"In time past ye walked (practiced your religion) according to the course (orbit) of this world (earth), according to the prince (God) of the power of the air (the sun and sabats), and the spirit (Moon Goddess Luna and esbats) that now worketh in the (lunatics) children of disobedience." The Apostle Paul writing to converted Celts in Ephesus. Ephesians 2:2.
"The wheel is come full circle..." King Lear, act 5, scene 3, by William Shakespeare
Wiccans often use the term turning of the wheel. This means the passing of the holy days or the passage of time. The Celts in Coligny, France built a calendar that used both the moon and sun. Wiccans use two methods to measure time, the sun for sabats and the moon for esbats. This calendar also identifies four of our sabats.
The God of our wheel (sun) is named Taranis, he is called Father Time today. The Goddess of the wheel (moon) is Arianrhod meaning silver wheel. She is also called Fortune (Lady Luck) in medieval literature as a Goddess turning a wheel.
AntiWitches often criticize our religious meetings and say some very nasty things about them. But the Apostle Paul writing to converted Celts in Colossians 2:16-17, forbids anyone from judging our celebrations. "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or the respect of an holyday, or of the new moon (esbats) or of the sabbath days (sabats): which are the shadow of things to come." And in Romans 14:5, he says: "One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind."
The Esbats: "A dazzling full moon was rising from the sea. It is at this secret hour that the Moon Goddess, sole sovereign of mankind, is possessed of her greatest power and majesty," The Golden Ass. From Milton "...faery elves, whose midnight revels, by a forest side or fountain, some belated peasant sees, or dreams he sees, while overhead the moon sits arbitress..." Fairies celebrate esbats because they are Wiccans. "Girls and boys, come out to play, the moon doth shine as bright as day (full moon esbat); Leave your supper and leave your sleep. Come with your playfellows into the street. Come with a whoop, come with a call, come with a good will or not at all! Up the ladder and down the wall, a half -penny roll will serve us all. You find milk and I'll find flour (for the libation), and we'll have a pudding in half an hour." A Mother Goose Rhyme. "The full moon in the middle of night high above the mountains is seen by a wise young man in great thought. Initiated by his disciples to become immortal, his eyes to the south, his hands on his chest and his body is in the fire." The Prophecies of Nostradamus.
Esbats are prehistoric in origin. Anthropologists and explorers have documented the great apes of Africa dancing in the light of the full moon. In the ancient caves of France, there is a bas relief of Goddess holding in her hand a crescent moon with 13 cuts in it, symbolizing the 13 esbats or full moons of the year. The Ice Man (c.3300 B.C.) had a stone with a hole in the center. Passing through the hole was 28 strings for the 28 days of each lunar month. On the reverse side of the stone was 13 strings for the lunar months of the lunar year. The sacred lore does identify the full moon as a special magickal time. The oldest record of an esbat is in the bible, "But we will certainly do whatever thing goeth forth from our own mouth, to burn incense unto the Queen of Heaven... and poured out drink-offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her...," Jeremiah 44:17;19. The Greek Demeters' and Dionysus' rites were also esbats.
The Christians in early times would see Wiccans worshipping the Goddess Luna on full moons and describe our behavior as lunatic (disobedience or foolish). Because they couldn't understand the joy and rituals of the esbat, they called us lunatics. The English words loony, lunacy, and lunatics all come from Luna.
Many bible scholars have pondered what Paul's prophecy meant when he said "the shadow of things to come." Well, wonder no more! "It shall come to pass, that from one new moon (esbat) to another, and from one sabbath (sabat) to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord," Isaiah 66:23. Imagine, Christians at sabats and esbats!
The British word fortnight is another term for esbat. Fortnight means occurring once every two weeks. Our new and full moon occur at two week intervals. Even our word months comes from moonths.
Our term a year and a day is from our lunar calendar. 365 days divided by the 28 day moon months gives you thirteen months with one day remaining - our year and a day.
