Ixtar: Meeting the Divine

6th November 2009

Every country has its folklore.  In the past most people were peasants and depended greatly on the weather for a good harvest, therefore their association with nature was much closer than us modern folk who buy products from hawkers or stores / supermarkets.  We know little of the labor that is involved to produce good crops because our livelihood does not depend on that sector.  For a farmer, a bad harvest could mean the ruin of his household. 

Their oneness with nature and the lack of modern means and instruments produced traditions which in today’s modern world are viewed as superstitions.  Such is the method of divination of weather known as l-irwiegel or l-ghewejjed (the broken plural of regola and ghada).  This method of divination, commonly known as Rules of Calends is to be found in the rest of Europe . 

It is believed that the twelve days before the 25^th December, correspond exactly to the twelve months of the following year.  That means that the 13^th December would be January, the 14^th December would be February, etc.  The observation of the weather on that day would reflect on how the weather would be on that particular month for the coming year.  The observations start at midnight and last trough the 24 hours till the following midnight .   The  24 hours are then subdivided by 30 or 31 days depending on the month it corresponds.  Therefore every division would represent a day in that calendar month.  The peasants noted the weather especially for rainfall, sunshine and cloudiness and even the change in wind to predict what was coming ahead in the coming year.  Most of the folk did not have the luxury of so much time on their hands, so most of them took note only of only the day corresponding to the month.

 13 December corresponds to January

14 December corresponds to February

15 December corresponds to March

16 December corresponds to April

17 December corresponds to May

18 December corresponds to June

19 December corresponds to July

20 December corresponds to August

21 December corresponds to September

22 December corresponds to October

23 December corresponds to November

24 December corresponds to December

There are 1440 minutes in a day (24hours x 60 minutes in each hour), therefore if you divide 1440 by the number of days in that calendar month, one gets the number of minutes representing the particular days in that particular month. 

 Example  January has 31 days.

1440 (the minutes in a day) divided by 31 (the number of days in January) results in 46 minutes.

That means that every three quarters of an hour represent one calendar day for January.

From midnight till 0045        January 1

0045 till 0130                           January 2

0130 till 0215                           January 3

0215 till 0300                           January 4

0300 till 0345                           January 5

As I mentioned before, this method of divination is spread across Europe .  In Italy , particularly in Calabria and Sicily , in Croatia , Portugal and France the Rules fall on the same dates as Malta .  Other countries vary in their dates and observations start on the 14^th, 21^st, 25^th or 31^st December and even on the 1^st of January.

One has to keep in mind that when the Julian Calendar was established in 45 BCE , the 25^th of December was considered as the Winter Solstice for Europe (associated with Yule).  This changed in 1582 CE when the Gregorian Calendar was adopted and the Winter Solstice was shifted to December 21^st.  The date of December 25^th, the old festival of Yule, was later adopted by the Christians as Christmas.

One has to also keep in mind that our ancestors did not face the horrors of climate change.  They lived in a time where organic farming was their only knowledge and seasons where not affected.  The wheel of the year directed their way of life.  Man, in all his wisdom, meddled with nature and the result is for all of us to see and experience.  I believe that it is our mission to preserve the Old Ways and pass on the knowledge to the future generations.

by Sparkle  15th July 2009

The Celtic harvest festival on August 1st, takes its name from the Irish god Lugh, one of the chief gods of the Tuatha De Danann. His name means – The shining one and he was also called lamfhada (the long- hand one) in Gaelic.            
 

Lugh dedicated this festival to his foster-mother, Tailtiu, the last queen of the Fir Bolg, who died from exhaustion after clearing a great forest so that the land could be cultivated. When the men of Ireland gathered at her death-bed, she told them to hold funeral games in her honor. As long as they were held, she prophesied Ireland would not be without song.

 Tailtiu’s name is from Old Celtic Talantiu, "The Great One of the Earth," suggesting she may originally have been a personification of the land itself, like so many Irish goddesses. She gives her name to Teltown in County Meath, where the festival was traditionally held in early Ireland. It evolved into a great tribal assembly where huge sporting contests were held sort of like, early Olympic Games. Artists also displayed their talents, traders came from far and wide to sell food, farm animals, fine crafts and clothing, and there was much storytelling, music, and high-spirited revelry, similar to street theatres nowadays.

