Part of my practice is to honour my Gods and Ancestors during the astrological sabbat dates with seasonal devotionals, rituals and magick.
Below I have detailed the astrological sabbat dates for the Southern Hemisphere for 2024 with a brief description of what the day symbolises as well as their traditional dates:
Lughnasadh/ Lammas
February 4
2024 6.07pm
First autumn harvest festival.
Traditional Date: February 1
Mabon/ Autumnal Equinox
March
20
2024
1.06pm
Day and night have same length. Days get shorter.
Traditional Date: March 20
Samhain
May
5
2024 9.00am
Veil between worlds thinnest.
Traditional Date: April 30 – May 1
Yule/ Winter Solstice
June
21
2024 6.51am
Day has the longest night. Sun is at its lowest elevation in the sky.
Traditional Date: June 21
Imbolc
August
7
2024 10.14am
Marks the beginning of spring.
Traditional Date: August 1
Ostara/ Spring Equinox
September 22
2024
10.44pm
Day and night have same length. Days get longer.
Traditional Date: September 21
Beltane
November
8
2024
8.12am
Halfway point between spring and summer. Fertility festival.
Traditional Date: October 31
Litha/ Summer Solstice
December
21
2024 7.20pm
Day has the longest daylight. Sun travels the longest path through the sky.
Traditional Date: December 21
All times are Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) – add 1 hour for Daylight Savings Time when applicable.
Litha also known as Midsummer , Estival Solstice and the Summer Solstice is the time in summer which signifies the longest day of the year. It’s a time which is celebrated as a fertility and light festival as the sun has reached its highest place in the sky with the longest time of daylight. Traditionally it is a festival celebrated all around the world, some which hold rites which includes dancing, feasting and ritualistic sacrifice. These days the focus of this festival by neo pagans and witches is placed upon the sun and acknowledging its movement within their hemisphere.
This year in the Southern Hemisphere calendar, it falls on Friday the 22ndth of December at 1.27pm (AEST). Gods such as Nuit, Hathor, Sekhmet, Ra, Horus, Aten, Apollo, Lugh, Mercury, Hestia, Juno, Lugh, Sulis Minerva, Huitzilopochtil, Sol and Amaterasu, can be honoured during this time of year.
I have celebrated the Summer Solstice with groups of people in various settings and alone, and the one thing which I found linked them, was celebrating the festive season with specially prepared food. Something which I have experienced often during this festival day, is the acknowledgement of the sun and its power as well as it being the last sabbat of the year which coincides with Christmas and Hanukah.
One of the fondest memories I have during this time of year is celebrating the Summer Solstice with my coven where a member would make an ice wreath which had herbs and flowers placed in layers which she collected by season over the year. A lit white candle anointed in oils was placed within the wreath and had pride of place in the centre of the circle during our ritual.
In my coven and magickal groups we would always have fires usually in the form of a firepit or fireplace where we performed rites to celebrate the significance of the day. We would also exchange gifts and share food which had either been hand-made or which had been specifically acquired for the day.
During this time of year, I notice that my garden is booming with new growth due to the heat and rain. My sultana grape vine is bursting forth and I collect the excess of leaves for garlands to adorn my shrines. I also have many fruits and vegetables which are available to pick from my garden to also include in the foods I prepare for feasting or make as offerings to my gods and ancestors.
I like to acknowledge and thank the traditional owners of the land as well my garden and the Devas of the land and its blessings by leaving tokens and offerings throughout my garden. I ensure the bird bath and feeders are well stocked, as well as encourage any insects or bees which pollinate my garden by leaving them appropriate food such as organic honey water. I plant or replant herbs and flowers which encourage the local bees and birds and I allow them to partake of my fruit and vegetables without nets or pesticides.
During this time of year I also tend to cook and bake as a way to infuse my personal energies with the offerings I make to my Gods, Ancestors and land spirits. I use what is in season and usually make roasted vegetables and falafel, fresh salads, baked country bread, Greek and Middle eastern dips, olives, feta, pickled vegetables and pita and serve them with herbal iced tea and juice. I also bake sweets like layered seasonal cakes or cookies and platter various summer fruits for desert. I take some of these offerings and leave them upon Hekate’s, Sekhmet/Hathor’s and my ancestors shrines during my seasonal devotionals.
Since the summer solstice ends up being around Christmas I also ensure I have baked items which resonate with this holiday such as shortbread and gingerbread and share them with co-workers, neighbours and friends. I recite prayers to my ancestors in front of their shrines to acknowledge them and also leave various offerings of what I have prepared during the season.
I personally feel that Hekate resonates with this time of the year. The light is at its peak as is the potential within us to take up her torches and ignite or rekindle the energies we want to fully immerse ourselves in. The surrounding vibrations swirl with vitality so now is the time for action as the sun is at its absolute pinnacle and available for us to bring down into our lives. As our days are filled with heat use the flames of Hekate to take that strength which is available to you and use it to feed your projects which need that spark or extra boost.
Hekate can also be a force of cleansing and movement. Hekate helps us use the liminal places she inhabits to bury or wash away that which needs purifying and helps us turn our attention towards that which needs planting. She does this by assisting us to eradicate or remove the negligent things in our lives to make way for the positive things we need.
