Beltane

Merrie Meet this Beltane eve.

Here is the final post of the week as promised - it is posted with all credits to the authors and the site owners at new-age.co.uk

Beltane / Beltaine
30th April / 1st May

The beginning of Summer - Summer is a comin in !

Beltane was an important festival in the Celtic calendar. The name originates from the Celtic god, Bel - the 'bright one', and the Gaelic word 'teine' meaning fire, giving the name 'bealttainn', meaning 'bright fire'.

This is the beginning of the 'lighted half' of the year when the Sun begins to set later in the evening and the hawthorn blossoms. To our ancestors Beltane was the coming of summer and fertility. Nature is in bloom and the earth is full of fecundity and life.

The Maiden

The Triple Goddess - worshipped by the Ancient Britons - at Beltane is now in her aspect of the Maiden : The May Queen, May Bride, Goddess of Spring, Flower Bride, Queen of the Fairies - a symbol of purity, growth and renewal.

The Crone turns to stone on Beltane Eve.

Hawthorn

May blossom symbolises female fertility, with its creamy/ white, fragrant flowers. Hawthorn blossom was worn during Beltane celebrations, especially by the May Queen. It is believed to be a potent magical plant and it is considered unlucky to bring the blossom inside the house, apart from on May eve.

Fire festivals

Samhain is one of the four Celtic fire festivals marking the quarter points in the year - feasts were held and bonfires were lit throughout the countryside. Fire was believed to have purifying qualities - it cleansed and rejuvenated both the land and the people.

The ritual welcoming of the sun and the lighting of the fires was also believed to ensure fertility of the land and the people.
Animals were transfered from winter pens to summer pastures, and were driven between the Beltane fires to cleanse them of evil spirits and to bring fertility and a good milk yield. The Celts leapt over Beltane fires - for fertility and purification.

Young men would circle the Beltaine fires holding Rowan branches to bring protection against evil - its bright berries suggested fire - malign powers were considered particularly active at the year's turning-point.

It was considered unlucky to allow anyone to take fire from one's house on May Eve or May Day, as they would gain power over the inhabitants.

May Day - Beltane Traditions

Beltane is a time of partnerships and fertility. New couples proclaim their love for each other on this day. It is also the perfect time to begin new projects.

The maypole - a phallic pole planted deep in the earth representing the potency and fecundity of the God, its unwinding ribbons symbolized the unwinding of the spiral of life and the union of male and female - the Goddess and God. It is usually topped by a ring of flowers to represent the fertile Goddess.
Paganhill, near Shroud has one of the tallest maypoles. The Puritans banned maypoles during the 17th Century. maypole ribbons
Birch trees It was a Celtic tradition to fell a birch tree on May day and to bring it into the community. Crosses of birch and rowan twigs were hung over doors on the May morning, and left until next May day.

Beltane cakes or bannocks - oatcakes coated with a baked on custard made of cream, eggs and butter - were cooked over open fires and anyone who chose a misshapen piece or a piece with a black spot was likely to suffer bad luck in the coming months. They were also offered to the spirits who protect the livestock, by facing the Beltane fire and casting them over their shoulders

Beltane Celebrations and Rituals

At Sheen do Boaldyne, in the Isle of Man, twigs of Rowan are hung above doorways as protection - the opening of Summer was regarded as a time when fairies and spirits were especially active, as at Samhain and the opening of Winter.

The 'Obby 'Oss, at Padstow, Cornwall - wearing of animal skins was believed to be a relic of a Pagan sacred marriage between earth and sky, and the dance enacts the fertility god sacrificed for the good of his people.

The May Queen - Maid Marion/the Maiden consorts with Robin/ the Green Man in Celtic celebrations of May day.

Going 'A-Maying' meant staying out all night to gather flowering hawthorn, watching the sunrise and making love in the woods
- a 'greenwood marriage'.

The dew on the May day morning is believed to have a magical potency - wash your face and body in it and remain fair all year, and guarantee your youth and beauty continues - men who wash their hands in it will be good at tying knots and nets - useful if you're a fisherman!

Handfasting

This ancient Pagan and Celtic ceremony marked the taking of a partner - this involves a commitment to perform an annual review of relationship. The couple's hands are ritually bound together to symbolize their union. Some people choose to use a ribbon that they have both signed. Between Beltane and the Summer Solstice is the most popular time for handfastings.

This brings to a close this few days of Beltane postings, I hope that you have found them interesting and informative.

Until we meet again then I bid you fare you well, love and light
and may the circle be unbroken.

