Tess. Lotta Photography

“You find peace . . . by realizing who you are at the deepest level” – Eckhart Tolle

Posts tagged ‘Sabbats’

Rebel Grrrl/Rebel Witch: The Magick of Love

As Mabon and Samhain approach, my focus is shifting to the dark mysteries. By Mabon (late September), I am in full prep mode for Samhain season, including lavish altar-making,  planning celebrations and dedications for Witches New Year, spell working Day of the Dead devotions to my ancestors and loved ones that have moved through the veil, and, of course, a Samhain ritual—all enchantments that explore an awareness of rebirth through death.

As a longtime practicing Modern Eclectic Witch, I am super comfy with spirits and spirit work. And, while I work on both sides of the veil throughout the year, at this time, I start to pick up on more “visitors” from the other side than usual. To honor travelers on both sides of the veil, I focus a good portion of my magick workings on Love.

In this life, we are blessed with countless opportunities to love. We are called to the love of family, friends, and children, as well as love for others we may not know in the forms of compassion and kindness. The uniquely incredible thing about Love is that when we commit ourselves to it, when we dare to stand up for the challenge that Love invites, it gives back the most incredible gifts. In these ways, Love is truly an adventure not only into the very heart and soul of the persons we love, but also the unfathomable depths of our own capabilities to provide comfort and kindheartedness for ourselves and others.

For your magickal workings this season, do an inventory of one or two issues with which you are struggling. Meditate, paint, write, sing…whatever method you use to go beneath and calm your busy mind. During this process, conjure a symbol, phrase, or image that symbolizes your compassion for yourself. Manifest this phrase or symbol in physical form: make, find, or purchase a symbolic representation of what self-compassion feels like. Consecrate this symbol and add it to your altar. Then, do the same for someone close to you or others in the world you know are suffering. Find or create a symbol of your compassion for others. Consecrate this symbol and add it to your altar.

This magick provides the very fortunate opportunity to invite acceptance, personal growth, honesty, generosity, dignity, self-expression, trustworthiness, and the giving and receiving of support.

Cheers to the season of the Dark Mysteries—may it be filled with spooky delights and meaningful merriments with those you love both here and there!

For my Witchy craftings, visit my Rebel & Witch store on Etsy

Rebel Grrrl/Rebel Witch: Lughnasadh/Lammas & Path of Totality

I came across the astronomical term path of totality just before Lughnasadh when preparing for my ritual work, and the revelations have stuck with me throughout Lammas celebrations, meditations, and divination work. For this Sabbat, my spiritual work has been focused on exploring the shadow I may be casting because of the shadow I may be denying.

The path of totality refers to the area of land darkened during a total solar eclipse. During the eclipse, the moon will cover the sun, effectively casting a shadow. Those of us in the Los Angeles area will be able to see it as a partial eclipse (about 61.38%), starting at 9:05 am to the maximum eclipse at 10:21 am.

At that moment, the sun’s atmosphere is visible, including its corona. And, at that moment, the moon confiscates the sun’s light, hiding it from us and encouraging us to stand within the shadow.

If we were honest with ourselves, most of us would admit to being uncomfortable with our shadow selves, as C.G. Jung refers to the repository part of the human psyche and personality in which we relegate what we label as negative psychological elements. In essence, Jung articulates this as the aggregate of the things we define as inferior or unacceptable within ourselves and each other—what he refers to as the “personal shadow.”

This is where all of our denied expressions of emotions and unexplored pain go, for example. Regardless of what we’d like to believe, denying and avoiding healthy expressions of anger, disappointment, sadness, loss, etc. does not mean it goes away. Often, that unexplored fear, for example, festers and manifests as unconscious habits and behaviors that rip ourselves and each other apart. These bits of nasty baggage sabotage our relationships and keep us feeling isolated and unhappy.

At its most horrific form, our collective unexplored shadow—our cultural, religious, political, and social shadows—surface as what Jung might categorize as en masse manifestations of the archetypal shadow, such as the historic epidemic of rape and violence against women, hatred toward certain groups, and the ferocious devastations caused by greed.

Full on heavy shit to think about….Blessed Be!

When the eclipse is cast on August 21, what will your shadow reveal?

Rebel Grrrl/Rebel Witch: Litha/Summer Solstice/Midsummer – Align and Catch Fire

Fire & Stars in the Sequoias

Litha/Summer Solstice marks the astrological event when the Earth’s axis is aligned with the sun. As a result, we are provided the opportunity to revel not only in the longest daylight of the year, but also a powerful astrological configuration. And, thanks to the full moon on June 9, we are privileged with the opportunity for powerful complementary magic. A full moon ushering in a solstice equals an influential dyadic spark just waiting for us to tap in and ignite.

As an eclectic witch, my spiritual practices often veer from the strict adherence to traditional Wicca. While I embrace many of the correspondences related to Litha, including adding elements to my altars and ritual work that regard the associations that speak to me, I stray from idealizing the virility of a Sun god as the focus of ritual work and celebration of this Sabbat. Instead, my Litha is more about inviting the sun–its heat, illumination, radiance, and transformative power–to do its magic and teach its lessons.

This year, I have the great fortune of a long weekend trip to the Sequoias with a group of female artist friends. One of the things I love about these annual expeditions is the spontaneous magic that happens when chilling around the campfire with a pack of rad, strong women armed with wine, humor, stories, truths, creative insight, and self-reflection. Within that intention, our nightly campfire becomes a ritual space.

Protected by giant Sequoia Devas and surrounded by my sisters, this is my Litha—a time to recalibrate and set alight a freshly realigned inner compass. As the earth rotates away from the sun, the June 21 Solstice will wane, and the dark blue hues of night will begin to pierce the fiery oranges of summer light.

How will you catch the fire?

Rebel Grrrl/Rebel Witch: Beltane – They are Us

Dandelion in the Sequoias

Here’s to wishing….remembering that we are human. We suffer, love, lose, win, hurt, heal, push, acquiesce. We get crushed by sadness and are transformed by joy. We live. We die. Together. Inevitably.

Though our experiences are vastly different, we are each one of a species. Yet, as we use our differences to create lines between an us and a them, we forge an egoic position, as Eckhart Tolle would say, that weakens the bond of our common humanity. In that moment, we sacrifice our Higher Selves to strive for an identity that casts us as superior, more important, right.

Beltane, a fire Sabbat, reminds us to celebrate life with each other and ignite within ourselves our instinctual need to create and nurture love and friendship—community.  It seems an act of the Universe my weekend has shaped up to include a Beltane ritual tonight and parties with friends on Saturday and Sunday. Hells yeah!

I feel grateful and excited to celebrate my humanness with other humans under the fire of sun, stars, and moon. No lines drawn. No us or them. Just a circle cast in which all are welcome. Here’s to wishes come true.

Happy Beltane!