Seasons of the Moon

Volume 19 Issue 4
Lammas 2022

Seasons of the Moon is a quarterly online magazine published by students and members of The Order of The White Moon, an eclectic international order of women dedicated to The Goddess. The Order provides personal empowerment and priestess training, and operates local groups. All contributions are original material submitted by our students and members. (We do not accept outside contributions.) Please direct comments and questions to the Ezine Editor.

Lammas 2022

Contents

  

Holy Days

  

Mabon ‐ Autumn Equinox

  

You notice the light is getting dimmer. The sky turns a dusky purple. You smell the water before you can hear it. A great rushing river, with sandy shores. You think it would be lovely to take your shoes off and do some wading. You head down a small path to the waters, remove your shoes, and plop your feet in the gurgling water. You try to pick up pebbles with your toes, and you slide your feet back and forth over the river stones. You think back on your journey this year, and all that you have received.

You hear voices, and turn to see three women moving down the little path. "A grandmother, mother, and teenage daughter" you think to yourself. They all carry fishing gear, one carries a cooler, another a bucket, another what looks like a picnic basket.

"Hi there" the middle aged woman greets you. She has a wide brimmed straw hat framing a brown face with freckles, and warm brown eyes. The older grandmotherly woman gives you a nod, then unfolds a little chair, and begins to work on her fishing gear. The teenager gives you a glance, then begins to inspect and work on her gear. In moments they are all set up. The middle‐aged woman moves off a bit to the side, looking intently into the river, humming a tune that you almost recognize.

"Will it be ok if I sit here a bit" you ask the elderly woman quietly. She crinkles at you and says "Oh sure, just don't go scaring those fish. Just sit here and muse a bit with us." She too begins to hum. The young woman comes up and looks at you frankly "Today the light and dark are in balance, did you know?" "Yes," you say, "It's Mabon, the autumn equinox." The teenager looks pleased that you know. "Muse on the balance while we fish, ok?" You nod, and she turns to the river, beginning to hum the same tune as her mother and grandmother.

The day grows dimmer, and the women cast their lines. Their humming weaves in and out. You begin to feel like their humming is more than music, that it is creating some sort of net. You sense the fish rising, and beginning to bite in the twilight. The air cools, as the sun sets. Small plops sound in the river. The grandmother catches a fish first, a lovely three‐pounder. She slides the fish into the bucket. The mother pulls one gasping out of the river, and in moments the teenager lands one. All go right into the bucket. The women continue to hum, and put away their fishing gear. They pull a wine bottle out of the cooler, then produce a loaf of bread and a round of cheese out of the picnic basket.

Their humming becomes more intense, and turns into a song. You rise involuntarily, inspired. The three women join hands and circle the bucket, singing. Then the grandmother steps in, takes the bottle, and pours some of the wine into the bucket. The middle‐aged woman moves and breaks off a bit of cheese and tosses it in, and the teenager pinches some bread, and likewise throws it into the bucket. They sing to a crescendo, then step back.

The mother turns toward you. "Come look," she says, motioning to the bucket. You think that this is a bit strange, but move forward to look anyway. At first you see nothing, then the bucket surface seems to widen, you see what looks like swirling light flickers, then the form of one fish. One LARGE fish, so large it cannot possible fit in the bucket. You startle back.

The three women are standing close to you. The grandmother says, "Don't be afraid. Muse on this. We bring you divine inspiration." The mother gestures to the bucket ‐ "Here is the fish of wisdom." The young woman adds "Listen and it will speak." You turn back to the bucket. Again the dark. Again the swirl of light. Then the fish. You stand enraptured, as Wisdom speaks to you about something that is important to you.

Finally the Fish ceases speaking, and sinks into the bucket. You step back, and look at the three Muses. You raise your hands and bow your head in the gesture of reverence and prayer. When you look up they are gone, and you step onto the trail to the north. It is getting darker and it is getting colder.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Before you move on, write down what the Fish of Wisdom told you

  

© Lynda Kostini

Lynda Kostini is a Level II Initiate in Dark Moon's Heart School.

  

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Celebrating Lammas: The First Harvest On The Wheel of The Year

  

The pagan sabbat Lammas August 1st, is a cross quarter day in the Northern Hemisphere. This marks the halfway point between the Summer Solstice and the Autumn Equinox. Lammas marks the First Harvest on the Wheel of the Year.

The heat of August still feels very much Summertime season, but as the month progresses days begin to grow shorter at sunset and Autumn whispers in the air. Corn is abundant now, along with late Summer vegetables and fruit on the trees. The crops are starting to reveal their bounty. First grains such as wheat, barley, and oats are ready to reap what has been sown.

In agricultural communities, the first sheaves were traditionally cut on August 1st by local farmers, and baked into the first loaf of bread. The word Lammas comes from old Anglo Saxon "hlaef‐mass" meaning loaf mass. The first cutting of the first grain and baking the first loaf of bread with it, was auspicious for the rest of the year's harvest to come.

