The Magic of Autumn and the Equinox

Fae Rings, Acorn Spells and Fiery leaf Falls; The Mysterious Magic of Autumn

"So here are you, and here am I,
Where we may thank our gods to be;
Above the earth, beneath the sky,
Naked souls alive and free.
The autumn wind goes rustling by
And stirs the stubble at our feet;
Out of the west it whispering blows,
Stops to caress and onward goes,
Bringing its earthy odours sweet.
See with what pride the the setting sun
Kinglike in gold and purple dies,
And like a robe of rainbow spun
Tinges the earth with shades divine.
That mystic light is in your eyes
And ever in your heart will shine."
The Pagan- George Orwell

The twilight of the year has finally approached. Day time shades of ruby reds, blazing oranges and sparkling golds bleed into midnight navies, inky blacks and iridescent silvers. The moon and sun greet and share the dominion of a darkening blue sky. People wander through a dream-like atmosphere whilst they remain awake and we know the time of the Equinox has come. We are betwixt and between, dancing a tightrope upon the day of balance, where fae and men gaze into the other's world through the murky autumn veil. Life and Death bow before life parts and Death takes the throne. The dreaminess is oppressive and beckons us to close our eyes and open our other, animals begin to den into hibernation and leaves descend in a carousel to the floor and leave twisty, spiralling, spiky trees.

Autumn is one of the most picturesque of seasons, laced with nostalgia it speaks of pumpkin spice, long nights, sweet sticky toffee apples, home made stew warm jumpers and wellies, assaults of crashing wind and heavy rain, splashing in puddles, kicking through leaves, fairy tales and early nights, bonfires and fireworks, a thinning veil and a feel of the people who have passed before. Autumn is a transitory time that symbolises transformation in itself in the most visually recognisable way. As a Pagan, one honours the cycles of life and death, and how they are paramount to existence and are a cosmic dance here upon earth, it is how Gaia rejuvenates herself and how we pass from one existence to the next in order to learn and grow; Therefore Autumn is perhaps one of, if not my most, favourite times of year. As a child I would be conflicted, one part of me would resent the coming shortness of nights meant I would have to be home earlier but another loved the extra hours of night as my imagination would come out to play more, and as an adult that part of me has never died.


Witchcraft and autumn seem to marry so easily when one conjures images of both witches and the seasons. As Mother Nature cleans house as dead leaves and plants fall and wilt and group together in the street, one then pictures a housewife, bent over her creaky brush sweeping the leaves and debris from her porch, not too dissimilar to the older crone and her broom as a symbol for a witch. The powerful and meaningful symbol of the Celtic cauldron, another common symbol of the witch,  also harbours images of Autumn too; collecting in food, root vegetables and boiling them in the pot to make substantial warming meals for the cold nights ahead.

 Autumn Fairy- Anne Stokes

Some NeoPagans and Wiccans celebrate the passing of the seasons for example the Wiccan Sabbats, also known as the Wheel of the Year. During this season the God in the form of the Oak King is sacrificed for the harvest, and in some traditions, the Holly King or the Dark God rules in his stead, therefore Autumn marks the succession, the passing from one rulership into the other.There are a few events in the season of Autumn including Mabon or Harvest Home, Feast of the Ingathering, a time of giving thanks for the harvest and for gathering new fruits of the season, and the last crops of summer and feasting in merriment. Oktoberfest took place in September another festival of drinking and feasting in merriment as well as Oschophoria, Ancient Greek festival rites held in honour of Dionysus (God of the Vine). The Norse festival of Fallfeast takes place in September and Winter Nights towards the end of Autumn. Modern Druids celebrate Alban Elfed and mark the balance between day and night, light and dark. The Christian festival of Michaelmas also occurs in Autumn and includes a lot of Pagan harvest themes such as corn dolls and harvest celebrations.