I personally like to honour Hekate during this time and make offerings of wine, bread, eggs, cheese, olive oil, garlic, pomegranate, incense, candles, water, salt and biscuits and also items I have made which I have wildcrafted and resonate with the seasons energies. I also like to create a fire pit with old herbs, plants and tree branches which I can’t upcycle into my Hellenic firepit before my chthonic shrine to Hekate in my garden. Lastly I tend to create in her name with regards to magic which I conduct in liminal spaces such as the beach or forest with like minders others or on my own during liminal times such as sunset, sunrise as well as the middle of the day.
Seasonal Planting Guide:
Vegetables such as cucumber, corn, squash, spring onion, silver beet, onion, lettuce, beans, tomato, capsicum, sweet potato, artichoke, beetroot, shallots, cauliflower, celery, radish, okra and eggplant.
Herbs such as basil, coriander, lemongrass, mint, tarragon, thyme, chives, marjoram, oregano, parsley, fennel and rosemary.
Flowers such as sunflowers, carnations, poppies, petunias, nasturtiums, daisies, dahlias, zinnias and celosias.
Some things you can do to honour and mark the summer solstice in your personal practice (or with a group of likeminded individuals) can be:
Make food usually consumed during this time and partake or share with loved ones, as well as leave as offerings to your gods or gods of the season, land spirits and ancestors. It’s the perfect time for a BBQ and anything which can be shared and is seasonal.
Host a Misfit Christmas which you can host in your home or park/beach for those who don’t have anywhere to go during the festive season. A good way to do this is by having a pot luck and having everyone bring something to share which can encourage sharing and opens conversations.
Dance or drum to raise energy and direct it into the earth.
Perform a ritual to celebrate and mark the sun at its peak and its blessings it brings upon the earth.
Take a sun bath (ensuring to protect yourself from the UV rays) which can take the form of meditation or yoga.
Rituals, spells and magick for fertility, creativity, passion and endeavours which you want to see growth in (especially when held in the middle of the day).
Go outside into nature and take in the beauty whether it be a beach, forest, park or garden. Whilst there wildcraft and acknowledge the bounty of the earth by giving thanks.
Dedicate some time to assisting those who are in need, marginalised or alone during this time who need a little help and support. Volunteer for a charity, collect items (food and personal hygiene items) for a homeless or animal shelter or gifts for those stuck in hospital. This can also be done on a smaller scale where you can assist a elderly or sick neighbour or friend.
Watch the sunset and give thanks to the sun for its light and warmth.
Light a fire (bonfire, firepit or fireplace) or candles to celebrate and honour the light of the sun during this time.
Declutter and swap, donate or sell that which you no longer need.
Leave a candle in a safe place to burn all day in honour of the sun.
Craft some items which resonate with the season for you.
Revamp your shrine or altar with the colours of the summer solstice (Green, Red, Gold and Copper) and adorn it with candles, bells, ribbons and produce of the season (herbs, fruits, flowers and vegetables).
So work your magick this Solstice, honour and celebrate the sun and ask for what you want to be vitalised and strengthened in your life.
Beltane also known as Cetshamhain (and May Day in the Northern Hemisphere) is the halfway point between spring and summer and is celebrated as a fertility and/or fire festival. Traditionally it is a Gaelic festival which is part of the four seasonal festivals celebrated in Ireland and Scotland. Historically Beltane dew was collected in the morning to promote beauty and youthfulness, as well collecting water from holy wells for the same purpose. Rites which includes the building of communal bonfires were held to protect and encourage growth of people’s harvest and livestock by going around or over said bonfires whilst being bedecked in flowers, ribbons and shells as representations to invoke protection. Offerings were made to the sprits and fairies and embers were taken from communal bonfires and taken home where their hearths were ignited, to bring the protection home where feasting would then follow. These days the focus of this fertility festival by neo pagans and witches is placed upon honouring the union of the God and the Goddess as well as making offerings to the spirits of the land which can involve maypole dancing, bonfire and feasting.
This year in the Southern Hemisphere calendar, it falls on Wednesday the 8th of November at 2.18am. Gods such as Artemis, Apollo, Flora, Bacchus, Bes, Kokopelli, Pan, Hera, Herne, Sheela-na-Gig, Eros, Venus, Xochiquetzal, Vesta, Odin, Priapus, Cernunnos, Orien and Mbaba Mwana Waresa can be honoured during this time of year.
I have celebrated Beltane with groups of people in various settings and the one thing which I found linked them, was the coming together to celebrate the quickening of the land with dancing and feasting. Something which I have experienced often during this festival day, is the acknowledgement of the polarities of the earth and the union of these polarities.
One of the fondest memories I have during this time of year is celebrating Beltane with bonfires whilst wearing wreaths upon my head which has been handmade from my garden’s flowers, trees and herbs. In my coven and magickal groups we would always have fires usually in the form of a firepit or fireplace where we performed rites to celebrate the significance of the day, as well as perform various forms of divination using fire such as scrying in the flames of said fire.
