Celebration of Plenty: Morning Meditation

True abundance comes from looking at what you have, rather than focusing on what you lack. This spell is a celebration that will begin each day with magic. Upon waking, take time to reflect on the good things in your life. After meditating upon the blessings in your life, say this spell aloud:

    Today and every day,

     I see the richness of life.

    I thank you, Goddess,

    For all the gifts and beauty in my world.

    Today, I will share my blessings in others and honor you.

    I see plenty for all. Blessings to all

    Conclusion: May You Live in Abundance

Wild Women

For your celebratory mask-making ceremonies, you can and should design your own wild woman images. You can also choose from a list of classical goddess images, such as:

• Peacock Woman is Juno whose totem is the royally plumed bird
• Winged Isis wears the sun disk on her head r Medusa has snakes for hair
  
• Sphinx is an image of eternal mystery
  
• Saints are holy women with halos
• Mermaid goddesses wear tricorn crowns
  
• Imps and some underworld goddesses have horns
  
• Diana has the crescent moon on her head
  
• Fairies have butterfly-like wings and antennae at times
  
• Elves have pointed ears
  
• Dryads are tree nymphs with leafy crowns
  
• Anima Mundi, the “soul of the world,” has a crown of stars

Major and Lesser Sabbats

Four Major Sabbats

Candlemas—February 2 

Beltane—May 1 

Lammas—August 1 

Samhain—October 31

Four Lesser Sabbats

Vernal Equinox—March 20 

Summer Solstice—June 24 

Autumn Equinox—September 23 

Winter Solstice/Yule—December 21

Winter Solstice Ritual, December 21

Winter solstice rituals traditionally celebrate the rebirth of the sun. In a safe place outdoors, build a bonfire and create a solstice altar to the east of it. Place a small cauldron with a candle in it on the altar, and surround it with mistletoe, ivy, and holly. Participants should also wear crowns woven from these evergreens. If it is too cold or snowy where you live, you can gather indoors and form a semicircle around the fireplace, or around the altar.

Begin the ritual by holding hands around the fire. Hum softly, gradually building the hum to a shout. This shout represents the cries of the Goddess giving birth once again to the sun, and to the new year. The ritual leader says:

All bow to the East! Hail to the newborn Sun, and to the Great Goddess who has brought him forth!

Everyone bows to honor the Sun God and the Mother Goddess. The ritual leader chants: 

Brigid,

Diana,

Morgan,

Cerridwen,

Heaven’s Queen,

By the light of this moon In this dark night,

Teach us the mystery of rebirth.

The ritual leader lights the candle in the cauldron while everyone else remains perfectly still. Now is the time when the Goddess will reveal herself privately to each participant. If you are outdoors, listen and look carefully for a sign. Traditional omens are a sudden wind, shooting stars, the screeching of
an owl, and the appearance of a deer. Even if you are indoors by the fire, the Goddess will still make herself known in your heart. When the time feels right, the ritual leader says:

Queen of the Stars, 

Queen of the Moon, 

Queen of the Earth, 

Bringer of Fire,

The Great Mother gives birth to this new year 

And we are her witnesses.

Everyone shouts: 

Blessed be!

Pass the lit cauldron to each participant so they can speak a blessing for the new year and the new sun. Place the cauldron with the candle back on the altar. The ritual leader closes the ritual with this final expression of gratitude to the Goddess: 

Blessed be to the Mother Goddess 

Thank you for the sun that gives us life 

Without beginning and without end 

Everlasting in Eternity.

This ritual is now done!

A toast to the new sun should take place with hot cider or mead, and warm festive foods. 

Kwanzaa: December 26th

In 1966, a Black Studies professor at California State University in Long Beach, Maulana Ron Karenga, conceived Kwanzaa, which means “first fruit” in Swahili. Kwanzaa (December 26 to January 1) is very much a community ritual and begins with a gathering before an altar covered with the symbols of the season: corn; a woven mat; a unity cup; and an African flag of red, black, and green. Also on the altar are gifts made by the hand and a special Kwanzaa candleholder holding seven taper candles. The colors of the candles are red, for the blood of the people; black, for the people themselves; and green, for the land. Each night of the festival, a candle is lit commemorating and honoring the Seven Principles, Nguzo Saba, of Kwanzaa:

1. Umoja for unity

2. Kujichaguliaforself-determination

3. Ujima for shared works

4. Ujamaa for shared monies

5. Nia for life purpose

6. Kuumbaforcreativity

7. Imani for faith 

Diwali in India: The Cluster of Lights Festival

Diwali, one of the most beloved holidays in all of India, is another moveable feast that generally takes place around mid-November. People will circumnavigate the globe to return home to be with their family during this special time. The Hindus treasure this late-autumn festival week and dress up their homes and themselves. All the streets and windows are brightly lit with special diwali lamps, small ceramic affairs filled with oil and cotton wicks that twinkle like stars, in every home and even on fences, garden walks, and porches.

