The sabbats are holidays celebrated throughout the year on solstices, equinoxes, and the midpoints between them. These sabbats form the Wheel of the year.
There is a controversy surrounding the dates of these holidays, as people celebrate them all over the earth, not only in the northen hemisphere but in the southern too.
One viewpoint is that the Sabbats should be celebrated as they were originally created to be… in other words, Samhain is October 31st, regardless of where you live. In the Southern Hemisphere, even though you are just gearing up to summer on October 31st, this perspective says that you celebrate the cleansing and releasing, the honouring of the dead just as you would if you lived in the Northern Hemisphere. The other viewpoint (the one I personally agree with) is that you should celebrate when you feel like the season corresponds with the holiday, in other words, your craft, your rules. So if you live in the southern hemisphere, you have the choice.
I’ll be writing the dates for each holiday starting with the northen hemisphere and then the dates that many people celebrate them in the southern hemisphere
🌲𝐘𝐔𝐋𝐄
{December 21st//June 21st}
Yule focuses on rebirth and renewal as the sun makes its way back to the earth. It’s all about new beginnings, reflection and embracing warmth. Much like Christmas, many celebrate with a feast, gift giving, being cosy and appreciating the good.
↟Nature: cedar, frankincense, myrrh, mistletoe, pine, birch, ivy.
↟Foods//flavours: ginger, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, wintergreen, apple, dried fruit.
↟Stones: citrine, ruby, garnet, alexandrite, green tourmaline.
↟Activities: decorate your altar with incense associated with Yule, burn ash wood for prosperity, bake using Yule flavours like ginger or cinnamon, make wreathes to hang around the house, spend time with loved ones.
🕯️𝐈𝐌𝐁𝐎𝐋𝐂
{February 1st//August 1st}
Imbolc focuses on celebrating the nature that is preparing to grow and renewal, also known as “candlemas” and the “Feast of Pan”.
↟Nature: basil, blackberry, heather, celandine, iris, wisteria, vanilla, bay, yellow and white flowers.
↟Foods//flavours: pumpkin and sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, peppers, onions, spices, and herbal teas.
↟Stones: amethyst, bloodstone, garnet, ruby, onyx.
↟Activities: decorate with candles and sun decorations, go hiking, have a bonfire, bake foods with poppy seeds, and burn any leftover winter herbs.
🌼𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐀
{March 21st//September 21st}
Ostara focuses on manifesting creativity and love. As the days become longer, energy becomes stronger.
↟Nature: ash, alder, daffodil, honeysuckle, narcissus, primrose, violet, jasmine.
↟Foods//flavours: olives, maple syrup, honey, edible flowers, chocolate, pine nuts, nettle or lavender tea, local fruits and vegetables.
↟Stones: amethyst, rose quartz, moonstone.
↟Activities: gardening and planting seeds, bake breads with olives or honey for example, start new projects, talk to plants, do some painting, decorate with wildflowers.
🌰𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐄
{May 1st//November 1st}
Beltane focuses on fertility, love and abundance. Also known as “may day”, on this sabbat many celebrate with dancing, bonfires and many high energy activities, including enjoying themselves sexually with a partner or even conceiving children.
↟Nature: frankincense, lilac, ivy, marigold, woods, rose, thyme, mint, yarrow.
↟Foods//flavours: oats, leafy greens, fruits, breads, honey.
↟Stones: malachite, amber, fire opal, red jasper.
↟Activities: dance, decorate with florals and symbols of the sea, go to the beach, go hiking, have a bonfire, feast on fruits, vegetables and grains, laugh and let your hair down. And if you’re trying to conceive or simply would like to have sex, Beltane is a wonderful time to do so.
🦋𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐀
{June 21st//December 21st}
Litha focuses on growth and celebrating the longest day of the year and the sun, before the shorter days begin.
↟Nature: fern, yarrow, sage, rose, oak, mugwort, lavender, chamomile, myrrh, pine.
↟Foods//flavours: herbed bread, honey, sunflower seeds, iced herbal tea, lemon, vanilla.
