Lady Ament-Drake's Samhain (Hallow's Eve, Hallowe'en) Ritual 2009

Lady Ament-Drake’s
~ SAMHAIN RITUAL 2009 ~
Inspired by and crafted to link-in with Maeve Selene’s Elgin Area Pagans Rite.

Needed for the Rite:

Candles for the Elements, Lord, and Lady
A Candle for Ancestors Altar
Pictures/Representations of Ancestors and passed Loved Ones
3rd. Eye Oil,
Black cord
Paper and Pens,
Cauldron
Offering dish,
Salt and Water Vessels & Salt and Water,
Juice, Cakes, & Pumpkin Seeds
Pomegranate, Apple, Knife

THE CEREMONY

Call the Quarters
I call to the North, home of the Element of Earth,
Spirit of the Soil, nourisher, nurturer, bountiful one,
be with us now, give to us your protection and aid us in our work,
Blessed Be.

I call to the East, home of the Element of Air,
Spirit of Wind, inspiration, communication, freedom,
be with us now, give to us your protection, and aid us in our work. Blessed Be.

I call to the South, home of the Element of Fire,
Spirit of Flame, sacred fire, giver of life and knowledge,
be with us now, give to us your protection and aid us in our work,
Blessed Be.

I call to the West, home of the Element of Water,
Spirit of the Rains, intuition, place of purification, and rebirth, be with us now, give to us your protection and aid us in our work,
Blessed Be.

Call The Lady & Lord
O' Gracious Goddess,
Grandmother of us all,
You who are known by many names,
Anu, Persephone, Demeter. Hecate, Ammit, Cerridwen,
and many more,
We invite and welcome you to join our sacred circle
as we celebrate this year's ending and the new year's beginning,
Hail great Lady, we rejoice at your arrival!
Blessed Be.

O'Gracious God,
Grandfather, Son, Lover - all one,
You who are known by many names,
The Dagda, Hades, Zeus, Thanatos, Anubis, Cerrnunnos,
and many more,
We invite and welcome you to join our sacred circle as we celebrate this year's ending and the new year's beginning.
Hail great Lord, we rejoice at your arrival!
Blessed Be.

Call The Spirits (at the Ancestor Altar)
As the old year ends and the new begins, the veil between the Worlds is thin and Spirits and other Entities may cross easily from the Otherworld into our own. We welcome and invite all those of peace and good-will who wish to join us as we celebrate the turning of the wheel of life. To those who are not of peace, who wish only to cause harm and dissension; we banish you to the outer darkness for this night. By the power of the Ancient Ones you may not enter in! So Mote It BE!

Cast The Circle
I cast this Circle in Love and Light - A Bridge in the Darkness made of pale Moonlight. A Place that is Nowhere, Time of Never and Always, we seek to Live within You and with Death to safely cross ways. Only Positivity may enter, only Positivity may leave – so that Positively we may both Celebrate and Grieve.

The Circle is Cast – three by three – so mote it be!

We stand now within a place that is not a place, in a time that is not a time, On a day which is not a day. Charged and Protected by Power and Love.
Receive now the blessing of The Ancient Ones – the symbol of Life.
May this oil, Magickally Charged, open your senses to the Otherworld and to the Spirits and other Entities here assembled. Infusing you with Pure Light and the Twilight Vision.
Blessed Be.

Salt and Water Ceremony
I Charge you, o creature of Water, that by this act you may be Cleansed and Purified,
So that you may be fit to Bless this Sacred Circle.
In the names of The Goddess and The God, I consecrate this Water.

I Charge you, o creature of Earth, that by this act you may be Cleansed and Purified,
So that you may be fit to Bless this Sacred Circle.
In the names of The Goddess and The God, I consecrate this Salt.

(Take Salt/Water mixture and Aspurge the Circle.)

Rite of Mysteries
This is the time of the growing dark, The God, bright lord of the sun, begins his journey to the isle of apples, to rest and await his re-birth at Yule.
The season dies, the earth lies fallow, sleeping. This is the time for introspection, for inner growth and learning. For meditating on the cycles of life.