Diwali is like a New Year, when everyone can start again, forgiving quarrels, wearing new clothes, and starting life anew with a fresh attitude and bright hopes. In the village and mountainous regions of India, bonfires are going strong, warming up the landscape along with fireworks that light up the night skies.

Diwali honors the victory of Rama, an avatar aspect of Vishnu who battled a ten-headed demon that stole Rama’s wife, Sita, with devotional music, lamp-lighting rituals, feasting, games, gambling, gift giving, and special foods, such as sweets, fruits, candies, and pastries that are constructed into temple- like towers.

Mexican Independence Day

September 16 is celebrated throughout Mexico as the day the Mexican Revolution began and it is actually now a bigger cause for celebration than Cinco de Mayo. As the legend goes, one day Father Hidalgo, an ordinary priest, began shouting from his pulpit, “Viva la Virgin de Guadalupe!” To the Mexican people of that era, this was an incitement to fight for freedom and be rid of Spanish rule. This cry spread across all of Mexico and stirred the people to great power. Unfortunately for the priest who initiated the movement in the name of Guadalupe, it resulted in his execution for treason against the Spanish government. While this was intended to shut the revolution down, it served only to infuriate the Mexican people who revolted and won their independence. This is a day to honor Father Hidalgo and revere Guadalupe with shrines, prayers, invocations, and candle burning.

Rosh Hashanah: The Jewish New Year

This Jewish holiday is a moveable feast and occurs in September (sometimes in very early October). Rosh means “head” and Hashanah means “New Year.” It is a rather somber holiday when participants pray for forgiveness and undertake ten days of penitence, ending in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. During Rosh Hashanah, Jews begin their new year with a new outlook and hope of good health, a good year, and a long and happy life.

One ritual aspect of Rosh Hashanah is the sounding of the shofar, the ram’s horn, by the rabbi. This custom is the signal for Jews to repent and think about their people and the current state of affairs with all Jews. Perhaps the most important aspect of this holiday is the three sets of prayers that are recited during the ten days that remind people of God’s omnipotence, his response to the shofar, and that God always remembers good works and kindness.

You can use these Jewish themes of meditating on your current state of affairs, your family, and the blessings of the gods and angels in a fall equinox ritual. 

September

September 1, Greek New Year September 2, St. Mama’s Day in Cypress

September 3, Sukkot, Feast of the Tabernacles, a Jewish moveable feast celebrated around this time

September 4, Founders day of Los Angeles (1835), the “City of Angels,” celebrated with processions, dance, rodeo, and Mass

September 5, Mother Teresa died in 1997

September 6, First day of the Hebrew calendar since 3761 BCE

September 7, Rificolne in Florence and Siena celebrating Cosimo de Medici’s 1260 victory: a celebration with picnics, lantern processions, folk singing, and street dancing.

September 8, Water Festival honoring springs (Tibet) 

September 9, Chrysanthemum Festival in Japan, Choyo no Sekku, Kiky bo Seku

September 10, St. Salvi Day, French bishop who died and came back to life in 574 BCE still celebrated with parades, feasts, and Mass

September 11, Coptic New Year in Egypt

September 12, National Grandparent’s Day (United States) 

September 13, Epulum Jova, The Great Banquet in Rome 

September 14, First day of Greek Eleusinian Mysteries 

September 15, Day to Respect the Aged (Japan)

September 16, Mexican Independence Day in Mexico (1810) 

September 17, Feast of Hildegard of Bingen

September 18, Feast of Demeter (Ancient Rome) 

September 19, International Talk Like a Pirate

September 20, International Day of Peace

September 21, Autumn equinox (on or around this day)

September 22, Birthdays of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings

September 23, Shubun no Hi, grave visiting day in Japan 

September 24, Schwenkenfelder, German Thanksgiving

September 25, Rosh Hashanah, the movable Jewish feast of the New Year, occurs around this date

September 26, Saint Cyprian and Saint Justina’s Day

September 27, Saints Cosmos and Damian’s feast day, Arabian doctors

September 28, Birthday of Confucius, the great Chinese scholar (551–479 BCE)

September 29, Day of Saint Michael and All Angels (also known as Michaelmas)

September 30, the first book is printed with movable type, The Gutenberg Bible, 1452

The autumnal winds bring change as we begin harvesting and preparing for the future. We unpack the warm clothes and woolens, and start to winter-proof our homes, offices and cars. In our modern world, we go back to school and college. Vacations are over, and we go off to work with renewed spirits and goals. We now reap what we have sown throughout the year. Winter is also coming, the “scouring storm.” To survive and thrive in the coldest times, we need to prepare by doing our inner work. 

