I hope you all have a very merry May Eve and You have set away some time to dedicate your self to your Lord and Lady/ God and Goddess’ or Deities of your choice! To all the witches and twitches (Teen witches) learning about occult holidays Beltane is a great day to start! It is one of the three harvest Sabbats! Today and tomorrow is not about how much money you can spend to decorate your altar! Its about YOUR own path with your deities and doing what you can on this day! When I was younger I didn’t have money for candles so I would draw them and visualize! Its not the tools that you can buy but you and your inner strength! Decorate a lay out of dandalions! Or other Flowers! Merry Meet and Merry Part and Merry Meet again!
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Ten Beltane Decoration Ideas
Beltane’s not my favorite Sabbat, I’ll be honest. It’s a very group-centric holiday and as a solitary practitioner, I have trouble connecting to it. That being said, however, Beltane does offer many ways to beautify our homes and connect with others so I am trying to take it from a different perspective this year! To get me started, ten Beltane decoration ideas:
- Decorate a wooden dowel with ribbons and place in a pot of moss as a small-scale maypole.
- Floral wreaths are a lovely way to mix up the style of centerpieces. Simply place a small wreath of flowers around a candle or even something like a punch bowl.
- For décor subtly reminiscent of the ribbons of the maypole, tie or pin wide ribbons of various colors to a curtain rod and hang over an altar, bed or other area in need of decoration. Make your May Day curtain magickal…
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Beltane Is Upon Us! Magic, History, and Traditions!
Beltane: (Bealtaine, May Eve, Valpurgis) – April 30th/May 1st
Incense: Lilac, Frankincense
Decorations: Maypole, Flowers, Ribbons, Reves, Floral Decor,
Colours: Green, Pastels
Spells best done: Fertility is the best! But Protection, Divination and fae magic can be done.
The Fire Festival of Beltane:
Beltane derived from the Irish Gaelic “Bealtaine” or the Scottish Gaelic “Bealtuinn”, meaning “Bel-fire”, the fire of the Celtic god of light (Bel, Beli or Belinus).
This festival is also known as Beltane, the Celtic May Day. It officially begins at moonrise on May Day Eve, and marks the beginning of the third quarter or second half of the ancient Celtic year. It is celebrated as an early pastoral festival accompanying the first turning of the herds out to wild pasture. The rituals were held to promote fertility. The cattle were driven between the Belfires to protect them from ills. Contact with the fire was interpreted as symbolic contact with the sun. In early Celtic times, the druids kindled the Beltane fires with specific incantations. Later the Christian church took over the Beltane observances, a service was held in the church, followed by a procession to the fields or hills, where the priest kindled the fire. The rowan branch is hung over the house fire on May Day to preserve the fire itself from bewitchment (the house fire being symbolic of the luck of the house).
This is a holiday of Union–both between the Goddess and the God and between man and woman. Handfastings (Pagan marriages) are traditional at this time. It is a time of fertility and harvest, the time for reaping the wealth from the seeds that we have sown. Celebrations include braiding of one’s hair (to honour the union of man and woman and Goddess and God), circling the Maypole for fertility and jumping the Beltane fire for luck. Beltane is one of the Major Sabbats of the Wiccan religion. We celebrate sexuality (something we see as holy and intrinsic to us as holy beings), we celebrate life and the unity which fosters it. The myths of Beltane state that the young God has blossomed into manhood, and the Goddess takes him on as her lover. Together, they learn the secrets of the sexual and the sensual, and through their union, all life begins.
Beltane is the season of maturing life and deep found love. This is the time of vows, handfastings and commitment. The Lord and his Lady, having reached maturity, come together in Perfect Love and Perfect Trust to celebrate the joy of their union. This is a time to celebrate the coming together of the masculine and feminine creative energies. Beltane marks the emergence of the young God into manhood. Stirred by the energies at work in nature, he desired the Goddess. They fall in love, lie among the grasses and blossoms and unite.
