The September Sabbat box is dedicated to Mabon. Celebrated on or about the Autumn Equinox, September 23, it is a time of balance of the light and dark, and turning to the dark. Many pagans see Mabon, the second harvest celebration (after the first harvest Lammas) and the Fall Equinox as a time to express gratitude and honor a moment of balance.
Colors of the Season
Traditional colors of the season are gold, orange, red, bronze, and rust. The colors of changing leaves and harvested fruits.
Plants of the Season
Grapes, rose hips, elderberries, blackberries, hawthorn berries, leaves, pinecones, corn, pomegranate, squash, root vegetables, rosemary, sage, mugwort, and yarrow, sunflowers, thistles, marigolds.
The apple is the symbol of the second harvest, representing life, immortality, healing, renewal, and wholeness. It is associated with beauty, long life, and restored youth. Cut an apple width way and it reveals a pentagram containing seeds.
Traditions and Symbols
The Cornucopia, or Horn of Plenty, is a traditional symbol for Mabon, representing the wealth of harvest and the balance of both male (phallic) and female (hollow and receptive).
Harvest tools (scythe, baskets), acorns, pinecones, seeds, fall leaves.
You may decide to add items that represent your own personal harvest both figuratively and literally.
Deities associated with Mabon are Green Man, Demeter, Persephone, Morrigan, Pomona, Inanna.
Animals associated are owl, stag, blackbird, salmon.
Suggestions of ways to celebrate.
Celebrate with a feast for friends and family using your own and locally grown fruits and vegetables.
Go for a walk to collect leaves, seeds, cones and fall blooming wildflowers
Complete unfinished projects and clear your home of unwanted items to prepare for the indoor winter months.
Fall is a wonderful time to plant trees, seeds, and shrubs. Plant bulbs with an aspiration or idea for Spring that you will remember when they begin to sprout after their winter underground.
Mabon Ritual of Gratitude
Start by creating an altar. As you are setting up your altar anoint the items and yourself with the Mabon oil. Think about the ways you create balance within yourself and in the physical world.
When you are ready anoint and light your candles giving thanks to the Earth, Goddesses, Gods, and Ancestors who stand behind you in all that you do and all that you are. Thank them sincerely like you would a friend that has given you help. Ask for nothing in return. You can leave an offering on your altar to show that you are aware of the assistance that you are receiving.
Light your incense, breathe deeply and focus on the burning candles. What are you grateful for? You might want to have paper and pen to write down what comes to mind. During challenging times gratitude magic can bring powerful change. Health, partner, family members, the friend that checks in on you every week, signing up for an online class, making it through the day, gratitude comes in many forms. The practice is centering, calming and a reminder of what is important. Spend as much time as it takes and speak aloud what you appreciate about each. You can place your writing on your altar or burn and release. You may decide to write a note of thanks to the people in your life who make your life better. When you are ready to end set the intention to hold these feelings of gratefulness and that you will be able to feel them again whenever you need.
Do not forget to blow out your candle and incense.
Have a Blessed Mabon!

The Morrigan: Legends and Symbolism of the Celtic Goddess of War 

When we think of Irish Mythology, The Morrigan emerges as a captivating and powerful deity. She is a Celtic goddess of war and sovereignty, and her associations with death give her an intimidating reputation. While her patronage is not for the faint of heart, working with The Morrigan can incite exponential growth in one’s pagan practice.

The Morrigan in Irish Mythology

The Morrigan, sometimes also spelled Morrighan, but usually addressed with the definite article, is most closely associated with battles, warriors, and sovereign borders. She is also referred to as the Phantom Queen, a direct translation from her Celtic name. She most famously appears in the Ulster Cycle, a collection of Irish heroic legends and sagas. In these source texts, The Morrigan rallies and accompanies heroes into battles across Ireland. As a shape-shifting goddess, The Morrigan historically took the form of a raven, a wolf, or a crone. She commonly rode on the backs of cattle when involved in battles. When she takes on a human representation, she is portrayed as having otherworldly beauty.  

