Creating Your Sanctuary Shrine (New Moon Phase is Optimal)

On a low table or chest of your choosing, place a forest green cloth and a brown candle to represent family and home. Add lovely objects you have gathered, including from the garden and outdoors: ocean-carved driftwood, a gorgeous flower, a dried seed pod, a favorite crystal, whatever pleases your eye. It is of the utmost importance to add a bouquet of wildflowers native to your area you gathered close to where you live or bought locally. These posies will help integrate you and your home into your neighborhood and geographic region. Add a sweetly scented sachet of herbs from your kitchen garden or those you intend to plant: rosemary, lavender, thyme, mint, all of which imbue your space with positive energy. Burn associated essential oils, those which will create an aura of comfort around your kitchen, including vanilla, cinnamon, or sweet orange neroli in an oil lamp. Finally, anoint the brown candle while concentrating on the power of peace and bliss surrounding your home and all around your home altar.

Chant:

Peace and abundance are in abundance 
And here true bliss surrounds 
From now on, all disharmony is gone 
This is a place of powerful blessings 
For here lives sheer joy. 
And so it is — blessed be!

This consecrated space will ease your spirits at any time. Your altar connects you to the earth of which you are a part.

Setting Up Your Lunar Altar: Your Personal Power Center

Before there were temples and churches, the primary place for expressing reverence was the altar. The word “altar” comes from a Latin word which means “high place.” With a personal altar, you can reach the heights of your spirituality and ascend in wisdom. You construct an altar when you assemble symbolic items in a meaningful manner, focusing both your attention and intention. When you work with the combined energies of these items, you are performing ritual. Your rituals can arise from your needs, imagination, or the seasonal and traditional ceremonies that you find in this book and others. A book I draw much inspiration from has been Nancy Brady Cunningham’s A Book of Women’s Altars. I love her advice to bow or place your hands on the ground in front of your altar at the beginning of ritual work and at the closing, explaining, “Grounding symbolizes the end of the ritual and signals to the mind to return to an ordinary state of awareness as you re-enter daily life.” An altar is a physical point of focus for the ritual, containing items considered sacred and essential to ritual work and spiritual growth. An altar can be anything from a rock in the forest to an exquisitely carved antique table. Even portable or temporary altars can suffice such as a board suspended between two chairs for “rituals on the go.”

Dispelling Blocks: Full Moon Incantation

Is something getting in your way? Do you feel stalled out and overcome with procrastination? To overcome any blocks obstructing your creativity and productivity, you can dispel the negative energy by going for a walk in the nearest park. Find a round, flat rock, six to ten inches wide. This will become an altar supplied directly to you by Mother Nature, and it will have the purest energy. Begin by charging this stone on the full moon at your home altar. Light a white candle for purification, and then place your hand on the stone and chant three times:

Bad energy, take flight! 
Goddess of Night, shine bright. 
Moon of tonight, you give us delight. 
Fill this stone with your light, 
Imbue it with all your magic and might, 
Surround it with your protective sight. 
So mote it be.

Ideally, you’ll want to perform this spell three times on three consecutive full moons before you begin drawing upon its energy. Like your altar, your stone will be a reservoir you can turn to any time you feel stuck or uninspired. This rock will emanate with a quiet power you can draw from whenever you need.

Conjuring Conviviality – a Moon Day Ritual

How you start your week sets the tone for each day to come. It makes a lot of sense to do whatever you can to up the joy quotient for yourself and your loved ones. Jasmine tea is a delightful concoction and can create an aura of bliss and conviviality. It is available at any grocer or purveyor of organic goods but homegrown is even better. Brew a cup of jasmine tea and let it cool. Add two parts lemonade and drink the mixture with a good friend. Jasmine is a vine and represents the intertwining of people. You will be more bonded to anyone with whom you share this sweet ritual. If you grow a night-blooming jasmine vine outside your bedroom window, a heavenly scent will also waft in that creates and enhances an atmosphere of love in your home.

This is also a tonic that you can indulge in alone. I recommend brewing up a batch every Monday, or “Moon Day,” to ensure that each week is filled with joyfulness. As the jasmine tea steeps, pray:

On this Moon Day in this new week, 
I call upon the spirits to guide joy to my door. 
By this moon on this day, I call upon Ishtar and Celene, ladies fair 
To show me the best way to live. 
For this, I am grateful. 
Blessed be the brew; blessed be me.

