An Ostara Celebration~

Hi everyone!

Not having a camera is really putting a damper on my blogging =/ So here's some awkward phone shots I coerced my sister into taking today!

My niece and I decorated Whitey's pear tree with egg ornaments. 

Tika decided to help.

Then we went pussy willow hunting in the back; a Spring Equinox tradition!

Tika decided to join in again. She fluffed her tail up to make herself feel brave and followed us into the woods. 

Ha ha, I found this oak tree and made my sister take a pic of it 'BECAUSE IT'S HUGE.'

Our Ostara tree again! I wasn't planning on a specific tree when we bought the decorations, so we're lacking a bit. I think I might add a few goodies to it when Boo comes back next weekend for Easter =)



Flowers for the Equinox! I suggested my sister buy the gerberas for her new house~ the hyacinth and daffodils are mine.

A low-key, chill Spring Equinox was exactly what I needed. I'll spend the rest of the evening doing Tarot readings.

Blessings!
Faula

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Imbolc Activities~

Imbolc - February 2nd
'Imbolc is the one of the four greater sabbats, which are the sabbat dates from the Celtic calendar which do not change over the years. (The other three are Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain.) The hard work of beginning another year occurs at Imbolc. Possibilities are endless and eternal at this time. The whole year stretches before you and you have the power to mold it into whatever you desire. Imbolc is a good time to perform spells concerned with the gaining of inspiration, releasing the old to bring in the new, creating and/or increasing the warmth and love within a household/relationship/family, creating prosperity, and welcoming personal growth.'
- Adapted from 'Llewellyn's Sabbats Almanac: Samhain 2009 to Mabon 2010'

Imbolc is a good time to focus on yourself and center your own personal powers. It's a popular time for divination, wish casting, consecrating/purifying, healing magick, goal setting, and initiation or renewing rites.

Whether you're a Witch or not, you can still celebrate Imbolc. Why not try out some of the activities below?

♥ Check out your candle supply and make note of what you're running low on. Black candles for protection rites? White tealights? Then, make or buy your own candles and bless them for use in the coming year.

♥ Hang or refill birdfeeders! [p.s There are tons of great DIY tutorials on the web for birdfeeders you can make with children!]

♥ Do a little 'spring' cleaning! Weather permitting, open the windows to let some fresh air in. Smudge the house and/or ring bells to break up the stagnant energy and cleanse the space. Wash the windows and mirrors. Give everything a good dusting!

♥ Cleanse the area where you perform divination, or cleanse your runes/cards/pendulum. Everyone has their own way, so choose whichever method you like.

♥ Burn the Yule greens to send winter on its way!

♥ Plant some early spring flowers such as snowdrops, daffodils, or irises. (You can do this indoors, too!) Or bless the seeds you've chosen for your spring garden.

♥ Brew a pot of herbal tea and enjoy it as you reflect on the personal goals you've accomplished in the past year and what you'd like to accomplish this year. You can journal your intentions, too!

♥ Try out some wish casting!

♥ Bake some goodies to enjoy on Imbolc, and remember to share them with your friends and family! Traditional foods for this Sabbat include bread and dairy. Why not whip up your own butter and soda bread to serve?

♥ Light a gathering of candles on Imbolc to inspire the sun and Spring to return. [Be safe! Use fire-safe holders and never leave burning candles unattended!]

♥ Brigid is the Celtic triple goddess of fire, healing, and poetry, and is often celebrated on Imbolc. Write a poem in her honour.

♥ Clean out your fireplace!

♥ Make some Imbolc crafts like a Brigid's Cross or a dream pillow.

For further reading, I recommend 'Seasons of Witchery' by Ellen Dugan and any of the Llewellyn's Sabbats Almnacs.

Brightest of blessings for Imbolc and the coming year!

Faula.

Celebrating Yule: Activities for the Winter Solstice

The season of Yule is marked by the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. From this day forward, period of sunlight increases until it reaches the Summer Solstice. Related to this experience is an ancient belief in the rebirth of the Sun God at the Winter Solstice. The idea of a renewed Sun God is at the core of the spiritual message of the Yule celebration.

