Autumn Equinox
Occurring approximately on the twenty-first day of September, this Sabbat, like the Spring Equinox, is also a time of balance for, once again, the hours of day and night are equal to each other. Many Witches regard the Autumn Equinox as a special time for thanksgiving, meditation, and introspection, as well as being the traditional time to perform Wiccan rededication and initiation ceremonies. And like the Sabbat of Lammas, the Autumn Equinox is also a festival of the harvest.
As part of their Sabbat ceremonies, many Wiccans celebrate the Goddess’ transformation on this night from Her aspect of the Maiden into that of the Mother. Some invoke Her in the form of Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld, and perform special rites in Her honor.
An old Pagan tradition associated with the Autumn Equinox is the cooking of a special harvest loaf over a fire kindled with rowan, the most magickal of all woods. After the loaf is cooked, all members of the family eat a piece of it while walking clockwise around the fire. This is said to bring good luck, as well as good health and prosperity, to the family. The embers of the fire are then shoveled into a small cauldron or pot and used to bless the fields and ensure a plentiful crop for the following year.
The traditional ritual herbs and oils of the Autumn Equinox include acorns, asters, benzoin, ferns, honeysuckle, marigold, milkweed, mums, myrrh, oak leaves, passionflower, pine, roses, sage, Solomon’s seal, and thistles. As the Sun enters Libra each year on the Autumn Equinox, all herbs under the astrological influence of this sign are sacred to this Sabbat as well.
Samhain
The thirty-first of October is the most sacred and magickal day of the year for Witches and Neo-Pagans throughout the world. Also known by its more common name of Halloween, this Sabbat honors the deceased and opens the invisible door that stands between the world of the living and the world of the dead. It is a time for feasting, celebrating, spellcasting, potion-brewing, making contact with what is known as the Other world, and for the practice of the divinatory arts—scrying and rune-casting in particular.
As part of their Sabbat ceremonies, many Witches celebrate the Threefold Goddess’s transformation on this night from Her aspect of the Mother into that of the Crone, or Dark Goddess.
In ancient Celtic times, Samhain (a word of Gaelic origin, pronounced as “sow-in”) marked the end of the Summer season and the beginning of Winter. (In ancient Gaul and Ireland, the year was divided into only two seasons: Summer, which began at Beltane; and Winter, which began at Samhain.) It was regarded as the Celtic New Year’s Eve, and many of its old traditions continue to be celebrated in various places throughout the world.
The traditional ritual herbs and oils of this Sabbat include acorns, apples, broom, deadly nightshade (POISONOUS), dittany, ferns, flax, fumitory, heather, mandrake (POISONOUS), mullein, oak leaves, sage, and straw. As Samhain occurs while the Sun is in Scorpio, all herbs under the astrological influence of this sign are sacred to this Sabbat as well.
Winter Solstice
Celebrated approximately on the twenty-first day of December, the Winter Solstice marks the longest night of the year (opposite of the Summer Solstice, which marks the longest day of the year). On this Sabbat, many Wiccans celebrate the annual rebirth of the Horned God.
In pre-Christian times, the Winter Solstice was observed annually on December 25. This date was also the birthday of the sun god Mithra, who was celebrated in ancient Rome by a Pagan festival known as Dies Natalis Solis Invictus, or Birthday of the Invincible Sun. It was not until the fourth century A.D. that the birthdate of Jesus Christ (whose actual date of birth was never recorded) was chosen to be December 25, perhaps in an attempt by the Church to Christianize the old Pagan holidays. However, as Christian-oriented as the holiday of Christmas may claim to be, nearly all of its customs are steeped richly in Pagan symbolism.
The traditional ritual herbs and oils of this Sabbat include ash tree, bay, bayberry, blessed thistle, cedar, chamomile, evergreen, frankincense, holly, juniper, mistletoe (the most sacred of all plants to the ancient Druids), moss, oak (another sacred plant to the Druids), pine cones, rosemary, and sage. As the Sun enters Capricorn each year on the Winter Solstice, all herbs under the astrological influence of this sign are sacred to this Sabbat.
The Four Elements
There are four basic elements that play an important role in the practice of Witchcraft: Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. These ancient elements correspond to the four cardinal points of the magick circle as well as to altar tools, the twelve astrological signs of the zodiac, the four seasons, the planets, the four Minor Arcana suits of the Tarot, and so forth.
In the Nature-honoring craft of Wicca, one of the most important aspects of nearly every ritual is the orientation to the four directions of East, South, West, and North, and the invoking of their corresponding elements, which are Air, Fire, Water, and Earth respectively. (Note: The corresponding elements given in this book are typical of most Wiccan and magickal traditions.)
Each element is personified by a low-level spiritual being called an elemental. Together, these spirits serve as the life force and are invoked by Witches for balancing energy and to assist in magickal workings.
In Wiccan rituals, elementals are traditionally called upon after the casting of the circle and prior to the invocation of the Goddess and Her consort, the Horned God. Additionally, they are given thanks and bade farewell at the end of the ritual just before the circle is uncast.
The elementals associated with the element of Air are known as Sylphs; the ones with Fire as Salamanders; the ones with Water as Undines; and the ones with Earth as Gnomes.
These spiritual beings are normally invisible to the naked human eye; however, certain individuals gifted with clairvoyant abilities have claimed to have been able to see them. It is also believed that certain animals—especially those that are the familiars of Witches—can see them as well.
Elementals are extremely powerful and should always be treated with respect and caution. It is said that elementals can be malicious and extremely unpredictable, and just as there are both good and bad forms of magick, there are also good and bad elementals. Most Wiccans who work with magickal energies for positive purposes choose to work only with good-natured elementals, while many non-Wiccans and sorcerers who choose to follow what is known as the Left Hand Path (black magick) always attract the bad ones. Of course these are the ones that can be the most dangerous!
Elemental Correspondences
Air corresponds to the East, the Spring Equinox, the planets Mercury and Uranus, the masculine forces of Nature, yang energy, positive polarity, Sylphs, the metal silver, the mind, the Tarot suit of Swords, the color yellow, and the astrological signs of Aquarius, Gemini, and Libra.
Fire corresponds to the South, the Summer Solstice, the Sun and the planets Mars and Jupiter, the masculine forces of Nature, yang energy, positive polarity, Salamanders, the metal gold, the spirit, the Tarot suit of Wands, the colors red and orange, and the astrological signs of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius.
Water corresponds to the West, the Autumn Equinox, the Moon and the planets Neptune and Pluto, the feminine forces of Nature, yin energy, negative polarity, Undines, the metal silver, the soul and the emotions, the Tarot suit of Cups, the color blue, and the astrological signs of Pisces, Cancer, and Scorpio.
Earth corresponds to the North, the Winter Solstice, the planets Earth, Venus, and Saturn, the feminine forces of Nature, yin energy, negative polarity, Gnomes, the metal gold, the body, the Tarot suit of Pentacles, the color green, and the astrological signs of Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn.
Air Elemental Potion
Prepare this potion of Air-ruled herbs when the Moon is positioned in any of the three astrological Air signs (Aquarius, Gemini, Libra): Place one tablespoon of fenugreek seeds, a few fresh clover blossoms, and a pinch