August

August 1, Fiesta Day (Nicaragua)

August 2, Our Lady of the Angels Day (Costa Rica)

August 3, Drimes Day in Greece with offerings to the dead, all-night parties and bonfires in vineyards and orchards

August 4, Dom Perignon invents champagne in 1693— celebrate!

August 5, Grasmere Rush Bearing Festival in Cumbria, England, dating back to the medieval custom of weaving flooring for cathedrals

August 6, Peace Ceremony for World War II bombing of Hiroshima

August 7, Feast of Hathor (Ancient Egypt)

August 8, Dog Days in Japan, or Doyo

August 9, Nagasaki Peace Ceremony in Japan

August 10, Celebration of the Goddess of Reason, established 1793 in France

August 11, Puck Fair in Killarney, Ireland 

August 12, International Youth Day

August 13, Feast of Vertumnus, god of seasons, gardens, and trees, in Rome

August 14, Ferragosto, Italy’s traditional mid-August holiday 

August 15, Feast Day of the Assumption of Mary

August 16, Saint Roch’s Procession in France and Italy 

August 17, Potunis in Italy; Marcus Garvey Day for Rastafarians

August 18, St. Helen’s Day Pilgrimage

August 19, Roman Vinalia Rustica in honor of Venus since 293 BCE

August 20, Szent Isvan Napja, Day of St. Stephen, in Hungary

August 21, Consualia in honor of Consus, god of seeds, grain, and harvest

August 22, Feast of the Queenship of Mary, Star of the Sea, since 1954

August 23, Paper Costume Parade and Holy Bath Day in Portugal

August 24, St. Bartholomew’s Day

August 25, Opiconsivia, festival to the goddess Ops

August 26, Feast day of Luonnatar, Finnish goddess of fertility

August 27, Birth of Isis

August 28, St. Augustine’s Day to honor Augustine of Hippo (354-430), leading Christian theologian and Father of the Church

August 29, Festival of St. John, commemorating his death 

August 30, Santa Rosa (Mexico); Saint Rose of Lima (Peru)

August 31, Anant Chaturdasi, a women’s purification festival (Hindu)

The Romans honored Demeter, the grain mother and overseer of the harvest, during August. The Celts celebrated Lughnassadh in honor of Lugh, their god of many skills. Lughnassadh was adopted and adapted by the Christian church as Lammas (“Loaf-mass”) and is still celebrated. The custom is that when the first grain is harvest, it must be baked into a loaf and offered to Lugh as thanks for healthy crops. Native Americans called August the Corn Moon, and the Franks referred to this time of year as Aranmanoth, The Corn Ears Month. 

July

July 1, Climbing Mount Fuji Day in Japan

July 2, Palio de Siena, the legendary festival for the Italian horse race with feasts, blessings, and betting, founded in the Renaissance

July 3, Festival of Sothis (Ancient Egypt)

July 4, Festival honoring Pax, Roman goddess of peace

July 5, Tynwald Fair Day on the Isle of Man since 1079

July 6, Jan Hus Day in the Czech Republic

July 7, Tanabata, Japanese Weavers Festival; China’s Chi Nu Feast for Milky Way

July 8, First actual Thanksgiving, Massachusetts’s Bay Colony (1630)

July 9, Pilgrimage for Sempachfeier, retracing and re- enacting the 1386 battle between the Swiss and Austrians. Defend an issue about which you feel strongly, as the peaceful Swiss did.