(Hold up the pomegranate, cut, hold up again)
Behold! The fruit of life which is death--- taste of death,
(eat pomegranate seeds and reflect on the aspects of life and how all life moves toward death.)

(Hold up the apple, cut, hold up again)
Behold! The fruit of death which is life!------taste of life, (eat apple and reflect on death and how death transforms into life.)

The Story of Persephone
And the mighty Zeus lay with Demeter of the Earth, and in Her time was born to Demeter the sweet and beautiful Kore, whom her Mother cherished above all.
One day as Kore was gathering flowers on the plains of Enna, singing to herself and making the flowers blossom ever more brightly, the ground opened up beneath her and Hades – the Lord of the dead, grabbed her and abducted her down into his realm.
Demeter came to look for her daughter when she did not return, but saw no signs of what had happened. In grief and loneliness she roamed the earth, searching for her daughter.
Now Demeter is Lady of Bounty, and in those times before Kore’s abduction, she was so joyful that the Earth gave constant bounty, and this was The Golden Age of Man.
As Demeter lost her joy in the loss of Kore, so did the Earth wither and the bounty withdraw, and for the first time Men knew hunger.
In despair, as their flocks dwindled, and their families began to die, people came increasingly to the Temples and begged for the return of fruitfulness.
Zeus, who sees all from his throne on Olympus, came to realise he must do something, or the people would be lost, and no one would remain to worship the Mighty Gods. Demeter, who now instead of being the picture of fruitfulness, was old as a crone, and withered, took to her the name of Hecate. And Zeus called to Hecate and gave her audience, and told her what had become of her beloved daughter.
Hecate was enraged. And as many a wise crone does when angered, she made a plan. Using her withered stature to her advantage, she stole down to Hades realm disguised as one of the souls come to the land of the dead. She stood at the bank of the River Nyx called Acheron and awaited the ferry that takes the shades into the impassable realm of Hades. She stood as still as death, with the impassive look of a shade – lost. When Charos with his ferry reached her she spoke no word to betray her life, but when bade to speak only opened her mouth and took from it a coin to pay her way across.
And so she came in front of Hades, in her turn at the procession of souls before the throne of the Underworld. And in her turn she saw her daughter, now called Persephone, ruling by Hades side. And so in joy she shed her withered form, and stood before the twin thrones, mighty Demeter once more. And Hades knew that the reckoning for his deed was nigh.
Demeter demanded the return of her daughter, which was her right never having relinquished her unto any man. But Hades was a clever God and had provisioned for such an outcome.
‘Whosoever enters the Land of Dead may not return,’ He spoke the bare truth to Demeter ‘as Whosoever has tasted Death shall no more taste of life’. And on Persephone’s face was the horror of realisation.Ah, but The Maiden was no fool either, and so a grin spread across her faith, as she pulled a Pomegranate from her pocket. ‘But my Lord,’ said she, ‘I ate but 3 seeds from the fruit you have given me, I have not tasted of the whole fruit.’
And so the argument between Hades and Persephone & Demeter ensued. It lasted many days and nights, until the procession before the throne was backed right to the edge of the river, and no new souls could pass.
And so it fell to Zeus to solve the matter, so that the procession might continue as it ought.
‘As Persephone has tasted of the fruit’ said He, ‘She must be owned by the Land and Lord of the Dead. But as she did not eat of the whole fruit, so she must be allowed to leave her throne and return to her Mother on the Earth.’ ‘Three seeds she ate, and so three shall be the division, that for one third of the year Hades may keep her, but the remainder she shall be free to walk the Earth’.
And so it came to pass that when She returned Above, she was Kore, and with the return of her the joy and the blossoming returned. And when she had stayed awhile with her Mother, fruitfulness was borne upon the Earth. But when her time came each year to descend to the Realm Below, her Mother again wore the face of Hecate the Crone and ruled the Earth in bareness. And so came the Seasons of the Earth.