Blessed Be

Merlin

As we approach Beltane........

Merrie Meet

As we approach Beltane 2010 I have been looking at various postings concerning this important festival in our calendar. The one below was posted today on the I Am A Witch website. I hope you enjoy it and I acknowledge Summer Fey as the contributor.

Nine Beltane Woods

One of the best-known Celtic traditions for Beltane is the lighting of the Beltane fires. These huge fires were set to welcome back the sun for the light (summer) half of the year. All the hearth fires were extinguished on May Eve, and then they were relit the next day from the Beltane fires.

The fires were started with nine sacred woods, each with various magickal properties. People would gather and dance around the fires through the night, jumping over the flames to ensure a successful and prosperous summer.


Nine Beltane Woods

One of the best-known Celtic traditions for Beltane is the lighting of the Beltane fires. These huge fires were set to welcome back the sun for the light (summer) half of the year. All the hearth fires were extinguished on May Eve, and then they were relit the next day from the Beltane fires.

The fires were started with nine sacred woods, each with various magickal properties. People would gather and dance around the fires through the night, jumping over the flames to ensure a successful and prosperous summer.

* Birch - The Goddess, or female energy
* Oak - The God, or male energy
* Hazel - Knowledge and wisdom
* Rowan (Mountain Ash) - Life
* Hawthorne - Purity and fairy magick
* Willow - Death, sacred to Hecate
* Fir - Birth and rebirth
* Apple - Love and family
* Vine - Joy and happiness

These 9 woods are also mentioned in the Wiccan Rede:

"Nine woods in the cauldron go, burn them quick and burn them slow."

Some longer versions of the Rede include lines about all 9 woods:

"Nine woods in the Cauldron go, burn them fast and burn them slow.

Birch wood in the fire goes to represent what the Lady knows.
Oak in the forest, towers with might in the fire it brings the God's insight.

Rowan is a tree of power causing life and magick to flower.
Willows at the waterside stand ready to help us to the Summerland.

Hawthorn is burned to purify and to draw Faerie to your eye.
Hazel-the tree of wisdom and learning- adds its strength to the bright fire burning.

White are the flowers of Apple tree that brings us fruits of fertility.
Grapes grow upon the vine giving us both joy and wine.

Fir does mark the evergreen to represent immortality seen.
But - Elder is the Lady's tree burn it not or cursed you'll be."

(pythorium)

I will look again for another relevant posting tomorrow.

Until then

Love and Light to all and Blessed be

Merlin

Belated postings

Merrie Meet

Well we are almost at Beltane, how the year has flown past. I was shocked to see that my last post on here was back in February. Such a great deal has happened that I don't feel like I have had time to turn round so far this year.

I will be putting up a new Beltane post by the end of the week so this may contain some new ideas to go alongside your existing celebrations.

Until then I wish every one who reads this the best things that life can give

Love and Light to all

Blessed Be

Merlin

Casting A Circle - Musing 1st February 2010

Merrie Meet one and all,

Today is the eve of Imbolc and I decided that today I would like to write a post concerning the casting of a circle, and so with an acknowledgment to About.com here is a guide to the process.


In Wicca and Paganism, one of the facets common to nearly all traditions is the use of a circle as a sacred space. While other religions rely on the use of a building such as a church or temple to hold worship, Wiccans and Pagans can cast a circle pretty much any place they choose. This is particularly handy on those pleasant summer evenings when you decide to hold ritual out in the back yard under a tree instead of in your living room!

1.Start by determining how big your space needs to be. A ceremonial circle is a place in which positive energy and power are kept in, and negative energy kept out. The size of your circle will depend on how many people need to be inside it, and what the circle’s purpose is. If you’re hosting a small coven meeting for a few people, a nine-foot-diameter circle is sufficient. On the other hand, if it’s Beltane and you’ve got four dozen Pagans preparing to do a Spiral Dance, you’ll need a space significantly larger. A solitary practitioner can work easily in a three- to five-foot circle.

2.Figure out where your Circle should be cast. In some traditions, a Circle is physically marked on the ground, while in others it is merely visualized by each member of the group. If you have an indoor ritual space, you can mark the Circle on the carpet. Do whichever your tradition calls for. Once the Circle is designated, it is usually navigated by the High Priest or High Priestess, holding an athame, a candle, or a censer.

3.Which direction will your circle face? The circle is almost always oriented to the four cardinal points, with a candle or other marker placed at the north, east, south and west and the altar in the center with all the necessary tools for the ritual. Before entering the circle, participants are purified as well.

