#attuned brigid

[bananabraiined]

Ullr, guide her well.

[katfreaks-hidyhole]

[rainbowdonkee]

Full art for Attuned Hero - Brigid Awakened Bow!

Artist: Suzuki Rika

[maryhale1]

How to use the magic of a Sunday

On this enchanting Sunday, bask in the radiant energies of the Sun, the celestial body that governs this day. Adorn yourself in hues of gold and yellow, resonating with the Sun's vibrant energy. Invoke the blessings of deities such as Brigid, Helios, and Apollo, channeling their powerful influence for success, promotion, fame, and prosperity.

Surround yourself with crystals attuned to the Sun's energy—carnelian, amber, and tiger's eye. Feel their warmth and harness their magical properties to enhance your intentions. Let the rich scents of cedar, frankincense, and lemon fill the air, creating a mystical ambiance for your rituals.

Engage in spells and rituals to manifest success, attract wealth, and promote prosperity. Perform a god ritual to connect with divine forces, seeking their guidance and blessings. Embrace the power of the Sun for exorcism, healing, hope, and fortune. Let the energy of this magical Sunday infuse your work and amplify your personal power.

As you immerse yourself in these witchy rituals, may the Sun's rays illuminate your path and bring forth the abundance you desire on this bewitching day.

Hope this helps you a little to make your life more magical 🧙‍♀️

[sappy-witch]

🔥Celebrating Imbolc🔥

Hello darlings 🥰

As the wheel of the year turns, we find ourselves at Imbolc, a sacred time that heralds the first whispers of spring. Imbolc, falling on February 1st this 2024, invites us to embrace the growing light and the promise of renewal.

🔥 Honoring Brigid, the Goddess of Imbolc:

Imbolc is deeply connected to the Celtic goddess Brigid, the keeper of the sacred flame and patroness of poets, healers, and smiths. Consider crafting an altar dedicated to Brigid, adorned with symbols of the hearth, poetry, and the growing light.

🕯️ Candle Magic for Illumination:

As the days lengthen, embrace the magic of candles to symbolize the returning sun. Light candles in whites, yellows, and reds to honor the growing warmth. Infuse this act with intentions of inspiration, creativity, and the stirring of new beginnings.

🌱 Seeds of Intention:

Imbolc is an auspicious time for planting the seeds of your intentions. Whether in the literal soil of your garden or through symbolic acts, set clear and positive intentions for the growth and fruition you wish to see in the coming months.

❄️ Purification Rituals:

Use the transitional energy of Imbolc to cleanse and purify your space. Smudging with herbs like sage or performing a simple saltwater purification ritual can help release stagnant energies and make room for the fresh vitality of spring.

🌼 Welcoming the First Signs of Spring:

Connect with nature by seeking the first signs of spring. Whether it's the emergence of early flowers or the stirring of wildlife, attune yourself to the subtle but powerful shifts happening in the natural world.

🔮 Divination for Guidance:

Imbolc is an excellent time for divination. Use tarot cards, runes, or scrying techniques to gain insights into the energies that will guide you through the season ahead.

May this Imbolc be a time of inspiration, growth, and the kindling of your inner flame. Blessed be! 🔥🌿

____

🌞 If you enjoy my posts, please consider donating to my energies 🌞

✨🔮 Request a Tarot Reading Here 🔮✨

____

With love, from a Sappy Witch 🔮💕

Blessed be.

[fantasia12]

My (very late) review of "New Heroes & Attuned Brigid"!

Edain: Such pretty art! Rather surprising that she got added so late, considering she's the reason Sigurd started the game in the first place.

Midir: I like long-haired guys :) Also the only non blonde in this banner

Dew: He certainly looks like a demote!

Attuned Brigid: her hair! Her Hair!! HER HAIR!!! ITS SO PRETTY!!!!!!!

Chulainn: Another blonde!

As you can see, I don't have a lot to say about them. They're combat performance also isn't game-breaking so nothing on that front either.

