October Full Moon

Originally Posted as July's Full Moon. I have written and re-written this post now four times only to have blogger not post it.
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Actually called "The Blood Moon" This is a time to prepare for the coming months and return to our roots.

Like the Sabbats, this is less about writing the ritual and more about what sets the ritual apart. For the Esbat title the page.

This is October, in the time since the Equinox we are now noticing the darkness. The time when we are called back to school or to our families for the comfort that comes from familiarity. Its also a time of mystery and power as the veil begins to shimmer at our peripheral and the nudge of power teases at our senses. Enjoy ancestral magick and divination. Cast spells for justice and balance, and to overthrow anything oppressive which may be blocking your path to success. Ambition is highlighted, use magic to increase the potency of your own, or cast magic to contain ambition that may have run amok. This is also the perfect time to step into the dark shadows and take advantage of the vibrations found there.


The Besom

The besom is the traditional witch's broom. It's associated with all kinds of legend and folklore, including the popular notion that witches fly around in the night on a broomstick. The besom is a great addition to your collection of magical tools - in fact in a few traditions it is an apprentices first tool after their BoS- it's used in many traditions as a method of cleansing or purifying a space. In some cultures, the rite of jumping the broom was considered an important part of a marriage ceremony. This ritual has seen some resurgence in popularity as more and more Wiccan and Pagan couples celebrate Handfastings.

Getting your besom is no great tiring task these days, but in days of old its the broom was used to hide a magicians staff, which as many of us know is not just a walking stick. Today it's easy to just buy a broom, it's also pretty easy to make one of your own out of different types of wood. Although the items that follow are for the more traditional style of besom, you can use nearly any types of branches available to you.

You'll need:
A length of ash or oak for the handle. (I like Elm for this purpose, magically)
Thin branches of birch for the bristle part (you can substitute a woody herb like mugwort or thyme for the bristles if you like)
Lengths of willow or heavy cord to bind everything together

You'll also need scissors and a bucket of warm water.
Whatever you'll be using for the bristles -- whether it's birch, an herb, or some other wood -- should be soaked in the warm water overnight to make them pliable, as should the willow binding, if you're using it.  The best detailed instructions can be found here.

October New Moon

~ Again originally posted as Alder.

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On the Celtic Tree Calendar this is the Vine Moon and a time of resurrection, transformation and reflection.

Like the Sabbats, this is less about writing the ritual and more about what sets the ritual apart. For the Esbat title the page.

The Vine moon  is a time of transition as the earth prepares for winter’s rest and we prepare for our journey through the dark of the year. At night there’s a chill in the air. The leaves of trees have blazed to their full autumn splendor and are drifting away on the wind. This is the of the Dark Mother who stands alone. This is the time to contemplate the cycle of life, death and rebirth.

Vine is a a "tree" that can be overshadowed by the lore of other cultures. Grapevines typically come to mind when discussing vines, we can thank the Romans for this, but it was more likely the blackberry vines that captured the hearts of the ancient Celts. Descriptions of the Vine have it as wrathful, that lends that it is capable of great harm. When I was growing up in the Northwest the tenacity of the blackberry and its indomitable nature made us hate it, it took over acres of forest, hornets nested in their tangled shoots. It was like the thorny vines that kept Prince Philip from Sleeping Beauties tower. The vine earned its symbolism from its growth patterns. They recognized the vine grows opportunistically, and would dig in wherever feasible in order to gain a strong foothold to assure its own growth. The vine is a theme repeated over and over in Celtic art. Interconnections and winding vines are commonly seen on tapestries, writings,knot work and carvings. This indicates the symbolism of connection, eternity, and diversity as we expand in new directions. The Vine teaches us, in spite of the philosophical urgings to take things as they may come, the thorns of these vines are symbolic of defending or protecting ourselves when necessary. The Celts referred to this month as Muin.
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Vine is mentioned in the Welsh tale "The Battle of Trees" as having gone to ground, holding the line. The last bastion of defense, the kings own champion.


The Vine Moon is associated with the healing God of the Tuatha de Danann: Dian Cecht. It was Dian Cecht who once saved Ireland, and was indirectly the cause of the name of the River Barrow. The Morrígan, the heaven-god's fierce wife, had borne a son of such terrible aspect that the physician of the gods, foreseeing danger, counselled that he should be destroyed in his infancy. This was done; and Dian Cecht opened the infant's heart, and found within it three serpents, capable, when they grew to full size, of depopulating Ireland. He lost no time in destroying these serpents also, and burning them into ashes, to avoid the evil which even their dead bodies might do. More than this, he flung the ashes into the nearest river, for he feared that there might be danger even in them; and, indeed, so venomous were they that the river boiled up and slew every living creature in it, and therefore has been called the River Barrow, the ‘Boiling’ ever since.

As a the time for inner cleansing. Meditate on the laws of Karma and thoughts of reincarnation. This is the time of letting go, justice, balance, and inner harmony. 


Scrying a Past Life

You will need:
1 white Candle
1 black mirror or scrying bowl (With spring water)
A cup of blackberry tea or raspberry zinger.

Set the candle next to the mirror so the light from it can hit your face, but so that you will not see the candle in the mirror. Turn off the lights and sit in front of the mirror look into your eyes and say these words:

"Oracle of lunar light, Send me the second sight"


Stare into your eyes and try not to blink. Your reflection will dissolve and another will appear. Try to look at the face, body, clothing and surroundings. Coming back to yourself write down what you saw, drink the tea for help in grounding any wayward emotions.