↟Stones: lapis lazuli, amethyst, malachite, tiger’s eye.
↟Activities: make or buy a sun catcher, surround yourself with warm tones, watch the sunrise and sunset, make sun water, spend time outdoors, make use of herbs.
🌾𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐒//𝐋𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐍𝐀𝐒𝐀𝐃𝐇
{August 2nd//February 2nd}
Lammas, or lughnasadh focuses on celebrating the first of the three harvesting sabbats and taking time to really feel the positivity in different aspects of life.
↟Nature: cornstalks, heather, acacia flowers, hollyhock, oak leaves, wheat, myrtle, spices.
↟Food//flavours: grainy bread, corn, potatoes, nuts, blackberries, wine.
↟Stones: amber, agate, citrine, clear quartz, obsidian, tiger’s eye.
↟Activities: bake bread, make corn dolls, visit a sunflower field, spend time in nature, acknowledged what you are grateful for, journal.
🍁𝐌𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐍
{September 21st//March 21st}
Mabon focuses on honouring the change of the seasons, balance and peace.
↟Nature: sage, pine, marigold, thistle, acorns, milkweed, oak leaves, myrrh.
↟Food//flavours: cinnamon, nuts, beans, dark fruits, pies, soup, butterscotch.
↟Stones: citrine, carnelian, clear quartz, sapphire, yellow agate.
↟Activities: collect pine cones, donate food and old clothes, meditate, dry herbs, spend time with loved ones, speak to the nature around you.
🎃𝐒𝐀𝐌𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐍
{October 31st-November 1st//April 30th-May 1st}
Samhain focuses on celebrating life, and honouring those who are no longer with us.
↟Nature: heather, sage, pumpkins, straw, flax, patchouli, myrrh.
↟Foods//flavours: apples, cider, pumpkin, pies, soups, stews, potatoes, ginger.
↟Stones: amber, black obsidian, fossils, onyx, sandstone, bloodstones.
↟Activities: honour the deceased, spend time with family, make a hearty comforting meal, make or buy a scarecrow, spend time practicing divination.
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐚𝐭
↟Do a tarot reading relevant to that sabbat.
↟Spend time in the moonlight, charging your crystals and tarot cards, as well as meditating.
↟Bake something using at least one traditional food of that sabbat to share with others.
↟Sage cleanse your living space and any of your magickal items.
↟Write down how you’re feeling and how you’d like to feel in the weeks to come.
1 tablespoon Lemon Zest (warding, purifying, cleansing, healing) 1 cup fresh Lemon Juice (warding, purifying, cleansing, healing) 1 pint Strawberries (abundance, love, fortune) 1 cup Sugar (attraction) Handful of fresh Mint (love, lucky, prosperity, fortune, cleansing) 2 cups Sparkling Water (sub with prosecco for a fun cocktail) 2 cups Water (use a charged water for an extra boost~)
(vegan.raw.gf) 🥄
Here are some super easy grounding methods :
Drink some strong herbal tea.
Eat some raw, organic fruits and veggies.
Take a long bath with some bath salts, herbs and oils.
Carry a grounding crystal on you, cleanse it beforehand.
Walk barefoot in the garden or at the local park.
Bury your feet in the ground and meditate.
Drum or dance, anything with good rhythm.
Practice yoga or tai chi.
Do any of these when you’re feeling drained.
Can someone explain how you burn an herb? If something calls for mugwort, how do I burn it? Do I need it to be in oil form?
