Yuletide Greetings for the Witch in Your Life

Acknowledging the holidays celebrated by the special Witch in your life is a wonderful way to express appreciation for and understanding of a very unique aspect of your loved one. When December rolls around, why not add a personal flair based on an understanding of what this season means to those close to you who practice Wicca? By doing this you can deepen your understanding of what this time means to your loved one, while also showing that you are willing to acknowledge a large part of what spiritually fulfills the individual.

Unlike many other holidays, there is a great deal of overlap in seasonal celebrations this time of year with pagan and Wiccan celebrations. In fact, unlike Samhain which may take some practice to get used to, the Wiccan celebration in late December bears a name with which most of us are familiar: Yule.  It is important to note that many traditions and customs later carried out during December festivals such as Christmas, St. Stephen’s Day, and other Winter Holiday traditions originated in pre-Christian, pagan cultures. The roots of many of these traditions still hold strong in the modern Wiccan and Pagan celebration of Yule, or Midwinter or Winter Solstice. This holiday occurs circa December 20-22, depending on the year. It marks the beginning of winter. A great example of a special tradition for Yule is the decorative or functional Yule Log, or an evergreen log with holes drilled along the side for candles. Holly, Mistletoe and other natural accessories of winter are very important and symbolic, as well as beautiful accents used during this holiday. Even wreaths and other remnants of nature’s stoic survival in the harsh winter months make great Yule gifts.

As it marks the heart of winter in the northern hemisphere, this holiday is a fire festival. Any gifts that bear the mark of fire, from candles, to warm spicy foods and ciders, to specialty stews or toasty warm blankets, carry the energy of this holiday: warming the heart and home and uplifting the spirit in an otherwise dark time of year. Gifts that capture the light are a great way to acknowledge this season as well, and can be given in the form of sparkling, glittery or shiny ornamentation, jewelry, and household accents. Gold colors are significant this time of year as they relate to the Sun and this is being the holiday marking the “rebirth” of the Sun God.

While most symbols of Yule are close enough to other winter holiday décor and symbolism to be compiled together in one big politically correct happy family, acknowledging the specific celebrations of one you know to be Wiccan can be deeply heartwarming. When in doubt consider that since Wicca is a nature based religion, most symbols reminiscent of winter holidays that stem from the natural world will be held in high esteem. Go for the holly, mistletoe, and pinecones in decorative or fragrant arrangements, even the reindeer as symbolic of the “Stag King” (fertility representative of the God) or any variety of candles or representations of warming and fire. Choosing gifts carefully can help you avoid awkward moments on the holiday and during family or workplace gatherings.  With the right gifts you can demonstrate that you took the time to choose seasonally appropriate gifts for the known Wiccan in your life: gifts that show an understanding and respect for Wiccan holiday customs and traditions.

Article by: Angela Kaufman.  Angela is a Priestess for the Dragon Warriors of Isis Coven in Upstate, New York, and the co-author of Wicca: What's the Real Deal?  She is a professional tarot reader.  For more information about Wicca: What's the Real Deal? visit http://www.wwtrd.webs.com.

Samhain Gifts the Witch in Your Life Will Appreciate

It must be said that there are as many types of modern Witches as there are types of modern people. Perhaps birthday gifts for your loved one are easy to figure out. After all, you know them first as a person, and then as a Wiccan. What better way to surprise your loved one by coming up with a gift for those other special occasions? Even better, imagine the look of joy and surprise when your loved one receives a card, gift, and “Happy Sabbat” greeting? The smiles of course will be followed by gasps of “How did you know what Sabbat it is?!”

This easy guide will help you to stay in tune with the special times of celebration for the Witch in your life as well as typical gifts that correspond to these celebrations. Bear in mind that there are many traditions in the Wiccan faith and some traditions may use alternate names etc. The gesture of acknowledging the special days for your loved one will likely exceed any unintended mistake such as a card saying “Happy Lammas” instead of “Happy Lughnasadh” but when in doubt, ask your loved one or one within the Wiccan community for clarification.

Samhain - Celebrate the New Year early - that is early for you, and right on time for the Witch you love. October 31^st marks the entry into the darker half of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. This is no secret to you, you know the days are shortening and the air is cooler. What you may not realize is that to your Wiccan loved one this is a tremendously special day. It is not only one of the few days that it is socially acceptable to be “Witchy” in full force, but it is also a time where the veil between the living world and afterworld dissipates. This makes it a special time to commune with ancestors, perform divination, and  honor the deceased. Special gifts for this Sabbat include anything that could honor and recognize the life and legacy of those who have passed.

Some creative ideas are Photo or other memorials, scrapbooks, even an electronic slideshow setting photographs of the ancestors and deceased loved ones to appropriate music. A family heirloom or relic of another time is another special gift for this time of year as it reconnects the Witch to his or her past and heritage.