The sabbat Lammas, is a time to celebrate and give gratitude for the abundance of this First Harvest on the Wheel of the Year. It is a wonderful time to create a meal with delicious fruits and vegetables growing in your local area. In August, plums, peaches, apples, grapes, blackberries, corn, tomatoes and Summer squashes are growing abundantly. Baking a loaf of bread is also traditional.

For your Lammas altar, traditional decorations include harvest symbols corn, cornucopias, wheat, grapes, and sunflowers. Colors to represent Lammas are gold, orange, yellow, and brown.

A great craft for Lammas, is a corn dolly. Dry corns husks from your local area corn, and create a doll from them. The corn dolly can be placed on your altar. Wheat also makes a lovely grain dolly.

Another craft from corn or grains such as wheat, created on Lammas, is a small broom or besom. After crafting, hang the broom or besom in your kitchen or place on your altar. This brings the energy of abundance and protection into your home.

To connect with the Divine Feminine, the Mother Goddess aspect is celebrated on Lammas. Goddesses associated with harvest, grains, the home and hearth, and the earth can also be used in ritual, and to honor the First Harvest. Some goddesses that represent these energies of Lammas, include Ceres, Demeter, Pomona, Tammuz, Cerridwen, Gaia, Epona, Rhiannon, Danu, Vesta, Hestia, and Isis.

Personal reflection for this sabbat, is gratitude for what we have harvested and personal abundance, so far on this Wheel of the Year. We can also reflect on what we are preserving from this year in our life, like fruit to bring into Autumn. What are we releasing, as the year wanes to make room for the Second Harvest of Mabon, the Autumn Equinox, in our life?

Lammas is also a time to prepare our hearth and home for the colder, darker months ahead as we go inward and return more indoors.

May you have a blessed, bright, abundant Lammas

  

© Maeve MoonBird

  

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Celebrating the Autumn Equinox and Mabon

  

Autumn Equinox, also the pagan sabbat called Mabon, is on September 22nd in the Northern Hemisphere. On this day the light and dark are in balance, and the astrological sign Libra begins. Now the days will continue to get shorter and darker until the Winter Solstice, which is the pagan sabbat Yule. We prepare for the darkest time of the year on this day, as we also connect to energies of balance.

Mabon celebrates the second harvest on the Wheel of the Year. Many crops are grown and abundant to enjoy in a celebratory feast. Apples, berries, and grapes are ripe for baking pies, cobblers, and other delicious desserts. Tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, eggplant, carrots, onion, and squash like butternut and acorn are also grown and ready for creating lovely dishes. Corn and wheat flour are good to bake bread with for your Mabon feast. Nuts like hazelnuts, representing wisdom from the Hazel tree, can be gathered. Enjoy wine and apple cider for you harvest meal drinks.

Mabon is a time to connect to gratitude for the abundance of the harvest this Autumn season, as you enjoy a meal of the seasonal foods. Write a letter of gratitude to people in your life who you are thankful to. Also offer gratitude to the Goddess and the blessings of the Earth. Start a gratitude journal for the Fall.

This is also a lovely sabbat for visiting an apple orchard and picking local apples for your Autumn Equinox celebration.

Donating food to a local shelter, is also a way to offer the harvest abundance to those in need in your community.

Take a walk in nature, and give food offerings of nuts and seeds to birds and squirrels.

For your altar and Mabon table, decorate with autumn leaves, dried corn, apples, squash, acorns, a cornucopia, sunflowers, hazelnuts, and pumpkins to reflect the autumnal season and the harvest. Colors for your altar and candles that represent Mabon are orange, brown, gold, red, purple, and yellow. This is a cozy, beautiful time of year to reconnect and decorate your hearth and home, as we go more inward and indoors towards winter.

The Divine Feminine aspect of Mabon are Harvest and Hearth Goddesses such as Demeter, Ceres, Pomona, Isis, Vesta, and Hestia. Since we are heading toward the dark time of year, the Dark Goddess and Crone aspect are also celebrated. You can work with Cerridwen, Hecate, the Morrigan and her crone aspect Badb in your Mabon ritual.

The Autumn Equinox, Mabon, is a time to reflect on balance and turning inward as the days darken and grow colder. On the Wheel of the Year, we are ending the year cycle on Samhain. So we can begin to work with the energy of endings and letting go for the pagan new year October 31st.

Creatively this is a beautiful season to be inspired by nature around you, such as changing foliage and wildlife. Connect to Autumn's creative energy in any form of art you enjoy. The astrological sign Libra is ruled by Venus, helping us enjoy beauty, harmony, and partnership to inspire our creativity now.

Some journal questions you can ask yourself are:
What ways am I inspired by the beauty and nature around me this Autumn?
What creative projects want to be expressed by me during this Fall season?
How am I seeking balance now?
What am I thankful for this Mabon?
What have I harvested this year that I am celebrating in my life now?
How can I connect to the energy of letting go this Fall to make space for the pagan new year on Samhain?
How can I connect with the Dark Goddess and Crone aspect in my life this Autumn?