Rain from a lightening storm
this has the greatest energy
used in a bath to re-energize your being and aid in a ritual of clearing and cleansing your energies of negativity by soaking in it
used to clear and cleanse an object or area
store in a white glass bottle
Rain from thunderstorms, tornadoes or hurricanes
Used to empower spells for moving things forward such as letting go of the past and moving forward in life
used to help move a project forward and get beyond current blocks in life
used to change a pattern or habit you don’t like
store in a blue glass bottle
Sun and Rain
Used to balance energies when feeling weighed down
helps gather your thoughts when they are flighty and scattered
store in a dark green bottle
Hail storm
collect in a metal bowl but dont let it sit in the bowl for more than 6 hours
allow the hail to melt before bottling it
store in a black or dark brown bottle
used to dispel psychic attacks or negative energies
best used for black magic to get rid of your enemies or negative forces that stand in your way
Spring Rain
used to empower new ventures such as new relationships, new business ventures, a new job
rain collected on the spring equinox or the first rain after the spring equinox is good for empowering spells for relationships
stored in a light green bottle
Summer Rain
used to encourage growth whether it be personal, spiritual growth or growth of a business venture or relationship
used to break bad habits
great to water indoor plants
rain collected on mid-summers eve and day is especially mystical
store in a sky blue bottle
Fall Rain
used for giving thanks and showing gratitude for the abundance the year has given you
store in an orange or fall colored bottle
Winter Rain
can be used for blessing a person, relationship, family or object
can be used to bless an event such as a birth, wedding or new business venture
to be able to survive the hardships of winter one is able to survive the hardships of life
Full Moon Rain
Used to honor the Goddess
a small glass can be added to a cleansing bath
add a couple of drops to your bath before an important event or ritual
used for a blessing during a full moon ritual
used for blessing a child or pet
rain collected during the full moon according to that season will have the energies of that moon according to month and season
clean altar spaces and other things by putting an ounce of rain water into your cleaning products
also very good for divination
Waning Moon Rain
good for getting rid of things, banishings, and purging negative energies
used like a banishing oil
also can be added to your bath for relaxation, clarity or promoting self love
use to prepare for lunar rituals
anoint your money with it to increase your wealth
anoint yourself to increase your psychic awareness
New Moon Rain
good for workings in which something needs to be brought in
used when starting a new project
Waxing Moon Rain
used to bring in good energies and blessing
used at the start of a new project or a new beginning
Rain collected from trees or roses will have different energies depending on the type of tree or color of the rose you collect it from
Use 1 cup of rain water to 1 tub size of water
For rituals use 1oz of rain water in a glass bowl or cauldron, to add effects to the water pour over crystals energized with your intent
For a spell place all your spell items in your bowl or cauldron and add 1tablespoon of rainwater
For cleansing or anointing ritual take 1/2oz of rainwater into a glass bowl and as you recite your incantation dip your fingers or wand/athame into the water then mark your physical body, the mark can be any spiritual symbol that has meaning to you
To anoint a tool, pout 1oz of rainwater onto the tool as you state your incantation to empower the tool for its intended purpose.
@autumnwitchesx i hope this helps you some!!!
also the bottles you store in dont have to be a specific color unless you want them to be, im all for using what you have first and foremost
Let’s all just admit that buying stuff is fun. That said, there’s a big issue of consumerism within the witchy/pagan scene. As magic work and the pagan “aesthetic” becomes more of a commodity in the mainstream, there’s a mounting attitude of needing All The Items in the highest quality (even if we’re not certain we’ll use them,) and big corporations mass-producing cheap stuff to make a buck off of a growing trend. Here’s some things you can do to help detach your practice from that and support other people in the craft:
Go outside. Check your backyard or local park for local plant life, waters, roots, etc. If your work involves things from nature at all, you can probably find a lot of your supplies… in nature. It takes a little more time, but it’s free and then you’ve gathered stuff yourself!
Make stuff. This one is pretty straightforward. There may be key items to your practice that you can make yourself instead of buying it! That said, I know sometimes spending money is inevitable so I won’t dwell too much on this… let’s talk more about shopping:
Shop mindfully. The price of a lot of items will skyrocket once it has a pentacle or other symbol engraved on it. For example, little mortars and pestles can be very pricey in witchy shops, but you could probably get a bigger one that’s actually food safe for less at a nice grocery store. Antique stores and international markets are now your new best friends.
Support small businesses! Things are cheaper on Amazon, but the extra money goes to support real people, likely other practitioners. If you can, supporting small, local, independent shopkeepers and crafters does a ton of good. It also helps build and sustain a local community.
