Yule (the Winter Solstice) occurs on December 21st and I am eager to have a slow paced holiday at home with family. We will be celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve this year so Yule will be a special holiday that is the low-key cousin to Christmas. I’ve got the Yule log ready to burn in the fire-pit (I hope it is cool weather as it has been a bit warm lately and even poured rain yesterday which is a rarity in Florida in the winter) and a delightful tapas type menu for the feast. Of course there will be spiced cider and delicious Christmas cookies (made by my sister-in-law who has been baking around the clock!).

This time of year isn’t the best for me personally since my husband passed away two years ago on December 22nd. Yule therefore has a dual meaning to me. At midnight I will commune with the Goddess and send a message to my love.

I’ve thrown myself into decorating and housekeeping this season which has been a peaceful distraction from what is an emotional time. I love to keep busy and the holidays are wonderful for that. I’m excited too of the upcoming Yule Prosperity Spell and the Chinese New Year’s Day Good Fortune Spell. Every Yule I create the candles I will use in the next year’s casting, so I will be doing that this Yule as well as completing the spells for this year. It is a powerful day for prosperity.

I will post pictures on Facebook and on mysticspells.com if you’d like to see my Amy Brown Faerie tree for this year and my other holiday decorations too. Hope your holidays are merry!

Yule Traditions

Yule, 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 sits 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.

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, 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.

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.

These Samhain Secrets will not be so secret since I am publishing them here! I thought you might like a rundown of how my holiday went.

It began at midnight on Saturday, which is when I cast the spells that I had for the Full Moon (which was yesterday) using Halloween as the ultimate power night for witchcraft. Even my regular spells were cast at this time. I made a big bonfire in the fire pit (even though it was kind of warm out) and cast everything, then came back in to re-charge and supposedly to take a nap before I started making the feast for Samhain later that night.

I was too keyed up to sleep so I did some reading (that is why I love my Kindle so much - anything I want to read is right at my fingertips) andso I chose a pretty scary book and stayed up late reading it. Perfectly Halloween oriented.

I finally did get some sleep and then awoke to make the feast. I baked a Scottish Pub Pie with potato and leek (delicious!), green bean casserole, yeast rolls and honey glazed baby carrots. What a meal! My sister-in-law brought her family favorite Spinach Veggie Dip and we had a delicious Cherry-Orange Punch and later with dessert, some mead.

We did the ritual after the feast (sometimes I do it before but felt like eating first this year - I was starving!) and then hung out a bit by the fire. It was a little cooler but still unseasonably warm but that was ok since to be outside when the moon was that glorious on Samhain was utter perfection.

The worst part of course is always clean-up after a feast and this I left till the next day. I was exhausted but felt so good and happy and haven’t felt this good in a long-time so it was very meaningful for me.

Fortunately we have a slight lag before the major holidays kick in - but two birthdays (my Mom and brother) then Thanksgiving, Yule and Christmas! Where did the year go?

Here are some other Samhain Secrets:
1. Dumb Supper

A dumb supper is a wonderful way to celebrate Samhain, especially if you are honoring someone in particular. There are many ways to do this. If you like, you can have dinner as usual, and simply leave an extra plate and dinner out for your “guests”. You can have dinner as usual, or perhaps talk to the person you are honoring. Laugh and joke with them, or ask them how they are doing. Another way is to have dinner completely in silence. This is a good opportunity to reflect on who you want to be having dinner with, and why. If you are honoring someone in particular, remember to make something that you know or think they might like.

The Dumb Supper:

In some Pagan and Wiccan traditions, it has become popular to hold a Dumb Supper in honor of the dead. In this case, the word “dumb” refers to being silent. The origins of this tradition have been fairly well debated — some claim it goes back to ancient cultures, others believe it’s a relatively new idea. Regardless, it’s one that’s observed by many people around the world.

When holding a Dumb Supper, there are a few simple guidelines to follow. First of all, make your dining area sacred, either by casting a circle, smudging, or some other method. Turn off phones and televisions, eliminating outside distractions.