Lunar Lore – 12 Months of Full Moons

Many of our full moon names come from medieval books of hours and also from the Native American tradition. Here is a list of rare names from the two traditions you may want to use in your lunar rituals.

January: Old Moon, Chaste Moon; this fierce Wolf Moon is the time to recognize your strength of spirit

February: Hunger Moon; the cool Snow Moon is for personal vision and intention-setting

March: Crust Moon, Sugar Moon; the gentle Sap Moon heralds the end of winter and nature’s rebirth

April: Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon, Fish Moon; spring’s sweet Pink Moon celebrates health and full life force

May: Milk Moon, Corn Planting Moon, Dyad Moon; the Flower Moon provides inspiration with the bloom of beauty

June: Hor Moon, Rose Moon; the Strawberry Moon heralds Summer Solstice and sustaining power of the sun

July: Buck Moon, Hay Moon; this Thunder Moon showers us with rain and cleansing storms

August: Barley Moon, Wyrt Moon, Sturgeon Moon; summer gifts us with the Red Moon, the time for passion and lust for life

September: Green Corn Moon, Wine Moon; fall’s Harvest Moon is the time to be grateful and reap what we have sown

October: Dying Grass Moon, Travel Moon, Blood Moon, Moon of Changing Seasons; the Hunter’s moon is when we plan and store for winter ahead

November: Frost Moon, Snow Moon; Beaver Moon is the time to call upon our true wild nature

December: Cold Moon, Oak Moon; this is the lightest night of the shortest day and is the time to gather the tribe around the fire and share stories of the good life together

Spring Full Moon - Invocation of the Flower Moon

This dazzling spring Flower Moon is an optimal opportunity to strive for the new, to initiate a phase of transformation that will last long after the Full Moon has waxed into darkness. This invocation honors the season, planting seeds of positive change in your life to bloom for years to come. Start by gathering red and green apples, candles of the same colors, and seed corn from a gardening store, along with three stalks of lavender and three long strands of night-blooming jasmine. Leave these offerings on your altar all day.

When the Full Moon of May reaches the highest point in the night sky, light one red and one green candle on your kitchen altar. Wind the jasmine and lavender into a crown for the top of your head, breathing in the lovely scent the flowers produce. Holding an apple in each hand, speak this spell while circling the altar clockwise three times.

Moon of Flowers; light the way to change tonight, 
Through the power of Earth and Air, Water and Fire. 
As I bite this fruit of knowledge, I am thus inspired. 
All possibilities are before me. And so it is.

Eat from both apples until you are fully satisfied, and then bury twelve corn seeds and the cores in the rightmost corner of your garden. With the spring rains and summer sun, your intentions will flower into being. By the fall full moon, you will harvest the bounty of change from this spell, with great gratitude.

Blowing in the Wind – A Charm (Waning Moon is Optimal)

When the moon is waning, this is your opportunity to release anything that no longer serves in your life. We all need to embrace the winds of change in life, clearing away the old and making room for the new. This charm helps overcome upset and can help release anger and grudges. And isn’t this an important first step to happiness? What you’ll need: a blustery day, access to the outdoors, basil and sage.

Well, it’s not mandatory that you have a hill for this, but you do need an open area outside for happiness spells like this. It does need to be windy.

Take your herbs to your spot of choice with your back to the wind. Take the basil and sage and throw them up in the air as you visualize your problems blowing far, far away. Repeat this charm aloud:

No more fear and doubt and pain 
Nothing to lose and only joy to gain. 

Now, turn around and face into the wind.

Speak aloud:

May the winds of change be kind to me 
And bring about happiness and glee. 
Stress-free and happy I will be 

Close your eyes and feel the breeze on your skin and blowing through your hair. Stand still for a few more moments, focused on the release of your problems and the acceptance of peace and the calm that lies ahead in your future.

Blessed Balm Spell (Waning Moon is Optimal)

Simmer this mixture whenever you feel the need to infuse your home and heart with the energies of protection. A waning moon is the time to banish old negative energy. This will safeguard you and your loved ones from outside influences that could be negative or disruptive. Set your intention and gather together the following herbs:

• ¼ cup rosemary 
• 1 teaspoon dill weed 
• 4 bay laurel leaves cup cedar 
• 1 tablespoon basil 
• 1 teaspoon juniper berries 
• 1/8 cup sage

Mix your herbs together by hand. While you are doing this, close your eyes and visualize your home as a sacred place protected by a boundary of glowing white light. Add the herbs to a pan filled with simmering water. When the aromatic steam rises, intone:

By my own hand, I have made this balm; 

This divine essence contains my calm. 

