Imbolc Returns

Imbolc Returns; an everyday-life pondering of what Imbolc means….

Imbolc is the first Pagan Sabbat to fall after the turn of the calendar new year, usually celebrated on 1st and 2nd of February.  Personally, I celebrate on 1st February every year with so much excitement.

I always instinctively think of Imbolc as a Spring festival, even though it is smack bang in the middle of winter. It brings to my mind images of snow, stillness, pristine white and clear starry skies.  Candle lit rooms and chunky knits, blankets and pets on laps are all perfectly representative of me at Imbolc.  Yet still something deep in my bones whispers “Spring”.  To those of you who walk the winding paths of the Goddesses with me, you will no doubt hear this whispering too … listen for the song of the Goddess as she stirs … Imbolc returns.

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I believe that this whisper of nature comes to us from the very Earth itself, from the spirit of the Goddess who is telling us that she is coming, that she will soon be reborn to lay her feet upon the land again to bring life, colour and warmth all that feels her caress.  She is reminding us that although we are in the season of winter, deep in the grasp of the coldest time of the year, the Earth, the seasons and indeed life itself is not stagnant or still.  All are ever moving in an inevitable and endless forward motion that not even She can halt.  Winter will not endure just as it did not endure last year or any year before.  It is moving steadily and constantly towards it’s defeat; the day the first closed green bud creeps out of a branch, the day a ray of glittering winter sun displays a tiny growing snow drop in all its absolute beauty, all magical signs that the reign of the dark cold days is ending.

And if like me, you do thoroughly enjoy the darkening days when they come as the Wheel turns through Autumn and into winter – the festivities, the twinkly lights, the gathering of loved ones, the magic in the air everywhere you turn, the winter scents and delightful tastes and of course dark candle lit nights filled with scary movies and cosy blankets – by the time Imbolc comes around I image you too have things you look forward too with keen anticipation.

So, whilst I usually look at the mystical and ethereal reasons we celebrate a Sabbat, I have a feeling in my mind at the moment that the coming Spring is going to bring me many practical and wellbeing based reasons to be grateful to the Goddess for bringing milder days to us.  So it is these I will base my ramblings on, as we have spoken about Imbolc and Brigid previously.

Psychological Wellbeing

If you are anything like me, in addition to the traditional Imbolc celebrations and symbolisms, you will look for hints of sunny moments and let the corners of your mouth curve into a gentle smile as Imbolc returns, you will crave the feel of the warm rays of the sun on your skin, and the carefree feeling in your soul of long nights spent in gardens, at beaches or wandering through the woods will start to be a yearning deep in your belly.  And it is these things that really pick our psychological wellbeing up in the Spring.

  • Seeing the sun shining, no matter what the temperature is outside, after long weeks of grey days shrouded in clouds and dullness, seems to me to shine straight into my mind and light up the shadows that creep in and take residence by the end of the dark half of the year.  In a mini ritual I will stand and face that sliver of sunlight and close my eyes and let the light fall on my face.  A sense of peace always seeps into my very being and in those few moments.  That feeling, if only for a second or two, is invaluable to my psychological wellbeing and I would bet if you tried it you would agree.
  • In the cold months I miss my garden and generally spending longer periods of time in outdoor spaces.  Yes, I still spend a good amount of time outside; this winter we have still been to some brilliant places out exploring mother nature, but lazy hours spent idling by the fire pit, watching the birds and admiring the many and varied blooms of the Goddess, are not realistic without freezing off a finger or two and chattering a few teeth right out of your mouth.  So for me, the coming of Spring is the coming of spending more time in my favourite place – outside.  The grass is cut, the gazebos go up in the garden, new bulbs and seeds are planted, chairs and tables and parasols are placed, and the outdoor side of life can begin again.  But why is that important you ask – it is important because in our favourite place we feel joy, when we feel joy our brains release happy hormones and when are happy our stress lessens, and our worries diminish.

Physical Wellbeing

You probably don’t need me to tell you too much about this, it pretty much is what it says on the tin.  As Imbolc returns, we get out more, we walk more.  Walks along the beach and through the countryside are much more appealing when they don’t involve so many layers of clothing you can’t move your arms, having to undress in the hallway so you only have one wet and muddy room, and then the clean up of said wet and muddy room.  It feels like there is more time to be active with more hours of daylight to enjoy.  And of course, many of us, including me from time to time (I can’t honesty lay claim to this on a regular basis) eat lighter and healthier meals when the weather is warm and comforting.

