Rose Ariadne's Chitchcraft Blog

Dear Friends,

Ostara is celebrated around March 20th or 21st and it is the Spring Equinox. We welcome this holiday as it heralds the beginning of spring and the agricultural year. On this day, darkness and light are in balance. Light will begin to dominate from this point on and Earth will explode with life. Ostara is a celebration of renewal, rebirth and warming of the Earth. This is an incredible time to put plans into action and spur growth in your own life.

Ostara is named after the Anglo-Saxon Goddess of the spring, Eostra. We offer cakes and colored eggs to her. Rabbits are sacred to Eostra, and she is believed to take the form of a rabbit.

The spring equinox is literally a time for us to ‘spring’ into action. We are to initiate and celebrate the new beginnings that this time of year offers. During this Sabbat, we plant seeds to represent the new life sprouting in the Earth around us. The days gradually become longer than the nights and the Goddess dominates our celebrations until Autumn.

In our Wheel of the Year story, Ostara is the time when the courtship between the God and Maiden Goddess begins. This is an appropriate time to focus on the balance of male and female energies within ourselves and throughout the world around us.

The word “Easter” is derived from the word “Eostre” and the symbols used to celebrate Easter have pre-Christian origins. The Easter bunny reminds us of the hare, the animal most sacred to the Goddess Eostra and the eggs that the hare brings symbolize new beginnings, rebirth, continuity and growth. Have you ever wondered why Easter changes dates and months from year to year? Interestingly it is always the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Spring Equinox!

The following is a simple and effective Ostara ritual. You only require: Paper and pen, a plant pot filled with soil, a large plant or flower seed and a light green candle

Place the plant pot on the floor next to the left side of the altar. Place the paper, pen, and seed on the altar pentacle. Cast the circle. Ring the bell three times. Say:

“The Goddess has freed Herself from the icy prison of winter.
Now is the greening, when the fragrance of flowers drifts on the breeze.
The Maiden displays her beauty through colorful spring flowers and their sweet aromas.
The Sun wakes from His long winter’s nap.
The God stretches and rises, eager in His youth, bursting with the promise of summer.
I welcome thee, beautiful spring!”

Light the light green candle. Say:

“Springtime is seedtime. Now is the time to plant that which I wish to come to flower. Spring brings hope and joy; expectations for desires realized; and inspiration for new ideas. Life is brought into balance and I am reborn with the earth’s renewal. Now the darkness of Winter and the past is cast behind. I look only to that which lies ahead and what I wish to bring forth.”

Sit in front of the altar and meditate on what seed of an idea you would like to plant, to grow into an opportunity. It could be a skill or personal quality you’d like to acquire, or an opportunity to do or create something. When you have decided what desire you’d like to nurture in the coming year, write it down on the paper. Stand up and say:

“Lord and Lady, receive this seed.
Let it germinate in my mind and heart.
Let it prosper and grow into maturity,
For I will care for it and encourage it in Your names.”

Light the paper from the light green candle, holding it so that as it burns, the ashes fall into the soil in the plant pot. With the athame, mix the ashes into the soil. Pick up the plant seed and concentrate on it and your desire. Place the seed in the center of the pot and close the soil over on top of it. Water it with blessed (“Holy”) water. Say:

“This seed I place in the womb of the earth
That it may become a part of that earth,
A part of life and a part of me.”

Ring the bell three times. Serve cakes and ale, and then close the circle.

Place the plant in a room you go into frequently, and take care of it whenever needed, knowing that as it grows and blossoms so too will your desire grow and blossom.

Happy Ostara!

Brightest Blessing,

Rose Ariadne, Your Warm And Caring “Resident Witch In Charge”

Dear Friends,

Imbolc, sometimes called Imbolg or Candlemas, marks the middle of the season of long nights and is celebrated on February 2nd. It anticipates the coming season of light. Imbolc marks the first evidence of the return of life. Imbolc is the holy day of Brigid, the Celtic Goddess of fire, healing and fertility. Because of this, Imbolc is celebrated as a fire celebration. Its emphasis is on the light of fire, rather than the power. The ceremonies of this Sabbat focus on candles.