This day was also an occasion for handfasting, or trial marriages. Young men and women lined up on either side of a wooden gate in a high wall, in which a hole was carved, large enough for a hand. One by one, girl and boy would grasp a hand in the hole, without being able to see who was on the other side. They were now married, and could live together for year and day to see if it worked out. If not, the couple returned to next year’s gathering and officially separated by standing back to back and walking away from each other.

It was usually celebrated on the nearest Sunday to August 1^st, so that a whole day could be set aside from work. In later times, the festival of Lughnasadh was changed by Christianity as Lammas, from the Anglo-Saxon, hlaf-mas, ‘Loaf-mass’, which was an agrarian-based festival and feast of thanksgiving for grain and bread, which symbolizes the first fruits of the harvest.

16th May 2009 

'when everything is sacred...every act becomes religion' Starhawk

The Coven of the Whispering Moon is the first Sister Coven in Malta .  Having hived off from the Coven of the Silverlight, it is under the direction and guidance of Storm and it is being led by Raine.                                                                                                             The Coven of the Whispering Moon aims to continue in the footsteps of its Mother Coven and  join its members together for worship and for sharing knowledge during Esbats, Sabbats, monthly Study Groups and Workshops.                                                                                                  The Coven of the Whispering Moon is open for pagans who are interested in worshiping within a community and who want to further their knowledge and practice.  Members will be expected to be committed to the group and their learning and only people who are over 18 will be considered.                                                                         For more information about the process of the Coven of the Whispering Moon check out their website by clicking on the link below:                                                    www.webstarts.com/whisperingmoon                                                      or contact Raine on sacredmalta@yahoo.com

The God Bel was the bright one and a God of fire and light.  However Bel was not seen as a Sun God among the Celts for they considered the sun as feminine.  Instead Celtic Gods such as Bel and Lugh had solar attributes, one of which is the capacity to fertilize and stimulate growth.  Hence the great bonfires at Beltane represent the creative heat, the light and warmth that pertain to fertility of all kind, from the fires of passion to those of inspiration.

In the Wiccan tradition, at Beltane the Goddess and the God celebrate their union.  The God becomes the consort of the Goddess, impregnating her and ensuring his own rebirth.  Their marriage is sacred (hieros gamos) because fertility is sacred.  At Beltane we ‘marry’ our energy to the energy of other people and together we become more powerful, like the sun.

As Pagans we can celebrate Beltane within a community by dancing the Maypole which symbolizes the cooperative union of procreation and reception, ensuring a group’s successful cooperation.  The cooperative individual act is jumping the flames for success, security or creativity.  It can be difficult to get animals to leap over dancing flames so that animals that cannot be carried are made to walk through the ashes of the Belfires or led between two fires.

Another charming Beltane tradition is that of washing your face in May-morning dew.  From a meadow’s May moisture we can derive benefits such as a healthy glow or a glimmer of the second sight.

There are also a lot of fairy associations at Beltane.  This is because like at Samhain (which is associated to Beltane even by its position on the wheel of the year, the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest and so it is easier for the fairy folk to come through and vice versa.     Today we dance and sing in celebration of the day. If you are a solitary witch place a lit candle on the floor and jump over it for good fortune. Bless your garden and houseplants.  Take a walk through nature and enjoy spring in full beauty. Make May Baskets filled with flowers and give them to friends, people in nursing homes or other facilities, shut-ins and loved ones.

19th April 2009

According to the Celts the year was divided in to two halves: Winter and Summer with summer starting at around Beltane.  By Beltane the weather would be warming up and the cattle could be returned to their summer pastures.

One of the symbols that immediately pops in mind when we think of Beltane is the Maypole.  Nowadays, for Wiccans, the Maypole is a symbol of the union between the Goddess and the God.  However it has not always been like this. 