The flowers and greenery symbolise the Goddess and the Maypole represents the God. Beltane marks the return of vitality and passion of summer. Another common focal point of the Beltane rituals is the cauldron, which represents the Goddess. The Welsh goddess Creiddylad is connected with Beltane, often called the May Queen, she was a Goddess of summer flowers and love.
May Day
May Day has long been marked with feasts and rituals. May poles, supremely phallic symbols, were the focal point of old English village rituals. Many people arose at dawn to gather flowers and green branches from the fields and gardens, using them to decorate the village Maypoles.
The May Queen (and often King) is chosen from among the young people, and they go singing from door to door throughout the town carrying flowers or the May tree, soliciting donations for merrymaking in return for the “blessing of May”. This is symbolic of bestowing and sharing of the new creative power that is stirring in the world. As the kids go from door to door, the May Bride often sings to the effect that those who give will get of nature’s bounty through the year.
In parts of France, some jilted youth will lie in a field on May Day and pretend to sleep. If any village girl is willing to marry him, she goes and wakes him with a kiss; the pair then goes to the village inn together and lead the dance which announces their engagement. The boy is called “the betrothed of May.”
Spirits and Faeries
On certain nights, faeries and spirits roam the world. Beltane is one time famed for faery rades and the Wild Hunt. Ghosts and other spirits are also believed to travel freely on this night. Some practices were aimed at attracting these visitors, most at driving them away. To celebrate the ethereal aspects of Beltane, consider creating a faery garden with plenty of things that sparkle and jingle, and plants beloved by faeries. The traditional faery color is green, but they adore most bright colors. Snapdragon, meadowsweet, hawthorn, and foxglove are good altar flowers.
To protect against unwanted entities, see the previous section on purification and protection; but also add that salt, iron, and the making of much noise are traditional for Beltane defenses. Plan for an indoor observance in this case.
Fertility Charms, Potions & Spells for Beltane:
- Solitary Beltane Ritual:
Preparation
Prior to this rite you should have made ready a wooden wand. This should be a branch from an Oak or Hazel tree. Remember, do not take the wood from a living tree!
The wood can be cut into the rough shape of a phallus in which case it should be of the appropriate size and shape. On the other hand, a simple branch, peeled of its bark, and about 13 inches long and half an inch thick is also acceptable. Place the wand upon your alter within the Circle.
Prepare a dish of earth and place it upon the alter beside the wand.
The Rite
Cast the Circle and invoke the Lady and the Lord. After the invocation, dance and chant to raise power for magical activities and then earth the power into an unlit candle, placed inside the cauldron, at the center of the circle. Chant the following (or make up your own!):
Beltane! I dance with delight on Beltane’s night. All senses freeing, I dance for being. The flower and the flame of love’s own rite shall blossom. Sun embrace Earth, bright.
Light the candle to the Sun. This is the Beltane fire, our modern substitute for the hilltop bonfires of our ancestors. The Bel fire is an invocation to the Sun God to bring blessing and protection for the coming year. This is sacred fire with healing and purifying properties. As you light the candle, be aware of its power and significance. Say:
I light this candle to the Sun. Now take up a dish of earth. Bless it in the name of the Goddess.
Lay your hands upon it and say:
I bless, consecrate, and set apart this earth, in the name of the Triple Goddess. May this be sacred earth, set apart for magic. For earth is of the Goddess, being her sacred body. Remember that the Goddess is not only of the Moon, but of the Earth and of the farthest stars. She is the Triple Goddess of the Circle of Rebirth, the Mother of All Life. Decorate the dish of earth with flowers.