Have a bright, blessed, abundant Mabon and Autumn Season.

Click on the link to follow Maeve at thecreativepriestesspath.com

  

© Maeve MoonBird

Maeve MoonBird is an HP of Order of the White Moon. She is a visual artist who enjoys exploring where creativity and her pagan spirituality meet. Maeve is passionate about sharing the Goddess and spirituality with OWM Sisters.

  

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Southerly Sisters

  

OWM is a global organization, with Sisters in countries around the world, including the Southern Hemisphere. The Wheel of the Year is reversed for our Southerly Sisters. To ensure we remain inclusive, we would like to share some information about the Holy Days that pertain specifically to them.

  

Imbolc and Ostara

  

Imbolc is a celebration of the re‐awakening of light and life into the world after the long days of Winter. It is the sacred festival of Brighid, the Celtic Goddess of fire, creativity, healing, smiths and poets. Call the creative fires back into your life by lighting candles or bonfires. This is a time for purification in anticipation of the birthing that will soon occur.

Ostara brings the promise of Spring, the Earth is awakening from its sleep. This is the time for new beginnings and rebirth. The seeds of ideas that have been germinating in the dark are now ready for planting. What will go into your garden? How will you nourish your dreams and ensure a successful harvest in the months to come?

  

© Ajna DreamsAwake

  

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Ritual Work

  

Lammas‐Origin and Custom

  

At the August Full Moon, Lug ‐ Llew Law Gyffes ‐ celebrated his wedding with the goddess of the Earth Annona, the matron with the cornucopia who nourishes the world. They will be reigning until Samhain. Their Time is the Harvest Time. Lugh's Festival was a Fire festival. Huge piles of wood were lit. The Fire symbolising the metamorphosis of the god. For 3 days ‐ so was the custom of the Island Celts ‐ Water was taboo. No washing, no bathing, no fishing, nor could a net be cast. The Corn King was brought to the village in a solemn procession and sacrificed. The Anglo‐Saxons called the feast for the blessing of the grain harvest Hlaf‐mass, from which came the name Lammas.

On the Feast of Lugh all herbs that were necessary to keep Health and Wealth of the Farm/House in the coming year were consecrated. It made sense to collect the plants in these hot days, because aroma, taste and healing power are the expression of the cosmic powers of Warmth and Light that the plants are absorbing in this time of the year. The women consecrated these herbs to the Goddess. The missionary Bonifatius ‐ the same who had cut down the sacred trees of the heathens ‐ tried to ban this custom in a synod of Liftinae (in the Year 743 CE), but the Women kept to their ritual, and so the church allowed the tradition, but under the patronage of the Virgin Mary, saying those herbs were the flowers found in her tomb (instead of symbols of the Goddess' body). So the herbs were collected and consecrated to the Holy Mary on her Ascension day.

Healing Herbs were used for protection against sorcery, fire and hail, for a good cohabitation, and for an easy birth. Some of them were laid in the chest where crops were stored, others were put in the coffin of a deceased person. Many of the herbs were used as incense, smoked during the sacred times ‐ like the Rauhnächte (Twelfth night or Epiphany), or Winter Solstice.

These Herbs were:
Yarrow, Mugwort, Arnica, Marigold, Sage, Lovage, Dill, Valerian, Tansy

The sacred bunches were embellished with Corn stalks or cornflowers (which brings to mind, with their blue colour, the sky cloak of the Goddess). They were then framed with shorter growing herbs like camomile, creeping thyme, cleaver, and feverfew. At the center, the goddess herself was represented by the common mullein.

Tailtu (Goddess of the Day ‐ 1 August Patricia Telesco/365 Goddess)

The Irish goddess Tailtiu reconnects us with the earth's cycles and the spirit of excellence. Tailtiu was the foster mother to the god of light, Lugh, whom this date venerates. Lugh held her in such high regards that he created the Tailtean games, which took place during Lammas (rather like the Olympics). This honour may have also had something to do with Tailtiu's association as an earth goddess.

In Wiccan tradition ‐ today is for preparing food from early ripening fruits like apples. It is also a time for baking bread in honour of the harvest. Combining the two you can make apple sauce bread. Stir the batter clockwise, focusing on any craft or sport in which you wish to excel.

As you stir, chant:
Flour from grain, the spell begins, let the power rise within;
Apples from trees, now impart, Tailtiu, bring ________ to my heart.
Fill the blank with a word that describes the area in which you want to encourage improvements or develop mastery. Eat the bread to internalize the energy.

Time‐friendly alternatives here are buying frozen bread and adding diced apples to it, having toast with apple butter, or just enjoying a piece of bread and apple anytime during the day. Chant the incantation mentally. Then bite with conviction!

 

Some thoughts about Lammas

JERA runeJera rune

I see Jera as a rune for Lammas ‐ it explains the atmosphere around this day. How important patience is for a good harvest… Jera stands for the Year, but also time and patience ‐ for the things in life that take time. Also, often, in a reading, it indicates that one must wait, and that the time for something has not yet come. Just like the pregnant woman of the 7 of Discs in the Motherpeace Tarot. It is the card before 8 ‐ before the fulfillment. It serves as a reminder that when we wait for things, until their time has come, we can profoundly relish in them.