The tradition of the Maypole started being practiced around the middle ages and by that time God and Goddess worship had been pretty well wiped out.  According to Ronald Hutton in ‘The Triumph of the Moon’, during the middle ages, doing folk magic for religion wasn’t attached to pagan religions.  Dancing the Maypole was folk custom then and understood as such right up to the 20^th century.

The well-known religious scholar and philosopher Mircea Eliade suggests in ‘Patterns in Comparative Religions’, that in medieval times, Maypoles represent newly sprouted vegetation and that celebrations around them reflected people’s joy in the plant world’s strong return.

Dancing the Maypole was also quite different from today.  Evidence shows that huge trees were dragged and erected into village squares to be then decorated with ribbons and garlands for people to dance and frolic around their base.  Apparently the occasional tent was seen at the base of a Maypole…for further frolicking!  Hence, braiding the ribbons around the Maypole is a modern custom and Ronald Hutton in ‘The Stations of the Sun’ says that although festivities took place at their base, no Maypole dance ‘before the 19^th century seems to have involved ribbons’.

Nor is dancing the Maypole an unbroken tradition.  In the 1600s Maypoles were frequently outlawed but people managed to hide them, mostly under the eaves of houses were soldiers failed to find them.

Still although fertility wasn’t celebrated religiously, it was honoured and held holy because without it there would be no new crops, no next generation of livestock, and no next generation of people.  It was and still is in many places a matter of life and death.

                            From 'Celebrating the Seasons of Life: Beltane to Mabon' by Ashleen O'Gaea

WatersFall

 Who journeyed to the Summerlands on the 11th of April 2009, at the tender age of 19. 

You are so, so missed and we will love you and keep you in our hearts, till we embrace again.

Blessed Be always

by Lydia Ruyle

Until the past few decades the famous Willendorf Venus, carved in bone 30,000 years ago, was held to be the earliest human-created work of art and veneration.  However, in the summer of 1981 a grooved scoria pebble that had been deliberately shaped was excavated at the Acheulian site of Berekhat Ram. The site is located in the Golan Heights at Israel, where a nomadic hominid tribe, who predated even the Neanderthal era, had been camping in the area between an astounding 232,000 and 800,000 thousand years ago. The figurine was found between two layers of volcanic ash, the upper one 232,000 and the lower one 800,000 years old.

A report on the find concluded that the pebble had been deliberately selected and shaped, and went on to say: “The scoria pebble is rounded and partially weathered. Several grooves are discernible on the object. The grooves are considered to be artificial and purposefully human made. The technological and statistic properties … manifest a high degree of manufacture ability. The artifacts were modified with an impressive skill both in terms of technology and values of symmetry and shape. Based on this evidence we assume that the inhabitants of the Acheulian site were both physically and mentally capable of modifying pebbles to achieve a required form. It seems that the occupants of the site selected a pebble that bore some characteristics of a female body. These were enhanced by adding the incised grooves delimiting the head and arms and the vulva.”

According to the Journal of Israel Prehistoric Society, this astounding figurine, carved from scoria stone (a porous volcanic rock), can be considered as “the earliest manifestation of a work of art”. Although she predates the Willendorf Goddess by an amazing quarter-million years, they are much alike in that both are distinctly female, great breasted with featureless heads and discrete limbs. Also like Willendorf, the Acheulian Goddess appears to have a groove suggestive of the sacred vulva.

                                                                                     From goddessalive.co.uk

21st November 2008

In Wicca the God is understood by paying attention to the seasons and for this reason He plays a very important part in each seasonal holiday.

One of the primary God themes in Wicca is that of the Oak King and the Holly King. The Oak and the Holly King are understood to be aspectas of the Horned God, the natural fertility figure.  The Kings are twin Gods that represent the yearly cycle of fertility.

The Oak King rules over the light half of the year, from Yule to Litha and the Holly King rules over the dark half of the year, from Litha to Yule.  Twice a year the brothers fight for the favor of the Goddess and for the rule of the Wheel of the Year.  Holly King is defeated by the young Oak King at Yule, the winter solstice.  From the Solstice onwards days start getting longer.  This was a time which people looked forward to because it was a sign that the cold and darkness of winter would soon be replaced by the warmth of summer.

