Category: Sabbats

Beltane Rites and Rituals

April’s showers have given way to rich and fertile earth, and as the land greens, there are few celebrations as representative of fertility as Beltane. Observed on May 1st (or October 31 – November 1 for our Southern Hemisphere readers), festivities typically begin the evening before, on the last night of April. It’s a time to welcome the abundance of the fertile earth, and a day that has a long (and sometimes scandalous) history. Try some of these rituals and ceremonies for your Beltane sabbat celebration.

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Set Up Your Beltane Altar

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Okay, so we know that Beltane is a fertility festival… but how do you translate that into altar setup? Here are some tips on how to set up your altar to celebrate the Beltane sabbat.

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Beltane Prayers

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For Patti Wigington’s other seven suggestions for different things to do for Beltane please click on this link: https://www.thoughtco.com/beltane-rites-and-rituals-2561678?utm_campaign=list_paganwiccan&utm_content=20170427&utm_medium=email&utm_source=exp_nl&utm_term=list_paganwiccan

 

The Magic of Beltane

Beltane is a season of fertility and fire, and we often find this reflected in the magic of the season. Let’s look at some of that spring magic, from ritual sex to fertility magic, along with the magic found in gardens and nature.

Ritual Sex and the Great Rite: Beltane is a time of passion and fertility, so for many people, it’s a time for ritual sex. Here’s what you need to know.
Fertility Magic and Customs: There’s a lot of folklore surrounding fertility. Let’s look at some beliefs from around the world.
Chocolate and Sex: Chocolate as an aphrodisiac? You bet! In fact, it’s scientifically proven.
Make Magic in Your Garden
Sacred Plants of the Beltane Season: Let’s look at some of the plants that are considered sacred to the Beltane season.
Plant a Magical Moon Garden: If you’re a night owl, consider planting a moon garden, full of fragrant plants that open and bloom at night.
Magical Spring Flowers
Spring Garden Folklore
Forsythia Magic and Legends
Lilac Magic & Folklore
The Magic of Dandelions: Dandelions are everywhere in the spring, so let’s look at some of the magic and folklore behind them.
Magical Herbal Correspondences
Magical Prosperity Soap
Horse Magic, Folkore and Legends
Butterfly Myth and Magic
Graveyard Dirt: Do you use graveyard dirt in magic? You can – here’s how

please click on this link for the rest of the article: https://www.thoughtco.com/guide-to-beltane-magic-2561638?utm_campaign=list_paganwiccan&utm_content=20170427&utm_medium=email&utm_source=exp_nl&utm_term=list_paganwiccan

All About Beltane – Celebrating the Fertility of Spring

April’s showers have given way to rich and fertile earth, and as the land greens, there are few celebrations as representative of fertility as Beltane. Observed on May 1st (or October 31 – November 1 for our Southern Hemisphere readers), festivities typically begin the evening before, on the last night of April. It’s a time to welcome the abundance of the fertile earth, and a day that has a long (and sometimes scandalous) history.

Depending on your tradition, there are a number of ways you can celebrate this Sabbat.

RITUALS AND CEREMONIES

There are many different ways you can celebrate Beltane, but the focus is nearly always on fertility. It’s the time when the earth mother opens up to the fertility god, and their union brings about healthy livestock, strong crops, and new life all around.

Here are a few rituals you may want to think about trying—and remember, any of them can be adapted for either a solitary practitioner or a small group, with just a little planning ahead.

By Patti Wigington for more on Beltane please click on this link: https://www.thoughtco.com/guide-to-the-beltane-celebration-2561640?utm_campaign=list_paganwiccan&utm_content=20170427&utm_medium=email&utm_source=exp_nl&utm_term=list_paganwiccan

All About Samhain – Celebrating the Witches’ New Year in the Southern Hemisphere Part 4

CRAFTS AND CREATIONS

As Samhain approaches, decorate your home (and keep your kids entertained) with a number of easy craft projects. Start celebrating a bit early with these fun and simple ideas that honor the final harvest, and the cycle of life and death.

FEASTING AND FOOD

No Pagan celebration is really complete without a meal to go along with it.

At Samhain, celebrate with foods that celebrate the final harvest, and the death of the fields.

By Patti Wigington

All About Samhain – Celebrating the Witches’ New Year in the Southern Hemisphere Part 5

TRADITIONS AND TRENDS

Interested in learning about some of the traditions behind the celebrations of the late harvest? Find out why Samhain is important, learn why black cats are considered unlucky, how trick-or-treating became so popular and more!

