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Secular Celebrations - Spring Equinox

Next on the calendar is the Vernal Equinox, which marks the beginning of spring and the start of the growing season. In the northern hemisphere, this usually happens right around March 20th to March 22nd, depending on the year, while in the Southern Hemisphere, this occurs around September 20th - 23rd.

This is the time to start shaking off the winter and those cold weather blues. And as someone who is firmly on that Seasonal Affective Disorder train, believe me when I tell you that this is IMPORTANT. So when you think about what you’re going to do for the spring equinox, make sure you include self-care and a continuation of that cleaning kick you hopefully started back around Imbolc. Actually, every holiday observance should include a little bit of both of these things. Not just because they’re important, but because holidays are easy to remember, and even if you don’t always have time to fit these things into your schedule, it might be more feasible to work them into your holiday observances.

If the weather allows it, try cracking a window, even for a few minutes, and get some light and fresh air into your home. Even if it’s still chilly outside, sometimes it helps alleviate that dry, stuffy feeling we all get from being stuck inside with the heat on for months at a time. Open up those shades, let some sun in, turn on a sun lamp or one of those little antidepressant desk lights if you have one. Like the musical says, “Let the sunshine in.”

Or, if you can, get outside for a little while. Hopefully there will be a nice clear day that allows this. Look for signs of spring in your neighborhood - birds, flowers, buds on the trees, maybe some snowmelt if you live in a place that still has snow in late winter. If you have children, this might be a fun spring bingo type activity. The birds will be coming back, so scatter some seeds for them while you’re out and about. And speaking of snowmelt, melted snow and icicles can be used as a base for moonwater. Just make sure you select...er...CLEAN material to work with, and strain the meltwater through some paper towels before you store it for magical use.

You can also note the progress of seasonal changes in your journal or your planner, if you have one. This doesn’t always have a magical application, but it’s important to mental health to be able to track the passage of time through changes in your environment. If you have trouble with Seasonal Affective Disorder, or if you just hate winter, noting when the weather starts warming and the sun comes out and the early bulbs start to come up can be very encouraging.

Getting back to the subject of children’s activities, this is a great time for spring-related crafts, fingerpainting (you are NEVER too old for fingerpainting), and a discussion about why the seasons change and what it means in your household as far as traditions go. Your kids may be seeing their peers going on Easter egg hunts and getting baskets of candy, so if you’d like to do something similar but secular, maybe have a “signs of spring” scavenger hunt. If you want to decorate some eggs, go right ahead! Make some special witchy equinox eggs, why not.

If you want to make a special meal to celebrate the change in seasons, I suggest a breakfast. It’s the beginning of the yearly planting cycle, so why not mark it with the first meal of the day? Appropriate foods include bread, eggs, cheese, cured meats, preserves, sprouts, sweets, and pastries. So bust out that french toast casserole recipe, the good jams, and your best quiche lorraine and go to town!

Once you’ve recovered from the food coma, get cracking on that spring cleaning you started back on Imbolc. There’s always more to do! If you’ve finished decluttering one area, start on another. If you’ve finished one project, pick another one. Keep yourself motivated and moving as much as you can. If you’ve been meaning to start a new self care routine or exercise program, go for it. The world is waking up and coming back to life after a long winter’s nap; you can do the same.

Freshen up your household wards and protections while you’re tidying. This can be as simple as “cleaning with intent,” whereby you banish negativity or bad luck or sickness along with the dirt and grime, or as complex as a full casting to patch whatever needs patching, or anything in between. Get rid of any lingering stale energy from the winter. You’ll know best what needs to be done. It never hurts to have a freshly-cleansed home.

If you’re planning to plant a garden, the Vernal Equinox is a great time to start. Whether you’re buying seeds, filling starter trays, or just sketching out what you want to plant when the ground thaws, get a jump start on your green witchery. Housewares stores should begin stocking seeds around this time, or you can order free catalogs from places like Burpee, Seed Savers, or a local biodiversity co-op to help you plan.

Of course, not all of us have green thumbs. If you’d like a garden but can’t seem to keep your sprouts going, try putting together a succulent patch. These hardy little plants are easy to care for and harder to kill than the mutant offspring of a rabid zombie and the T-1000. (I can personally speak to this - I have two sprouts of aloe that are actively growing in trays that have no dirt or water in them. It’s a little bit freaky.)

For those who are more inclined to crafty activities, you can create a fairy garden with a couple of flowerpots, some moss or lichen, and whimsical miniature decorations like fairy gardens.