The Holly King is the dark twin and at the summer solstice he rises and fights his brother for the rule of the year.  He wins over his brother and from the summer solstice days start getting shorter again.  This was a sign for people to gather and store their harvests in preparation for the harsh months ahead.

The God cycles of birth, growth, sacrifice, death and rebirth is an eternal one.  However when a King is defeated, he is not truly dead but he merely withdraws to Caer Arianrhod, the Castle of the Silver Wheel, for the six months of his brother's rule.

During the Solstice it is not uncommon to see reemactments of the battle of the Kings at Wiccan cermonies.  Ultimately, whilst these two Gods battle all year long, they are two essential parts of a whole and without one, the other would not exist.

20th November 2008 

Once, there was a Chaldean Goddess of rain called Nuah who saved all living creatures from a deluge by coming down to prophesize a great flood. 

That's the basic myth, which, like many myths, was co-opted by patriarchy and told in many varied forms. One of the oldest forms is the Babylonian epic Gilgamesh which predates Genesis by at least several centuries.  There's an exact correspondence in the story of Gilgamesh and the story of Noah.

In 1933 clay tablets were discovered in Mari, an ancient city in the Mesopotamian plain.  On the 11th tablet the name Noah appeared many times; as the name of a goddess.  In fact Noah’s name is actually a musculanisation of the goddess of rain, Nuah.  The Goddess Ishtar had strong connections with water and fertility and she later adopted the story.

In the Epic of Gilgamesh account Ishtar prophesizes the food.  One Akkadin version says that the Gods agreed on the flood because they were troubled by man’s rapid increase and the noise he made.  However the Gods were not happy about this decision and they wept together when it happened.

The account goes on that Utnapishtim, the equivalent of Noah, was advised by the God Ea to build an Ark.  After seven days the rain stopped and Utnapishtim sent forth a dove, a swallow and a raven.  The first two birds returned, however the raven did not come back.

After the flood the Goddess Ishtar came down on Earth and said:

‘O ye Gods here present, by the lapis lazuli around my neck, I shall remember these days.  As I remember the jewels around my throat, these last days I shall not forget.’

And true to her word the Goddess made sure that she never forgot those days, as she will always remember them through us.

For more information about the similarities of the story of Noah and Uptanishtim, visit the site below:

http://www.geocities.com/paulntobin/floodorigins.html

Adapted from the Farrar's 'The Witches Goddess'.

9th November 2008

The Coven of the Silverlight is one of the first Covens to be formed in Malta.  It was first established in December 2006 by a group a witches who had been meeting regularly to celebrate the Wheel of the Year.  After taking a short break due to various reasons it is now reformed under Storm, its former High Priestess.

Storm is very well known and active member in the local pagan community.  She has been a witch for the past fifteen years and has been initiated into the third degree a year ago.

The Coven of the Silverlight holds regular meetings and joins together for Esbats and Sabbaths.  Though it is an exclusive group and does not hold open rituals, it is open for dedicated witches who are serious about their path and their believes. 

Joining the Coven entails a meeting with the High Priestess to assess the suitability of the person and his/her openess for study and commitment.

For more information contact storm on maltagoddess@yahoo.com

17th October 2008 

It augured well and it started with my husband and me finally finding each other two years after our marriage, but from there on it all started spiralling.  Friends got fired, clinically depressed, separated, terminally ill and a dear friend died followed by my grandfather.

The concentration of events was too obvious to ignore and every now and then, when my head cleared for thinking, I would look around me and ask the Goddess what she wanted me to learn from all of this. 

I think it was a wake up call.  It was my turn to learn the lesson of death and like all important lessons it entailed understanding the obvious.  I woke up to the fact that the only two sure things in life were birth and death.  All the people I love will die.  All the people I have met or passed by will die and in a couple of years time there will be none of us left here. 

The fact is that I found this knowledge very comforting.  Living with the knowledge of death and decomposition made me feel closer to the land and enhanced my perception of the ordinary.