By my own will, I make this charm; 

This precious potpourri protects all from harm. 

With harm to none and health to all, 

Blessed be!

Floral Healing Remedies

Flower essences mixed with 30 millimeters distilled water can also be used as the following remedies:
• Addiction: skullcap, agrimony
• Anger: nettle, blue flag, chamomile
• Anxiety: garlic, rosemary, aspen, periwinkle, lemon balm, white chestnut, gentian
• Bereavement: honeysuckle
• Depression: borage, sunflower, larch, chamomile, geranium, yerba santa, black cohosh, lavender, mustard
• Exhaustion: aloe, yarrow, olive, sweet chestnut
• Fear: poppy, mallow, ginger, peony, water lily, basil, datura
• Heartbreak: heartsease, hawthorn, borage
• Lethargy: aloe, thyme, peppermint
• Stress: dill, echinacea, thyme, mistletoe, lemon balm
• Spiritual blocks: oak, ginseng, lady’s slipper

Safe Haven Potpourri

Potpourri was a medieval product revived by the Victorians, who used the symbolic meanings and powers of flowers. Grow flowers in your kitchen garden or buy cut flowers. Dry them; then place them in a pretty container. Choose flowers that connect with your astrological sun sign, moon sign and personal energy. Try a mix of your favorites along with some of the beloved posies of Victorian and medieval times:

Daisy opens in the morning and closes when the sun goes down; this beloved flower is associated with purity, loyalty, innocence, patience and simplicity.

Pansies are also called Heartsease and represent merriment!

Iris stands for wisdom, faith, friendship and hope eternal.

Under a Waxing Moon

When the first narrow crescent of the waxing moon appears in the twilight sky, place a green candle beside a white lily or freesia. White flowers have the most intense aromas. Anoint the candle with tuberose or rose oil. Take a handful of seeds, such as sunflower, walnuts, or pistachios, still in their shells, and place them in front of the candle.

Close your eyes and recite aloud:

Under this darkling moons, 
In Eden fair, I walk through flowers 
In the garden of my desires, 
I light the flame of my mind, 
I plant the seeds of things to come. 

Lucky 13 Waxing Moon Spell

Your altar is the heart center of your home, your sanctuary. Yet the world is constantly coming in and bringing mundane energy over your threshold—problems at the workplace, financial woes, bad news from your neighborhood or the world at large. All this negativity wants to get in the way and stay. While you can’t do anything about the stock market crash in China or a coworker’s divorce, do not allow this bad energy to cling to you. Instead, you can do something about it with a homekeeping spell. The best times to release any and all bad luck is on a Friday the 13th or on any waxing moon. As you know, Friday the 13th is considered a lucky day on the witch’s calendar.

Get a big black candle and a black crystal, a piece of white paper, a black pen with black ink and a cancellation stamp, readily available at any stationery store. Go into your backyard or a nearby park or woodlands and find a flat rock that has a slightly concave surface. 

Using the pen, write down on the white paper that which you want to rid yourself and your home of; this is your release request. Place the candle and the black crystal on the rock, and light the candle near an open window. As the negativity is released outside while the candle burns, intone:

Waxing moon, most wise Cybele, 
From me this burden please dispel 
Upon this night so clear and bright 
I release ___ to the moon tonight. 

Go outside and place the rock altar on the ground and visualize a clear and peaceful home filled with only the positive as the candle burns for thirteen minutes. Stamp the paper with the cancel stamp. Snuff the candle, fold the paper away from your body, and place it under the rock. Speak your thanks to the moon for assisting you. If you have a truly serious issue at hand, repeat the process for thirteen nights and all will be vanquished.

Waning Moon Money Magic

To attract money, fill a big pot with fresh water and place it on your altar during the waxing moon. Pour a cup of milk with a tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of ground clove into the pot as an offering. Toss handfuls of dried chamomile and mint into the cauldron. Say aloud:

I call upon you, gods and goddesses of old, to fill my purse with gold. I offer you mother’s milk and honey sweet. 