Secondly, remember that this is a solemn and silent occasion, not a carnival. It’s a time of silence, as the name reminds us. You may wish to leave younger children out of this ceremony. Ask each adult guest to bring a note to the dinner. The note’s contents will be kept private, and should contain what they wish to say to their deceased friends or relatives.

Set a place at the table for each guest, and reserve the head of the table for the place of the Spirits. Although it’s nice to have a place setting for each individual you wish to honor, sometimes it’s just not feasible. Instead, use a tealight candle at the Spirit setting to represent each of the deceased. Shroud the Spirit chair in black or white cloth.

No one may speak from the time they enter the dining room. As each guest enters the room, they should take a moment to stop at the Spirit chair and offer a silent prayer to the dead. Once everyone is seated, join hands and take a moment to silently bless the meal. The host or hostess, who should be seated directly across from the Spirit chair, serves the meal to guests in order of age, from the oldest to youngest. No one should eat until all guests — including Spirit — are served.

When everyone has finished eating, each guest should get out the note to the dead that they brought. Go to the head of the table where Spirit sits, and find the candle for your deceased loved one. Focus on the note, and then burn it in the candle’s flame (you may wish to have a plate or small cauldron on hand to catch burning bits of paper) and then return to their seat. When everyone has had their turn, join hands once again and offer a silent prayer to the dead.

Everyone leaves the room in silence. Stop at the Spirit chair on your way out the door, and say goodbye one more time.

By Patti Wigington, About.com

2. Honoring the dead

How exactly do you honor the dead? Simple- remember them. Don’t let their memories fade. What do you know about them, what were they like, what did they do, what did they feel? Do you miss them? Tell them. Tell them you still love them. Talk about them and remember the person they were.

3. Bobbing for apples

Bobbing for apples?This wonderfully pagan activity is great for kids and adults alike. The tub of water (read: Cauldron of Renewal), and apples (read: Magickal Fruit) are perfect for the season. How long will it take you to catch your apple?

4. Carving a pumpkin/turnip

Okay, while carving ugly faces into pumpkins isn’t actually a pagan activity, it does have some roots there. The vegetable of choice used to be the turnip, however. But this is one tradition I’m glad has been adapted. (Have you ever tried to carve a turnip)? Anyway, the theory is that if you carve a scary face in to a lantern  then you will frighten away any spirits of the dead that mean harm. Friendly spirits, however, will recognize it as a lamp and will be welcome.

5. Divination

This is one of the times of year that the veil between the two worlds is thinnest. If you are planning on doing any divination work, this is probably the best time you will have until Beltane. Tarot, Runes, Scrying, pendulum, and any of the hundreds of other methods of divination are easier to read at this time.

From Keitha at www.glasstemple.com

At midnight tonight my Samhain began in earnest. I had decided to cast not just the special spells I was offering on this sabbat but all the spells I had for this time period. A little boost from the magickal power of Samhain can only enhance spell workings after all!

There are some witches who never do workings on sabbats but I have found that usually they add more power and focus to my workings. I will not spend all day or night casting however which is why I chose midnight to cast rather than later tonight when I will have my family Samhain party, feast and ritual. I like to kick back and relax with a glass of mead when all is said and done just like any other witch!

Needless to say it was a magickal casting!

I lit the fire in the fire pit even though we have been having some unseasonably warm temps right now. It was still cool enough to have a fire going and that plus the herbs I toss on the fire always gets me in the mood. I had some patchouli candles I made last year that I decided to burn set up on the perimeter of my sacred circle, so the smell was magnificent. Just the glow from the firelight and the moon above, with flickering candles against the black branches of the trees that shroud the yard was enough to evoke the true spirit of Samhain.

Once the casting was complete, I let the fire burn out a little before dousing it and took my candles and craft goods back inside. I usually have a piece of fruit and a beverage to help ground me after leaving the circle. I am always a bit peckish after such work.