Then suddenly everything changed and at Madron I found out I was pregnant.  From then on everything seemed to make perfect sense, in spite of my dreams of blood and the reoccurring card 13 in my readings.  Everything was perfect, colours were enhanced, noises sounded crisper, my steps were lighter and two weeks later I had a miscarriage.  The panic and the pain were all encompassing.  Everything was empty and futile.  But the Goddess was with me from the beginning at Madron and I’m now allowed to grieve at Samhain’s doorstep.

So now my baby is gone and after all the people I have seen leave this plane I had to search my pagan soul for my beliefs about life after life.

And what I believe is that we are all part of the huge web of life.  I believe that when I take my last breath Hecate will offer me her hand to step out of the material.  She will walk me to the Summer lands where I will meet my lost loved ones.  For an eternity which will feel like minutes I will bask in the all which is the Goddess, until my time will come to be reborn and reunite with my loved ones again.  I believe that from lifetime to the next the soul aims to transcend and unites with her who is love itself.

The web isn’t only of this life.  It goes beyond time and dimension.  Irrespective of whether we are of the spirit world or not, we’re not only the weavers, we are also the web and separation is nothing but an illusion.     

 12th October 2008 

Asatru means ‘belief in the Gods’.  It is a religion inspired by the historic knowledge of Norse Paganism and it has been adapted for current times.  Asatruars or Heathens, like many other Pagans, do not profess to be Universalists and have a solution for humanity's salvation.  Through Heathenry their only aim is to increase meaning and spirituality in their lives.

Asatruars believe that they are ancestors of the Ancient Norse Gods and that the Gods have a special affection for them.  For an Asatruar all Gods are not one but are each a separate deity.  They believe in Earth Spirits known as Vanir, Sky Gods or Aesir and Jontar, who are giants in constant conflict with the Aesir.

Asatruars believe in ancestral communication.  They practice meditation and use the runes for meditation and self realization.  An Asatruar can be solitary or they can form part of a community which is known as Kindred.

Like most Pagan traditions, Asatru practices in group rituals involve working in a consecrated circle.  They also conduct a ceremony known as Blot.  The word Blot, from which blood is thought to derive, means sacrifice.  In times past animal sacrifice was practiced and most of the times the animals were eaten. However, nowadays most Asatruars offer libations of meat or mead.

Another practice during Asatru rituals is the Sumbel.  The Sumbel or horn is filled with mead and passed three times around the circle.  The first round is for the Gods, the second round is for the Ancestors and the third round is open.

Asatruars celebrate similar holidays to Neo Pagans.  Their use of magick involves a form of Shamanism called Seith or transwork and Galdr, which is traditional Norse magick.  Asatruar priests are called Gothi or Gythia.  Also women who have the gift of sight are known as Volva.

It was also believed that if a person is killed in battle they will be escorted by the Goddess Freya and the Valkyrs to Valhalla (hall of the slain), which is ruled over by the God Odin.  There the dead warrior will feast with the Aesir and eat Sarimner, a boar which is slaughtered afresh and feasted on every day.  On the other hand those who have led a dishonourable life will find themselves in a place of torment known as Hifhel.  The rest would go to Hel, a place of calm and peace.  However, like most Pagans, many Asatruars today believe in reincarnation.

During the seventh century most Germanic (Northern European) people were forced to convert to Christianity.  In fact in those days many Heathens were tortured and died as martyrs for refusing to convert to Christianity.  Their stories are still remembered and celebrated by Asatruars today.

The main Asatru deities are Odin, the ruler of Valhalla who also presides over magic, poetry and the runes; Thor, the God of thunder and the weather who wields the fearsome hammer Mjolnir;  Freya and Freyr the Goddess and God of fertility and beauty and Frigg,  Odin’s wife, from whom the term Friday derives.

Most Asatruars follow a code of ethics called the Nine Noble Vitues, which are the virtues of courage, truth, honour, fidelity, discipline, hospitality, industriousness, self reliance and perseverance.

by Watersfall  15th September 2008

Thanksgiving is an American, non-religious, legal holiday, dating back to ancient times in various cultures.  It is a time to express gratitude for the bountiful harvest season.  Most families celebrate this day by gathering with friends at home feasting on apple cider, turkey and pumpkin pie.  Many also follow the tradition of providing the less fortunate with fruits of the harvest.