Ancient and Modern Worship of The Morrigan

References to The Morrigan can be found in ancient texts from Britain as well as Gual, suggesting that she is a pan-Celtic goddess. Since she is the Celtic goddess of war, she would be called on before battles for allyship and protection. Due to similarities in symbolism and her close association with death, modern pagans sometimes associate The Morrigan with the Crone aspect of the Triple Goddess. While her mythology suggests that The Morrigan is one of three sisters, she is not depicted as a triple-bodied goddess such as Hecate from the Greek pantheon. Today, The Morrigan is known as a deity that incites difficult but worthy life lessons for her followers.  As a goddess of sovereignty, she teaches us to honor our own sovereignty, personal power, and our boundaries. As a goddess of war, she acts as an ally to the warriors of our modern-day.

Working With the Phantom Queen. 

Working with such a powerful goddess should not be taken lightly and it is best to start with thorough research. Many believe that The Morrigan carefully chooses who she works with and that if you have been chosen, she will give you clear signs through nightmares, visions, or omens. Many witches and pagans often feel reluctant to get involved with The Morrigan due to her intense reputation, but cite their experience with her as being ultimately positive albeit tough. Once you feel you are ready to work with The Morrigan, you may start with some simple offerings. Common offerings include blood, milk, meat, or crow and raven feathers. Some herbs associated with the Celtic goddess of war are yew, mugwort, garlic, and vervain. If you like to use crystals, options include obsidian, ruby, garnet, and red jasper. Our Morrigan Offering & Spell Kit contains helpful tools to get you started. Inside, you will find crystals, herbs, a candle and candle holder, anointing oil, and a scroll of ritual ideas. 

The Morrigan’s presence in our lives inspires rapid change, and her trial-by-fire methods offer a powerful experience for any pagan or witch looking to work with her. All the tools you need to start working with her can be found in our online store, or you can visit our shop and talk to one of our staff members for more support in your studies.

Kitchen Witches use spells, recipes, and rituals to
create magical meals, gardens, and homes. The kitchen is the modern-day hearth where we come together to cook, share meals, and talk about our lives. Kitchen
witchery offers the opportunity to practice and engage in magic daily by turning simple tasks into sacred acts.

 Create a kitchen altar. Creating an altar is simply assembling symbolic items in a meaningful and intentional way. Kitchen altars can be created on a table, the top of the microwave or refrigerator, or the corner of a counter, trust your instinct when selecting a spot.

 My kitchen altar is the windowsill and window above the kitchen sink, and includes a stained glass raven, an evil eye pendant, bottles for fresh and dried flowers, my
mortar and pestle, a bottle of Chinese Floor wash, orange and rose waters, stones, a candle, hanging herbs from the garden and a spell bottle.

Spell bottles or as they were called in the Elizabethan
age “witch bottles” have been around since the 1600’s. Although primarily used for protection, they can be created for a variety of intentions such as health,
love, money, and happiness.

Start a Kitchen Witch Grimoire or Book of Shadows to hold family recipes, herbal knowledge, and your kitchen witch secret recipes. A kitchen grimoire can be a recipe book, three-ring binder, or a composition book.  

I hope you are enjoying the late days of summer and
cooking up some magic. 

May you have -

Walls for the wind

And a roof for the rain,

And drinks bedside the fire

Laughter to cheer you

And those you love near you,

And all that your heart may desire

(Celtic Blessing)

How to Create a Spell Bottle

1. Define Your Intent.

Spell bottles in your kitchen can offer protection from
burns, cuts and kitchen accidents, bless anything cooked there with health to be passed on to those who enjoy it, amplify the spell work you do there, and bring a sense of security, well-being and happiness that will spread throughout
your home.

2. Select a Container.

A bottle of your choosing.

3. Choose Your Bottle's Contents.

You might choose to add a teaspoon of dry soil from outside
your home or from a favorite house plant. Stones of your choosing such as:

Moss agate has a grounding and stabilizing effect and has
become known as the stone of gardeners. Moss agate causes the release of deep-rooted anxiety and stress, assist in the ability to get along well with others, protects the body during periods of stress, aids in the recovery from illness, increases concentration.

Tigers Eye is a stone that helps release fear and anxiety
and aids harmony and balance. Tigers Eye is attributed to bringing insight into complex situations, protecting from negative energies, helping focus the mind, attracting good luck, grounding, and centering personal energy, dispelling fears, and promoting mental clarity.