With harm to none and blessings to thee, I honor you for bringing me health and prosperity.

Place the offering bowl on your altar and leave the aromatic mixture there to instill your kitchen with the energy of abundance. After four hours and forty-four minutes, go outside your home and pour the offering into your kitchen garden or into the roots of a shrub. Then bow in appreciation of the kindness of the gods and goddesses.

White Light of Love: A Waning Moon

To light the flower of love in your heart, time this charm for the waning of a New Moon. Place a green candle beside a white lily, rose or freesia. Make sure it is a posy of personal preference. White flowers have the greatest perfume and either of these beauties will impart your home with a pleasing aura. I like to float a gardenia in a clear bowl of fresh water, truly the essence of the divine. Light the candle and hold the flower close to your heart. Pray,

Steer me to the highest light; 
guide me to beauty and truth. 
Much have I to give. 
Much have I to live. 
Bright blessings to one and all.

The Dark Side of the Moon – Eclipse Enchantments

When the moon passes into the Earth’s shadow, this is a lunar eclipse. These are rare occasions that make for a truly enchanted evening. I recommend you think ahead to what you want to accomplish in this phase, since an eclipse only lasts several hours. Think about what you want brought out of the shadow and into the light – do you need to dust off old dreams and reactivate them? Do you have old hurts and wounds you need to let go of and purge from your life? Do you feel there is a secret being kept from you? This one night is perfect for the purposes of saying goodbye to the old and ushering in the new. Simply plan your magical workings to coordinate with the passing shadow. When the moon is in full eclipse, treat those few moments as if the moon was in its Dark phase. It is also an excellent time to honor the goddess of the moon in a group or solo ritual. Think through carefully your heart’s desire and what will serve you for many months to come.

New Job, New Moon

Another good spell purpose for the new moon is getting a new job. If you’re seeking new employment, try this ritual out.

Get your supplies out:
• 2 green candles
• 2 white candles
• 2 gold candles
• 2 pieces of green jade or another green stone
• Cinnamon oil

Line up the candles, alternating the colors. Anoint each one with cinnamon oil, and rub a little oil on the stones too. Start at one end and light each candle. With each one, repeat these words:

A new career is what I desire, 
I cast this spell to get a hire. 
By the light of this new moon, 
I need a new job soon. 

After all the candles are lit, take each stone and gently pass it through the flames (careful of your fingers). Then hold the stones in your hands and visualize the type of job you want to get. After the spell, pocket the stones and carry them with you. You should have a new job by the next new moon.

Seeding the Future - New Moon Ritual

What are your intentions for the coming months? What you can imagine, you can bring into being. This ritual will aid you in getting what you want and need for yourself and loved ones. Nothing says “new beginnings” like planting a seed, so use the power of a growing plant to bring success to your own new moon projects.
Assemble the following:

• A flowerpot filled halfway with soil
• Enough soil to fill the pot
• Seeds (nasturtiums are oh-so-easy to grow)
• Eggshells
• A small piece of paper

Get everything together and write your intentions on the paper in as few words as possible and roll into a scroll. Place the scroll in the pot, and then crush some eggshells on top of that. Fill the rest of the pot with soil.

Repeat the following:

I plant this seed when the moon is new, 
Manifest my intentions, I ask it true. So mote it be.

Keep repeating this as you plant your seeds, and give them a little water. After the ritual, keep the pot somewhere sunny and you should start seeing some success in your plans when the plant begins to sprout. Keep it healthy and thriving to keep the magic going. You can perform a ritual like this anytime you feel the need and the moon is new. You can also be very specific in your intentions: new love, an interview for a new job, finding a new home you love. I find that the more specific you are in setting your intentions, the more powerful the spell.

New Moon Flower Power

This flower-infused potpourri is wonderful for clearing the way for the new in your life and planting “seeds” for new moon beginnings. You can also create a wreath with garlic bulbs for self-protection and insurance that your newly laid plans won’t go awry.

Flower ingredients:
• Rose
• Snapdragon
• Marigold
• Carnation

Place the flowers in a bowl and then sprinkle them with a few drops of geranium, clove, and cinnamon oil. Place the mixture on the south point of your altar for the duration of a full lunar cycle, from new moon to new moon.

