Spyrit Dancers' Musings On All Things Wiccan

Did you do anything special to mark the occasion?  This year I did something different in that I harvested Mistletoe from my Mesquite trees.  The druids believed that Mistletoe had the most properties harvested on Midsummer when the sun and moon were both in the sky, so I did.  I now have bundles hanging upside down in my garage drying, and plan on hanging them over the door ways of my home, garage, and greenhouse.  I’ll have a few left over to sell, but not many.  My husband filmed me harvesting some, and bundling them up…my first at him filming any kind of craft/ritual/celebration.  I hope to have it up on YouTube by tomorrow.

Today is Litha, which marks the division of the year between the powers of the sun and the powers moon.  The God, and the Goddess. The waxing half of the year and the waning half of the year on Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year.

Litha is one of the four Esbats of the year.  It honors the Sun God, or the horned God at the peak of his powers.  The Oak King gives way to the Holly King.

It is a fire festival, and almost all of Europe had a long tradition of lighting bonfires at Midsummer. They were kindled for fertility, health, love, sacrifice, or for purification.  They also though the fires drove away the dragon that caused diseases in people and animals.

As much as I want to light a bonfire to celebrate tonight, we have a fire ban this time of year (for a good reason, the fire danger is extreme) and I have yet to buy one of those patio things you can safely light a fire in.  So I’m going to make do with candles in candle holders that can’t burn out, and dance around and through them.  To me, the practice of dancing around the twin bonfires of Midsummer, asking for inspiration, purification, and good crops is the most appealing of all the traditions.  I’ll have to settle for twin candles instead.

Today it is also said is a good time to commune with the fairies.  I plan on slicing an apple, revealing the star, and leaving slices out for the fairies by my grapevines tonight, and ask for their protection of care of them.  I will be using this invocation written by Ember in the Witches Spell A Day Almanac.

Longest night, a time to play,
I leave this gift to honor the Fey.

Frolic and dance from Dusk ’til Day,
Then with goodwill be on your way.

Altar decorations should be in colors of summer, gold, reds, yellows.  I plan on picking some Marigolds, the only gold and red flowers I have growing, and putting a small amount on my altar this afternoon.  We don’t have oak trees here, but I have silk oak leaves I place on my altar.

I will also be gathering some Mistletoe,  a druid tradition, from my trees on this day, tying twine around them, and hanging them upside down  to dry.  Mistletoe has all kinds of magickal properties.   One can carry or wear for aid in conception.  It was believed to provide protection against lightning, fires, and misfortune.  Burning mistletoe banished evil. (I plan on burning a few pinches tonight to help keep evil from my home) It is also believed that  placed at the head of the bed, it gives restful sleep and beautiful dreams.

The major use I have for it is protection against lightning and fires, a real danger this year due to our wet spring.  So I will be hanging sprigs up to protect my home, garage, and greenhouse to protect them from lightning and fires.  I’ll also be burning a pinch (since it is wet, not much) to banish evil from my property.  I will also keep some to dry for use in future protection ceremonies where I am banishing harm from my property.

So what is everyone else planning for Summer Solstice today? I’d love to hear your plans!

This poem was posted up on Witch School International’s Blog, and it is so beautiful, I’m sharing it with you.  It is a good reminder to enjoy the warm sunny days.  Litha is on the 21st of June when we have the longest day of the year.

Today is Samhain to the Witches.  To the rest of the US, it is commonly referred to as Halloween.

Did you know that the term Halloween, originally spelled Hallowe’en, is shortened from All Hallows’ Even – e’en is a shortening of even, which is a shortening of evening?  It was called this because November 1st was All Saints Day, so this was the “Eve” of that day.

Regardless of what you call it, it is a day to honor your ancestors.  The veil between the worlds of the living and dead are the thinnest on this night, so contacting the dead is routinely done on Samhain.  Rituals can be simple (prayers to your loved ones who have passed on) or very complex involving suppers cooked for deceased relatives where they are invited to partake.

On this Samhain, I find myself incredibly low on energy.  I got almost no sleep last night, so my thoughts are a bit blurry as I type this.  Although I had planned on performing a complex ritual tonight, I might have to settle for the simple.  (Unless I can manage a nap, a skill that usually eludes me)  One of the things about being a Wiccan is know your energy levels.  It won’t help you, or your ancestors if you expend so much energy that you don’t have you end up ill.

