#neo-celtic

[cachien]

Witch Update!

Finally got my first tarot deck!

Spent much of the afternoon with the woman I’ve called my gay witch mother for years; she’s only seven years older than me, but she guided me when I first got into Wicca, and her and her wife were essentially my foster parents in younger years.

Anyhow, if anyone has any tarot tips, spreads, etc., to pass on, or wants a reading done, I’m open to practicing with them!

[cachien]

happy litha from the sleepy traveling witch! my altar’s in another state and the ghosts stole my celtic ring because i slept through the sunrise but i braided my hair and meditated so i’m at least trying~~~

blessed be and may your summer be grand\

[cachien]

Tbh, I’m just ready for the Samhain so I can start a spiritual new year and leave behind all this bad stuff. I’m ready to get witchy and forget about all the stress and just let myself transcend.

[cachien]

It’s Mabon!

aI know to a lot of people it’s just the autumn equinox and that means the skeleton war, pumpkin spice, Halloween on the horizon, and Thanksgiving; but to me and I’d assume many other Pagans, it’s a time of celebration. So I’ve summarized a fair amount of information for my fellow Pagans, and for any non-Pagans curious about Pagan traditions. (I use Pagan as a loose term; I know it’s very broad, but I don’t want to generalize to Wiccans or any particular branch thereof. Who knows who might like one of these traditions?)

History: Mabon is actually not an ancient term. I prefer Alban Elfed (AL-benn Elv-enn, according to a Welsh man on a forum about pronunciations), but that’s just me. Mabon is the ancient celebration of the second harvest festival; it is the end of summer, and autumn is coming. But rather than focus on the dark months ahead, most of the holiday’s focus is on the harvest and its aspects.

Magic and Mythology: This is when Persephone of Greek mythology returns to the underworld. If you’re unfamiliar with the legend, it’s fairly simple. Persephone, goddess of vegetation, was either abducted or went willingly- legends vary- to Hades, god of the underworld. Her presence there infuriated her mother, Demeter, goddess of the harvest, and Demeter came to retrieve her daughter; as they were leaving, Persephone snatched pomegranate seeds and ate them. Because she had eaten the fruit of the underworld, she was required to stay, but her absence seemed to leech the life out of Demeter, bringing about the steady death of the land. So it was agreed Persephone would return aboveground for six months- spring and summer- and return belowground for six months, fall and winter. 

Basic Celebrations: 

Feast. Because this holiday celebrates the harvest, it’s not uncommon to feast this day, enjoying the bounties of the harvest. (Specific foods will be listed below.)

Balancing an egg. It’s popular folklore that on the equinoxes, the earth is more balanced and therefore you can balance an egg upside down. Truth be told, you can do this any day of the year with practice, but it’s still a fun tradition for the equinoxes.

Apple divination. Because apples are symbolic of fall, they’re often used for divination around this time. There are many methods for this, all a quick google search away. A few include peeling the apple in one long piece and dropping the piece on the floor to watch it form your true love’s first initial; cutting an apple into nine pieces and entering a dark room with a mirror, eating eight pieces, throwing the ninth over your shoulder, and then seeing the face of your true love in the mirror; and several prayers.

Drum circles. Many covens and public Pagan events include drum circles; one person starts playing a beat, often slow, and another joins in a bit faster; more and more people collectively add beats by clapping, stomping, or hitting their own drums, so that eventually a steady beat plays out, ringing in the hearts of all those present. If you’re a solitary witch like me who lives in an area with a considerable lack of fellow Pagans, then I’m sorry, but you can’t do this one, either.

Deities to Honor:

Artemis (Greek) - Artemis is the divine huntress, a virginal goddess of Greek mythology. She is often depicted with a bow and arrow, and is said to be a protector of the forest and all creatures within.

Diana (Roman) - Diana is the Roman equivalent of Artemis. She is depicted as a defender of the forest and the innocent, often portrayed running with wild hair flowing behind her, a bow in hand, a collection of wild animals following her, and a short tunic being all she wears. She eventually evolved from the goddess of the hunt to a lunar goddess, with the crescent moon as her bow.

