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The wheel as turned to Samhain and the thoughts of lost love one come to mind and we spend our time celebrating death. Not just of mortal death but also of the world the fields are now baron, the ice breath of winter is breathing heaver upon us, the skies are darkening, the sunrises later and we will soon face the on coming winter.

Honouring the dead is common throughout the world and there are many festivals dedicated to our ancestors.

There are as many gods and goddess of the dead here is a small selection

Anubis or Inpu, (variously spelled Anupu, Ienpw etc.). (Egyptian): A head of a jackal headed god who is associated with mummification, funerals and protecting the death in ancient Egypt. Anubis is seen in the sacred scroll the book of the dead weighing the hearts of the dead to see was worthy of entering the under world Anubis had a wife the goddess Anput, his female aspect, and their daughter is the goddess Kebechet.

Demeter (Greek): Know for being a goddess of the harvest, sanctity of marriage, the sacred law, and the cycle of life and death. It is only when Hades abducts her daughter, Persephone, does Demeter’s grow enraged that she vows that nothing should grow upon the earth until her daughter Persephone is returned to her. Since Persephone eat some food while in the underworld she was doomed to remain their a bargain was struck and she was although to return to Demeter but would have to spend sometime in the underworld some say 4 months other 6 it this grief that associates Demeter with the Dark Mother.

Freya or Freya, Freja, Freyia, Frøya, and Freia (Norse): Freya is typically associated with associated with love, beauty, fertility, gold, witchcraft (seiðr), war, and death. In Norse mythology half of the men who died in battle joined Freya in her hall, Folkvangr, and the other half joined Odin in Valhalla.

Hecate or Hekate (Greek): Hecate who was given the highest honour from Zeus She was giving dominion over the heaven earth and seas and the underworld Although Hecate was originally considered a goddess of fertility and childbirth, over time she has come to be associated with the moon, cronehood, and the underworld. Sometimes referred to as the Goddess of the Witches, Hecate is also connected to ghosts and the spirit world. In some traditions of modern Paganism, she is believed to be the gatekeeper between graveyards and the mortal world.

Hel (Norse): Rule her realm which is caused Hel / underworld in Norse mythology. Her hall is called Éljúðnir, and is the place where mortals go who do not die in battle, but of natural causes or sickness.

Kali (Hindu) None as the black one or dark mother kali is an eternal force here home is the crave yard and she is depicted as having 4, 6 or 8 arms one with a severed head one with a sword and the more arms she has the more weapons she carries. She is associated with time and change often violent.

Meng Po (Chinese): Her task is to ensure that souls who are ready to be reincarnated do not remember their previous life or their time in hell.She brews a special herbal tea of forgetfulness, which is given to each soul before they return to the mortal realm.

 Morrígan (“phantom queen”) or Mórrígan (“great queen”) (also known as Morrígu, Morríghan, Mor-Ríoghain, sometimes given in the plural as Morrígna) (Irish) In mythology she is seen as a triple goddess the most common version of her triad Badb, Macha and Nemain, This warrior goddess is associated with death in a way much like the Norse goddess Freya. The Morrighan is known as the washer at the ford, and it is she who determines which warriors walk off the battlefield, and which ones are carried away on their shields. She is represented in many legends by a trio of ravens, often seen as a symbol of death.

Osiris or Usiris (Asar, Asari, Aser, Ausar, Ausir, Wesir, Usir, Usire or Ausare) (Egyptian): In Egyptian mythology, it is his brother Set that murders Osiris before being resurrected by the magic of his lover, Isis on resurrection she is impregnated by him. After Isis is impregnated Osiris dies again so Isis hides his body. One day set was out riding cheap prescription drugs without prescription and he comes across his body in a rage he tears the body into 14 parts and scatters them across the land. Isis collects all the parts less the phallus (which was eaten by a fish) and bandaged them together for a proper burial. The gods on seeing her devotion resurrected Osiris as the god of the underworld the death and dismemberment of Osiris is often associated with the threshing of the grain during the harvest season or the rise and fall of the river Nile.