Practical Joys of Spring

One of the things I look forward to the most, please prepare to be underwhelmed, is being able to put my laundry on the washing line.  Yep, I told you it was an exciting revelation. 

There is something about the smell and feel of the Spring and Summer air on the laundry that brings the image into my mind of the Goddess walking the Earth, bringing the plants and woodlands to life, waking the animals and imbuing the air with love and grace.

https://littlesilverhedgehog.com/

Garden Visitors

Every year my partner and I wait for our Hedgehogs to come back to our garden with such excited anticipation.  They are such an important part of our Spring, Summer and Autumnal rituals – watching their habits as they wander around our garden, putting out food and water for them, teaching the children about them, and knowing that we are doing our small part in helping this incredible and rapidly declining species continue to be a part of our wildlife.  If you have never sat and just watched a Hedgehog on one of it’s wanders, you should definitely add this to your to do list this summer.  They are so entertaining and cute; they are a definite part of the magic brought to our household by the Goddess as she wakes the animals from their winter slumbers.

So remember, on 1st February, when Imbolc returns, when you feel like the winter is never going to end, that this is the day we celebrate the coming of the Spring, the coming of lighter days, the coming of warmth and light, and that we celebrate these things because, whether symbolically or as a living Deity, we celebrate the rebirth of the Goddess.

So I think I’ll leave you with those thoughts, perhaps more of a rambling than usual this time, but isn’t that sometimes the point of a blog; to get thoughts and tangents out of your head, clearing some space for your Muses to whisper into, to start growing whatever will come next out of your thoughts.

Now that you’ve survives tis musing of Imbolc returns, don’t forget to check out all of the items in my Ritual Shop, or continue on to see (the same) items in my Etsy Shop.

I put a lot of my experience and knowledge into practice to bring you magically and ritually charged items in my Ritual Shop, and in my Etsy Store, which stocks identical items. It is better for me if you purchase from my Ritual Shop as it helps me brand and will eventually allow me to sell less on an outside platform.

Stay Wild

Darkest Ginger Blessings

Ginger Witch

www.gingerwitchinnorthumberland.com

The Full Corn Moon September 2nd 2020

The Full Corn Moon 2020 …..

….. falls on 2nd September. And if you’re anything like me you’ll be thinking thank goodness it’s September.

I’m sure you’ve all noticed the days getting shorter and the nights getting cooler as the wheels spins us rapidly towards the dark half of the year.  That is why right now, I can be found in the back garden, on a clear night, on the very last day of August, enjoying one of the few nights left this summer where it is practical to sit outside and write.

It is very much in my nature to be outside whatever the weather; waterproof Gazebos and sheltered fire pits are my friends. However even I won’t sit and shiver my way through writing a blog post in the very coldest and darkest of days. 

I relish the crackling of the fires, the lights adorning houses and gardens, the celebrations of All Hallows Eve, Bonfire Night and Yule.  My dark goddesses come into their own and remind me in furtive whispers of the lessons they have taught me and make their promises that they will  continue to walk with me just as I promise to continue honouring them.

But let’s leave these tales of darkness here for now; we will continue talking about this in my upcoming Mabon blog post.  For now, we turn our attention to our beautiful lady of the sky in all of her bright and full glory.

www.linktr.ee/joncarraherart & @joncarraherart

The ceaseless and unforgiving spin of the wheel is the reason our September full moon is either named The Full Corn Moon or The Harvest Moon.  The Harvest Moon falls in September two in every three years, and is always the full moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox.  This year, in 2020, it is the full moon on 1st October which is closest to the Autumnal Equinox, making our September Full Moon the Full Corn Moon instead of the Harvest Moon. This happens every third year.

This year the Autumnal Equinox falls on 22nd September at 14.30 in the UK.

Our ancient ancestors tracked their time and seasons using the night sky; both the stars and the moon, and they named the monthly full moons to guide them through the practical activities they relied upon, such the dawning of the time of year to harvest their crops, and on what they saw in the natural world around them (for example the Sturgeon Moon or the Buck Moon are named after significant activities of these animals at particular points in the year).

This is the time of year to harvest and fill up on stores to last through the harsh winter months. Our ancestors saw more brutal and unforgiving winters than we do. They did not have the home luxuries that we have such as central heating to keep them warm and safe against the frosts. They did no have shops to provide them with all of their needs. Instead communities relied upon not only successful harvests of grains, fruits and vegetables to last them many months, but on gathering wood for fires and straw for roofs. The coming of the Corn Moon (or Harvest Moon) was an important marker, a vital indicator of this notch on the spinning wheel.