Shop based on need. Don’t get something “just in case” (unless it’s banishing or hex breaking stuff; those are decent to have on hand.) It’s tempting to impulse-buy a ton of niche items and ingredients, but unless you have a reasonable idea what you’re going to use them for in the near future, it’ll probably just create clutter for you to deal with later.
Prioritize effectiveness over aesthetic. Ultimately your practice has to work for you, not just look good. I think making your work aesthetically pleasing to yourself can be an important part of really connecting with what you’re doing, but don’t make that desire burn a hole in your wallet and distract you from what brought you to this path in the first place. Altar envy is a real thing.
Recycle/Upcycle. Use old clothing fabric for an altar cloth. That old trinket dish makes a great offering dish. Enchant jewelry you already own. That jar of strawberry jelly you just finished off will work just fine for that spell. Things can be re-purposed and made into new things.
Analyze your offerings. Special occasion wine isn’t a special occasion if you do it every time. Not every offering needs to be a grand gesture, regular maintenance is more important generally.
Organize trades. Have any pals that also practice? See if you can help each other! You could trade different goods (that old mini cauldron you bought and never used for that abandoned tarot deck, maybe?) but also services. A protection spell for a luck charm. A reading for a reading. You help them with the laundry and they cook you a meal one day.
As always, the goal is to foster a local community of individuals doing honest work, and shedding the consumerist mindset society taught us to make us spend more money. Take up the idea that you can do magic completely on your own with what you already around you, and if you do want to spend money, see if you can do it in a way that helps the world a tiny bit. :)
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So I discovered I can print stickers at home with my printer and my arts and crafts based self has absolutely been running wild.
I love making spell jars, and I love stickers, so my manic brain went “MAKE SPELL JARS BASED ON YOUR SIGILS” and it has consumed my life for the past two weeks.
I think coming up with what I want to use in each jar has been the most fulfilling and fun thing. I’m definitely learning much more about my herbs than I had before!
(And I swear I’m gonna try to get to asks soon, tumblr has been a brat and not letting me answer anything, so screen-shotting and posting like that is gonna have to do D:)
Kitchen witchery evolved from the ancient concept of the hearth as the sacred center of the home. In the ancient world the hearth, the place where food was prepared and warmth was created, had great importance and was treated with reverence. Humans have always inherently understood that the kitchen is a special place where magic happens.
For modern witches, the kitchen is a great place for everyday magic. Here are a few ways you can infuse some magic into your food.
Begin by taking a moment to clear your mind and focus your energy. Just like any other magical activity, kitchen magic is best performed in a focused, spiritual headspace. This doesn’t have to be anything elaborate (although, if you want to cook with incense and candles burning, more power to you). It can be as simple as taking a moment to close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and focus on your intention.
Set the mood. One of the simplest ways to put magic into your food is to infuse a dish with a certain energy or emotion. Let’s say you want to make a dish infused with the energy of happiness, so that everyone who eats it gets a little bit of those good vibes. The easiest way to do this is by making sure you’re happy when you cook it! Put on music that makes you feel happy, dance around your kitchen, and pour all of that happy energy into the food as you prepare it.
Enchant your ingredients. You may choose to layer ingredients with different magical purposes in order to create a stronger spell. For example, if you’re making a meal infused with protection magic, you might include some ingredients for physical protection, some for strength, and some for mental clarity. You can accomplish this by enchanting each ingredient individually as you add it to the food. Your enchantment can be as simple as thanking the spirit of the item, and asking to help you accomplish [insert intention here] in your spell.
Use numerology. Numerology is the idea that numbers have an inherent spiritual nature. There are many different systems of numerology, so it’s important to use what makes the most sense to you — this includes bringing in your own associations for numbers! You can use numerology in your cooking by adding a certain number of an ingredient based on that number’s magical value. For example, I might add nine shakes of salt to symbolize completion and the granting of wishes, or add three bay leaves to symbolize creativity and collaboration. Just make sure you’re not adding so much of an ingredient that it overpowers the other flavors in the dish!
