Dec. 21st - Winter Solstice (Yule)
Tarot Cards: Aces
Altar Decorations: evergreens, pinecones, bayberries, mistletoe, holly, Yule log, colored lights, Yule cards, presents, Santa candles, wreaths.
Herbs: bay, bayberry, cedar, chamomile, evergreen, frankincense, holly, juniper, rosemary, sage
Incense: bayberry, cedar, pine, rosemary
Gods & Goddess': Inanna, Lucina (Roman Goddess of lunar mysteries), Frey (Scandinavian God of fertility associated with peace and prosperity), Dionysus (Greek god of wine), Woden (the chief Teutonic God) and of course, Kriss Kringle (the Pagan God of Yule and personification of the Yuletide Spirit)
Colors: red, green, white, gold and silver
Gemstones: cat's eye and ruby
Food: roasted turkey, fruitcakes, nuts, caraway rolls, eggnog, and mulled wine.

Lore: It's the longest night and shortest day of the year. Yule is the return of the sun and rebirth of light. It's a time of new beginnings. A great time for dedication to new projects. A traditional practice is the creation of a Yule Tree. (This is how 'Christmas Trees' got started). The tree can be decorated with traditional Wiccan crafts such as dried rosebuds, cinnamon sticks, popcorn or cranberry garlands, crystals, apples, oranges and lemons. The celebration welcomes the rebirth of the sun Gods and Goddesses.

 

Feb. 2nd - Candlemas (Imbolc)
Tarot Card: The Star
Altar Decorations: snowflake cut-outs, white and yellow flowers, a crown of thirteen candles, a sprig of evergreen, Witches broom or Besom, statue of Triple Goddess in her Maiden phase.
Herbs: angelica, basil, bay, benzoine, heather, myrrh
Incense: basil, myrrh, wisteria
Gods & Goddess': Brigid (Celtic Goddess of Fire, wisdom and poetry, calving), Aradia (daughter of Diana)
Colors: white, red, pink
Gemstones: amethyst, garnet, onyx, turquoise
Food: Seeds, poppy, sesame, sunflower, poppy seed breads and cakes, herbal teas

Lore: Fertility and growth are celebrated at this time. Initiations into groups or covens are convened at this time. One tradition calls for the lighting of all lamps or candles in the home just for a few moments to honor the suns return. Persephone returns from the pool re-born.

 

March 21 - Ostara (Spring Equinox)
Tarot Cards: Princesses
Altar Decorations: hard boiled eggs colored and painted with magickal symbols for fertility, stuffed animal chicks or rabbits, pastels, flowers, jellybeans
Herbs: honeysuckle, iris, jasmine, rose, strawberry, tansy and violets
Incense: violet, jasmine, rose, sage, strawberry
Gods & Goddess': Kore, Eostre (Saxon Goddess of fertility), Ostara (German fertility Goddess), the Green Goddess and the Lord of the Greenwood
Colors: pastels, pinks, lt. blues, yellows, green
Gemstones: amethyst, aquamarine, bloodstone, red jasper
Food: hard boiled eggs, honey cakes, first fruits of season, waffles, milkshakes, Flower foods, seeds, and leafy greens.

Lore: It's time to get in touch with that inner child. Taking walks through meadows, taking in the rebirth of the plants and animals that had been dormant through the winter. It's an ideal time to plant seeds or work on your magical garden. Spending time doing things you remember as a child, blowing bubbles, drawing, dressing up. Persephone returns to her mother Demeter from the underworld and all earth blooms in celebration.

 

May 1 - Beltane (May Day)
Tarot Cards: Wands specifically 4 of Wands
Altar Decorations: a small May Pole and/or phallus shaped candle to symbolize fertility, a daisy chain, wildflowers.
Herbs: almond, angelica, bluebells, daisy, marigold, frankincense, lilac, rose, yellow cowslips
Incense: frankincense, lilac and rose
Gods & Goddess': Flora (Roman flower Goddess), Diana, Artemis, Pan, Faunus, and all fertility deities.
Colors: dark green and the colors of the rainbow
Gemstones: emerald, orange carnelian, sapphire, rose quartz
Food: red fruits such as strawberries and cherries) green herbal salads, red or pink wine punch, large round oatmeal or barley cakes (known as Beltane cakes)

Lore: Beltane approaches the height of fertility of the year and is symbolized by women's passions. The Goddess in all her beauty bearing blooms and greening the land. It's the time where the maiden moves into the mother phase. Persephone has come of age and is discovering sexuality. Traditionally in Wiccan England couples would make love among the fields on May eve and it was said to enhance the fertility of the growing crops. It symbolizes the weaving of the Earth and the Universe which can be acted out with the May Pole.

