to pay visit to the residents.
The ceremonial Yule log was the highlight of the festival. In accordance to tradition, the log must either have been harvested from the householder's land, or given as a gift. it must never have been bought. Once dragged into the house and placed in the fireplace it was decorated in seasonal greenery, doused with cider or ale, and dusted with flour before set ablaze be a piece of last years log, (held onto for just this purpose). The log would burn throughout the night, then smolder for 12 days after before being ceremonially put out. Ash is the traditional wood of the Yule log. It is the sacred world tree of the Teutons, known as Yggdrasil. An herb of the Sun, Ash brings light into the hearth at the Solstice.
A different type of Yule log,
and perhaps one more suitable for modern practitioners would be the type
that is used as a base to hold three candles.
Find a smaller branch of oak
or pine, and flatten one side so it sets upright. Drill three holes in
the top side to hold red, green, and white (season), green, gold, and black
(the Sun God), or white, red, and black (the Great Goddess). Continue to
decorate with greenery, red and gold bows, rosebuds, cloves, and dust with
flour.
Deities of Yule are all Newborn Gods, Sun Gods, Mother Goddesses, and Triple Goddesses. The best known would be the Dagda, and Brighid, the daughter of the Dagda. Brighid taught the smiths the arts of fire tending and the secrets of metal work. Brighid's flame, like the flame of the new light, pierces the darkness of the spirit and mind, while the Dagda's cauldron assures that Nature will always provide for all the children.
Symbolism of Yule: Rebirth of the Sun, The longest night of the year, The Winter Solstice, Introspect, Planning for the Future.
Symbols of Yule: Yule log, or small Yule log with 3 candles, evergreen boughs or wreaths, holly, mistletoe hung in doorways, gold pillar candles, baskets of clove studded fruit, a simmering pot of wassail, poinsettias, christmas cactus.
Herbs of Yule: bayberry, blessed thistle, evergreen, frankincense holly, laurel, mistletoe, oak, pine, sage, yellow cedar.
Foods of Yule: cookies and caraway cakes soaked in cider, fruits, nuts, pork dishes, turkey, eggnog, ginger tea, spiced cider, wassail, or lamb's wool (ale, sugar, nutmeg, roasted apples).
Incense of Yule: Pine, cedar, bayberry, cinnamon.
Colors of Yule: red, green, gold, white, silver, yellow, orange.
Stones of Yule: rubies, bloodstones, garnets, emeralds, diamonds.
Activities of Yule: caroling, wassailing the trees, burning the Yule log, decorating the Yule tree, exchanging of presents, kissing under the mistletoe, honoring Kriss Kringle the Germanic Pagan God of Yule
Spellworkings of Yule: peace, harmony, love, and increased happiness.
Deities of Yule: Goddesses-Brighid, Isis, Demeter, Gaea, Diana, The Great Mother. Gods-Apollo, Ra, Odin, Lugh, The Oak King, The Horned One, The Green Man, The Divine Child, Mabon.
>From another list
This is some info from the Sabbat booklet I make http://www.obsidianstar.net (Gratuitous plug hehe)
Ostara
Ostara is celebrated at the
Spring Equinox, when day and night are equal. Ostara is sometimes called
"Eostar" (Named after the Goddess Eostre) from which we get "Easter"
(Although not if you are changing the seasons for the Southern Hemisphere,
as Ostara would then be celebrated in September, not in March). Ostara
celebrates renewed life in many forms; eggs, a symbol of
rebirth, are painted in bright
colours and used in sacred rites before being eaten. Baby animals, especially
chickens, ducks, and rabbits, are symbolic of the season. It celebrates
the returning fertility after the dormant winter months. It is customary
to take walks through parks, make daisy chains and celebrate nature.