The Preparation for the New Year
This is the beginning of the fallow time. The harvest has come, the fruits of the earth have been gathered in preparation for the long dark of winter. That which we have sown in the past year has reached its time of completion.
We now look forward toward the coming year. Though the fields lie fallow they hold within them the seed of promise of re-birth.
We also look forward to the promise of things to come in the New Year. Before we can begin to build for the New Year we must first rid ourselves of any residual negative energies. (Use black cord to make a braid) With this cord we shall weave all the negative energies left from the last year into a braid. (Once braids are made set alight and place in the Cauldron) See all the negative energies leaving.

Ancestors Meditation & Offering
We will now take a few minutes to commune with our Ancestors (and Deceased Loved Ones). Go to the Working Altar, which has been set as the Ancestor Altar. Focus on your Ancestors. Take some time to connect with them, to celebrate their lives and mourn their deaths. Offer to them pumpkin seeds as symbols of Returning Life and as a form of connection to the energy and land of the living. Ask the Ancestors for guidance to help you decide what things you need to bring into your life for the New Year. When you feel you have an answer write it down on a piece of paper. Thank the Ancestors for their guidance and return to the Prime Altar.

Paper Wish Spell
Using the guidance of the Ancestors, write on the paper what you wish to manifest in the New Year.
Fold the paper. Light it and stand by the Cauldron.
As the paper burns chant:

O'Gracious Lady,
O'Great Lord,
By your power, let this symbol of those things which I wish to manifest in the coming year-- go forth into the All to strengthen and work for the accomplishment of my desire.
By the power of the old ones, By the power of my will,
For the good of all and to harm none,
So Mote It BE!

Cakes and Ale
By the Powers of The Ancient Ones – Lord and Lady
By The Powers of The Elements – Earth, Air, Fire, and Water
By the Powers of Those Who Came Before
And By My Power
I do consecrate these Cakes, that they may be for us The Body of The Lord, connecting us with The Sacredness of the Cycle of Life, Death, and Rebirth, and the Sacredness of Our Bodies. So Mote it Be.

By the Powers of The Ancient Ones – Lord and Lady
By The Powers of The Elements – Earth, Air, Fire, and Water
By the Powers of Those Who Came Before
And By My Power
I do consecrate this Juice, that it may be for us the Life Blood of The Goddess, connecting us with The Sacredness of the Cycle of Life, Death, and Rebirth, and the Sacredness of The Earth. So Mote it Be.

Thanking the Quarters
Element of Earth, whose home is the North,
Spirit of the Soil, nourisher, nurturer, bountiful one,
We thank you for joining us, giving us your protection, and aiding us in our work.We’d like you to stay, but if you must go, go where you must. Hail and Fair Thee Well. Blessed Be.

Element of Air, whose home is the East,
Spirit of Wind, inspiration, communication, freedom,
We thank you for joining us, giving us your protection, and aiding us in our work.We’d like you to stay, but if you must go, go where you must. Hail and Fair Thee Well. Blessed Be.

Element of Fire, whose home is the South,
Spirit of Flame, sacred fire, giver of life and knowledge,
We thank you for joining us, giving us your protection, and aiding us in our work.We’d like you to stay, but if you must go, go where you must. Hail and Fair Thee Well. Blessed Be.

Element of Water, whose home is the West,
Spirit of the Rains, intuition, place of purification, and rebirth, We thank you for joining us, giving us your protection, and aiding us in our work.We’d like you to stay, but if you must go, go where you must. Hail and Fair Thee Well. Blessed Be.

Thanking The Lady & Lord
O' Gracious Goddess,
Grandmother of us all,
You who are known by many names,
Anu, Persephone, Demeter. Hecate, Ammit, Cerridwen,
and many more,
We thank you for joining us in our sacred circle as we celebrated this year's ending and the New Year's beginning. Great Lady we bid you to stay if you will, or go if you must. We bid you Hail! And Fare Thee Well.
Blessed Be.