Stir ingredients clockwise to bring blessings or counterclockwise to send away unwanted energy. This comes from an old Irish tradition that states that moving “sunwise” (clockwise) brings blessings while moving against the sun (counterclockwise) brings curses or banishes something. When you’re mixing your food, stir it clockwise to bring in desired energies, like love, joy, or peace. Stir it counterclockwise to cast out undesired energies, like sickness or stress.
Draw or carve sacred symbols on your food. I talked about runes and sigils at length in my last post so I won’t repeat myself here, but you can also use magical symbols in kitchen magic! You can carve runes or sigils into vegetables and charge them before slicing them up, use your spoon to trace them in the surface of a soup as you stir it, or draw the symbols in the air over your food before you serve it. If you’re drawing a symbol with a name, you should speak the name out loud or in your mind as you draw it. If you’re drawing a sigil, speak the intention behind that sigil out loud or in your mind. These symbols are like batteries for magical power, so they’re a great way to add a boost to your kitchen magic.
Use blessed water. If you make moon water during the full moon, try adding a few drops of it to the next thing you cook and see how much more energized you feel after eating it! Making moon water is an easy way to get blessed water, since all it requires is leaving a jug of water out under the full moon, but there are other kinds of blessed water you can use as well. Some Catholics sprinkle holy water (water that has been blessed by a priest) into their food or drink. You can create your own “holy water” by speaking a blessing over a jug of water — it can be a general blessing for peace and good fortune, or can be more specific based on your intent. You can also use water that has been infused with edible plants based on their magical associations, but this will of course change the flavor of your food.
Speak an incantation. The spoken word is a powerful source of magic. Write an incantation or statement of intention based on what you want to accomplish with this magical food. Speak this incantation aloud at some point during the cooking process — I like to say it when I’m mixing all the ingredients together. This can be as simple as, “May [insert food here] bring me [insert benefit here],” or can be long and elaborate. If there are words from another source, like a poem or song lyrics, that feel like they fit your intention, you should absolutely feel free to use them as your incantation.
Pray over your food. Saying grace before a meal is another way of blessing it. You don’t have to pray to a certain deity or higher power. Instead, you could simply thank the spirits of the plants and animals that died so that you could be fed, or you could thank the planet for providing this nourishment to you. Of course, if you do want to pray to a higher power and thank them for the food, that’s also a great way to bless your meal!
Another way to do kitchen magic is to work with the correspondences of your ingredients. Here’s a quick correspondence guide for some staple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.
Grains and breads correspond to abundance, health, and security. Historically, these foods were associated with the autumn harvest, and they are still sacred to harvest deities. Bread is a common offering to house spirits and to gods of hearth and home.
Milk, cheese, and dairy correspond to the nurturing aspect of motherhood, love, sustenance, and abundance. Cows are sacred in some cultures, such as in Ancient Ireland, where offering someone milk was a form of blessing.
Eggs correspond to fertility, hidden mysteries, and the feminine principle. In several different folk magic traditions, such as those of Appalachian America and of Italy, eggs are used to detect or remove curses.
Salt corresponds to protection and purity, and can be used for grounding. Salt is useful for banishing unwanted energies, as well as for putting up protective barriers. Blessed salt has many uses in magical rituals and in a magical kitchen.
Rice corresponds to money, good luck, and fertility. You might be familiar with the tradition of throwing rice at weddings — this is a good example of rice’s magic associations. Rice also absorbs negativity and, like salt, it can be used for protection.
Onions corresponds to healing, prosperity, and protection. Onions are said to prevent and dispel illness, and are sometimes associated with love and lust.
Garlic has similar associations to onion, but is also strongly connected with protection, banishing, and curse-breaking. I add garlic to all of my protection and uncrossing spells, and it can also be handy for banishing unwanted spirits.
Sugar corresponds to love, affection, and attraction. Sugar is used in American folk magic to “sweeten” situations, making them more favorable. It can also be used to attract positive energy or positive outcomes.
Honey corresponds to health, happiness, love, wisdom, and stability. Like sugar, honey can be used to sweeten a situation or to attract positive energy. Some witches believe that honey works slower than sugar, but brings longer lasting results.
