9/22/2008 - Mabon

Mabon, sometimes also known as Harvest Home, Harvest Tide, or Second Harvest is the celebration of Autumn Equinox and is traditionally celebrated on September 21-23. Traditionally it marked the middle of the harvest. It is a time of giving thanks for the bounty you have reaped and can now enjoy. Incidentally Libra is the sign which starts this celebration. And the Scales of Balance have a direct link to the harvest, as this was the time of the year when farmers would bring in their goods to be weighed and sold. 

Mabon is a celebration for symbolic sacrifice, as it has a clear connection to the idea of death, but in the Pagan tradition death represents change. From this, new life will be allowed to spring forth. Mabon is the day when the god of light is defeated by his twin, the god of darkness In the Welsh myth of Blodeuwedd the Autumnal Equinox is the only day of the whole year when Llew (light) is vulnerable and it is possible to defeat him. Llew now stands on the balance (Libra/autumnal equinox), with one foot on the cauldron (Cancer/summer solstice) and his other foot on the goat (Capricorn/winter solstice). Thus he is betrayed by Blodeuwedd, the Virgin (Virgo) and transformed into an Eagle (Scorpio).

Having defeated Llew, Goronwy (darkness) now takes over Llew's functions, both as lover to Blodeuwedd, the Goddess, and as King of our own world. Although Goronwy, the Horned King, now sits on Llew's throne and begins his rule immediately, his formal coronation will not be for another six weeks, occurring at Samhain (Halloween) or the beginning of Winter, when he becomes the Winter Lord, the Dark King, Lord of Misrule. Goronwy's other function has more immediate results, however. He mates with the virgin goddess, and Blodeuwedd conceives, and will give birth -- nine months later (at the Summer Solstice) -- to Goronwy's son, who is really another incarnation of himself, the Dark Child.

Llew's sacrificial death at Harvest Home also identifies him with John Barleycorn, spirit of the fields. Thus, Llew represents not only the sun's power, but also the sun's life trapped and crystallized in the corn. Often this corn spirit was believed to reside most especially in the last sheaf or shock harvested, which was dressed in fine clothes, or woven into a wicker-like man-shaped form. This effigy was then cut and carried from the field, and usually burned, amidst much rejoicing. So one may see Blodeuwedd and Goronwy in a new guise, not as conspirators who murder their king, but as kindly farmers who harvest the crop which they had planted and so lovingly cared for. And yet, anyone who knows the old ballad of John Barleycorn knows that we have not heard the last of him.

They let him stand till midsummer's day,
Till he looked both pale and wan,
And little Sir John's grown a long, long beard
And so become a man...

Traditionally a large whicker figure, which was made to represent the spirit of vegetation which is sacrificed during this season is burned in celebration and in honor of the spirits. Some people suggest that it was from this tradition that the misconception of Druids committing human sacrifices was created (Though this is a topic for another day, I am inclined to believe that some people simply try to deny and distance themselves from the idea of sacrifice because of their own misconceptions of it, when it is known that near ever tradition and culture, historically practiced it) 

In the rhythm of the year, Harvest Home marks a time of rest after hard work. The crops are gathered in, and winter is still a month and a half away! Although the nights are getting cooler, the days are still warm, and there is something magical in the sunlight, for it seems silvery and indirect. As we pursue our gentle hobbies of making corn dollies (those tiny vegetation spirits) and wheat weaving, our attention is suddenly arrested by the sound of baying from the skies (the 'Hounds of Annwn' passing?), as lines of geese cut silhouettes across a harvest moon.

12/18/2007 - The Saturnila

Well I have in the past, on more than one occasion gone into extenstive discussion about the History of "Christmas" and Yuletide, and so I thought I needed to do something different, but I still wanted to be seasonal, so I offer another ye old Pagan tradition that falls this time of the year, or use to once upon a time ago.

The Saturnalia

The Romans rejoiced in this wintery festival as much as we welcome the Yuletide, and in similar ways. Libanius, a fortth-centruy writer, gives us a glimpse of the ubrane Saturnalia celebration:

There is food everywhere, heavy rich food. And laughter. A positive urge to spend seizes everyone, so that people wo have taken pleasure in saving up the whole year, now think it is a good idea to squander. The streets are full of people staggering under the load of gifts. Children are free of the dread of thier teachers, and for slaves the festival is as good as a holiday. Another good thing about it; it teaches people not to be too fond of money, but to let it circulate from hand to hand.

Saturn, the honoree of the occasion, had a dual nature. He was identified with the Greek Cronos, the surpreme Titan and the father of Zeus. The regin of Cronos was considered a Golden Age throughout Italy and the celebration of Saturnalia was meant to re-create its felicity. Battles were forbidden. Businesses closed, autumn seeds had been sown, no one worked. Slaves became giddy with tempoary freedom. They could say what they chose with no fear of reprisal, feasting with thier masters and even be waited upon by them. Gambling, usually punsisable with a fine fixed at four times the vaule of the stakes, was offically premitted. The executioner hung up his sword.