[fe4remake]

ATTUNED BRIGID MY QUEEN

[pallastrology]

ritualising the mundane: imbolc with chronic illness

artwork by john duncan

imbolc is fast approaching. i find the debate around whether or not the eight 'wheel of the year' days are historically accurate fascinating, but i don't think today is the day to get into all that. for me personally, it makes sense to celebrate these days from quite a few perspectives, so i like to include a small celebration as part of my own practice. this post is all about how i am holding space for imbolc celebrations without ignoring my limits.

imbolc is all about spring. it signifies the end of winter and that light and warmth is on its way to us. it is the feast day of saint brigid of kildare, and a sabbat for neopagans. the goddess brigid rules over lambing, smithing, agricultural workers, spring, poetry and healing.

in previous years, i either haven't done anything to celebrate, which led to feeling sort of left out and upset, or have planned out so many things to fill the day that i end up stressed and fatigued afterwards. around a year ago, i got diagnosed with a chronic illness. it wasn't a huge surprise, as it's a genetic thing i was born with and i've had symptoms for a long time, but it did make it clear that i need to change my thinking about my physical health and work on treating myself a bit more gently. i also have a toddler, so the amount of time and resources i can spend on a day has definitely changed. however, it's important to me to be able to include him in my celebrations where it's appropriate and safe to do so.

so, what will i be doing for imbolc this year? i'm planning to make bread, go for a family walk to look for signs of spring, and make a brigid's cross to hang if i can find some rushes while out. i also want to take some time to plan out my garden for the upcoming year, as imbolc is traditionally when you'd start sowing that year's crops. my garden is currently a patch of mud with some rubbish from the previous tenant littered about, and a couple of nearly-dead little trees, so i don't think i'll be doing that much planting this year; it's more about giving the garden some much-needed love and care, and helping to bring it back to life. i think to some, my imbolc plans might sound quite mundane or boring, certainly not very witchy... but to me, connecting with the earth through a cold walk, engaging with traditional folk practices like bread-making and hanging a brigid's cross, preparing to bring a little piece of earth back to life... that is magical to me. it's all about reconnecting with myself and the world around me, working in harmony with it where i can, putting my intentions out there and nurturing them throughout the year. imbolc is the first whisper of spring, and a time to let hope take hold. this year, i want to believe that i can learn to work in harmony with my body as well as my surroundings, and become more attuned to its needs over time. i think that being outside and active as much as possible is, for my illness at least, one of the best things i can do, and i want to take the time on imbolc to appreciate how lucky i am to be able to do that.

what are your plans for imbolc, if you celebrate? if you have a chronic illness, how does it affect your practices? i hope this post was interesting or enjoyable, if you liked it, please consider checking out more of my work here! xo

[valorandgold]

@madefate said:

“You’re a big piece of inspiration for this, honestly.” / dorothea @ petra!

By now, Petra was rather familiar with Dorothea's time in the Mittelfrank Opera Company, having heard many tales (both firsthand from Dorothea and also from some others who had some familiarity) of the 'Mystical Songstress,' as she had been referred to during that time, as well some of her performances and how...some of the audiences she performed for viewed her. Those audiences were the unsavory sort, the ones that Petra would gladly have greeted with her fist rather than with words for entertaining such lascivious thoughts.

During her time there, Dorothea had always performed songs given to her, songs chosen by others, songs and performances for the crowd, melodies that were part of a full-blown opera, compositions assigned by another. From what Petra understood, that was simply the way of things there. But now she was free from those constraints, free to sing what she pleased, how she pleased, and when she pleased to do it. Sometimes, though, Petra suspected that she sang particular songs that didn't have her entire heart pouring into lyrics or her soul carrying the beautiful melodies forward when she was oh-so-aware someone else's eyes on her...lest that person be someone like Petra herself. And now, in a rather unexpected turn of events, not only had Dorothea composed her own song, something creatively attuned to the brunette-haired songstress...but that Petra was a great source of her inspiration for creating it?

Brigid's future Queen did not get flustered or blush easily, yet, was that a hint of red in her cheeks, aside from the body art that was ever-present underneath her right eye? "I am? I was...having no idea that I was making you have such a feeling of inspiration to be creating this yourself. My heart is feeling a warmness that I would have enough meaning to you to be creating this. Would you...would you have a willingness to be singing it for me? I am wanting to be hearing it from your voice."