The Yule season is a time to renew and refresh relationships. This includes the relationship with yourself as well as with family and loved ones. The primary message of Yule is a hope that cannot be denied.

The message of hope is represented by the inclusion of evergreens as decorations for the Yule season. The addition of holly berries symbolizes the life force that is present even in the decline of nature as the seasons pass from fall to winter. A wreath of evergreen (decorated with holly berries and hung on the door or an interior wall of the home) serves as a reminder of the unending circle of life. A traditional Yule log works well to connect with the principle of renewal and rebirth.

- Raven Grimassi. (Click here for the full article.)

Some Yule activities~

♥ Go wassailing! Or gather a group of friends, mix hot toddies, and sing your favourite carols in the comfort of your home.

♥ Choose a tree in the forest and decorate it with cranberry & popcorn strings for the birds & woodland animals.

♥ Decorate your own Yule tree with homemade ornaments and lots of sparkle!

♥ Make a Yule charm: "To attune with the return of the sun, combine equal parts of bay laurel, cinnamon and nutmeg in your mortar and pestle. Grind them together and place on a circle of green cloth. Bind it with red thread and carry it with you on the winter solstice. All three herbs are considered to be ruled by the sun. This charm will enhance psychic awareness, project positive energy, and emanate a warm and spicy aroma."  - Provenance Press’s Guide To The Wiccan Year: A Year Round Guide to Spells, Rituals, and Holiday Celebrations by Judy Ann Nock.

♥ Decorate and hand out Yule cards to all of your friends.

♥ Stay up until sunrise - or wake up right before - to welcome the Sun!

♥ Celebrate the return of the sun by wearing gold jewelry and lighting lots of candles.

Brightest of Yule blessings,
Faula

The Witches' New Year: Samhain.

Samhain is the third and final Harvest. The dark winter half of the year commences on this Sabbat.

It is generally celebrated on October 31st, but some traditions prefer November 1st. It is one of the two "spirit-nights" each year, the other being Beltane. It is a magical interval when the mundane laws of time and space are temporarily suspended, and the Thin Veil between the worlds is lifted. Communicating with ancestors and departed loved ones is easy at this time, for they journey through this world on their way to the Summerlands. It is a time to study the Dark Mysteries and honor the Dark Mother and the Dark Father, symbolized by the Crone and her aged Consort.

- Credit

Samhain is one of my favourite Sabbats, and I'm sure many other Witches feel the same way! There's just something about October, y'know? It's also an incredibly easy Sabbat to celebrate because so many Halloween customs are derived from it!

♥ Carve jack-o-lanterns and place them on your porch or in your windows to ward off evil spirits.

♥ Practise any form of divination, as the veil between the worlds is thinnest on this night.

♥ Samhain is the Witches' New Year, so write resolutions for yourself!

♥ Gather fallen nuts, leaves, pinecones, etc and create a beautiful mantlepiece for the autumn months.

♥ If you'd like to celebrate Sabbat with your kid or little sibling, try these fun children's activities!

♥ Decorate with colours and symbols of the season; Autumn leaves & vegetables, the colours black and orange, etc! These are all easily found in the Halloween section.

♥ Invite some friends over for a bonfire.

♥ Make candleholders out of mini pumpkins.

♥ Samhain is a time for honouring the dead. Pay a visit to the graves of any loved ones, or spend a few minutes remembering them.

♥ Eat a pomegranate, one of the symbols of Samhain.

Blessed Samhain!

Faula.

Mabon Blessings~

Ceridwen by UnripeHamadryad

"Let us give thanks from our hearts 

for the blessings of all our good harvest 

for the hard-won lessons of life 

for the people who bind us together 

making joyful warm hearts out of strife."

Brightest of Mabon blessings,
Faula.

Celebrating Mabon: Activities for the Autumn Equinox.

♥ Use carrots and potatoes to make a yummy Mabon soup!

♥ Collect colourful fallen leaves on a nature walk and use them to decorate your altar. You can simply scatter them around, dip them in paraffin wax to make them last longer, or try a more timely craft.

