Tag Archives: ritual

Sabbats: Samhain

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Samhain is usually celebrated on October 31st (April 30th in the southern hemisphere).  I have heard it pronounced both “sahm hayne” and  “sow-een”. This is my explanation of this holiday.  It may or may not work for you and your path.  There are a number of things that this Sabbat usually celebrates.  fall-wreaths-2380990hd-64_1000

  • The final harvest
  • Days growing shorter
  • The end of the wheel of the year
  • The thinning of the veil between our realm and the spirit realm
  • Death (sometimes rebirth, but usually that’s saved for Yule)
  • Honoring our ancestors
  • Honoring those who have crossed over into the spirit realm

That’s a lot of things to celebrate, so it’s not surprising that many people celebrate it in different ways.  Here are some ways that I and others celebrate it culturally.

  • Carve pumpkins or gourds to protect the home (I have also heard the explanation that these light the way for your ancestors to visit).
  • Make and eat foods that are harvested around this time where you live.  In the northeast United States where I live, it’s mostly Hope-Cemetery-Barre-Vermont-Viewspumpkins, winter squash, and apples. Warm apple cider is always a favorite!
  • Do divination for the coming year.
  • Visit the graves of loved ones who have passed.
  • Create an altar with photos of your ancestors.
  • Light a candle in your window to honor your ancestors.
  • Tell stories about those who have passed.
  • Make art with fallen leaves (this obviously doesn’t work if you don’t live somewhere where the leaves change).
  • Decorate your altar or living space with symbols of the time of year.

Here are some ideas for Samhain rituals.

  • Bindings
  • Cord cuttings
  • Endings of any kind
  • List things you no longer want in your life and burn the list
  • Honoring the ancestors
  • Guided meditations
  • Shadow work
  • Make peace that you will one day die
  • Invoking a Crone Goddess (for the experienced only)
  • Divination for the coming year

Please remember that your celebration and ritual can be as simple or complex as you want and have time for. How do you celebrate Samhain?

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Sabbats: Beltane

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Beltane or Beltaine (pronounced “bell-tayne” takes place on May 1st in the northern hemisphere and November 1st in the southern hemisphere.  This is my explanation of this holiday.  It may or may not work for you and your path.  There are a number of things that this Sabbat usually celebrates:

  •  Fertility (in plants, animals, and humans)
  • The consummation of the marriage between the God and Goddess
  • Flowers appearing on plants
  • Union
  • Maturity
  • Deep love

Some ways of celebrating culturally are:

  •  Dancing
  • Decorating a May pole
  • Wearing or making things with flowers
  • Having  a bonfire
  • Make a “wedding feast” using foods that are harvested around this time of year
  • Going on a picnic
  • Going for a hike

Some ritual ideas are:

  • The Great Rite (either actual or symbolic)
  • Fire magic
  • Fertility

Sabbats: Ostara

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Ostara is usually celebrated on the spring equinox.  It’s usually pronounced “oh-star-ah”.  This is my explanation of this holiday. It may or may not work for you and your path. There are a number of things that this Sabbat usually celebrates.

  • Balance
  • The coming of spring
  • Baby animals being born
  • The continued return of the sun
  • Honor the Green Man
  • Honor the return of Persephone
  • Fertility

Here are some ways that I and others celebrate it culturally.

  • Dying eggs
  • Balancing an egg (I have managed to do it on the equinox)
  • Plant plants
  • Go outside for a walk
  • Make and eat foods with eggs, baby greens, veal, rabbit, or any foods that are in season for you right now.
  • Decorate your altar and home with local flowers (if there are any yet)
  • Read stories about the Green Man or Persephone

Here are some ideas for Ostara rituals

  • Balance within yourself
  • Plant a plant and inbibe it with intentions for the coming year
  • Finding and celebrating your inner child
  • Honoring the Green Man and/or Persephone
  • Honor the returning of the sun
  • A fertility ritual (whether for the fertility of your garden or if you are trying to have a baby)
  • Decorate an egg with symbols full of intentions for the coming year
  • Go outside and connect and ground with the grass or a tree (weather depending)

Sabbats: Imbolg

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Imbolg (pronounced phonetically) is also referred to as Imbolc. It is a mid-winter holiday celebrated on February 1-2 in the northern hemisphere or August 1-2 in the southern hemisphere.  It seems to be the least practiced and least understood of the sabbats.  Imbolg celebrates the following:imbolg 2

  • halfway point through the winter
  • the sun starting to return
  • ewes and goats starting to produce milk again
  • some signs of spring returning (depending on where you live)
  • some people call it Brigid’s Day and honor her

Here are some ways that I and other people I know celebrate this holiday culturally:

  • lighting candlesimbolg 1
  • clean your home
  • cleanse your home
  • do guided meditations
  • do inner work
  • make crafts
  • unplug all electronics for the day
  • light your home by candlelight for the night
  • make and eat foods made with milk and dairy products
  • read books to improve your spiritual knowledge
  • feed animals who might be struggling through the winter
  • take a walk in the snow (if your locale permits)
  • create a corn dolly
  • create a protective sigil
  • de-clutter your home

Here are some ideas for Imbolg rituals:

  • Call for the return of the sun
  • Bless holiday-appropriate foods and eat them
  • Meditation
  • Inner work
  • Honor the Goddess Brigid
  • Cleanse your ritual tools
  • Protection spells

Please remember that your celebration and ritual can be as simple or complex as you want and have time for. How do you celebrate Imbolg?

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