 

June 21 - Summer Solstice (Midsummer)
Tarot Cards: Empress, Strength or Sun
Altar Decorations: summer flowers, love amulets, seashells, summer fruits, potpourri
Herbs: chamomile, elder, fennel, hemp, larkspur, lavender, mugwort, pine, roses, St. Johns Wort, wisteria
Incense: frankincense, lemon, myrrh, pine, rose, wisteria
Gods & Goddess': Aphrodite, Astarte, Freya, Hathor, Ishtar, Venus, and other dietes presiding over love and beauty
Colors: blue, green, yellow
Gemstones: emerald and jade, all green gemstones
Food: fresh vegetables, summer fruits, pumpernickel bread, ale, mead

Lore: Longest day and shortest night of the year. It's the first Sabbat of the waning year. It's when the Mother is at her peak sexually and fertility wise. Everything is in full bloom and the promise of the harvest is still a ways away. Persephone goes to rejoin her grandmother Hecate in the underworld. Her Mother Demeter distraught by her absence stops all growth and death begins. The Goddess who was born at Yule has now grown to maturity.

 

Aug. 1st - Lammas (Lughnasadh)
Tarot Cards: Justice , The Wheel of Fortune
Altar Decorations: corn dolls, dried Indian corn ears, sunflowers, wheat stalks
Herbs: acacia flowers, aloes, cornstalks, frankincense, heather, hollyhock, myrtle, oak leaves, sunflower, wheat
Incense: rose, sandalwood
Gods & Goddess': Lugh (Celtic solar deity worshiped by ancient Druids), John Barleycorn (personification of malt liquor), Demeter, Ceres, Corn Mother, and all deities presiding over agriculture.
Colors: golden yellow, orange, green and lt. brown
Gemstones: aventurine, citrine, peridot, sardonyx
Food: Homemade breads, barley cakes, nuts, wild berries, apples, rice, lamb, berry pies, elderberry wine, ale, meadowsweet tea

Lore: A time of the early harvest, when the Mother begins her croning. What has been asked for during the Summer Solstice is ready to be. Along with celebrating the first fruits of harvest it can also be a good time for bonding with animals and nature.

 

Sept. 21 - Mabon (Autumn/Fall Equinox)
Tarot Cards: Judgment and The World
Altar Decorations: acorns, pinecones, autumn leaves, pomegranate, statue of the Triple Goddess in her Mother phase.
Herbs: asters, acorns, benzoin, ferns, honeysuckle, marigold, milkweed, mums, myrrh, passion flower, pine, roses, sage, thistles
Incense: benzoin, myrrh, sage
Gods & Goddess': Maeve (Celtic, Queen of the Faery People), Persephone (Queen of the Underworld), Thor (Lord of Thunder in Norse mythology)
Colors: orange, dark red, yellow, indigo, brown
Gemstones: carnelian, lapis, lazuli, sapphire, yellow agate
Food: corn and wheat products, breads, nuts, vegetables, apples, roots, cider, pomegranate beans and baked squash.

Lore: The promise made at Summer Solstice and Lammas has been fulfilled. The children of the Mother are nourished from her great abundance. The Goddess born at Yule has reached menopause, and is croning. Persephone is in the underworld and Demeter has halted all growth until her return. Traditional activities include walking in forests, gathering seed pods and dried plants.

Oct. 31st - Samhain (All Hallow's Eve)
Tarot Cards: Death
Altar Decorations: Pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns, Halloween decorations, seasonal fruits and flowers, a statue of the Triple Goddess in her Crone phase, broom, acorns.
Herbs: deadly nightshade, dittany, flax, heather, mandrake, mullein, oak leaves, sage and straw.
Incense: heliotrope, sage, apple, mint, nutmeg
Gods & Goddess': The Crone, Hecate (fertility, moon-magic, protectress of all Witches), Morrigan (Celtic Goddess of death), Cernunnos (Celtic fertility God) and Osiris (Egyptian God who represents death and rebirth).
Colors: Black, Orange, Red, White
Gemstones: onyx, obsidian, jet
Food: Apples, Pumpkin pie, nuts, Cakes for the Dead, cranberry muffins, ale, cider, mugwort tea.

Lore: As the wheel of the year turns, this Sabbat marks the death of the old and the beginning of the new. Traditionally viewed as the one night where the veil to the other world is the thinnest therefore easier to commune with those who have passed before us. The Crone is revered and may be why the ugly old witches with warts on their noses are always portrayed at this time for Halloween. The candy given out to trick-o-treaters may have stemmed from the tradition of leaving food outside ones door for the souls of the dead. Candles left in windows were believed to light the way of the dead to the lands of eternal summer. Burying apples in the hard packed earth feeds the passed ones on their journey. This is a great time to rid oneself of baggage of negative thoughts from the past. To put to rest what has been done and think ahead to new beginnings.
 

 

Any Questions or Suggestions??? PRESS HERE