Whiro (Maori): This underworld god inspires people to do evil things. He typically appears as a lizard, Whiro is the lord of darkness, or the embodiment of all evil. He inhabits the underworld and is responsible for the ills of all persons

Yama (Hindu): In the Hindu Vedic tradition, Yama was the first mortal to die and make his way to the next world, and so he was appointed king of the dead. He is also a lord of justice, and sometimes appears in an incarnation as Dharma.

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Originally posted 2011-02-12 06:38:42. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

These fun apple heads are great to make with children and make an interesting Samhain decoration and they are very simple to do.

This craft originated in the USA and has been used to make dolls for Halloween celebration. The fun thing about shrunken apple heads you never know how they will turn out until they are completely dry.

Items required-
Fresh apples (larger the better) from your own tree if possible

Vegetable Peeler /Knife and/or Pumpkin Carving Kit (for carving)

Lemon juice

Salt

Wire, sticks or string

Peppercorns, whole cloves, peas, beans or similar items for eyes

Rice, barley or other grains or seeds for teeth

Bowl

Instructions

Peel the apple and leave stalk and a small area of peel for a hat.

Carve a face in to one side of the apple (2 eyes a nose and a mouth at least), remembering to make the twice the size as the apple will shrink by half when dried.

Mix lemon juice with salt (1 cup of lemon 1tsp salt) in a bowl and soak the apple in the liquid for about 5 minutes insuring that the surface is completely covered as this will prevent rotting.

Pat the apple dry and decorate with Peppercorns, whole cloves, peas, beans for eyes and Rice, barley or other grains or seeds for teeth if you so choose.

There are a number of ways of drying the slow away is to leave in airing cupboard for 7 days but the process can be speed up by placing in oven (pre heat oven to 200 degrees gas mark 5 and then turn oven off) and leave for 24hr or use a food Dehydrator but my personal preference is to leave in airing cupboard.

Once completely dry you can add extra decorations such as wool for hair or doll dress or even a little paint to add fine details.

Either place on a stick or tie wire or string to stem for hanging

And that it a shrunken apple head

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Originally posted 2011-02-09 01:38:57. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Death is one of the most feared aspects of human existence and also inevitable. Every religious belief will have an aspect of rebirth or at least a sort of life after death. Whether that is a simple, your go to heaven or hell, the Elysian Fields; or Tartarus or more in-depth beliefs such as Karma and reincarnated, these are personal viewpoints and all are valid and part of your own mythologies reinforced by your beliefs and understandings.

When we look at the Goddess (and gods) of death or those connected to it the fall into several basic roles, The Ruler or the judge of the dead such as Hel (Norse), The guides Hecate (Greek) and those that return the dead to back to life such as Meng Po (Chinese).

The goddess’s of death are often depicted as crones or demons (Christian iconology) and are feared by many. Those that dedicate their lives to these goddess’s will often refer to their goddess as the Dark Mother. The dark mother is seen as a high honour as this is the mother who shows her love in a firm handed way, the disciplinarian, the one that see your potential and will not let you slip. But at the same time she offers such rewards and secretes of deeper magicks.

The dark mothers are difficult to petition due to the fact that they do not appear to those that they consider to be unworthy or whose offerings are considered not good enough. For those they considered worthy they will test and test and for those that pass great rewards are granted – and with great power comes great responsibility.

Since dark mothers are not that bothered with the use of darker magicks some of the unworthy can be consumed.

I can remember a young group started to work with Kali and to say the very least the group enjoyed some extra power for a while but the group wanted more and started to become darker and darker. For those that could see they where moving away from goddess and was becoming more like a cult but Kali was patient hoping that they would return so she could slap them back on the right path but they did not listen to her call so she hurt them removed their power and shattered the group to the four winds.

I am always reminded that the dark mother can love or devour her children as she chooses.  There is much to be feared about the dark mother her links to the graveyard, body parts, blood and darkness but these are human fears not spiritual. It only when we can confront and defeat our fears of old age and death, can we truly accept the dark mother into our lives.

The dark mother is associated with the Crone aspect and the dark moon (A dark moon describes the Moon during that time that it is invisible against the backdrop of the Sun in the sky. The duration of a dark moon is between 1.5 and 3.5 days, depending on the orientation of the Earth and Sun.) And samhaine and winter.