 ♥ Make an offering of grains at your favourite tree.

♥ Honour the birds and small animals around your home by filling a birdfeeder.

♥ Get your garden ready for winter by giving it one last tending. Remember to thank your plants for their abundance this year.

♥ Bring a basket on your nature walk and fill it with pine cones and the like to decorate your altar with.

♥ Choose a delicious, fruity wine to enjoy during your Mabon feast.

♥ Peruse your witchy library and decide on a subject to study during the colder months. A new form of divination, or perhaps meditation?

♥ Write a gratitude list in your BoS, journal, Facebook, or wherever you choose. Write down everything you've been thankful for over the past year.

♥ Share your abundance by donating food/clothes/books to a local charity, or simply baking a few too many cookies and sharing them with your neighbours.

♥ Perform spells for security, protection or prosperity.

♥ Meditate on the obstacles you'd like to overcome.

♥ Harvest gourds and dry them to make ritual rattles. Once dry, paint them with magickal symbols and fill with rice or dried corn.

♥ Fill a cornucopia to make a centerpiece for your altar or Mabon dinner table.

Blessings,
Faula

The Faolan Girl's Lughnasadh Celebration~

Hi everyone! I hope your Lughnasadh celebrations were lovely.

One of my Full Moon Goals was to whip up something yummy for the Sabbat~ Cookies are my specialty, but I decided to try my hand at biscuits! I used several fresh herbs from my witchy garden to make these cheddar & herb biscuits. Judging by how quickly they disappeared, I'd say they were a hit with my family! I also made a jug of strawberry-mint iced tea.



I harvested a bit of my catnip plant as well. I was going to dry it for my kitties, but I think I'd also like to use it for tea!

The energies were perfect for divination! I did a three card reading for the winner of The Faolan Girl's give-away. It was such a lovely reading and I enjoyed it a lot.

Enjoying tea and a movie with my mom! We watched Left Behind, which is decidedly very un-Pagan, but I liked it. This tea is my favourite from DAVIDsTEA!

An oracle reading for myself~ I've been in an odd mood lately, making some very un-Faula-like decisions, and I decided to see what my oracle had to say about it. The reading? Turn Back!

Blessings,

Faula.

Celebrating Lughnasadh: Activities for the Harvest Festival.

♥ Collect rain and storm water for use in spellwork or to empower objects. Add dried herbs and store in glass bottles.

♥ Harvest fruits and vegetables from your garden, or pay a visit to a Farmer's Market for some yummy home-grown produce.

♥ Sacrifice bad habits and unwanted things from your life by throwing symbols of them them into the Sabbat fire. (You can either use a representation or write it on a piece of paper.)

♥ Celebrate the first harvest by eating a meal with foods of the season, such as grain and blueberries.

♥ Take a nature walk!

 ♥ Bake a loaf of bread and share it with your family and friends.

♥ Read poetry. (Whether aloud or in your head!)

♥ Make corn husk chains and corn dollies

♥ Research some of the deities celebrated on this day.

♥ Do some spellwork for releasing energies, blessings, and strengthening relationships.

♥ Hang crystals and/or sun catchers in windows. They will absorb and break up the colors of the sun and thus deflect any negative energy coming in.

Brightest of Lughnasadh blessings to all of my sister-witches, soul sisters, family, friends and readers. May your harvest be abundant and your table be blessed with love, health and happiness!

Faula.

Celebrating Lughnasadh: Decorating Your Altar ☆

Lughnasadh - August 1st.
Lughnasadh (or Lammas) is the first of the three harvest festivals. At this turn of the Wheel of the Year, we celebrate not only the generous bounty of our Mother Earth, but the fruit of our own labour. We honour our strength, our skill, and our vision which allow us to produce a harvest of abundance for ourselves, our families, and our communities.