Vanilla corresponds to love, romance, and sensuality. It’s also a very comforting scent, and I’ve even seen one author claim that the smell repels negative spirits (although I’ve never used it for this purpose). Vanilla is perfect any time you want to conjure love, whether it’s self-love or love between people.
Hopefully, this list gives you some ideas for magical recipes. For example, if you want to conjure luck and abundance, you could make a risotto (a rice dish) with lots of Parmesan cheese, butter, garlic, and basil (not listed in this post, but strongly associated with wealth). If you want to create a stronger sense of self-love, you could make vanilla cookies with sugar and honey. If you need to kick a common cold, a soup with lots of onions and garlic will probably do the trick. You get the idea.
Make sure that the magical food you prepare is actually something you’ll want to eat! Just because an ingredient works with your intention doesn’t mean you should always include it. If you hate vanilla, you shouldn’t add it to your love brownies. Leave things out or make substitutions to ensure that you enjoy eating the finished product.
On a related note, you can substitute vegan products for milk, cheese, eggs, etc. but the magical correspondences won’t be exactly the same. Almond milk, for example, has the magical associations of almonds (prosperity and wisdom). This is similar, but not quite the same, as the correspondences for cow’s milk. Likewise, soy milk, coconut milk, and oat milk all have their own correspondences that will affect the energy of your spell. If you plan to keep your magical kitchen vegan, it’s a good idea to look up the magical uses of the plants your food is made from and use those as a guideline, rather than just substituting coconut milk for cow’s milk and expecting the exact same result.
Resources:
Wicca: Kitchen Witchery by Lisa Chamberlain
A Green Witch’s Cupboard by Deborah J. Martin
Where the Hawthorn Grows, Brigid: Meeting the Celtic Goddess of Poetry, Forge, and Healing Well, and The Morrigan: Meeting the Great Queens by Morgan Daimler
Utterly Wicked by Dorothy Morrison
* Wear lots of green
* Have a bonfire and fill it with fragrant incense, flowers, and sacred woods
* Bake tiny colorful cookies (with flowers, if you can!) and offer them to your local fae
* The veil is the thinnest this time of year - the only other time it’s this thin is during Samhain. Venerate and honor the spirits, and guard against malicious ones with salt along your windowsills or doors
* Wash your face with the morning dew to fill yourself with beauty
* Eat sexually suggestive foods or aphrodisiacs
* Dance. Dance a LOT. Turn on some drum-heavy music and let loose. Do it alone in your room at night, if you have to.
* Go talk to all your local plants and give them little offerings of water. Blessed water charged with a quartz crystal would be extra nice.
* Do a tarot reading for yourself (or have someone else do it for you). This is a wonderful time of year for divination!
* Buy flowers. Pick flowers. Wear flowers. BE FLOWERS.
* You don’t have to have sex to have a legitimate Beltane, but you can always show yourself some love if ya know what I mean *wink wink*
* This is a holiday of sensual pleasure. That doesn’t necessarily mean sex - it means really indulge your senses. Take a hot, luxurious bath. Dance until you work up a sweat. Eat foods that you love and crave. Smell the flowers, feel your bare feet in the grass, splash your face with fresh water. FEEL the world around you - the spirits are alive and active on Beltane! Engage your emotional, intuitive, sensual side and you might catch a glimpse of one or two.
* Reach out to friends you haven’t talked to in awhile. Strike up a friendly conversation. Celebrate friendship!
* Meditate with crystals that open your third-eye or specifically relate to the fairy or devic realms - chlorite phantom quartz, moss agate, rainforest jasper, green diopside, spirit quartz, azeztulite, most green crystals, prehnite, a rock you found someplace outdoors that feels charged with earth energy - you choose!
* Perform solitary spells for abundance, protection, fertility, romance, love, sex, and divination!
* Plant seeds and start a magickal garden. There are lots of plants you can grow indoors pretty easily that have magickal properties.
* Dedicate an altar to Flora, Cernunnos, Bes, Pan, Hera, etc - any deity you can think of who rules fertility, marriage, romance, and abundance!
Hope you all have a wonderful Beltane!!!