As an avid herbalist, during this time of year, I notice that my garden is bursting with new life. A lot of my herbs are flowering which allows me to take cuttings and transplant them, make pressings for my herb grimoire and also for drying or preserving to be used in magickal workings later. The flowers are blooming in my garden, most predominately the heirloom roses and lavender which were planted by now deceased family members which makes them even more special. I tend to take the rose petals and lavender flowers and make water essences for beauty products I hand make as well ritual and magical use such as incense blends or candles. My sultana grape vine is absolutely flourishing and I collect the excess of leaves for rice stuffed vine leaves as well as for garlands I wear whilst conducting my rites.
I like to acknowledge and thank the traditional owners of the land as well my garden and the Devas of the land and its blessings by leaving tokens and offerings throughout my garden. I ensure the bird bath and feeders are functioning, as well as encourage any insects or bees which pollinate my garden by leaving them appropriate food such as organic honey water.
During this time of year I also tend to cook and bake as a way to infuse my personal energies with the offerings I make to my Gods, Ancestors and land spirits. I use what is in season and make a lamb roast, Greek style, but in recent years rosemary infused from my garden and serve it with Greek pine wine and rice stuffed vine leaves which I then offer upon Hekate’s, Dionysus and my ancestors shrines during my seasonal devotionals. I also bake things like fruit pies and apple tea cakes and leave these offerings on the base of my favourite trees in my garden some of which I have been practising magick with for many years.
Since Beltane ends up being around Samhain in the Northern Hemisphere I also ensure I have lots of sweets on hand to give out to trick-or-treaters. Along with this I like to visit my blessed dead at the cemetery where I clean their tombstones and refresh their offerings which consists of various things including flowers, olive oil, water and incense. I recite prayers to them and also the land devas where the cemetery is located ensuring to always acknowledge the original indigenous custodians.
I personally feel that Hekate resonates with this time of the year. The light is growing as is the potential within us to take up her torches and flame the fertile energies we want to manifest. The time is full of possibility as the sun waxes and strengthens towards summer, so now is the time to fully ignite our personal fires. As our days lengthen use the flames of Hekate to propel and push you towards attaining that which you want to grow.
Hekate can be a guiding force which moves us away from that which is stagnant and decayed and helps us turn our attention towards that which needs fertilising and can bring great growth and future bounty. She does this by assisting us to burn away the old to make way for the new by clearing and regenerating.
I personally like to honour Hekate during this time and make offerings of eggs, apples, meat (lamb/goat), flowering herbs (including lavender, sage, thyme, oregano, lemon balm, mint) pomegranates, mead, wine, grape juice, brandy, puffed wheat, fruit pies or cakes, oat cakes and bread, dandelion tea and fruit punch.
I also like to throw any old herbs, plants and tree branches which I can’t upcycle into my Hellenic firepit before my chthonic shrine to Hekate in my garden.
Seasonal Planting Guide:
Vegetables such as capsicum, celery, chilli, beetroot, carrot, cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, potato, pumpkins, leeks, silver beet, squash, beans, beetroot, corn and zucchini.
Herbs such as basil, coriander, dill, chamomile, parsley, oregano, rosemary, rue, thyme, mint, lemon balm and sage.
Flowers such as petunias, snapdragons, daisies, carnations, lavender, pansies, foxglove, dahlia and marigold.
Some things you can do to honour and mark Beltane in your personal practice (or with a group of likeminded individuals) can be:
Make food usually consumed during this time and partake or share with loved ones, as well as leave as offerings to your gods or gods of the season, land spirits and ancestors: meat (lamb), wine, ale, cakes made from oat and fruit and anything which can be shared and is seasonal.
Make floral or herbal wreaths or bouquets to adorn yourself with, decorate your altars, shrines or doorways with, leave as offerings for the spirits, devas and elementals of the earth, seasonal God/dess or your patron/matron.
Rituals, spells and magick for fertility and endeavours which you want to see growth in (especially at dawn and dusk).
Acknowledge the four cardinal points and make offerings to them consisting of the four elements they encompass – earth, air, fire and water. You can also recite evocations to them whilst doing this starting from the east.
Leave food and drink on your home’s doorstep to appease the fairies and spirits who might be mischievous or wish you harm. Milk, bread or biscuits made from seasonal grains will be well received.
Get up at sunrise and visit a holy well and walk the path of the sun (east to west) whilst praying for good health.
Collect the morning dew in a glass jar, leave it out in the full sun of the day, then strain/filter it and wash your face with it before going to bed, to be able to imbue yourself with beauty, health and vitality.
Take the day off if you can and spend the time in nature ie a picnic or hike.
Light a fire (bonfire, firepit or fireplace) or candles to celebrate and honour the light of the sun during this time. If it’s a fire as part of a bonfire or firepit, walk around it or jump over it three times.
Take a torch, taper or candle and from the flames of the bonfire, firepit or fire place you have created, walk around your house whilst invoking protection for all those who live within its boundaries.
Craft some items which resonate with the season for you.
Revamp your shrine or altar with the colours of Beltane (Green, Red, White and Silver).