One of the most misunderstood aspects of the triple aspect goddess and often forgotten being that most pagan paths focus on celebrating the new moon (originally “new moon” referred to the crescent on the first night it is visible, one or two days after conjunction) and the full moon (moon phase information below).

For the exercise in this lesson write down what you feel about death write down all of the thing that you are scared of. You will find that your feeling are very normal once you have them try meditation on that fear confront it and defeat it if you can. You can also meditate on the dark mother in your path and see if you can communicate with her.

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An excerpt from Beltane Eve – by Jill M Earlam / Dragonlady © 2007

As the fires of Beltane were lit on the heath, next to the forest, there were cheers and the happy sound of people enjoying themselves, eating and drinking and waiting in breathless anticipation of the God and Goddess, who would surely come to bless this Beltane celebration.

Delphi stood smiling, watching the children dance around the maypole, screaming and laughing with delight as they held the ribbons, weaving in and out of each other making that age old pattern, beginning again the dance of creation even though none of them knew what tonight would bring.

She stood at the edge of the forest, a little way from the people, who were beginning to feel the effects of the drink and the dancing and as the youngsters were taken home by their sisters old enough to celebrate the day but not quite old enough to join in the rituals, which came later.

Delphi could feel Janus calling her and slipped between the trees. It was dark within the confines of the forest but she could still see the fires burning brightly and the full moon was just visible, her beams split by the branches of the tall trees. Her heart was pounding in her chest, she could feel his presence; he was very close. She turned around as she felt his touch. He was there, standing before her in his white robe, his face hidden. As he pulled back the hood of his robe she could see he wore the silver circlet, with the blue crystal in the centre. The stone was of the deepest blue and seemed to glow brighter, matching his eyes, as he smiled gently at her. He looked like a god standing there before her; tall, long silver blonde hair and fathomless blue eyes. She felt as if she was drowning as she gazed into the depths of those eyes; it was like looking into the deepest lake and seeing your own reflection. Janus took her hand and kissed it before drawing her gently into his arms. As she felt the strength and firmness of his body against hers, through the robe he wore, she sighed with pleasure to be back in his arms.

“How I have missed you, my love.” His whispered words made her shiver with anticipated pleasure and he held her tightly.

They stood together, arms around each other totally oblivious to all that was going on just beyond the edge of the trees. He released her and she turned her face up to look at him and as she did, his lips came down to meet hers, gently at first, a feather touch barely there until her hand touched his cheek and she felt his breathing quicken. He reluctantly took his mouth off hers and spoke into her ear, “Let us go to our place, my love. I want to love you.”

As they reached the opening in the forest, as one they dropped to the floor, lying on a bed of soft mossy grass only feet away from the edge of the pool, which sparkled in the moonlight.

“I love you so much” her whispered words were muffled as once again, his lips found hers, kissing her with such passion. His fingers started to unfasten the bodice of her dress and his hands slipped inside, caressing her back. He slipped the dress off her shoulders and his lips caressed her neck, moving down to take one of her erect nipples between his lips while he gently rolled the other one between his fingers. She arched her back as he took the dress off her; his hands were hot, gently urgent as his caresses moved between her legs to stroke that mound, covered in soft dark hair. As he gently traced those lips with his fingers, she opened her legs to allow him to touch her and as his fingers found that sensitive little place, she moaned with pleasure. “You are so beautiful” he spoke quietly to her as she implored him, “let me love you”

Her hands reached up and she undid the tie on his robe. As it fell open she saw he was naked underneath and she caressed his firm body with her hands, flicking her tongue over his nipples, dropping butterfly kisses along his chest and stomach, stopping only to take hold of his manhood, her fingers caressing up and down, feeling him grow at her touch.

He was so hard and ready for her, he could bear it no longer and he gently entered her, his erect shaft finding its way inside her, their bodies becoming one as their lips met again in the sweetest kiss. Slowly and sensually they moved together, their breathing quickening as waves of desire and love washed over them.

She heard the animal come crashing through the forest. He stopped and pawed the ground; he was so near she could almost feel his breath.