Herbs of your choosing. Learn more about the attributes of each herb to match your intentions for the spell bottle.

Add any other items you feel needed to your bottle.

4. Fill Your Bottle.

Focus on the reason you choose your items as you fill the
bottle with them.

5. Seal Your Bottle.

You may simply seal with the cork stopper, the lid to your
bottle, or a crystal stopper. You may also additionally seal with the wax from a candle.

6. Meditate on Your Intent.

Once your bottle is sealed you might want to speak aloud
your intentions for creating the bottle and end with so mote it be. Hold your bottle and visualize your intentions being manifested.

7. Place Your Bottle.

For a kitchen spell bottle you might consider above or near
the oven, above or near the sink, hidden in a cabinet that you use the most often (such as plates or cups), the pantry, where you store your herbs and spices, above or near a doorway that leads to the rest of the house, as always trust your instincts.

Famous in both Ancient Greek mythology and modern spiritual realms, few deities inspire as much fascination as Hecate. As the Greek goddess of witchcraft, crossroads, and the underworld, Hecate has been loyally worshipped for millennia. As a goddess of magic, she plays a key role in many modern witchcraft practices.
Mythology of Hecate
Hecate (also spelled Hekate) is a goddess from the Ancient Greek pantheon, who rules over crossroads, spirits, and the underworld. She holds extensive knowledge of herbs and magical arts, making her the chief goddess of witchcraft. She is the daughter of the Titan Perses and the nymph Asteria. In art, she is often shown holding a pair of torches and accompanied by dogs. In later periods, she is depicted in Triformis, or as triple-bodied. Her most famous appearance in mythology is in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, where Hecate hears Persephone’s cries as she is abducted by Hades. With her torch, she assists Demeter in searching for her daughter.
The History of Worshipping Hecate
Some of the earliest records of human worship to Hecate date back to circa 1600 B.C.E. Although many know Hecate as a Greek goddess, her worship probably originated in Thrace, which today covers parts of Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, where she was revered as a goddess of wilderness and childbirth. As a Greek deity, she evolved into a goddess of crossroads and the underworld. The ancient Greeks dedicated temples to Hecate, and she had two important cult centers in Eleusis and Samothrake. Small household shrines, or altars, dedicated to Hecate would be erected to ward off evil and malefic witchcraft.
Associations of Hecate in Witchcraft
In modern pagan religions, Hecate is known as the Triple Goddess, representing the maiden, the mother, and the crone. These forms, depicted as three separate women, often represent different aspects of femininity or the stages of human life on Earth. Hecate’s three forms are also associated with different seasons and the phases of the moon. The Maiden is associated with Spring and the waxing phase of the Moon. The Mother is tied to the Full Moon and the fruitful season of Summer. The Crone is associated with the Autumn and Winter seasons and the waning phase of the Moon.
Deity Offerings to Hecate
If you feel called to work with Hecate in your practice, an excellent first step would be to set up a shrine or an altar dedicated to her and make regular offerings. Hecate was said to favor offerings of garlic, which was closely associated with her cults in Ancient Greece. Other herbs associated with Hecate include lavender, mugwort, and rue. A cup of red wine is also common for deity offerings. If you feel unsure about where to start, our pagan supply store stocks handmade kits with all the ingredients and tools you need to start connecting with a deity. Our Hecate Offering & Spell Kit includes a special herbal blend, incense, oil, a candle, and a scroll with suggestions for how to use the ingredients in your deity offering. In addition to herbal and food offerings, you can also use images or statues of Hecate to decorate your altar or to hang in the doorways and crossroads of your home to invoke the protection of Hecate.

Hecate continues to play an important role in the landscape of witchcraft today. She represents the power of transformation, ancient wisdom, and the cycles of life and death. Whether you seek her as a guardian, a guide, or a source of inspiration, working with Hecate offers boundless possibilities for personal growth. You can purchase all the materials you need to start working with her from our online store, or you can stop by our physical shop and speak to a member of staff for more guidance.

The July Sabot box is dedicated to Lughnasadh / Lammas, usually celebrated August 1 to honor the first harvest of the season. This is the halfway point between Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox.