Place a small pot plant on the Altar and decorate yourself with fresh flowers
during Ostara rituals. An Old Teutonic custom has people wearing
new clothes that they have made to Ostara festivals. A good time to plant
new crops. Ostara is a time to start anew. One traditional spell
to do a week before Ostara is to write down of all
injustices you have done to
family and friends. Spend the week trying to set them right and restore
balance. Pay back debts, apologise etc. When you have done
them, burn the paper and symbolically "wipe the slate clean". Keep an acorn
from the previous Mabon and plant it at Ostara. This represents that
which you wish to see grow with the turning of the Wheel of the Year.
A time of new beginnings.
Other names: Eostar, Spring
Equinox
Plants for Ostara: Daffodil,
Woodruff, Violet, Gorse, Olive, Peony, Iris, Narcissus, All spring flowers.
Foods for Ostara: Easter
Eggs to symbolise creation and fertility, Seeds, Pine Nuts, Sprouts, Leafy
Vegetables, Flowers (the edible ones), Honey, Eggs.
Stones: Ruby.
Colours: Light Green,
Lemon yellow, Pale pink.
Element: Fire.
Planet: Mars.
Zodiac: Aries.
Symbols: Easter Eggs,
Eggs, Rabbits, Lambs, Flowers, Things that are new or represent new beginnings
or fertility
Pagan belief: The Goddess
blankets the earth in fertility, the God and Goddess are both youthful.
Mabon
Mabon is celebrated at the Autumn
Equinox, when day and night are again equal. Mabon is the second (middle)
harvest and marks the mid point of Autumn. You might like to have a basket
of autumn leaves on the Altar to remind you of the things which were once
green and growing, dying off to make way for the new shoots. Some
say Mabon is the Pagan thanksgiving, others say it is Lughnassadh.
The equinoxes represent balance, as the day and night are equal, so therefore
the Goddess and God are at equal strength, which creates a balance in the
Yin and Yang energies. It was traditional to start making patchwork
quilts at Mabon, in preparation for the coming winter months. You
could make a patchwork pillowcase, cushion cover or tablecloth if you do
not wish to make a quilt. Mabon is a time for completion, abundance,
giving thanks and feasting. Take a walk in the wild places,
forests etc. Gather seedpods
and dried plants.
Other names:
Autumn equinox
Plants for Mabon: Hazel,
corn, Aspen, Acorns, Oak sprigs, Autumn leaves, Wheat stalks, Cypress cones,
Pine cones.
Foods for Mabon: Grains,
fruit, vegetables, corn, corn bread, beans, cider, harvest foods.
Stones: Emerald, Jade.
Colours: Autumn colours,
Red, Orange, Yellow, Brown.
Element: Air.
Planet: Venus.
Zodiac: Libra.
Pagan beliefs: The Goddess
is the mother of Earth, God is a shadowy presence
Samhain
Samhain Goddesses - Cerridwen,
Eris, Bast, Cailleach, Cassandra, Fortuna, Frigga, Innana, Kali, Macha,
Mari, Psyche, Hecate, Ishtar, Lilith, The Morrigan, Rhiannon.
Samhain Gods - Hades, Horned
God, Loki, Pluto, Woden, Kronos, Odin, Sekhet.
Samhain celebrates the eve of
the Celtic New Year. It is also known as the "Festival of the Dead",
because Samhain is a time to honour the Spirit world. This is a time
to reflect the cycle of Life and Death. Samhain is the festival of the
final harvest and marks the beginning of Winter (by traditional reckoning).
It was believed that any foods left uncut in the fields after Samhain would
be taken by the Phookas (nasty hob-goblins) . Samhain is Gaelic and means
"Summer's End". In ancient times the day began
at sunset, which is why many
Pagan festivals start on the last day of a month - as they would
begin the celebration at sunset. As the darkness symbolised a beginning
rather than an ending, the darkness in Pagan festivals and traditions is
usually thought to be a beginning also. At Samhain the veil between
the spirit realm and the realm of man is at its weakest, and it is a good
time for all sorts of magic, divination, and inner workings.