July 10, Silence Day in India

July 11, Feast Day of Saint Olga, the first Russian Saint

July 12, Nadaam festival of horses, in Mongolia

July 13, Commemoration of the Departed (Japanese Buddhist) 

July 14, Bastille Day (1789) in France

July 15, Chang Yuan, Festival of the Dead (China)

July 16, Feast for Our Lady of Carmel

July 17, Festival of Amaterasu, Japanese Sun Goddess

July 18, Saint Marina Day in Cyprus

July 19, Martyr’s Day in Myanmar

July 20, National Moon Day (United States)

July 21, Horse’s holiday in Rome, part of the Festival of Consualia

July 22, Saint Mary Magdalene’s Feast Day

July 23, Rastafarian Celebration honoring Haile Selassie

July 24, Simon Bolivar Festival Day in South America

July 25, Incan holiday for Illyap, god of thunder and lightning

July 26, Birthday of Carl Jung and Robert Graves

July 27, Birthday of Osiris (Ancient Egypt)

July 28, Peruvian Independence Day (1821)

July 29, St. Martha Day in France, first celebrated in 48 CE

July 30, International Bog Day, celebrating the protection of wetlands

July 31, St. Ignatius’s Day

The most appropriate rituals you can perform in the month of July are those in celebration of the sun.

Sirius, the Dog Star, rises in early July. The Egyptians knew this star as Sothis. In Egyptian mythology, Isis is Queen of Heaven, and Osiris, ruler of the underworld, is her husband and her brother. While these deities ruled, Egyptian culture thrived, advanced in the arts and science, and also grew in magic and religion. The Egyptians built great cities and became very powerful and renowned for the beauty of their civilization.

Isis is typically depicted as a beautiful winged woman. On her noble head is a crown with the disc of the sun gleaming golden. Veneration of Isis spread from Egypt to the Greeks, the Romans, and throughout the Hellenic world until her last temple was destroyed in the fourth century.

The palm tree is sacred to Isis and can be used in ritual. You can lay the palm leaves in your path and walk in procession. The palm has been used in various ways throughout the world in ritual. The following are some suggestions you can build upon in your own ritual design:

• In Cuba, folks sweep each other with palm branches that have been blessed with holy water in order to keep safe from evil spirits.
• Puerto Ricans weave palm leaves into crosses and use them as protective amulets. They also hang the palm crosses in their homes for abundance and to keep the home sacred.
• In Belgium, sections of palms are kept in the fields to ensure a copious harvest.
• The French decorate the graves of their beloved relatives with palm leaves that have been especially blessed for that purpose.
• In New Orleans, the residents plant palmetto palms beside a water fountain or pond on their property to bring money, love, luck, and good health. 

June 21, Summer Solstice

 June is summer reaching its full glory. There have been many rites around the world to acknowledge the longest day of the year. The Japanese climb Mount Fuji at this time, for it is free of snow during two months in the summer. The Native American tribes of the Southwest and Great Plains hold ceremonies to honor the life-giving sun. Incan, Mayan, and Aztec midsummer rites honoring the sun gods were among their most important ceremonies. 

Juneteenth Celebration

Juneteenth is a beautiful example of a modern ritual that is reinvented and celebrated in a new and exciting way every year. Luisah Teish says this occasion celebrates “the flame as political power and divine inspiration.” Juneteenth is held on June 19, the date when in 1865 the news of the Emancipation Proclamation finally reached the plantations in the states of Louisiana and Texas. While the actual law had gone into effect two years earlier in 1863, nobody told many of the slaves. When these duped slaves finally realized that they were free, it was a cause of great joy. Nowadays, there are festivals that celebrate the contributions by Africans to America and the world. Picnics, barbecues, singing, dancing, theater, games, and parades take place within the communities of the United States.

Beltane Brew

Honeyed mead is revered as the drink of choice for this sexy Pagan holy day. It is an aphrodisiac, and with its sticky sweetness, it is perfect for dribbling on your lover’s body and then licking it off. This is my special recipe for honeyed mead, handed down through generations of Celtic witches. You will need:

• 1 quart of honey
• 3 quarts of distilled water
• 1 packet of yeast
  
• Herbs to flavor

1. Mix the honey and water. Boil for five minutes. You can add the herbs to your liking, but I prefer a teaspoon each of clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice

2. Add a packet of yeast and mix. Put in a large container. Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rise and expand. Store the mixture in a dark place and let it sit for seven days.

3. Refrigerate for three days while the sediment settles to the bottom. Strain and store in a colored glass bottle, preferably green, in a cool, dark place. You can drink it now, but it is even tastier after it has been aged for a period of at least seven months.