For personal craft now would be a good time to harvest natural ingredients and food from your own home if you are a gardener, or a good time to participate in home baking, experiment with breads, soups, stews, pies. The apple tree is sacred to Autumn so why not bake an Apple pie during this season and share it in festiviy? It is a season of transition so is time to get creative, sweep out and clean away the old in your home and decorate in crafty ways, use a lot of the falling foliage to make wonderful household designs from twigs, branches, acorns, nuts. towards Halloween carve your own Jack-o-Lantern with pumpkin or be extra traditional and use turnip! As Harvest is a time of celebration to wine deities why not try brewing your own mead or do some wine tasting, be merry and thankful for all you have received so far in the year. Collect some acorns, they are of the Oak which is a sacred tree connected to the God who is in his transition during Autumn so use acorns to attract good luck and fairy blessings.

Autumn is also the time for introspection. The veil is said to thin during this time and the Otherworld becomes more tangible. In mythology the Goddess descends into the underworld. In Sumerian the Goddess Inanna journeys into the underworld and so the world starts to wither and nothing grows until she ascends back and so the world is brought back to life and Spring has arrived. Similarly in Greek mythology Persephone a young fertile Goddess is kidnapped to the underworld by Hades and her Mother Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest and grain, mourns her daughter and so the earth is no longer bountiful. An agreement is made with Hades that Persephone can return to the world each year but she must return back to him for a time. When she returns the earth is fertile again and so we have the cycles of Spring and Autumn.

So as the nights get darker there is more time for rumination and meditation. It is a time to venture into the darkest parts of our mind, as Persephone and Inanna venture into the underworld, we should journey into our subconscious, and reflect on the lessons there, what in life can we give up on which no longer serves us? What can nourish us in the coming year? What have I learned this year? How can I grow? Use this time of year to learn much about yourself and your emotions and connect to the darker, or underworld deities that guide this darker half of year, and honour your own life and death cycle of inner and outer transformation. Be creative and use these reflections to inspire stories, painting, designing, sewing, anything that gets your inner artsy juices flowing. Why not try scrying? A pool, a bowl of water, crystals even a mirror are all good focus points to allow the mind to concentrate, focus and eventually lose sense of the material world to journey into the next to gain lessons and visions from the Otherworld. Always remember to ground yourself first! I like to visualise roots growing from my feet and reaching down through the floor and tying to the earth's core so I can feel Mother Earth's energy channeling through the roots into my veins and know that I am safe and rooted to the earth.

As the boundaries between here and the Otherworld breakdown towards the end of Autumn, culminating in Samhain, when the ancestors walk among us, use this time of year to honour your family, your ancestors, give thanks that you are here because of them and try connecting with their energies and have a feel of them. Why not make an ancestor shrine? Light a candle on Samhain and guide them home. Spend time with your relatives, especially the older ones and learn some family stories about the past, honour your lineage, and immortalise them into the stories we pass on.

Take this time to walk in nature, use the solemn solitary atmosphere of Autumn to connect with the spirits of the land, the fae, the ancestors of the Land, and sit out beside them in their energies. Leave some offerings giving thanks, home baked offerings are great for Autumn, some cakes or baked bread. Find some fairy rings and leave offerings, get to know the spirits around them. Pay attention to the birds you see, the animals that cross your path, signs or unusual feelings you feel, get to know spirit, during this time of year our perception opens so much more so you may find the spirit world seems more vocal!

I hope this article has inspired your love for autumn and given you some crafty Fall ideas!
Many Blessings!
Freya Rose
)O(
https://www.facebook.com/TheGoddessPage/

"Thou comest, Autumn, heralded by the rain, 

With banners, by great gales incessant fanned, 

Brighter than brightest silks of Samarcand, 

And stately oxen harnessed to thy wain! 

Thou standest, like imperial Charlemagne, 

Upon thy bridge of gold; thy royal hand 

Outstretched with benedictions o'er the land, 

Blessing the farms through all thy vast domain! 

