Beltane Blessings

Beltane Blessings

Beltane is a major Pagan festival called a Sabbat. It is the union of the God and Goddess. The word Beltane means ‘Bright Fire’. It is named after the God Bel and ancient Celtic God. It is a fire festival and it is traditional to build a fire on Beltane night to honor the Sun Gods.

Beltane is also a fertility festival, as it is the height of Spring and the beginning of Summer. Earth’s energy is very strong and potent with new life. Beltane is also the start of the farming calendar.

Fire is believed to have purifying qualities, it cleansed and rejuvenated both the land and the people. The ritual welcoming of the sun and the lighting of the fires was also believed to ensure fertility of the land and the people. Animals were transferred from winter pens to summer pastures, and were driven between the Beltane fires to cleanse them of evil spirits and to bring fertility and a good milk yield.

In Celtic times, it would be traditional to build a big bonfire in the center of the village and have a big feast. Young men and women would dance around the maypole, while many people would marry in a handfasting (wedding). People wishing to find love or conceive would jump over a Belfire for luck in love and fertility.

On Beltane we celebrate the abundance of the earth, it is a happy time when we give thanks for all we have in our lives and look forward to the bright, sunny days ahead. We celebrate the coming together of the God and the Goddess and the gifts they will bestow upon the earth.

May you have a happy and joyous Beltane.

Full written & photo credit goes to Wicca Teachings. I merely edited this. 

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Full Cold Moon in Gemini

Tonight is The Full Cold Moon it is called the Cold Moon because after tonight the temperature will start to drop rapidly. It is also known as The Oak Moon and Yule Moon, This is an especially special Full Moon because it is the last one of this year. It is a time to use the Moonlight to charge our energies ready for coming Yule and the New Year.

We are amidst some strong planetary alignments that are heralding a need for profound change and revolution within and without. Our attitude is of foremost importance during this time and can empower us and see us through whatever we are facing. Gratitude for what we have and a willingness to move with the energy that is calling is required.

This particular Full Moon will not be boring and will have an unpredictable vibe along with it. What was stuck may suddenly begin to move or shift. If emotions are clogged, they may surface and flow. Allow this. Be with it as loving as possible with yourself and others. The potential of the Full Moon in Gemini is to become aware of where you are engaging in thought, emotions and behaviors may be on auto-pilot. This may be generating a lot of mental stress and tension plus sending out mixed signals to others and the Universe.

Some people may be irritable and cranky. Emotions can be raw and urgent. Breathe deeply. Ground yourself. Keep a sense of humor. Be of good cheer. Be the calm in the storm. Get in the driver seat and empower yourself. Be honest with yourself. Stop arguing over small silly things and try more acceptance. Take responsibility for your life. In this way, you can change what is not working. You are the master of your destiny. Take your power back from society and/or other people. Learn from your mistakes. Vow to do better next year. Make a commitment to your success. Be adaptable. Make friends with change. It is not the enemy. Change is your friend. Change sheds the old and gives birth to the new.

The Gemini Full Moon is a party Moon. This Full Moon is a brief break from the intense growth and striving you have done. The Gemini Full Moon says that it is time to celebrate your life. Celebrate your victories. Even the smallest of accomplishments should be celebrated, look back on the past year and all the lessons you have learned, the people we have met and the people we have lost.

With Yule and New year approaching look deep into yourself and ask what you want to happen in the coming year, ask yourself how you will bring it about. Make this the year that you make all your dreams come true. The energy from this Full Moon wants you to succeed. Tell the Moon your hopes and dreams write them down on paper and burn them by a white candle. As the smoke drifts to the heavens the universe will receive your message.

Have a blessed Full Moon. May the Goddess watch over you.

Full written credit goes to Wicca Teachings. Photos credited to Various.

Full Frost Moon

Today is the Full Frost Moon, also known as The Snow Moon, Beaver Moon, Cold Moon, and Mourning Moon. This Full Moon is in the sign of Taurus.

Finances are illuminated on this Full Moon to watch what we are spending and to improve or bring in an extra income. We must become empowered to make the changes necessary to shift our situation. It is up to us and the time is now. As we let go and surrender to the deeper current that is transforming us, we are reminded to relax into the waters of tranquility and appreciate the depth of experience that our life journey has brought us.

