Supplies:

• Four Candles -- yellow, red, blue, green,
• A bowl of water
• A bowl of dirt
• A feather
• Musical Instruments if you so wish
• Bell for each of the children participating
• Jack O' Lantern
  

Ritual:

Arrange the colored candles and other items in a circle around you. In the East put the yellow candle and the feather. In the South put the red candle. In the West put the bowl of water and the blue candle. And finally in the North put the bowl of dirt and the green candle. Light these candles as you set them out. Walk with your children from candle to candle, ringing a bell as you leave from candle to another.

Start in the East and tell them that it represents Air. Wave the feather at them so that they can feel the wind.

In the South tell them that here is Fire represented. Carefully let them feel the heat from the candle.

In the West talk to them about Water. Have them wash their hands in the water.

In the North speak about the element of Earth. Let them touch the dirt.

When you return to the Center talk to them about the Goddess and the God and how they are always there. Let them know about Love and the Blessings that the Gods can give us.

Now sit with your children and tell them about Samhain. Tell them that this is the time that our ancestors can cross over and visit. Set out a plate for the dead and for the Gods. Read them a children's story for Samhain.

But don't let this day be all about solemnity. Have some fun and celebrate. Play some music and sing some chants. Raise some energy.

When you are done spend the rest of this Sabbat enjoying a huge feast. Take a look through the different recipes that I have posted in the last few weeks or cook your own. But be sure to enjoy the bounty of the Earth at this the third harvest.

Since many of you will be trick or treating tomorrow, here is a link to a site on safety. Remember safety is important, fun can come later.

Blessed Be!

One of the most misunderstood Goddesses of the Greek pantheon. She was the patron Goddess of magic, and the moon. Hecate was the Goddess who aided Demeter in her search for Persephone. And after Persephone was rescued she served as her minister in Hades.

In all likelihood, Hecate was originally a supreme Goddess, much like the Goddess of the Wiccans. I say this since she was associated with Artemis and Selene as a Moon Goddess. She was also the Goddess given dominion over earth, heaven and sea when the Titans ruled before their overthrow by Zeus.

In modern times Hecate is oftentimes feared and portrayed as a "wicked witch". Some even consider Her to be dangerous or evil. But She is far from these things. Rather She is a fierce protector of her children and grandchildren. You can turn to her when you are the victim. Just be sure that you share no blame for you to shall be judged.

I know my earlier post on pumpkin recipes, had dessert recipes in it but there is more to Samhain then just pumpkins. So I figured a separate post was in order. Here are some classics, hope that you enjoy.


Ultimate Caramel Apples

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 10-inch square piece of styrofoam
• 6 popsicle sticks or small wooden dowels
• 6 Red Delicious or Golden Delicious apples
• 3 ounces white chocolate
• 3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts

In heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine water and sugar.
Over low heat, stir mixture gently until sugar is completely dissolved.
Increase heat to medium low and cook, without stirring, until mixture is a dark amber color.
Remove from heat and carefully stir in heavy cream (mixture will bubble up and spatter a bit, then subside.)
Set aside to cool and thicken.
Cover styrofoam with waxed paper to catch caramel drippings (this will be a stand for caramel apples).
Insert popsicle sticks into bottom center of apples.
Dip top half of each apple into thickened caramel.
Insert bottom of popsicle sticks into styrofoam, allowing apples to stand upright so caramel runs down sides of each apple.
Refrigerate to harden.
Meanwhile, melt white chocolate in top of double boiler above gently simmering water; stir until smooth.
Transfer melted chocolate to pastry bag fitted with small writing tip.
Drizzle thin, random strips of white chocolate over each caramel apple.
Repeat melting and drizzling with semi-sweet chocolate.
Sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Apple Butter Muffins

From Pastrywiz.com
Recipe By : Jenni Miller

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 3/4 cup apple butter
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup raisins or nuts (optional)
  

Preheat oven to 400 F.
In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (the first 7 ingredients) and make a well in the center.
In smaller bowl, combine wet ingredients (the next 6 ingredients).
Pour wet mixture into the "well" of the dry ingredients and stir just to combine (10-15 strokes).
Fold in raisins with as few strokes as possible.
Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups (if you don't use muffin liners, spray the pan with cooking spray). Bake 20-25 minutes, until cake tester comes out clean.
Remove muffin tin to cooling rack and cool 5 mins. before removing muffins from tin. (Do *not* let muffins cool completely in the tin.)