4.How do you actually cast the circle? Methods of casting the circle vary from one tradition to another. In some forms of Wicca, the God and Goddess are called upon to share the ritual. In others, the Hight Priest (HP) or High Priestess (HPs) will begin at the north and call upon the deities of the tradition from each direction. Usually this invocation includes a mention of the aspects associated with that direction – emotion, intellect, strength, etc. A sample ritual for casting a circle might take place like this:

5.Mark the circle upon the floor or the ground. Place a candle in each of the four quarters – green to the North to represent Earth, yellow in the East to represent Air, red or orange symbolizing Fire in the South, and blue to the West in association with Water. All necessary magical tools should already be in place upon the altar in the center. Let’s assume that the group, called Three Circles Coven, is led by a High Priestess.

6.The HPs enters the circle from the east and announces, “Let it be known that the circle is about to be cast. All who enter the Circle may do so in perfect love and perfect trust.” Other members of the group may wait outside the circle until the casting is complete. The HPs moves clockwise around the circle, carrying a lit candle (if it’s more practical, use a lighter instead). At each of the four cardinal points, she calls upon the Deities of her tradition (some may refer to these as Watchtowers, or Guardians).

7.As she lights the candle in the East from the one she carries, the HPs says:
"Guardians of the East, I call upon you to watch over the rites of Three Circles Coven. Powers of knowledge and wisdom, guided by Air, we ask that you keep watch over us tonight within this circle. Let all who enter the circle under your guidance
do so in perfect love and perfect trust".

8.The HPs moves to the South, and lights the red or orange candle, saying:
"Guardians of the South, I call upon you to watch over the rites of Three Circles Coven. Powers of energy and will, guided by Fire, we ask that you keep watch over us tonight within this circle. Let all who enter the circle under your guidance
do so in perfect love and perfect trust".

9.Next, she circles around to the West, where she lights the blue candle and says:
"Guardians of the West, I call upon you to watch over the rites of Three Circles Coven. Powers of passion and emotion, guided by Water, we ask that you keep watch over us tonight within this circle. Let all who enter the circle under your guidance do so in perfect love and perfect trust".

10.Finally, the HPs goes to the last candle in the North. When lighting it, she says:
"Guardians of the North, I call upon you to watch over the rites of Three Circles Coven. Powers of endurance and strength, guided by Earth, we ask that you keep watch over us tonight within this circle. Let all who enter the circle under your guidance do so in perfect love and perfect trust".

11.At this point, the HPs will announce that the circle is cast, and other members of the group can ritually enter the circle. Each person approaches the HPs, who will ask:
"How do you enter the circle?"
Each individual will respond:
"In perfect love and perfect trust" or "In the light and love of the Goddess" or whatever response is appropriate to your tradition.

12.Once all members are present within the circle, the circle is closed. At no time during ritual should anyone exit the circle without performing a ceremonial “cutting.” To do this, hold your athame in your hand and make a cutting motion across the line of the circle, first to your right and then to your left. You are essentially creating a “door” in the circle, which you may now walk through. When you return to the circle, enter it in the same place you exited, and “close” the doorway by reconnecting the line of the circle with the athame.

13.When the ceremony or rite has ended, the circle is usually cleared in the same manner in which it was cast, only in this case the HPs will dismiss the deities or Guardians and thank them for watching over the coven. In some traditions, the temple is cleared simply by having all members raise their athames in salute, thanking the God or Goddess, and kissing the blades of the athame.

14.If the above method of casting a circle seems boring or dull to you, that’s okay. It’s a basic framework for ritual, and you can make yours as elaborate as you like. If you’re a very poetic person who likes lots of ceremony, feel free to use creative license – call upon “the weavers of the wind, the breezes that blow from the East, blessing us with wisdom and knowledge, so mote it be,” etc, etc. If your tradition associates various deities with the directions, call upon those Gods or Goddesses in the ways that they expect you to do so.

15.Just make sure that you don’t spend so much time casting the Circle that you don’t have any time left for the rest of your ceremony!

I appreciate that this is only one way to cast a circle, and that with a little adaptation it can be made completely personal and fitting to your own needs.

I hope that you found it useful and wish you everything that you would wish yourself

May the Goddess Bless and Protect you and yours

Blessed Be

Merlin

Yuletide Musing 8th December 2009

Merrie Meet to one and all at this special time of year.

As is often my practice I have sought out input from varying sources for this Musing on the subject of Yule. What has resulted is something that I believe is a fairly comprehensive guide to the symbolism of this time of our year. I have drawn heavily from a web posting in 1997 by Akasha Ap Emrys on the topic and would like to publicly acknowledge this inspirational article.