Serious Moonlight

Since prehistory, we have looked into the night sky with wonder. The moon is both magical and majestic. She rules the ocean tides, the crops in our fields and our moods and emotions. The moon is mysterious and reflective. Aside from the sun, our brightest star and the source of life, the moon is the singlemost important light in our sky. Every culture in the world, both past and present, has moon lore, myths, rites and a great respect for our favorite “night light.”

The early Babylonians called the moon “the boat of life,” while the Taoist Chinese believed the moon was a white dragon. A most unusual perspective came from the usually reasonable Plutarch, who theorized that girls grew into women as a result of a female essence that came down from the moon. The very name of our galaxy, the Milky Way, comes from the mythical white cow that jumped over the moon. It may well be that no other celestial object is as revered as the moon. A common and beloved ritual—baking, decorating, and eating a birthday cake—is descended from the Greek custom of celebrating the monthly birthday of the moon goddess Artemis with full-moon cakes.

To this day, modern Pagans “draw down the moon” in some rituals. In Asia, it is said that the moon is the mirror that reflects everything in the world. Some cultures consider the moon to be male and the sun female: for example, the Japanese honor the sun goddess Amaterasu and her brother the moon god Tsukiyomi. In this book we have explored some of the myths and lore of the moon, supplying you with many approaches to ritual from the treasury of our human history. Let Luna be your guide as you design and develop your own moon ceremonies and rites of the night.

Astrological Almanac – Green Witchery Wisdom

Plants carry potent energy you can use to amplify your magical workings. Use the signs of the sun, moon and stars to your advantage and, over time, you will come to know which ones are most effective for you. Make sure to use your own astrological chart in working with these herbs. Here is a guide to the astrological associations of plants you may grow in your kitchen garden or keep dried in your pantry:

Aries, ruled by Mars: carnation, cedar, clove, cumin, fennel, juniper, peppermint and pine.

Taurus, ruled by Venus: apple, daisy, lilac, magnolia, oak moss, orchid, plumeria, rose, thyme, tonka bean, vanilla and violet.

Gemini, ruled by Mercury: almond, bergamot, mint, clover, dill, lavender, lemongrass, lily and parsley.

Cancer, ruled by the Moon: eucalyptus, gardenia, jasmine, lemon, lotus, rose, myrrh and sandalwood.

Leo, ruled by the Sun: acacia, cinnamon, heliotrope, nutmeg, orange and rosemary.

Virgo, ruled by Mercury: almond, cypress, bergamot, mint, mace, moss, thyme and patchouli.

Libra, ruled by Venus: catnip, marjoram, mugwort, spearmint, sweet pea, thyme and vanilla.

Scorpio, ruled by Pluto: allspice, basil, cumin, galangal and ginger. Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter: anise, cedar wood, sassafras, star anise and honeysuckle.

Capricorn, ruled by Saturn: lemon thyme, mimosa, vervain and vetiver.

Aquarius, ruled by Uranus: gum, citron, cypress, lavender, spearmint and pine.

Pisces, ruled by Neptune: clover, orris, neroli, sarsaparilla and sweet pea.

Power of Sun and Moon Potion

Here is a powerful herbal healing essence you can make in one week’s time. For an immune system boost, crush a mixture of equal parts rosemary, sandalwood and the petals of a red carnation. Place the crushed herbs in a colored class jar filled with virgin olive oil. After seven days’ storage on a windowsill so as to be exposed to both Sun and Moon, strain and place the infused oil back into the jar. You now have a hearty supply of homemade healing oil to use in the bath, or to rub on your pulse points: temple, wrists, backs of knees, and behind the ears. As soon as you feel rundown, one application should make a difference.

Astrological Almanac: Moon Signs of the Times

The astrological signs of the moon are of great significance. Each moon sign has special meaning set down through the centuries. Ancient and medieval folks paid strict attention to moon phases and moon signs for planting and harvesting. Here is a guide to each sign with tried and true lore from olden days along with applications for today’s rituals.

Aries is a barren and dry sign that is perfect for planting, weeding, haying and harvesting. Moon in Aries is the optimum time for rituals pertaining to leadership, pioneering, ambition and authority, as well as rebirth. Any healing regarding the face and head is more successful during Aries.