[catlady48]

When A Hero Rises arrives next month, remember to vote for limited pool characters. Duo, Harmonic, Attuned, Rearmed, Aided, Emblem, Mythic, Legendary and Seasonal heroes are the categories you want to choose for. Remember, the top 12 heroes will be featured on a banner on some point and the top 4 of those will be on the March one. A copy of the winner of the voting gauntlet will be given to all players for free. A few months ago I would've said to vote blue because of the really strong pool for colour share, and while I think that is still a great idea there are some really strong picks in the other colours as well.

You'll want to look for the following things in units:

OP Emblem effects: E!Celica, E!Sigurd, E!Lyn

Rare must have fodder: W!Fomortiis and D!Fjorm have shield fighter, other new armours also have very valuable new skills and units with Laguz Friend, such as Timerra, would also be very valuable.

Fodder factories: Any rearmed or attuned hero with good fodder, I personally would like a free Brigid, though others such as Timerra and Hector are also amazing.

OP Meta units, though that is a double edged blade as they will be everywhere. Do we want everyone to have those units?

Do not vote Brave (CYL) heroes, they are in the normal pool and can be summoned from random pools, this is your chance to get a rarer unit! And for the love of the game please don't vote Edelgard, because she's your fav or for trolling.

[saiyan-of-fairy-tail]

My own written epilogue to Attuned Brigid’s C-S Conversations, that Fjorm was featured in.

Yamato nods, and Fjorm lets him lay his head on her belly. To his surprise, he can still feel the baby!

Phew!

Yes, he still wants to know if it’s a boy or a girl. In case you read Micaiah’s prediction…

Shh! Don’t tell him.

Yes, I can confirm that Fjorm has been pregnant for four months! She just reached her second trimester during the time of writing this.

And then Fjorm kisses Yamato.

[kimium]

I was not expecting Attuned Brigid of all characters... oh well, this banner is an easy skip for me.

[fantasiesandfolklore]

The Phoenix Queen — Relta’s Powers [Part I]

Relta’s powers are rooted in her divine ancestry, Queen Macha and Lord Ares of the Celtic Pantheon and Hellenic Pantheon respectively.

Both deities are war entities, giving Relta an advantage in politics and causing pain upon her enemies with her magic.

Unlike the average citizens of Lunaruz, Crown Princess/Queen Relta is very powerful magically due to her lineage.

Relta’s powers are surrounding pain and pleasure, along with an affinity for horses and dogs/wolves, coming from the animals connected to Queen Macha and Lord Ares. She mastered horseback riding by a young age, and has had a canine companion since infancy.

Relta can inflict any level of pain she desires on anyone in her view, thus her going to the battlefield with her army.

She can also inflict intense pleasure on anyone in her view, but she doesn’t really utilize this power due to consent issues even with her lovers.

Relta is the personal punisher of criminals in Lunaruz, as she feels responsible for their crimes and thus she must be the one to cause their pain.

Relta also has glamour powers, the ability to alter her appearance and sneak around amongst whoever she chooses with these powers. She uses it to gain information on what her people think of the course of action she takes as ruler and emissary. She rarely does this though, as she feels it is a violation of her people’s privacy.

Relta also has advanced healing abilities, able to heal almost any injury - even if nearly fatal. She does not know where this gift comes from, but uses it on the battlefield and when traveling her kingdom. It is suspected that Lord Apollon (Hellenic Pantheon) is in her lineage somewhere, due to his healing epithets. She also suspects Lady Brigid, a very popular deity in Lunaruz, even amongst the Christians who have Saint Brigid drawn from the pagan deity.

As “Aphrodite Areia Incarnated”, Relta is revered as a goddess in mortal form, with dominion and wisdom over all associated with the goddess - including love, fertility, and war. This contributes to Relta’s political and diplomatic prowess as she inherently is attuned to those topics.

Relta also knows advanced level sorcery/witchcraft, able to create and manipulate the elements to her advantage if under duress. These powers are harder for her to access, due to them requiring a deep level of concentration and not coming “naturally” from her lineage. Relta learned more mastery over these powers upon meeting King James/John (@ofheroesandscholars) and building an alliance. He aided her in concentrating and not draining herself as much when doing elemental magic.