Yule Lore (December 21st)

Yule, is the time of year when the dark half comes to an end and the light half begins. Every day, beginning with the next sunrise, the sun climbs a little higher and stays a little longer in the sky each day. Solstice Night, or the longest night of the year, is a night of much celebration. The long awaited rebirth of the Oak King, the Sun King, the Giver of Life who warms the frozen Earth and makes her bear forth from seeds protected through the fall and winter in her womb. Bonfires are lit in the fields, and crops and trees are "wassailed" with toasts of spiced cider.

In former times children were escorted from house to house with gifts of clove spiked apples and oranges laid in baskets of evergreen boughs and wheat stalks dusted with flour. The apples and oranges represented the sun, the boughs were symbolic of immortality, the wheat stalks portrayed the harvest, and the flour symbolised the accomplishment of triumph, light, and life.
Holly, mistletoe, and ivy not only decorates the outside, but also the inside of homes. It extends an invitation to Nature Sprites to join the celebration. A sprig of Holly can be kept near the door all year long as a constant invitation for good fortune to pay visit to the residents.

The ceremonial Yule log is the highlight of the festival. Traditionally, the log must either have been harvested from the householder's land, or given as a gift... it must never have been bought. Once brought into the house and placed in the fireplace it can be decorated in seasonal greenery, doused with cider or ale, and dusted with flour before set ablaze using a piece of last year's log, (kept for just this purpose). The log is allowed toburn throughout the night, then smolder for 12 days before being ceremonially put out. Ash is the traditional wood of the Yule log. It is the sacred world tree of the Teutons, known as Yggdrasil. Also known as an herb of the Sun, Ash brings light into the hearth at the Solstice.

A different type of Yule log, and perhaps one more suitable for modern practitioners would be the type that is used as a base to hold three candles. Find a smaller branch of oak or pine, and flatten one side so it sets upright. Taking great care (I still bear the scars from doing this – Merlin), drill three holes in the top side to hold candles of red, green, and white (season); green, gold, and black (the Sun God); or white, red, and black (the Great Goddess). Continue to decorate with greenery, red and gold bows, rosebuds, cloves, and dust with flour.

Deities of Yule:

Goddesses-Brighid, Isis, Demeter, Gaea, Diana, The Great Mother. Gods-Apollo, Ra, Odin, Lugh, The Oak King, The Horned One, The Green Man, The Divine Child, Mabon.

The Newborn Gods, Sun Gods, Mother Goddesses, and Triple Goddesses. The best known would be the Dagda, and Brighid, the daughter of the Dagda. Brighid taught the smiths the arts of fire tending and the secrets of metal work. Brighid's flame, like the flame of the new light, pierces the darkness of the spirit and mind, while the Dagda's cauldron assures that Nature will always provide for all the children.

Symbolism of Yule:

Rebirth of the Sun, The longest night of the year, The Winter Solstice, Introspect, Planning for the Future.

Symbols of Yule:

Yule log, or small Yule log with 3 candles, evergreen boughs or wreaths, holly, mistletoe hung in doorways, gold pillar candles, baskets of clove studded fruit, a simmering pot of wassail, poinsettias, christmas cactus.

Herbs of Yule:

Bayberry, blessed thistle, evergreen, frankincense holly, laurel, mistletoe, oak, pine, sage, yellow cedar.

Foods of Yule:

Cookies and caraway cakes soaked in cider, fruits, nuts, pork dishes, turkey, eggnog, ginger tea, spiced cider, wassail, or lamb's wool (ale, sugar, nutmeg, roasted apples).

Incense of Yule:

Pine, cedar, bayberry, cinnamon.

Colors of Yule:

Red, green, gold, white, silver, yellow, orange.

Stones of Yule:
Rubies, bloodstones, garnets, emeralds, diamonds.

Activities of Yule:

Caroling, wassailing the trees, burning the Yule log, decorating the Yule tree, exchanging of presents, kissing under the mistletoe, honoring Kriss Kringle the Germanic Pagan God of Yule

Spellworkings of Yule:

Peace, harmony, love, and increased happiness.

And so my dear friends, let me take this opportunity to wish you all a fantastic Yule, thank you for reading these pages and to wish you all the best things that life can give you.

May the Goddess protect and care for you throughout this and every season.