Now I feel the energy drained from me and sleep curling at the edges of mind, like flame to a parchment. I’m still so excited about the holiday finally being here that it is difficult to consider sleep but I do have baking and preparations yet to do for tonights proper celebration.

I hope you all have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Bright Samhain Blessings to you all!

It is no secret that in the witchy world Samhain is the mack-daddy, grand celebration to end all celebrations. This is the Witches New Year and we take it very seriously (and also like to have fun too!).

I actually started thinking about Samhain at the beginning of the year. I knew I wanted to offer some special spells on that night (two new ones this year! check out mysticspells.com) and also wanted to craft an exciting feast and ritual night as well.

I have all kinds of neat things for the house. I usually do the dining room table up and the snack bar in the kitchen (which I use as the buffet) with candles and vintage inspired decorations. (Check out the Victorian Trading Company to see some of the cool stuff that I use to decorate.)

I also decorate the altar and get all my spells supplies together for the bonfire. One of the great things about living in Central Florida is that the weather is perfect for casting outside at this time of the year and I can get a great fire going in the fire-pit. This is where I do the ritual to mark the holiday and cast the spells for the night. It’s funny because everywhere people are dressing as witches on this night and there I am with my family in the backyard - real witches casting spells!

I usually wear my purple gown, all my most sacred ritual jewelry and my High Priestess torque. I do have a lovely cloak I like to wear sometimes but it is usually too heavy once I get the fire going. Zaliha (my best friend) knows this cape well since she taught me how to wear it during a special festival that was as muddy as the original Woodstock! With her help I never got a spot of mud on my cloak, though my boots were history.

During the year (except at other important sabbats) I rarely dress in my witch finery. I usually have a scaled down version of sacred objects and a special robe I wear for casting but often during the summer months it’s too hot and I just wear regular clothes. Putting on my jewelry always puts me in the right mood though. I have some items I wear that have been with me since my initiation and I have worn them for over 25 years.

The feast is probably the most exciting part of Samhain for the whole family. We drink mead, punch, and go all out with dinner, desserts and tons of candy!

A traditional feast we often have is Pub Pie (we do ours with root vegetables and onions since we don’t eat meat) which is based on the original Scottish pasty, Colcannon (delicious Irish dish made with cabbage and mashed potatoes), Irish soda bread,  mushy peas and Scotch Eggs (done with vegetarian sausage). I usually bake an apple pie and my sister-in-law will bring her famous peanut butter cookies (the best ever) and sometimes I might do a pumpkin cheesecake if I get really inspired.

One year we decided to have the feast catered and had wonderful platter of fruit, vegetables and dip, spinach dip in a rye bowl (another of my sister-in-laws best) and a huge platter of cold shrimp for those in the family who eat seafood. That was a really nice event since I didn’t have to spend hours in the kitchen before I had to do the rituals.

This year it will be a combination of catered and home-cooking as I am dying to have Pub Pie and we will have a full family gathering (though without my brother who will be at sea).  We’ll start the party around nine in the evening, do the spells and ritual at ten and then have our feast until the wee hours.

I’m really looking forward to it!

Today is the Autumn Equinox which I will celebrate with  - a day off!

The altar is already decorated with corn dollies, acorns, leaves and a mini cornucopia (the fruits are little and fake because I don’t want the kitties getting into it!) and three special candles that were made for me on the last Mabon by my dear friend Joanna Rowantree. They are special candles for this day, timed with the Equinox and crafted using the appropriate colors and herbs.I will light the candles tonight during the short Mabon ritual I do every year.

I don’t usually have a big feast on Mabon, since it often comes at a time when I have been very busy and need a break. It is not a “Greater” sabbat, but a lesser, so it is acceptable not to have a big hoopla. Plus I enjoy the quiet reflection that comes with  the gentle spirit of the day.

That’s not to say there will not be a nice dinner involved! I plan on making a harvest vegetable pie, chock full of fall flavors that I’ll serve with fresh bread and a wild rice pilaf. I do have my favorites for the holidays!