O'Gracious God,
Grandfather, Son, Lover - all one,
You who are known by many names,
The Dagda, Hades, Zeus, Thanatos, Anubis, Cerrnunnos,
and many more,
We thank you for joining us in our sacred circle as we celebrated this year's ending and the New Year's beginning. Great Lord we bid you to stay if you will, or go if you must. We bid you Hail! And Fare Thee Well.
Blessed Be.

Thank The Spirits (at the Ancestor Altar)
We thank those who Sired and Bore our Forefathers, our deceased Family, Friends, Familiars – all Loved Ones, for being with us this night. As we miss you we do emplore you to stay if you will, please go only if you must. We do bid you Hail! And Fare Thee Well. Blessed Be.

Open The Circle
This Circle was cast in Love and Light - A Bridge in the Darkness made of pale Moonlight. A Place that was Nowhere, Time of Never and Always, we were granted the boon of Living within Sacred Space and were allowed with Death to safely cross ways. Only Positivity was let to enter, only Positivity does leave – so that Positively we may continue to both Celebrate and Grieve. The Circle is now Open – three by three – so mote it be! Merry Meet, Merry Part, Merry Meet Again!

Fertility Tips

Anyone who knows me knows I've never had a child, and that, for the most part, I don't want one - or not right now at least. That being said, most people who know me, know that I've learned a lot about home remedies and general health information in my life. And so, over the years I've been asked by many people what kind of tips I know for conception. I was writing a bunch of those tips out for a friend of mine today and thought to myself - hey, there's some knowledge that might be worth posting in a blog... so here we go.

So Tip #1 - Remove or minimize your exposure to harsh chemicals like those found in cleaners. Clean things with very natural cleaners (the types found in healthfood stores for people with chemical sensitivities), or with good old fashioned vinegar and baking soda. Household chemicals cause a lot of miscarriages, so just imagine what they can do to the delicate balance you need to maintain to get pregnant in the first place. That's a good point too... don't just limit them while getting pregnant, avoid the increased chance of miscarriage by not using them during pregnancy either. If you simply MUST use a chemical cleaner in your home, ask your husband to do that piece of the cleaning, and ventilate well before you re-enter that room. It is best if he can stay away from the chemicals too, because males have fertility issues too sometimes (it could just as easily be him as you that is having the hard time), but it's even more vital for the mother to maintain that perfect harmony in her body. Of course, I spoke of household chemicals here, but industrial chemicals are even worse - so try even harder to avoid them if you can. If you have to deal with harsh chemicals at work, try talking to a supervisor and asking if you can shuffle some duties - it never hurts to ask. A few other things to avoid that most people wouldn't think of when they think of chemicals in their lives: Candles (buy/use only soy wax or beeswax), perfume/cologne and scented products ~ try to go fragrance-less except for deodorant, and/or try to go all-natural (even for deodorant if you can - by the way all-natural means essential oils, not anything called "fragrance").

Tip #2 - Buy a datebook and track your menstrual-cycle. This is not just about looking for ovulation times (typically the 12-16 day after your bleeding stops), but about getting in touch with your body. [You can also get into recording temperature - higher temperature without fever usually means more ready to conceive]. It also lets you know whether your cycle is stable. If it isn't stable, that's where to start your work. Keeping a completely dark room (use blackout curtains) to sleep in on all nights except the 3 nights of the Full Moon (day before, of, and after on most calendars) helps re-tune and stabilize your cycle.