In many American covens, the esbat is only for worship of Goddess. In my tradition, we worship both God and Goddess on esbats. The Greeks worshipped Selene at both full and new moons and Bacchus (God of Wine) on full moons. Full moons were sacred to Jupiter. In Athens, offerings of cakes were made to Artemis on full moons. From Ovid's Metamorphoses book 7, Medea, the Greek Witch casts a magick circle on a full moon. The Druids and the Celts also revered the full moon with various Gods and Goddesses.
Like the Greeks, many covens perform esbats skyclad and robed at the sabats.
Many covens use the esbat for teaching/training, magick spells, discussions, and business.
Rituals you may see during an esbat are casting the magick circle, drawing down the moon/sun, cakes and ale, the great rite, the charge, and giving toasts to God/dess. I often howl at the moon on esbats.
Many Wiccans say magick is the most potent on a full moon.
The Sabats: Are the holidays or holy days of Wiccans. The sabats celebrated by the Celts was done with much feasting and merrymaking. This is true of sabats today.
The word sabat originates from the Jewish Sabbath and was transferred to Wicca by the hostile Catholic Church that opposed both religions. Probability the oldest term for our sabats is "annual feast days" addressed in The Faerie Queene.
There are many eyewitness accounts and documentation of fairies celebrating the sabats in the many ancient stone circles of Europe. Fairies of course, are Wiccans.
The sabats celebrated today by Wiccans didn't all come from the Celts. Many of the holidays were adopted by the Celts from other cultures. Margaret Murray author of the Witch Cult in Western Europe (1921) stated, that Witches only had four sabats, after the four sabats of the Celts. But today we have eight. Some American Wiccans call these sabats identified by Murray, the greater sabats and the other four adopted from non-Celtic cultures the lessor sabats. In Old English Wicca, all eight sabats are great.
Most of the sabats were adopted and adapted by the new religions too and most people will find the customs and traditions very familiar. Some groups in the new religions are calling for a ban on Halloween because of it's Pagan connection. The fact is that nearly all Christian holidays are Pagan in origin. In fact, Christmas has a far greater Pagan connection than Halloween. Surprisingly, the extremist Christians are not calling for a ban on Christmas. If they were to ban all holidays of a Pagan connection - the Christians would have no holidays!
The rituals normally performed on sabats is casting the magick circle and cakes and ale.
Soween: (Halloween, Samhain) Prehistoric in origin. The rising of the Pleiades star group, symbolizing the death of the Crone Goddess. This is the Horned Hunter God sabat. It's the Celtic New Year's Eve. Celebrated at October 31. About November 5, 1606 English Witches created Guy Fawkes Day as a cover for the Halloween sabat. Guy Fawkes was involved in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 to blow up the English Parliament and King James I.
Our Pilgrim forefathers well knew of Halloween's occult roots. In fact, they banned celebrating Halloween in America. Halloween was not popularly celebrated in this country until about 1845. In 1845 thousands of Irish emigrants flooded into New York because of the Irish Potato Famine of 1845-46. They brought with them the old Celt's holiday of Halloween. Gradually celebrating this day spread throughout the rest of the country.
Soween means "the end of summer." Soween is the Celtic first day of fall. The seasonal battle occurs and the Horned Hunter God kills the Warrior/Sun God sending him to the underworld. This season is called "the fall" due to the Sun God's fall in battle with the Horned Hunter God. The falling leaves also symbolize his fall.
On this day, the Irish God Nuadha (Warrior God) and Macha (Crone Goddess) were killed in battle. Dagda mates with the Morrigan. The lover of the Greek and Hittite Goddess Cybele (Mother Goddess) dies today. Adonis dies, Persephone is kidnaped by Hades taken to hades, Ishtar/Innana descend into the underworld.
On Soween, the Horned Hunter God is asked to bless the hunters (workers today) with success.
The word Halloween is a combination of the Christians' All Hallows Eve and the Pagan's holiday Soween.
The Celts (Wiccans) don't view the dead as scary or frightening (very much like the Adams Family from TV and movies). The dead are very much alive! We view the dead as our loved ones who live in a far-a-way land called Avalon. Just because someone has died doesn't mean we stop loving them. On this night the door between this world and the other is open. So our loved ones who have died may return home for a family reunion. We invite them to our magick circles and homes to celebrate the new year. To guide them home we place jack-o'-lanterns in a window or near the door.