Now, take a wooden wand and oil it with vegetable oil. Bless it in the name of the Lord of the Day, the youthful, ardent one, the Lord of Life, the God of the greenwood. Pass it swiftly through the candle flame, the Bel fire, so that it becomes magically imbued, ‘charged’, with power. Place the wand upon the dish of earth, saying as you hold it there:
As the wand is to the earth, so the male is to the female and the Sun to our blossoming world. Joined, they bring happiness. May the God of Life give ___ {something you want, for example, peace on Earth} May the Goddess bring it forth! Sit quietly for a while, and picture the blossoming of what you have desired in life. The spells and invocations of all of us, all working on themes like these, must eventually bear fruit, because life is on the side of peace. Leave the earth and wand upon the alter.
Walk deosil three times around the circle, then spiral into the center. Go evenly, with grace, meditatively. Sit beside the candle flame, allowing yourself to feel peaceful. Gaze into the flame.
The next part is different depending on whether you are man or woman.
For a Woman: visualize a red rosebud in your womb. Always your womb is the source of your creative power, whether you are pregnant with a child, an idea, a work of art or an intention. Close your eyes and picture the light from the candle streaming into your womb so that the rosebud blooms, unfolds. Hold the image for a while, feeling the silkiness, smelling the scent, the freshness, seeing the color of the fully open rose within you. Feel the strength and power of your own fully blossomed capabilities. Say:
I am woman, strong to conceive and to create, to give birth and to tend. As I am daughter of the Goddess, and blessed by the God, may I ___
{here name what you wish to bring forth in life. For example bring healing to others or write my book whatever matters to you}
Feel the strength and creative force within your womb, the center of your being. See the power being channeled, flowing into the desire you have just voiced. Open your eyes. Always, the rose is within you.
For a Man: Visualize a bright flame. This burns within your sexual center, a point at the base of the stomach, just above the pubic hairline. It is your own male strength and energy which may rise through your body to be released as giving, fertilizing power, in any form, or may be the potency which impregnates, creating a physical child. It is the force which blesses and bestows, a healing and creative energy, like the shining Sun. Visualize also that you are sitting in a garden and that a rose tree is in front of you, the roses in bud. Say:
I am man, and in my passion is beauty, in my warmth is life. As I am son of the Goddess, and blessed by the God, I offer my strength and vitality to ___
{name the area of life, the place, activity, or commitment you choose}
Visualize the light streaming from you to a rose upon the tree causing it to unfold, to blossom. Your flame is lowered by this effort. Much has gone out of you, the flame sinks down. Wait and watch, until a pink light streams from the rose towards your body. At its touch, just above the pubic hairline the flame resurges. It burns higher and stronger than before. Open your eyes. The flame is always within you. (Credit from Mae Beth)
Beltane Charms
Fertility Charms:
-Carry a bagful of hazel nuts to ensure your own fertility.
-Other herbs to ensure fertility are basil, hazel, poppy, cucumber, apple, pomegranate, acorns, myrtle, and all other nuts.
-Men should carry a piece of mandrake root to ensure their won fertility and sexual prowess, while the jasmine flower does the same for women. The first seven herbs listed above can be added to food and take internally to ensure proper fertility, or they can be introduced into sachets, as can acorns, myrtle and nuts.
-Bull Amulet: To increase fertility in women and men, wear a bull shaped amulet, or place on under the bed before making love.
-Fish Amulet: An amulet shaped like a pair of fish and made of gold or mother of pearl will increase fertility and virility, bring prosperity and offer you protection from people you hate or who have evil intentions.
-Goat Amulet: The symbol of the goat (sacred to Aphrodite and the Horned God) increases fertility when worn or carried as an amulet, and is especially favorable for those born under the sign of Capricorn.
-Ram Amulet: An amulet in the shape of a ram will increase fertility in women.
-Unicorn Amulet: The unicorn is a ancient symbol of chastity and protection, and it’s fabled born was said to be used in medieval times as an amulet to detect poisons in the food or drinks of kings, queens, pontiffs and popes. To promote fertility or increase sexual magnetism, wear any type of amuletic jewelry shaped like a unicorn.
-Goddess Amulet: of course a lot of females in the early pagan years would wear the goddess to ensure protection and to ask to become a mother, as mother earth herself gives and takes life.