Thy shield is the red harvest moon, suspended 

So long beneath the heaven's o'er-hanging eaves; 

Thy steps are by the farmer's prayers attended; 

Like flames upon an altar shine the sheaves; 

And, following thee, in thy ovation splendid, 

Thine almoner, the wind, scatters the golden leaves!"

Autumn- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Wolf Moon Ritual

Wolf Moon- Full Moon Ritual

Also known as: Chase Moon, Moon of Little Winter, Cold Moon, Snow Moon, Quiet Moon

Today is the full moon of January, 2017. It is known as the Wolf moon in Native American tradition as this moon would appear in a time of winter and scarcity and the wolves could be heard howling outside of Native American Settlements. There is plenty of associations of wolves and the more in folklore and mythology, most notable the lore of the werewolf turning man into wolf.

A January moon speaks of new beginnings, protection, new intentions, manifesting your new goals. Now is the time to act for change. This is a good time to meditate, visualise whom you want to become and what change you wish to see in your life or in the world. 

Now is a significant time to make change for the Moon is in Cancer, a water sign (like the moon), governed by the moon, making the timing more significant, which governs emotions and healing and meditation making this a great time for learning lessons, healing wounds, transmuting your emotions, and manifesting new beginnings as in numerology 2017 is a time of a big shift, a new transition, a new beginning for many so the time for change, for manifestation is definitely now so fix your intentions and manifest change!

The day of this moon is Thursday, Thors-day, governed by Jupiter it is a time of goal setting, prosperity, achieving your intentions and action so use this active, achieving energy to increase the power of your spell.

Full  moon magic is great for spiritual magic, enhancing psychic abilities, dream walking or achieving lessons in dreams, meditations, divination and a great time to direct energy into those things which are priority like careers, or healing. The moon in cancer makes great nurturing energy so healing will be in abundance.

For my full moon ritual I placed corresponding icons on my altar including Thor, for the day of the week, and the Goddesses linked to the moon, Artemis and Isis, which I felt would assist me in my healing and in manifesting my aspirations. I put a statue of the wolf on my altar paying homage to the totem animal and its energies along with white candles to manifest the healing energies of the moon. I had a vessel of moon water, water which I had blessed and left outside to soak in some moonlight, for anointing, cleansing and as an offering to Lady Moon, Selene, Isis. 

I included a prayer to wolf, and a reading of the love between wolf and moon to fit with the Native American Lore and to get in the spirit of the "wolf moon", I also included an incantation of the Lunar Queen from one of my favourite oracle decks the Isis Oracle deck by Alana Fairchild.

Incantation of The Lunar Queen by Alana Fairchild

The Lunar Queen Lady Isis, Goddess of Night,

Help me now to follow the neutral Light,

Of the Shining Moon in all her flow

I release force and fear, help me let go

Guided by the Full Moon Now I am open to receive great boon

**(please note the incantation actually says Crescent moon but I have adapted it for this incantation)**

 

To close the ceremony I made my offering to the earth and the moon and then (as funny as it is ^_^) howled at the moon in the spirit of the wolf.

Here is a little list of Wolf Moon correspondence and some information on the wolf totem:

Correspondences

Animals: Fox, Coyote, Wolf

Colours: Black, blue-violet, brilliant white

Deities: Chang-O, Freyja, Hera, Inanna, Sarasvati, Artemis, Selene, Isis, Nature Spirits

Flowers: Crocus, Snowdrop, Thistle, Nuts, Willow

Stones: Selenite, Moonstone, Opal, Garnet, Jet, Onyx

"To understand totem wolf symbols, one must first understand the heart of the Wolf. This takes time because the Wolf has had to endure many false stereotypes, misconceptions and misunderstandings.
Not at all the picture of ferocity or terror, the Wolf is a creature with a high sense of loyalty and strength. Another misconception is that of the "lone wolf." To the contrary, the Wolf is actually a social creature, friendly, and gregarious with its counterparts.
The Wolf is an incredible communicator. By using touch, body movements, eye contact as well as many complex vocal expressions - the wolf makes his point understood. Those with totem wolf symbols are of the same inclination - they are expressive both vocally and physically. Those who have the wolf as their totem animal are naturally eloquent in speech, and also have knack for creative writing" Sourced from: http://www.whats-your-sign.com/totem-wolf-symbols.html

Full moon blessings!