The earth sign of Taurus symbolizes values, material security, possessions, beauty, tranquility, and self-worth. There is the potential to concentrate and remain steadfast when working with the higher potential of Taurus. This practical sign is in no rush to get anywhere, rather it wants to indulge itself in sensual pleasures such as savory foods, exquisite fabrics, delightful fragrances, and harmonious sounds.

During the Full Moon in Taurus, why not ease yourself into a state of being which is feeling gratitude for whatever is in your life rather than fixated on the lack of it. Think about what changes you can make deep within you to promote the change you want in your relationship, work and life. Before you see the change in your world, change needs to occur within you first. You can sabotage your own success by resisting change. Being stubborn can appear as strength on the surface. In truth, this can be your fear masking your needed changes.

This Full Moon gives us access to tremendous power and healing ability. This is the feminine power continuum. The Sun is in the sign of Scorpio the water sign. The water/earth polarity of emotion and practical manifestation are here, we can use it to delve into some cold, hard truths about ourselves and transform what has gone before by opening our hearts to our true self, the power of love, Our self-esteem, our self-worth, our safety and feelings of security and comfort, what is truly valuable to us, and the connection to our material possessions and finances. All of this is up for scrutiny.

It takes courage and a desire to heal. Let the Taurus Moon lead you to nature, Mother Earth and the beauty, love, and support available through her. The feminine is being hugely empowered now and along with that comes the need to clear out our emotional filters and distorting veils with forgiveness and gratitude for the re-balancing of the Masculine and Feminine on the planet. Ruled by feminine Venus, she brings to Taurus the sensuous, the beautiful, and the ability to magnetize what she desires to her. We are magnets to our desire now, and we have the power to attract what we want toward us.

This Full Moon look into yourself and ask yourself what you need to move forward, ask yourself how you are going to achieve this and ask yourself if you feel that you are strong enough to do this. If you feel you are not strong enough, use the energy of this Full Moon to heal and gain strength. Ask the Goddess for guidance and to lead the way to more positive and happier life.

Tonight is a good time to determine just what you value and want to stand for, create in your life and carry forth into the next cycle of your evolution.

Have a blessed Full Moon. May the Goddess watch over you.

 

Full Written credit goes to Wicca Teachings. Photo credit to Wicca Teachings. 

Samhain Blessings 2014

Today is Samhain. It is one of the most important of the 8Sabbats as it is the Pagan New year. The wheel of the year has turned full circle and a new year begins. The word Samhain means Summers end. It is pronouncedSowin.Samhain is the third of the harvest festivals, only this isn’t a harvest of crops or grain it is the harvest of flesh. It was the time of year when farmers and families would slaughter cattle and preserve the meat to last through the cold winter months.

Samhain is a festival of death as it is the death of the year and of the waxing Sun. It is also the death of the earth when Plants, seeds, and acorns are now slowly descending underground to ready themselves to be reborn in Spring. Animals will start to hibernate, and the earth will appear Barron as it sleeps through the winter months.

Earth energies are being pull inwards at this time, this is the time we should also be looking inwards at ourselves. Contemplate the year we have had and what lessons we have learned, whether they were good or bad, what can we take from them and use in the future.

The God of the waxing Sun descends into the underworld opening up the veil between the two worlds of the living and the dead. At Samhain spirits can commune with the living and visit us. We remember our ancestors and the people and pets who have died, we honor them by placing pictures of them on our altars and invite them to join us. We should also adorn our altars with seasonal fare such as fallen leaves, twigs, acorns, nuts, turnips, and pumpkins and offer these as gifts to the Triple Goddess who is now in her crone phase, she is the wise dark mother of knowledge and days past.

Although a time of death Samhain is also a time of fresh starts and new beginnings. It is a time of ‘out with the old and in with the new’ To start looking forward and to our future.

On Samhain we should light a fire as this is primarily a Celtic fire festival where the villagers and towns folk would light giant bonfires to say goodbye to the God of the waxing Sun and to thank the Goddess for her harvest of gifts bestowed upon the earth. There would also be big feast with stews, corn and breads and we would give thanks for people in our lives and show gratitude for all that we have, and we give thanks to the people who are no longer with us and invite them to join us at the feast.

Light a candle tonight and put it at a window facing West, to light the way for our lost loved ones and invite their spirits to visit us.

Today is a great time for divination, for doing tarot reading and looking to the future and asking ourselves how we can improve our lives and move forward for the coming year.

Have a Blessed Samhain.

Keep safe everyone!