Harvesting apples is a practice as old as the memories of witches. Beautiful image by @fraukruber

And whilst the coming days and months are filled with preparations for winter, it is also delightfully true that the days leading to winter are days for the warmth of flames, cosy blankets and heart warming tales; these are my favourite times of the year.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the changing seasons and find joy in the Spring and Summer, walking with the May Queen and Oak King along their path of virility to their place of slumber, however the darker days are my domain.

Civilisations across the globe have had many names for the full moons, and, through the ages, the name The Full Corn Moon has been generally accepted as the name for this particular September Moon, with alternatives being The Barley Moon, the Fruit Moon and the Honey Moon. The name comes to us from wise tribes of Native Americans, who recognised many moos ago that this was the time of year to begin thinking about harvesting the crops, bringing in the grains, and making stores for the colder months ahead.  This year our Full Corn Moon is the last full moon of the summer, a reminder to us that colder days are close on our tails.

This image by @garlandsandgravestones depict this full moon perfectly. Visit them at www.linktr.ee/garlandsandgravestones

As we journey into the coming annual darkness we find ourselves with more time to reflect and to complete the thoughts of where we want our path to lead us though the next few months and of the things we would like to bring into our lives. These many faceted thoughts that come to us in fragments through the excitements and adventures of the long summer days never seem to feel fully formed.  The Full Corn Moon is the perfect time to sit with these thoughts and allow them to complete their transformation into plans and goals. 

During the Full Corn Moon, when you’re sitting with these thoughts, focus on your emotions, on healing your body and mind, on bringing balance into your life. These are the areas that will reap the most benefit from soaking in the moonbeams, whether real if you’re outside or metaphorical if you’re inside, of the homely and generous Full Corn Moon.

This Full Corn Moon with help you to see those around you and inside of yourself clearly. Stunning image by @syri_water & www.syriwater.etsy.com

Don’t forget that all full moons are of course magical times to recharge healing crystals, to make moon water, to cast spells and set manifestations for abundance and healing. Just remember that it is during the Full Corn Moon, when the focus of the natural cycles of our Mother Earth is to harvest, to store, to bring into life and home the things needed to survive the coming winter, that that your wishes and intentions for abundance are in perfect symmetry with the flow of the year and are particularly strong.

Stay Wild & Blessed Be

Ginger Witch

Aradia: 26.08.20

This morning I chose to pull a Dark Goddess oracle card and was graced with Aradia who brings us Defence. 

Aradia, Goddess of Witches

The Card

Drawing this card I know that Aradia has come to warm against taking a defensive stance against things said today. Aradia reminds us that whilst we may have built up a natural defensive wall against unkindness and attack in response to our life experiences, it is only ourselves we make to suffer in the end by diminishing our own energy and spirit with negativity and doubt. 

Aradia teaches us that we need to embrace who we are and live our lives true to our authentic selves, the self that lies hidden safe and cosy underneath the layers of acceptability we have established as the “us” twe present to the world. We need to shed those layers or risk being lost in their false shadows, hidden in the darkness of our own repression’s and restrictions. 

We must defend the self that resides in our wild and primal senses, the natural, child of the Earth self that has been passed down through a long line of wise men and woman, the self that we feel in the very marrow of our bones. 

We must howl our truths into the night becoming one with how they make us feel, bringing them into rhythm with the beat of the heart within our breast that can never be denied. With every breath we take through the day we must protect their validity and tune them into the ancient magic we draw from the Earth and the from the Ether. 

Aradia tells us to stand tall, defend who we are, and to shine as brightly as the full moon as she smiles down upon us.

Aradia, Goddess of Witches

The Goddess

The origins of Aradia are difficult to pin down as there are many varying accounts of who she was. Some depict her as a Goddess of Ancient Rome, the daughter of Diana and Apollo. Others tell that she is the Daughter of Diana and Lucifer (a name pre-dating Christianity, meaning light bringer; this is not a reference to the Christian figure Satan). There are then those who believe she was a powerful mortal witch who’s magic and knowledge was gifted to her by Diana, and which brought her great renown and recognition.