She was close, so close to reaching ecstasy and felt the hardness and strength of Janus inside her as they moved as one, his breathing fast and shallow, whispering words of love in her ear. She felt him tense, his body arching as he cried out her name releasing his seed inside her and as she held his shuddering body she felt the waves of pleasure washing over her. And at that moment, although neither of them knew it, the child was conceived. Their bodies trembled with released passion and love as they lay holding each other, neither one wanting to move lest they break the spell.

The stag still watched as if hypnotised and as they looked back at him, (wondering what he was going to do), his outline wavered and before them stood Herne, tall and powerful. Before they had a chance to get to their feet and cover their nakedness, from between the trees She appeared – beautiful in her flowing blue gown, dark hair falling down past her waist with a silver triple moon circlet on her forehead. She smiled at them and as she went to Herne, they spoke without words. By this time Delphi and Janus were on their knees, their heads bowed towards this great god and goddess.

She spoke to them in a voice full of tenderness, “stand up my dears, do not be afraid.” They stood before Herne and the Goddess heads still bowed. She was trembling in fear because as High Priestess to the Goddess she should not be with a mortal man. Yet the Goddess was smiling at her, look on her face, which seemed almost to suggest forgiveness.

Janus threw himself at Herne’s feet in such terror crying, “Please don’t hurt her; forgive her. Punish me instead. I love her so much.” He lay prostrate on the ground, his shoulders shaking as tears coursed down his cheek. Delphi wanted to run to him, but did not dare move, until she felt the Goddess give her a little push and she looked at her and smiled, “Go to him, don’t leave him to cry alone.” Even Herne was smiling down at her as she threw herself on the floor by the side of Janus and took his face in her hands and as she saw the look of such abject sorrow on his face, her tears began to fall. They held each other, just sitting waiting for the wrath of Herne to descend on them.

Then Herne spoke, “We have been watching you for some time now and know just how long you have fought against this love you feel. We know you have not deliberately sought to deceive us and for that we will not punish you.” The Goddess spoke, saying, “We see the love and devotion you have for each other and who are we to come between you? when we both have felt that utter misery of being without the one you love. You deserve each other and of course there is now the child to think of too.”

As She spoke these words, Herne closed the gap between them and put His arms around Her and gently touched Her lips with His. The forest stirred, the Moon came out from behind a cloud and a sun flared into being, high in the cosmos.

Delphi suddenly realised just what the Goddess had said – she was with child.

“You shall be released from your Priestess duties but you may remain with the other Priestesses as long you as you wish, showing them the way and deciding who shall succeed you as High Priestess. I shall make sure all know it is my decision and all will be well. It is meant to be, the child inside you has shown me that.”

At the Goddess’s words, Delphi got to her feet and kneeled before her and took her hand. “I don’t know how to thank you. I have no words but if you can see my heart you know how I am feeling right now.” She kissed the hand of the Goddess who smiled down at her. Janus stood and bowed his head before the mighty Herne, whose voice reverberated through the forest as he spoke. “Look after her and your unborn child, there are those who will attempt to destroy what you have – do not let them. Love each other the way we love and you will survive through the ages. You shall continue as Druid and sing the songs and tell the tales of the Bards but I shall speak to your master and tell him. If you ever need us, come into the forest and call and we shall come.”

As Herne spoke these words, the Goddess came to him and slipped her hand into his and they turned and walked away through the trees, leaving Delphi and Janus.

Originally posted 2011-04-30 10:59:08. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

As a pagan I understand that death is a natural part of life and I also know that death is not a sudden end to existence. More so at the time of Samhain does my mind wanders to the lose that I have felt in my life just recently I lost my mother to cancer.

As a pagan my heart and spiritually know that this was a natural even and in some way I was glad she was out of pain. But no matter what I felt and knew as a spiritual being, I lashed out at family, friends and the world. I cried and wailed got angry and was sad and at many times through this emotional turmoil I was hit with moments where my goddess sustained me, and other where I felt so alone.

Death is a natural state and is very easy to deal with, I am almost sure that every faith that as a after life in it belief structure help us come to terms with death but the problem is that they don’t help us deal with the lose we feel

Dealing with lose is a personal thing and does not always happen immediately following a death and does not have a time scale to when it going to be over. Dealing with lose is called the grieving process and everyone goes through this process.