Another aspect of her being “Aphrodite Areia Incarnated” is that s-x empowers Relta, so post-coitus her abilities are at the top of their game for the next few days. This prompts her to be with one of her lovers prior to upcoming battles, with her lover’s consent of course.

Relta is able to channel deities, and their abilities, if she has a strong enough religious/spiritual connection to them. The deities include: Lady Aphrodite Areia, Lord Ares, Queen Macha, Lady Brigid, Lord Apollon, and Queen Hera. It takes a lot out of her though to do this, as it is full body channeling.

Relta knows multiple forms of divination, and is particularly skilled in astrology and cartomancy (readings using cards, such as tarot or oracle cards). She rarely uses these gifts though, as she feels the insight is “cheating”.

If at full power, Relta can temporarily slow down time to the point it seems frozen. She has used this once in a battle against now-former King Theodore in order to save some of her soldiers. Unfortunately, she’ll fall unconscious after slowing time for five minutes, so she needs to get to a safe place before her time is up. She doesn’t know where this power comes from, and rarely uses it.

[graywitchh]

Decided to pull a card from my oracle deck today. I’m feeling very attuned to my magic, very connected & spiritual. I walked around my kitchen (the place I feel most magical & where I practice my witchcraft the most) and shuffled my cards while I spoke with the universe, with the goddesses (specifically Brigid because she is my primary goddess), & with my own inner conscience, my inner magic, my inner witch. I told them all what I needed, wanted, desired, craved, and wanted to manifest. I have an oracle deck, so unlike the traditional tarot deck my cards all have their own specific meaning. I pulled the wings. The wings are one of the many symbols within the literary witches oracle - they represent wishes, ambition, & wandering - which is so fitting for what I expressed within my intentions as I shuffled the cards.

As of late I’ve felt so very happy in my home life as a new wife, in my home state, close to my best friends & family while feeling so off in my work life. I worked so hard to get where I am in the veterinary field. I’ve defied my own personal odds of never thinking I’d succeed in the science or math field. I’ve made my parents & husband somewhat proud of my accomplishments so far. I kept telling myself I was going to finish school, become an LVT, & be proud of myself. Instead I dropped out of my online classes & had a heart wrenching review with the clinic I though was my safe place. As I grieved the loss of my soul dog I was told by my employers that I wasn’t doing anything right & that if I didn’t fix everything in a week, I was fired. I made it through this probation period by keeping my head down, being a yes woman & a doormat, while wondering why I deserved this embarrassment. This information was dropped on me like scalding water during my review. I had no idea how much I had done wrong & had been given no feedback to give myself the opportunity to fix it before my review. My mental health proceeded to deteriorate. I grieved for my baby girl alone. I got no empathy from the people I previously never doubted would provide it during one of the most difficult losses I would experience in my life. My meager confidence I had worked so hard for in this difficult field was squashed. Trusting my bosses and coworkers to take into account my feelings or opinions was impossible now. This happened in June. It is now November. I never stop looking for a new job far away from the veterinary field. I spend hours on indeed searching. I’ve begun to wonder if I should go back to school for literature or library media. I spent so much of my childhood being told that’s where I excelled, that I was meant to be a writer - & truly it did come so easy. Now I seek comfort & peace within the books I read. I yearn for a cozy, stress free life. I was raised by one of the most hardworking women I’ve ever met, but the older I get the more I realize I’m not a rise and grind kinda gal. I’m a homemaker and a caregiver. I’m not meant to pull up my bootstraps and get through the day with a grimace on my face. I’m meant to be surrounded by history, literature, coziness, and quiet. So pulling wings? As I dwelled on all of this? Of my own personal wishes to be content and less distraught in my career & in my own head? Fitting. I will manifest this cozy, happy, peaceful, literature filled future that I was always meant to have. I just needed a little push from the cards.

[nalu-nakai]

Intro post:

Hello everyone. This is my first time on Tumblr. I had a blog hosted by WordPress, but I was getting zero traffic and readers. I even tried to advertise my old blog on my Instagram, but most people scrolled through the main page and never read anything. Every once in a while, a search engine led strangers to certain specific articles I wrote, but that happened maybe twice a month.

