The Sabbat Ostara

March 17, 2013 / Moonwater / Leave a comment

Spring Arrives with Ostara

Ostara

Ostara happens at the Spring (Vernal) Equinox. The days becomes equal to the night, and the light finally overcomes the darkness of winter. Ostara’s theme is fertility. The God courts the Goddess and their sexual energies of desire flow over the Earth, leading to a burst of new life and growth upon the land by the plants and the animals. Here the courting God and Goddess’s desire to mate drive the Earth and its inhabitants to mate and bring new life to the land.

The Teutonic goddess of spring, Easter brings her symbol of the egg and her patron animal, the rabbit. Wiccans celebrate Easter during the Ostara Sabbat. The ChristainChurch tried to stamp out celebrations of Easter and her symbols of fertility (the egg and the rabbit), but they had become too deeply embedded in the people’s hearts. Christians got their Easter eggs and rabbits from this Goddess. How many Christians know that when they celebrate Easter, they’re using a term originated by Pagans?

Generally, eggs are a popular representation of fertility and new life. Early Wiccans revered the “cosmic egg,” as many refer to it, for the secrets it held; it contained and produced life. It looked like a stone but held life within.

Wiccan activities on Ostara include coloring eggs and decorating them with fertility symbols, and then hiding them for children to find.

Blessed be,

Moonwater SilverClaw

Cakes and Wine Ceremony

February 25, 2013 / Moonwater / 12 Comments

Wine

Cakes and Wine Ceremony

What is a cakes and wine ceremony? It is the process of using food and drink to replenish the energy spent doing the working or ritual. Food also helps you to ground. Why is grounding important? It helps you shed the extra energy that you may have accumulated during your working. We raise energy to do our workings and when we are finished we need to shed that energy. For that we use this ceremony, which also helps replenish your body of the energy it used to do the magick. So the ceremony has a dual purpose.

For this ceremony you first must bless the food and drink. You begin with the wine or juice.

1) Take the cup from your altar and pour the wine or juice into it. Then take the athame and dip its tip into the wine or juice. Say:

As the athame is the male, so the cup is the female, and so joined bring union and harmony.

2) Pour some of your blessed wine or juice into the offering bowl or plate on your altar. While doing this say:

To the Gods!

You can now partake in the beverage.

3) Take your athame and point it over the cake. Say:

Blessed be these cakes that they bestow health, peace, joy, strength, and that fulfillment of love that is perpetual happiness.

4) Take one of the cakes (or just a piece of the cake) and place it in the offering bowl or plate. Say:

To the Gods!

You can now partake of the blessed cakes.

Note that this ritual was written for someone practicing alone. If it is conducted in a group, pass around the cup and the cakes, each person taking a sip and one of or part of the cake. As each person passes the wine and cake, they should say to the next person:

As you hand the cup to another say: May you never thirst.

The person replys to this: Blessed Be.

As you offer a cake say: May you never hunger.

When the cake(s) is offered to you reply: Blessed Be.

Fear and Tolerance

February 18, 2013 / Moonwater / 2 Comments

Reflections about Tolerance and Acceptance

Fear and Tolerance

Powerful fear can be transformed into many things. We’ll talk about how fear turns into hate and how we can help resolve this problem.

Why do many people concentrate on differences instead of what we all have in common? Many people hate others based on race, sexual orientation and religion. These people focus on the differences. Only focusing on differences leads some people to fear. Fear then leads to hate because it’s natural to dislike what causes us discomfort.

Many people find Wicca to be quite different from what they call “mainstream faiths” in the western world. Misunderstandings can lead to fear and that can transform to hate. Unfortunately people don’t ask Wiccans, “What is Wicca all about?”

The problem is many people take some surface comment from some biased person and they let that comment give them an impression of Wicca. The biased person does not practice Wicca. To ask that person about Wicca is just like asking a plumber to fix your computer.

As children, many people were taught untruths about Wicca. But as adults, they stick with the false stories. Still, they simply do not ask a Wiccan about their spiritual path.

It’s not completely their fault. Life can be hard and we’re all so busy. We often just take a first impression and run with it.