At Lammas we celebrate the fruits of our efforts and the gifts of the Mother Goddess. These fruits may be a salary raise, a completed project (a move, a new flat/house, a new job, something you were longing for). What matters most is that we take the time to acknowledge our efforts, these blessings, and that we celebrate ourselves ‐ our Goddess within and the Mother Goddess that nourishes us.

Being grateful fulfills us, makes us feel 'connected' with all ‐ especially with our own source of creativity ‐ and fuels us with positive energies that provide the power to move on. Being grateful gives us the inner security and assuredness that allows us to be patient.

At and around Lammas we may still feel the influence of the New Moon that just passed, or the Waxing Moon, supporting us in all our future endeavors. So even if you are having a difficult time right now, and you don't actually feel like celebrating ‐ use the opportunity to make a change with a fresh spirit.

If you are able, it's, of course, best to spend the day outside and celebrate the ritual under the free sky. If you do so, pay attention to your local regulations about the Corona situation, or restrictions concerning open fires… ‐ use your discretion and try not to cause damage.

Not all of us are blessed to live in the country side, with fields and meadows around. Where you can find the wild herbs, field flowers, wheat or other cereals, or where there is also a nice sacred space to conduct the ritual outside. Some of us may have no other option than to stay inside ‐ because of location or for weather reasons. This ritual is designed to be held indoors.

 

Lammas Ritual

Preparation work

Altar Decorations
Fieldflowers, Sunflowers, Summer Flowers, Fruits of the Season ‐ preferably Apples, Prune Plums, Reenekloden (Precious Plums), Mirabelle Plums, Wheat Sheaves, Wheat/Spelt Grains
The wheat sheaves that you use for the altar may also be used to decorate the doors (like Mistletoe at Yule).
Altar Cloth, Taper Candles, Incense, Water, Salt, Amber Stone


Why Amber?
Brisingamen ‐ Freya's magical necklace ‐ is made of Amber. It grants power over the elements. The power over the elements ‐ or rather, the knowledge of how to work with the elements ‐ is vital in agriculture/farming, and is required to ensure a good harvest. Of course, this can be taken to a different level as well, and refer to our inner alchemy, and the understanding and balancing of the elements within us… Also, Amber is the color of gold ‐ and is almost as valuable. It can serve as a representative for both wealth and health.

 

Cakes and Ale

Suggestions for "Cakes": Apple‐Bread, Plum Jam, Lammas Cookies, Spelt Bread
Suggestions for "Ale": Mead, Cider, Apple Juice, Water, Lammas Wine
(see recipes below)

 

Altar Setup

Use a yellow or light‐green altar cloth (can include blue or other colors as well).
Use red, yellow and white candles ‐ and one single blue taper candle.
Place plenty of healing flowers like Chamomile, St. John's Wort, Lavender, Echinacea Flowers, Marigolds (Calendula)
Include floral products that you use, like red oil made of St. John's Wort, Calendula Cream, Chamomile Tea etc…
Arrange some shiny things ‐ little Mirror Pieces, Wind Chimes ‐ Fairies like them.
Incense: Sandalwood, Lavender, Honeysuckle

If you are a circle of several women, let every women bring something they made themselves.
After the ritual and opening the circle they may give them away to each other.

 

Ritual Body

Draw your circle.
Light the red, yellow and white candles
Light the incense ‐ You may want to use an incense stick to draw the circle.

Speak aloud:
Come gentle Fairies, Elves, Mother mine
I invite you to join me at this first harvest time
Protect me and guide me
Join this circle and stay
Let joy be the topic
Of this wonderful day
Let us feast and celebrate
This union so gay (you may refer to the union of the circle or the wedding of Lugh)

Have your amber stone, the flowers and the healing floral products arranged

Light the blue candle (representing the healing power)

Ask the Goddess to bless them and give power to them

Speak aloud:
I give thank for this harvest
Bless Goddess your kids (referring to the flowers, fruits, plants, healing products…)
So they heal once it's needed
Your wonderful gifts!

If there are several women, you can let each woman ask for her own healing.
You can also let everyone in the circle share some memories on a special healing experience.

On closing the circle speak aloud:
I am thankful and opening this circle so bright
Part in peace now
The light of the Mother shall always be our guide

Now it's time to eat and drink.
It is also a good time to share the 'gifts' that each woman has brought.

  

ENJOY YOUR CELEBRATION!!!!!

 

Recipes

 

Apple Bread

 

The Irish goddess Tailtiu reconnects us with the Earth's cycles and the spirit of excellence. Her foster son, Lugh created the Tailtean games, which took place during Lammas. Lammas is the first of three Harvest festivals and so, preparing dishes with the first fruits or grains of the harvest is one way to honour Tailtu.