You can also bring fresh flowers into your home. Give yourself a bouquet or a potted plant for a splash of color and scent. Swap that wintry pine bunting for early blooms like forsythia, dogwood, pussy willow, and cherry blossoms. Some traditions call for a bonfire in March or April, on which the old bunting will be burned, but obviously, please only do this if you’re using actual pine boughs, not plastic and silk.

And silk flowers ARE valid seasonal decorations for the witchy home, by the by. If you don’t have access to fresh foliage or can’t keep houseplants for whatever reason, go with silk ones. They can stay up for months on your walls or on your altar with just a little dusting, and provide ambience and magical symbolism with comparatively little effort. Plus, you can save them from year to year to be reused. I have a set of seasonal garlands that I hang over my altar that is entirely composed of silk flowers and leaves, and they provide a really nice aesthetic without too much worry about dead flowers or crumbling leaves catching on fire from the candles.

We experienced the promise of spring on Imbolc, and now we see that promise fulfilled at the vernal equinox. Sketch out your goals for the upcoming season. Think about the positive changes you wish to make and how you intend to grow. Meditate on the importance of keeping promises, both to yourself and to others, and on making only those promises you know you can keep.

And remember - you’ll reap what you sow later in the year, so sow ever so carefully.

-from Hex Positive, Ep. 011 - Secular Celebrations (Nov 01, 2020)

Other Posts In This Series:

Imbolc

Spring Equinox

Beltane

Midsummer

Lughnasadh

Autumn Equinox

Samhain

Yule

If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop.

The Hex Positive podcast is a proud member of the Nerd and Tie Podcast Network.😊

will-o-the-witch

Seasoning Blends

A lot of spells call for singular herbs like basil or cinnamon, but seasoning blends often get overlooked! Especially because these blends tend to be easier and more affordable in the kitchen. Let’s break a few down.

Pumpkin Spice- (Allspice, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg.) MONEY MONEY MONEY and also luck.

Five Spice Powder- (Cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, pepper.) Protection, banishing/exorcism, probably especially so for things related to psychic powers and abilities.

Italian Seasoning- (Thyme, oregano, garlic, basil, marjoram, rosemary, savory, sage) Cleansing, purifying, and consecrating spaces, protection. Combined, this probably makes it great for warding.

Creole Seasoning- (Paprika, garlic, onion, pepper, cayenne, thyme, oregano.) Hella banishing power, with a kick. May also help start patching up any spiritual wounds, afterwards. But mostly banishing.

Tajin- (Chili peppers, salt, lime) Cleansing! Burn out/erode all that gunk.

Old Bay- (Mustard, paprika, celery salt, bay leaf, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, mace, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger.) Can be used as a general enhancer to the power, strength, or success of a spell. Banishing.

mint-in-the-moonlight

getting back into your practice after a break

Life is life and sometimes you take a break from or lose touch with your practice for a time. Once that moment passes and you want to get back into it, it can feel different from was before and can be really daunting. So, what to do you to get back into the swing of things? These are just a few of my ideas and tips that I personally use as an ADHDer who constantly swings ona spectrum between hyperfixation and total apathy.

Step 1 - Cleaning up

Usually when I grow distant from my practice I just kind of drop and leave things as they are and don't touch them for a while. That means that the first thing that I do is clean all of that up to pick up where I left off. In this step you can do things like:

Clean up your altar(s)

Cleanse your space

Refresh/reapply protections

Get new supplies

Step 2 - Clarifying intentions

In this step, I like to clarify why I'm getting back into my practice. I like to look at the issues that I'm facing and how my practice can help me overcome them and in what ways. Sometimes I also like to plan what I want to research in the future so I know what to go for once I get to that point. In this step, you can:

Write a list of issues in your life that you can tackle through your practice

Write a list of research topics you're interested in

Write a list of things you want to do such as spells and rituals

Check the date for any upcoming astrological events, moon phases or celebrations

Step 3 - Do it!

In this step, I look at the lists written in step 2 and figure out what to do. Sometimes I get stuck here so I would suggest doing whatever seems the simplest or what you're most excited to do. This helps you stay motivated and stops you from getting overwhelmed with complicated and intricate spells and rituals. Once you've done the first thing, it's easier to keep going and you're no longer as intimidated.

The list in step 2 can also help you with further research topics and stuff to focus on, so if you struggle with keeping up with your practice in general, I would suggest keeping that one up to date and using it regularly.

Good luck! I believe in you!

coinandcandle

I've been on the struggle bus since pretty much May of this year and my craft has fallen to the wayside too many times to count.

My go-to this last week has been simply reading the Three Books of Occult Philosophy (thanks Crow for providing a great pdf of them) and highlighting and annotating as I go. I've set goals such as:

Highlight anytime Agrippa references a correspondence

Highlight and define new words

Make note of other works I should read

Simplify or summarize concepts in my own words.