Make protection talismans for the home such as oak crosses and hanging eggs.
So work your magick this Beltane, honour the land and its spirits, and ask for protection and what you want to make fertile in your life.
The Spring Equinox also known as Ostara or the Vernal Equinox isthe day which symbolically marks the first day of spring. The day and night are of equal length and from this point onwards the days get longer as we head towards Beltane. The Spring Equinox happens when the sun crosses the celestial equator moving – south in the southern hemisphere and north in the northern hemisphere, which causes the days to lengthen and the temperatures to go up. Vernal itself means fresh or new like the spring and this time officially marks the time of spring. Ostara is derived from the German goddess Eostre who represents new beginnings in conjunction with spring.
This year in the Southern Hemisphere calendar it falls on Saturday the 23rdst of September at 2.50pm. Gods such as Ostara/Eostre, The Green Man, Mother Earth/Gaia, Hekate, Persephone, Demeter, Osiris, Geb, Ver, Flora, Freya, Brigid, Jarylo/Yarylo/Iarilo/Gerovit, Eiar, Ba Jia Jiang, Ashanti, Saraswati, Cybele and Morityema all can be honoured during this time of year.
I have celebrated Spring with groups of people in various magickal settings and the one thing which I found linked them, was the coming together to celebrate the flourishing of the land. Something which I have experienced often during this festival day is the acknowledgement of the bounty of the earth.
One of the fondest memories I have during this time of year is celebrating the Spring Equinox through colouring eggs. It’s something I learned from my mother who would prepare them for Greek Orthodox easter. When I started observing the Spring Equinox I would make them in September to correlate with the southern hemisphere and would make them exactly like my mother did. I did this by taking chicken eggs which had been wrapped in panty hose, keeping leaves or flowers in place to make a stencil of them appear on the eggs and using red Greek egg dye and vinegar to boil them. When they had cooled I would buff them with some olive oil to give them a nice shine. Soon after my first few attempts I started to make eggs in elemental colours for the elemental quarters.
In my coven and magickal groups thereafter we would occasionally make painted eggs which had been blown out from raw eggs and could be used as magickal symbols of spring. We would also occasionally make floral or herbal wreaths to adorn ourselves with.
As an avid herbalist during this time of year I notice that my garden is coming to life. Plants, herbs and trees which have been dormant over the fallow period of the winter are blossoming, new shoots are being birthed or are regenerating. I like to acknowledge and thank my garden and the Devas of the land and its blessings by leaving herbs, trees or plants, offerings especially those who are decades old or have personal significance. Such as a fennel plant which was planted by my mother and which is now decades old, plum trees which were part of the original farm which existed way before houses were built in the area, an aloe vera plant which was gifted to me by a coven sister in our youth, succulents gifted by an old friend who is no longer living in the country, a lemon/lime tree which my father created and planted which had stopped fruiting until recent years and a lemon tree I planted which was dying and which has regenerated recently. Of course I adore and respect all the trees, plants and herbs I haven’t mentioned especially since they bring in local birds, insects and bugs which help pollinate and sustain them due to my garden being biodynamic.
During this time of year I also tend to cook a lot especially with the locally sourced organic produce available and gift items such as bread and biscuits to loved ones. I also tend to food craft for my patrons (specifically Hekate, A’set and Sekhmet) which I then offer upon their shrines and altars during their devotionals.
I personally feel that Hekate resonates with this time of the year. Persephone has come back to her mother Demeter with the guidance and aid of Hekate, after being trapped with Hades during the dark part of the year when the earth lay dormant. The earth is waking up due to Demeter’s great joy in being reunited with her daughter Persephone. What this signifies from my perspective is that Hekate can be the enabling force for us to come out of and move on from of the dark and fallow experiences we have endured. Now we can move onto new beginnings, opportunities and illuminate that which we should focus on to bring the blessings we want and need in our lives.
Hekate can be a guiding force for change and movement. Hekate can help us tap into the potential of this time as she lights up way which allows us to take a more beneficial path on the crossroads we might find ourselves at. She encourages us to take the first step towards renewal and rebirth and the promise of new beginnings. Hekate encourages us to engage in this movement onwards and upwards and use it for the power it contains – the promise of shedding the old and embracing the new and the power (internal and external) it contains.
I personally like to honour Hekate during this time and make offerings of eggs, herbs (mint, sage, iron wort, lavender, wormwood etc – herbs of hers which are growing now), seeds (for planting), lavender flowers, sage flowers, saffron, corn flowers, edible flowers (violet, chive, clover, lilac etc) bread, apples, pomegranates, dandelions, wine, grape juice, honey infused tea/milk and substitutes such as oat or almond milk, onions, black garlic, grains such as barley, wheat husks, pomegranate cakes, cheese, legumes, beans and meat (lamb, rabbit and goat).
Vegetables such as beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, capsicum, carrot, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, eggplant, endive, leek, lettuce, onion, parsnip, pak choi, peas, radish, rocket, silverbeet, snow peas, spring onion, strawberry, corn and tomato.
Herbs such as chives, dill, mint, oregano, parsley, sage and thyme.
