Wicca Project Page
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Scope of Project
This project's intent is to assemble research regarding the proliferation and practice of the Religion of Wicca. The information provide is designed to encourage others in the Craft to not only perform their own research but hopefully share that information with others in a more open format. I hope to see how the religion has migrated, regardless of Tenant, from the earliest forms to it's modern evolution.
Even though Wicca/pagan religions are openly practiced today, there has been and is still is much persecution due to many different reasons, among which is the lack of knowledge/fear others have about Wiccian beliefs as well as the persistent negative beliefs given thanks to the Witch Trials. In America they are known as the Salem Witch Trials, In other areas of the world they were related to the Reformation. While in modern times these do not happen so much, the practice of "witchcraft" is still Illegal and subject to penalties, even death, in many parts of the world.
This is not the page related to any Witch Trials, though that was a very sad and horrible set of actions, most if not all of the people involved with that were innocent non-Wiccians that were tortured and even killed for a myriad of reasons. That is not related to this, though, if information is needed about those please contact the managers of Category:Salem_Witch_Trials
It would be very interesting to find some lineal wiccians, people whose family have traditions that have been passed down through generations prior to the modern resurgence of Wicca. Diaries, Books of Shadows, etc, would be very interesting to see, though the likelihood of this happening is very slim.
Definitions of Wicca and Paganism
Modern Wicca and Paganism
There are many Modern definitions of the term WICCA. And it is truly dependent on the area and practioner. It also has many sub-categories as well, just like other religions do. Though, in modern times Wicca generally uses a balance system, Male and Female deities, not necessarily "Man and Woman", but Male and Female genders. Any religion that is not Catholicism, Christianity, Judaism, or Islam, can be labeled Wicca.
While most people understand "Wicca" as being a term used to refer to the pre-Christian European religions, this term (modernly) applies to all countries, including the American Indians' religious practices in north, central and south America.
Wicca: A modern Pagan religion with spiritual roots in the earliest expressions of reverence for nature. Some major identifying motifs are: reverence for both the Goddess and God; acceptance of reincarnation and magick; ritual observance of astronomical and agricultural phenomena; and the use of magickal circles for ritual purposes.
Wicce: Synonymous with Wicca. In some circles, Wicce is used for women and Wicca is used for men.
Witch: A practitioner of folk magick, particularly that kind relating to herbs, stones, colors, wells, rivers, etc. It is used by some Wiccans to describe themselves. This term has nothing to do with Satanism.
Witchcraft: The craft of the witch - magick, especially magick utilizing personal power in conjunction with the energies within stones, herbs, colors, and other natural objects. This belief system also has nothing to do with Satanism.
- The Celtic Connection, https://wicca.com/celtic/wicca/definitions.htm
Definition of pagan 1 : heathen 1; especially : a follower of a polytheistic religion (as in ancient Rome) 2 : one who has little or no religion and who delights in sensual pleasures and material goods : an irreligious or hedonistic person 3 : neo-pagan
- The Free Dictionary,[1]
Origin
Late Middle English: from Latin paganus ‘villager, rustic’, from pagus ‘country district’. Latin paganus also meant ‘civilian’, becoming, in Christian Latin, ‘heathen’ (i.e. one not enrolled in the army of Christ).
- Oxford Living Dictionary, [2]
History
In the pre-Christian times, Wicca had a meaning but was not a particular religion in and of itself. Wicca-pre-Christian meaning: Wise one-man or woman- of a community. This tended to be related to the shamin, healer, or magic practitioner of the group as well as the religious leader, though those did not necessarily mean the same person. This also alludes to a candle or lamp, as was used in the time period, specifically the Wick, meaning someone who brings the light. Now this refers to a person, usually an older person with many life experiences. This person is generally looked to for healing or spiritual guidance. During this time, religion and healing generally went hand in hand as there weren't modern medicine practices or doctors. This wise person usually knew which plants in the area had medicinal properties, which prayers to say or sacrifices to make to ask the gods to heal a person. This term could also be applied to midwives, apothecaries, priests etc. The WICCA woman-wise woman(or man)- tended to use magic as well, though not always.