 

Directions

Mix the flour, sugar, vanilla‐sugar, baking powder, eggs and cinnamon. Peel the apples, remove the core and cut the apples into small pieces. Add them to the batter.

As you stir, chant:
Flour from grain, the spell begins, let the power rise within;
Apples from trees, now impart, Tailtiu, bring _____ to my heart.*

Fill the blank with a word that describes the area in which you want to encourage improvements or develop mastery.

Put all in a greased pan, bake for 40 ‐ 45 minutes at 160° C (325° F).

Eat the bread to internalize the energy

 

* From our Level I text ‐ 365 Goddess by Patricia Telesco

 

Plum Jam

 

Directions

Wash and pit the plums, then fill them in a pot (non‐stick coating).
Add some water ‐ so half of the fruits are covered.
Add the sugar, the cinnamon, cardamom and the star anise.

Close the lid and bring all to a boil ‐ let it simmer for an hour. Stir frequently.
Purée with a stick blender and let the mass simmer for another hour ‐ or less if you see it has the right consistency/ thickness.
Sterilize jars and lids in boiling water.
Pour mixture into sterilized jam jars.

You can also set aside some of the jam to decorate or fill cookies, or enjoy immediately with fresh bread.

 

Lammas Cookies

 

Directions

In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
Add butter and mix together with your hands until it flakes.

Separate one egg and place the egg white in a small bowl, set aside.
Whisk remaining egg and yolk, add milk and mix this very good until it's foamy.

Now add egg/milk mixture to the flakes and make it a mass you easily can roll out.
Keep it about 0.5 cm thick.

Preheat at 200° C (400° F).
Take a glass and use to shape small moons - half ones, full ones, as you like.
Position the moons on a baking sheet and brush the tops with egg white.
Place the baking sheet on the center rack, bake for 6 to 10 minutes

 

Spelt Bread

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 175° C (350° F). Mix flour and baking powder.
Blend in milk, salt and spices.
Add sunflower seeds and ½ of the sesame seeds. The dough will be like that of a cake.
Put the dough in a loaf pan and sprinkle the remaining sesame seeds on top of the dough.

Place on the middle slide of the oven and bake for 20‐30 minutes.

 

Lammas Wine

 

Directions

Heat the wine in a large pot, carefully, on medium low heat.
Add vanilla and orange slices.
Add one clove

Mix together and place in the fridge to cool. Serve chilled.
Pour into glasses and top each one with calendula petals.

  

© M)0(rrigan Lammas 2015

M)0(rrigan is a Priestess of Morrigan, and a practitioner of Shamanism, Runes, Tarot and Usui Reiki. She is a Level III Adept in the Sacred Three Goddess School.

  

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Witchy Writings

  

Gratitude

  

What can I say about gratitude? Well, I can tell you this: gratitude is essential to happiness. Yes, I'm serious!

Gratitude, according to Wikipedia, is defined as "…thankfulness, or gratefulness, from the Latin word gratus 'pleasing, thankful', is a feeling of appreciation felt by and/or similar positive response shown by the recipient of kindness, gifts, help, favors, or other types of generosity, towards the giver of such gifts."

I know sometimes it is difficult to be grateful. Maybe you are having relationship problems, housing issues, financial hardships, or other difficulties. Or a combination thereof. Life is hard. What in the world is there to be grateful for?

Well, actually, there is always a lot to be grateful for. Do a small exercise. Sit down with a notebook and write down every single good thing in your life. I know it is hard to get started, so start small. Did you wake up today? Of course you did. Write it down. Are you breathing without difficulty? Write it down. Do you have a roof over your head? You get the picture. Write down absolutely everything that is good and positive. You will be surprised at how long your list gets!

I'm sure you've seen or heard the phrase, "attitude of gratitude." That is what you need to cultivate. According to positivepsychology.com, "when we express gratitude and receive the same, our brain releases dopamine and serotonin, the two crucial neurotransmitters responsible for our emotions, and they make us feel 'good'. They enhance our mood immediately, making us feel happy from the inside. By consciously practicing gratitude every day, we can help these neural pathways to strengthen themselves and ultimately create a permanent grateful and positive nature within ourselves." We can change our brains!!!!

Gratitude affects the brain in a number of ways. It releases toxic emotions. It reduces pain. It improves sleep quality. It aids in stress regulation. It reduces anxiety and depression. These things are all worth working for!

The Mindfulness Awareness Research Center of UCLA stated that gratitude actually changes the neural structures in the brain. This makes us feel happier and more content. Gratitude triggers good hormones and regulates functioning of the immune system. It alters the way we see the world and ourselves.

How can we cultivate happiness with gratitude? Well, in a number of ways. Start by appreciating yourself. Keep a gratitude journal. You can use the notebook that you used to make your gratitude list. Contact people you are grateful for. Don't hesitate to be happy ‐ if you stop worrying and stressing over everything, the world isn't going to fall apart. Find a gratitude buddy that you can discuss things with that you are grateful for. There are even Facebook groups and pages where you can post what you are grateful for.