Then there is the fun through horror angle. Some Witches enjoy entertainment found in ghost stories and this can be a great time to set the mood for the Sabbat by having a marathon ghost story night with special themed dinner. Perhaps Ghoulish Goulash! Playing up the excitement and even romantic reminiscence of other times presented in ghost stories with a special meal prepared in a traditional style (maybe even a family’s traditional recipe) can also set the tone and connect the events of the night to the heritage and ancestors, and provide another link from past to present. Be sure to consider what types of ghostly entertainment your loved one favors. There are some forms of horror or ghost stories that some Witches find offensive. If unsure, stick with ghost stories based on real events, or even historical or legendary tales that conjure up a connection to the past and the dead.

Divination is traditionally associated with this Sabbat as well. After all, the veil between the realms is gone, intuitive sight is clearer, and hey, its New Year, who wouldn’t want a glimpse of what is to come? If your loved one has a soft spot for one type of divinatory method, a gift related to that would be perfect this time of year. A new deck of Tarot cards for example, or a beautiful decorative box in which to keep the tried and true deck they have used for years. A new set of runes can be easily made for little money from scrap wood chips or purchased inexpensively. Don’t forget that just like hairdressers seldom cut their own hair, sometimes Witches enjoy a real treat of having someone else divine for them, and Samhain makes a great Sabbat for giving the gift of a date to take your loved one to a local reputable psychic reader for a truly meaningful experience.

Since this is one of the few times that black taper candles are easily found, a heartfelt and economical treat can be a surprise of black taper candles as well as incenses and other ritual supplies that any Witch can never have enough of! Also consider a handmade greeting card expressing a sincere “Happy Samhain”. The best gift ever, is the joy of knowing someone cares enough to remember to say “Happy Samhain!”

Article by: Angela Kaufman.  Angela is a Priestess for the Dragon Warriors of Isis Coven in Upstate, New York, and the co-author of Wicca: What's the Real Deal?  She is a professional tarot reader.  For more information about Wicca: What's the Real Deal? visit http://www.wwtrd.webs.com.

An Explication of the Principles of Wiccan Belief: Part 1

By Angela Kaufman

“We practice Rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal Quarters and Cross-Quarters.”

Wiccans practice rituals throughout the year to celebrate the forces inherent in nature that promote growth and transcendence through the sacred alignment of the self, soul, and environment.  We observe the changing of the seasons and the tides of the Moon, Sun, and Mother Earth by honoring these transition times throughout the calendar and seasonal year.  To a practitioner of Wicca, the change in season means more than a reason to change wardrobes, winterize the home or car, or open the pool for the season.  These fluctuations in nature strike a personal chord that resonates deep in the lifestyle of the practitioner so that we may feel the energies of the Goddess and God as recognized as a part of the Earth, Moon, and Sun.  We recognize in these cycles the energy of transformation and we seek to parallel the transformation process in our own personal lives.  We follow the axiom “As Above, So Below.”  Thus, as the Earth, Sun and Moon interact to produce abundance or a scarcity of growth or light, so do we as spiritual seekers on the Wiccan path, observe the hope of the long sun filled days, or the seasons of darkness with introspection examining our lives and ourselves.

We observe eight annual milestones in the waxing or waning of Sun known as the Sabbats.  These power days also mark the seasons recognized by all humankind even aside from their religious connotations.  The Sabbats are the equinoxes, or days of equal day and night time (occurring in the start of both spring and fall), the solstices, days of greatest and least sunlight (first days of winter and summer), and the cross quarter days, which mark the transitions to spring, fall, winter and summer.  This cycle also represents milestones in the growth of the God and Goddess as representative of the lifespan (birth, puberty, adulthood, full maturity, death) and the lifespan of growth seasons (planting, growth, harvest, barrenness).  Thus, the multi-layered forces at work in all natural creation and destruction are represented, celebrated in symbolic birth, growth, death, and rebirth of plant and animal life as seen in the changing seasons.

Attunement to the cycles of nature need not wait for summer or winter, but is experienced in the growing and waning power of the Moon, signaling the power ebb and flow of the Divine Feminine.  By observing the lunar cycles, we work with the energies of growth and productivity in both Magickal and mundane tasks during the waxing Moon.  As the Moon wanes, we acknowledge the change in energy as we focus on banishing from our lives what is no longer useful.  We acknowledge the Divine Feminine as a lunar Goddess whose height of power is celebrated at monthly Esbats, or full moon rituals.

Wiccans find fulfillment in synchronizing periods of growth or loss, preparation or introspection in conjunction with these shifts in nature.  It is through attuning with Mother Earth’s cycles that we are able to keep our own growth and development in perspective and carry the connection to our divine and fluctuating world in our daily lives.

Angela Kaufman is the coauthor of Wicca:What’s the Real Deal? Breaking Through the Misconceptions, along with Dayna Winters, and Patricia Gardner.  You can find out more about the book at: http://www.wwtrd.webs.com.