-Magickal soil; What to do: Relax. Put the pot on the table and take up some dirt. Play with it loosely, so it doesn’t clump. Then visualize your plant growing healthy and full. Visualize this for a few moments. If you can, bring up nurturing emotions. Place the soil in the pot and then get another handful and do the same thing. Do this until it’s at a good height in the pot. Then stick the Seed in and make it all neat and nice. Don’t compact the soil too much if you can help it. Pour some water in and visualize the energy within the earth immediately going to work and feeding energy into the plant. Don’t forget to water your plants! Nuture your plant see it grow as if it was your child. This plant will be your child, so take good care of it.
Fertility Spells:
Fertility Gris Gris Bag Spell:
Fill a leather pouch with one each of these stones: amethyst, clear quartz crystal, chrysoprase and aventurine/ Moonstone. Place fresh rosemary or Roses under the bed when trying to conceive, and wear the pouch around your neck each time you try. This will increase your chances of becoming pregnant. Also have a warm bath and use rose oil, or rose petals to help the blood circulation around the body to relax.
Once pregnant, keep the pouch until after you deliver to ease your labor pains and help ensure a safe delivery. Before your baby is one month old, give the stones away, particularly to a friend who is pregnant or who is also trying to conceive.
Fertility Spell for Both:
Go and find an Apple Tree, try to collect the Sapp from the branches, and rub it into your hands or face. Also collect an apple to share with your partner.
You ask a family member or friend who has not long had a baby, if you could have one of their baby’s nappy. After making love with your partner, you attach the nappy to your belly before going to sleep, and you dream of the child you want within your life. You do this until you conceive then rid the nappy once your pregnancy is safe.
Take a romantic shower or bath (preferably with your partner) and massage the Apple or Orange scented body cream into your skin, taking care around your tummy and pelvic area where the baby’s life will begin.
Imagine that you and your partner’s hands are glowing with a warm golden light, which is filling all this area with life and warmth. Visualize that you are pregnant as you gently place the pearls (fake if need be) around your neck and repeat these beautiful magic words:
“PRECIOUS JEWELS OF LUNAR, I OFFER THIS ADORNMENT IN HONOR OF YOUR POWER. LET FERTILE LIGHT SHINE THROUGH ME. O SO LET IT BE DONE BLESSED BE”
Egg wish spell for fertility:
“On an egg whose shell is brown or pink,
Sign these signs in grass-green ink.
[a simple sun, a male symbol, an encircled equilateral cross, a female sign,
then an upside-down 5-pointed star]
Bury it deep in an earth-filled pot,
Let this stand where the sun is hot;
Sow on its surface seeds of grass,
Water them well while nine weeks pass
Gather the crop, bind it with thread
Let it hang always above your bed
Getting Pregnant Spell
You will need the following:
–ace of wands, 10 of cups, the SUN,
–something for a baby you bought specifically for this ritual (a bib, a small blanket…etc…..),
–9 red candles.
Light the candles and lay out the tarot cards one by one.
Visualize yourself finding out your pregnant, staring at a positive pregnancy test. Repeat the following:
With these cards and with this spell- I call upon the good and helpful powers. I desire to start a family – I desire energy and love to continue.
This small item (hold up the baby item) is the token of the commitment we are ready to make. We are ready to love our children – we are ready to teach our children and we are ready to have our children. so it is – so it shall be!
Seal this spell with kisses and hugs followed by the actions necessary to start a family.
Seashells represent fertility. She can create a small seashell altar in her bedroom.
If she wants to add a deity, I’d use the Goddess of Willendorf.
Any round and fertile/pregnant goddess will work, and there are many!
Holed stones are also symbols of fertility.
Have her carry one her person or have her wear one around her neck as a charm.
Placing one by the bed or between the matters is also good. Eat healthy!
Diet plays an extreme part in fertility. Use visualization.
