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Hecate Rising
The Time of the Crone
As the Wheel of the Year
turns and the winter dark approaches, the energy of the underworld and
the blood-wisdom of the crone pours through the barren land. Here,
Fiana Horne reveals the mysteries of the festivals of Mabon and Samhain,
and gives personal rituals to perform to help you work with their power.
During the year a Witch celebrates eight important
festivals, which are called Sabbats. Four are the Lessor Sabbats
which relate to astronomical events - The Spring and Autumn Equinoxes,
and the Summer and winter Solstices. The other four are the Greater
Sabbats. These relate to agricultural events like the sowing and
reaping of crops.
Witches of different paths recognize the Sabbats
in different ways. Those of the Wiccan tradition use the Wheel of
the Year Myth to feel closer to these sacred times. The Myth evolved
from our European ancestors, specifically the Celts, as a way of explaining
the turning of the seasons and the cycles of life and death. There
are a few versions of the Myth (all correct) and they focus on the story
of a Queen and King and their offspring.
The start of the Witches
year is Samhain - Winter is approaching. The Goddess in the form
of the wise Crone, descends to the Underworld where she is renewed and
joins with the God in the Great rite and conceives a son. The child
grows within her womb until she gives birth to him at Yule, or Winter Solstice
(around the 22 of June - the longest night) ((21 December, Northern Hemisphere)).
Just as her son grows and strengthens so does the sun, warming the earth.
The next festival
is Imbolc (1st August) ((February 2nd)) and this is when the Goddess reappears
on the land as the Maiden. The land is awakening and it is the time
of the Virgin; a time to contemplate the Female Mysteries.
Ostara, or the Spring
Equinox (around the 22nd of September) ((22nd of March)), is the following
festival which honors the young God. The land is alive and blossoming
and it is time to focus on the Male Mysteries.
Next is Beltane (31st
October) ((May 1st)) where the Maiden and the God join and she become pregnant.
This is a great fertility festival, a time where
new life is springing up everywhere.
From Beltane to Litha,
or the Summer Solstice (around the 22 of December) ((June 21st)), the couple,
now King and Queen, live happily together and thrive. As much as
Litha is a time of abundance and ripeness, it is also the time of the longest
day and from this time on the days will gradually grow shorter and the
sun weaker as it descends toward winter. This is represented in the
Myth by the appearance of a challenger who fights the King.
The King defeats him but is wounded in the process.
The next festival
is Lammas (2 February) ((August 1st)), the first harvest before winter
and in the Myth the Queen gives birth to the child conceived at Beltane.
From Lammas to the next festival, Mabon, the days are noticeably growing
shorter and the King is weakened from the wound he received at Litha.
The son born at Lammas
is growing strong and the Queen nurtures him and it is now that the King
realizes that to maintain his hand in the Kingdom he will have to battle
his own son.. As they fight they realize that they are one and the
same and one without the other cannot exist, so that they impale themselves
on each other’s sword.
Their spirits descend
to the Underworld where they are united again as the God. The Queen
now transforms into the Crone and ponders the mystery of life and death
as she grieves the loss of her lover and son. On the land the final
harvest is stored away for the winter and the land is still. At Samhain
the Crone see the veils between the worlds are at their thinnest and descends
into the Underworld. And so the Myth ends and begins here.
When contemplating the Myth, the important thing
to remember is not to take it literally. Obviously, it is impossible
for a woman to give birth to two children within the space of the year,
weather she’s a Goddess or not! It helps to understand that the myth
is pointing out that a woman’s role in creation is omnipresent;
the Goddess transforms herself into the Maiden, Mother,
Crone - she lives eternally. The God repeatedly lives and dies as
her lover and son - his role is no less important but more dynamic and
transitory in the physical realm.
Also the above version
of the myth evolved in the northern hemisphere in a time where people lived
close to the land and the planting and harvesting of crops were an integral
part of live. In modern day Australia our seasons are very different,
and most of us live closer to the supermarket than the land.
Formally celebrating
the myth, however, is a way of keeping in touch with nature and in touch
with our own lives.
Mabon 21st March
Autumn Equinox (September)
Mabon acknowledges
balance - the day is as long as the night. It is a time to celebrate
the harvests in your life, to look back over the year and acknowledge where
the seeds of ideas and plans you had sown have now yielded results.
It is a time to acknowledge success and the returns for hard work done.
It is also a time for introspection, a time to learn and prepare for the
future sowing of dreams. Mabon is a time to increase knowledge and
gain wisdom by connecting with the energy of the Crone and honoring the
elderly.
A Personal Ritual for Mabon
If you are already
a practicing Witch you most likely have an altar set up in your home.
If you are a newcomer to the powers of Witchcraft you will need to create
a simple altar. Cover a small table (a coffee table is ideal) with
orange cloth. Orange is an Autumn color and perfect for Mabon.
Place on the altar orange and gold candles, a bowl of water, a bowl filled
with some sand on which is placed a charcoal block to burn Mabon incense
on, (or a couple of incense sticks and holder), and a bowl filled with
earth or sea salt.
To prepare Mabon
incense, grind together two teaspoons of frankincense resin and one teaspoon
sandalwood chips in a mortar and pestle and add to this seven drops of
cypress or pine oil. If you can’t manage this, a stick each of sandalwood
and pine incense will suffice.
Now it is time to
decorate your Mabon altar. Gather together documents, certificates,
letters, photographs and any other items (for example, potted plants that
you have nourished from seed or seedling) that attest to your successful
endeavors. Place these around the edges of your altar and on the
floor surrounding it, if necessary.