Here is more information about Mabon (I didn’t write this and would give credit to whomever did but could not find it!):

Mabon marks the Second Harvest, the end of the grain harvest (which begun at Lughnasadh), and rests on the Autumn Equinox. The Equinox mirrors dwindling of life (and eventual progression to rebirth), as well as the struggle for balance; day and night are equal for a single day.  This Sabbat can also be known as: the Second Harvest Festival, Feast of Avalon, Cornucopia, Wine Harvest, the Fall Equinox, Harvest Home, the Autumnal (or Autumn) Equinox, Festival of Dionysus, Alban Elfed (Caledonii, Druidic), Winter Finding (Teutonic), or Equinozio di Autunno (Strega). The full moon closest to the Autumn Equinox is called the Harvest Moon, and farmers would harvest their corps by this moonlight as part of the Second Harvest celebration.

Mabon is very much like Thanksgiving. Most of the crops have been reaped and abundance is more noticeable than ever. Mabon is the time when we reap the fruits of our labor and lessons, both crops and experiences. It is a time of joy, to celebrate that which is passing and it is a time to gaze into the bright future. We are reminded once again of the cyclic universe; endings are merely new beginnings. Natural energies are aligned towards protection, wealth, prosperity, security, and boosting self-confidence. Any spells or rituals centered around balance and harmony are appropriate.

In Greek mythology, Autumn begins as Persephone returns to the Underworld to live with Hades, her husband. The myth says that Demeter’s daughter, Kore, had taken a day to pick flowers in a meadow when the Earth opened up, and Hades pulled the girl into the Underworld to become his bride. Kore’s name became Persephone when she married Hades. For nine straight days, Demeter searched for Kore, with no success. In misery and despiration, Demeter questioned Helios, the Sun God, who informed her that her brother, Zeus, had given the girl to Hades. Furious, Demeter left Olympus to roam the Earth disguised as an old woman, ending up settled in her temple at Eleusis. Soon after, she cursed the Earth so it would yield no crops. Zues sent her a frantic message inquiring as to why she had prevented growth on the planet. She replied that there would be no regeneration of vegetation on the Earth until her daughter, Kore, was safely returned.

Zeus immediately dispatched Hermes into the Underworld to retrieve the girl. Hades, not wanting to relinquish his bride permanently, convinced Persephone to eat some pomegranate seeds before she returned to her mother, Demeter. Demeter was yet again distraught when she learned of this trickery! Finally, Zeus declared that Kore-Persephone would live with her mother during one half of the year and return to her husband, Hades, during the other half. In thanks, Demeter lifted the curse on the Earth, creating Spring. Every year hence, during her time of greatest sorrow, Demeter renews the curse, as her daughter returns to Hades and the Underworld.

Simple altar decorations can be obtained by taking a calm “pilgrimage” through your local woods and collecting leaves, acorns, berries, and other things symbolic of nature’s bounty. Going through your personal gardens with thanks and lovingly harvesting what is ready is also appropriate. Breads may be baked in the shape of the Sun, combining fruits or vegetables and grains, incorporating both of the major aspects of this Harvest. The seeds of various plants are stored through winter for replanting, and therefore, the plant’s rebirth in the Spring. A feast for friends and family always provides a cheerful abundance of energy and thanks.

• Foodstuffs: Grapes, Acorns, Wheat Bread, Goat, Indian Corn, Horn of Plenty, Cornbread, Corn, Root Crops (ie Onions, Carrots, Potatoes, etc.), Nuts, Dried Fruits, Apples, Beans, and Squash.

• Drinks: Wine, Ale, and Cider.

• Colors (for those who work with Candle Magick): Red, Deep Gold, Orange, Brown, Maroon, Violet, Russet, Yellow, and Indigo.

• Animals: Dogs, Wolves, Stag, Birds of Prey (especially the Blackbird, Owl, and Eagle), Salmon, and Goat.

• Mythical Creatures: Gnomes, Sphinx, Minotaurs, Cyclops, Andamans, and Gulons.