Some of these facts seem quite similar to those of Mabon, which is why many tend to say that this Sabbath is the Pagan Thanksgiving.  Mabon is the second harvest festival and speculation has it that Thanksgiving could have evolved out of this Sabbath.   Mabon is a time for giving thanks.  It is also a time of balance and a time to celebrate the experiences of our lives, together with our expectations of the future.

However though pagans celebrate Mabon as a time of thanksgiving, we believe that thanks to Mother Earth should be given throughout the whole year and at every pagan gathering.  In this way we believe that every Esbath, Sabbath, day and hour are occasions for giving thanks to the Gods for the beauty and bounty in our lives.

by Watersfall  16th September 2008

The day of the Autumn Equinox marks the beginning of Fall, when day and night are of equal length.  From this day on, the days get shorter and the nights grow longer.  The actual equinox takes place for just a few moments where the centre of the sun can be seen directly above the equator.

Megalithic temples such as the Mnajdra temple, mark the rising sun at certain important times of the year.  Together, the temple axis, the entrance portal, and the elabotately constructed and decorated inner apse portal, form a “Solar Calendar”. 

On the winter solstice (21st December), the rays of sunrise  pass across the left side of the entrance, meeting the edge of the slab at the right hand side of the temple (see picture below).  On the spring equinox (20th March) the sun’s rays pass straight through the doorway unto the temple’s altar while on the summer solstice (21^st June), the rays of the morning sunlight greet the right hand side of the temple’s facade, to cross to the left slab inside the chamber.  On the autumn equinox (22nd September) the sun’s rays move further left, passing again through the centre of the main doorway, discharging light into the chamber.  The cycle then starts again at the winter solstice. 

The solstice and equinox alignments of the temples make it quite evident that people in prehistoric times depended on knowing the changing seasons through the movement of the stars, the moon and the sun.  This knowledge allowed them to keep track of the agricultural cycle on which they depended for survival.   

Log-on to the Heritage Malta website: http://www.heritagemalta.org/index.html or contact them on 2295 4000 or 2295 4300 for more information on solstice and equinox temple bookings.

9th September 2008

I am the Beauty of the Green Earth and the White Moon among the Stars.

                                                                   The Charge of the Goddess

One of the things that brought most of us to Paganism is our love for Gaia: The Earth Mother.  Most pagans are panentheist.  We see nature as sacred and we feel that it is our duty to protect and take care of our planet.  I call this ‘to walk in beauty’.

We are at a moment in time where taking care of the world is more important than ever.  There was a time when I used to feel that I was too small to make a difference and that only governments and industries could influence the welfare of the planet.  Then I realized that the whole system which was polluting the world, ridding it of its resourses and destroying our eco systems was designed for me.  I was the one who was maintaing it and fuelling it.  Me and my fellow consumers.

It’s been a couple of years since I started making changes and I have seen first hand the power of living up to your ideals, because after a while I started seeing my friends and family incorporating the same habits.  As they say if you want change…be the change.

Here are some ideas on how you can make a difference:

• Try reducing your meat intake:  Meat is expensive to produce.  It uses vast amounts of land and water.  The production of one pound of meat requires 2,500 gallons of water.  It is also a major cause of deforestation as jungles are being replaced by large ranches.  Also the amount of grain used in one day to feed livestock for meat in the US alone would provide two loaves of bread everyday for each person in the entire world.  Not to mention animal cruelty.
• Don’t waste energy:  Wear an extra jumper instead of turning on the heater.
• Drive as little as necessary:  Use public transport, cycle or walk whenever possible.
• Recycle: Plastic, metal, glass, paper.  Reuse old clothes, store them for spell work, pouches, poppets, altar cloths or make a cloth bag to use instead of plastic ones when you go shopping.
• Reduce consumption:  Do you really need all that stuff??  People in industrial countries account for about 20% of the world’s population, yet use 80% of its resources.  Also the average item we buy stays in our home for a maximum of 6 months, after which time it will be dumped in a landfill where it will stay for the next couple of centuries or more.  What’s scary is that within the next five to ten years some countries, including the UK ,will have used up all their space for landfills.
• Compost organic waste if you have a garden.
• Install energy efficient light bulbs:  Energy saving light bulbs use less electricity and this means that our homes would produce less carbon dioxide which is one of the main causes for climate change.
• Use less water: Take a shower, don’t flush after peeing.
• Plant Trees: In your garden and anywhere you can...