I highly suggest this as an exercise if you're stuck. It doesn't have to be Agrippa's work, either, it can be any occult or magical book. It can even be a book by an author you don't like!!

breelandwalker

Witchcraft Exercise - Annual Review

The end of the old calendar year and the beginning of a new one are excellent times for reflection and recalibration. We do this in our mundane lives by making resolutions, setting new goals, starting new projects, and sketching out our schedule for the coming year. So why not do the same with your witchcraft!

As a journaling exercise, sit down and record how your journey has progressed over the past year. You can include things like spells you’ve cast, rituals you’ve performed, holidays you’ve celebrated, gatherings you attended, new ideas you’ve encountered or incorporated, important lessons learned, and any significant milestones you’ve achieved. It doesn’t have to be fully comprehensive or bite-by-bite - the level of detail is entirely up to you.

(If you’ve already performed the exercise Quantifying Your Craft, then you already have a place to start. If you haven’t, I do suggest doing that first to give yourself a clear set of data and pre-determined information to reference.)

Once you’ve recorded your progress, decide where you want to go next. What new goals will you set? What new subjects do you want to explore? What habits do you want to alter or adopt? Are there any new books you want to read? Places you want to visit? New methods or techniques you want to try? Dream big and then sketch out a path to get you there, or just decide where you want to go next. And don’t worry about accomplishing everything on the list in the span of a year. Whatever doesn’t get done in the short term can always become the seed of something you grow into over time.

Of course, this doesn’t necessarily have to be an exercise that happens exclusively at the beginning or end of a calendar year. You can (and should) review and recalibrate periodically throughout the year whenever you incorporate new information or new ideas or new processes into your practice. This can be done as frequently or infrequently as you feel the need, whether that be monthly or quarterly or annually or just once every few years. Pausing for reflection is a necessary part of any long-term path or project, and it is a good way to both measure your progress so far and decide how best to move forward.

One more thing - Don’t be too hard on yourself or feel like you haven’t accomplished enough or learned enough or progressed enough to be a “proper” witch. Don’t compare your craft to anyone else’s or measure your viability by another's rod. Your journey is your own and will proceed at its’ own pace. Periods of rest or recovery or low motivation or preoccupation with other concerns are going to be part of that. As long as you’re making an effort, you’re doing just fine.

Happy Witching!

Image Credit - Witch Workspace, by Mylène Richard

Want more witchcraft exercises? Check out the masterpost here.

(If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar, tune in to my monthly show Hex Positive on your favorite podcast app, or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊)

coinandcandle

Samhain

Crisp air like a freshly picked apple and leaves the colors of sunset indicating the ending of a season; here comes Autumn and with it a very popular pagan holiday: Samhain!

This is a remake of my original Samhain post. This one is going to be a long one so buckle up!~

While us those in the northern hemisphere are celebrating Samhain, our friends in the southern hemisphere will be celebrating Beltane!

Historical Samhain

The name “Samhain” (pronounced Sah-when) comes from the Old Irish samain which literally means “Summer’s end” as it was created using Old Irish sam ”Summer” and fuin ”end” (etymonline.com).

By now I’m sure you’ve guessed Samhain’s origin, it’s a Gaelic* festival, one of four major holidays.

*To learn the difference between Celtic and Gaelic please read this article

For these folks, Samhain was likely the beginning of the new year. Due to the oral nature of the culture, not much is known about the traditions of Samhain, though we have some documentation from other cultures as well as some ideas from historians as to what they may have done.

Traditions

The traditions of Samhain may vary by group or even by family, but one common tradition was to have a large, public sacred bonfire. (Fun fact, the term “Bonfire” comes from the English “bonefire” meaning literally “a fire of bones”). During these bonfires, they would sacrifice livestock and crops as offerings to their deities.

Households would extinguish their hearth fires earlier that day and would take the flame from the public bonfire to reignite their hearths. This was likely to represent renewal or new beginnings as they transitioned to the new year as well as a representation of community.

The veil between this world and other worlds is thought to be very thin on Samhain, making it easier not only for us to reach out to spirits, deities, and the like, but for them to reach out to us. These otherworldly beings are thought to be able to influence our world more powerfully during Samhain.

In some places, like Britanny, they believed that the dead would visit their living friends and relatives during this time.

In Welsh tradition, people would leave out food, leave doors unlocked, and prepare the house for the spirits of relatives that may come to visit.

Large turnips were hollowed out and would have faces carved into them and then place on window sills to ward off evil spirits.