Chinese New Year

This most special holiday for Chinese all over the world is a “moveable feast,” as it occurs on the second new moon after the shortest day of the year (the winter solstice, December 21) and lasts about two weeks. According to the Western calendar, this means the holiday begins sometime in either late January or early February. Tradition holds that homes must be cleaned from top to bottom in preparation for the festivities. On New Year’s Eve, families get together for a banquet, and at this feast fish is the dish of delight, as the Chinese word for “fish” sounds like yu, or “great plenty.” Red is the color of luck and all children receive red envelopes filled with money and bright, shining moon-like coins. Adults write “spring couplets” on red paper; these are short poems that are hung around the doorway to greet the New Year auspiciously. Oranges are placed around the house in bowls and plates and blooming plants adorn the home both indoors and out. All generations of the extended Chinese family, from great-grandmother to the tiniest toddler, stay up late playing games, telling stories, and making wishes for the New Year.

Hong Bao—an Ancient Feng Shui Custom

Essential elements: red envelopes, coins, and paper money. The Chinese call the red envelopes lee sees.

On the actual day of the Chinese New Year, go around to your neighbors, friends, and family with red envelopes containing money. If you are like me, bright, shiny coins are what you can easily afford to give instead of envelopes stuffed with paper money. With each gift, greet folks with Gung Hey Fat Choy, which means “Wishing you prosperity and health."

Give every child two lee sees because happiness comes in pairs. By taking care to provide the children you know with lee sees, you are making sure the next generation has good luck. Business owners also give lee sees to employees, important partners, and associates. When you hand a lee see to anyone you may have a grudge or grievance with, you should let go of the old feeling and refuse to drag the new you down with emotional baggage in the New Year. 

January 1—Mayan Fire Ceremony

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 r 2 cups of sugar
  
• 1 chocolate bar per person
• Bells, rattles, drums, and other noisemakers
• A firepot, fireplace, or safe place for an outdoor fire, paper for your intention

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 New Year’s Day 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 Mayan 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:

1. 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.

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

3. 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.

4. 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 our New Year’s Day.

   Into the fire, we toss the old

   Into the fire, we see our future

   On this, our New Year’s Day.

   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 year, 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. 

365 Days of Ritual

January

January 1, New Year’s Day, Gantan-sai (Japan)
January 2, Kakosome, the Japanese Day of First Writing: Ancestry Day (Haiti)
January 3, Saint Genevieve Day
January 4, Our Lord of Chalma Day
January 5, Festival of Befana (Italian)
January 6, Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day
January 7, Greek Orthodox Christmas
January 8, Midwife Day
January 9, Feast of the Black Nazarene
January 10, Seven Lucky Gods of Japan
January 11, Carmentalia, Day of Prophecy in Rome
January 12, Seijin no Hi, Coming of Age Day (Japan)
January 13, Glaedelig Jul, Norwegian Twentieth Day
January 14, Feast of the Donkey in Paris
January 15, Martin Luther King’s birthday
January 16, Festival of Ganesha
January 17, San Antonia Abad
January 18, World Religion Day
January 19, Baha’i Feast of Sultan
January 20, Portuguese Breadbasket Festival
January 21, Saint Agnes Day
January 22, Burgundian Winemaker’s Holiday
January 23, Buffalo Dancer’s Holiday
January 24, Bolivian Ekeko Fair for Prosperity
January 25, Robbie Burns Night (Scotland)
January 26, Indian Independence Day
January 27, Mozart’s Birthday
January 28, St. Thomas Aquinas Day
January 29, Martyr’s Day (Nepal)
January 30, Three Bishops Day
January 31, Feast of Hecate (Ancient Rome)

Any discussion of rituals for the month of January must include New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. I remember the drama that ensued as people around the globe stood by to witness the sunrise on January 1, 2000, perceived as the beginning of the new millennium. While many other cultures observe their New Year at other times during the year, January 1 has also become a time of celebration, reflection, and an opportunity to embrace change.

For many millennia, indigenous peoples have celebrated their own New Year in unique ways. One common element is the use of fire rituals by North, Central, and South American peoples. The Pilgrims who arrived in what was to become New England observed and documented that the Iroquois and other tribes they encountered had a New Year’s Council Fire, a time when the tribe gathered to review the past year, listen to the elders, and speak their hopes, dreams, and visions of the coming year.

In addition to your personal New Year’s ritual with the significant people in your life, I recommend the Mayan Fire Ceremony as a powerful way to bring positive change of the New Year into your life.

The Mayan Fire Ceremony was considered to open a door or portal into the spirit world that held the promise of receiving the blessings of spirit—love, healing, prosperity, peace, and anything you need for personal transformation. This ritual is also an opportunity to pay respects and make homage to your ancestors and loved ones you have lost. For this reason alone, I suggest enacting the Mayan Fire Ceremony: our culture is losing the important connection to the older people in our lives. Involving them in the rituals, ceremonies, and passages of our lives could heal a cultural rift and bring deep wisdom to all. Mayan shamans could “read” the fire in a divinatory fashion, and I hear that some modern metaphysicians can do the same. If you are fortunate enough to know anyone with such skills, invite them to your fire ceremony to share what they divine from the flames. 