The Grieving process contain 5 basic stages which a person has to go through these stages do not always come in order and sometime a person may repeat one or more of the processes. These 5 stages of grieving is called the Kübler-Ross model and was introduced by by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her 1969 book, On Death and Dying. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross originally applied these stages to people suffering from terminal illness, later to any form of catastrophic personal loss (job, income, freedom). This may also include significant life events such as the death of a loved one, divorce, drug addiction, the onset of a disease or chronic illness, an infertility diagnosis, as well many tragedies and disasters.

The five stages of grieving 

1.Denial – “I feel fine.”; “This can’t be happening, not to me.”

Denial is usually only a temporary defence for the individual. This feeling is generally replaced with heightened awareness of positions and individuals that will be left behind after death.

2.Anger – “Why me? It’s not fair!”; “How can this happen to me?”; “Who is to blame?”

Once in the second stage, the individual recognizes that denial cannot continue. Because of anger, the person is very difficult to care for due to misplaced feelings of rage and envy. Any individual that symbolizes life or energy is subject to projected resentment and jealousy.

3.Bargaining – “Just let me live to see (person). One more time”; “I’ll do anything for a few more years with ….”;

The third stage involves the hope that the individual can somehow postpone, delay or there is someway of reversing death. Usually, the negotiation for an extended life is made with a higher power in exchange for a reformed lifestyle. Psychologically, the individual is saying, “I understand I will die, but if I could just have more time…”

4.Depression – “I’m so sad, why bother with anything?”; “I’m going to die… What’s the point?”; “I miss my loved one, why go on?”

During the fourth stage, the person begins to understand the certainty of death. Because of this, the individual may become silent, refuse visitors and spend much of the time crying and grieving. This process allows the person to disconnect oneself from things of love and affection. It is not recommended to attempt to cheer up an individual who is in this stage. It is an important time for grieving that must be processed.

5.Acceptance – “It’s going to be okay.”; “I can’t fight it, I may as well deal with getting on with my life.”

In this last stage, the individual begins to come to terms with his mortality or that of his loved one.

If you have experienced a lose it always help to talk about the person you have lost good times and bad this helps the person remain real in your heart and mind. Try to celebrate their life rather than mourn their passing. Grieve in your own way and accept that it’s a natural part of dealing with lose.

When you are ready to face the lose, and after grieving period show honour to your lost ones in what ever form you feel is appropriate.

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Originally posted 2010-10-23 08:52:44. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Originally posted 2010-11-20 06:45:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

As autumn approaches, Acomplia the first harvest comes upon us and the bread-baking season begins. For the festival of Lughnasadh, the first of three “harvest” holidays before midwinter, it is good to bake a special bread to share with friends at those picnics that are stolen while the weather’s still good. This yeast bread, incorporating a heavy mixture of two kinds of flour and peanut butter and topped with sesame seeds, is sure to be a great treat for early autumn.

Ingredients:

•2 cups whole wheat flour

•2 cups bread flour, plus more if needed

•¼ cup toasted sesame seeds

•2 tbsp active dry yeast

•2½ tsp salt

•2 cups milk, scalded

•3 tbsp smooth peanut butter

•3 tbsp honey

Directions:

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the peanut butter and the honey to the hot milk and stir to combine. Cool milk mix until it reaches 115ºF. Stir milk mix into flour mix. Knead for 15 minutes, adding more flour if necessary to make a smooth, elastic dough. Oil the dough’s surface, then cover with plastic or a damp towel. Let it rise in a warm spot until double. Punch down, then shape into 2 rectangle loaves or one large wreath. Let rise again until doubled. Bake at 375ºF until golden; it should make a hollow sound when tapped.

Yield: 1 large or 2 regular loaves

Source: Paraphrased from Stern, The Fairy Party Book

Use for: Lughnasadh

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Originally posted 2010-07-29 07:46:15. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

The aspect of the goddess will often be based on your personal belief structure, whether that a single deity or part of a pantheon. The one this that we can agree on is that the Goddess is the personification of woman in divine form.

Now since I am a man my knowledge of what it is to be “woman” is limited, as a woman has limited knowledge of what it is to be “man”. With that being said I am aware of my anima (anima and animus, see Carl Jung) my female side or as I call it my inner goddess and I believe that females should be aware of the animus to help them connect to their inner god (the ritual drawing down the sun can help you connect).

