To celebrate this turn of the wheel it is common for many pagans to set up an ancestor table with pictures and mementos of those who have passed on.  Another common theme is to perform a dumb supper.  Dumb stands for the fact that it is totally silent.  It is a time to honor the ancestors by sharing a meal with them.  This ritual has many options but it is my experience to go with what feels right to the participants.  This can be one or many people celebrating for many different ancestors.  In the end, it becomes a very personal experience for each individual.

At sunset, I held a private dumb supper to honor my mother who passed this year.  It seemed like something I should do alone to allow for a quiet, reflective and emotional tribute.  I read a lot about how others use black, table cloths, napkins, plates, etc.  I didn’t feel this was right for me.  Mom liked color.  So I set the table with colors of the season… and cooked a meal I feel she would have loved… but it was a new meal.  One we will share together for the first time.

I placed several candles on the table, with roses from her funeral that were dried.  A crystal ball in case Mom wants to share something with me and of course several pictures of her during happier times.  I wrote a note for her and had a cauldron to burn it in.  Before serving dinner, I smudged the house to raise the vibrations and cast a circle of protection.

After serving dinner and before being seated I approached her place setting and stood a moment to honor her.  Then, we shared a meal together in silence, in candlelight.  Between courses, I read the note (silently) and then brought it to her place setting… and then finally to the cauldron to burn.  This is symbolic so that the message can be received by the spirit world in the smoke from the burning.  Be safe… and use the cauldron for the burning rather than holding in your hand!  Then I served dessert.  Mom did not have a sweet tooth but I hoped she would humor me.

Here is the Gay Pride flag that is over Boston’s City Hall Plaza for the entire week of Pride events.  Every year when I see it go up I smile and think we are achieving so many goals!!

As this month draws to a close I am happy to see it go.  This was a bad month for me as I lost my Mother to a long battle (18 years) with ALS.  While this is unusual in the length of time… it is still hard to “let go” of someone you love.  In the pagan path we believe (generally speaking) in a concept called “crossing the veil”.  The veil is metaphorical but apt.  Similar to Judeo/Christian beliefs when one dies one passes over to the other side.  Christians see the other side as the “kingdom of heaven”.  For pagans… mainly Wiccan oriented pagans, it is the Summerland.

The essence of the Summerland is that it is a resting ground where souls can reflect on the life they led, see if they learned the lesson they had intended on learning, and then try again in due course. The Summerland is not seen as a place of judgment, but rather as a spiritual self-evaluation where a soul is able to review its life and gain an understanding of the total impact its actions had on the world. Some may believe each particular lesson (and hence, life) is chosen and planned out by the soul itself while in Summerland, whereas others may believe that lessons are planned by an external party (deities, a spirit guide, etc.).

As you can see, my concept of the afterlife has a contemplation phase and then a reincarnation phase which is similar to many polytheistic (multiple god) religions.  What ever path you follow in life, take comfort in your individual beliefs.  Grief and loss are hard to deal with but faith in your path will help guide you as one who has been left behind.

Often to reconnect with our departed loved ones, we attempt to honor/ remember/ communicate with them at Samhain (pronounced Sow-en) which is a time when the veil is considered to be the thinnest.  This is the beginning of the Wiccan year and is more commonly associated with Halloween.  But that is many months from now.  Now is the time to let go.

In times of stress as well as times of celebration I often feel drawn to wearing a small goddess charm or other personal symbol of my faith.  Sometimes it is nice to have a piece that is hidden in plain sight.  This is the reason I purchased this locket.  On the outside there is the Celtic Knotwork that I am so fond of.  Open it up and a beautiful pentacle is revealed.  The pentacle is a beautiful symbol of Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit.  One for each star point.  The interwoven detail of the pentacle along with the circle in which it resides speaks of all nature as interrelated, united.  An additional advantage to this locket is that there is enough room to stick a bit of herb or small stone within as a sort of talisman.

Whatever path you take, whatever god or goddess is your light, it is important to remember that this country was founded on religious freedom for all, pagans included.  Blessed Be.

Pronounced DA-noo this goddess has widespread history.  She is an Indo-European Goddess and an ancient one at that.  It is believed that the celts originated in the Danube River Valley region and migrated throughout Europe.  Her followers are referred to as the ”Tuatha of Danaan” or the Tribes of Goddess Danu.   

Her arrival in Ireland is where her history becomes well documented.  Her children must fight against darkness and disorder as they are the children of light and order.  Due to her origins in the Danube River region she is closely associated with moving water.  In Ireland this took on the meaning of waters of heaven. 

Another ancient Vedic creation myth from Indian tradition states that all creation came from the primordial waters (Danu) giving rise to her popularity as a mother goddess and water goddess.  In Bali she is still worshipped and praised so the water will be in plentiful supply.