Feast of the dead (cakes and ale) is held. It is traditional to leave a plate of food outside the home or set a plate of food at the table for the souls of the dead to eat.
On this night children dress in costumes and go "trick or treating." In the old days, Soween was just after the harvest, therefore food was plentiful. Children would ask their parent for their favorite something to eat. Because food was so plentiful the child would be given all they wanted and more.
During the burning times people would wear masks to hide their identity from the AntiWitches while celebrating this sabat. Thus people would hold masquerade parties on Soween as a cover for this sabat. Children wouldn't miss out on the fun so they wore costumes too. This is the origin of "trick or treating."
Rituals for this sabat are the wild hunt, trick or treating, the Descent of the God/dess ritual, the masquerade party, wearing masks during the circle, seasonal battle, and the feast of the dead (cakes and ale).
The myth for Soween is the death of Arthur in the chapter on death.
Yule: (Christmas, Winter Solstice) Near December 21st. Prehistoric, Celt, Norse, and Roman in origin. This is the Father God sabat. The longest night of the year and the first day of winter. Stonehenge's axis is pointed roughly in the direction of the sunrise at the winter solstice.
The rituals of Yule are erecting a decorated tree called a Yule tree, giving gifts, feasting, drinking (cakes and ale), Santa paying a visit, and burning candles.
Yuletide used often in songs and greetings means wheel turn. This is one of several phrases that have survived from our Pagan past. The Christmas wreath is the Witches wheel that turns this Yuletide.
The birthdays of the "Invincible Sun" (Roman), Mithra (Persian), Budda by the Virgin Maya, Horus by the Virgin Isis, Osiris born of the Virgin Neith (Egyptian), Hercules and Bacchus (Greek).
Christmas has nothing to do with the birth of Christ; he was born on April 1, 5 B.C.9 Yule was celebrated well before Christ's birth. The Catholic Church after the Roman Pagans had turned Christ's birthday into April Fools day placed Christmas on the same day as our Sun God's birth in the 4th century; only after failing to destroy the Yule sabat.
The English Puritans in 1644 had Parliament ban the celebration of Yule by turning it into a fast day because of it's Pagan connection. Fortunately, Charles Dickens, the writer of Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol (which are filled with Wiccan meaning) and others re-established the true Yule-spirit and defeated the Puritans efforts. If it were not for Charlie, Wiccans would be the only ones celebrating Yule (Christmas) today.
The Mother Goddess gives birth to the Sun God. We light candles, which are small suns to welcome him. "Everything told of Christ has reference to the sun. His reported resurrection is at sunrise, and that on the first day of the week; that is, on the day anciently dedicated to the sun, and from thence called Sunday - in Latin Dies Solis, the day of the sun; and the next day, Monday, is Moon-day...," Thomas Paine. The holly tree is the Sun God's symbol. The red berries of the holly symbolize the Mother Goddess. Mistletoe is the symbol of the Father God. On this sabat, holly, and mistletoe are tied together, symbolizing the divine family.
Many have wondered why the Celts revered the mistletoe so extensively? An ancient coffin found near Scarborough in 1834 was found with mistletoe inside. Why? Vergil in his Aeneid, tells us that mistletoe is the favorite plant of the beautiful Persephone (Crone Goddess) and it's presented to her to assure one's rebirth. In other words, it's flowers for the Lady! Also, the Druids ritual of gathering mistletoe is given by Pliny in his Natural History XVI, XCV.
Many have wondered how could Santa delivers all those presents in just one night? Well Santa is the God of the wheel. Since he's Father Time he can slow or even stop the passing of time as Albert Einstein's theory of relativity explains.
While I was stationed in Europe, I learned that they had two Santas. One was held over from the old Pagan religion's Father Winter and the other Santa from a Christian Saint. In America, we have combined the two Santas into one. The name Santa comes likely from the Roman God Saturn and Claus is from the Dutch Sint Nikolaas. Venerable Bede (c.673-735), said that "Christmas Eve was the night people left out food for visitors from the spirit world." On Christmas Eve we leave out milk and cookies for Santa Claus. Milk and cookies (cakes and ale) is also a favorite gift for fairies or elves. Today our Father God is represented as Santa Claus!