Flowers such as alyssum, asters, begonias, celostias, chrysanthemums, cinerarias, corn flowers, geraniums, petunias, daisies, carnations, lavender, marigolds, snapdragons, pansies, foxglove, sunflowers, gazanias, impatients and dahlias.
Some things you can do to honour and mark the Spring Equinox in your personal practice (or with a group of likeminded individuals) can be:
Make food usually consumed during this time and partake or share with loved ones, as well as leave as offerings to your gods or gods of the season: meat (lamb/rabbit/goat) or legume and bean stews, egg dishes such as quiches or boiled coloured eggs, cheesecake, yogurt, cakes and anything which can be shared and is seasonal.
Make coloured eggs or decorate wooden/ceramic eggs and leave them as offerings to the earth, seasonal God/dess or your patron/matron.
Rituals, spells and magick for new beginnings, fertility, rebirth, renewal, new opportunities and endeavours (especially at dawn).
Plant seeds for the future whether they be physical or metaphoric.
Clean and refresh your home or ritual/magickal space ie spring clean through cleaning, decluttering and revamping.
Rebirth rituals which can include taking devotional vows for a specific tradition or God/dess.
Get up at sunrise and bask in the first light of the day in nature, whether you do so in your own backyard, local park or nature reserve.
Feed your local wildlife appropriate offerings such as bird specific feed for your local natives.
Take the day off if you can and spend the time in nature ie a picnic or hike.
Light a fire (bonfire or fireplace) or candles to celebrate and honour the light of the sun during this time.
Make wreaths from seasonal herbs and flowers to adorn yourself with.
Craft some items which resonate with the season for you.
Prick some flowers or treat yourself to some from a favourite florist to bring spring into your living area.
Start a new hobby or lifestyle change (such as exercise) you have been wanting to or reconnect to.
At dawn light candles to mark the passage of time from winter to spring and also to honour the Gods of this season (in gold, green, pink, yellow, blue and purple).
So work your magick this Spring Equinox, honour the dawn, nature and new beginnings and opportunities which are available to you and ask for what you want to blossom in your life.
Imbolc, which means “in the belly” or “ewe’s milk”, is the day that marks the incoming Spring. Symbolically it marks the halfway point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox and celebrates the rebirth of the sun as the days get longer. Traditionally it is a Northern Hemisphere Gaelic festival which falls on the 1st of February and celebrates the Feast Day of Brigid. It marks the time of the year when spring flowers start to emerge in nature and can be a date to celebrate women.
This year in the Southern Hemisphere calendar it falls on Tuesday the 8th of August at 4.21am. Gods such as Brigit, Aenghus Og, Cerridwen, Hekate, Persephone, Demeter, Gaia, Hestia, Aphrodite, Eros, Pan, Bast, Aradia, Ceres, Faunus, Venus and Vesta can all be honoured during this time of year.
I have celebrated Imbolc with groups of people in various magickal settings and the one thing which I found linked them, was the coming together to celebrate the planting of seeds and sharing of food in a communal setting. Something which I have experienced time and time again during this festival day is the ritualistic act of planting physical and metaphorical seeds which symbolises set intentions for the coming season of Spring and Summer. Also feasting is highlighted during this time as so many religious festivals tend to celebrate this way.
One of the fondest memories I have during this time of year is celebrating Imbolc through planting seeds or seedling when I was starting out in my first coven. It’s something I never did before on my own and being able to watch something I planted with my own hands, grow and prosper developed my love of gardening. When I started studying herbalism a few years later I became obsessed with growing all the medicinal and magickal herbs I could. I spent years transferring my garden into a large organic one and creating special herb garden spaces dedicated to Hekate and A’set respectfully.
As an avid herbalist who likes to grow my own plants, herbs and trees I can use in my practice, I tend to always focus energy during this time planting organic heirloom seeds or seedlings for the coming season’s use. I also like to plant my intentions for what I want to grow in my life as I feel this is the perfect time to do so, to align with nature. Along with this, I also love to spend a lot of time in nature and honouring nature. From the seas to the mountains, I tend to go on a Imbolc hike coupled with a picnic/bbq if the weather permits.
I also tend to make a lot of candles as I am an avid candle maker and use various methods from set tapers and pillars, rolled wax to poured soy. I make them for my patrons (specifically Hekate, A’set and Sekhmet) which I then burn regularly on their shrines and altars during their devotionals. I also make a lot of incense for the same patrons as I find when I blend and grind up all the materials its quite easy to set intention for them as I find it an incredibly meditative and magical act.
Brigit represents the light and so does Hekate and I personally feel Hekate can guide us out of the darkness and into the light, like she did for Persephone.
I feel that Hekate resonates with this time of the year for various reasons. Hekate can illuminate what has been hiding in the darkness and ignite the flame within us. In this time she encourages and enables us to turn our attention to the presence of the promise of new opportunities to come. As the time of growth and movement is happening all around us Hekate encourages us to engage in this and use it for the power it contains – the promise of a light at the end of a dark tunnel and the promise of growth after a fallow period.
I personally like to honour Hekate during this time and make offerings of seeds, bread, apples, pomegranates, dandelions, primroses, grape juice, honey infused milk, onions, grains such as barley, wine, honey cake, seed cake and preserve cake.