I started out as a "New Age blogger." I was not involved in witchcraft and occult spaces. The circles I was part of were all led by older New Agers that still believed in starseeds, indigo children, and an eclectic "goddess of the month" veneration. This was back in 2017-2018. Over time, I became disenchanted with the New Age, and I found community with online occult spaces.

I have been trained in trance drumming meditation for spirit work. My knowledge/experience falls under the "shamanic practitioner" umbrella. I acknowledge that "shamanic practitioner" is a problematic phrase, as well as "shaman/shamanism". Instead of using these terms, I have learned to refer to my practice as spirit working, animism or trance working. In the beginning of my personal practice, I was called to work with goddess Brigid of the Celtic pantheon. As of 2019, I was called by Odin to work with Norse deities, and at the end of 2020 Odin assigned me to work with Loki. There had been rapid, chaotic changes going on in my life and health that necessitated my work with Loki. In January 2021, I performed the nine day "Breaking Loki's Bonds" ritual that I found in Dagulf Lopston's blog, where I essentially oathed myself to Loki.

I have a god-consort relationship with Loki. He is sometimes a lover, but a very powerful ally that can help clear stagnation (whether you were ready for it or not). Loki is a thrill seeker, and he shares my love for going on interesting adventures. He can be rather hyper with you if your favorite things to do involves staying inside and doing nothing. But Loki is very understanding if you are trying to practice self-care. He may even be encouraging with you when you are mentally taxed enough to not want to move. Loki has asked me to incorporate actual witchcraft and spellcraft into my personal practice. I have been spiritually attacked because of my trance journeying practice, and two major manifestations of the attack appeared as car accidents. Loki came to stay in my spiritual life after the second car accident, where several psychic friends of mine strongly suggested that I perform my first candle spell to repel the evil that was sent to harm me. Candle spells are a great way to work with the fire element (elemental magic), and knowing when to burn a candle spell involves research into planetary magic. I thank Loki for helping me learn something different to add to my practice.

One more thing I can say about my spiritual practice is that I am also attuned to Reiki. I can use energy healing on myself or others, and I can use energy work to charge my candle spells (and other sacred objects).

I intend for my Tumblr to be less about formal research, and more about what I discover about my spiritual practice as I grow. I do have a lot of old WordPress blog posts that I will repost here. I hope you will enjoy them.

My DMs are open if you feel inspired to ask me questions.

-Nalu Nakai

[tipsycad147]

The eight Sabbats: Witch's holidays

by Michelle Gruben

Modern Pagans celebrate eight major holidays throughout the year, known as Sabbats. They are based on pre-Christian customs related to the movement of the sun. Most are related to the Celtic agricultural festivals that have given them their names.

Of course, now we know that the sun doesn’t actually move around the earth. And lots of Pagans live far away from the places where our food is grown. But the Sabbats are still a meaningful way to connect with the cycles of the seasons and of human life.

The Pagan Sabbats include the four astronomical holidays (the equinoxes and solstices) and four traditional holidays in between. Together, these eight festivals are known as the Wheel of the Year. They are observed in Wicca and Wicca-influenced forms of neo-Paganism.

Learn about the eight Witch’s holidays and some popular customs for each one:

Samhain

Probably the best-known of the Sabbats, Samhain is celebrated on October 31st. It coincides with Halloween or All Hallows Eve. Halloween is a time when even non-magickal people indulge in spooky activities and ancient superstitions. It's also the time when mainstream culture pays the most attention to the activities of Witches and Pagans.

The word Samhain comes from the Irish Gaelic word for “summer’s end.” The days have become shorter, and the darker half of the solar year is upon us. At this time, farmers would use up the remaining stores of perishable fruits and vegetables, preserving other foods to sustain them through the cold and dark season. They would also slaughter any livestock that they did not plan to feed through the winter. This is why we sometimes refer to Samhain as the Third Harvest, or Blood Harvest.

At Samhain, many people believe the boundary between the words is at its thinnest. Samhain is also known as Ancestor’s Night or the Feast of the Dead. For most Witches, Samhain is the best time to commune with the beloved dead (ancestors and honored spirits). Some also believe that lonely or angry spirits may wander the Earth on Samhain night, looking for humans to annoy.