It is customary to leave a plate of food outside your house for the souls
of the dead as they journey to the underworld, or to bury an apple as a
symbolic gesture to feed the souls who are travelling to the underworld.
It is also customary to light a candle/lantern and place it in a window
to help guide the Souls of the dead in their journey. Some typical
Samhain activities are bobbing for apples, scrying, making masks, visiting
graves and making Jack-o-lanterns. Bobbing for apples is actually a prosperity/fertility
custom. If you catch one it was believed that a soul of your soul
would enter the apple, and you could either eat it for prosperity, or bury
it to give continued bounty to the fields over the winter. Mask making
was possibly done to frighten off evil spirits, or as a form of sympathetic
magick to aid the travelling souls. Jack-o-Lanterns were first made
in Ireland, where they were used while travelling to frighten off evil
spirits that followed the deceased loved ones, blocking their entry into
the land of the dead. It is a time for remembering those who have
passed over. Some Pagans consider Samhain to be the most sacred of
all Sabbats.
Other names: Halloween,
All Hallow's Eve, The Feast of the Dead.
Plants for Samhain: Chrysanthemum,
Wormwood, Apples, Pears, Hazel, Thistle, Pomegranates, All grains, Harvested
fruits and Nuts, Pumpkin, Corn, Marigold.
Foods for Samhain: Beets,
Turnip, Apples, Squash, Corn, Nuts, Cider, Gingerbread, Mulled wine, Pumpkin
dishes, Meat dishes, Pomegranates.
Stones: Ruby.
Colours: Red, black,
orange.
Planet: Mars.
Zodiac: Scorpio.
Pagan Beliefs: Time to
say Farewell to the God. God is now Lord of the
Underworld, the Goddess is
a crone
Beltane Goddesses - Aphrodite,
Artemis, Diana, Rhea, Cybele, Erzulie, Freya, Rhiannon, Shiela-na-gig,
Venus.
Beltane Gods - Bel, Cernunnos,
Cupid, Frey, Orion, Puck, Faunus, Herne, Odin, Pan.
Beltane - From the Sabbats booklet by Obsidian Star*
Beltane is the beginning of
Pagan's Summer. Beltane is the opposite of Samhain and is known as
the Festival of Life. Beltane (which is also spelled Beltaine or
Bealteinne) comes from the Gaelic word "La Bealteinne" (pronounced
"Law BALL-tuh-nuh), and refers to the sacred Balefires which were lit in
ancient times for the God Bel, or Belenos. Beltane celebrates the union
of Goddess and God which creates a child who is then born at Yule. Traditional
festivities include weaving and plaiting, as these symbolise union.
The May Pole is a Beltane tradition, with the ribbons representing Goddess
(white) and God (red). Women hold the red, men hold the white.
The red ribbons go clockwise and the white ribbons go anti-clockwise.
(Please note: I am not sure if this is reversed in the Southern hemisphere)
Morris dancing is also a traditional Beltane activity, using the Goddess
and God colours, and the bells are to drive away evil. At Beltane,
menstruating women would ride broomsticks (hobby horse style) across fields
to bring fertility to the crops. Beltane is a time of fertility,
so if you are wanting children, now is a good time to try to conceive.
But remember that fertility doesn't just include physical fertility (making
babies), fertility can be emotional fertility (Bringing to birth
what we wish for). It is
believed that if you wash your
face in the morning dew of Beltane morning it will increase beauty.
Other names: Walpugis, Walpurgisnacht,
May Day.
Plants for Beltane: Hawthorne,
honeysuckle, St Johns wort, Woodruff, All flowers.
Foods for Beltane: Dairy
foods, Marigold custard, Vanilla, Ice cream,
Oatmeal cakes.
Stones: Emerald, Jade.
Colours: Bright blue,
lavender, Warm pink, Lemon yellow, White, Red.
Element: Earth.
Planet: Venus.
Zodiac: Taurus.
Pagan belief: The young
God grows into manhood, the Goddess and God unite.
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