In other places, like Scotland, Samhain was a time for mischief. Young men would dress up as spirits, donning masks, painting their faces, or wearing costumes.

Divination was very popular during this time, especially marriage divination. This wasn’t just done by druids but by the common folk as well.

In some places, it was considered taboo to forage for fruit or grain during and after Samhain, it was thought that the fae or spirits would have passed over and tainted them. There were even laws against doing so.

Notes

Samhain is the Irish name for the month of November.

Pigs were the choice of sacrificial animal for Samhain.

Samhain was a sacred time that often welcomed assemblies and would be used to settle important business matters like the inauguration of new kings, debts being paid, and trials.

In what is known of Gaelic mythology, the Second Battle of Mag Tuired begins on Samhain.

Trick-or-treating is a modern-day tradition but could have derived from the many different traditions of old.

The Cailleach is a seasonal goddess said to rule the “dark” side of the year (fall and winter) and would rule between Samhain and Beltane. Likewise, the goddess Brigid would rule the “light” side of the year between Beltane and Samhain.

While Wiccans may celebrate Samhain as part of their Wheel of the Year, it is not a Wiccan-specific holiday and has ties to much older traditions.

Modern Halloween is an amalgamation of Samhain and the Christian All Hallows’ Eve or All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ day. Halloween found its popularity after many folks immigrated to North America.

Similar to these holidays is Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) which originated in Mexico. This holiday reunites the living and the dead, allowing the spirits of loved ones to cross back over to our world for a short period of time. Families will make altars and give offerings to those who have passed. Festivities and celebrations are held during this time. It is traditionally held on November 1st or 2nd but is celebrated on October 31st or November 6th depending on the location.

Modern Samhain

As long as you’re aware of and honor the history of Samhain and are being respectful you can celebrate this holiday however you choose!

Here is a list of correspondences and the like that I found throughout my research for Samhain, some have historical backing and others don’t. Take what speaks to you and leave what doesn’t.

Food

Mead, beer, and mulled wine

Meat

Bread, soul cakes, pies, and other such pastries.

Apples, squash, and potatoes.

Colcannon

Soul cakes

Barmbrack

Colors

Warm colors such as red, orange, brown, and yellow.

Black

Dark green

Rocks & Metals

Onyx

Obsidian

Citrine

Hematite

Carnelian

Smoky quartz

Tiger’s eye

Ruby

Copper

Jet

Plants

Rosemary

Thyme

Vervain

St. John’s Wort

Mugwort

Dragon’s blood

Saffron

Deities

The Morrigan

The Dagda

The Morrigan and The Dagda seem to be the main deities for Samhain as per mythology but you could also choose to honor any deity or even other deities on this day, especially those involving liminality and death such as:

Cerunnos

Diana

Anubis

Hecate

Heimdall

Here are more liminal deities and here are more death deities.

Magic & Spellwork

Spirit work: honoring or communicating with spirits

Banishing and cleansing (out with the old and in with the new!)

Honoring ancestors

Activities

Bonfire

Fest

Baking

Decorating or creating an altar for Samhain

Other Correspondences

Tarot: Death, The World

Death in the Tarot often means “the end of something with the promise of something new on the horizon”, and represents transition the perfect card for a holiday of similar sentiment.

The World tarot card indicates cycles, closure, and completion.

Zodiac: Scorpio

It’s Scorpio season!

Runes: Fehu, Eihwaz

Fehu can represent new beginnings.

Eihwaz represents transformation, out with the old and in with the new, which pairs well with the ancient new year.

Androgyny

In Samhain's past, it wasn’t uncommon for men to dress in traditionally women’s clothes and women to dress in traditionally men’s clothes. While the social idea of gender is shifting and we don’t gender clothes as often in some modern societies, we can still use this as a way of celebration. Androgyny is like the liminal version of gender, neither male nor female. So trans witches or gender non-conforming witches of all flavors: show yourself some extra love this coming Samhain holiday!

References and Further Reading

The Ancient Origins of Halloween - History.com

Samhain - Worldhistory.com

Halloween Customs in the Celtic World - by Bettina Arnold

Samhain - Wikipedia

Samhain - Flying the hedge

Secular Celebrations - Samhain - @breelandwalker

coinandcandle

She is fast approaching!!!

breelandwalker

Secular Celebrations - Samhain

And then we come to the best holiday of them all - October 31st, good old Samhain. Seriously, if you don’t like Samhain or Halloween, I’m just not sure we can be friends. We all know how it’s celebrated - ghost stories and guising and good times. And lots of witchcraft. So much. All the witchcraft. -cackle-

Samhain is the third and final harvest festival, the harvest of flesh. This is when animals would be slaughtered, and sacrifices would be made, and the dead would be remembered. This is the night that the veil between the mortal world and the spirit realm is rumored to be at its’ thinnest. I mean, it’s always pretty thin, it’s a VEIL, after all, not a theatre curtain, although that’s another good analogy. But around Samhain, the dead travel more freely. They’re moving toward their final rest, if they haven’t found it yet, or perhaps they’re coming back for a visit. Día de Muertos is another holiday that celebrates this, with feasts and marigold garlands and family altars called ofrendas.