If you do not have
anything like suggested above, write a list of everything you have proudly
achieved over the last year.
In the center place
one photo (or more) of an elderly female relative whom you love and admire.
If you cannot do this, find a photo of any wise woman whom you respect.
Surround the photo with autumn leaves.
The final thing you
need on your altar is a sheet of paper, orange if you can, but any will
do and a black pen.
To prepare yourself
for the ritual, shower or bathe and dress in simple black garments or be
skyclad (naked) if you prefer.
If you are adept,
it is now time to cast a Circle and welcome the elements. If you’re
just starting out you can create a sacred space to perform your ritual
within by standing with your back to your altar and with your right arm
outstretched and the index finger pointed. Walk deosil (counter clockwise)
((clockwise in Northern Hemisphere)) around your altar saying, “I now create
a sacred space, between the worlds, blessed in the eyes of the Goddess
and the God.” As you do this imagine an egg-like sphere of white
light extending from your finger and encasing your altar area.
Now return to you
altar and light the candles and incense. Hold a candle up in front
of you and say, “This Circle is empowered by Fire.” Hold the incense
up and say, “This Circle is empowered by Air.” Hold the bowl of earth or
sea salt up and say, “This Circle is empowered by Earth.” Finally
hold up the bowl of water and say, “This Circle is empowered by Water.”
Sit in front of your
altar and breathe deeply and meditatively, enjoying the fruitfulness of
your life. Hold your hands raised over your bounty and say, “I have
sown. I have nurtured. I have achieved a god harvest.
I enjoy and give thanks for the fruits of my labors.” At this point
feel free to elaborate on what you are saying by focusing specifically
on any particular achievements.
It is now time to
focus on the Crone, who in the autumn of her life has experienced many
harvests and knows that for new beginnings and life there must also be
endings and death. Meditate on your Crone image, acknowledging the
wisdom and experience of the person in the autumn of their life.
If you are a Crone yourself, contemplate your inner strength gained from
your life experience. In patriarchal society it is the Crone, or old woman,
who is vilified most, when in fact, of the three faces of Goddess - Maiden,
Mother, and Crone - it is she who should be horned most as the keeper of
secrets of life and death.
When you are in touch
with your Crone energy and are resonating with her deep, knowing presence,
take a pen and write a list of personal plans for the future, particularly
plans of a spiritual nature. When you have finished hold the list
in front of your Crone image and say, “Wise and honored Crone, Grand Mother
of all that is, I ask you to acknowledge and bless my plans. Guide
me with your wisdom.” Now sit for some time meditating and see what
the Crone reveals to you.
To finish the ritual,
snuff the candles, and close the Circle by walking widdershins (clockwise)
((counterclockwise in Northern Hemisphere)) around the altar with your
arm outstretched saying, “I now bid farewell to the elements and open this
sacred space.” See the white light sphere slowly fade away.
Samhain 1st May (October 31st
Northern Hemisphere)
Witches know that
at Samhain a window opens between this world and the one beyond the grave.
It is a time when we can communicate with the spirits of those who have
departed this world. Samhain is a day to honor our dead ancestors
and is also a good time to do divinations of a personal nature. It
is now that all the frustrations and failures of the past must be buried
so that life can be born anew at Yule.
A Personal Samhain Ritual
Cover your altar
with a black cloth. place black and red candles on it, a dish filled
with earth or sea salt, and a dish with water. Make some Samhain
incense by grinding together two teaspoons of dried patchouli leaves, one
teaspoon of myrrh resin and three drops of peppermint oil. If this
isn’t possible, sticks of patchouli and myrrh incense will be fine.
If you have tarot cards, a crystal ball or any other kind of divination
tool, place these on the altar. Cut open two apples so that the pentacle
arrangement of the seeds is displayed. Place these on a dish with
a pomegranate sliced in half. Gather together pictures of loved ones
who have departed this earth and place these on your altar. Finally,
a vase filled with red poppies or any other red flower, to represent the
rebirth that comes after death. Prepare yourself by bathing, dressing
in black and covering your head with a black veil as a sign of respect
for the dead.
Open the Circle and
declare the four elements as described in the Mabon ritual. Then,
sitting in front of your altar, raise your arms and say, “I dedicate this
night to Hecate, Goddess of the Underworld. Great wise Crone, Keeper
of the Mysteries of Life and Death, Grand Mother of All. Honored
Hecate bless the souls of my loved departed ones and my own.”
Now eat some of the
seeds of the pomegranate. This is the sacred fruit of the Underworld
that Persephone ate during her time there - the seeds will help you commune
with the world beyond the veils. Invoke your dead loved ones.
“All of you have gone before me, I honor you and give you my respect.
Tonight is a time for us again to share in friendship and love. Join
me in my sacred Circle.”
See those you have
called sitting with you companionably. Talk to them, tell them all
your latest news, eat a few more of the seeds to continue the link.
And, maybe tell them things you wanted to say before they died but didn’t
have a chance to. Get everything off your chest, laugh, cry, be silent
and listen to them.
When you are ready,
thank your loved ones and bid them farewell until next Samhain. Eat
one the apples to affirm that there is always life after death. While
you are still in a contemplative state spread out the Tarot cards, or gaze
into your crystal ball to reveal to you that which is hidden deep in the
Underworld of your subconscious. Finally, close the Circle as described
in the Mabon ritual. |