Wicca in pre-Christian times, from a religious point of view, was known to have many gods, depending on the location. Many pantheons and all Pagan. Pagan meaning someone who was non-christian or had many gods. They also practiced rituals that many considered "magic", though that also can apply to any modern religion, depending on how you look at it. Another meaning for Pagan is "country folk", which given the general time period, esp. around the time monotheism became important, the Pagans lived way out in the country, woods mountains etc, while the Religious centers were usually in towns, though not always.
It should also be noted that in pre-Christian times, depending on the area and pantheon, religions tended to be more open so to speak. Yes, there were many that were primarily male dominated, but many that were either female dominated or even more balanced to respect and worship both male and female deities. All Christian based religions were Male dominated. God is male and powerful, his son is male and powerful in his own right, but no female to balance things out. The closest to a female would be Christ's mother Mary, who was human, submissive, not powerful and not a deity. Also, with these religions, you have a go between, someone between a person and God. Priest, preacher or even Christ that then passes on your "prayers" to God. But with Wiccan religions, there is no go between, but in some cases there is a wise person who can help guide you depending on your area and belief system.
Now, please note, the term "WICCA", while generally applied to more positive practices, was also applied to the negative ones as well. Also note, that in pre-Christian times, evil was recognized, demons and devils as well. It wasn't until the major Christian religions came into being that the idea of one all powerful being, the "Devil or Satan" came around. So, in this reference the terms Wicca, Witch, Pagan, and magic DO NOT refer to the practice of Satanism or Devil worship. These ideas are generally christian related and in order to worship "Satan" one must first believe and follow the Christian tenants. In most Cases, a practitioner of wicca does recognize devils, little d, but does not necessarily believe or worship THE Devil,big D.(Satan).
Witch or Witchcraft: while pagan, these terms generally refer to a person who practices the use of magic, with or without the religious connotations. In many cases Wiccan and Witch are used interchangeably. This also can be used with other religions as well, although thanks to the Burning times (also referred to as the Witch trials), modernly it tends to have a very negative meaning.
Wicca, unlike most religions today, never had written rules per se, like the Bible. Theirs was passed deom one generation to the next in many ways: stories, apprenticeship, observation, etc. A Wicca woman, shaman, witch doctor, etc. would take on a student, usually a family member or community member, and teach them what they knew. Whole communities tended to participate in rituals, as well as teach their own children what they knew by the same means. And just like the Christian religions, this shared belief played a big part in the entire community. Any written works on the subject are most notably modern. In the past, a witch or wise person may have kept their own Journal, book of shadows, or grimiore, however, those are either lost or unknown mostly as during any witch trials, if they were found, the people tended to burn them. So we are playing alot of catch up or make up as we only have historical ideas about how these deities were truly related to so I am very sure there has been a great deal of knowledge lost over time. Modern Wicca is often a more nature based positive belief practice leaning more towards balance and positive actions and reactions.
For Help or to Join the Project
For any questions or to request to join the Wicca Project pleas contact Lisa Valdez. And Please share!!!!
Memories: 10
Written and compiled by George Knowles
Part 1 - " In The Beginning "
The pentagram symbol today is ascribed many meanings and deep significance, though much of this is very recent. However, it has been used throughout history and in many contexts:
The earliest known use of the pentagram dates back to around the Uruk period around 3500BC at Ur of the Chaldees in Ancient Mesopotamia where it was found on potsherds together with other signs of the period associated with the earliest known developments of written language. In later periods of Mesopotamian art, the pentagram was used in royal inscriptions and was symbolic of imperial power extending out to "the four corners of the world".