The giving of gifts comes from the Romans Saturnalia festival. The feasting comes from the Yule-feast of the Norse.
The Yule (Christmas) tree has no connection with Christ! Virgil (70-19 B.C.) wrote about the decorated Saturnalia Tree in his Georgics. The evergreen is one of the Celts sacred trees and is the Father God's (Santa's) specific sacred tree. The decorating of a tree is a very ancient custom. In fact, the bible talking about the Celts (c.600 B.C.) forbids the Yule tree. "Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the ways of the heathen, (Celts) for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not," Jeremiah 10:2-4. Why would the Jews' God forbid the decorated tree? Because the Yule Tree is charged or embodied by our Father God - it's actually a Pagan idol complete with the pentagram on top.
Imbolc: (The Goddess Brigit's Day, Candlemas, Oimelg, and Groundhog Day) Near February 2nd. Imbolc means in the belly and Oimelg to give birth. Brigit herself is a triple Goddess, so this is the Triple Goddess sabat.
In 1692, one real Witch and several falsely accused Christians (one was a minister) are executed as Witches in Salem, Massachusetts. When news spread about Salem, American Witches likely created "Ground Hog's Day" on 2 Feb. as a cover for the Candlemas sabat.
Imbolc is the birthday of the Goddess Brigit and the British race. Britannia is another name for Brigit. Britannia is the ancient name and personification of the British Isles. Britons or British (from Britannia) is a word preserved from our ancient Pagan past, meaning a worshipper of the Goddess Britannia or Brigit. This Goddess is often identified with and is indistinguishable from the British Isles calling her - Great Britain.
The Maiden Goddess is reborn today of the Mother Goddess, midwifed by the Crone Goddess.
Brigit is the Goddess of fire, patroness of smith craft, poetry, midwives, and healing.
She was converted to St. Brigit, the foster mother of Christ by the new religions.
Brigit is also Ishtar and Asherah (wife of God2 and the Queen of Heaven3 in the bible). Both were Goddesses of sex, love, fertility, and war.
Brigit the Maiden: In Romano-Celt temples, Athena was identified with Brigit. Athena was called the maiden and she was a warrior Goddess. Which explains Brigit's connection to fire and smith craft. So Brigit is a warrior Goddess too. Often Celtic women and Goddesses fought in battle. Brigit the Maid can be compared to Diana the Huntress.
One Imbolc myth is Minerva (Athena) and Arachne. The moral of the myth, it's good to take pride in your work - but not arrogance. Bad manners are never well rewarded.
Brigit the Mother: Nine months ago Brigit (the May Queen) became pregnant at Beltane through the great rite. Brigit is Dana, the mother of the Celts race.
Brigit is also certainly to be Diana of the Ephesus. There are many likenesses between them. Dana (Brigit) and Diana are similar in pronunciation. Diana in Ephesus is a mother and foster mother too. The totem animals cow (Brigit's) and deer (Diana's) are synonymous. Their festivals are near the same date. Diana's festival is also her birthday. The images of both Goddesses are paraded. Both are daughters of the Father God, Brigit - Dagda, Diana - Jupiter. Diana is also a triple Goddess, Selene, Diana, and Hecate. Additionally, Diana was not a Greek Goddess, she was Celtic! An Italian myth reports that Diana's consort was a Celt. Arrian (a Greek writer c.95-175) wrote the Celts performed sacrifices on "Artemis' birthday" Imbolc. The Celts though defeated by the Romans did occupy Ephesus at the time of this temple's greatest fame.
Diana historically is reported to be the Goddess of the Witches.10 Combining Diana with Brigit gives an explanation for these reports. In fact, King Brutis (the first British King) promised Diana that he and his generations would worship her down the ages. This Goddess is holding us to that promise which explains why we Wiccans still worship her today, especially Dianic covens. Brigit the Crone: Shakespeare in his MacBeth says that Hecate is the English Witches Goddess. Brigit being identified with Hecate explains this statement. Actually, Hecate can be compared to any Crone Goddess.
The Crone's Imbolc myth is the The Wife of Bath's Tale in the Canterbury Tales.