Love and light to all

Blessed Be

Merlin

27th November Musing

Merrie Meet

Firstly I must apologise for the delayed posting but things in the world of Merlin have been pretty manic since the last time I added anything onto these pages but all is back under control again so off we jolly well go.

Obviously the next celebration in the Pagan year is Yule and so in a matter of days I will be updating this post again with some Yuletide notelets and some Yuletide cheer.

But, in the meantime please remember that whilst I may not be musing I am always thinking.

So until our next meeting, take good care of yourself and

Blessed Be.


Merlin xx

Monday October 19th Musing on "Making A Broom"

Merrie Meet dear friends,

Today as we approach Samhain I thought it would be good to repost a topic that I found fairly recently online regarding the making of a Besom or Broom. I found it as a follow up to one of my latest visits to Glastonbury. During this visit one of my objectives was to purchase a ready made Besom - however, there were none to be had. I was begining to give up hope when I called into the Cat and the Cauldron and during my conversations there, I was aware of a voice saying "why not make your own?" I was a little taken aback by this because it was not even a remote possibility that I could make such an item, but given that this suggestion had been made I decided to go with it.

I returned to Moonshadow (the new house name) and set about the necessary research into the project. I found the following article as a result of this research and so am following this method to make my very own Besom

(reposted from the Briar-Rose website www.briar-rose.org)

"Step by Step Instructions for Making a Besom

Start with two handfuls of birch twigs at least three feet long. Possibly from a place that supplies them for wreath-making. Traditionally, you would grip them in the jaws of the vice on your broom horse, but if you don't have one I suggest 'gripping' them with 14-inch cable ties from your local computer store.

Place the cable ties on (one at the end, and one either side of where I'm going to bind with the willow withies, these can obtained online from a basket-weaving supply store. Soak the withies in a bucket of water for at least 48 hours.

If possible get the help of an assistant to hold the end of the withie tight while you wrap it around the birch. Do at least three full wraps, and make sure you catch the end you started with under at least one of the wraps.

When your three wraps (or more) are complete, take your bond poker and shove it under the wraps to create a channel through which you pass the end of the withie. Do this two or three times. The bond poker is - in this case - a piece of copper pipe, remove half of the pipe for a few inches, so it has a concave 'blade'. Traditionally it was made from the thigh-bone of a goose.

When wrap one is completed start wrap two. Rural tradition has two withie or wire wraps, but because this is for Cunning folk, do three!

Once again, using the bond poker, poke the end of the withie under the wrapped part, in order to create a knot. Pass the end under the wraps twice, then pass it through the first one that "wraps around the wraps" in order to create a sort of knot. Then pass it under the wraps once more so you can cut it off where it pokes out from underneath.

After cutting the excess from the last wrap, it is time to remove the cable ties and see if your workmanship holds true...

Now the fun part - trimming the top of the brush. Traditionally, a machete-type blade is used, or in some areas, an axe but power tools work just as well if used with extreme care and caution.

Having completed the broom head, take a nice piece of ash, ground to a point with a belt sander or more traditionally whittled with a knife, the narrower end is the one that you turn the point on.

Carefully place the point in the center of the nicely cut birch, and once you have, gently pushed the head on enough to hold its position, bang it down on the stick so the point is driven well into the head. You are aiming to have the ash pass through all three willow bindings.

If you kept everything nice and tight, the added tightness of inserting the stick will ensure the head stays on. If you are not sure, then before you attach the head, drill a hole in the stick so you can insert a wooden dowel or a horseshoe nail into it through the birch to make sure it stays put".

So, having identified what I had to do, I then set about sourcing the necessary item. The birch was difficult, no, nigh on impossible to find growing wild in the coastal regions where I live, so I had to buy from the local florist who told me when I placed the order that she had no idea how much it would cost but that it would not be expensive - when it arrived it was in bundles and the bundles were £12 each, so when I explained why I wanted these she heavily discounted the price and threw in 3m of gold ribbon and 3m of red ribbon all for £5

The next item I needed was the Willow - again not an easy item to obtain here, the florist could not get any so a little bit of ingenuity might be required here.

Now for the handle, well I could steal it from the Ash tree across from our house, but since I am not that way inclined I will leave that option alone, but I have had an offer from a colleague, he has said that he will check and if there is a long straight branch that is suitable on his Ash tree he will bring it to work for me. (I could go to the DIY store or hardware store and buy a proper broom handle but unless everything else fails I do not even consider that an option)

So once I have the Ash handle the working will begin........

I hope that your preparations for Samhain go well and until the next time we meet I will wish you

Love, Light and Blessed Be


Merlin