Gratitude helps fight anxiety. If we worry all the time, our brains are wired for more worry. If the brain is retrained with gratitude, we attend to positive thoughts more and negative thoughts less.

Make gratitude a way of life.

Click on the link to follow Peace at Witchy Writings

  

© Peace Whitehorse November 25, 2020

Peace Whitehorse is the founder of Peace Grove School of the Goddess and facilitator and High Priestess of the Peace Grove Coven. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and her Shetland sheepdogs, and is active in Sheltie Rescue.

  

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Thou Art Goddess

  

Prairie Remnants

  

One of my favorite things to do in this area is to explore wild places with prairie remnants and prairie restoration. I grew up with local lore about residents having to follow a ridgeline in order to get into town because the prairie land was impassable. What lies there now are fields and fields of farmland on former marshy prairie that was dredged, drained, and tamed. Luckily we have a lot of people involved in conservation and restoration. In some places instead of rows of feed corn and soy beans on former farmland you can find blackberries (Left Photo) starting to ripen on the savannah edges, compass plant (Middle Photo) shunning you as they reach for the warmth of the sun, and the happy flower faces of false sunflower (Right Photo). The buzz of hard‐working pollinators and the symphony of birdsong fills the air. These are magical hard fought for places where you can feel the pulse of the earth below your feet. I encourage all of you to explore them any way you can. Nature doesn't judge and she has a place for you if you come to her with respect and an open heart.

blackberriescompass plantfalse sunflower

© Emily Beatrice

Emily Beatrice is a High Priestess of the Order of the White Moon. She is Usui Reiki I & II certified, and feels called to support others on their healing journey.

  

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Sacred Sites

  

Grand Canyon

  

One of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Grand Canyon in Northern Arizona, inspires and astonishes visitors with its immense size and ever‐changing colourful display of light and shadow. As John W. Powell noted in Exploration of the Colorado River of the West and its tributaries, "You cannot see the Grand Canyon in one view, as if it were a changeless spectacle from which a curtain might be lifted." The colours of the stone peaks are transformed with every passing cloud, with every minuscule movement of the sun.

The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, a width of between 4‐18 miles wide, and over a mile deep, making it the largest gorge in the world, or, more accurately, "a composite of thousands, of tens of thousands, of gorges" as Powell marveled. He adds "Every one of these… is a world of beauty in itself". Over two billion years of Earth's history is exposed in the layers of rock, providing geologists with an abundance of information regarding the evolution of our planet. The canyon itself is only 17 million years old, a panoramic artistic creation, sculpted by the Colorado River.

The North Kaibab Trail, starting at the South Rim, is the most popular route through the canyon. A 10‐mile track meanders through the gorge, offering up inspiring views with each step. Most day visitors to the area can hike the first mile or so of accessible trail before being warned to turn back. A pack it in/pack it out trash regulation is in effect. To protect the fragile habitat, no garbage is left behind.

Petroglyphs found in the area date back to 13,000 years ago. The Anasazi ("Our Ancient People") lived in and around the canyon from the 1st ‐ 2nd centuries CE, when they appear to have suddenly abandoned the area, possibly due to climate changes and/or scarcity of food. The Havasupai and Hopi (who claim the Anasazi as their ancestors) have populated the Grand Canyon ever since. These nomadic hunter‐gatherer societies would travel the canyon, the Colorado river, and its tributaries, establishing summer and winter camps. One of the park's campgrounds, Indian Garden, contains traces of farming and irrigation by indigenous peoples who dwelled in the area.

The first Europeans to encounter the Grand Canyon were the Spanish Conquistadors who were searching for gold in 1540. They seemed unimpressed with the natural beauty of the area, deeming the site barren and worthless. In 1857, the first known American, Lt. Joseph Ives, explored the region and deemed it valueless, stating "ours has been the first, and will doubtless be the last, party of whites to visit this profitless locality".

Ten years later, John W. Powell foresaw the potential for profit through the exploitation of the natural surroundings. In 1919, the Grand Canyon National Park was established and, two years later, a suspension bridge was built over the Colorado River at the base of the gorge. The subsequent building of Phantom Ranch and Bright Angel Campground ensured a steady stream of tourists that continues to this day. Powell's vision of a unique tourist destination has come true as the Grand Canyon plays host to millions of visitors each year.

A contemporary of Powell's, geologist, Clarence Dutton, took on the task of naming the many peaks and mountains. A seasoned traveler, Dutton borrowed heavily from the religions and mythologies of the peoples and places he visited, including Hindu, Egyptian, Chinese, Persian, Nordic, Greek as well as Native American. While visiting the canyon, one will come across unusual place names such as Isis Temple, Krishna Shrine, Merlin Abyss, Vulcan's Throne, and Thor Temple.