Taurus is an earthy and moist sign that is excellent for planting root crops like potatoes and peanuts. Love, money and luxury are the watchwords for moon in Taurus. If you are buying real estate, moon in Taurus is an excellent time for that. Because the throat and neck are ruled by Taurus, this is a prime time both for singing and speaking.

Gemini is another dry sign that is best time for mowing, cutting and getting rid of plants or pests. Communication is improved during moon in Gemini. Healing for the arms and hands and pulmonary system is well advised during a Gemini moon.

Cancer is a fruitful watery sign conductive to planting; in fact, it is the most productive sign of all. Hearth and home are the focus now and lunar rituals are well timed during moon in Cancer. Healing rituals for the stomach are done best at this time.

Leo is the driest and least fertile of all moon signs, good only for cutting and mowing. Leo moon is good for bravery, striking out in a new direction, like performing on stage or taking a position of authority. Matters of the heart and literal healing of the organ are advisable now.

Virgo is both damp and barren, but is a great time for cultivation. Virgo moon is good for working hard and seeking employment, tending to all aspects of health, nutrition and healing the nervous system and bowel.

Libra is both wet and fruitful and is wonderful for grains, vines, root crops and flowers. Now is the time for artistic endeavors, romantic liaisons and balancing your life. The lower back and kidneys can be restored to health during moon in Libra.

Scorpio is humid and bountiful and is good for all types of planting. Make your moves during moon in Scorpio. This sign is also conducive to plumbing the depths of the spirit and achieving psychic growth. Sex rituals are at their most potent during moon in Scorpio. Healing of the sensitive reproductive organs can happen during this moon time.

Sagittarius is another fire sign that is a poor time for planting and is best spent harvesting and storing. Rites of passage and travel and rituals relating to higher truths and philosophical matters succeed during moon in Sagittarius. Sports and horses are also in the spotlight during this time. Healing for the legs can be undertaken during this time.

Capricorn is an earth sign that is also wet and is excellent for grafting, pruning and planting trees and shrubs. Rituals relating to work, goals, and organizing can be commenced at this time. Political careers, dreams and aspirations should be launched during moon in Capricorn. Skeletal wellness is advisable during this cycle as well.

Aquarius is an infertile and parched moon time that is best for harvesting, weeding and dispelling pests. The Aquarian moon is appropriate for rites regarding personal freedom. Friendship, the intellect and starting a new phase of life all come into play now. Rituals of a more radical nature are best during this sign. Shin and ankle health goes better now, too.

Pisces is fecund and fruitful and is good for all kinds of planting. It is remarkable for fruits of all kinds. The highly sensitive moon in Pisces is good for spells and charms for creativity, intuition, divination, dream work and music. Care and healing for the feet is most favorable during this sign of moon in Pisces.

December 21 - Longest Night Fire Ceremony

December is named for the Roman goddess Decima, one of the three fates. The word Yule comes from the Germanic jol, which means midwinter, and is celebrated on the shortest day of the year. The old tradition was to have a vigil at a bonfire to make sure the sun did indeed rise again. This primeval custom evolved to become a storytelling evening and while it may well to be too cold to sit outside in snow and sleet, congregating around a blazing hearth fire, dining and talking deep into the night is important for your community to truly know each other, impart wisdom and speak to hopes and dreams. Greet the new sun with stronger connections and a shared vision for the coming solar year.

What you need:

• Candles in the following colors: red, yellow, green, blue, white and black
• Herbs: tobacco, rosemary, lavender, cedar, sage, and rose petals
• Incense: copal, myrrh, or any resin-based incense
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 chocolate bar per person
• Bells, rattles, drus, and other noisemakers
• A firepot, fireplace, or safe place for an outdoor fire
• Paper for written intentions

The candle colors represent the six directions: north, south, east, west, up, and down (or sky and earth). They also represent the different people of the world.

Gather your friends together at dusk on the shortest day of the year and ask them to bring a colored candle (assign them a color), a noisemaker, and an open mind. Ask them also to write out what they want to purge from their life and bring the paper into the circle. The Solstice Fire Ceremony serves to bring positive new influences into our lives and also to dispel what no longer serves for good. This “letting go” can be anything. For me, one year ago, it was cancer, and this year it was too much clutter. For you, it could be an unhealthy relationship, a job that makes you miserable, or a cramped apartment.

