The Wheel of the Year

In this post I shall discuss the "Wheel of the Year", the festivals contained within it and the significance each festival has to Pagans.

Samhain
October 31st
At this time, the barrier between our world and the otherworld is at its thinnest.
Symbolic death of the God, who will be reborn at Yule.

Yule
December 22nd
As this is the day the God is reborn, it is believed that as the days grow longer, the God grows at the same rate. Traditionally Yule logs, Yule trees and the exchange of presents will occur at this time.
Symbolic rebirth of the God.

Imbolc
February 2nd
The celebration of fertility, inspiration and purification. The awakening of life deep within the earth, even if it is not visible yet. Traditionally, lamps throughout the house will be lit for a couple of minutes to honour the God as the sun grows stronger.
The God is growing stronger with each day that passes.

Ostara
March 21st
The first true day of spring. The day and night are equal in length and plants are beginning to bud/sprout. This is the time to free yourself of anything holding you back in your past. Traditionally Pagans will colour eggs, collect wildflowers, walk in natures beauty or maybe cultivate herb gardens on this day.

Beltane
April 30th
The celebration of love and desire and honouring the fertility of the earth. Traditionally the time to be 'Handfasted' (Pagan Marriage). This is a time of self-growth, love, union and self-discovery.
Symbolic union between the God and Goddess.


Litha/Midsummer Solstice
21st June
Nature is at its peak strength, this is considered the best time to perform rituals and spells. Traditionally, bonfires will be lit to honour the God.
The God is at the peak of his power.


Lammas/Lughnasadh
August 1st
A time of thanking for the food we are given. Plants are withering, but are leaving seeds as a promise of rebirth. Now is the time of teaching. Traditionally, weaving and making corn dollies can be done along with baking bread and decorating the altar with fruits of the harvest.
The God is slowly weaking, the Goddess is turning to the Crone

Mabon/Alban Elfed
September 21st
The days are equal in length, again. Now is a good time to walk the forest, gathering dried plants for altar decoration or herbal magic.
The God is losing strength, the Goddess is mourning him. 

Conclusion
There are multiple different names for every holiday, different traditions will call it whatever they think explains the festival for what it is. Each festival resembles what is happening in nature at the moment - what is happening to the God and Goddess.

See you soon!

Blessed Be, Joel


References
BBC, 2006. The Pagan Year. [online] 

Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/paganism/holydays/year.shtml

[Accessed 25 October 2010].

Wicca Chat, 2010. Pagan Wheel of the Year. [online]

Available at: http://www.wicca-chat.com/paganyear.htm

[Accessed 25 October 2010].

Phases of the Moon

 
In this post I shall be studying the phases of the moon and what they mean when it comes to magick/ritual/meditative needs.

Full Moon
Banishing unwanted influences within your life.
Divination, planning, releasing, working backwards in time.

Conjouring timescale: 3 days before - 3 days after the full moon
May take up to one full moon cycle for effects to take hold and come to completion

Ceremony: Drawing Down The Moon
Ruling: Mother Goddess

New Moon
Personal growth, healing, blessing of a new project/venture, cleansing/consecrating new tools for rituals, ceremonies or an up and coming festival.

May take upto the next full moon for effects to take hold and come to completion

Ruling: The Maiden/Goddess

Dark Moon
Meditation/vision questing. Magick should not be performed at this time. Break to replenish your energies and pamper yourself.

Conjouring timescale: up to 3 days before a new moon


Ruling: The Crone/Dark Mother/Hag

Waxing Moon
Attraction, love spells, protection/healing for couples

Conjouring timescale: between new moon and first quarter

Ruling: The Maiden/Goddess

Waning Moon
Banishing/rejecting things in our lives that we no longer wish to have with us. Negative emotions, bad habits, diseases and ailments can be banished at this time. Special spells for clearing may also be used at this time.

Conjouring timescale: between last quarter and dark moon

Ruling: The Crone/Dark Mother/Hag

To Conclude
There are many different stages of the moon and I have just gone through a very simple outline of the moon phases - more about these phases can be read on my reference list below.

Blessed Be, Joel

References
Joelle's Sacred Grove, 1999. Moon Phases and Rites. [online] 

Available at: http://www.joellessacredgrove.com/Holidays/moonphases.html

[Accessed 24 October 2010]. 

The Pagan's Path, 2010. Working With the Moon. [online]

Available at: http://www.paganspath.com/magik/moon.htm

[Accessed 24 October 2010].

Define: Paganism

So lets start out at square 1. I'm setting out to (In my own way) define Paganism. In order to study a faith, you need to understand the basic concepts of it - to do this, I must first know exactly what I am talking about.

One definition of paganism (ECauldron, 2010) says that "A Pagan religion is a religion that is not Jewish, Christian, or Islamic and self-identifies as Pagan." I can see where this applies however one could disagree due to the fact that many teachings in, for example the bible show how everyone should have a respect for the earth and show respect to one another - exactly how many other Pagan followers would percieve their own views.

Personally, I would say that almost every religion in the world, if not all religions in the world have Pagan traits to them, even if they cannot be defined as "Pagan religions". So in this respect, I now know that my definition will need to be farely diverse.

My Definition
Paganism is a combination of religions, faiths, denominations and beliefs that predates many (if not all) of the present-day religions. It can include harmonizing with mother earth, as much as it can include ritualistic burning of wood and natural elements, there are different practises for each "denomination" or section of Paganism.

Until next time, Joel

References
ECauldron, 2010. A Pagan Primer -- For Those New To Paganism. [online] 

Available at: http://www.ecauldron.net/newpagan.php

[Accessed 23 October 2010].

What is this?

Hello all,

As I have been recently neglecting my religion I decided it would be a wise idea to get blogging about it! I have decided to completely restart my learning within my path - and redifine what Paganism means to me. This isn't really a public blog - more of a medium to help myself regain what I once was.

About Me
I am an 18 year old man from the South West of England, I attend Filton College where I am currently studying a BTEC Extended Diploma in Animal Management after much deliberation and choice of what I want to study (as you do).

In my spare time I play the guitar, game on the computer, post on youtube, frequent a few pagan forums and chat rooms and just generally chill out in my home. For those who know me, I am enjoyable to talk to - for those who irritate me, they generally are blanked and absolved from my presence.

So...
I hope this blog helps other people as much as it will help myself!

Joel