How Pagans celebrate: For Pagans, Samhain is the beginning of the new year. It is a holiday of reflection and celebration. At Samhain, we cast off the old year’s attachments and turn our attention to the coming scarcity of winter. We feast on the last of summer’s bounty. We contemplate what is worth saving and nurturing during the dark of winter. We try to make friends with Death.

Pagans celebrate Samhain in many of the same ways muggles do: Scarfing down sweets, carving jack-o-lanterns, dressing up in costumes. We decorate with skulls and spiders and go to haunted houses. All of these Halloween traditions are too fun to miss out on—and besides, most of them have their roots in old Pagan beliefs, anyway.

If you’re invited to a Samhain ritual, you may see an ancestor altar. This is a shared altar where participants are invited to pile on their mementos and offerings for the dead. The presiding priest or priestess may invoke a deity who rules over transitions or the migration of souls—Morrighan, Hecate, or Hermes. You may participate in a meditation where you travel into the depths of the underworld, or look departed friends in the eye once more. People will speak the names of loved ones who died during the previous year, or long ago.

Feasting is a component of many Samhain rituals. When we eat sweets, we are savoring the sweetness of life and its impermanence. When we eat meat, we remember that all flesh must die and become nourishment for some creature or another.

We also use food as an offering to the dead—to communicate fond memories, to pay our respects—and perhaps, to appease hungry ghosts. Some Pagans set an extra plate at the Samhain table for spirit visitors. Another contemporary Pagan custom is the “dumb supper”—a silent meal where we invite our ancestors (both known and unknown) to come and dine with us.

Yule

Yule is the Pagan name for the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, it falls on or around December 21.

After the winter solstice, the darkest part of the year is over and the days begin increasing in length. This solar holiday is related historically to Christmas—Pagans delight in pointing out that Christians co-opted the date around the third century CE.

In the overarching neo-Pagan mythos, Yule is the birthday of the divine infant who is conceived in the spring. The dark of midwinter is the period of the Goddess’s confinement and labor as she prepares to welcome the solar child. On the longest night, the Sun God is born to the praise and gratitude of all Earth’s creatures.

How Pagans celebrate:

Yuletide is a time for passive, personal magick—for short days of work and long nights of dreaming. We set intentions and incubate our plans. It is a time of preparing mentally and spiritually for the light half of the year. Some Pagans keep a midwinter vigil, awaiting the rebirth of the sun at dawn.

It’s not often that you find large group rituals for Yule—probably because lots of Pagans are busy traveling and visiting with non-Pagan family! Instead, Yule rituals tend toward the home-y and conventional.

We decorate with evergreens and holly. We exchange gifts with friends and family. On Midwinter Eve, we light candles to herald the return of the sun. (The ambitious among us may set a Yule log blazing.) We eat traditional, calorie-rich holiday foods: Tamales, eggnog, rum cake, ham, and chocolate. We give thanks for the life-giving energy of our planet’s sun.  

Imbolc

Imbolc is a festival of purification and the early signs of spring. Imbolc is celebrated on Feb 1. (Not yet spring in most of the world, to be sure—but sometimes spring-like in Britain due to the warming influence of the Gulf Stream.) It is the first of the three Pagan fertility festivals, followed by Ostara and Beltane.

In Old Irish, Imbolc means “in the belly” and was associated with the onset of the lambing season. It was an obscure Irish folk festival until the 20th century, when neo-Pagans revived it as part of the Wheel of the Year. It coincides with the Christian festival of Candlemas and with that old farmer’s oracle, Groundhog’s Day, both observed on Feb. 2.

For our ancestors, the significance of Imbolc would have been the beginning of the ground thaw. It is the time to prepare for the planting season—to survey the land, take an inventory of tools, and make any repairs or modifications that will be needed. For the Witch, it also a time of preparation. We clean and bless our altars, and make sure that the tools of our practice are attuned to their intended use.

Mythically, Imbolc celebrates the awakening of the Goddess after giving birth to the young God at Yule. In the Earth, we observe the first stirrings of life after the frozen winter. (If you don’t know what a frozen winter looks like, ask your grandmother.)  Imbolc brings the energy of creativity and imagination. Projects that were put on hold during the holiday season start to creak into motion again. Our midwinter dreams resolve themselves into their first visible shapes.

