Home and Hearth

At this time of the year we are aware that we have entered the winter season.  The winds are blowing strongly and most of the leaves have fallen away from the trees, leaving them bare and lifeless looking. It is a time to close in, shut the curtains and stoke up the fire.

When I was small we had an open coal fire.  By now my mother would have the coal bunker filled with lumps of black shiny coal.  She bought what she could afford, sometimes a luxury brand of coal, sometimes coke and sometimes a mixture of both.  I used to watch her light the fire in the morning.  First she would rake out the ashes from the day before.  These would go into the garden.  Next she would put a layer of newspaper and small sticks in the grate and on top of that a layer of the coal.  She lit the newspaper with a small flare and that would light the wood.  The wood, once it got going, would set light to the coal and then the trick was to keep it going and not let it go out.  For that you needed a draft up the chimney.  That was provided by a large sheet of newspaper held against the fireplace space.  A fast draft was sent up the chimney, often accompanied by a loud roar, which I found very frightening.  

That usually did the trick and within half an hour the room was warmer.  Of course we had to keep the fire fed with coal all day but it provided a very comfortable warmth which I remember vividly to this day.

I always try to have some sort of small fire in the house on a cold night.  Even the humble candle can give out the effect of warmth - so important to our well being.

Samhain

It is a week nearly, after Halloween or Samhain as it used to be called.  At this time of the year we need to be on guard because forces from the other world are at large and liable to come and visit us.

It is the time of the Wild Hunt when the Sidhe are abroad, collecting up the souls of the dead to take back to the land of the dead.  There is not much to separate us from the other world at this time and we need to be on our guard and listen for the approach of thundering horses hooves and a loud trumpet call.

You might like to read about the Legend of Sleepy Hollow here. There are many interpretations of this time of misrule.

'Possibly the best known Wild Hunter is the Germanic god Odin and his Furious Host.  Usually lame, attended by horses and dogs, he runs through the night collecting the souls of the dead - specifically the dead that were evil-doers in life.  Sometimes, instead, Odin is thought to hunt a boar or a wild horse, or even a woman.  But Odin was far from the only leader of the hunt.  Depending on the country or region, King Arthur, Sir Francis Drake, Gwydion, and even demons were claimed as leaders of the hunt. - Diana Rajchel'

So if you feel you are not alone some dark night soon while you are out walking, it might be best to go indoors and shut your door and turn out your lights... 

The Blood Moon - 22nd October 2010

To the Cherokee, October is the Harvest Moon, as this is when people gather and preserve most of their food.  To the Choctaw, this is the Blackberry Moon.  In warmer regions, late-cropping berries ripen now and are often dried or preserved for winter use. The Dakota Sioux call this the Moon When Quilling and Beading is Done. These creative pursuits take many hours, so people favour them when less outdoor work can be done but enough daylight still remains to see fine details.

Elizabeth Barrette

We are moving fast toward the festival of Samhain and this harvest moon, so big and beautiful hanging in our skies tonight give just enough light for the last of the harvest to be brought in.  I have watched it for hours now as it travels across the sky, hiding behind clouds, then coming out again with a flourish of light.  I did notice a red glow around the moon tonight but it was not as red as the one in the picture.  The reddish colour is caused by dust particles and is truly beautiful at its best.

It is not only because of the colour that this late moon is called The Blood Moon.  It is also called that for it was a time for shedding the blood of animals which could not be fed during the long winter months.  They would be despatched and preserved to feed people during the winter-time.

This is a good time to start making crafty items for Halloween or Samhain as we call it. There is much to be done as we head into our New Year.

When I was learning Wicca, I started in the run up to Samhain.  To be a witch, it takes a year and a day. That is considered to be a good time span to be sure that you want to go further with your commitment and your studies. After one year and a day I had been through all the moons and all the Sabbats and I felt ready to go deeper.

Take some time tonight to look at the moon if you feel so inclined.  Draw down the energy that she provides for us so freely.

Mabon - The Autumn Equinox

We are in the season of Autumn, just past the Autumn Equinox. This is the festival of thanksgiving and a time when day and night are in perfect balance again. At Mabon, we celebrate the harvest and whereas Lammas is the grain harvest, Mabon is the fruit harvest. It is a time to store food for the winter to come.

The sap in the trees and plants is moving down now and it a time to give thanks for the gifts and help given and to welcome the turning, the change of energy flowing toward the dark, the power within. We start to think more reflectively, perhaps wanting to study something new (why not try Wicca?) and to turn our thoughts to woolly socks and long evenings in by the fire.

I suggest you read 'Sabbats' by Edain McCoy.

Now is a good time to make a spell for protection in your car.

On to a red cloth, put out these herbs/plants:

1 tsp comfrey and 1 1/2 tsp's mugwort (for protection during travel).

1 1/2 tsp's of rosemary (for alertness during travel).

1 tablespoon ash tree bark (for protection against accidents).

10 drops of lavender oil (refreshing smell).

Put the ingredients in a spell bag and tie with some thing string.

Then say, as you tie knots:

one by one, this spell's begun.

two by two, it will be true.

three by three, so mote it be.

four by four, the power's in store.

five by five, this spell's alive!

Put the spell bag in your car to keep you safe.

Happy motoring on the slippery roads, covered in leaves.

May you keep safe and sound.

Star

On Children by Kahlil Gibran

On Children
Kahlil Gibran

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.