My Wicca, My Religion

The 8 sabbats

In the wicca, there are 8 Sabbaths. Samhain (October 31), Yule (December 21), Imbolc (February 1) Ostara (March 21), Beltane (May 1), Litha (June 21), Lammas (August 1) and Mabon (September 21). You will notice in your reading that several traditions of these festivals have inspired several catholics ones.

Samhain (October 31)
Colors: Orange and black
Incense: Apple, cypress, gauge, mint and if
Flowers: Marigolds and chrysanthemums
Stones: Obsidian, jet, onyx and carnelian

A banishing ritual is usually performed on the night of this festival, which is the New Year of witches! This is our most important day! The ritual of banishment is simple. Write down on a piece of paper what you want to get rid of (with good intentions I conjure you) and burn it in a cauldron that you will place in front of your altar.

Divination, the evening of the festival that inspired the traditional Halloween, is a night where divination is easier to perform.

A great feast is organized! The altar is decorated with fruits (apples, pomegranates), squash / zucchini / pumpkins (from which come the good old scary pumpkins of 31), and nuts / acorns. Flowers such as marigolds and chrysanthemums, as well as pine cones and pieces of moss are deposited here. The tablecloth, for the occasion, must be black and the foods arranged in terracotta bowls. As I said before, the cauldron should be placed just in front of the altar. We eat beets, turnips, carrots, gingerbread, pumpkin, panais (a vegetable that looks like carrot), baked potatoes, apples, meat, pomegranates, Corn, walnuts and cider. The typical dish of the festival is called calcannon. Here is a recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/58642/dianes-colcannon/

A homemade incense that you can do for Samhain: Mix a bit of sawdust with wood of, cinnamon, pine needles and cedar essential oil.

Samhain's circle
Tournez dans le sens d'une horloge sur votre cercle. "Ce soir nous disons au revoir au Dieu. Sous terre, il demeurera jusqu'à ce qu'il renaisse au soleil printanier. Mais, pour l'heure, sa vue prend fin. Nous dansons sous l'éclat sanguin de la lune, neuf fois nous chanterons en coeur. Nous dansons pour laisser s'envoler l'amour de nos coeur pour consoler la Déesse en son chagrin."
Récitez ce texte neuf fois.

New year Samhain's ritual
Open the circle and empty your mind. Write on parchment (paper) your goals for the year to come. Light incense of citronella (or sage).
"God and Goddess, the year has come and gone, I am grateful for the gifts I have received and I am ready to leave behind me the past months. Cure the illnesses of the previous years.I clean up my past, air my ally. So be it."
Inspire the incense. Light a black candle and repeat the text quote above. Then say: "I light the fire of my opportunities, the fire my ally, so be it."
Pour water into a container Soak your hands and clean yourself, repeat the text of a moment ago with the incantation of the fire plus this one: "I purify my soul from tightening myself, water as an ally. Let it be so."
Take the goals you wrote and wrap them on a quartz. Repeat all that you have said since the beginning of this ritual and add this sentence: "My dreams become reality, land my ally, so be it."
Thank the gods and wear your quartz.

Yule (December 21)
Colors: Gold and Silver
Incense: Cedar, pine, fir and rosemary
Flowers: Poinsettias, Jerusalem cactus, red roses and heliotropes
Stones: Ruby and Tiger Eye

Tradition is to light a great fire and collect the embers.

The Yule tree (equivalent to the Christmas tree) is usually decorated with roses, cinnamon sticks and spice bags attached to the branches. At the altar, mistletoe, holly, rosemary, laurel leaves, juniper, cedar, branch, and white or red roses are placed there. The tablecloth is white and green or red candles are placed. A habit of Yule is to burn apples (cut on the side to see the star (pentacle in this case) in alcohol and meditate there.