Amongst the Hebrews, the symbol was ascribed to Truth and to the five books of the Pentateuch. It is sometimes, incorrectly, called the Seal of Solomon (see Hexagram) though its usage was in parallel with the hexagram. In Ancient Greece, it was called the Pentalpha, being geometrically composed of five A's. Unlike earlier civilisations, the Greeks did not generally attribute other symbolic meanings to the letters of their alphabet, but certain symbols became connected with Greek letter shapes or positions (e.g. Gammadion, Alpha-Omega). The geometry of the pentagram and its metaphysical associations were explored by the Pythagoreans (after Pythagoras 586-506BC) who considered it an emblem of perfection. Together with other discovered knowledge of geometric figures and proportion, it passed down into post-Hellenic art where the golden proportion may be seen in the designs of some temples. Pythagoras was known to have travelled all over the ancient world from the mysteries into which he was initiated, and it seems likely that his travels took him to Egypt, to Chaldea and to lands around the Indus.
There may be a connection here with the presence of the pentagram in Tantrik art. To the Gnostics, the pentagram was the 'Blazing Star' and, like the crescent moon was a symbol relating to the magic and mystery of the nighttimes sky. For the Druids, it was a symbol of Godhead. In Egypt, it was a symbol of the 'underground womb' and bore a symbolic relationship to the concept of the pyramid form. The Pagan Celts ascribed the pentagram to the underground goddess Morrigan. Early Christians attributed the pentagram to the Five Wounds of Christ and from then until medieval times, it was a lesser-used Christian symbol. Prior to the time of the Inquisition, there were no 'evil' associations to the pentagram. Rather its form implied Truth, religious mysticism and the work of The Creator.
The Emperor Constantine I, who, after gaining the help of the Christian church in his military and religious takeover of the Roman Empire in 312 AD, used the pentagram, together with the chi-rho symbol (a symbolic form of cross) in his seal and amulet. However, it was the cross (a symbol of suffering) rather than the pentagram (a symbol of truth) that was used as a symbol by the Church which subsequently came to power and who's 'manifest destiny' was to usurp the supreme power of the Roman Empire, using as an instrument a forged document - 'The Donation of Constantine'. The annual church feast of Epiphany, celebrating the visit of the three Magi to the infant Jesus as well as the Church's mission to bring 'truth' to the Gentiles had as it's symbol the pentagram, (although in present times the symbol has been changed to a five-pointed star in reaction to the neo-pagan use of the pentagram). In the legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the pentagram was Sir Gawain's glyph, inscribed in gold on his shield, symbolising the five knightly virtues - generosity, courtesy, chastity, chivalry and piety.
In Medieval times, the 'Endless Knot' was a symbol of Truth and was a protection against demons. It was used as an amulet of personal protection and to guard windows and doors. The pentagram with one point upwards symbolised summer; with two points upward, it was a sign for winter.
The Knights Templar, a military order of monks formed during the Crusades, gained great wealth and prominence from the donations of those who joined the order and from treasures looted from the Holy Land. The centre of the Templar order around Rennes du Chatres in France is noteworthy for the almost perfect natural pentangle of mountains spanning several miles around it. There is good evidence of the creation of other exact geomantic alignments and pentagrams as well as a hexagram in the area, centred on this natural pentagram, in the location of numerous chapels and shrines. It is clear from remaining traces of Templar architecture that architects and masons associated with the powerful order were well aware of the geometry of the pentangle and the golden proportion and incorporated that mysticism in their design. Alas, the whole Templar order fell victim to the avarice of the Church and of religious-fanatic Louis IX of France in 1303 and the black times of the Inquisition, of torture and false-witness, of purging and burning, began, spreading like a slow-motion replay of the Black Death, across Europe.