Lughnasadh (pronounced LOO[d]-nass-ah) is the holy day dedicated to the Irish god Lugh. Lugh is a solar deity, but he is also the god of craft and skill. So at this Wiccan Sabbat we honour the gifts of the Sun, as well as of our own labour.
- Credit ♥

While decorating your altar for this Sabbat, think of what the first harvest brings to mind. Is it bright, sunshiney colours? Delicious seeds and grains? Late summer flowers? Incorporate these representations into your decorations or choose a few from the selection below!

Colours: Yellow, orange, red, and brown.

Flowers & herbs: Heather, oak leaves, rosehips, sunflowers, marigolds and corn stalks.

Crystals: Citrine, carnelian, cat's eye, aventurine, obsidian and clear quartz.

Symbols: Corn dollies, threshing tools, baskets of fruit/vegetables, braids of grain, bread, grapes and wine.

Brightest of Lughnasadh blessings,
Faula.

Summer Solstice Blessings!

Not my edit

A blessed Summer Solstice to all of my sister witches and soul sisters!

Here are the ways I have been & will be celebrating the Solstice~

☆ I sunbathed with my white kitty, Meme, sleeping beneath my legs, whilst my guinea pigs grazed and my tadpoles chased each other around.

☆ I tended to my herbs - after Meme smushed the catnip.

☆ My sister, niece and I have little butterfly-shaped cut-outs ready for our bonfire tonight! We'll be writing our wishes on them and then burning them in the Solstice fire.

☆ I charged one of my favourite Tarot decks under the Midsummer sun's rays.

☆ I'm going to put together a few wee offerings for the faeries & other forest spirits later.

☆ I enjoyed copious amounts of tea - always a good way to celebrate!

"May love be warm and all your dreams be bright;
May all the wrongs of winter be put right;
May we remain forever in the light;
That grows its strongest at Midsummer’s Night."
- http://www.earthgoddesswisdom.com/

<3

Brightest of Solstice blessings,
Faula.

Celebrating Litha: Decorating Your Altar ☆

Here are a few tips on how to decorate your altar for the Solstice. Remember, your altar is a representation of you and your magick. The following colours, crystals, and flowers are commonly used for the Solstice but if something doesn't feel right, you don't need to use it!

Colours: The Summer Solstice is when the Earth is lush & full. Gold to represent the sun is always a great colour to use. You could also decorate your altar with green to represent both the fertile Earth & abundance, oranges and yellows for creativity, or white for purification work.

Flowers & herbs: Take a quick look at what's blooming in your garden and use those lovelies for decoration! A few ideas are chamomile, rosemary, a bouquet of daisies, heather and lavender, or roses.

Crystals: You could use any yellow/golden stones, or you could pick stones that correspond with your spellworking themes of abundance, healing, etc. Some recommendations are carnelian, citrine, emerald, jade, peridot and copper.

Symbols: Bees, butterflies, and bird representations would look lovely on your altar! As would anything that symbolizes the sun - spirals, discs, etc. You could place a tealight inside a cauldron to represent fire. If you're going the opposite direction and decorating with a water theme, you could use a chalice full of collected rainwater, seashells and vials of sand.

How do you plan to decorate for the Solstice?

Blessings,
Faula.

Celebrating Litha: Midsummer Activities

The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year, and the shortest night. This is when summer has truly arrived, full of light, warmth, and abundance. The Goddess is pregnant with the child of her consort, the Sun god, and so we celebrate life, motherhood, and the love of family.

Midsummer is a customary time for handfasting, as well as the perfect time for celebrations that include children and family. It is traditional to throw lavender on the bonfire as a sacrifice to the old gods, and some believe that this is the optimal day to harvest your magickal herbs. Litha marks the end of the waxing time of the year and the rule of the Oak King, and beings the waning half, ruled by the Holly King.

The Summer Solstice is all about abundance and celebration of the light, so why not have a big feast for friends and family to celebrate with you? Cook over the bonfire or barbeque, but remember to include traditional summer dishes and local seasonal foods. Strawberries dipped in chocolate or beautiful, ripe peaches dripping with juice are a perfect symbol of summer's vibrant energy. Then stay up late to enjoy the longest day of the year!

- Deborah Blake.