'Sometimes our fate resembles a fruit tree in winter. Who would think that those branches would turn green again and blossom, but we hope it, we know it.'
                                                                   Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

1st August 2008 

Ixtar is now offering An Online Tarot course for beginners.  The course starts Monday 4th August and will include regular follow up meetings to discuss the students' progress in the subject, practice and also for the tutors to personally answer questions.  Students will also be in constant contact with their course tutors via the internet. 

Lessons will be sent via e-mail together with Exercises and Assignments to be completed.  All the Assignments will be given individual feedback and comments.  The course will be open for taking until Friday 8th August.  Once students finish the course they will be given the option of becomming tutors with Ixtar. 

For those interested contact us on: sacredmalta@yahoo.com

27th July 2008 

On August 1, 2008 we will have a Total Solar Eclipse with the New Moon in Leo at 9 degrees.

New Moons signify new beginnings and the Solar Eclipse on August 1^st will heighten the New Moon’s energy.  Eclipses are powerful portals of energy for transformation, change and awareness and so it will be a great time to create healthier habits. 

During an eclipse the Sun and Moon are hand in hand in a unified focus and on the next eclipse the focus will be the enhancement of the qualities of the astrological sign Leo.  Leo represents individuality, love, innocence, dignity, passion, creativity, laughter, compassion and leadership.

The Conscious and Sub Conscious will be working together, bringing us in tune with what we would love to do or express.   It is a day to ask ourselves: ‘What would I feel passionate doing?’, and to then listen to the wisdom of the heart.  Hence it offers a major opportunity for changes or shifts in Consciousness.

This Solar Eclipse will directly influence and activates the fixed signs of Leo, Aquarius and Taurus.  The Fire signs Sagittarius and Aries, may feel an added burst of energy or vibrancy.  Air signs may have the opportunity to be stimulated and excited.  Earth and Water signs may not be too thrilled with the changes or spontaneous shifts, however, how exactly you will experience this Solar Eclipse/New Moon energy will all depend on your natal chart and its configurations.

The Sun and Moon will also be closely connected to Mercury in Leo.  Mercury rules communication, so take the opportunity to enthusiastically broadcast to the world what is in your heart.  It is a lovely time to speak with compassion, care and authenticity and to just be silly, spontaneous and carefree.

18th July 2008 

It’s Friday the 18^th of July and we are celebrating the Blessing Moon. 

It is a time for thanking the Earth Mother for all the bounty she has bestowed on us in this season.

This is a great time to take a look around us and appreciate all the good things we have in our lives.  It is also a good time for spell work related to dreams, divination and water.

The July Moon is also known as the Meadow Moon and many Pagans make it a point to take a walk in a place where they can be in touch with nature. 

Enjoy the relaxing feeling of the Full Moon and use it in your meditation.  This moon is also known as the Honey Moon, the Mead Moon and the Lightning or Thunder Moon.

A Spell to celebrate the Blessing Moon:

• On your altar place as many vases of flowers as you wish.
• Burn burgundy and green candles.  
• Fill a clear glass bowl with spring water; stir in a clockwise direction with your finger.
• Carry the bowl out doors, or at least to a window where you can view the Moon.
• Raise the bowl until you can see the Blessing Moon through the water and speak these words:
  
  "You who have been known by many names, and have shed your light on our Earth since time began, bless us with the bounty of the field and the vine."
  
• Gently swirl the bowl while gazing at the shimmering moonlight.
• In simple ritual, respectfully pour the water onto the Earth.  
• Pause and be aware of the summer night—the stars, the crickets, and the fireflies.

16th July 2008

The word Lammas is a contraction of the Anglo-Saxon words for ‘loaf mass’, and it refers to the honor paid to the first loaf of bread made from the grain of the year’s first harvest.