Unfortunately, so much prejudice makes many Wiccan shy, and they avoid coming out of the “broom closet.” A few brave souls step out of the broom closet to speak to the world, but they often run into closed minds and hearts.

The media makes things worse. We know how the media sensationalizes things. News broadcasts feed on creating fear. This in turn generates hate.

So now we have lots of people who hate Wiccans. Much of this hatred could have been avoided.

It may be easy to blame people for their ignorance, but we need to move past that.

What would we tell people about Wicca? We tell them the truth. We as Wiccans believe in harming none. What does this mean? We believe killing is wrong. We believe stealing is wrong, whether it be someone’s lunch, car or spouse.

Many of our beliefs compare with core beliefs of other religions including Judaism, Islam and Christianity. We don’t lie, cheat, steal, kill and so forth.

So we worship in a different way, but we share similar values. We need to help others and ourselves focus on what unites us so we can build trust and understanding. Concentrating on our similarities will help dispel hate and bring us all closer together.

Imbolc

January 28, 2013 / Moonwater / 2 Comments

The Light Grows

Imbolc

The Sabbat Imbolc is midway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox when the light is beginning to return to the world and it is celebrated on February 2nd. Wiccans associate the Imbolc Sabbat with fire as they do at the Yule Sabbat. Can you see a theme here? This is for a reason: Fire honors the god and gives him strength. And who doesn’t like a nice warm fire on a chilly night during the cold part of the year?

At Imbolc the goddess has finally recovered from the strains of giving birth to the god. She is now back and ready to start the growing season of the year. Now purified, the goddess becomes the young maiden once more. Because of this, the act purification is a large part of this Sabbat.

At Imbolc we honor the goddess Bridget, the goddess of fertility and birth. She is the Celtic goddess of fire and rules the art of forge craft or metalsmithing. Bridget provides inspiration and represents domestic arts like healing and cooking. We often use fires in the home as a nice way to honor Bridget, the goddess of the Earth.

Wiccans memorialize Imbolc, the time of purification, with the tradition of lighting candles. Candles provide inspiration and symbolize the growing light and strength from the sun god. Candles help coax the light into the year to come and bring on the bounty of nature. Imbolc is translated as “in the belly.” This refers to the coming of new life to the land.

At this time of the year, the ewes give birth to their lambs. Since the ewes’ lactation period has peaked at Imbolc, Wiccans view milk as an appropriate drink for this Sabbat. They enjoy lamb’s meat cooked on a sacred fire, paying homage to the goddess.

As the time of beginnings (births and the starting of new life), Imbolc is a good time for initiations and rededications for us. With the waxing year our intentions grow along with the light. And so our dedications to the gods grow in strength at this time.

Blessed Be,

Moonwater SilverClaw

Happy New Year

December 31, 2012December 31, 2012 / Moonwater / Leave a comment

Happy New Year 2013

Happy New Year!

Thank you to all my readers. You made this a great year for me. With all the parties and rejoicing that goes on at this time, don’t forget to help others. And what better way to do that than in the name of the Gods and Goddesses. (You can keep your intentions to yourself if you like.)

With that said, this is a great time to review your commitment and dedication to the Gods. Renewing your original dedication ritual is a great way to further bond with the God and Goddess.

This can be as simple or as complicated as you would like. You could even just sit with a glass of wine or juice, light a candle and talk to the Gods telling them how much you appreciate them and what you plan to do for them in the coming year.

This isn’t a new year’s resolution; it’s a bonding experience between you and the God and Goddess. You don’t promise to do something that’s beyond your capabilities like solving world hunger. Instead, you might volunteer at a homeless shelter, feeding and caring for those who can’t help themselves.

You could volunteer at a pagan festival. Give your time to the community.

Don’t forget the furry, scaly and feathered brethren; you can help a wildlife sanctuary.

You have many choices. Take one step at a time dedicating your actions to the Gods.

Now is the time when you can help others and align with Wicca. Remember helping others is serving the Gods.

Blessed be,

Moonwater SilverClaw

What do you want to hear about next?

December 10, 2012December 10, 2012 / Moonwater / Leave a comment

Wicca Wheel Mandala

Please take a quick poll. I want to hear from you.