Now that I have covered all the virtues on my list, I feel it is time to put up a summary of this topic. One of the most important roles of a parent is to create an ethical system for their children. For they are too young and inexperienced to create one.

So I encourage you to go back over this list and make your own list. Talk with your significant other, if you have one, and write a list of what your family's virtues are going to be and a little explanation. I don't recommend including your children in this, because you may wind up with virtues like eating ice cream for lunch on Sundays. Now while this may be a fun one, it will get old quick enough.

Let this list be fluid and as your child(ren) gets older or your family gets larger (or smaller) go back and reexamine this list so that it makes sense for your current situation. When your child gets old enough (teenager is my plan) have them examine this list and try to figure out on their own why the list has the virtues and ethics that it does. Because a time is coming when they will be moving away and will have to create their own reasons for living an ethical life. They won't have you the parent(s) looking over their shoulder to make sure they live good, so "Because I said so", wont be good enough.

I hope that you have enjoyed this multi-part post and have learned something from it. If you have any comments, the form is below.

Blessed Be!

What is more iconic for Samhain then the carved Jack O' Lantern? Tracing its roots to the imigrants to America of the 1800's, this tradition was originally done with turnips. Carved and lit with a small candle these lanterns represented the souls of departed loved ones and were placed in windows and on doorsteps to welcome those spirits back.

Since I don't have a lot of artistic talent, I have always done just the traditional jack o' lantern. But for those who either have more talent or are just a little more adventurous, here are some links to both a how-to and some sample templates.

Then the next thing is how do you light the thing? There are several options available from glow sticks to candles, whether those candles are the "real thing" or the battery operated ones. Just be sure to exercise caution and not set anything on fire. i.e. Do not leave it unattended.

Blessed Be!

Probably one of the most common traditions in modern Wicca and Paganism is the Mute Supper. This being a plate of food that is set out for any visiting spirits on Samhain night, specifically spirits of ancestors that have passed on.

This is one tradition that we try to follow every year. We do not always have the opportunity to all sit down and have a meal together as a family, but we do our best to make time to have dinner with the family, both the living and the passed on, at Samhain.

There are no set rules for this activity. But our Mute Supper is never solemn. We believe in honoring the dead through laughter and drink. A lot like an Irish wake. Of course your Supper can be solemn if that is what works for you.

But either way take the time this Samhain to lay out a supper for the dead. Honor your ancestors with this ritual.

Blessed Be!

In my second part on the series on teaching children divination, I am going to talk about runes and ogham. First off I guess I should define what these things are.

Runes

Although there is very little historical evidence that runes were used in divinatory practice, they can be a very useful tool for doing just that. The most common set used are the futhark runes. Pictured here:

These runes each have a different meaning. And can be cast for divination in various ways. When I use them I typically draw out three runes. One for the question, one for the answer and one for advice. But there are nearly as many layouts as there are readers.


Ogham

The ogham are very similar to the futhark runes but at the same time more complex and completely different. It is a Celtic alphabet dating from the fourth century and named after the Celtic god of knowledge and communication, Ogmos.



Typically carved into staves and then pulled or cast from a bag in different numbers and then read according to their meanings. Here is a link that tells their various meanings.

To make your own set of Ogham staves, start with sticks of even lengths. You'll need 25 of them. I have found that 4 - 6" is a good size for Ogham staves.

Inscribe each of the sticks with one of the Ogham symbols. You can do this either by carving them into the woods, painting them on, or using a woodburning tool.

When should Children start with these?

This answer will as always depend on the child. But they should have some ability to sense the unseen energy currents that run below and through things. Although these two divination methods can be easier to learn then tarot they still require some minor skill, most of which can be learned.

In fact they may be able to start these soon after they learn to read words on their own with no help. But I'm interested in what all of you have to say. Do your children practice divination? If so what kinds and what ages did they start?

Blessed Be!

Since Samhain is the last of the three harvests, the one where the herds are culled of animals that may not last the winter, it is only appropriate that we talk about dishes that are all about meat. And since this a time full of preparing for upcoming holidays those dishes should be simple and hearty.