 Many traditions suggest that the God is sacrificed at Lammas, but this is a difficult concept for many Pagans since we are charged by the Goddess that “she asks naught of sacrifice”.

Sacrifice means ‘to make sacred’.  The idea is that the God dies willingly to His own rebirth, which incidentally makes it possible for all of us to live through another winter.  When we speak of the God’s sacrifice in the hunt and the harvest, we’re saying that His willingness to die makes His death sacred.  It makes it an offering to death and rebirth.

The term self-sacrifice is compatible with Pagan theology; however when we use it in the mundane sense we seem to almost always talk about self deprivation, which is not compatible with Pagan theology.  

When the God dies, He is not sacrificing Himself for us.  It is not a bargain, it is a relationship and the premise is that we’re all part of a wondrous, joyful, cycle of life.  The God’s death is not painful.  It is actually more appropriate to liken it to an orgasm, for in it there is both immediate satisfaction and the release of the life continuing seed.

Paganism holds the cycles of incarnate life holy.  We believe that death is a growth mechanism which is part of the process of reincarnation.  We know that following every winter will be another spring and the flowers that wilt as the seasons change will eventually bloom again.

At Lammas we eat the bread made from the harvested grain.  We are literally eating his seed, and in many old stories eating the God-become-seed produced a magickal pregnancy, from which results the rebirth of the God.  In this way our feasting of the Lammas bread is a sacred act that helps us recognize the sacredness of life, death and rebirth.  

 9th July 2008

Malta is officially the twenty third county to join the Pagan Federation International.  The PFI is an organization dedicated to help and unite pagans around the word.  It's work includes educating the wider community about Paganism and creating national and international events for pagans.

Since its onset in 1971 the Pagan Federation International has managed to promote Paganism and to work for the rights of pagans to worship freely and without censure.

To access the website of the Pagan Federation International Malta, click on the link below:

http://www.mt.paganfederation.org

To access the website of the Pagan Federation International, click on the link below:

http://www.paganfederation.org/

21st June 2008 

A month ago, a child chose to be born to a Maltese pagan couple.  The child’s Wiccanning was awaited with a lot of anticipation being the second Wiccanning in Malta .  Luckily we’re soon to have another Wiccanning to be celebrated at Lammas or Mabon, depending on the wishes of the soon to be parents. 

A Wiccanning is a rite to welcome a child into the community.  As expected the chosen day for introducing the little bundle of joy into the pagan community, was Litha; the longest day of light of the year.

The Wiccanning took place in one of the many sacred sites we have on our Island .  Thirty persons of different ages and different beliefs joined together to bestow the child with gifts and blessings. 

We commenced the ceremony in a procession, where we centered and concentrated on the rite to take place.  We then stood in a consecrated circle as the High Priestess called the parents forth and they stated their wish of introducing the babe into the community.  The proud parents bestowed on him his magickal name and vowed to raise him in the pagan path.  As a sign of acceptance the High Priestess took the baby in her arms and proceeded to bless the child with the elements and presented him to the Gods.  The guardians bestowed their promises to protect the child and help him grow into a good, strong person, while each of us touched the guardians to empower their words with our energy. 

Once the central part of the ceremony was over, all the people present got to hold the child and like Fairy-god parents, we all gifted him with a wish for his future.  Each gift derived from lessons we learned through experience, the lessons which thought us what is really important in life, be it the need for love, friends, family, health or wisdom.

Such an event marks the beginning of a child’s journey into this adventure called life.  For the rest of us sharing the happiness, joining our intentions and energies together and celebrating birth like one big extended family, made us richer and closer.  It has been like this throughout the ages, in any community one ventures to.

In a Wiccanning or a Paganing the community is accepting the baby as part of it.  However all present are aware that though the parents will bestow the child with pagan values, he will be still free to choose his own path once he grows up.  The child will keep his magickal name till he comes of age and then again he can change the name given to him in his first rite of passage.  Love gives freedom and whatever path the child will choose when he grows up, his extended pagan family will always be there for him.