• Stones: Yellow Topaz, Carnelian, Sapphire, Yellow Agate, Lapis Lazuli, and Amethyst. Also, river or stream stones which have been submerged for the Summer may be used.

• Plants: Vines, Garlands (made of these various plants), Gourds, Pine Cones, Acorns, Wheat, Dried Leaves, Corn, Pomegranate, Ivy, Hazel, Hops, Cedar, and Tobacco.

• Herbs: Myrhh, Thistles, Tobacco, Oak Leaves, Hazel, Mums, Hops, Acorns, Marigold, Roses, Sage, Milkweed, Solomon’s Seal, Asters, Ferns, Honeysuckle, Benzoin, Passionflower, Pine, and Cedar.

• Incense would include: Aloes Wood, Cinnamon, Cloves, Benzoin, Jasmine, Frankincense, Myrrh, and Sage.

• Dieties: All wine Deities (especially Dionysus and Bacchus), the Mother aspect of the Triple Goddess, Persephone, Thor, Modron, Morgan, Snake Woman, Epona, Pamona, Muses, Mabon, Thoth, Hermes, Hotei, Harvest Deities, and Aging Deities.
  

Kickin’ back today - no work - all play. And baking! Bread, cookies. Tomorrow I will make soup to go with the leftover bread. It was a nice little celebration, sad that my brother and his wife (and my niece) had to miss it but they are picking up my brother’s mother-in-law to come live here with the whole family.

My brother Ray is the kind of guy who will drive 12 hours, move you out entirely on his own, drive 12 hours back and then move you in on his own too! Can you imagine what a slacker I feel like? Where does he get the energy? I hope everything goes smoothly and we cannot wait to have more family here!

I will be updating the site soon (the new design is still not ready) and I have a super special September spell (lots of alliteration there) that will be for sale this month. It is a once in a lifetime AND once in a millennium event. You will not want to miss it. A little sneak will tell you this: it makes wishes come true! Three of them no less! Like having a genie for your very own!

I admit to not being as interested in the sabbats this past year but it has been a somewhat stressful time. Normally we witches will take any situation as an excuse to celebrate (which is why we have eight sabbats every year) and I was always on the front lines planning, cooking, decorating and then feasting and having a good old fashioned witchy ritual to cap it off. I am well-known for my Samhain (Halloween) celebrations as well as Yule, Beltane and Midsummer. But alas my usual excitement for the sabbats has been supplanted lately by so many other concerns that it seemed almost vulgar to celebrate.

We did have a nice family Father’s Day celebration and Midsummer Eve Faerie walk on June 21st which was the first time in a long time that my family was together to do so. Usually it’s a much simpler affair. Sometimes there isn’t even a feast, just a quiet ritual bonfire and some lovely tea enjoyed by the herbacious smoke of the fire.

Years ago I celebrated every sabbat like clockwork, decorated my altars like mad, wove flower wreaths, made special wands, dried herbs and gathered flowers and cooked up a storm. Often you’d find me baking bread and oatcakes in the wee hours. I think it may have been the mead that always helped! (Ah, a witch and her mead - we shall never be parted!)

I resolve to finish this year (the witches new year begins at Samhain) with a renewed vigor in my celebratory creativity. Since there is only one more sabbat before Samhain, I will have to make it Lammas (also called Lughnassad) which is August 1st. Let me tell you more about it: (notes cribbed from themagiccalblend.com one of my favorite pagan goodies shops)

In the Wheel of the Year, Lughnassadh is the first of three harvest festivals, and although the days are still hot and sunny, they are growing ever shorter, marking the rapidly approaching winter season (which for the ancient Celts began at Samhain, our modern Halloween). Like Imbolc, its partner across the Wheel, Lughnassadh is a cross-quarter day, and as other cross-quarter holidays is celebrated from sunset the night before, as the Celts believed the days began with the vanishing of the sun as opposed to its rise.