So first and foremost, Samhain is a time to remember those who came before. I think this is going to be sadder and more poignant in the next few years than it might have been before. We’ve all lost so much. It’s nice to have one night in the year when we’re encouraged to remember the dead fondly and laugh about the good times, even though it might be hard at other times. Honor your deceased loved ones with a cemetery visit or a gift of food or flowers. Commune with the dead, if you wish to do so. Just remember to hang up and cleanse the house after, so no uninvited guests stick around.

And it’s not just your immediate family you can call on, but your more distant ancestors too. Remember that ancestors aren’t just your blood relatives, but also people who inspire you or bring you insight. Honor the witches who came before as well, and the ones who were called witches but weren’t and suffered for it.

Put out some fruit offerings - I usually use apples - or a few shots of alcohol or a dish of salt. Another tradition calls for carving the names of the deceased into apples or potatoes and tossing them into water as an offering. I think this one might be an offshoot of the old “bobbing for apples” party time, but it’s not a precursor.

Bobbing for apples is a throwback to older traditions where partygoers would use apples and other party food to perform simple divinations. An apple peel taken off in one strip would be tossed over the shoulder and the shape it formed when it landed was supposed to show the initial of your future spouse. Dishes like barm brack and colcannon would have little charms hidden inside that were supposed to tell the fortune of the person whose portion contained them for the coming year. So if you’ve got divinations to do, especially for love or fortune, this is the time. Cast your predictions for the coming year.

Carve pumpkins and make baked pumpkin seeds. Tell the tale of Jack O’ Lantern and his glowing turnip. Learn about the history of Halloween and Samhain and where they intersect.

Samhain is a holiday that pretty much demands bonfires. Between burning leaves and the symbolic sacrificial pyre, a towering pile of flaming branches is something that’s pretty ubiquitous in cooler climes. When I lived in Pennsylvania, there was always a farm somewhere that would host one, usually alongside other spooky seasonal festivities.

If you have the opportunity to visit another harvest festival or a Halloween fair or a haunted attraction, go and have some fun! It’s a time of year for celebrating the spooky side of life, the scary things that remind us just how alive we are. So put on those scary movies, decorate your home, and scare your friends and neighbors. Tell your favorite ghost stories and bump Spooky Scary Skeletons loud enough to disturb folks in the next county. However you celebrate your spooky side, indulge it as far as you’re able.

On Samhain, we let our witch flags fly. It’s the one time of year that even those of us still witching in secret are sometimes able to get away with living in the open, or at least, a little less in hiding. Celebrate your life as a witch, even if you must do so in private. Revel in the pop culture visibility that’s giving us more of a foothold in the “normal” world.

On a personal note, this is the time of year that I do my annual home warding. Part of it has to do with the need to refresh them because of the increased spirit traffic, and part of it has to do with Samhain being an easily-markable holiday. I perform a full altar cleaning, an offering with fire and whiskey to honor my ancestors and my patrons, plus whatever spells I need to do for divination or immediate needs. Then, I do a full ritual to unravel the old wards, clean the place out, and weave new protections that will last until the following year. I do patch them in the interim sometimes, if they need it.

If you have something big to do with your craft, Samhain is a good time for it. Or, if you need a break, it’s a fine time for that too. You’ll know what’s best for you at the time.

This is a season of remembrance. In addition to honoring those who came before, study the history of your chosen craft and of witches in general. Think about what brought you to the craft in the first places, and what keeps you going. If you feel like your inspiration is waning, it’s a good time to find ways of reinvigorating yourself.

Meditate on the year so far. What knowledge have you gained? What do you want to learn next? What do you wish you’d done differently? What has passed out of your life that you’ll miss? What do you remember most fondly?

Meditate on the nature of disguise. What metaphorical masks do you wear? When and where do you feel most like yourself? Is there some part of yourself that you feel compelled to hide, and if so, why? What face would you like to be able to show to the world? Is it maybe time to find ways of living more in the open, or is it safer to keep your mask on for now?

- Hex Positive, Ep. 011, "Secular Celebrations" (November 1, 2020)