During the long period of the Inquisition, there was much promulgation of lies and accusations in the 'interests' of orthodoxy and elimination of heresy. The Church lapsed into a long period of the very diabolism it sought to oppose. The pentagram was seen to symbolise a Goat's Head or the Devil in the form of Baphomet and it was Baphomet whom the Inquisition accused the Templars of worshipping. Around this time also, poisoning as a means of murder came into prominence. Potent herbs and drugs brought back from the East during the Crusades had entered the pharmacopoeias of the healers - the wise - the witches. Prominent deaths by poisoning caused the Dominicans of the Inquisition to move their attention from the Christian heretics to the pagan witches, to those who only paid lip service to Christianity but still followed an Old Religion and to the wise-ones amongst them who knew about drugs and poisons. In the purge on witches, other horned gods such as Pan became equated with the Devil (a Christian concept) and the pentagram - the folk-symbol of security - for the first time in history - was equated with 'evil' and was called the Witch's Foot. The Old Religion and its symbols went underground, in fear of the Church's persecution, and there it stayed, gradually withering, for centuries.
Part 2 - " After the Inquisition "
In the foundation of Hermeticism, in hidden societies of craftsmen and scholarly men, away from the eyes of the Church and its paranoia, the proto-science of alchemy developed along with its occult philosophy and cryptical symbolism. Graphical and geometric symbolism became very important and the period of the Renaissance emerged.
The concept of the microcosmic world of Man as analogous to the macrocosm, the greater universe of spirit and elemental matter became a part of traditional western occult teaching, as it had long been in eastern philosophies. "As above, so below". The pentagram, the 'Star of the Microcosm', symbolised Man within the macrocosm, representing in analogy the Macrocosmic universe.
The upright pentagram bears some resemblance to the shape of man with his legs and arms outstretched. In Tycho Brahe's Calendarium Naturale Magicum Perpetuum (1582) occurs a pentagram with human body imposed and the Hebrew for YHSVH associated with the elements. An illustration attributed to Brae's contemporary Agrippa (Henry Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim) is of similar proportion and shows the five planets and the moon at the centre point - the genitalia. Other illustrations of the period by Robert Fludd and Leonardo da Vinci show geometric relationships of man to the universe. Later, the pentagram came to be symbolic of the relationship of the head to the four limbs and hence of the pure concentrated essence of anything (or the spirit) to the four traditional elements of matter - earth, water, air and fire - spirit is The Quintessence.
In Freemasonry, Man as Microprosopus was and is associated with the five-pointed Pentalpha. The symbol was used, interlaced and upright for the sitting Master of the Lodge. The geometric properties and structure of the Endless Knot were appreciated and symbolically incorporated into the 72-degree angle of the compasses - the Masonic emblem of virtue and duty. The origins of freemasonry are lost in the depths of history, obscured by the traditional 'craft'-secrecy of the order, but there are signs throughout history of the associations of craftsmanship and ritual and symbolism that have remained known only to a few, and the history of the pentagram has remained occluded in the same kind of mystery. The women’s' branch of freemasonry uses the five pointed 'Eastern Star' as its emblem. Each point commemorates a heroine of biblical lore.
No known graphical illustration associating the pentagram with evil appears until the nineteenth century. Eliphaz Levi (actually the pen name of Alphonse Louis Constant, a defrocked French Catholic abbé) illustrates the upright pentagram of microcosmic man beside an inverted pentagram with the goat's head of Baphomet. It is this illustration and juxtaposition that has led to the concept of different orientations of the pentagram being 'good' and 'evil
By Lady Sheba.
All ye assembled at mine shrine, Mother Darksome and Divine.
Mine the Scourge and mine the Kiss, Here I charge you in this sign.
All you assembled in my sight, Bow before my spirit bright.
Aphrodite, Arianhod, Lover of the Horned God.
Mighty Queen of Witchery and night,
Morgan, Erione, Nisene, Diana, Bridgid, Melusine,
Am I named of old by men, Artemis and Cerridwen,
Hell's dark mistress, Heaven's Queen.
Ye who ask of me a rune, Or would ask of me a boon,
Meet me in some secret glade, Dancing round in greenwood shade.
By the light of the Full Moon.
In a place wild and lone, Dance about mine altar stone,
Work my holy mystery, Ye who are feign to sorcery.
I bring ye secrets yet unknown.
No more shall ye know slavery, who give true worship unto me.