So my ritual may just be a lighting of a candle in the window.  This was done so the spirits could find you.  A setting of three extra plates on my table to honor my Mother, My Father, and My Grandmother who have passed on.  If I cook them food, it will be potatoes…a food we all loved.  An asking of the Lord and Lady to bless the food and give my loved ones what they need for the next year.  Then having a meal with them all, including my husband.

I am fortunate, one of the gifts of my name, Spyrit Dancer, is that I’m close to my loved ones who have passed on throughout the year, not just on Samhain.  So they will understand if I don’t do an elaborate ritual for them tonight.

Blessings to all of you, and may the New Year find warm, safe, happy, and healthy.

Great article in the Seacoast Online.

Every Oct. 31 millions of children and adults dress up on Halloween in hopes of a trick or a treat. For most, Halloween is nothing more than a night of fright and make believe at a local costume party, but to some this is a very sacred time and is more than just candy corn and hot cider.

In America and other countries, communities of modern day witches, wiccans, druids and pagans gather in homes, parks, public buildings or a secluded forest to celebrate the feast of Samhain (sow-in), an ancient Celtic fire festival meaning “Summer’s End” that traces back more than 2,000 years to ancient Europe. During the morning of Samhain, the Celts would gather up the final harvest of the year as they prepare for the start of the three darkest months of the Celtic calender, which begins at Samhain and ends at Imbolc (Feb. 1), the start of the Celtic spring and midway point between the winter solstice and vernal equinox.  Click here to read the rest of the article. Always nice to see positive press for Wiccans!

I have to admit, Halloween, or Samhain is my favorite holiday of the year.  Here in the desert, the weather finally cools off and has a crisp bite.  Pumpkins and Jack O Lanterns appear on people’s porches.  And celebrating Samhain where the veil is thinnest between the worlds of the living and the dead is always a special time for a Spirit Dancer like myself.

Many years, and this year will be no exception, I’ll have a ritual to ask for another year of blessings and guidance from my ancestors.  This is normally my Father, Grandmother, and Mother.  They mean a lot to me, and I miss them all very much.

But I have to admit, I also get a big kick out of dressing up and acting out as a, well, witch.  I go to costume and play Bingo even just to have an excuse to go out in public in witchy clothes, or what the mainstream considers witchy clothes.  It comes from my family.  Even though they were not wiccans, my Mom REALLY got into Halloween.  My favorite was one year, my mom took one of the low notes from the pipe organ in our basement. (Yes, I really grew up with a pipe organ in my basement, and at one time 7 pianos, including a baby grand, in my house.)  She tied a string to the door and when a kid came up and yelled trick or treat, she blew on the low, spooky note, and slowly opened the door with the string.

Unfortunately, the kid freaked and went running screaming down the sidewalk.  We had to run out after him and explain it was a joke, which when he calmed down, he was ok with.

After that, she only did that when we peeked out the door and saw it was teenagers and not smaller kids.

We also would wire up the baby grand piano in the living room and when someone came up and yelled trick or treat, turned it on so it started playing.  Any kid not familiar with player pianos, it looked like a ghost was playing the piano.

I even had a neighbor in the next block that worked at a funeral parlor.  Every year he brought home a coffin, dressed as dracula, and would open it and sit up and talk to the trick or treaters.  That was a hoot, and I used to trick or treat well into my teens just to see the show.

Now, I live in a town that has one acre lots.  Fear of candy tampering, and my tremendously long driveway (my house sits waaaaay back) keeps the trick or treaters down to one or two die hards a year.   I really miss my youth with small lots and houses that everyone trick or treated and we all knew each other.

What about you? What do you do to celebrate Halloween, Samhain and, I can just hear Donovan singing it, the season of the witch?

A friend of mine is attending Faerie Con in MD, and I found out they also have on in Eugene, OR.  Thats it, I want to save up the money and go.  I’d love to attend something like that, 3 days of fantasy, does it get better than that?

http://www.faerieworlds.com/  Here is the website about it.