Now we know that different goddess embody different archetypes of womanhood from the lover right through to the warrior or destroyer each myth of the goddess containing its own stories of success and failure.

But when we look at the aspects of the divine and eternal goddess we apply human existence or at least female existence to her. This mystery is played out in the cycles of the moon in a minor way “The Moon and her guises” where we get the four major aspects of woman and the goddess – the first being the maiden full of potential, the next being the mother filled with life and devoted to nurturing and the next being the crone wizened with age and full of knowledge and finally the hidden the woman that can over come death or any obstacle in her way often seen as the dark goddess.

These aspects do not just played out in the phases of the moon but also in the season of the year. The spring is the time for maiden goddess(s) these goddess’s are pretty and full of potential often athletic in some myths betrayed by men whilst in other myths they are the betrayers keeping them perpetual virgins or maidens. Since spring is akin to the element of air, some of these goddess are unable to be caught or tied down another reason for them remain virgins or maidens.

For those goddess’s that are portrayed mother and wife their lives are not simple there is also betrayal some come to find true love in others or are raped or tricked in to bed producing single or multiple offspring. Their children can be stolen away driving her straight to “Dark Goddess station” or their children are grotesque and she abandons them. Although mother goddess’s are portrayed as kind and caring filed with love nurturing her offspring for the most part. Some goddess are trapped as eternal mothers whilst other progress to crone or “dark mother”. Again this reflects in summer the kind and gentle earth nourishing us the warm sunlight ripening food but it’s also the time when things that bite and sting wake up and since fire relates to summer and we all know that fire can be helpful or harmful I am reminded that a mother can care or kill her young as she chooses.

For the final of our basic three form goddess we have the crone the wizened wise woman who has experienced nearly all a woman can be no longer capable of childbirth her womb now empty but her mind filled with the fruit of knowledge and experience. The crone is often revered or feared sometimes both she becomes the guide for the younger often seen as midwife, healer or sorceress. Like the autumn she slowly ages changing from a beauty to a Barron wilderness on the verge of death and this is reflected in the element of water filled with movement and life till winters icy hand freezing it still.

The final stage for any goddess is Death, which is difficult for an eternal life to face! but winter is the time of our biggest fears in times past you would not know if you would survive the winter death has always been a natural part of life but still something that is feared even today. This is the season for the Dark Goddess’s those that have control over life and death and the hidden secrets that lie beyond. These goddess can cause death, take you to the realms beyond and bring you back they often will require very high levels of devotion and in many cases have been demonised to the extent many witches today will avoid them completely. In many cases these goddess are linked directly to the earth either in caves or graveyards or even in crossroads. You may even find goddess which switch between dark and maiden, mother or crone aspect.

But these are only aspects of the goddess in reality she is all this and much more as any woman will tell you she is capable of being more than just a role and is equally able to be nice or nasty depending on the situation.

The one thing we need to be reminded of when it come to the aspects of the goddess and later when we deal with the god that a part is not complete without the whole, spring is only part of a year, air is only one of the four main elements so the goddess is not complete if you only focus on the aspect.

There is some homework with this exercise –

• During      the next year starting with the season you’re in at the moment (or next if      very close) find a goddess that relates to the season and explore the      season with her and as each season turns find a relating goddess.
• Look      at the success and failures in your life and see if you can find a goddess      that has shared similar experiences and write a hymn or ritual dedicated      to them.
• read Modern Female Rite Of Passage

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Once upon a Lammas Night

When corn rigs are bonny,

Beneath the Moon’s unclouded light,

I held awhile to Annie…

Although in the heat of a Mid-western summer it might be difficult to discern, the festival of Lammas (Aug 1st) marks the end of summer and the beginning of fall. The days now grow visibly shorter and by the time we’ve reached autumn’s end (Oct 31st), we will have run the gamut of temperature from the heat of August to the cold and (sometimes) snow of November. And in the midst of it, a perfect Mid-western autumn.