Ye who tread my round on Sabbat night,
come ye naked to my rite, in token that ye be really free.
I teach ye the mystery of rebirth, work ye my mysteries in mirth.
Heart joined to heart and lip to lip,
five are the points of fellowship,
that bring ye ecstasy on earth,
for I am the circle of rebirth.
I ask no sacrifice, but do vow,
no other Law but love I know,
By naught but love may I be known.
All things living are mine own,
from me they come, to me they go.
I invoke Thee and call upon Thee Mighty Mothers of us all.
Bringer of Fruitfulness by seed and by root.
I invoke Thee by stem and bud.
I invoke Thee by life and love
and call upon Thee to descend into the body
of this Thy Priestess and Servant.
Hear with her ears, speak with her tongue,
touch with her hands, kiss with her lips,
that thy servants may be fulfilled.
By Doreen Valiente
Hear now the words of the witches, The secrets we hid in the night, When dark was our destiny’s pathway, That now we bring forth into light.
Mysterious water and fire, The earth and the wide-ranging air, By hidden quintessence we know them, And will and keep silent and dare.
The birth and rebirth of all nature, The passing of winter and spring, We share with the life universal, Rejoice in the magical ring.
Four times in the year the Great Sabbat Returns, and witches are seen At Lammas, and Candlemas dancing, On May Eve and old Hallowe’en.
When day-time and night-time are equal, When the sun is at greatest and least, The four Lesser Sabbats are summoned, Again witches gather in feast.
Thirteen silver moons in a year are, Thirteen is the coven's array. Thirteen times as Esbat make merry, For each golden year and a day.
The power was passed down the ages, Each time between woman and man, Each century unto the other, Ere time and the ages began.
When drawn is the magical circle, By sword or athame or power, Its compass between the two worlds lie, In Land of the Shades for that hour.
This world has no right then to know it, And world beyond will tell naught, The oldest of Gods are invoked there, The Great Work of magic is wrought.
For two are the mystical pillars, That stand to at the gate of the shrine, And two are the powers of nature, The forms and the forces divine.
The dark and the light in succession, The opposites each unto each, Shown forth as a God and a Goddess, Of this did our ancestors teach.
By night he’s the wild wind’s rider, The Horn’d One, the Lord of the shades, By day he’s the King of the Woodlands, The dweller in green forest glades.
She is youthful or old as she pleases,
She sails the torn clouds in her barque,
The bright silver lady of midnight,
The crone who weaves spells in the dark.
The master and mistress of magic, They dwell in the deeps of the mind, Immortal and ever-renewing, With power to free or to bind.
So drink the good wine to the Old Gods, And dance and make love in their praise, Til Elphame's fair land shall receive us, In peace at the end of our days.
An Do What You Will be the challenge, So be it in Love that harms none, For this is the only commandment, By Magick of old, be it done.
Eight words the Witches’ Creed fulfill:
If it harms none, do what you will.
The Three-Fold Law is the belief and principle on which magick is used. This law relates to the use of power and energy, for when used, power is returned to the sender, three times the level it was sent out.
Used in relation with the ethos, “Do what thy wilt, though it harm none” (as stated in the Wiccan Rede), witches take great care when preparing and casting spells that no harm should come to others because of it.
The nature of this three-fold return can perhaps be better understood when considering the cause and effect principle of a spell. Let’s take an example – someone comes to you in distress with a problem, you help by sending out positive energy and the problem is successfully resolved. This automatically makes you feel good about yourself and influences your thoughts; thus your state of consciousness is altered. In turn your thoughts stir the emotions, which has a physical effect in the body by causing glandular secretions to enter into the blood stream. The resulting state of mind and body lifts your spirit, which is what makes you feel good. Thus with the act of a single good deed, you have been effected three times, in mind, body, and spirit. This then is your three-fold response to the return of positive energy. Now consider your response had you sent out negative energy or something went drastically wrong? The Law of Power 1. The Power shall not be used to bring harm, to injure or to control others. But if the need arises, the Power shall be used to protect your life or the lives of others.
