Below are two pictures taken during my Samhain ritual, held on November 1st, 2016 between 7:48pm and 8:30pm.
Main Altar – Samhain 2016
Incense and Candles Altar – Samhain 2016
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Celebrations
We were ten Red Maple Grove members to celebrate Mabon on September 19, between 2:30pm to 3:10pm. It was a nice sunny afternoon, and the warm climate (24o Celsius) was perfect for the ritual. The rite was done following the Norse tradition and we followed the ADF Core Order ritual. This time, each member had a copy of the ritual which was an amazing addition. Everyone could participate and follow the steps with the script and the rite flowed admirably. Like last time, I was the one inviting and thanking the Nature Spirits, the ones that I feel most connected to.
The ritual was in honor of Freya, the Norse Goddess of the Earth, fertility, love, and war. As offerings, the grove gave nuts, seeds, grains, fruits, bread and water to the Earth Mother, the Deities, the Nature Spirits and the Ancestors. As a personal offering, I gave Whiskey to the Morrígan, my matron goddess, which is also a Goddess of war. I offered Rum to the Ancestors and bird seeds to the Nature Spirits.
The omen was cast with Elder Futhark Runes:
- Past: Eihwaz (Yew) Transition. Matters of life and death, regeneration, foresight.
- Present: Tiwaz (Týr) Warrior. Opposition, dedication, oaths of allegiance.
- Future: Hagalaz (Hail) Disruption. Change, delay, cancellation of plans, interference.
The Grove interpreted the omen as this: Death and change have been in our recent past and change is right here with us, with our newest members keenly starting the Dedicants program. The present is a time to pay close attention to health matters, to ensure things are going well for each and all on the physical plane. The grove as a whole may be more energized and more activated. The traditional question was asked and we were satisfied and did not request more.
Word Count: 300 words
Mabon Ritual Location, Ottawa – September 19, 2016
Mabon (“MAY-bon”) is celebrated on September 22-23, during the Autumn Equinox. In reference to Mabon ap Modron, a character from Welsh mythology, “Mabon” being an Old Welsh word meaning “son”. The Irish Reconstructionist name of this festival is Meán Fómhair (“Middle of Harvest”). This Minor Sabbat marks the middle of the Celtic Autumn, but is actually the astronomical beginning of autumn, manifested by the decrease of the light of the sun. Mabon is the second of the three Harvest Festivals. This is a time for acknowledging the decline of the life force into shadow and a moment of thanksgiving for the fruits of the Earth
On this Equinox, the Welsh God Mabon ap Modron (“Son of the Goddess Modron”) was born. Three days after Mabon’s birth he was taken from his mother. Mabon is freed from his captivity. However, his captivity was actually in the womb of his mother Modron, a place of nurturing and challenge where Mabon acquired strength and learned lessons. Not long after, Mabon is reborn as the Son of Light and his mother’s champion. In Gaelic Mythology, Aengus Óg is widely considered to be connected to the ancient Celtic Gallic God Maponos and his Welsh equivalent, Mabon. Also, this Sabbat is often associated with Macha, a Crone aspect of the Goddess. Mabon was not an authentic ancient festival either in name or date. The autumn Equinox was not celebrated in Celtic countries, while all that is known about Anglo-Saxon customs of that time was that September was known as haleg-monath or ‘holy month’. The name Mabon has only been applied to the Neopagan festival of the autumn Equinox by Aidan A. Kelly in the 1970’s in his efforts to conceptualize modern Pagan rituals.
Some modern Pagans consider Mabon as the Pagan Thanksgiving. It is time to look back upon what the earth has given us, what we have sown and reaped, and give thanks for all that we have. I usually do most of my acts of services or volunteering work during this time. I also do my best to come in peace and harmony with others and I prepare myself for the upcoming seasonal transition. It is assuredly my favorite time of the year to study and learn about magick.
Word Count: 375 words
Bibliography:
- Corrigan, Ian. Our Own Druidry. Tucson: ADF Publishing, 2009.
- Dugan, Ellen. Seasons of Witchery: Celebrating the Sabbats with the Garden Witch. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications, 2012.
- McCoy, Edain. Sabbats: A Witch’s Approach to Living the Old Ways. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications, 1994.
- Nock, Judy Ann. The Wiccan Year: Spells, Rituals, Holiday Celebrations. Avon: Adams Media, 2007.
- Rajchel, Diana. Mabon: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for the Autumn Equinox. Woodbury: Llewellyn, 2015.
- Roderick, Timothy. Wicca: A Year and a Day. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications, 2005.
Online References:
- Wikipedia – “Equinox“
- Wikipedia – “Mabon ap Modron“
- Wikipedia – “Wheel of the Year“
Here is my new version of the Wheel of the Year, made in Photoshop.
This new version looks more professional and shows the 365 days of the year, which makes it ultra precise. I spend almost 8 hours on this new version, I do hope that you like it!
The original (very basic) one can be seen here: http://morsoth.deviantart.com/art/The-Wiccan-Wheel-of-the-Year-541450352
The new version can be seen here in Hi-Res: http://morsoth.deviantart.com/art/Pagan-Wheel-of-the-Year-New-634323187
This Wheel of the Year shows, from center to border:
– The 4 Seasons
– The 4 Celtic Seasons
– The 8 Sabbats
– The 12 Months of the Gregorian Calendar
– The 13 Months of the Celtic Tree Calendar
– The 2 Aspects of the God
– The 3 Aspects of the Goddess
– The 365 Days of the Year
Enjoy!