Cernunnos (Celtic) - This is my main god. He is also called the Horned God, for the antlers depicted protruding from his head; he is often shown horned, bearded, and in a forest. He holds domain over the forest and the underworld, and is the god of the wild and the hunt, even called the Master of the Hunt. He is symbolized in our world by the stag, which is why some Pagans don’t believe in hunting, or at least not deer-hunting; others see deer-hunting as an essential part of ancient culture, an honorable tradition which places the stag as the most important part of the hunt. (I’ll not express my very biased and somewhat irrational views on the subject here.)

Herne (British - Berkshire) - Considered an aspect of Cernunnos, Herne (pronounced like Hurn) is an English version of the Horned God, with many similarities. 

Mixcoatl (Aztec) - Mixcoatl is honored with a twenty-day celebration in which all hunters dress in their finest clothes. Human sacrifices were made during this celebration to ensure a good hunt for the next year.

Odin (Norse) - Odin, though not particularly a hunting god, is heavily associated with the Wild Hunt; though his noisy company of fallen warriors that follow him through the sky aren’t very conducive to stealth, he is also said to be followed by a pack of wolves and ravens. 

Ogun (Yorube - West African) - Ogun was initially a god of the hunt, one of the orishas. Later, he was depicted as a defender of the people, protecting them from oppression as a warrior god.

Orion (Greek) - Though he isn’t actually a god, Orion was a hero of Greek myth, and was depicted as hunting with Artemis more than once. After his eventual death by scorpion, Zeus immortalized the great hunter as a constellation in the sky.

Pakhet (Egyptian) - Pakhet was depicted as hunting the creatures of the desert. She was a feline-headed goddess associated with war and battle, and was associated with Artemis during the Greek occupation of Egypt.

Pomona (Roman) - One of few deities uniquely Roman, Pomona is the goddess of apples. Initially, she was a virginal wood nymph who rejected many suitors; then she eventually settled for Vertumnus, who disguised himself as an old woman and advised her to marry him. Once she did, she found herself to be very lusty, hence the “forbidden fruit” association with apples.

Important Symbols:

Acorns. Acorns are symbolic of strength and power, and are bountiful in fall.

Stags. Whether for the beginning of the hunting season or in honor of any variation of Horned God, the stag is a vital aspect of Mabon celebrations.

Scythe/sickle. An essential tool in the harvest of crops, the sythe or sickle has become symbolic of the fall equinox, the end of the harvest.

Baskets. How else can you carry in your food?

Celebratory Foods: gourds, squashes, nuts, apples (plain, pie, cider, butter, etc.), venison, grapes, and wine.

Other Rituals:

Dead Dinner. Though these are more associated with Samhain, Dead Dinners can be completed at any point in the year. A Dead Dinner is a meal in which a place is set for those across the veil: the ghosts of the house, deceased loved ones, or even ancestors.

Mabon Apple Harvest Rite. This is a specific ritual you can find at paganwiccan.about.com, too long for me to include here. It requires a fair bit of materials, but it’s a versatile ritual designed for solitary witches and adaptable to covens. It has some good poetry in the prayers.

Prayers. The above website has many excellent prayers specifically for Mabon, though there are many more you can find; nearly any prayer associated with harvest, autumn, or even hunting is relevant today; it’s also acceptable to pray welcoming the Crone, or Dark Mother, whose presence is more known in autumn and winter.

Horn-and-Hoof Chant. This chant is very easy to find by searching on Google or YouTube, and has a consistent rhythm and pattern; it’s very good for a little music for the holiday for those of us unable to complete a drum circle. (Or you can just find a playlist on YouTube of Mabon music, like I did.)

Happy Alban Elfed, everyone! May your autumn bring balance and abundance!

[solarbird]

Anna's put Faerie Blood on sale for a NIWA event, and that means the digital download of the soundtrack album is on sale too. 40% off with the discount code "niwa" so now is a good time!

[woodlandgoddess]

I want to be able to find this again.