The Summer Solstice is coming up quick on June 21st. Try out some of the activities below to celebrate the Solstice!

☆ Wake up early to greet the sun as it rises.

☆ Hang sun crystals in your windows to invite the energy of the sun into your life and home!

☆ Have a bonfire to celebrate the fire festival! Burn lavender or rosemary as blessings.

☆ For a fun activity to do with a child, decorate a flower pot with any materials you'd like - paint, sticky gems, etc. Then plant a herb or some lovely flowers inside.

☆ Is it storming during your celebrations? Collect a jar of rainwater to be used in rituals and do a few blessings to the thunder gods.

☆ Make a pot of iced tea and enjoy it in the sunshine as you take in the beauty of the Solstice!

☆ Butterflies are a symbol of the Solstice. Cut out a butterfly shape from paper, write your wishes on it, and burn it in the Solstice's bonfire.

☆ Leave an offering to the faeries in your garden or your favourite forest.

☆ Cleanse your crystals and other magickal tools in the Midsummer sun.

☆ If you're feeling crafty, make a wee faerie offering bowl or a faerie chair for your garden.

☆ Litha is a great time for garden witchery. Incorporate flowers or herbs in your rituals, or do a blessing for your garden.

☆ If you have any herbs that are ready to be harvested, now is a great time to do it! Be sure to thank the plant after harvesting.

☆ Either harvest fresh fruits & veggies from your own garden, or hit up the farmer's market to bring home some produce to incorporate into your Midsummer feast.

☆ If you usually decorate your Altar with greens & golds, try decorating it with a watery theme this year! Scatter around seashells and use a blue altar cloth.

☆ Using an apple [or pinecone], peanut butter and birdseed, you can make a lovely Solstice snack for the birds!

☆ Prosperity, health and abundance spells are great spellworking themes for the Solstice.

☆ Have a picnic in a flowering field or in the woods.

Brightest of blessings,

Faula.

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Beltane Blessings ♥!

I always need to put my own spin on things, so my floral crown is a rose & studs headband.

Hello everyone! I hope you're having a lovely Beltane [~or a lovely Samhain if you're in the Southern hemisphere!] Today is also my sister's birthday.

Here are a few rather non-traditional ways I'll be celebrating [or have been celebrating] Beltane!

♥ Went out for lunch with my sister to a lovely restaurant we haven't been to in years. The Denver sandwich was so good!

♥ I'll be choosing a tree to decorate with a little faerie door & knick-knacks later! Then I plan to let my niece 'discover' it, and we'll use it to leave offerings in the future =)

♥ I made a little stone bag for someone with an imbalance in their throat chakra. My body spray opened up in my purse and got all over the bag, so now it smells pretty!

♥ I convinced my sister to buy Song of the Sea for my niece and I, and my niece is watching it right now. We just watched it yesterday, but it's such a lovely, magickal film that I don't mind watching it again!

♥ Cake is a good way to celebrate ANYTHING, and for my sister's birthday tonight we'll be having strawberry ice cream cake. Yum!

♥ Later we'll hopefully be having a bonfire! I'm going to make a few herb sachets to burn in the fire, and then we'll have s'mores =D

♥ Of course, I intend to play Beltane Fire Dance on repeat all day. It just wouldn't be Beltane without it.

“We too can begin a new life, one that brings satisfaction and enrichment, whether this is by singing, dancing, running through the waves, walking barefoot on the grass or making love under the stars. Perhaps your dreams are greater than this, or perhaps more conservative, but whatever they are, Beltane is a wonderful time for expressing who you truly are.” ~ Carole Carlton.

How are you celebrating the Sabbat? Let me know in the comments! [If you're still not sure how to celebrate, check out my Beltane Activities post.]

Brightest of blessings,
Faula.

Celebrating Beltane: Beltane Activities.

Hailed as the beginning of summer, Beltane is usually celebrated on April 30 or May 1. The flowers of the hawthorn tree are in bloom; the mantle of spring's culmination and summer's advent beautifies the radiant earth. Winter's chains are broken for good as the wheel of the years turns from winter to summer.