But the god had a side as dark as December evenings. :Later myths recount the Cronos was deposed by his son Zeus, and banished in rage and madness as searing as King Lear's. The Golden Age vanished in a burse of Olympian thunderbolts. By the time that classical Latin liteature evolved Cronos into Saturn, he had taken on the gloomy sardonic charachter attributed to the astrology of the planet.

12/10/2007 - Rebirth of Light

11/20/2007 - Tradition of Thanksgiving

8/1/2007 - Lughnasa

Today is Lughnasa

The Celtic harvest festival on August 1st takes its name from the Irish god Lugh, one of the chief gods of the Tuatha De Danann, giving us Lughnasadh in Ireland, Lunasdál in Scotland, and Laa Luanys in the Isle of Man. (In Wales, this time is known simply as Gwl Awst, the August Feast.)                                                       

Lugh dedicated this festival to his foster-mother, Tailtiu, the last queen of the Fir Bolg, who died from exhaustion after clearing a great forest so that the land could be cultivated. When the men of Ireland gathered at her death-bed, she told them to hold funeral games in her honor. As long as they were held, she prophesied Ireland would not be without song. Tailtius name is from Old Celtic Talantiu, "The Great One of the Earth," suggesting she may originally have been a personification of the land itself, like so many Irish goddesses. In fact, Lughnasadh has an older name, Brón Trogain, which refers to the painful labor of childbirth. For at this time of year, the earth gives birth to her first fruits so that her children might live.

Tailtiu gives her name to Teltown in County Meath, where the festival was traditionally held in early Ireland. It evolved into a great tribal assembly, attended by the High King, where legal agreements were made, political problems discussed, and huge sporting contests were held on the scale of an early Olympic Games. Artists and entertainers displayed their talents, traders came from far and wide to sell food, farm animals, fine crafts and clothing, and there was much storytelling, music, and high-spirited revelry, according to a medieval eye-witness account:

"Trumpets, harps, hollow-throated horns, pipers, timpanists, unwearied"fiddlers, gleemen, bone-players and bag-pipers, a rude crowd, noisy, profane, roaring and shouting."

This was also an occasion for handfasting, or trial marriages. Young men and women lined up on either side of a wooden gate in a high wall, in which a hole was carved, large enough for a hand. One by one, girl and boy would grasp a hand in the hole, without being able to see who was on the other side. They were now married, and could live together for year and day to see if it worked out. If not, the couple returned to next years gathering and officially separated by standing back to back and walking away from each other.

Throughout the centuries, the grandeur of Teltown dwindled away, but all over Ireland, right up to the middle of this century, country-people have celebrated the harvest at revels, wakes, and fairs - and some still continue today in the liveliest manner. It was usually celebrated on the nearest Sunday to August 1^st, so that a whole day could be set aside from work. In later times, the festival of Lughnasadh was christianized as Lammas, from the Anglo-Saxon, hlaf-mas, "Loaf-Mass," but in rural areas, it was often remembered as "Bilberry Sunday," for this was the day to climb the nearest "Lughnasadh Hill" and gather the earths freely-given gifts of the little black berries, which they might wear as special garlands or gather in baskets to take home for jam.

As of old, people sang and danced jigs and reels to the music of melodeons, fiddles and flutes, and held uproarious sporting contests and races. In some places, a woman"or an effigy of one"was crowned with summer flowers and seated on a throne, with garlands strewn at her feet. Dancers whirled around her, touching her garlands or pulling off a ribbon for good luck. In this way, perhaps, the ancient goddess of the harvest was still remembered with honor.

6/16/2007 - Litha

Well Litha will soon be here, as of June 21, though today it is regaurded as primairly a Wiccan, or Neo-Pagan holiday, Summer Solstice celbrations have been practiced world wide in many cultures. The celebration of Litha commonly held today is beleived to stem from Saxon Roots.

Litha (taken from Saxon tradition, the opposite of Yule) is celebrated on the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year! It is also known as Midsummer Nights Eve, Alban Heruin (Druidic). On this Sabbat light and life are at their most abundant. Many Ancient monuments are aligned with the Sun at this point in the Wheel of the Year, the most famous being Stonehenge in England, though there are many more all over the world.

 At mid-summer the Sun God has reached the moment of his greatest strength. Seated on his greenwood throne he is lord of the forests and his face can be seen in church architecture peering from countless foliate masks. In many Wiccan celebrations this is when the Oak King (who represents the waxing year) is triumphed over by the Holly King (who represents the waning year). The two are one, the Holly King is the growing youth while the Oak King is the mature man. In other traditions tis not until Samhain that the Holly King triumphs, (as the year moves into the dark half), he may also be seen as the Stag King, in his prime with full antlers, not yet ready for his symbolic sacrifice at Harvest Time.

  This Sabbat also celebrates the Goddess in some traditions. She can be seen now as heavy with child, as nature is heavy with the bounty of the coming harvest, though in some Traditions although she is already pregnant (with the God) her 'time' is not yet ready, as she will not give birth to the God until Yule.  