She must be relaxed. Also, studies show that when the man and woman climax together, the woman has a higher chance of conception. Full moons… In tribal times and pre-electricity, women would ovulate around the Full Moon and menstruate around the Dark or New Moon. One way to get yourself onto this cycle is to start paying more attention to the phases of the moon and also going out under the moon for even a minute or two.
Magic Fertility Potion:
For Men or Women to overcome infertility, increase sperm count and strengthen the sex drive,
burn one stick of musk incense as an offering to the fertility deity of your choice, and take twenty milligrams of royal jelly every day. –not only does royal jelly possess sexual rejuvenating properties, it is also reputed to increase the size of the male genitals is used often enough. and eat this! Globe Artichoke Cynara scolymus. Globe artichokes are under the Dominion of Venus.
Fertility and love spell for love – Prior to a love encounter, the body should be rubbed from head to toe with
powdered cinnamon. A small stick of cinnamon should be placed in the mouth before addressing the person desired. Oshun should be invoked during the encounter.
Fertility and love spell for Motherhood – A honeydew melon is bought in Oshun’s name. A short letter asking
Oshun for a child is written on a piece of brown paper, which is then placed inside the melon through a narrow slit made on its side. The fruit is then wrapped in a yellow handkerchief and a white candle is burned in Oshun’s name. At the end of five days the melon is brought to the river with twenty-seven cents.
Simple Pregnancy Spell:
Repeat to each direction (east, west, etc.)
“To you my child, my body is open,
To you my child, my mind is open.
To you my child, my heart is open.
By Earth, Fire, Wind, and Sea,
Into my arms you will be.”
(Last two lines are said while looking at your cradled arms)
So Mote It Be!
March 20th Est. Time Spring Equinox! Ostara is coming!
The Spring Equinox for all witch kind is on March 20th around 4:57 pm!
Taking in the importance of the spring equinox I will love to share some special things about what you should do for this amazing celebration!
While Pagans and Wiccans are celebrating Ostara, and Christians are observing Easter, it’s important to remember that the dawning of spring has been observed for a long time in many other cultures as well. Traditions vary widely from one country to the next. Here are some ways that residents of different parts of the world observe the season.
The Festival of Isis was held in ancient Egypt as a celebration of spring and rebirth. Isis features prominently in the story of the resurrection of her lover, Osiris. Although Isis’ major festival was held in the fall, folklorist Sir James Frazer says in The Golden Bough that “We are told that the Egyptians held a festival of Isis at the time when the Nile began to rise… the goddess was then mourning for the lost Osiris, and the tears which dropped from her eyes swelled the impetuous tide of the river.”
Iran:
In Iran, the festival of No Ruz begins shortly before the vernal equinox. The phrase “No Ruz” actually means “new day,” and this is a time of hope and rebirth. Typically, a lot of cleaning is done, old broken items are repaired, homes are repainted, and fresh flowers are gathered and displayed indoors. The Iranian new year begins on the day of the equinox, and typically people celebrate by getting outside for a picnic or other activity with their loved ones. No Ruz is deeply rooted in the beliefs of Zoroastrianism, which was the predominant religion in ancient Persia before Islam came along.
Ireland:
In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated each year on March 17. St. Patrick is known as a symbol of Ireland, particularly around every March. One of the reasons he’s so famous is because he drove the snakes out of Ireland, and was even credited with a miracle for this. What many people don’t realize is that the serpent was actually a metaphor for the early Pagan faiths of Ireland. St. Patrick brought Christianity to the Emerald Isle, and did such a good job of it that he practically eliminated Paganism from the country.
Italy:
For the ancient Romans, the Feast of Cybele was a big deal every spring. Cybele was a mother goddess who was at the center of a Phrygian fertility cult, and eunuch priests performed mysterious rites in her honor. Her lover was Attis (who also happened to be her grandson), and her jealousy caused him to castrate and kill himself. His blood was the source of the first violets, and divine intervention allowed Attis to be resurrected by Cybele, with some help from Zeus. In some areas, there is still an annual celebration of Attis’ rebirth and Cybele’s power, called the Hilaria, observed from March 15 to March 28.