How Pagans celebrate:

Imbolc is especially sacred to Brigid—Celtic Goddess of hearthfire, healing, the bardic arts, and smithwork. Many Imbolc rituals honor Brigid with candlelight, poems, and woven ornaments known as Brigid’s crosses. The first light of spring is evident by now, and it is an auspicious time of year for rites of cleansing, healing, and blessing.

Imbolc is a time for spiritual dedication and re-dedication. Some covens—especially women’s covens—initiate new members at Imbolc. For old Pagans, it is also a time to examine and refresh our practice. If we have become lax, Imbolc is an opportunity to purify our intentions and reconnect with spiritual guides. We light candles, open windows, and wash the floors to cast out the last gloom of winter. Some also use Imbolc for divination for the year’s harvest.

Imbolc is not really a feasting holiday, as the season of grains and fruits is months away. The first food of the year is dairy. Butter, milk, and cream are traditional foods for the Imbolc table.

Ostara

Ostara is the spring equinox, which falls on or about March 21 in the Northern Hemisphere. It is opposite the autumn equinox (which Pagans refer to as Mabon). But any desktop calendar can tell you that. Ostara is the Pagan cousin of the Easter holiday, a modern revival of one or more ancient spring celebrations.

Ostara is the second of three fertility festivals, a time when the blessings of spring become more visible in the natural world. Flowers bloom, the birds and the bees do their thing, and grocery aisles fill up with pastel-colored treats. Ancient fertility symbols like eggs and bunnies are everywhere. (Yep, Ostara is the Sabbat with the rabbit!)

Astronomically speaking, Ostara is a midpoint of the year, and day and night are equal at this time. The Sun God (who has been growing and gathering strength since Yule) is an adolescent. The Great Goddess, who has been getting progressively younger since December 21, is in her maiden form. These two lusty youths are now the same age, and will soon conceive the child who will be born at Yule.

How Pagans celebrate:

The original meaning of Ostara as a fertility festival is not lost on modern Pagans. Ostara provides a perfect opportunity to work magick for love, prosperity, and gains of any kind. We harness the energy of the lengthening days to fuel our desires and bring projects to fruition. We honor the gifts of the earth Goddess, who is presently blessing the land with beauty and nourishment.

Pagans also use Ostara as a time to reflect on the principle of balance. Everyone has goals and responsibilities—work, family, art, spirituality—that compete for our time and attention. At Ostara, we take a moment to notice things that may have shifted out of balance. We reset our priorities as the austerity of winter gives way to the exuberance of spring.

Beltane

Beltane is the ancient name for the May Day rite, held on May 1. Originally a fire festival, it was widely celebrated in pre-Christian Ireland and Scotland. The name comes from the god Bel (“the bright one”) and means “Bel’s fire.” It is the second of two principle festivals on the Celtic Pagan calendar, the other one being Samhain. Samhain and Beltane are the two poles of the magickal year, when the gates to Faery and the spirit world are most open to travelers. ­­­

In traditional Wicca, Beltane is a sexual festival, the last of the three fertility festivals. It is the time when the Maiden Goddess takes a lover in the form of the young God. Wiccans enact this drama through the ritual marriage (Great Rite) of a High Priestess and High Priest, whose union will bless the land.

How Pagans celebrate:

Theoretically, Beltane is an occasion of unbridled sensuality and revelry. However, sexual rites are rare in modern covens. If invited to a Beltane ritual, you’re far more likely to dance around a maypole or witness a symbolic Great Rite (with a chalice and athame) than encounter an orgy.

For the social Pagan, Beltane season abounds with bonfires, festivals, concerts, and campouts. Solitary Pagans might celebrate by making an altar to the young God and Goddess or connecting with a lover. Flowers, honey, sweets and wine on the altar echo the sweetness of the occasion. Beltane is also a time for illusion, seduction, and Faery tricks. By the light of the Beltane fire, the real can become unreal (and vice versa).