In the garden now is the time to plant:
Vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, kale, collards, Asian greens, beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, leek, onions, sweeds, parsnip, turnip, peas, radish, rocket, garlic, potatoes, cucumber, eggplant and silver beet.
Herbs such as mustard, horseradish, curry plant, licorice, dandelions, parsley, feverfew, dill, mint, marjoram, oregano, lovage, and chervil.
Flowers such as, primroses, cornflowers, calendula, Siberian wallflower, nasturtiums and cyclamen.
Some things you can do to honour and mark Imbolc in your practice can be:
Make food usually consumed during this time: colcannon, sowans, dumplings, barmbrack or bannocks.
Make oak crosses.
Make corn husk or straw dolls.
Visit local wells, rives or streams and collect the water for magick and ritual work. Use water to bless home, family and garden.
Take a walk sunwise (clockwise) around a well and pray for good health or an ailment ensuring to leave an offering such as a coin.
Hold feasts with loved ones.
Divination such as candle (flame or wax), water and weather divination (cloud, sunset/sunrise).
Sew seeds for the coming spring and plant what you want to grow into your life.
Spring clean (such as home and altar/shrine) as it’s the time of purification which can be used to remove the stagnant energies and bring in cleansing new energies.
Make offerings to the earth and sea.
At sunset light candles to mark the passage of time from winter to spring and also to honour the Gods of this season (in gold, white, yellow and red colours).
Light torches in your Gods names.
Go for a walk in nature and take stock of what is growing and coming in for you.
Initiation and self-initiation rituals can be worked during this time due to apt timing.
A good time for fertilising things such as ideas, projects and even yourself with what you want to grow
So work your magick this Imbolc, honour the light and ask for what you want to manifest in your life.
Winter Solstice also known as Yule is the day with the shortest amount of daylight and the longest amount of night. Symbolically it marks the death and rebirth of the sun and it falls between Samhain and the Spring Equinox and due to this manifests as the darkest period of the year yet is also a turning point where the days become longer. It symbolises the darkest time of year and marks the returning of the light due to its time of seasonal transition. The winter solstice marks the sun as its lowest elevation in the sky and the reason it contains the longest night of the year. This year in the Southern Hemisphere calendar it falls on Thursday the 22nd of June at 12.58am. Gods such as Hekate, Persephone, Demeter, Dionysus, Helios, Poseidon, Zeus, Hera, Hathor, Sekhmet, Osiris, Horus, Neith, Nephthys, Spider Woman, Ameratasu, Saturn, Odin, Bona Dea, Mithras, Holy King, Hod, Frigga, Frau Holle, Cailleach and Baldur can all be honoured during this time of year.
I have celebrated Yule with groups of people in a magickal setting such as a working lodge, coven and magickal order. The one thing which I found which linked them all together was the coming together to celebrate the light and the darkness whilst sharing food and gifts.
One of the fondest memories I have during this time of year is celebrating the winter solstice through creating handmade gifts. I spend considerable time planning on what to make and then following through by crafting gifts which are unique and special. The first thing I ever recall making was for my first coven where I sculpted and fired a set of runes and hand sewed an accompanying bag to contain them in. This took a significant amount of energy and effort and was placed in a sack of gifts to be randomly selected by one coven member in the middle of our coven’s winter solstice ritual. Imagine my surprise when one of my coven members whom I was closest to (and who has become a lifelong friend) chose it at random and had been wanting a set of runes which turned out to feature her favourite colour (they were coloured green and purple).
I personally like to hand make gifts during this time of year usually involving items which feature divination, light, purification, seeds, woods and herbs harvested and collected. I also love to cook, bake and prepare food which is consumed, shared or given to loved ones including the following: citrus preserves such as salt preserved lemons and Cointreau marmalade, soup (lentil/beans/barley and root vegetable, Greek chicken soup), stew (barley, beans, lentil, cholent and coq au vin), bread (Greek sweetbread, olive loaf and garlic & feta loaf), gingerbread (especially witches houses/cottages), shortbread (various Greek ones), lamb or beef roast, dumplings and baked spiced rice stuffed into vegetables.
Since this time tends to fall on my personal anniversary (we got together on the winter solstice) for me it also involves going out for an intimate meal with my partner and exchanging thoughtful gifts.
I feel that Hekate resonates with this time of the year for various reasons. One being that this is a liminal time where she has dominion between the darkness and the light. In this time she encourages and enables us to turn our attention to the presence of the promise of new things to come. As the time of growth and movement is before us Hekate beckons us to straddle the in-between time and to use this time for the power it contains.
I personally like to honour Hekate during this time and make offerings of apples, pomegranates, garlic, onions, mead, beer, wine, bread, barley, nuts, lilies, pine, mistletoe, juniper, holly, frankincense, myrrh, cedar, bay, chamomile and roots from dandelions.