It is on this sabat Wiccans have a family talent show. Sing, play, instruments, dance, show off their handmade crafts, act in plays, cook, read poetry, and do anything to show off their talent.
On this day the God/dess resurrects from the underworld. Demeter had a daughter named Persephone, whom she loved. One day, while Persephone was picking flowers, Hades opened the earth and grabbed her taking her to the underworld. Demeter went about the earth searching for her daughter, but couldn't find her. The Sun God Helios, finally told Demeter what had happened. Demeter appealed to Zeus, but he took no action. Demeter left Mount Olympus and wondered upon the earth. Because the Goddess was so sad, the earth refused to produce food and grew cold (winter). Zeus began to worry if all life on the earth would perish. So, he sent Hermes to bring Persephone back to her mother. Hades in protest gave Persephone some pomegranate seeds to eat so she couldn't leave the underworld. Zeus, King of the Gods, declared that Persephone would remain with her mother during the summer months and with Hades in the winter.
In the sacred lore, a God (Adonis) also rises from the dead explaining why the church chose this sabat for the resurrection of Christ.
On Easter Sunday, the children hunt the many colored Easter eggs, brought to them by the Easter Bunny. According to Venerable Bede, the word Easter comes from the name of Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon Spring Goddess. The ancient Babylonians celebrated Easter too. The Goddess Easter was called Ishtar by the Babylonians. In fact, the Goddess Easter, Ishtar, and the bible's Esther are all one Goddess. The egg for both the Saxons and Babylonians is a Pagan symbol of rebirth.
There has been many archaeological finds of a Bird Goddess worshipped by prehistoric Europeans.1 Eostre is this ancient European Bird Goddess. Christians got their description of the female angel with bird wings from our Bird Goddess. I wonder if the practice of calling women birds (Englishmen) and chicks (American men) is an ancient reference to the Priestesses of this Bird Goddess?
Birds in the spring begin their migration back to Europe after the winter. Such an organized migration had to be the work of a deity, the Bird Goddess. For the prehistoric people birds and the eggs they laid were a vital food source. The Bird Goddess like all birds laid eggs, but her eggs were special! Her eggs were given decorations thus, Easter eggs. The ancient Egyptians and Persians also celebrated this sabat with decorated eggs thousands of years before the resurrection of Christ.
The Celts called the Bird Goddess Blodeuwedd. Her story is the Easter myth and you can read about her in the Mabinogian. Variants of the bird Goddess are found in the winged Sumerian Goddess Lilitu and the winged Greek Goddess Hecate.
Blodeuwedd's story is not about the dominance of men over women as the feminists claim. It's about the Wiccan Rede and the three fold law. If you use magick even as an accomplice to harm another you will suffer three times that harm and that's exactly what happened to Blodeuwedd. This myth also tells us that even the Gods are subject to the Wiccan Rede!
The bunny is a sacred animal to the Celts. Bunnies live both above and underground (underworld). They could travel between our world and the realm of the Gods. Bunnies seem to have lived everywhere because they were so numerous. Bunnies came outside at night so they were connected to the moon (Bird Goddess). Thus, the bunny was chosen to deliver the Easter eggs.
Rituals: the Easter basket, a visit from the Easter bunny, and egg hunt.
Beltane: (Mayday, or Mayeve) 1 May. Prehistoric in origin. A Neolithic temple discovered near Cambridge, U.K. aligns with this sabat. The setting of the Pleiades star group, symbolizing the Goddess is upon the earth. May is from Maya the Goddess of Spring. Robin Hood (the Hunter God) dies today. King Arthur and Guinevere marry and mate on this day. The festival of the Goddess Bast is near this date.
A Beltane spell from the Mother Goose Rhymes: "The fair maid who, the first of May, Goes to the fields at break of day, and washes in the dew from the hawthorn-tree, will ever after handsome be."
Beltane means Bel's fire, named after the Celtic God Belenos.
Belenos is also Bel, a Pagan God recorded in the bible. Bel's festival was also celebrated in the early spring and the bible records that maypoles (Asherah poles) were involved. The Romans said, Belenos was Apollo. Bel is also Saint George (from Spencer's Faire Queen).