Hopi mythology relates that the Grand Canyon was created by two brothers, Pokanghoya and Polongahoya. Mud was piled up to build the walls, and lightning bolts were thrown to carve out the river. Indigenous peoples of the region have long considered the Canyon to be an important and sacred space in their cosmology and a place of pilgrimage. There are some areas of the canyon which are prohibited to everyone except those of the Hopi Nation. Hopi Myth relates that a cataclysmic flood destroyed the third world. The people survived by living in an underground cavern. Spider Grandmother caused a hollow reed to grow into the sky and led Her people into the Fourth world. This was called the Sipapu (Place of Emergence), located at the base of the Grand Canyon.

Spider Grandmother, called Kokyangwuti, is the mother of the Hopi, who created humans out of clay. She is often depicted as an old woman or a spider. When she is in her spider shape, she lives underground in a Kiva. She gives advice and offers medicinal cures. She also acts as a guide and mentor for those wanting to transform their lives. No matter if one's visit is only for a few hours or lasts several days, those who come to experience the Grand Canyon will most definitely undergo a life‐changing transformation.

Exploration of the Colorado River of the West and its tributaries by Powell, John Wesley
http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canyon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopi_mythology

  

© Ajna DreamsAwake

Ajna DreamsAwake is a High Priestess and founder of Dark Moon's Heart School. Her personal journey of self‐discovery continues as she supports and guides women along their own healing paths.

  

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Gardening with the Goddess

  

How Does the Garden Grow: Summer 2022

  

I don't know about the rest of you gardeners, but the growing season here has been incredibly frustrating. We have been slammed with unseasonal heat and dry weather. Deep thick cracks line my yard, and the yards of those around us. Even with regular watering and what little rain we've had it's just not enough.

Very little survived in my produce beds this summer. I have re‐seeded and replanted 2 to 3 times in some cases. Eventually I gave up. None of the corn and carrots sprouted, my sunflowers were burnt to a crisp in the shade from the heat. The raspberries and strawberries are stressed, and my blueberry bushes seem to really be struggling with the heat. Some things made it. My oldest son has an endless supply of tomatoes. The onions should make it long enough to mature, and with any luck we'll have an Atlantic Giant Pumpkin. The growing season is nowhere near over here, but some days it's a struggle. Amazingly, the native prairie plants are thriving, and the flowers I planted for companions in the produce beds are flourishing.

Growing your own food and maintaining a garden is a constant lesson in patience and perseverance. The things I wanted and needed to make it this year didn't. Even with a lot of care. The things I didn't care about either way had no issues. That's a good life lesson. Just because you invest the time and effort doesn't mean what you're investing in is going to be salvageable in the end. Like most things in life, gardening is a partnership and a gamble. In horticulture you are working with your environment and to understand your environment. Just because you can grow something doesn't mean you should or that you'll be successful. What matters in the end is that you did what you could. It's not always going to work out, and that's okay.

© Emily Beatrice

Emily Beatrice is a High Priestess of the Order of the White Moon. She is Usui Reiki I & II certified, and feels called to support others on their healing journey.

  

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OWM Awareness

  

White Moon Happenings

 

OWM is proud to announce that Teresa, of Sacred Three, has completed Level I of our White Moon studies, to become an Initiate and lifetime member of the Order Please also enjoy her lovely Level I Final Project on the Goddess Selene.

OWM is proud to announce that Veritas, of Dark Moon's Heart, has completed Level II of the White Moon Studies to become an Adept in the Order. Please enjoy her Final Project on Persephone.

 

We are excited to announce that we will be holding our Annual Gathering online in September. This virtual Gathering will include an informal meet‐up, a number of workshops and end with a group ritual. This is a wonderful way for OWM Sisters to connect and learn from each other.

 

We are always delighted to welcome our new students in Sacred Three, Moonlit Path, Peace Grove School, Pyramid of Light, and Dark Moon's Heart from all over the world! We are always happy when sisters find their way to OWM!

 

More About OWM

If you're not an OWM student and you'd like to learn more about the Order of the White Moon, the schools offering Traditional White Moon Studies, or browse the Goddess Gallery, we welcome you to learn about us!

For those who are not currently Sisters of the Order but would like to feel supported, we encourage you to visit OWM's website and submit a Prayer Request. This Public Outreach program is one of the ways that OWM gives back to the community. We offer prayers, distance healing, and loving support to members of public.

You can connect with OWM on social media! Follow us on Twitter at @OrderWhiteMoon for regular updates on Seasons of the Moon, the Weekly Tarot Zodiac and other OWM public outreach programs. Our Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/orderwhitemoon.

Visit and like us! The Twitter feed and Facebook page are available to the public. Feel free to share these links. We appreciate your feedback so please let us know if you have any questions or suggestions.

  

May the Peaceful, Compassionate and Healing Presence of the Goddess be with you now and always.

  

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The Bardic Soul: Poetry and Song for the Spirit

  

Old Tree

  

That old silver maple gave us
Shade two decades through,
In the fall and spring there were
Leaves and helicopters too.

It was a good, calm place to sit
And meditate or daydream.
It was peaceful sitting there
With a coffee and some cream.