Freyja Rose )O(

The Calling of the Dark Goddess

Descent to the Stars Within: The Song of Hecate . Based on personal meditations.

Image Source

She calls you in the dead of night, the rhythmic drumming of her words penetrate deep into the rivers of your veins. She flows within you, is behind your every thought, is the power behind your very breath and you cannot escape her. She lies within the dark of your cells, the blankets of your thoughts, within the very current which keeps your body living. She can be found in the darkest bowels of the earth, Gaia's womb, and her hands reach up from its chambers and yearn to hold you, to take you to her, to claim you, she beckons you within, to journey down the river Styx.

You fear her call, try to ignore her voice, you don't want to listen to her. You fear the unknown, the darkness, what may lie within, the absence of light, of knowing, of being, you are safe and secure in your ignorance, you don't want to listen because you know she is change. She will call you to see your truths, you know acknowledging her will bring a change that cannot be stopped, cannot be ignored, and is in fact inevitable. This change involves standing up and facing your true self, looking upon the person you are meant to be, meant to become, shredding self hate and embracing your true self, loving it, hugging it, for this self is a gift granted to you by the Goddess, she has made you that way, sculpted you that way and anything less is not authentic, anything else is shunning that birth right you hold within your hands. She makes you face up to excuses and your denial, she will show you reality, the life you are meant to lead, the courage you should carry in your footsteps and just how far you are falling short.

She will present you with courage, with knowledge, with the power to stand astride the earth and she will want you to embrace it! She wants you to be wild and free, to run with wolves, with the heartbeat of ocean waves and the sound of thunder in your steps. She wants you to turn your back on former knowledge, on people's opinions, on old paradigms, and reign with majesty like the royalty you are! You know the darkness beckons because within there is the power you are yet to grasp, the light of knowledge, of divinity. Within your heart is the sun and within your womb the moon and the Goddess is the gravity that guides your cosmic dance, for every person is a star, and you, child need to shine!

You will arise with blood on your hands and gold within your womb, you will arise with eyes so dark from gazing upon the blackest night, you will arise with wings and horns, the majesty of dark and light. You will arise divine, fit to walk side by side, hand in hand with She Who Is the Universe. A fine representative of the Goddess, like Kings and Queens of Old.

Follow the curls of the ivy, the grain of the stone, the winding root of the yew, follow the bubbles of the meandering stream, follow the hum into the damp cavern, follow the hornet into its nest, follow the wolf into its den. Follow your heart into the Goddess.

Hello And Welcome: About me and this blog

Hello And Welcome!

"How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.
“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here."- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland- Lewis Carroll

 

 I hope for this blog to be not only an imaginative magical den for all my thoughts, speculations and discussions on pagan, magical, spiritual subjects and an exploration of witchcraft, but inspiration, a helping hand or even an interesting rest stop for all of you along your own path ^_^

About Me:

I am Freya Rose, a witch, a pagan, a childlike mind stuck in an ageing body, with a fascination with writing, stories, reading, adventures, magic, unicorns, nature, animals, botanicals, music and anything that fulfills the soul.

The pantheon I pay homage to has deities from different cultures, for I believe as a nomadic species there is something to be gained from connecting to the dieties and cultures of different lands, I also mix a tiny bit of Abrahamic religions in, I believe in angels, demons, or perhaps negative energies, and evil and good. I respect everyone has different opinions and do not seek to persuade anyone so I hope the same respect can be reserved for me.

Feel free to browse my essays, thoughts, speculations, rituals, spells, guides and whatever weird and crazy articles I post whenever I get round to finishing them and hope they please you as much as they have me experiencing and writing them!

Blessings on your travels!  )O(