The holiday is also called ‘Brigit’s Day’, in honor of the great Irish Goddess Brigit. She was considered a goddess of fire, patroness of smithcraft, poetry and healing. The Roman Catholic Church could not very easily call the Great Goddess of Ireland a demon, so they canonized her instead. Henceforth, she would be ‘saint’ Brigit, patron SAINT of smithcraft, poetry, and healing. They “explained” this by telling the Irish peasants that Brigit was really an early Christian missionary sent to the Emerald Isle.

Candlemas is the Christianized name for the holiday, and all of the church candles are blessed for the year. The Virgin Mary is also honored. Today, this holiday is chiefly connected to weather lore. Even our American calendar keeps the tradition of Groundhog Day, a day to predict the coming weather. The Groundhog Day tradition tells us that if the Groundhog sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of bad weather. An old British rhyme instructed:

If Candlemas day be fair and bright,
Winter will have another flight.
If Candlemas day be shower and rain,
Winter is gone and will not come again.

We pagans see the God as an infant during the time of Imbolc, and he is nursing from the Goddess and growing in power. It is the time for banishing Winter. We gather together the greens that adorned our homes during the Yule, and then we add these greens to the Imbolc fire. We chant and dance saying “We banish Winter! We welcome Spring!”

We light candles in each window and let them burn throughout the night. It is also an appropriate time for dedicating yourself to the Pagan path and purifying your home. You can also make candles for the coming year and consecrate new ritual items.

To celebrate Imbolc, we also tend to our gardens for the first time in the Pagan year. As this is a time of new life and growth, it is appropriate to plant bulbs or flowers or to sow seeds. However, you will need to use your judgments and some local knowledge to decide whether to actually do so at Imbolc or whether to wait a week (or several) until the last frosts have passed. Of course seeds can often be started indoors and planted out a month or so later.

Baking is appropriate for celebrating Imbolc, and we often make Crescent cakes for the end of our Imbolc ritual. Here is our circle’s favorite recipe:

1 1/4 cups Flour
3/4 cup Sugar
1 cup Finely Ground Almonds
3 drops Almond Extract
1/2 cup Butter or Margarine, softened
1 tablespoon Honey
1 Egg Yolk

In a large mixing bowl, combine the first four ingredients. Add the butter, honey and egg yolk and mix together well. Cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap, and then chill for 1 1/2 to 2 hours in the refrigerator.

When ready, pinch off pieces of the dough (about the size of plums) and shape them into crescents. Place the crescents on a well-greased cookie sheet and bake in a 325-degree preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes. This recipe yields 20 to 25 crescents.

Love And Light,

Rose Ariadne, Your Warm And Caring “Resident Witch In Charge”

Dear Friends,

Yule is the beginning of the Wheel of the Year and occurs between December 20th and 23rd. This sabbat is the rebirth of light. It is the longest night of the year, and the Goddess gives birth to the Sun God. The hope for a new light is reborn.

Yule is a time of awakening to new goals and leaving old regrets behind. Yule coincides closely with the Christmas celebration. Christmas was once a movable feast celebrated many different times during the year. The Pope Julius I made the choice of December 25 in the fourth century AD because this coincided with the pagan rituals of Winter Solstice, or Return of the Sun. The intent was to replace the pagan celebration with the Christian one.

The Winter Solstice has been celebrated for millennia by cultures and religions all over the world. Many modern pagan religions are descended in spirit from the ancient pre-Christian religions of Europe and the British Isles, and honor the divine as manifest in nature, the turning of the seasons, and the powerfully cyclical nature of life.

We have a fabulous Yule celebration each year. To me, this is one of the most enjoyable Sabbats. The world as a whole is in the holiday spirit. Our circle holds a special ritual that is festive and fun. It is followed by great themed food and a lot of merriment.

Here is a reading from our Yule celebration. This can be used at the beginning of the Yule circle or as a reading apart from the ritual.

This is the night of the Solstice, the longest night of the year. Now darkness triumphs, yet gives way and changes into light. The breath of Nature is suspended: all waits while within the Cauldron, the Dark King is transformed into the infant light. We watch for the coming of Dawn, when the great Mother again gives birth to the Divine child Sun, who is bringer of hope and the promise of summer. This is the stillness behind motion, when time itself stops; the center, which is also the circumference of all. We are awake in the Night. We turn the Wheel to bring the Light. We call the sun from the womb of night.

