Imbolc Incense Recipe

The coven is busy preparing for Imbolc. Here is the incense we whipped up last weekend.
This powered incense can be cast into the fire or burned on a charcoal briquette.
3 parts Myrrh
3 parts Frankincense
2 parts Dragon's Blood
1 part Cinnamon
1 part Benzoin
1/2 part Sandalwood

Blend each ingredient in a coffee grinder (dedicated to this purpose)
Combine powders in a red or yellow bowl.

2010 Sabbat Dates

The Sabbats are based on astrological times. Culturally, we celebrate Beltane on May 1st, but the actual cross quarter time always falls a few days later, around the fifth of May. I personally recognize & honor the power of both days. All of the following times listed are in Universal Time.

Imbolc
February 3rd, 22:30

Spring Equinox
March 20, 17:32

Beltane
May 5, 14:32

Summer Solstice
June 21, 11:28

Lughnasa
August 7, 14:45

Autumn Equinox
September 22, 03:09

Samhain
November 7, 12:33

Winter Solstice
December 21, 23:38

Autumn Equinox Botanicals

Herbs associated with the Autumn Equinox, also known as Mabon:
acorns, apple, asters, benzoin, chamomile, ferns, frankincense, grains,
honeysuckle, marigold, milkweed, mistletoe, mums, myrrh, oak leaves,
passionflower, pine, rose hips, rosemary, Rue, sage, Solomon's seal,
thistles, tobacco, saffron, straw, sunflower, walnut, wheat, yarrow,

Blessed Litha!

May Day

I had the pleasure of attending a public May Day celebration with the coven. It's great to see how Beltane, the beginning of Summer, is celebrated in different places.

In Ireland, bonfires are lit to mark the coming of summer and to banish the long nights of winter.

In Edinburgh Scotland, there is a modern revival the Beltane Fire Festival, which marks and celebrates the blossoming of spring.



In Cornwall, there is 'Obby 'Oss day (dialect for Hobby Horse), where the festivities start May Eve, by singing the Night Song:

Night song

Unite and unite and let us all unite,

For summer is acome unto day,

And whither we are going we will all unite,

In the merry morning of May.

I warn you young men everyone,

For summer is acome unto day,

To go to the green-wood and fetch your May home,

In the merry morning of May.

Arise up Mr. ..... and joy you betide,

For summer is acome unto day,

And bright is your bride that lies by your side,

In the merry morning of May.

Arise up Mrs. ..... and gold be your ring,

For summer is acome unto day,

And give to us a cup of ale the merrier we shall sing,

In the merry morning of May.

Arise up Miss ..... all in your gown of green,

For summer is acome unto day,

You are as fine a lady as wait upon the Queen,

In the merry morning of May.

Now fare you well, and we bid you all good cheer,

For summer is acome unto day,

We call once more unto your house before another year,

In the merry morning of May.

In addition to the pagan holy day of Beltane, May 1st is also International Workers Day. If you are anywhere near Minneapolis next Beltane, check out the MayDay Parade and Festival. In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre puts on the Festival that has been using water, flour, newspaper, paint, and unlimited imagination to tell stories that explore the struggles and celebrations of human existence since 1973. The annual MayDay Parade has always been rooted in two important traditional celebrations—the celebration of the Green Root of Earth’s green energy rising in Spring, and the Red Root of human work energy rising from mind, heart and hand. They marry pagan and political in an eye popping fashion.

The Truth About The Maypole

In ancient Ireland the Bile was a Sacred Tree, the center of the Tuatha, or clan. Seen as a Tree of Life, the Bile Pole, represents the connection between the people and their three worlds.

The three worlds are the heavens or Skyworld, the human or Middleworld, and the Otherworld.

The forgotten Bile pole has survived as the Maypole, a tall pole decorated with long colored ribbons and flowers, around which young lads and lasses dance, interweaving the ribbons.

The dance represents the TRINITY. It can be seen as the intertwining of life, death and rebirth. Reflect on the many levels of the Trinity and you will see a great many secrets revealed to you in the dance.

The day marks the return of nature to a fertile state. The pole is a phallic symbol penetrating the earth, the feminine aspect that receives the seeds which grow into the food that feeds us all.

Beltane Herbs

All flowers, especially Marigold, Elder flowers (pictured above) , Rose, and Primrose and the following botanicals: Agrimony, St Johns Wort, Frankincense, Hawthorn, Ivy, Meadowsweet, Orchid Root, Rowan, Sorrel, and Woodruff

Spring has Sprung!

After a hectic month, we are rededicating ourselves to blogging & sharing.
For Ostara, the coven gathered for brunch & egg decorating.
Did you know you can dye eggs with food coloring and vinegar?
Here is the currant scone recipe from our Spring brunch:

2 Cups flour
2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dried currants

Preheat the oven 450 degrees F
Place the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder and sugar) in bowl.
Rub in butter with your fingers.
Mix in currants and stir.
Mix in milk with fork until dough forms.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface.
Sprinkle with a little flour and lightly knead.
Flatten it into round circle 1/2-inch thick.
Cut into 8 triangles.
Lightly flour cookie sheet.
Put on cookie sheet 2 to 3-inches apart.
Bake at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes.

Wolf Moon

Have you ever thought about the Wolf Moon?

January 10th is the full moon this month. As the full moon is always in the sign opposite the of the sun, the full moon is in Cancer, (while the sun is in Capricorn). So it's a great Sabbat to create ritual around hearth, home, family, and anything sensual. Cancer is also ruled by the breast, so a health ritual for anyone suffering from breast cancer would be appropriate.

It is also known as the Wolf Moon. Wolves, Jackals and Dogs have been associated with death, reincarnation, and funerary customs and often guarded the gates to the underworld. Dormarth the wolf was the Celtic guardian of Death's Door. In Ireland, two dogs guarded the gate of Death, the Moonland Emania. Since so many died in the dead of winter when survival depended on your hearth fire and your food stored from the harvest, naming this full moon the Wolf Moon makes sense.

So, honor the wolf. Howl at the moon. And give thanks for your family, home and all that you have. You have survived the winter, the days are getting longer and spring is on it's way.

Dedication in the new year

While we celebrate the new year as Nov 1 according to the Celtic Year, I still observe the Roman New Year as so much psychic energy is created by the masses who recognize this as the time of new beginnings.

I think the Romans chose January 1st because it follows so soon after the Winter Solstice and instinctively people knew the winter was coming to an end. The shortest day of the year passes as the Mother Goddess gives birth to her Sun (son) when it's first rays touched the altar stone at Stonehenge. It felt as though there was hope to get through the rest of the winter and a time to start over.

While the Sun is just a babe, the winter belongs to the Crone or Cailleach. Hers is the power of death, the dark, secrets, seeds, and all that is wild and unborn. Nothing is beyond her reach. The three moons that occur in this season (Jan-Mar) take us from Winter into Spring, but it's the Esbats, the dark moons, that are for dedicating yourself to your magical universe. Use these new moons to carry out a dedication ritual, stretching it into all three months. Recognize what you have been and are choosing to be. What will you dedicate yourself to this year? To what will you give birth this spring?

The most powerful among us take responsibility for what we create and do so with intent. Be aware of what you create for it effects us all.