The history of Lammas is as convoluted as all the rest of the old folk holidays. It is of course a cross-quarter day, one of the four High Holidays or Greater Sabbats of Witchcraft, occurring 1/4 of a year after Beltane. It’s true astrological point is 15 degrees Leo, which occurs at 1:18 am CDT, Aug 6th this year (1988), but tradition has set August 1st as the day Lammas is typically celebrated. The celebration proper would begin on sundown of the previous evening, our July 31st, since the Celts reckon their days from sundown to sundown.

However, British Witches often refer to the astrological date of Aug 6th as Old Lammas, and folklorists call it Lammas O.S. (‘Old Style’). This date has long been considered a ‘power point’ of the Zodiac, and is symbolized by the Lion, one of the ‘tetramorph’ figures found on the Tarot cards, the World and the Wheel of Fortune (the other three figures being the Bull, the Eagle, and the Spirit). Astrologers know these four figures as the symbols of the four ‘fixed’ signs of the Zodiac, and these naturally align with the four Great Sabbats of Witchcraft. Christians have adopted the same iconography to represent the four gospel-writers.

‘Lammas’ was the medieval Christian name for the holiday and it means ‘loaf-mass’, for this was the day on which loaves of bread were baked from the first grain harvest and laid on the church altars as offerings. It was a day representative of ‘first fruits’ and early harvest.

In Irish Gaelic, the feast was referred to as ‘Lugnasadh’, a feast to commemorate the funeral games of the Irish sun-god Lugh. However, there is some confusion on this point. Although at first glance, it may seem that we are celebrating the death of the Lugh, the god of light does not really die (mythically) until the autumnal equinox. And indeed, if we read the Irish myths closer, we discover that it is not Lugh’s death that is being celebrated, but the funeral games which Lugh hosted to commemorate the death of his foster-mother, Taillte. That is why the Lugnasadh celebrations in Ireland are often called the ‘Tailltean Games’.

The time went by with careless heed

Between the late and early,

With small persuasion she agreed

To see me through the barley…

One common feature of the Games were the ‘Tailltean marriages, a rather informal marriage that lasted for only ‘a year and a day’ or until next Lammas. At that time, the couple could decide to continue the arrangement if it pleased them, or to stand back to back and walk away from one another, thus bringing the Tailltean marriage to a formal close. Such trial marriages (obviously related to the Wiccan ‘Handfasting’) were quite common even into the 1500′s, although it was something one ‘didn’t bother the parish priest about’. Indeed, such ceremonies were usually solemnized by a poet, bard or shanachie (or, it may be guessed, by a priest or priestess of the Old Religion).

Lammastide was also the traditional time of year for craft festivals. The medieval guilds would create elaborate displays of their wares, decorating their shops and themselves in bright colors and ribbons, marching in parades, and performing strange, ceremonial plays and dances for the entranced onlookers. The atmosphere must have been quite similar to our modern-day Renaissance Festivals, such as the one celebrated in near-by Bonner Springs, Kansas, each fall.

A ceremonial highlight of such festivals was the ‘Catherine wheel’. Although the Roman Church moved St. Catherine’s feast day all around the calender with bewildering frequency, it’s most popular date was Lammas. (They also kept trying to expel this much-loved saint from the ranks of the blessed because she was mythical rather than historical, and because her worship gave rise to the heretical sect known as the Cathari.) At any rate, a large wagon wheel was taken to the top of a near-by hill, covered with tar, set aflame, and ceremoniously rolled down the hill. Some mythologists see in this ritual the remnants of a Pagan rite symbolizing the end of summer, the flaming disk representing the sun-god in his decline. And just as the sun king has now reached the autumn of his years, his rival or dark self has just reached puberty.

Many commentators have bewailed the fact that traditional Gardnerian and Alexandrian Books of Shadows say very little about the holiday of Lammas, stating only that poles should be ridden and a circle dance performed. This seems strange, for Lammas is a holiday of rich mythic and cultural associations, providing endless resources for liturgical celebration.

Corn rigs and barley rigs,

Corn rigs are bonny!

I’ll not forget that happy night

Among the rigs with Annie!

[Verse quotations by Robert Burns, as handed down through several Books of Shadows.] by Mike Nichols

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Originally posted 2011-08-01 09:44:46. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Known as the Goddess of healers, poets, smiths, childbirth and inspiration, fire and hearth, Brighid is the classic Celtic Triple Goddess.