The Element Water

December 3, 2012December 4, 2012 / Moonwater / Leave a comment

The Element Water

Water

Water corresponds the direction West. Like Earth, water is a feminine element. The Earth’s oceans represent the womb of all life on the planet we call mother. Wiccans look upon sea water as a representative of the goddess’ womb.

A mother’s womb holds a sacred water that is saline similar to the salinity found in sea water. So Wiccans apply sea salt to water to create their holy water.

The Undine is the elemental of water. The Undine can manifest in many forms, from mermaids to sirens of the sea.

Wiccans use various things to represent water including sea shells, sea weed, water, sponges, and fish.

Blessed be,

Moonwater SilverClaw

Autumn Harvest

November 20, 2012 / Moonwater / Leave a comment

Autumn Leaves

Merry Meet.

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. The trees change into their autumn colors, readying for their long winter slumber. We take this moment to reflect on our lives, looking at what we’ve accomplished and how far we’ve come.

If last Fall someone would have told me, “You will be a blogger,” I would have laughed. Yeah right, a dyslexic blogger.

Well, I feel called to write this blog. And thank you for reading it.

Looking at this season and the blessings I have, I’ll share what I am harvesting now.

First, I appreciate my readers, without whom I’d have no reason for this blog to continue. I wish to serve my community and you’re helping me do it. Thank you.

I also wish to educate those who don’t understand what the craft is about. Some people may not yet identify themselves as pagan, but they’d like more information. I wish to be as open as I can to those who truly wish to learn.

Second, I am thankful for my editors, who guide me to improve my writing. I am now harvesting my editors’ kindness and patience. So thank you.

These are just a few of the things residing in my cornucopia this year. What’s in yours? What things are you harvesting right now?

Book Update

My book, The Hidden Children of the Goddess, is coming along nicely. The book has been “ping-ponging” between my editors and me.

The book is now in round three of the editing process. Soon my editor will return my manuscript with her notes. Then I’ll continue to refine it. This book writing road has been a lot longer than I had expected. I’m hoping the end product of my labors will be sweet for my readers.

It’s important to me to serve those beginning the path of Wicca. I am hoping that my book educates and inspires those who seek the Path.

Blessed Be,

Moonwater SilverClaw

The Element Earth

November 15, 2012 / Moonwater / Leave a comment

Rocks are a Representation of Earth

Earth

As a feminine element, Earth is the provider of sustenance for her children, just as a mother nurses her infant. Earth represents fertility and abundance.

Represented as the North, Earth stands for stillness and our foundation. We stand on rock, but more than that, metaphorically Earth is a foundation of our spirit.

Earth also represents the fertile soil from which life springs. In the cycle of life, Earth is also the silent tomb where we return to rest until we are reborn.

As we learn more about Wicca, we discover that there are elementals associated with each element. For example, strong and squat gnomes are Earth’s elementals. Their skin reveals the colors of the earth, in many shades of brown and black.

Finally, on our altar, we can use rocks, crystals, dirt, and fossils to represent Earth.

Blessed Be

Moonwater SilverClaw

Happy Wiccan New Year!

November 1, 2012 / Moonwater / Leave a comment

Happy Wiccan New Year

Merry Meet and Welcome,

Happy New Year

Why do witches celebrate Samhain as the New Year? And, have you ever wondered why the witches’ New Year is on November 1st, but we start to celebrate on the night before? The Celts remain the source of these traditions.

Wiccans, as well as the Celts, see death as both an end and a beginning. It’s part of the cycle of life. At Samhain, the vegetation god willingly sacrifices himself; and with his death the old year dies, too. The New Year begins at the time of the old year’s death.

In the old days, the people saw the vegetation god in the cycle of the growing plants. The growing cycle consists of sowing seeds, letting crops grow, and finishing with the last harvest and related festival, Samhain. Since no harvesting was done after Samhain, that meant the next day (November 1st) was the new year.

Why do we start celebrating the day before the actual holiday then? Because the Celts believed a new day started when the sun set, and not when the sun rose on the next day. So we start celebrating (to us) the night before. In the olden times they would start celebrating at sun down through to sun down the next day. Now that’s some party!