I loved that old maple tree,
Was old when we moved here
Twenty‐some odd years ago,
It saw laughter, it saw tears.

But the big ants came, invaded,
And the woodpeckers tore it up.
It was getting weaker and was
Dying from the bottom up.

So one day came the cutters
To take the old tree down
And grind the big stump into bits.
Within hours it was gone.

I'll never forget that old tree,
I hugged it many times.
And on the day the cutters came
I hugged it one last time.

And so the silver maple tree
Is gone and is no more,
The grindings used on flowerbeds.
And I miss it to my core.

  

© Peace Whitehorse December 29, 2020

  

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The Crone

  

I have no patience for a fool.
Stupidity was never cool.
Easily I get pissed off.
Roll my eyes and growl and scoff.

Wisdom cost me too much pain
For what I won, too little gained.
Perhaps my new intolerance
With others makes it hard to dance.

Dancing I was never good at ‐
No pretending, none of that!
In the twilight of my life
Just want peace and little strife.

Don't bother me with petty shit,
I'm busy being in a snit.
No longer care what others think,
Judgment doesn't make me blink.

You don't know how I made it here,
Blood and sweat, pain and fear.
Most days my bones and body aches
I have no time for fools or fakes.

I'll tell you how things really are,
Won't sugarcoat, I've come too far.
Don't waste my time for time is short,
In your storm I'm not a port.

Don't look to me for platitudes,
They don't go with my attitude.
Eyes have dimmed over the years,
Probably from too many tears.

Hurt me now, I'll walk away.
Live on my own terms every day.
Here I stand, proud Crone I be,
Woman wild, and woman free.

  

© Peace Whitehorse, July 24, 2021

  

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Lammastide

  

We rejoice in the Earth's good bounty,
First of harvest festivals three,
Corn and wheat are coming in,
Fruit of vine and fruit of tree.

Thor's wife Sif had golden hair,
Until that Loki's cutting spate.
The dwarves spun new hair for the lady,
And Loki then escaped his fate.

Harvest the grain by waning moon,
Dig the potato and cut the peat,
Now is time to celebrate,
Drink the wine, good things eat!

Winter still a good ways off,
Life is easy, life is good.
Gifts of gloves are tradition,
Hold the games in honor of Lugh.

Wean the calves, first fruits are ripe,
Enjoy them now while there is plenty,
Dog days of summer are upon us,
Love the life the Goddess sent thee.

Get the baskets and Boline,
Lammas is upon us now,
Fall is coming surely by,
Time to put away the plow.

Summer still, but first of harvest,
Coming in for us to taste,
Lammas, also Lughnasadh,
Has come upon us with much haste!

  

© Peace Whitehorse, Lammas 2014

Peace Whitehorse is the founder of Peace Grove School of the Goddess and facilitator and High Priestess of the Peace Grove Coven. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and her Shetland sheepdogs, and is active in Sheltie Rescue.

  

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Recipes Fit for a Goddess

  

Cranberry Pecan Baked Brie

  

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Place brie in the center of a lined baking sheet and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake until softened, 12‐15 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly (5 minutes).

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange zest. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture becomes foamy (about 1‐2 minutes). Stir in pecans and cranberries.

Drizzle the pecan mixture over warm brie. Serve with crackers or a baguette.

  

Recipe adapted from Damn Delicious

  

© Teresa

Teresa is a Level II Initiate in the Sacred Three Goddess School.

  

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Lammas Loaf

  

Directions

Put ¼c. of the warm water in a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast and sugar over it, stirring to dissolve. Add the remaining c. of warm water and 1 Tbs. of the melted butter.

In a separate bowl, combine the sage & salt with 2½ c. of the flour. Add to the yeast mixture, a little at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon to form a slightly sticky dough. Add a bit more of the remaining flour, if necessary to make dough workable (so it doesn't stick to everything). Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (5‐6 minutes).

Oil a large bowl and place the dough in it, turning to coat. Cover with a clean, damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, ∼90 mins. Punch dough down. Divide it into thirds, add one of the remaining herbs to each section of dough and knead it in.

Form each section into a long rope, ∼20" in length. Arrange on a greased or papered cookie sheet and braid them together, pressing the ends together and tucking under slightly. Cover and let rise 45‐50 mins, or until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 375° F when there is ∼15‐20 mins rising time left.

Brush with remaining butter and sprinkle with poppy seeds.

Bake 35‐40 mins, or until golden and hollow‐sounding when you knock on it.

adapted from China Bayles' Book of Days

  

© Dancing River

Dancing River has been committed to her spiritual path for over 15 years. She's in her 3rd year of studying with The Order. She's currently studying with the Dark Moon's Heart School.

  

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The articles featured in Seasons of the Moon are written and/or submitted by members of the Order of the White Moon and are their own intellectual property. Please feel free to share this publication but do give credit where credit is due and link back to the source.

Thank you for reading, we hope that you have enjoyed it just as much as we have enjoyed presenting it to you.

Many blessings to you and yours,
Seasons of The Moon Staff

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