Celebration of Pregnancy: A Home for the New Soul

When a new member of the tribe is on the way, it is cause for true jubilation among the family and community. I recommend waiting until the second or third trimester and then having a tribal stomp. This is a whole different take on baby showers.

While it provides for the baby’s needs, it also addresses the real, practical needs of the expectant mother and father.

Begin by asking the new mother what is her preferred day for a time of feasting and fixing. Ask her also to provide a blank book for guests to write in so that the parents can look back in the years to come and remember who attended this special gathering.

This ritual is rather like a barn raising. Each guest brings something or creates something for the new family. Artists can bring paint and paint a mural on the wall of the baby’s room. I have seen beautiful clouds and castles to keep a pair of brand new eyes busy. Handymen and carpenters can bring baby- proofing supplies, such as expandable gates; craftsmen can make a crib or rocker; cooks can prepare and freeze meals for when the new mother and father are too tired to think straight and make nourishing meals for themselves.

My tribe, which is how I like to think of my group of friends, is a very practical bunch. We pass on baby clothes we no longer need, as well as toys, high chairs, and the like. A big part of our ethos is to avoid the mass consumption and materialism that we fall into because we are surrounded by consumer culture. We recycle or share as much as possible, passing on books, clothing, cookware, and furnishings to the next person entering a phase of life where special equipment will be needed. For a new baby, this includes bassinet, baby monitor, infant health books, storybooks, and mobiles. Books and materials that will serve as guides for the first-time expectant parents are also ideal.

On this celebratory day, the new mother and father should be treated like a king and queen. Shawls, slippers, and special healthful teas and juices are wonderful personal, supportive items to give them.

The new about-to-be mom and dad should enjoy this day and relax, as they are about to embark on the busiest time of their lives! They should be given special seats at the feast, where they can sit back and simply “receive.” Receiving is not as easy as it seems in our culture, but it is important to accept and appreciate the help and advice from those who love us.

One way to commemorate this day and remember it in the years to come is to create a “Book of Blessings” that is filled with advice from the tribe. This can be accomplished easily, despite the hubbub of this special day, by leaving the blank book chosen by the expectant mother at the door or on the dinner table, so that each member of the tribe can add his or her advice and blessings during the day. At the feast, the expectant parents can read from it. The Book of Blessings will be a free-form compilation with a great variety of entries, ranging from “Put the baby’s room near the laundry room and the sound of the dryer will help the baby sleep” to “I offer to baby-sit at least once a month so you can have a night out” to “Our family welcomes you to the neighborhood."

It will be a day remembered for many years to come. 

Lammas Day: 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.

One Moon for All the World: New Year’s Council Fire

Any discussion of rituals for the month of January must include New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. I remember the drama that ensued as people around the globe stood by to witness the sunrise on January 1, 2000, perceived as the beginning of the new millennium. While many other cultures observe their New Year at other times during the year, January 1 has also become a time of celebration, reflection and an opportunity to embrace change.

For many millennia, indigenous peoples have celebrated their own New Year in unique ways. One common element is the use of fire rituals by North, Central, and South American peoples. The Pilgrims who arrived to what was to become New England observed and documented that the Iroquois and other tribes they encountered had a New Year’s Council Fire, a time when the tribe gathered to review the past year, listen to their elders and speak their hopes, dreams, and visions of the coming year. In addition to your personal New Year’s ritual with the significant people in your life, I recommend a Bonfire Ceremony as a powerful way to bring positive change of the New Year into your life.

Bonfire Ceremonies are considered to open a door or portal into the spirit world that held the promise of receiving the blessings of spirit-love, healing, prosperity, peace and anything you need for personal transformation. This ritual is also an opportunity to pay respects and make homage to your ancestors and loved ones you have lost. For this reason alone, I suggest enacting the Fire Ceremony: our culture is losing the important connection to the older people in our lives. Involving them in the rituals, ceremonies and passages of our lives could heal a cultural rift and bring deep wisdom to all. Mayan shamans could “read” the fire in a divinatory fashion, and I hear that some modern metaphysicians can do the same. If you are fortunate enough to know anyone with such skills, invite them to your fire ceremony to share what they divine from the flames.