I also like to make items for Hekate which resonate with the season mostly wands collected from wood during the summer, candle anointing oil blends, herb pouches for dreaming, health and wealth, candles which illuminate, soap which cleanses, incense using dried herbs from the summer, book and journal covers with locally sourced materials or upcycled materials, various art pieces with paints, ink, photography and/or several thread types (in recent years its been all about the land, sea and sky) and beaded jewellery such as ethically sourced crystal necklaces which can also be used as meditation or manifestation beads.
Herbs such as garlic, basil, chives, cress, curry, dill, mint, parsley, sage and thyme.
Flowers such as aquilegia, calendula, cineraria, cyclamen, delphinium, foxglove, nemesia, pansy, primula, polyanthus poppy and viola.
Some things you can do to honour and mark the winter solstice in your personal practice (or with a group of likeminded individuals) can be:
Hold a ritual signifying the balance of darkness and light and/or liminality.
Work spells and magick which involve igniting a flame, balance or brining the light into a situation, .
Create and light a bonfire or light a special candle carved with symbols which signify the time of year.
Inscribe and light a Yule log in a firepit or fireplace.
Take a walk at dusk holding a lantern.
Bake a seasonal pie, cook a roast and make mulled wine or any other food or drink which to you symbolises the winter solstice .
In the evening go out star gazing and seek out your local constellations.
Honour the Gods which signify this time of year by creating a shrine or altar in their name or tending to an existing one and make offerings to them.
Create an ice wreath in the freezer filled with flowers and herbs of the season (use a bunt cake tin) and once set place a candle in the middle of the wreath and light it to signify the winter moving out and the spring coming in.
Use this time to cleanse your magickal tools and spaces such as shrines and altars.
Rituals and spells involving transitions and movement.
Reflect on your inner world and take some time to just be with yourself and listen to your inner self such as meditation, yoga, going for a walk in nature or just sitting in a space which is sacred to you and just being present.
Use this time to recharge yourself through honouring yourself and do what you need to, to enable that reset.
Host a feast with family or friends which can include music and dancing.
Light black and white candles to signify the diminishing darkness and the increasing light.
Decorate a tree (such as a xmas tree) with decorations which signify the winter solstice.
Exchange gifts with loved ones.
Donate to charities involving the displaced such as the homeless and refugees.
Do something kind for someone who is alone, in pain or suffering.
Volunteer for a charity which assists the natural world or the less fortunate.
Divination such as rune, tarot, dice, candle wax, crystal, magick mirror or ink scrying.
So work your magick this midwinter, honour the light and the darkness within you and all around you and contemplate and manifest balance in your life.
Today is the last day of the Gregorian calendar year.
In my family we always had our Greek folk traditions and celebrations to honour this time as New Years was one of the main holidays we observed.
I continue to honour some of the Greek folk customs to this day whilst also incorporating and acknowledging my ancestors and one of my main patron Gods – Hekate.
Some Greek folk traditions you can do on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day to bring in good luck, prosperity, health and blessings can be:
Hang up a fresh pomegranate over your front door before New Year’s Eve and then pull it down and smash it on your door step on New Year’s Day.
You can then upcycle the pomegranate by drying it and then burning it as incense. Hekate is the perfect Goddess to offer it to as she not only is font of pomegranate but also a liminal Goddess which this is a time of.
Play cards on New Year’s Eve to bring in luck.
You can also give yourself a tarot reading by pulling a card for each month of the year to see what will unfold for you.
Light sparklers or watch fireworks to welcome in the New Year.
You can light a candle or an olive oil lamp to Hekate as a liminal Goddess to welcome in the New Year.You can also lightcandles and oil lamps to your ancestors.
At midnight on New Year’s Eve throw all your change at the front door and then the next day the first person to wake up and gather it – has collected that luck.
You can donate the coins to a charity in Hekate’s name.
Hang up an onion inside the house on New Years’ Day.
You can hang it up above your Hekate shrine/altar as a devotional offering.
Enter your home on New Years’ Day on the right foot by literally walking into your home with your right foot first.
You can asperge around your home clockwise three times with bay leaves and khernips as a cleansing beforehand after you have called upon Hekate for assistance or alternatively smoke cleanse around your home by burning some dried bay laurel leaves.
Bake a cake with a coin (wrapped in bakers parchment) within it and share it with your loved ones. The person who gets a piece with the coin is going to have a lucky year. The traditional cake is called a vasilopita but you can also make an basic almond flour sponge.
You can offer a piece to Hekate as a food offering.
Sing traditional carols.
You can also sing hymns or prayers to your ancestors and Hekate.
Exchange gifts brought by Agios Vassilis (Greek Santa Claus).
You can also make offerings to your ancestors and Hekate.
Decorate a small wooden boat with twinkling lights. This is a symbolic vessel for family members who aren’t able to be with us during the holiday season.
You can also light a candle on your ancestor shrine along with some livani incense. You can inscribe a white candle with your loved ones name and burn it on Hekate’s shrine.
You can also leave food offerings on your doorsteps for Hekate or the spirits of the house.
Go for a swim in the sea or lake to cleanse yourself.
You can also use Khernips made from salt and purified water and ritually cleanse yourself with the aid of Hekate.
If you don’t honour Hekate you can substitute one of your patron God/dess with the above suggestions as long as your devotion and intention is pure.