( I must be honest here and say that only rarely do I do the night before thing. My family always celebrated the sabbat on the actual day except for Midsummer which was usually the night before and Samhain which is technically November 1st but we celebrate it obviously on All Hallows Eve.)

(This is my BIG BREAD BAKING HOLIDAY - I go nuts with bread on the sabbat. I bake bread, buy bread, butter it, toast it, make little loaves, big loaves, quick-breads, soda breads - sweet Goddess if you like bread - this is the holiday for you! Did I mention my favorite - GINGERBREAD? That’s a bread, sort of, right?)

Colors: Golden Yellow, Orange, Green, and Light Brown. (very harvesty)

Gemstones: Aventurine, Citrine, Peridot, Sardonyx, Cat’s Eye, Golden Topaz, Obsidian, Moss Agate, Rhodochrosite, Carnelian. (These stones would go on the altar.)

Decorations:  corn, sunflowers, orange & yellow flowers, sheaves of grain, first fruits & vegetables,  sickles, scythes, sacred loaf of bread, harvested herbs,  gold figures made of bread or dough, phalslic ymbols, Green Man images. (Usually I would dispense with the farm tools and phallic stuff - I like to think less of Lugh and more of the Goddess Ceres. I also never had a Green Man as part of the decorations because he didn’t seem harvest-like to me.)

Deities: Lugh (Celtic solar diety worshipped by ancient Druids), John Barleycorn (personification of malt liquor), Demeter, Ceres, Corn Mother, and all deities presiding over agriculture.

Foods & Offerings: Homemade breads, Barley Cakes, Crab Apples, Rice, Elderberry Wine, Ale, Beer, Meadowsweet Tea, Grains, Berry Foods and any locally ripe produce. (Bread, bread and more bread! I would make oatcakes too and we’d have this incredible brown rice casserole and drink ale and mead.)

Herbs: Cornstalks, Frankincense, Heather, Hollyhock, Oak Leaves, Heather, Blackberries, Sloe, Crab Apples, Pears, Goldenrod, Peony, Nasturtium, Clover Blossom, Yarrow, Heliotrope, Boneset, Vervain, Queen Anne’s Lace, Myrtle, Rose, Sunflower, Poppy, Milkweek, Irish Moss, Wheat, Rye, Oat, Barley, Rice, Garlic, Onion, Basil, Mint, Aloe, Acacia, Meadowsweet, Apple Leaf, Raspberry Leaf, Strawberry Leaf, Blueberry Leaf, Mugwort, Hops, Holly, Comfrey, Marigold, Ivy, Hazelnut, Blackthorn, Elder, Bee Pollen. (Many of these would be gathered and dried for the sabbat. In fact this year I will have a nice supply of vervain, myrtle, mugwort, comfrey and marigold.)

Scents: Wood Aloes, Rose, Rosehip, Rosemary, Chamomile, Eucalyptus, Safflower, Passion Flower, Frankincense, Sandalwood, Heliotrope, Elder. (My traditional Lammas incense blend is the following - sandalwood, rosewood, frankincense and aloeswood.)

Lammas Spells: At this time, witches cast spells for connectedness, career, health, and financial gain. Spells for abundance are completely appropriate now. (The main ritual is usually for health, harmony and prosperity.)

Concepts: harvest; family;  the bounty of the Earth; the diminishing power of the Sun God and the approach of the end of the witches year.

Midsummer is my favorite sabbat. It is special to us because we celebrate the faeries during Midsummer and take a Faerie Walk on Midsummer Eve. Here is more information on my favorite witchy holiday!