*Full written credit goes to Wicca Teachings. Photos credited to Various.*

Happy Mabon!

Depending upon where you live, Fall is pretty much settling in early. As I type this, it’s in the 40’s and the air has that slight Fall smell to it, which always reminds me of crisp apples and chimney smoke. I know before I even realize it, all the plush leaves on the trees will go from vivid green to all the beautiful shades of Fall. I have a Japanese Maple in my front yard and I love watching the colors on its leaves change, because they’re gorgeous and have such rich, beautiful color to them.

Wishing you a blessed Mabon today.

The Autumnal Equinox, also known as Mabon, is celebrated when day and night are of equal duration before the descent into increasing darkness and is the final festival of the season of harvest. After this day, darkness takes over light, cold takes over warmth, and death takes over life. Earth’s energy is pulled inwards as leaves from trees fall to the ground, flowers wilt and die, the ground will become hard and barren. In nature, the activity of the summer months slows down to the hibernation for the winter. Now is a time to reflect on the past seasons. The Sun God is now descending into the underworld and will make his final decent on Samhain. The Triple Goddess, after giving birth to the harvest, has left her Mother phase and is now entering her Crone Phase.

Mabon is also a time to recognize that the balance of the year has changed, the wheel has turned, summer is now over, we must prepare for a long winter ahead of us, and ask the Lord of the Dark Sun to be kind to us throughout the winter months.

Autumn’s Equinox is a time of balance, it is a time to look within ourselves and balance our thoughts and emotions, to find balance in our lives.

Astrologers will recognize this as the date the Sun enters the sign of Libra – the Scales of Balance.

Mabon is considered a time of mysteries. The Druids call this celebration, Mea’n Fo’mhair, and honor The Green Man, the Horned God of the Forest, by offering libations to trees. Offerings of ciders, wines, and herbs. It is a time to honor Aging Deities and the Spirit World. It is considered a time of balance, it is when we stop and relax and enjoy the fruits of our personal harvests, whether they be from toiling in our gardens, working at our jobs, raising our families, or just coping with everyday life.

May your Mabon be memorable, and your hearts and spirits be filled to overflowing.

 

*Partial Written Credit to Wicca Teachings. Photo Credit is Unknown.*

Whatever Is Worrying You…

*If You bring me to it, please help get me through it.*

I Am All……

I Am All…

“I am all in a sea of wonders. I doubt; I fear; I think strange things, which I dare not confess to my own soul. God keep me, if only for the sake of those dear to me!” ―Bram Stoker

Blessed Beltane

Beltane is a Celtic word which means ‘fires ofBel’ (Bel was a Celtic Sun God). It is a fire festival that celebrates of the coming of summer and the fertility of the coming year.The young horned God who the Goddess gave birth to on Yule has now matured into a man and will marry the maiden Goddess, after months of flirting since the beginning of Spring they will make love for the first time where the Goddess will become pregnant with the harvest to come. Beltane is primarily a fertility celebration. 

On Beltane it is a celebration of the masculine and feminine union, not just male and female, but the masculine and feminine within us all and the balance between them. The light and dark within us. The sky and earth, the sun and moon. Yin and Yang.

It is customary to use a lot of reds and whites today as red represents the fertility of the female aspect and the white the fertility of the male aspect. A maypole is a tradition on Beltane the pole represents the male phallus, while the streams represents the female wrapping around the pole. Fires should be lit to bring a prosperous year and summer, the fire is to worship the Sun Gods. Traditionally people should jump over a small fire to bring luck and fertility, when jumping the fire young unmarried people would wish for marriage; young wives to ensure fertility and couples to strengthen a bond. It is also customary to make flower garlands to wear on your head and daisy chains to wear as a necklace, this will honor the Faerie folk as this is their day of celebration too.

Today we should light red and white candles and place Spring flowers on our altar such as daisies, daffodils, and dandelions. Give thanks for all you have in life and make wishes for the future. If you can get any, burn hawthorn branches to bring you luck and prosperity.

Beltane is a celebration, it is a time to dance, be with friends, have a shared meal with family, drink and be merry. Celebrate life. Beltane is also a time for hand-fasting, which is a Pagan wedding ceremony.

Have a Blessed Beltane. May the God and Goddess watch over you.

*Full written credit goes to Wicca Teachings*

Throughout Life…

The Strongest Soldiers

That which does not kill me had better run pretty fucking fast.