The stunningly beautiful work of @ladytor
www.etsy.com/shop/artbyladyviktoria

The one common thread through most of the tales of Aradia is that she is the daughter of Diana, a Goddess widely worshipped in Ancient Rome. In these tales, Diana sent Aradia to Earth to spend time with the oppressed, the poor, and the disadvantaged. Her task, to teach them the ways of witchcraft and magic. The focus of Aradia’s magical teachings was helping witches to rise above their disadvantage, to seek retribution against their oppressors and to find the means to lift themselves out of poverty. Spells, hexes, enchantments and curses where at the forefront of Aradia’s lessons, along with imparting the knowledge, ways and recipes of earth based medicines and remedies. 

Perhaps it was this deep and unquestionable source of knowledge, this most respected and omnipotent source that led to the title of witch; an old and weathered word meaning wise woman. Because those women were, and witches both male and female in modern times, are blessed with an innate knowledge and understanding of the earth and the wonders it has to offer us medicinally, nutritionally and spiritually.

Aradia, Goddess of Witches

The Hashtags

#witch #witchcraft #spellcasting #spells #elementalmagic #wildwoman #wildwomen #darkmagic #lightmagic #gingerwitch_in_northumberland #pagan #pagans #druid #druidry #druids #darkgoddess #aradia #goddess #diana #deity #oraclecard #tarotcard #divination #spirituality #protection #defense #truth #authenticity #romangoddess #ancientrome #apollo

The stunningly beautiful work of @ladytor
www.etsy.com/shop/artbyladyviktoria

The Credits

This beautiful Dark Goddess Oracle Deck is by @flavia_kate_peters / www.flaviakatepeters.com

AND 

@barbarameiklejohnfree / www.barbarameiklejohnfree.com

Aradia, Goddess of Witches

Stay Wild & Blessed Be

Ginger Witch

My own arrangement of Hagalaz , rune from the Elder Futhark

Hagalaz: 24.08.20

Representation of Hail or Hailstones and pronounced haw-gaw-lawz.

This morning I pulled Hagalaz when asking for insight from the runes on the day ahead.

Hagalaz represents a sense of confinement and constriction that will melt away into freedom and fluidity.  It speaks to us of wrath, destruction and forces within us that cannot be controlled, however their contemplation will bring us inner peace as they run their course. We must allow these force last to run their intended course as no matter how hard we try, we will not be able to bend them to our will or control the path they take.

My own arrangement of Hagalaz , rune from the Elder Futhark

When we draw Hagalaz we must be aware of being circled by sickness and crisis, suffering and hardship; our lesson here is that we must stand facing such trials and teach ourselves to become at one with them, to move with them so that they glide past us, still leaving their mark as they touch us, but not breaking us as they would if we stood rigid against their rage as they crashed upon us. 

My own arrangement of Hagalaz , rune from the Elder Futhark

Hagalaz can also indicate that we are surrounded by chaos, or that we feel chaotic within our own minds or bodies. When I draw this rune I like to take a few moments to sit with my own thoughts and to really notice how my body feels; do I have any pain, unrest or aches to address that I’d not noticed or put off dealing with? Are there issues nagging at my mind that I am now being ushered towards dealing with? Maybe it’s time to put too many “to do” thoughts into a “to do” list to calm the storm swirling around in our minds – being able to look at things like that visually and then tick items off a list always helps to calm my mind if it’s in a storm.

My own arrangement of Hagalaz , rune from the Elder Futhark

In the runic alphabet Hagalaz is the letter H and many believe the colour blue entwines with Hagalaz. 

Stay Wild & Blessed Be

Ginger Witch

Dark Goddess Oracle Card - Ereshkigal

Ereshkigal: 21.08.20

Today’s card is Ereshkigal with “coercion” from the beautiful Dark Goddess oracle deck by Flavia Kate Peters and Barbara Meikle John Free.

www.flaviakatepeters.com and www.barbarameiklejohnfree.com

They also have a Familiars deck that is most definitely on my wish list but for now I will be sharing my daily cards from this beautiful deck or a rune drawn from the set very kindly made for me by a friend I made last year.

The Card
This card tells me that today is a day to make sure boundaries are in place that I make sure people don’t cross those boundaries. It also tells me to make sure I know my priorities and that I put them first, not letting others hold those priorities against me. I need to be mindful today that others don’t coerce me into putting my own needs on the back burner. A warning against neglecting self care and allowing others to walk all over me.

The Goddess
Ereshkigal is the ancient Mesopotamian Goddess of the underworld and the sister of Inanna who was one of the most popular Sumerian Goddesses of ancient Mesopotamia, and the Goddess who murdered Inanna before her rise from the Underworld.