Midsummer (called Litha) is a celebration that has been observed for centuries, in one form or another. It is no surprise, then, that there are plenty of myths and legends associated with this time of year! (information from about.com)

• In England, rural villagers built a big bonfire on Midsummer’s Eve. This was called “setting the watch,” and it was known that the fire would keep evil spirits out of the town. Some farmers would light a fire on their land, and people would wander about, holding torches and lanterns, from one bonfire to another. If you jumped over a bonfire — presumably without lighting your pants on fire — you were guaranteed to have good luck for the coming year.
• It is believed in parts of England that if you stay up all night on Midsummer’s Eve, sitting in the middle of a garden, you will faeries.
• Residents of some areas of Ireland say that if you have something you wish to happen, you “give it to the pebble.” Carry a stone in your hand as you circle the Litha bonfire, and whisper your request to the stone — “heal my mother” or “help me be more courageous”, for example. After your third turn around the fire, toss the stone into the flames.
• Astrologically, the sun is entering Cancer, which is a water sign. Midsummer is not only a time of fire magic, but of water as well. Now is a good time to work magic involving sacred streams and holy wells. If you visit one, be sure to go just before sunrise on Litha, and approach the water from the east, with the rising sun. Circle the well or spring three times, walking deosil, and then make an offering of silver coins or pins.
• Sunwheels were used to celebrate Midsummer in some early Pagan cultures. A wheel — or sometimes a really big ball of straw — was lit on fire and rolled down a hill into a river. The burned remnants were taken to the local temple and put on display. In Wales, it was believed that if the fire went out before the wheel hit the water, a good crop was guaranteed for the season.
• In Egypt, the Midsummer season was associated with the flooding of the Nile River delta. In South America, paper boats are filled with flowers, and then set on fire. They are then sailed down the river, carrying prayers to the gods. In some traditions of modern Paganism, you can get rid of problems by writing them on a piece of paper and dropping them into a moving body of water on Litha.
• William Shakespeare associated Midsummer with witchcraft in at least three of his plays. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, and The Tempest all contain references to magic on the night of the summer solstice.

Tomorrow is Samhain and we would usually be having a big family witchy-fest but unfortunately my sister-witch Lisa has come down with an awful cold. We are pretty bummed about this and will have to scale back the festivities considerably without her presence in the circle.

Thus my plans are for my casting (I always do a Halloween spell), then the Samhain ritual itself, the dumb supper (to celebrate the dead) and finally the bonfire to close out the night.

It’s been so cold at night too it should be a lovely night for a fire. The frost is on the pumpkin, as they say!

This is my first Samhain as a widow so it will be interesting to see what kind of feelings I pick up on. I will actually relish the silence during the dumb supper and I hope all of my loved ones who have passed on are there in spirit. Especially one of them.

I love all the witch sabbats but none more so than Samhain. This is the one sabbat where I pullout all the stops!

I love to decorate the house, prepare the dumb supper, add spooky music to the festivities, have a big bonfire and eat tons of candy though I doubt that was part of the traditional pagan Halloween.

Last year we had a great time, three witches at the feast (or feastival as we called it) and this year we might even add an additional bit of fun to the holiday by sharing it in the woods with other witches at the following celebration:

Florida Pagan Gathering Samhain ‘08

When: Nov. 6th. 2008 - Nov. 9th. 2008
Where: Altoona, Florida

Dance with the Ancestors

Event Details: Join us at the Florida Pagan Gathering in 4 days of Pagan Community Spirit. FPG is hosted in the heart of the Ocala National Forest at Camp Ocala. Held twice a year at Beltaine and Samhain, the Florida Pagan Gathering is a place of Spirituality, Imagination, Growth, Learning, Rambunctious Good Times, Artistic Revelry, Perfect Love and Perfect Trust where Pagans, young and old, new and current, Solitaries, Covens, Eclectic and Traditional can enjoy a community free from the mundane worries of modern society.

Other Events and Activities at FPG include:
* Workshops hosted by our Headliners and local Pagan teachers
* Nightly Drum and Fire Circle
* Friday Night Concert featuring Wendy Rule
* Main Ritual hosted by Belladonna of Iron Oak
* Bardic Circle
* Sweatlodge
* Men’s Lodge and Women’s Tent
* Labyrinth
* Kid’s Crafts and other Activities
* Celtic Games
* Swimming and Canoeing and much more!

Send me an email if you are local and think you might be attending and you can meet up with me and my sister-in-law!