2. The Power is used only as need dictates.
3. The Power can be used for your own gain; as long as by doing so you harm none.
4. It is unwise to accept money for the use of the Power, for it quickly controls its taker. Be not as those of other religions.
5. Use not the Power for prideful gain, for such cheapens the mysteries of Wicca and Magick.
6. Ever remember that the Power is a sacred gift of the Goddess and the God, and should never be misused or abused.
7. And this is the Law of the Power. The Four Powers of the Magus
The Four Powers of the Magus are the personal attributes traditionally necessary and required for the successful use and practice of magick. These are - To Know, To Dare, To Will, and To Be Silent. Without these four attributes combined, the individual will never be successful in magick.
The reasoning is quite simple; none of the attributes mentioned are enough in themselves, as all four attributes must be present to balance each other out. For instance:
To Know - Knowledge is no good, without the will and audacity to see magick done.
To Dare – Audacity is no good, without the knowledge and will to see magick done.
To Will – Will power is no good, without the knowledge and audacity to see magick done.
To Be Silent – What good are the above, without the discretion to remain silent until the magick is done? To reveal your magick before it is done, dissipates it’s power and effectiveness.
So, anyone aspiring to use magick, he/see needs a knowledge of what he/see is doing, the audacity to use it, the will power to control it, and the discretion to remain silent till the work is done.
Listen to the Words of the Horned God,
Who was of old called among men:
Adonis, Tammuz, Dianus, Herne,
Bran, Beli, Lugh, Gwyn,
Dionysus, Osiris, Cernunnos, Pan,
And by many other Names.
O Secret of Secrets,
That art hidden in the being of all that lives,
Not Thee do we adore,
For That which adoreth is also Thou.
Thou art That, and That am I.
I am the Flame that burns in the heart of every being,
And in the core of every Star.
I am Life, and the Giver of Life,
Yet therefore is the Knowledge of Me
The Knowledge of Death and Resurrection.
I am alone, the Lord within ourselves,
Whose Name is Mystery of Mysteries.
I am the Horned God.
I am the Lord of the Universe,
The Father of all living,
The All-Devourer and the All-Begetter.
I am He Whose Seed lies strewn
As glittering Gems across velvet darkness
Within the Womb of the Mother.
I am the Lord of the Shadows
In the darkness of the Underworld,
For I am the Midnight Sun.
I am the Light of the Stars,
And the Spark of the Spirit Eternal,
For I am the God Within.
I am the Horned Leader of the Hosts of Air,
The Leader of the Wild Hunt,
The Judge of Gods and of Men.
I am the Hidden God,
Who ever yet remains,
For I dwell within the secret seed.
I am the seed of grain,
I am the seed of flesh,
I am the Seed of the Stars.
I am the Lord of the Heights,
I am the Lord of the Depths,
God of forest, of flock, and of field.
I am the Hunter and Hunted,
I am the wolf and the Shepherd,
I am the vine and the grain.
I am a Guiding Star above you,
I am a bright Flame before you,
I am a smooth Path beneath you.
I am the Light of Life.
I am the Flame of Love.
I am the Horned God!
By Lady Sheba – 1974
Darksome night and shining moon,
Hearken to the witches’ rune.
East then South, West then North,
Hear! Come! I call thee forth!
By all the powers of land and sea,
Be obedient unto me.
Wand and Pentacle and Sword,
Hearken ye unto my word.
Cords and Censer, Scourge and Knife,
Waken all ye into life.
Powers of the witch’s Blade,
Come ye as the charge is made.
Queen of Heaven, Queen of Hell,
Send your aid unto the spell.
Horned Hunter of the night,
Work my will by magic rite.
By all the powers of land and sea,
As I do say, “So mote it be.”
By all the might of moon and sun,
As I do will, it shall be done.