There are many myths for this sabat. Saint George and the Dragon and the Knight's Tale from the Canterbury Tales are my favorite myths for this sabat. Here's Apollo's myth: Because of the evil of the people, Zeus destroyed the world with a great flood. All were drowned except one man and woman and they began to populate the world. But the flood waters had awaken a great and powerful beast, an enormous serpent whom the Gods called "Python." Python went about killing all things and soon would extinguish all life in the world. Zeus, King of the Gods, called a council of the Gods to decide what must be done to save the world. It was decided that Apollo was best qualified to slay the Python. Apollo immediately descended from the heavens and attacked the Python. A fierce battle ensured and the advantage was to the Python. Apollo used nearly all his weapons and tested his strength to the full - still Python lived. Apollo turned to his last remaining weapon, the bow and arrow. Apollo was uncertain of the bow's effectiveness because he had only used it to hunt small game such as rabbits and goats. He knew if it failed he and all life in the world would die. Apollo took the bow in hand and leaped upon a hill, standing in the full light of the sun. The Python seeing Apollo was blinding by the sun's light. The Python roared and reared at Apollo as he notched his arrow and fired it into Python's open mouth. The Python fell down dead.
The seasonal battle ritual is performed during this sabat. This battle involves the Hunter God (often as a dragon) and Warrior God, with the Father God presiding. Since all three Gods are present, this is the Triple God sabat. The two are fighting over the Maiden Goddess or May Queen. The Maiden Goddess Brigit is the May Queen. After the battle, the winner (the Warrior God) and the Maiden Goddess perform the great rite. The Maiden Goddess now becomes the Mother Goddess, because she becomes pregnant from the act of the great rite.
Beltane is connected with sex and death. On this day, the Irish Mother Goddess, Ernmas and her son, Fiacha died in battle. Many people are confused how sex could be combined with war? Many Goddesses are Goddesses of fertility, love, and war. There is a connection between death, war, and sex! Men ejaculate semen at death. After the Gulf War, child births significantly increased within military families. Love affairs are very intense during war time.
Rituals of Beltane: flirtatious behavior is a common practice, handfastings, the great rite, masquerade party, the may pole, the charge of the God, a walk or frolic (a-maying) in a forest to see fairies, and the descent of the God/dess ritual.
Summer Solstice: (Midsummer, Litha) On Midsummer Day (June 24 then, now about June 21) a person standing in the center of Stonehenge can see the sun rise directly above the heel stone. Prehistoric and Celtic in origin. The longest day of the year. The Mother Goddess sabat, because the vegetation is growing at full force during this season. According to some sources the birthday of Artemis.
Shakespeare in his Midsummer Nights Dream tells us the myth for this sabat, Pyramus and Thisby: In Babylon, Pyramus loved the beautiful Thisby and she loved him too. They were next door neighbors. But their parents opposed their love. So they would wispier their love through a small hole in a wall that separated the homes. This went on for many years and the couple finally acted upon their love. They agreed to meet at night outside the city. That night, Thisby arrived at the meeting place before Pyramus. A lion approached and Thisby ran into a nearby building for protection. But she dropped her scarf on the way. The lion attracted by the perfume in the scarf began to play with it in his bloody claws. Soon Pyramus arrived and saw the lion leaving. He also saw Thisby's scarf laying on the ground. He thought Thisby was dead. He killed himself with his sword. Thisby saw the lion leave and waited a few moments to make sure he was gone. When she exited the building, she found her dead lover and she too killed herself with the same sword.
This couple waited too long and allowed too many people to interfere in their love. The moral of this story is, when love comes - take it, for tomorrow you may be dead and things are not always as they appear. While you have love cherish it, because tomorrow you may lose it.
This sabat is our "Valentines Day." For this circle dress-up in your best ritual clothes. Give your lover flowers and mail some love notes. Call on the phone and read a romantic poem. Write I love you on the toilet tissue roll in the bathroom. When together in public hold hands and give a kiss. Write secret love notes and hide them around the house. Serenade your lover in public. Buy a small romantic gift like a giant candy bar. Wash your lover's hair. Take a bubble bath with soft music, candle light, and a bottle of champagne. Write a list of things you like about your lover and give it to him/her.