Lughnasadh is the Gaelic name for this celebration and means 'Lugh's Gathering'. Lughnasadh sources from a combination of the Irish god Lugh, wise warrior hero/God of light/sun, and 'nasad' which means 'gathering or assembly'. Lammas is the Anglo-Saxon name for the festival and is a contraction of the phrase 'loaf mass' celebrating the first harvest of grains.

Before the Wheel turns to the darker months, we can take time to appreciate the warmth and sunlight and how they support this season of growth. By celebrating Lammas as a harvest holiday, we honor our ancestors and the hard work they had to do to survive and secure our lineage.

 

Colors of the Season

Green for growth, fertility, health, abundance.

Every shade of sun and harvest, from yellow to gold to deep orange for solar energies, happiness, communication.

 

Plants of the Season

Flowers, fruits, grains, vegetables represent the fulfilment and potential of the harvest.

All Grains wheat, barley, oats, rye, all representing both fulfillment and potential.

Meadowsweet, Queen-Of-The-Meadow, Bridewort and Bride of the Meadow. Sacred herb of the Druids, often worn as a garland for Lammas celebrations and a traditional herb for wedding circlets and bouquets at this time of year.

Mint, another revered herb of the Druids, magical properties are both protective and healing at this time in the year. Also represents abundance and prosperity.

 

Traditions and Symbols

Lugh Celtic Sun King and God of Light. Feasting, market fairs, games and bonfire celebrations were held in honor of his mother Tailtiu with Circle dancing and community gatherings.

Grain Mother, Harvest Mother, Harvest Queen. Demeter, as Corn Mother, representing the ripe corn of the harvest and Her daughter Kore/Persephone representing the grain - the seed which drops into earth, is hidden through the winter, and re-appears in the spring as new growth.

 

Suggestions of ways to celebrate.

Going outside to enjoy some sun and green magic. Breathe in the scents of the season with mindfulness of the beginning of the harvest season.

Gather flowers and food from your garden. If you do not have a garden visit one or your local farmer’s market.

Collect seeds for next year.

A traditional Lammas activity is baking bread and can be a fun activity for the entire family. An alternative is to buy a whole loaf from a local bakery. (See Recipe for a simple Irish Soda Bread)

Create an altar with the items in your Sabbat Box.

Use the Lammas oil and anoint each item and then yourself with a dab on your wrists and middle of forehead. As you prepare the altar, think about the bounty that fills your life. What are you getting ready to harvest? What have your intentions grown into? How are you preparing to shift into the darkness of the coming months? Do you need to let go of something that just did not make it? Every plant does not survive. Letting go allows you to be fully present in the now and ready to take the next turn of the wheel.

Place a piece of bread and a cup of tea on your altar as an offering. Eat a piece of the bread yourself (add honey and butter if you wish) and wash it down with your tea. Offer your thanks for the abundance of the coming harvest. You may want to handwrite a blessing for continued prosperity and abundance.

When you are ready go outside and give your offering of bread and tea to the woods, garden, balcony, potted plant or even a safe street corner. Share with the land the harvest it has given to you, thanking the light for the bounty, and welcoming the cooler, shorter days knowing you have abundance in your life. Bury or burn your handwritten blessing. Offer thanks to the gods and goddesses associated with the sabbat or those you work with through you own practice.

Have a Happy Lammas! Blessed Be.

Metal Never Lies is a book by Sam 'Bo' Thompson covering the use and manipulation of common metals. It starts by describing Sam's journey into learning about these metals from a complete novice to becoming an expert in blacksmithing and their magical metal application. We are surrounded by metal but how many of us think about what properties these metals possess? This fantastic book explains what Sam has learned about metals, learning with rudimentary tools going all the way to using professional blacksmithing supplies. What I find to be one of the best elements of this book is midway through when we are given the same tools that Sam started with. Many of these are made from common household items that we all have access to. As a magic practitioner I found all of this fascinating and enlightening. From beginning to end this book has everything anyone needs to start their journey in manipulating metal and using it to amplify pre-existing magic practices. Metal never lies should be a staple within anyone's magical library and ritual tool set. We are surrounded by metals. If we learn what they mean, how they can be augmented, Sam's sense of humor and easy going nature come through in his writing making it easy to read and comprehend. He has a way of simplifying the magical process to be easy to comprehend and follow. 10 out of 10 and added to my home library.