   This is considered to be a time when energies abound, and is a good time for magic and purification rites. Midsummer Night's Eve is also special for adherents of the Faerie faith. The alternative fixed calendar date of June 25 (Old Litha) is sometimes employed by Covens. The Christian religion converted this day of Jack-in-the-Green to the Feast of St. John the Baptist, often portraying him in rustic attire sometimes with horns and cloven feet (like the Greek God Pan and similar in aspect to the Celtic Cerunnos). 

Traditional Foods:
Garden fresh fruits and vegetables are made into a variety of dishes and eaten by Pagan's who choose to celebrate this day.

Herbs and Flowers:
Mugwort, Vervain, Chamomile, Rose, Honeysuckle, Lily, Oak, Lavender, Ivy, Yarrow, Fern, Elder, Wild Thyme, Daisy, Carnation.

Incense:
Lemon, Myrrh, Pine, Rose, Wisteria.

Woods Burned:
Oak

Sacred Gemstone:
Emerald

Special Activities:
An Ideal time to reaffirm your vows to the Lord and Lady or your dedication to following the old traditions.

5/1/2007 - Beltane

Well today is Beltane, commonly known as May Day, and one of the Important Celtic festivals. It is a fertility festival, which celebrates the comming of spring and the brith of things, and emerging from the darkness and hibernation of Winter, into the light, and life again. It was traditionaly on Beltane that weddings would be held in the Celtic tradidtion.

Traidionaly in celebration of Beltane a sacred bonfire would be contructed.

Beltane Fires
Traditionally, sacred woods kindled by spark from flint or by friction -- in Irish Gaelic, the Beltane Fire has been called teine eigin (fire from rubbing sticks). * Jump over the Beltane Fire, move through it, or dance clockwise around it. * Livestock was driven through it or between two fires for purification and fertility blessings. * In ancient times Druid priests kindled it at sacred places; later times, Christian priests kindled it in fields near the church after peforming a Christian church service. * Rowan twigs were carried around the fire three times, then hung over hearths to bless homes. * In the past, Beltane community fire purification customs included symbolic sacrifice of effigy knobs on the Beltane Cake (of barley) to the fire, or, in medieval times, mock sacrifice of Beltane Carline (Hag) who received blackened piece of Beltane Cake; Maypoles in Spain were each topped with a male effigy which was later burned. Contemporary Pagans burn sacred wood and dried herbs as offerings in their Beltane fires.

Another part of the Beltane festival is the May Pole

May Pole dancing is a form of folk dance from western Europe, especially England, Sweden and Germany, with two distinctive traditions. In the most widespread, dancers perform circle dances around a tall pole which is decorated with garlands, painted stripes, flowers, flags and other emblems. In the second, dancers dance in a circle each holding a coloured ribbon attached to a much smaller pole; the ribbons are intertwined and plaited either on to the pole itself or into a web around the pole. The dancers may then retrace their steps exactly in order to unravel the ribbons.

The first kind of maypole dancing is probably extremely ancient and is thought by some to have Germanic pagan fertility symbolism, although there is a lack of evidence to support this conjecture. It is traditionally performed in the spring around the festival of May Day, but in Sweden it is during the midsummer festivities.

The second kind of maypole dancing originates in the 18th century, derived from traditional and 'art' dance forms popular in Italy and France. These were exported to the London stage and reached a large audience, becoming part of the popular performance repertoire. Adopted at a large teacher training institution, the ribbon maypole dance then spread across most of central and southern England and is now regarded as the most 'traditional' of May Day's traditional characteristics.

According to the book, The Two Babylons, the origin of the maypole dance began in ancient Bablyon during sex worship and fertility rites. A carved upright representation of the human penis was danced around by young females and woven with ribbons to insure offspring.

2/1/2007 - Imbolc

Well today is Imbolc 

So just what is Imbolc some of you might ask?  

It is one of the four principal festivals of the Irish calendar, celebrated either at the beginning of February or at the first local signs of Spring. Originally dedicated to the goddess Brighid, in the Christian period it was adopted as St Brigid's Day. In Scotland the festival is also known as Latha Fhèill Brìghde, in Ireland as Lá Fhéile Bríde, and in Wales as Gwyl Ffraed.

While in the Northern Hemisphere Imbolc is conventionally celebrated on 1 February, in the Southern hemisphere it is sometimes celebrated on the calendar date, but those who see it primarily as a celebration of spring may move it to 1 August.

Imbolc is traditionally a time of weather prognostication, and the old tradition of watching to see if serpents or badgers came from their winter dens is perhaps a precursor to Groundhog Day.

Thig an nathair as an toll
La donn Bride,
Ged robh tri traighean dh an
Air leachd an lair.

"The serpent will come from the hole
On the brown Day of Bride,
Though there should be three feet of snow
On the flat surface of the ground." ^[1]

Fire and purification is considered by many to be an important aspect of this festival. Brigid (also known as Brighid, Bríde, Brigit, Brìd) is the Goddess of poetry, healing and smithcraft. As both goddess and saint she is also associated with holy wells, sacred flames, and healing. To some, the lighting of candles and fires represents the return of warmth and the increasing power of the Sun over the coming months. ^[2]