So work your magick this New Year’s, honour the liminal time and cleanse the old and bless the new to enable you to embrace the beginning of a new calendar year.
Hekate came to my aid during a dark time in my life. I was just exiting the astrological significance of my Saturn Return as an immediate family member whom I had dedicated many years of care take to, had recently passed away. I fell into a Dark Night of The Soul of sorts as I had sacrificed many a thing for this family member. So after their death I started questioning my purpose in life. I became even more troubled as my patrons as well as my spirit guides remained silent when called upon, be it in meditation or ritual. Nevertheless I continued to enter sacred space and practice regular meditation as my faith is what kept me going.
One night, during the Dark of the Moon whilst in meditation, I asked for clarification or guidance as I was angry and confused about my path in the mundane world. I was quite irate as I incomprehensibly blurted out this request and I did not expect what would happen next.
A beautiful woman with pale flawless skin appeared to me in a vision. She was between her maiden and mother phase with a white streak in her long black hair. Her robes were a saffron coloured Greco Roman styled dress, complete with black edged trimming. She had a powerful and commanding yet graceful presence and she felt familiar, like I had seen or known her before. I began to tremble, my breath quickened and my heart beat deep and sharp as I stared at her in disbelief. I knew this woman…my breath caught…she wasn’t a woman, she was a God! I had worked with her before, within my previous Wiccan covens as well as being aided by her in various forms of magic. This time she appeared differently as if she was summoning me instead.
There she was – Hekate in all her inexpressible magnificence. She leaned towards me and sternly said, “You are lost. I will help you find your way; I will guide you to plant the seed of your hopes which will grow into fruition. This comes with much devotion and attention given. Dedicate yourself to me and I will illuminate your way.” and with that – the vision ended. I stood up from my kneeling pose, still shaking from the experience but I felt lighter, somehow comfortable with the knowledge that I had indeed received an introduction to what I had asked for.
With alacrity I grabbed a nearby pen and notebook and started to compose a ritual to Hekate whilst in a mild trance like state. It flowed easily and once completed I began to construct an impromptu shrine to her. The only place I could put the shrine was facing a door to a storage space which was in an area between the front door and the door leading to the kitchen in my home. Little did I know at the time that Her shrines perfect placement was liminal/in between places.
Once her shrine was complete I began the magickal working to her. I created sacred space in the way I was accustomed to, utilizing my witchcraft experience and proceeded to anoint a natural beeswax candle with some Dark of the Moon oil I had previously made. This oil blend contained essential oils and herbs used in her service such as lavender and saffron which I also anointed myself with in an appropriate manner. As a sign of devotion I offered Hekate a coin which was a drachma I had retained from one of my first trips to Greece and an old iron key. Lighting the candle, dedicated and inscribed to her with my athame, I evoked Hekate in my own way:
Hekate, Mistress of Magic
I come to you as devotee
Hekate, Light Bringer
Illuminate my way in this time of darkness
Hekate, Guide of the Crossroads
Show me the true path of purpose
Hekate, Opener of Doors
Allow me to seek clarity of vision
Hekate, Keeper of the Key
Unlock your mysteries to me
In a vision similar to the one experienced earlier, she appeared and I relayed in my own words where I was in my life, what I felt was holding me back and what my confusion was. I was careful to be clear and concise with my words as well as being completely honest without fear or shame. At the completion of my address, Hekate moved aside and showed me a heavy wooden door. She unlocked the door, opened it before me and encouraged me to pass through the door. Once I did this she handed me a key and I found a crossroad before me.
Hekate took her place within the centre of the crossroad and held her arms up in supplication. Two blazing torches appeared in her hands and she lit one of the paths in the crossroad ahead. Hekate then handed me a torch and beckoned me to walk along beside her as she guided me down the illuminated path. I followed this radiant path until the answers I was seeking began to appear in the form of images, feelings and words. The answers that Hekate shared with me were both personally and deeply moving. She shared with me that I will always be a caretaker where I guide and assist people in my day to day mundane profession as well as my passionate work as reader, healer and teacher. This has always been my purpose and a journey that has not ended.
I felt great release and joy, with tears streaming down my face I thanked her profusely and promised I would dedicate myself to her. I also swore that I would honour her through regular rites as well as magic in her name.
After this rite I worked with her intensely. I found that the ways I started to instinctually work with her, were supported through the writings of others. These writings devoted to Hekate were both modern and ancient and were discovered whilst conducting further research on her. I started coming into constant contact with other devotees of Hekate and I added her as patron to my Lyceum within the FOI. My Lyceum quite aptly needed a third patron and was called the Lyceum of Heka. That year I began to hold many rites devoted to Hekate with my magical working group. A high point included a public Samhain rite dedicated to Hekate which I was told had touched many in attendance. I continue to work many rites in honour of Hekate on my own, as well as with the other devotees of hers that I meet along the way.
I will never forget that Hekate was there for me during a great time of darkness and to this day the devotional is ongoing.
(C) T Georgitsis 2010 – Article first appeared in Hekate: Her Sacred Fires devotional book in 2010
Setjataset 