Judaism:
One of Judaism’s biggest festivals is Passover, which takes place in the middle of the Hebrew month of Nisan. It was a pilgrimage festival, and commemorates the exodus of the Jews from Egypt after centuries of slavery. A special meal is held, called the Seder, and it is concluded with the story of the Jews leaving Egypt, and readings from a special book of prayers. Part of the eight-day Passover traditions include a thorough spring cleaning, going through the house from top to bottom.
Russia:
In Russia, the celebration of Maslenitsa is observed as a time of the return of light and warmth. This folk festival is celebrated about seven weeks before Easter. During the Lent season, meat and fish and dairy products are prohibited. Maslentisa is the last chance anyone will get to enjoy those items for a while, so it’s typically a big festival held before the somber, introspective time of Lent. A straw effigy of the Lady of Maslenitsa, is burned in a bonfire. Leftover pancakes and blintzes are tossed in as well, and when the fire has burned away, the ashes are spread in the fields to fertilize the year’s crops.
Scotland (Lanark):
In the area of Lanark, Scotland, the spring season is welcomed with Whuppity Scoorie, held on March 1. Children assemble in front of a local church at sunrise, and when the sun comes up, they race around the church waving paper balls around their heads. At the end of the third and final lap, the children gather up coins thrown by local assemblymen. According to the Captial Scot, there’s a story that this event began ages ago when troublemakers were “scoored” in the Clyde River as punishment for bad behavior. It appears to be unique to Lanark, and does not seem to be observed anywhere else in Scotland.
Happy Valentines Day Sisters and Brothers =]
Merry Meet! I hope your Day and Night is filled with the love of the Goddess and the full moon shines Making a perfect day to Cast and show your love to your deities! Nyx is my Goddess and I Have my alter decorated for her for giving me Love, Peace and happiness! I hope you are getting Peace and happiness as well! Merry part! and blessed be!
Merry Meet! Merry Imbolc
I Hope all the fellow Children of the earth and who have faith are MERRY and HAPPY during this time of celebration!
This Holiday is not just about Mother Earth its about the cycle of Rebirth of the Green man and Horned God. What ever religion or Deity you choose to follow please remember we are all children of earth the cycle of life and death is real and beautiful death is not the end, it is an transition!
A Year and a Day: Week One – Judaism
Herbal Baths
Best Bath Herbs are:
bergamot for money, success, work related issues, victory, and luck,
Calendula, Chamomile for relaxing and peace , Mint for purity, clary sage, orange blossom, acacia, Mugwort for divination, vervain for divination, money, psychic abilities, love and success, Dianthus, Elder Flower, Rose Petals for love and relationships, Rosemary, Sage for purification, rose hips for health and love, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Savory, marjoram and peppermint. Yarrow
Comfort Bath:
Marigold, Chamomile, Raspberry Leaves, Mint, Lavender, and Rosemary.
Energy Bath:
Heather,Lemon Balm, Rosemary, and Savory
Peace Bath:
Hops, Chamomile, lavender, pepperment, and Rose.
Relaxation Bath:
Chamomile, Dianthus, heather, Jasmine Flower, and Lemon Balm
Soothing Bath:
Calendula, chamomile, lavender, mint and rosemary
stress relief bath:
chamomile, Dianthus, and Lemon Balm.
Muscle soothing bath:
Chamomile, Lavender and Hemp
Divination Bath:
Vervain, Chamomile, mugwort and sage.
Alchemist Symbols for Metals
here are some symbols for rituals and spell work. I hope they can help you! Blessed be!
Christian calender is Pagan!
I dont judge people for their beliefs but, this is so true and funny and more so Ironic!
Christ birth day was never on dec 25th but, the rebirth of the horned god is. In the celebration of the winter solstice, and its just really funny.
Amara 