Correspondences:

• Powers: Known for bestowing luck, good wishes and finding treasure.
• Colors: Blue, Green, Silver and Black.
• Stones: Any river stone.
• Chakra: 2nd/ Womb
• Animals: Snake and Fish
• Symbol: Black cauldron filled with water.
• Ritual Energies: Matriarchal Strength, Transformation, Manifestation, Compassion, Spiritual Guidance.

In discussing a scrying mirror with my friend Gaia, she said she no longer uses hers.  She no longer needs the tool and has progressed to seeing images in her “mind’s eye”.  What is wonderful about this is that while I know little about the tool, I learned right away that it is just a tool to assist me in scrying.  Therefore, as I progress, different tools may work better than others but the skill of scrying will still be the foundational skill in and of itself. 

When taking a workshop on scrying, the instructor had mentioned that the tool should be covered or contained when not in use.  It will continue to act as a portal even when not in use.  Taking care of your tools and handling them with respect is always an important part of any magickal undertaking.

The purpose of a scrying tool is to assist your intuition or subconscious to speak to your conscious self.  To do this follow a few simple steps.

1. Quiet your mind.  Use a few minutes to meditate and offer a request out to the universe to help you with your quest.
2. In a quiet spot, darkened room, light a candle and gaze upon the mirror with candle light near you. 
3. Unfocus your eyes and take note of what you begin to see and where on the tool you see the images. 
4. Make notes of your findings.  Most often scrying will unravel a story after a few sessions. 

Sometimes you may see things toward the edges of the mirror.  This can indicate past lives, past events in this life or your spirit guide who will often watch over your shoulder.

The best advice I was ever given was that any skill takes practice, patience and perseverence.  If scrying via mirror or water or crystal ball is something you are called to learn or investigate, keep with it and let it unravel in its own due course.  Happy scrying!

What is wonderful about the Pagan Pride gatherings is the amount of knowledge and community spirit in one place.  The above dolls were all purchased or won in raffles at present and past Pagan Prides.  They are really well made and each have a memory of happy times.  I am hoping to get a copy of the pattern for the knitted Venus of Willendorf above (striped doll) so gift giving will be extra special this year for Yule! 

Workshops are ongoing during the day and this year I attended a basic herbal with a wonderful witch who really knew her stuff.  It was fun to learn of recipes for simple things like Poison Ivy.  Did you know that Jewelweed grows right next to Poison Ivy and its properties are to alleviate the poison in ivy oil?  Seems nature has a built in ESC button!

The day ends with a Mabon celebration and open circle and spiral dance.  The energy raised was wonderful and electrifying.  The cost of admission is canned goods for a local food shelter.  We have delightedly raised tons of food in years past and hope to top the record every year.

This year I celebrated my 40th turn on the Wheel.  I am a spring baby… with a sun sign of Gemini and a rising sign of Pisces.  My standing in the world is one of sensitivity and thoughful repose.  Avoiding conflict is a high priority for me. 

Often I spend a lot of time in giving gifts with meaning to both me and hopefully the recipient.  Trying to pick out something that is symbolic of our friendship/ relationship/ mutual bond. 

This year someone did the same for me and I was simply blown away.  My sun sign usually keeps me from being speechless… but this was something that I had to really sit with, study and once doing so, realized the effort and love that went into it. 

To celebrate each year of my life, a precious stone was added to a beautiful bag.  Each stone was researched, documented and placed in the bag to allow me to work with it and use it in my magickal path.  The sheet you see here is actually the cover letter but behind this sheet is a description of each stone (to help me identify it) as well as the stone’s properties and energies.  I can take the stone and place it on my bedside table altar and set my intention on it as an offering to the universe. 

What is even better?  The gift included a simple and exquisite set of sculpted hands.  I can place the stone there as a symbol of my offering and work with the stone for as long as needed.  It is such a wonderful addition to my candle and prayer work that I simply had to share with my readers! 

This celebration also marks the death of the Sun God (bringing on autumn and winter) and the celebration of the Feminine Divine… so I noticed that many of the female participants had painted toes… so we gathered around the penticle and “put our right foot in” with smiles all around. 

Each participant in the circle was to bring a fruit that began with the letter of their first name.  All of these were offered during circle to Lugh who was to die this sabbat… and from the offerings we made a fruit salad for all to share.  It was a perfect way to celebrate all that we harvested in love and light this year.

In some traditions, Litha is a time at which there is a battle between light and dark. The Oak King is seen as the ruler of the year between winter solstice and summer solstice, and the Holly King from summer to winter. At each solstice they battle for power, and while the Oak King may be in charge of things at the beginning of June, by the end of Midsummer he is defeated by the Holly King.

Some contention follows this holiday as it is not known if the ancients celebrated this sabbath.  For me, Litha is a great time to celebrate outdoors. Go for a swim or just turn on the sprinkler to run through, and then have a bonfire or barbeque at the end of the day. Stay up late to say goodnight to the sun, and celebrate nightfall with sparklers, storytelling, and music. This is an ideal Sabbat to do some love magic or celebrate a handfasting since June is the month of marriages and family.