By Patti Wigington

All About Samhain – Celebrating the Witches’ New Year in the Southern Hemisphere Part 2

SAMHAIN MAGIC, DIVINATION AND SPIRIT WORK

For many Pagans, Samhain is a time to do magic that focuses on the spirit world. Learn how to properly conduct a seance, how to do some Samhain divination workings, and the way to figure out what a spirit guide is really up to!

By Patti Wigington

All About Samhain – Celebrating the Witches’ New Year in the Southern Hemisphere Part 1

The fields are bare, the leaves have fallen from the trees, and the skies are going gray and cold. It is the time of year when the earth has died and gone dormant. Every year on October 31 (or May 1, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere) the Sabbat we call Samhain presents us with the opportunity to once more celebrate the cycle of death and rebirth. For many Pagan traditions, Samhain is a time to reconnect with our ancestors, and honor those who have died.

This is the time when the veil between our world and the spirit realm is thin, so it’s the perfect time of year to make contact with the dead.

RITUALS AND CEREMONIES

Depending on your individual spiritual path, there are many different ways you can celebrate Samhain, but typically the focus is on either honoring our ancestors, or the cycle of death and rebirth. This is the time of year when the gardens and fields are brown and dead. The nights are getting longer, there’s a chill in the air, and winter is looming. We may choose to honor our ancestors, celebrating those who have died, and even try to communicate with them. Here are a few rituals you may want to think about trying for Samhain — and remember, any of them can be adapted for either a solitary practitioner or a small group, with just a little planning ahead.

By Patti Wigington

Fertility Deities of Beltane Learn About Beltane’s Fertility Gods and Goddesses

Beltane is a time of great fertility — for the earth itself, for animals, and of course for people as well. This season has been celebrated by cultures going back thousands of years, in a variety of ways, but nearly all shared the fertility aspect. Typically, this is a Sabbat to celebrate gods of the hunt or of the forest, and goddesses of passion and motherhood, as well as agricultural deities. Here are a list of gods and goddesses that can be honored as part of your tradition’s Beltane rituals.

  • Artemis (Greek): The moon goddess Artemis was associated with the hunt, and was seen as a goddess of forests and hillsides. This pastoral connection made her a part of spring celebrations in later periods.
  • Bes (Egyptian): Worshiped in later dynasties, Bes was a household protection god, and watched over mothers and young children. He and his wife, Beset, were paired up in rituals to cure problems with infertility.
  • Bacchus (Roman): Considered the equivalent of Greek god Dionysus, Bacchuswas the party god — grapes, wine, and general debauchery were his domain. In March each year, Roman women could attend secret ceremonies called the bacchanalia, and he is associated with sexual free-for-alls and fertility.
  • Cernunnos (Celtic): Cernunnos is a horned god found in Celtic mythology. He is connected with male animals, particularly the stag in rut, and this has led him to be associated with fertility and vegetation…

To read the rest of this list comprised by Patti Wigington please click on this link: https://www.thoughtco.com/fertility-deities-of-beltane-2561641?utm_campaign=list_paganwiccan&utm_content=20170411&utm_medium=email&utm_source=exp_nl&utm_term=list_paganwiccan

All About Beltane Celebrating the Fertility of Spring

April’s showers have given way to rich and fertile earth, and as the land greens, there are few celebrations as representative of fertility as Beltane. Observed on May 1st (or October 31 – November 1 for our Southern Hemisphere readers), festivities typically begin the evening before, on the last night of April. It’s a time to welcome the abundance of the fertile earth, and a day that has a long (and sometimes scandalous) history.

Depending on your tradition, there are a number of ways you can celebrate this Sabbat.

RITUALS AND CEREMONIES

There are many different ways you can celebrate Beltane, but the focus is nearly always on fertility. It’s the time when the earth mother opens up to the fertility god, and their union brings about healthy livestock, strong crops, and new life all around.

Here are a few rituals you may want to think about trying—and remember, any of them can be adapted for either a solitary practitioner or a small group, with just a little planning ahead.

To read the rest of this article by Patti Wigington please click on this link: https://www.thoughtco.com/guide-to-the-beltane-celebration-2561640?utm_campaign=list_paganwiccan&utm_content=20170411&utm_medium=email&utm_source=exp_nl&utm_term=list_paganwiccan