Tip #3 - Work on stress reduction. You actually may have gotten pregnant several times already, but cast the fertilized egg aside within days if your stress is too high. This is actually a natural protection process to ensure that parents are ready to handle a child! (It doesn't always kick in unfortunately, but hey, Mother Nature had a good idea if not perfect execution of that idea). And when I talk about stress, I'm talking about 4 things...
Past stress - unresolved issues (usually from childhood or a trauma) that can leave people jumpy/sensitive (this is the "symptom" to look for if you're not sure if you have past stress)
Present stress - frequent arguments either at home at work or with family/friends, stress from too-full days, etc.
Future stress - worry about what may or may not come to pass ~ most especially regarding money and, you guessed it, conception itself.
Body stress - from irregular or not enough sleep, nutrition, exercise, etc.
It's really important to get yourself into a place of good health if you want to become pregnant.

Tip #4 - Gain some weight. I'm not saying here that you should "get fat", it's fine if most of the weight gained is muscle. The key here is to bulk up to a curvier stature. There's a reason why curves are accentuated by many styles and generally considered attractive - they are a sign (which usually speaks to the male subconscious rather than conscious mind) of fertility! Basically put, a gal needs to have a little bit of 'extra' weight on her to be at maximum fertility. Biologically speaking this is so that if a time of famine were to arise she would not miscarry the child, or harm herself, so easily as she would if she had no extra body-stored-nutrition (IE fat). It is about nutrition and balance for your body though, so this one is a little tricky. What you typically want to do is up your fat percentage in dairy and keep your exercise level up (or even increase it slightly) to achieve some of this curvature gain. Milk, it does a body good.

Tip #4B - In some cases, and you'll know if it's you, loosing a bit of weight is more appropriate than gaining it. Being overweight may be good for fertility but it doesn't do your immune system (or overall health) any favours.

Tip #5 - This is the fun one, practice, practice, practice. Some people swear by certain sexual positions to increase fertility because they maximize sperm-delivery... the problem is, which positions do that for you depends on your body shapes and flexibility, so the best advice here is to practice many positions and practice often. Another important point in this category is that it IS proven that fertilization is much more likely to occur if you reach orgasm, and preferably before he does. It's OK if it's way before, say during foreplay, just so long as it's before. It's because this is a signal to your body that you have chosen your mate (rather than being forced into the situation - again Mother Nature with the great plan but less than perfect execution of it) and it allows your body to open up more and increases your circulation in-there; which helps set the ideal (warmer than average) environment for conception.

These 5 tips are just the simple and un-Magickal stuff to work on. Getting into Fertility Magick is a whole 'nother kettle of fish, as the saying goes. Whether you're Magickally inclined or not, I don't think it's as important in what specific way folks get spiritual with their fertility goals, but I do think it helps to get spiritual about it. Magick and prayer share a lot in common. You determine what it is you want and you ask for it. In ideal cases you also open yourself to receiving guidance about how what you want should come to be in your life. So in short what I'm saying here is keep up your prayers and trust... which will also lower your stress.

Apple's Sweet Samhain Muffins

Ingredients:

1 & 1/4 cups brown sugar (2 cups if you have a sweet tooth!)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 & 1/3 cups (cooked) mashed pumpkin
2 eggs
1 & 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
(or a blend of approx. 1 pt each ginger, cloves, & anise & 2 pts cinnamon)


Directions:

Beat together eggs, pumpkin, and oil in one bowl. Set aside.
Mix flours, sugar, baking powder, and spice in a large mixing bowl.
Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture and whisk until fairly smooth.
Pour into greased muffin tins (I recommend using non-hydrogenated margarine to grease with).
sprinkle a little more brown sugar and spice on tops of muffins.
Bake at 300 degrees for approx. 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out looking clean. Makes 12.

These make dandy little individual cakes for cakes and ale for circle at Hallowe'en.

Enjoy!

A Vagabond Song by Bliss Carman

There is something in the autumn which is native to my blood -
Touch of manner, hint of mood;
And my heart is like a rhyme,
With the yellow and the purple and the crimson keeping time.

The scarlet of the maples can shake my like a cry
Of bugles going by.
And my lonely spirit thrills
To see the frosty asters like a smoke upon the hills.

There's something in October sets the gypsy blood astir;
We must rise and follow Her,
When from every hill of flame
She calls and calls each vagabond by name.