Since Beltane celebrates the union of the God and Goddess, it is a popular time for proposals, handfastings, and renewing of vows. Magickally, the combined masculine and feminine energies lend a powerful alchemical surge to almost any type of spellwork.

Litha

Litha is the summer solstice, which in the Northern Hemisphere falls on or about June 21. Linguists disagree about the origin of the Sabbat’s name, but summer festivals were common across pre-Christian Europe. People lit bonfires to keep the sun’s light alive for as long as possible. Solstice revels were supposed to bless the crops in the fields and drive away evil spirits.

Litha is the day when the Sun God is at the peak of his power. It is an auspicious day, ruled by the Sun and the element of Fire. After Litha, the nights will begin to grow longer and the Sun will move further away each day. With the fall harvest imminent, Litha is an opportunity for anticipating the (actual or symbolic) crop. Medieval people believed that Midsummer Night was blessed, and that whatever a person dreamed on this night would come true.

How Pagans celebrate:

Outdoor rituals are common at Litha, as Pagans take advantage of the long hours of daylight. It is a joyful Sabbat. Bonfires and summer games brighten the space between earth and sky. We decorate our altars with solar symbols, and honor the God in his aspect as Father.

Litha is an appropriate time for all magick ruled by the Sun. This includes spells of cleansing, protection, charisma, and truth.

Lammas

Lammas is the first harvest festival on the Pagan calendar, observed on or about August 1. It is related to an old agricultural holiday celebrating the reaping of grain. Lammas probably comes from the Old English words for “loaf mass.” Loaves of freshly baked bread would have been prepared from the first grain and blessed in churches around the countryside. Lammas is also called Lughnasadh, after the Celtic sun God, Lugh.

As the summer stretches on and the days grow shorter, the sun God symbolically loses some of his strength. He is not yet dead, but is aware that the dark season will soon approach. The god of summer “dies” in the fields to nourish the people, and prepares for rebirth at Yule.

How Pagans celebrate:

Lammas is a time to welcome the harvest. We give thanks that the year’s work is proceeding as planned, and that we will soon enjoy the fruits of our labor. Grain is the traditional food for the Lammas table, in the form of wheat, barley, beers and ales.

Celtic Pagans celebrate Lammas/Lughnasadh as the feast of Lugh, an agricultural god—but also a patron of poets, musicians, and craftspeople. At Lammas, we may show off the skills we have acquired and trade them for things we will need. It is a traditional time of year for craft fairs and local markets.

Mabon

Mabon is the autumn equinox (or as us Texans call, it “fawwwl”). In the Northern Hemisphere, it falls around Sept 21. Mabon is the pivot point of the solar year when the days begin to shorten and winter is on its way. (The name of the festival is modern and dates from the 1960s or early 1970s.)

Mabon may also be called the Second Harvest, because it is the time when autumn fruits and nuts reach their maturity. It is a time to contemplate what we have worked for in the previous year and what rewards we are ready to reap. We give thanks to the waning sunlight and prepare to store our wealth away for the scarce season. We shift from active to contemplative magick. Mabon season is a fine time for workings of prosperity, gratitude, security, and balance.

How Pagans celebrate:

Mabon is a time for celebration after the hard work of the harvest. Though it is sad to watch the beauty of the growing season fade away, we revel in the mild weather and rest that autumn brings.

Mabon foods are comfort foods, those that evoke fond memories and connect us through sharing. We bake and brew, pickle and can. Offerings of wine, cider, fruits, and boughs may adorn the Mabon table—along with that most Pagan of centerpieces, the Cornucopia.

On the Pagan religious calendar, Mabon represents the turning point to the dark half of the year. We shift our attention from the youthful merriment of the summer Sabbats. At Mabon, we honor the Crone and Sage deities, the cycles of aging and death, and the spirit world.

Mabon is a popular time for large outdoor rituals—in part because the weather is good and it doesn’t conflict with any major mainstream holidays. We gather together to feast and express gratitude for our lovely tilted planet. Many cities host a public Mabon ritual as part of their annual Pagan Pride Day gatherings. Solitary Pagans might celebrate Mabon with offerings at a home altar, or a contemplative walk in the woods.

https://www.groveandgrotto.com/blogs/articles/the-eight-sabbats-witchs-holidays