Rituals are to perform the house blessing and dance the spiral dance. The spiral dance is a train of people moving like a serpent around the circle. Spirals are very prominent in Celtic artwork. Some English Wiccans perform Shakespeare's A Midsummer Nights Dream on this sabat.
Lughnassadh: (Lammas) means the games of Lugh. Celtic and prehistoric in origin. Stonehenge and a Neolithic temple near Cambridge aligns with this sabat. Near August 1st. The Warrior God sabat. Named after the Celt's God, Lugh. By morning the second battle of Moytura between the Danaans and Formorie was in full force. Many had died on both sides. Already Nuadha of the Silver Arm and Macha had died from Balar's magic eye. The eye had the power to kill with a glance. The battle continued several hours more until the sun was at its highest peak. Balar's eye was tired from all the battle and the bright sun, so the eyelid drooped over the eye. Lugh seeing his opportunity, attacked Balar by casting a magick spear (some translations say stone) into Balar's eye. The spear passed through Balar's eye and brain killing twenty-seven warriors standing behind him. Balar fell to the ground dead. The Fomoire seeing their champion and King defeated, lost heart and surrendered to the Danaans. Lugh was enthroned as King of the Danaans.
The rituals are holding a plenary and the Witches Ball.
Autumn Equinox: (Mabon) Near September 21st. Celtic in origin. Night and day are equal in length. The Crone Goddess sabat. The Mother Goddess now ages to the Crone Goddess. She is still able to have a child, Mabon and produces the last of the crops.
The Hunter God (Mabon) was imprisoned (killed) at Beltane and sent to the underworld. Now he is reborn of the Crone Goddess. The birthday of the Horned God.
Mabon is a myth for this sabat. His story is Culhwch and Olwen, in the Mabinogian where King Arthur and his knights rescue him from the underworld. Arthur and his knights can't hunt a giant boar (food) without him, therefore he is the God of the Hunt. Mabon is also the Greeks' Adonis.
Here is the Adonis story: Aphrodite was one day playing with her son Cupid and accidentally wounded herself on one of his arrows. Then she saw Adonis and fell in love with him. Aphrodite forsook everything and spent her time hunting with Adonis. Ares the God of War (Warrior God) was jealous of Adonis and turned into a boar and killed Adonis. Adonis' soul descended to the underworld and Persephone took him as her lover. Aphrodite went to the underworld to take him back. The two Goddesses fought over Adonis. Zeus intervened and it was decided that Adonis would remain with Aphrodite in the winter and with Persephone during the summer months to assist in making the earth green.
This sabat is when Zeus (Arthur) orders (rescues) Adonis (Mabon) from the underworld to be reborn of the Goddess.
Also a harvest festival. This sabat is closely related to the Greeks' Demeter (Corn Goddess) explaining the connection to corn and the Eleusian Mysteries. The harvest was also a festival of Dionysus. Dionysus also descended to the underworld to rescue his mother.
1. The Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe, Gimbutas, Marija, University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, reprint 1990, pp. 112-145.
2. In the ancient Ras Shamra scrolls, discovered 1929-37 at Ugarit, Syria, Asherah is the wife of El. El is the Hebrew word for God.
3. She is called the Queen of Heaven in Jeremiah 7:18 and 44:17-25.
4. The Pleiades determine the Soween and Beltane sabats.
5. Orion is a giant and a hunter, our Horned God. The bands of Orion is the imprisonment of Mabon.
6. Bible scholars don't know who Mazzaroth is. They know he runs the solar calendar. He's Father Time or Santa Claus, our God of the Wheel.
7. Seasons are the Zodiac, the 12 months of the solar year.
8. King Arthur seeks guidance to find Mabon. Who is rescued from prison during the Mabon sabat. Arcturus is the Great Bear constellation. The Celts Artos means bear also and the British Arthur is likely from Artos.
9. The Chronology of the Bible, Frank R. Klassen, Regal Publications, 961 Woodland St., Nashville, Tenn, 37206, 1975, pp. 49.
10. Discoverie of Witchcraft, by Sir Reginald Scot, 1584.