Sabbats: A Witch's Approach to Living the Old Ways (Llewellyn's World Religion and Magick)

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Murray, Christopher John. Encyclopedia of the Romantic Era, 1760–1850, Volume 1. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-57958-423-8

Suggested Celebration Planning: Observe anytime that Wednesday until 11:08 pm, or anytime the night before after the moon enters Gemini 3:49 pm Tuesday. One of the most influential works on witchcraft and concepts of magic was E. E. Evans-Pritchard's Witchcraft, Oracles, and Magic Among the Azande, a study of Azande witchcraft beliefs published in 1937. This provided definitions for witchcraft which became a convention in anthropology. [18] However, some researchers argue that the general adoption of Evans-Pritchard's definitions constrained discussion of witchcraft beliefs, and even broader discussion of magic and religion, in ways that his work does not support. [19] Evans-Pritchard reserved the term "witchcraft" for the actions of those who inflict harm by their inborn power and used "sorcery" for those who needed tools to do so. [20] Historians found these definitions difficult to apply to European witchcraft, where witches were believed to use physical techniques, as well as some who were believed to cause harm by thought alone. [2] :464–465 [21] The distinction "has now largely been abandoned, although some anthropologists still sometimes find it relevant to the particular societies with which they are concerned". [1] :19–22 Starhawk (1979, 1989) The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess. New York, Harper and Row ISBN 0-06-250814-8 pp.193-6 (revised edition) Lamond, Frederic (2004), Fifty Years of Wicca, Sutton Mallet, England: Green Magic, pp.16–17, ISBN 0-9547230-1-5

Winter’s Gate: Winter Solstice: Yule Sabbat

Ideally, we’d celebrate a lesser Sabbat anytime the week after the tide shifts into the new season. The important part is which zodiac sign the sun is in. This is because we are there to honor the cardinal new thing, not what we’ve just left behind.

Kelly, Aidan. About Naming Ostara, Litha, and Mabon. Including Paganism. Patheos. Accessed 8 May 2019. How Pagans celebrate: For Pagans, Samhain is the beginning of the new year. It is a holiday of reflection and celebration. At Samhain, we cast off the old year’s attachments and turn our attention to the coming scarcity of winter. We feast on the last of summer’s bounty. We contemplate what is worth saving and nurturing during the dark of winter. We try to make friends with Death.

Suggested Celebration Planning: Observe anytime the Monday before, November 7 (also exact Samhain) after the moon enters Taurus at 12:15 am until exact opposition with the Lunar Eclipse at 6:02 am Tuesday morning. Mabon is the autumn equinox (or as us Texans call, it “fawwwl”). In the Northern Hemisphere, it falls around Sept 21. Mabon is the pivot point of the solar year when the days begin to shorten and winter is on its way. (The name of the festival is modern and dates from the 1960s or early 1970s.) Litha: June 20-23. The summer solstice. Litha is the peak of the Sun God’s life, and he is now full of strength and masculinity. Litha is when the Sun God and the pregnant Goddess will get married. Ostara is the second of three fertility festivals, a time when the blessings of spring become more visible in the natural world. Flowers bloom, the birds and the bees do their thing, and grocery aisles fill up with pastel-colored treats. Ancient fertility symbols like eggs and bunnies are everywhere. (Yep, Ostara is the Sabbat with the rabbit!) In ancient Mesopotamian religion, witches (m. kaššāpu, f. kaššāptu, from kašāpu ['to bewitch'] [59]) eventually [ when?] came to be "regarded as an anti-social and illegitimate practitioner of destructive magic ... whose activities were motivated by malice and evil intent and who was opposed by the ašipu, an exorcist or incantation-priest", [60] :65–66 who were predominantly male representatives of the official state religion. [60] The individuals mentioned in records of Mesopotamian society as witches tended to be those of low status who were weak or otherwise marginalized, including women, foreigners, actors, and peddlers. [1] :49

Esbats will be your monthly enjoyment between all of the Sabbats, which brings us to the next aspect to celebrate. The Sabbats, as you have already read, are what comes with every season to herald in the shift and transformation of all things Mother Earth. Mabon: September 20-23. Time with the Sun God has nearly ended. Preparation for his death and the winter are in full swing. Knowing of losing her son, the nurturing mother transitions into the crone. Her wisdom and experience will help guide us through the mourning of the Sun God. a b c d e f Drury, Nevill (2009). "The Modern Magical Revival: Esbats and Sabbats". In Pizza, Murphy; Lewis, James R (eds.). Handbook of Contemporary Paganism. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill Publishers. pp.63–67. ISBN 9789004163737. Esbats can be a private affair that you coordinate to occur around your preferred moon cycle and give a special ritual experience in the comfort of home at your altar. There are so many different rites and rituals that you can perform and it all depends on what phase of the moon you are choosing to celebrate.Witch-hunts, scapegoating, and the shunning or murder of suspected witches still occurs. [43] Many cultures worldwide continue to have a belief in the concept of "witchcraft" or malevolent magic. [17]