Brighid is the Daughter of the Dagda and one of the Tuatha Dé Danann, Brighid one of the more universal deities of the pagan Gaelic world.

Brighid is possibly one of the most important goddess in British and Irish history but like most deities much of her history has been lost since most of the information about her was passed on through oral tradition.

Any written documentation was written after she was transformed by the Church into St. Brigid (aprox 453 C.E.), which make almost impossible to discern where the goddess starts and the saint begins, An t-Athair Sean O’Quinn a renowned Irish Celtic scholar is quoted saying “It is an exercise in futility to try and separate the historical Christian Brighid from the Goddess since clearly the two are so interwoven.” There is a possibility that St. Brighid may have been a priestess of Brighid and through a blending of pagan Christian beliefs that the cult of Brighid was absorbed into the Christian faith and the role of priestess became the role of a nun.

Brighid is the Goddess of healing, craft (predominantly smith crafts) and poetry, and wisdom. She is the Goddess of fire, the hearth and energy. She is the Goddess of fertility and is said to lean over every cradle. She is associated with sovereignty and protection of her isles and the sea.

Brighid is the goddess of all things perceived to be of relatively high dimensions such as high-rising flames, highlands, hill-forts and upland areas; and of activities and states conceived as psychologically lofty and elevated, such as wisdom, excellence, perfection, high intelligence, poetic eloquence, craftsmanship (especially blacksmithing), healing ability, druidic knowledge and skill in warfare. In the living traditions, whether seen as goddess or saint, she is largely associated with the home and hearth and is a favourite of both Pagans and Christians.

Brighid is a Fire Goddess and as Brighid’s Cross is in the form of a solar wheel she may also be a Sun Goddess. Legend says that when Brighid was born, a tower of flame reaching from the top of her head to the heavens. Her birth, which took place at sunrise, is rumoured to have given the family house the appearance of being on fire. It is believed that nineteen priestesses tended the eternal flame of Brighid at the place now known as Kildare.

The Priestesses of Brighid kept her flame eternally lit. 19 Priestesses kept vigil and made sure the flame was never extinguished. When Christianity spread throughout Ireland, the Goddess was so engrained in the Irish people that they couldn’t eradicate her, therefore she became a Saint. In the 6th century, a monastery was built on the same sight where the Priestesses kept vigil at the Fire Temple. The original monastery no longer exists but a new Cathedral was built on the site during the 13th century. This Cathedral still stands and the sisters of St. Brigid (nuns) continued the work begun by her Priestesses. They too kept her flame ignited until the time of the Reformation in the 16th century. It was at this time that King Henry XIII destroyed many of the monasteries. The flame was extinguished but never forgotten. On February 1, 1807 Daniel Delany, Bishop of Kildare, began the restoration of the Sisterhood of St. Brigid. Their mission was to restore the ancient order and bring back the legacy and spirit of this amazing figure. In 1993, Brighid’s perpetual flame was finally re-kindled in Kildare’s Market Square by Mary Teresa Cullen, who at that time was the leader of the Brigidine Sisters. The sacred flame was kept by the Brigidine Sisters in their home and on February 1, 2006, the flame was brought back to the centre of the Market Square where it has been permanently housed in a large glass enclosed vessel.

Brighid is such a popular goddess and is also known as-

Brìghde/Brìde (Scotland)

Fraid (Wales) Because of Welsh pronunciation mutations, her name changes to ‘Ffraid’ when following an [s] sound, such as in the name ‘Llansanffraid’ = ‘Saint Bride’s Village’ and Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain

Breo Saighead (“the fiery arrow” – a folk etymology found in Sanas Cormaic, but considered very unlikely by etymologists)

Brigan

Brigandu (Gaul)

Brigantia (Great Britain)

Brigantia (former Gallaecia, modern Betanzos)

Braga (former Gallaecia, modern Northern Portugal)

Bragança (former Gallaecia, modern Northern Portugal)

Brigantis (Great Britain)

Brigindo (Switzerland)

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Originally posted 2011-01-05 10:11:34. Republished by Blog Post Promoter