I do a lot of work with Ereshkigal and Inanna and will most definitely be doing a feature blog on these Goddesses in due course.

The links
www.gingerwitchinnorthumberland.com
Facebook: GingerWitch_in_Northumberland
Instagram: @gingerwitch_in_northumberland

Stay Wild & Blessed Be

Ginger Witch

Lammas 2020 …

… is celebrated on 1st August every year. Lammas is an ancient Gaelic festival, with festivities on this day stretching as far back as the first Anglo Saxon settlements in the 6th Century AD, and is known as Lunghnasadh in the Gaelic tongue. Literally translated it means Lugh’s Gathering and Loaf Mass and is the time of year when we see the first harvests of fruits and grains and give thanks to our life gifting May Queen, now our Mother Earth Goddess, for blessing us with the crops to make enough food to last us around the next spin of the wheel of the year.

Crops are abundant and ready for harvest
Crops are abundant and ready for harvest

Whilst many consider this to be a Christian festival, the honouring and celebrating of the earth and the fruits of nature in all it’s colourful and cyclical glory is very much reminiscent of the practices of pagan earth based religions rather than the omnipotent patriarchy of Christianity. The Lammas festival is incorporated into the pagan wheel of the year for this very reason; the honouring of the earth and the bountiful sustenance’s she provides to us year in and year out.

Grounding amongst and offering respect to the crops gifted to u by the Earth Goddess, our matured May Queen.
Grounding amongst and offering respect to the crops gifted to u by the Earth Goddess, our matured May Queen.

This day is also called High Summer by many; granted the days have started to noticeably shorten by 1st August, the sky is darker on a night showing us more of his stars for us to wish upon, but the days and nights remain warm and we are only at the half way point between the beginning of summer on 21st June and the beginning of autumn on 21st September.

So, as Pagans, how do we celebrate this day and give thanks an honour to our mother earth, our goddess? It is customary to bake (or buy if you don’t have the time or inclination) beautiful breads from grains and fruits. Communal celebrations see pagans from all paths forming friendships in magical circles, sharing breads and other earthy foods with each other. Songs are sung, drums beat in time with the heartbeat of the goddess and folks dance and tell stories amidst their own. There is laughter, merriment and happiness, this is a time to spend outdoors with a heart filled with joy, gratitude and community.

A beautiful image of a witch collecting apples by Lady Viktoria, who you can find at https://www.etsy.com/shop/artbyladyviktoria and @ladytor
A beautiful image of a witch collecting apples by Lady Viktoria, who you can find at https://www.etsy.com/shop/artbyladyviktoria and @ladytor

I celebrated exactly like this last year in the most wonderful surroundings of the Spirit of Awen Camp in Gloucestershire. This week long pagan camp is one of the most wonderful places I have ever had the privilege to spend time. The community welcomed me with open arms, I made deep and profound lifelong friends and everything in my life changed for the better from the moment I set foot on the camp site. The Lammas picnic was a wonderful day filled with everything I hold dear about being a pagan; honouring the earth, forming friendships based with genuinely good people, spending time in and with nature, singing with the Goddess, dancing to the beating of drums and drinking good cider and mead round a roaring camp fire.

Making a Lammas Corn Doll
Making a Lammas Corn Doll

This years celebrations were very different but equally as wonderful. COVID-19 meant it was not safe for the Spirit of Awen Camp to go ahead but that didn’t mean we couldn’t come together as a family at home to give our offerings of thanks to the Mother Earth Goddess.

In another of the most widely practised customs of Litha, we, as a family, made corn dolls to throw into our ritual fire along with our wishes or intentions for the future. We made a fun game of this for the children and hid them around the garden for them to find, before putting magic fire packets on fire to make beautifully colourful flames and throwing our corn dolls into the fire to ask who or whatever we personally believe in or work with to guide us down the right path to see our wishes, hopes and dreams come to pass.

Beautifully Colourful Flames to burn our Lammas Corn Dolls in
Beautifully Colourful Flames to burn our Lammas Corn Dolls in

Of course, we can’t tell what our wishes are, as to speak a wish made is to ensure it will evade us. But keep reading the unravelling ramblings, rituals, practices and adventured of Ginger Witch to see more of this pagan path and more of the unrivalled stunning diversity of Northumberland.

A basket of Lammas Corn Dolls made for our family wish making time around our fire pit.
A basket of Lammas Corn Dolls made for our family wish making time around our fire pit.

Stay Wild & Blessed Be

Ginger Witch.