You can make your Yule celebration special with themed food and incense blends.
The following Yule incense is from Scott Cunningham. My family looks forward to its scent each year.
Yule Incense
Recipe by Scott Cunningham
2 parts Frankincense
2 parts Pine needles or resin
1 part Cedar
1 part Juniper berries
Mix and smolder at Wiccan rites on Yule (on or around December 21st), or during the winter months to cleanse the home and to attune with the forces of nature amid the cold days and nights.

You can have a full-blown ritual for Yule with your circle, but I also find it important to have a special individual meditation ceremony for yourself. This can help to center you during the busy holiday season, and help you get into touch with the spirits of the season. For this ceremony, decorate the altar with holly, mistletoe, evergreen, pinecones, ivy, berries, ribbons, and whatever else feels right. Having a Yule Tree nearby the altar will add a lot to the ritual.

Start your ritual as you normally would, and then begin mediation. Say the following out loud and then spend a few moments contemplating these words: “The old solar year has run its course and completed its cycle. So too have some of our habits or traits completed their cycles and outlived their usefulness. This is a time for shedding that which is no longer needed.”
“As the old year dies away
so to will these old ways will fade into memory.”
“In the beginning we came from the darkness of the womb.
There we were created, nourished
and prepared for our birth into the light.
Within us, we still carry that fertile darkness.
There we hold the seeds of hopes and dreams to come.
There we nourish are hopes for love, joy and peace for all.
We shield these tender roots until they are strong enough to come forth and flourish in the light.”
Yuletide greetings to you all!

Brightest Blessing,

Rose Ariadne, Your Warm And Caring “Resident Witch In Charge”

Dear Friends,

We Wiccans like to have celebrations! Our calendar includes 13 full moon celebrations (Esbats) and 8 days of solar power (Sabbats). While the Esbats are for celebrating the Goddess, the Sabbats mark the Sun God’s yearly cycle. This is often referred to as the Wheel of the Year.

The story of the Year begins on the Winter Solstice, which is the shortest day of the year. This Sabbat is known as Yule, and we celebrate the Goddess giving birth to the God. It is a joyous celebration shared with friends and family. We light candles and keep the Yule log burning to welcome the Sun’s return and his warmth.

On February 2nd, we celebrate Imbolc. This is the Goddesses recovery from giving birth and the growth of the God. The days begin to get longer and the timing of the year quickens. Imbolc is the festival of light and fertilization. It is a time for purification, initiation and self-dedication. For those new to the path, it is a perfect time to dedicate yourself to the God and Goddess.

Ostara is the Spring Equinox. During this night, normally around March 21, the day and night are equal. The God is flourishing in his youth and he courts the Maiden Goddess. They begin a courtship and love is in the air. Ostara is a festival of fire, fertility and light.

Beltane (May 1st) is the day that the God emerges into manhood. This is the great fertility festival when we celebrate the marriage of the Goddess and God and the consummation of their relationship. The Goddess transforms from maiden to mother through the experience of sexuality.

Litha is the Summer Solstice and is the longest day of the year. It occurs on or around June 21st. The powers of nature reach their highest point. The earth is full of the fertility of the pregnant Goddess, and the God is at the height of his power. The longest day is marked by fire, and it is great for workings of empowerment, culmination and magick.

Lughnasad is celebrated on August 1st and marks the first harvest. The God is losing his strength and giving way to the harvest of the earth. The Goddess mourns as she watches the God fade away, but knows that he lives on as her child.
Nothing in the universe is a constant, and this celebration reminds us of this fact.

Mabon is the Fall Equinox and it occurs around September 21st. This is the completion of the harvest that started with Lughnasad. The day and night are exactly equal. The God leaves his body for rebirth as the next generation’s God. It is a time to enjoy the fruits of the summer’s labor and give thanks for all of the abundance you’ve received.

Samhain is the Witches? New Year and it occurs on October 31st. The God arrives in the Underworld. He opens the gates and souls are allowed to visit their loved ones. At this time, the veil between the worlds is lifted and we make contact with those that have passed before us. We celebrate the Festival of the Dead and reflect on the past year and celebrate our experiences.

The Wheel of the Year turns and turns, letting us experience the aspects of the God and Goddess. Our holidays can be seen reflected in the modern holidays that the rest of the world celebrates. Our holidays, however, are extensions of the natural rhythms of the earth and not greeting card celebrations. Understanding the Wheel of the Year can help you understand the rhythms of life and how the God and Goddess work.

Love And Light,

Rose Ariadne, Your Warm And Caring “Resident Witch In Charge”