Here are the steps to the ritual:

Build a fire at 5:00 p.m. and have it burning brightly as your guests arrive. Place a big bowl of herbs, flower petals, and incense near the fire.

Create a circle around the fire and ask the eldest in the group to slowly draw a circle of sugar around the fire.

When the elder has moved back into place in the circle, each person should light his or her candles from the fire and place it in the sugar circle, creating a mandala.
Ask the youngest person to lead the group in this chant:

My life is my own 
I must but choose to be better, 
Vital breath of life I breathe 
No more pain and strife! 
Wise ones, bring us health and life 
Bring us love and luck Bring us blessed peace 
On this Winter’s Day. 
Into the fire, we toss the old Into the fire, we see our future 
On this, our longest night. 
Harm to none and health to all!

Everyone should rattle and drum away, making merry and rousing the good spirits. The spirits of the wise elders will join you.

After the drumming, start around the circle, beginning with the eldest. Allow people to speak about what they want to release from their life, and have them toss their “letting go” paper into the fire. Then the eldest person should lead the group in a prayer for collective hopes for the coming your, and anyone who wants to add something should also speak out wishes for positive change, for themselves and for the world.

Thank the wise elders and ancestors for their wisdom and spiritual aid by throwing some chocolate into the fire. Be sure to keep some for members of the circle to share and enjoy. The Mayans held the belief that a plentitude of offerings to the ancestors would bring more blessings. They also believed that fire ceremonies helped support the planet and all the nations of the word. Gifts to the fire signal to the elders that they can return through the door and to the other world, until you call upon them for help in the future.

Lunar Astrology is the calendar by which early humans marked the passing of time and how they evolved their calendar, which is a lunar calendar. You should keep track of the moon and see what works for you.

Sabbat of Samhain – October 31st - All Hallow’s Eve

Halloween stems from the grand tradition of the Celtic New Year. What started as a folk festival celebrated by small groups in rural areas has come to be the second largest holiday of today. There are multitudinous reasons—including modern marketing—but I think it satisfies a basic human need, to let your “wild side” out, to be free and more connected with the ancient ways. This is the time when the veil between worlds is thinnest and you can commune with the other side, with elders and the spirit world. It is important to honor the ancestors during this major sabbat and acknowledge what transpired in the passing year as well as set intentions for the coming year.

This is the ideal time to invite your circle; the ideal number for your gathering is thirteen. Gather powdered incense, salt, a loaf of bread, goblets for wine and three candles to represent the triple goddess for altar offerings. Ideally on an outdoor stone altar, pour the powdered incense into a pentagram star shape. Let go of old sorrows, angers and anything not befitting of new beginnings in this New Year. Bring only your best to this auspicious occasion.

Light the candles and say:

In honor of the Triple Goddess on this sacred night of Samhain, 
All the ancient ones 
From time before time 
To those behind the veil. 

Rap the altar three times and light the incense. Say this blessing aloud:

For this bread, wine, and salt, 
We ask the blessings of Mother, Maiden and Crone, 
And the gods who guard the Gate of the World. 

Sprinkle salt over the bread, eat the bread and drink the wine. Each of the celebrants should come to the altar repeating the bread and wine blessing. After this, be seated and everyone in turn should name those on the other side and offer thanks to ancestors and deities. This can and should take a long time as we owe much to loved ones on the other side.

Autumnal Equinox Ritual: Macon, September 21

Establish one room in your house as the temple. Ideally, it is the room in which you normally keep an altar or sacred shrine. In any case, you should create an altar in the center of the space. Place four small tables in the four corners of the directions and place four evenly spaced candlesticks between the tables. Place a loaf of freshly baked bread (bread you have made with your own hands is best) in the east, a bowl of apples in the south, a bottle of wine in the west, and a sheaf of wheat or a bundle of dried corn in the north. Upon the main altar, place a candle, a plate of sweet cakes and a goblet. Light incense and place it in front of the cakes. Before your ritual, take some time for contemplation. Think about what you have achieved during this busy year:

What have you done?

What do you need?

What remains to be done?

What are your aspirations?

Write down your thoughts and feelings and the answers to those questions.

Read what you have written and ponder it. Look for continuing ideas or themes and make notes of these on a piece of paper. Light the candle on the altar and use this candle to light all the other candles in the temple.