Love is in the air as bee carries pollen from blossom to aromatic blossom and honey drips from the comb. The sacred union of the goddess and the god is observed, and sexuality is celebrated as we regard our bodies as mirrors of the divine plan. The blazing flames of the great bonfire mirror the passion within our hearts. The tenderness of the new spring season transforms before our eyes into the lush fullness of new life taking hold and thriving.

Everywhere, in root and in flower, the proliferation of abundance on the earth is seen. Great fires are ignited, and the door to the Otherworld opens once again.

- Excerpted from Provenance Press's Guide To The Wiccan Year By Judy Ann Nock.

Beltane is one of my favourite Sabbats....when the weather is appropriate! Here are a few activities you can try =)

♥ Beltane is the second of the fire festivals, so celebrate with fire! You can enjoy a bonfire with your friends or light a few candles to use in your magick. Remember to be fire-safe and smart!

♥ Leave an offering for the faeries. [A great way to celebrate any Sabbat!]

♥ If you happen to have a large wooden pole handy, make a Maypole and dance around it! [There are also plenty of tutorials for mini Maypoles, so check those out as well to make one for your altar.]

♥ Collect flowers, decorate your house with them and hand them out to friends.

♥ Research flower and/or herb magick.

♥ Tie ribbons to tree branches, and make a wish for every ribbon you tie. This is a fun activity to do with young children.

♥ Wear flowers in your hair - whether real or fake, they still look lovely.

♥ Research faerie magick. Beltane is one of the Sabbats when the faeries are lurking about!

♥ Cook up a Beltane feast and enjoy it with your friends.

♥ Spend some time in your garden, tending to your plants and enjoying the weather.

How do you plan to celebrate Beltane? Let me know in the comments!

Blessings,
Faula

Celebrating Ostara: A Recipe for Deviled Eggs.

The best part of any Sabbat is the cooking. Yum! Eggs are one of the most-popular symbols of Ostara and they are delicious as well. Try your hand at this deviled eggs recipe I got from my mother.

Deviled Eggs.

12 whole eggs
6 tablespoons of mayonnaise
1 teaspoon of curry powder
1/4 teaspooon salt
Paprika to garnish
Minced chives to garnish

Hard-boil the eggs. After cooling and peeling the eggs, slice each egg lengthwise down the middle. Remove the yolks from the centers. Set the egg whites on a plate and place the yolks in a mixing bowl. In the bowl, add the mayonnaise, curry and salt. Mash until creamy, adding more mayonnaise as necessary. Use a spoon or a piping bag to fill each egg white with the yolk mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and minced chives. Chill until serving time.

Brightest of blessings,
Faula.

Celebrating Ostara: Decorating Your Altar.

Ostara by Helena Nelson-Reed.

Hi everyone ♥

With Ostara quickly approaching [March 20th!], it's time to get your altar set up! The following suggestions are merely that - suggestions! In the end, how you decorate your altar is entirely up to you =) But I hope you enjoy this post!

Colours: When you think of Spring, what colours come to mind? Perhaps the lush green of newly sprouted grass, robin's egg blue to celebrate the new birdies, or the yellows, purples and pinks of your favourite Spring colours! When you've settled on your colours, decorate your altar with an altar cloth, candles, and anything you'd like in that colour scheme.

Flowers & herbs: Spring flowers are lovely to display on your altar, whether it's a plant or a bouquet. Daffodils, tulips and crocus flowers all find a place on my altar. Lavender, lemon balm and rose hips also make an appearance.

Crystals: Crystals displayed in a wee bowl would make a wonderful addition. For Ostara, rose quartz, clear quartz, amazonite and amethyst are all appropriate. Of course, choose what feels best to you! You could also pick out crystals that match your colour scheme - maybe yellow opal or prehnite?

Symbols: All things Spring can be displayed on your altar! Eggs, rabbits, faeries, butterflies and seeds usually appear on my Ostara altar. When you think of Spring, what comes to mind?

Keep an eye out for several more posts that will help you get ready for Ostara =)

Blessings,
Faula

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