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Midsummer -continued from the main page

If you follow all the helpful suggestions to a tee, you'll not only be exhausted but most likely veering perilously close to bankruptcy. The best advice a new witch can get is to keep it simple! Learn the historic significance to the day, decide what it means to you and how you can honor that particular meaning. What works for one witch may not be practical for another. Try out new activities and foods for every Sabbat. To get you started on the right path, here are a few tried and true suggestions. The costs are extremely minimal and all can be adapted for the solitary or group practitioner.

Think seasonally. Include summer fruits and refreshing wines in your celebration. Put together a fiery homemade salsa (it is a Sun celebration, after all) and serve with organic chips (Mother Earth will appreciate your efforts!). Bowls of fresh berries served with cream or soy substitute is a simple, inexpensive way to celebrate the bounty of the summer. A nice touch in this first harvest time is to remember your animal friends, both current and past, with a special blessing. Offer them a special treat, include them in your solstice ritual of simply ask Brigid's blessing on their health and happiness. Remember, though; many animal companions may not enjoy the open flames or balefires associated with Midsummer. If you have a sensitive creature living with you, it is best to share a simple ritual time alone, then allow them to relax in a safe area while you entertain your friends and enjoy outdoor activities.

This is also a great time to fashion protective amulets for the coming winter. These can be charged and consecrated in the smoke of your solstice balefire. Whether you decide to use dried herbs, stones or crystals, the energies associated with this sun Sabbat greatly increase the warding powers any charm you choose. Make a few extras to give as Yule gifts later in the year.

Involve the kids in a Sabbat activity by having them make Witch Ladders. Braid together three lengths of ribbon, yarn or other cord (the finished braid will be about a third of the original cord length, so plan accordingly). You can use any colour combination: black, white and red to represent the Triple Goddess; red for life force, green for prosperity, yellow for happiness or pink for health. Once the ladders are finished, they can be adorned with feathers, charms, dried flowers or whatever you wish. They can be hung in the child's room, in a tree or even tied and worn as a protective, colorful and fun necklace.

Asperge your household with spring water and salt. Dip the tips of a sprig of fresh rosemary and sprinkle it throughout the home to chase out negativity. Pay particular attention to all doors, windows, fireplaces and even kitchen exhaust fans. Children who are plagued by bad dreams may enjoy performing this ritual with your assistance. Allow them to anoint their bedroom doors, windows and closet doors, and ask the Goddess to keep away whatever may frighten them during sleep.

Take notes on what you enjoyed, what you wish you had done and what would have made the celebration even better. Share your plans and ideas with members of your circle or visit one of the many message boards on the internet. Witches are a creative and crafty lot and are always happy to share their wealth of knowledge.

To Blow or Not to Blow: The Great Candle Debate by Artemis Luna

Ask a group of Pagans about the correct way to end candle spells and you'll get answers that fall into one of two beliefs; to blow out a candle will ruin a spell or it does not matter. Here are some others' thoughts and my opinion on the subject.
There's been much discussion on proper etiquette with candle spells. Many say never blow out a candle as it blows away the power of the spell. A few of the people I found that believe you should use a snuffer instead of blowing, including many repsected authors.

Scott Cunningham doesn't come out and say you MUST, but instructions on rituals found in his book Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, suggest you snuff out the candles at the end of the ritual. A couple of others are a bit more adamant. Silver Ravenwolf is also of the belief of snuffing out rather than blowing out candles. In her book Solitary Witch, she says:


She suggests using a snuffer or even clapping your hands sharply over the flame to create an extiguishing downdraft. Timothy Roderick, author of Wicca: A Year and a Day, specifically says to extinguish the candle with your fingertips if the candle is to be reused. In one of his "Word to the Wise" sidebars, he explains his reason for it. He says:



Others say it doesn't really matter either way. That it has no effect on the spell whatsoever. My feeling falls somewhere in between. I believe that it is up to each individual to do what feels right for them. If they agree that a candle must be snuffed, then that's what they should do. I like to think that blowing out the candle isn't pitting element against element. When you've finished the spell, blowing out the candle can be a last little boost of air energy into the spell. How many spells have ingredients to combine all the elements? They are all meant to work together. The fire needs that very same air element to burn. It is all in the intent and what you believe to be the right way. That is one of the nice things about being Pagan. We can follow our instincts without being wrong. Or right. Simply right for us.

A Book of Shadows by Ellie Hannah

The traditional Hollywood representation of the Book of Shadows can be somewhat misleading. Most often, it is shown as the ancient lore of family tradition, handed down through generations of witches. Okay, that part I can believe without hesitation. But then it gets downright ridiculous: they focus on the carefully inked enchantments flowing across the thick parchment pages, each yellowed sheet adorned with artfully etched illustrations. Samples of herbs and flowers are flawlessly preserved and attached to the corresponding spells. Hand-tooled leather covers hold the spells fast like a lover's embrace - (see how lyrically that type of book can make you behave). It is a priceless work of art, a cherished family memento and an invaluable tome of magickal information all wrapped up in as pretty a package as Hollywood prop masters can make it. And every time I see one, I turn plaid with envy.

There must be a special place reserved in Summerland for the untidy, disorganized witch like me. I have no ancestral codex of paranatural paraphernalia to refer to. As far as family tradition goes, no one before me thought to jot any nifty demon-banishing notes alongside Grandma's homemade ice cream recipe. What is traditional, anyway? To me, tradition is when I do something the same way twice. Unless I forget what I did the first time, that is. Then I start a new tradition.

My own voluminous grimoire is carefully stashed here and there, or more poetically, hither and yon. Stuffed into various old pocket folders cast off from my school supply is a wealth of illegible notes, sloppy diagrams and painstakingly scrawled lists. Some enchantments are on complete sheets of lined notebook paper, more are torn scraps from the telephone notepad or back of an envelope, even larger numbers are confusing sentence fragments scribbled on tiny yellow sticky notes. Nothing is dutifully penned by quill in dove's blood ink. If I ever had owned a quill, chances are good that the cat would have chased it beneath the refrigerator by now. I use whichever pen I fish out of the kitchen drawer and hope it actually contains ink. Most often it's the Hello Kitty pink glitter gel pen. Imagine someone referring to that as a foray into the Dark Arts!

Add to that charmed confusion the bulging shelves of books whose pages are marked with shop receipts and library giveaway bookmarks. There are the incantations written by others that I have tried, want to try or try to remind myself never to attempt again without stand-by emergency personnel. Making a little note on the page to remind myself which is which would be really helpful; I need to write myself a note so I can remember to do that later.

Without a doubt, this sounds like a hopeless foray into chaotic futility to the uninformed bystander. Truth be told, about ninety-nine percent of the time I can lay my hands on exactly what I need when I need it. The other one percent finds me running in a panicked circle, but I try to work that into my daily routine anyway. I call it exercise.

Someday, when I have ample time - after mastering calligraphy, illustration and the basics of Victorian-era book binding - I too shall own a Book of Shadows worthy of the Goddess herself. Such a mass of information could easily blossom into an encyclopedic set of "Books of Shadow" or would it be "Book of Shadowses"? Apparently, I shall also need to study the architecture of the steel-reinforced bookshelf.

Until then, I'll simply muddle along with my wacky wiccanery and add a new rule to my own personal rede : "Thou Shall Not Covet Thy Coven-Sister's Grimoire."

So mote it be.