Now go around your temple space in reverse order and extinguish all candles. Then declare your temple closed. The common wisdom is that you should place the apples, bread and wine in your garden as an offering the next day, as a blessing to all of nature.

Indonesian Full Moon Ceremony

Nearly every temple in Bali celebrates this monthly event.

Essential elements for this ritual are incense, offerings of fruit and lots of flowers, rice, and holy or blessed water.

Gather a group of like-minded folks and head to the nearest body of water—a lake, pond, creek, river or the ocean. Nature will be your temple.

Begin by sitting in a circle and making garlands of flowers. You should talk, laugh or be silent as you wish, but most important, be comfortable. When everyone is settled with a garland of flowers, place the garland around the neck of another person. Light the incense and set the rice and holy water in the middle of the circle.

Go around the circle and offer the water to people, sprinkling it on them gently with your fingertips in the Balinese fashion, and offer everyone a cupful of the holy water to rinse their mouths with so the worst they speak will be holier. Each person should make a fruit or flower offering to the gods, and lay it near the cleansing smoke of incense. After the offerings are made, everyone should anoint their neighbor’s forehead with grains of rice and speak blessings aloud for each person. If a body of water is accessible, get wet, even if it is just to dip your hands or walk in the water.

Silently acknowledge the blessings in your life through prayer and meditation, and, again, give quiet thanks to the gods for the gift of your life. Unlike most Western-based rituals, there is not much talking during the Balinese Full Moon Ritual. Bask in the tranquility and listen to your thoughts.

Lammas Day, August 2 – Harvesting Happiness

This major sabbat denotes the high point of the year; the crops are in their fullness, weather is warm and the countryside is bursting forth with the beauty of life. Pagans know we have the heavens above to thank for this and the gods of nature must be acknowledged for their generosity with a gathering of the tribe and a feast, ideally in the great outdoors. Ask invitees to bring harvest-themed offerings for the altar: gourds, pumpkins, bundles of wheat stalks and corn, or fresh pickings from their garden, and food to share in thanksgiving made from the same, like pies, tomato salads, cucumber pickles, green beans, corn pudding, watermelon, lemon cakes, berry cucumber, apple cider and beer brewed from wheat, hops and barley. This celebration of the reaping from summer season should reflect what you have grown with your own hands. Fill your cauldron or a big beautiful colored glass bowl half-full with freshly-drawn water. Get packets of tiny votive candles for floating in the water. At the feast table, make sure to have a place setting for the godly guest Lugh who watched over the plantings to ensure this bounty. Place loaves of Lammas bread by his plate.

When all guests have arrived, everyone should add a food offering to the plate of the god and light a candle to float in the cauldron. Cut a slice of Lammas bread for Lugh and begin the ceremony with this prayer of thanks:

Oh, ancient Lugh of the fields and farms, 
We invite you here with open arms, 
In this place between worlds, in flowering fields of hay. 
You have brought the blessings we receive this Lammas Day. 

Begin the feast and before the dessert course, everyone should go around the table and speak to their gratitude for the gifts of the year. Storytelling, singing, spiral dances and all manner of merriment is part of Lammas Day.

Sacred Grove Solstice Spell - June 21

Celebrating the season of the sun is best done outdoors in the glory of nature’s full bloom. If you have a forest nearby or a favorite grove of trees, plan to picnic and share this rite of passage with your spiritual circle. Covens often have a favorite spot. All the better if a great oak is growing there, the tree most sacred to Druids. Gather the tribe and bring brightly colored ribbons and indelible markers. Form the circle by holding hands, then point to east, south, north and west chanting:

We hold the wisdom of the sun, 
We see the beauty of our earth. 
To the universe that gives us life, we return the gift. 
Deepest peace to all, 
And we are all one. 
Blessed be. 

Each member of the circle should speak their wish for the world, themselves or loved ones and write it on a ribbon. One by one, tie your ribbon to a tree. Each flutter of the wind will spread your well-wishes.

Blessings From the East: Prayer to Honor the Summer

For summer festivals such as the Summer Solstice on June 21, you should honor the deities who gift us with such plenty. Light yellow and green candles at your altar and on the feast table and offer this appeal: 

Oh, Lady of Summer Who brings and sun and life-giving rains, May each harvest bring the crops that fill our cups. The rivers and oceans, fields and farms are yours. We honor you today and give thanks to you for all we have. A toast to thee, blessed be!