Samhain (pronounced 'sow-in' in Gaelic) is when we celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another. We gather together to honor our loved ones who have passed on. Often our initiations are held on Samhain because the energy on this Sabbat best supports rebirth into a new phase of our lives. The energies of Samhain are those dealing with the death of the old self, leaving a hollow space for new growth to be contemplated and nurtured until Yule.
Yule is the sabbat that falls on the Winter Solstice. We decorate the house and the Temple with evergreens, and light candles to represent the wishes that we have for the coming solar year. We gather together to celebrate the longest night of the year by lighting fires with a traditional Yule log, and bringing gifts to brighten each other's lives through the long winter
Imbolc is celebrated in the quiet warmth of a raging fire. We choose herbs to burn in the fire for the spells we cast: ~ Lavender for love ~ Patchouli for physical security ~ Frankincense for honor to the Goddess Hecate We use candles and incense on an altar for each direction. On the North altar we honor the Goddess with crecent cookies and mugwort mulled wine. As we sit together in circle we share the parts of ourselves that we discovered over the long dark days of winter. Imbolc is the time to celebrate the ending of the long winter nights and the coming of the light of the God. .
Ostarais a celebration of the balance of day and night. We come to this day after having gone through the six months when the night was longer than the day. At this point in our wheel, we have completed our task of nurturing the inner spirit and light.. and are ready to being growing outward just as the God's strength and warmth grows to push our days longer than our nights. This is the celebration of balance. Our Ostara celebration begins with an altar filled with local seasonal flowers that the circle members have gathered and brought to the ritual. We each bring candles for the element and direction that we chose to honor. As we call the quarters, the circle members who have chosen a particular element recite their own passage to honor the essences of each direction and element.
Beltane is the Sabbat that honors the rising of the light, the love, and power of the Sun. This is the celebration of fertility, of the growing power of the God's light as it blends and fuels the creative fires of the Goddess. She casts a longing yet hestitant eye his direction, waiting for the time when their passions will rise. At Beltane we gather to dance and sing the love of the earth alive with a May Pole.. weaving the threads of our heart's desires about the staff that channels the earth's energies into our lives.
Litha is Midsummer, the time when passions and energy are at their highest. We celebrate our own passions and desires in dance, singing, and drumming. In honoring the love and heat of the God, we honor the natural fires that burn within us all to create. Our festival includes flowers, fruit, wines and sweet breads. We are decorated in flowers, bright colors and any adornments that show our passions and fire.
Lughnasadh is celebrated with a ritual that honors the first harvest. Falling at the end of the summer, this Sabbat celebrates the warmth and energy that the God has given to the earth. We makebreads, cakes, and cookies to be eaten during the ritual. Our North and East altars are decorated with deep, golden yellow candles, Summer flowers that have been gathered either wild or from our gardens, and the wonderful foods that we've all brought to the ritual. Once the circle is cast, and the quarters are called, we all gather as the chosen Priestess asks the God and Goddess to bless the foods we have brought. She also asks that the wine be blessed, and then we all sit down to share in the wonderful foods and in our lives. We take turns, each brother and sister telling the others what gifts and lessons they have been given over the summer. The goal is to share with our spiritual family those things that we are grateful for.
Mabon is celebrated with a ritual that honors the balance of the Day and Night. Just as we honor the balance at Ostara, so too do we honor it again at Mabon. Now the balance has come from six months of the days being longer than nights. We stand together honoring the need for both light and dark energies in our lives, honoring the balance of male and female, and of growth and death. It is time to harvest the last of what has grown over the summer and into early Fall. Our tables are heavy with breads, honeys, and dried fruits from the first harvest. We sing to honor the God's gift in the harvest, and to honor the bounty brought by the union of male and female energies in the Earth and within us all.
Samhain (pronounced 'sow-in' in Gaelic) is when we celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another. We gather together to honor our loved ones who have passed on. Often our initiations are held on Samhain because the energy on this Sabbat best supports rebirth into a new phase of our lives. The energies of Samhain are those dealing with the death of the old self, leaving a hollow space for new growth to be contemplated and nurtured until Yule. 
Yule is the sabbat that falls on the Winter Solstice. We decorate the house and the Temple with evergreens, and light candles to represent the wishes that we have for the coming solar year. We gather together to celebrate the longest night of the year by lighting fires with a traditional Yule log, and bringing gifts to brighten each other's lives through the long winter 
Imbolc is celebrated in the quiet warmth of a raging fire. We choose herbs to burn in the fire for the spells we cast:
Ostara is a celebration of the balance of day and night. We come to this day after having gone through the six months when the night was longer than the day. At this point in our wheel, we have completed our task of nurturing the inner spirit and light.. and are ready to being growing outward just as the God's strength and warmth grows to push our days longer than our nights. This is the celebration of balance. Our Ostara celebration begins with an altar filled with local seasonal flowers that the circle members have gathered and brought to the ritual. We each bring candles for the element and direction that we chose to honor. As we call the quarters, the circle members who have chosen a particular element recite their own passage to honor the essences of each direction and element. 
Beltane is the Sabbat that honors the rising of the light, the love, and power of the Sun. This is the celebration of fertility, of the growing power of the God's light as it blends and fuels the creative fires of the Goddess. She casts a longing yet hestitant eye his direction, waiting for the time when their passions will rise. At Beltane we gather to dance and sing the love of the earth alive with a May Pole.. weaving the threads of our heart's desires about the staff that channels the earth's energies into our lives. 
Litha is Midsummer, the time when passions and energy are at their highest. We celebrate our own passions and desires in dance, singing, and drumming. In honoring the love and heat of the God, we honor the natural fires that burn within us all to create. Our festival includes flowers, fruit, wines and sweet breads. We are decorated in flowers, bright colors and any adornments that show our passions and fire. 