For the second time since I joined a local ADF grove, I missed the public group ritual and had to celebrate Lughnasadh alone. My Lughnasadh ritual was held on August 1st, around 7:00pm. The rite was Celtic Irish in nature and was completed in roughly 40 minutes. I took the time to follow the ADF Core Order ritual and I added some of my personal steps, as I usually do when I’m celebrating as a solitary Druid. In a grove ritual, I follow what is planned, but when I’m on my own, I take more time to connect with my matron Goddess, and I like to play drum as a way to raise the energy.
The ritual was in honor to Lugh, Irish god of the sun and agriculture, and Macha, because this high day is also a time to honor her as it was once celebrated with games of skill and horses races. As offerings, I gave nuts, seeds, grains, fruits, whiskey and beer to the Earth Mother, the Deities, the Nature Spirits and the Ancestors.
The omen was cast with the Witches Tarot deck:
- Five of Sword: Conflict, tension, loss, defeat, win at all costs, betrayal.
- Three of Wands: Preparation, foresight, enterprise, expansion.
- The Emperor: Responsibility, balance, structure, accomplishment, authority, sovereignty, leadership, protection, boundaries.
The omen’s message seems mixed, starting with a conflict or a loss, moving through a preparation for new changes or expansion, but ending on a positive note with a balanced period and some sort of accomplishment. Does it concern my professional life or a relationship in particular? Only time will tell. I thanked the Deities for their message and finished the ritual. Then, I relaxed alone, and enjoyed the fact that we are finally approaching my favorite season of the year!
Word Count: 300 words
Lughnasadh (“LOO-nah-sah”) is celebrated on the eve of August 1, halfway between the Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox. “Lughnasadh” is derived from Lúgnasad, an Irish Gaelic word meaning “Assembly of Lugh”. This Major Sabbat marks the beginning of the Celtic Autumn and of the harvest season. Lughnasadh is the first of the three Harvest Festivals. This is a time for acknowledging the Deities of harvest, the birth of abundance, the fullness of Life, and also a celebration of the bountiful Earth.
Lughnasadh itself is a celebration of Lugh’s victory over the spirits of the Otherworld who had tried to keep the harvest for themselves. The Lughnasadh festival is a commemoration of Lugh’s foster-mother, Tailtiu, who died of exhaustion after clearing the plains of Ireland for agriculture. After her death, Lugh organized a funeral feast and a ritual athletic and sporting competition in her honor. The funeral games were called the Óenach Tailten and were at Tailtin, which is now called County Meath in Ireland. The Óenach Tailten also involved trading, the drawing-up of contracts, and matchmaking where young couples joined hands through a hole in a wooden door. The trial marriage lasted a year and a day, at which time the marriage could be made permanent or broken without consequences. Lughnasadh, like others Celtic festivals, involved visits to holy wells and evidence shows that the sacred rites included an offering of the first of the corn, a feast of the new food and of bilberries, the sacrifice of a bull and a ritual dance-play. Much of this would have taken place on top of hills and mountains of Ireland.
Some modern Pagans sees this festival as one of the two most auspicious times for handfasting, the other being at Beltane. Some Wiccans mark the holiday by baking a figure of the “corn god” in bread, and then symbolically sacrificing and eating it. In the Northeastern United States, this is usually the time of the blueberry harvest, while in the Pacific Northwest the blackberries are often the festival fruit. This event being variously named Garland Sunday, Bilberry Sunday, Mountain Sunday and Crom Dubh Sunday. Around Lughnasadh, I try to go more often to the gym and to eat more fruits to reflect the old Irish traditions.
Word Count: 375 words
Bibliography:
- Corrigan, Ian. Our Own Druidry. Tucson: ADF Publishing, 2009.
- Dugan, Ellen. Seasons of Witchery: Celebrating the Sabbats with the Garden Witch. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications, 2012.
- Marquis, Melanie. Lughnasadh: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for Lammas. Woodbury: Llewellyn, 2015.
- McCoy, Edain. Sabbats: A Witch’s Approach to Living the Old Ways. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications, 1994.
- Nock, Judy Ann. The Wiccan Year: Spells, Rituals, Holiday Celebrations. Avon: Adams Media, 2007.
- Roderick, Timothy. Wicca: A Year and a Day. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications, 2005.
Online References:
- Wikipedia – “Lammas“
- Wikipedia – “Lughnasadh“
- Wikipedia – “Tailteann Games“
On June 17, I was to celebrate Midsummer with my local ADF grove, but I could not attend it. I celebrated Midsummer alone, on June 20, around 6:30pm. The ritual took me 45 minutes, as I like to take time to meditate and communicate with my matron Goddess. The day was hot, with 33o Celsius but it was cooler inside my apartment with the window open.
The ritual was in honor to the Goddess Áine, the Irish goddess of summer, wealth and sovereignty. It was also a celebration of the sun’s greatest strength and the coming of the zenith of the year. I followed the ADF Core Order Ritual, with some personal inclusions, which are mainly a moment for honoring the Celtic directions and more time for openly communicating with my matron Goddess: The Morrígan. As offerings, I gave nuts, seeds, grains, fruits, whiskey and beer to the Earth Mother, the Deities, the Nature Spirits and the Ancestors.
The omen was cast with my set of ogham staves:
- Past: Idho (Yew) Embrace change. Every ending is a new beginning. Changes are on the way, so quit clinging to beliefs and ideas that no longer serve you well.
- Present: Straif (Blackthorn). Wounding. Take charge of your destiny with singleness of purpose. Your plans may be altered, or even destroyed, so plan to deal with it.
- Future: Quert (Apple) Wholeness. Open your inner soul to new decisions, and allow yourself to harvest the gifts that your spiritual path has to offer.
The omen seemed optimistic and I thanked the Deities for their message. It seems that I’m at the beginning of a new journey. After the ritual, I relaxed, and did a meditation, enjoying the new season, even if summertime is not my favorite moment of the year!
Word Count: 300 words