The Rule of Three (also Three-fold Law or Law of Return) is a religious tenet held by some Wiccans/Pagans. It states that whatever energy a person puts out into the world, be it positive or negative, will be returned to that person three times.
An it harm none, do what thou wilt.--
Put simply, as long as "***" action doesn't harm others, do as you want.
The Rede is only a guideline which the individual must interpret to fit each particular situation and unlike most religions, which actions "do harm" (and which do not) are not discussed in the Rede. What exactly does and does not do harm is therefore open to personal interpretation.
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Blessed Be!!
There are 12-13 full moons each year, or one every 28 and a quarter day’s. The moon is symbolic of the Goddess, and is also a powerful source of energy. After the religious aspects of the festival are over, many witches then practice magick, tapping into the large amounts of energy believed to exist at those times.
Moon phases are important in determining the best time to practice magick. The term “Moon Phases” is use to indicate the periods of the moons illuminated light as seen from the earth in its different shapes. The moons cycle is generally split into four quarters, which starts with the New Moon working its way through the First Quarter Moon to the Full Moon (called its waxing phase), then through the Last Quarter Moon and back again to the New Moon (called its waning phase):
New Moon
Waxing Crescent Moon - First Quarter Moon - Waxing Gibbous Moon
Full Moon
Waning Gibbous Moon - Last Quarter Moon - Waning Crescent Moon
When the first quarter of the moon (the New Moon) begins its cycle, because it rises and sets with the sun it cannot be seen and takes three days to emerge as a slender crescent just after sunset, from this it grows into the First Quarter Moon by which time it should be clearly visible.
The second quarter of the moon covers the period from half way between the New Moon and the Full Moon, during which it traverses through what is called the Waxing Gibbous Moon with the mass of the moon visible on its right-hand side. This moon rises in the afternoon and sets after midnight.
The third quarter of the moon (the Full Moon) marks the beginning of the moons descent from Full Moon to New Moon. At this stage the moon is at its furthest point from the sun. It rises as the sun sets and is visible all night, it then fades as the sun rises again in the morning.
The forth quarter of the moon marks the period half way between the Full Moon and the New Moon. As the moon is decreasing it passes through what is called the Waning Gibbous Moon with the mass of the moon visible on its left-hand side. This moon rises in the early evening and sets after sunrise the next day.
If when looking at the moon you cannot recognise its waxing or waning phase from its appearance, the Waxing Moon (its illuminated face) grows larger from the right. This can be called the “right-hand Moon”, because by holding out your right hand the curve of the crescent corresponds to the curve between the right-hand index finger and thumb. Likewise the Waning Moon (its illuminated face) diminishes from the left and is known as the “left-hand Moon”; again by holding out your left hand the curve corresponds with the left-hand index finger and the thumb.
Sabbats
Sabbats are the eight main festivals celebrated by witches; they are solar rituals marking the points of the sun's yearly cycle and that of life and nature. Traditionally they are grouped into two categories with four Greater Sabbats and four Lesser Sabbats. The four Greater Sabbats are those associated with agriculture and the bearing cycles of animals, thus their dates my vary slightly from year to year. Known by a variety of names the four Greater Sabbats are:
Imbolc - (February 2nd) also known as: Oimelc / Candlemas
Beltane - (April 30th) also known as: Roodmas / May Eve / Walpurgis Night
Lughnasadh - (August 1st) also known as: Lammas
Samhain - (October 31st) also known as: Hallowmas / Halloween
The four Lesser Sabbats contain the Solstices and Equinoxes representing the astronomical beginnings of the seasons. their dates may vary by a day or two each year as they depend upon the sun’s entry into the zodiacal signs of: Aries (Spring), Cancer (Summer), Libra (Autumn) and Capricorn (Winter). The four Lesser Sabbats are:
Ostara - (March 21st) also known as: The Spring Equinox
Litha - (June 21st) also known as: The Summer Solstice
Mabon - (September 21st) also known as: The Autumn Equinox
Yule - (December 21st) also known as: The Winter Solstice