So on that note here is a recipe for a shepherd's pie:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs ground round beef
• 1 onion chopped
• 1-2 cups vegetables - chopped carrots, corn, peas
• 1 1/2 - 2 lbs potatoes (3 big ones)
• 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Salt, pepper, other seasonings of choice

Instructions

1. Peel and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes).
2. While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 a stick) in large frying pan.
3. Sauté onions in butter until tender over medium heat (10 mins). If you are adding vegetables, add them according to cooking time. Put any carrots in with the onions. Add corn or peas either at the end of the cooking of the onions, or after the meat has initially cooked.
4. Add ground beef and sauté until no longer pink. Add salt and pepper. Add worcesterchire sauce. Add half a cup of beef broth and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, adding more beef broth as necessary to keep moist.
5. Mash potatoes in bowl with remainder of butter, season to taste.
6. Place beef and onions in baking dish. Distribute mashed potatoes on top. Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. You can use the fork to make some designs in the potatoes as well.
7. Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 minutes). Broil for last few minutes if necessary to brown.

A lot of people throw the word wisdom around. They talk about how wisdom only comes with age. But it has been my experience that some times it doesn't even come then. In fact I have met children and young adults with great wisdom.

But what exactly is wisdom? Well first off it is not knowledge or common sense, but it includes those things. Rather wisdom is the proper use of knowledge and thoughts. We can have knowledge but if we don't act on it in a proper and "wise" manner, what good is it?

Wisdom is that which allows us to make decisions that do not involve ourselves getting drowned in drama or calamity. And as to be expected, wisdom cannot be taught. It can only be gained through experience, whether in this life or in past lives.

So I call on parents to let your children grow up without a lot of interference. To many parents are quick to save their kid from all obstacles and disasters. But if they do not have to save themselves growing up, then how can they learn to ever save themselves? How can they gain the insight and wisdom to make the right decisions if they never have to learn or to think? Now don't think that this means to let your kids get in over their head, but it means if they fail a test or to get on a team, then tell them to work harder next time, don't call the teacher or coach and complain. Let the child face the problem head on.

Thoughts? Comments? Please comment below.

Blessed Be!

The straw man is an easily constructed symbol of the God of the Dark Half of the Year, the Holly King. You can keep him on your altar until after Yule when he will retire to Summerland until Lughnassadh.

You can make a straw man from leftover plants in the garden, or you can gather together some plants from the woods. (Just make sure that they are not poisonous or capable of causing an allergic reaction.) You will need two bundles of these plants, one slightly larger then the other.

Here are the simple instructions:

1. With a long piece of string tie the fatter bundle together about a fourth of the way from the top. This end will wind up becoming the head.
2. Separate the bundle a little bit, and slide the thinner bundle of weeds through the center. These will be the arms. Use the string and wrap in a criss-cross shape around the body to hold the arms in place. Tie it off to keep it tight, but don't cut the string.
3. Finally, spread the lower part of the fatter bundle apart, forming two halves as the legs. Bring the string down and wrap around the "thighs" to keep the legs in place. If your branches seem like they're too fluffy, tie a small length of string in place around the wrists and ankles; as the greenery dries it won't stick out as much.

Put the King of Winter in a place of honor in your house, so that he may watch over and protect you through these coming months.

Most of us should be familiar with what the standard Tarot deck is and what the cards in a deck are. But just in case, tarot is typically seventy-eight cards; comprising of twenty-one trump cards, one Fool (this is referred to as the Major Arcana) and four suits of fourteen cards each (the Minor Arcana). These cards are then laid out in different ways and "read" for the purpose of divination.

So how to teach this complex system to young children is not a question to be approached lightly. People can make a lifetime of studying the Tarot and still not catch all the hidden symbols and cached meaning. But you can start a child to the idea of Tarot of working with them using your own deck.

Have them to look at the cards and tell you what they see. Children, being young and uncluttered, often times have an easier time seeing and understanding the archetypes that can be found in Tarot, especially the older Rider-Waite deck. This will, by the time they are old enough to know what deck is theirs, give them a solid understanding of the basics of this divinatory art.

The next topic that I would like to discuss is the I-Ching, or Book of Changes. I have not met many people that have heard of this ancient Chinese divinatory art. But I have had very good results with the system.

The system is comprised of eight trigrams that come together to make thirty-two hexagrams. These hexagrams are then looked up in the I-Ching and the proverb is given that is the fortune. I know it sounds more complicated then it really is

To find out what hexagrams you are using there are multiple methods. The easiest method I have found is the three coin method. In this method you throw three coins and count the number of heads and of tails. Heads count for three and tails for two. You add these three numbers and come up with the first of six lines.

The math to do so is as follows:

a 6 is an old yin (broken) line
a 7 is a young yang (solid) line
an 8 is a young yin (broken) line
a 9 is an old yang (solid) line

Where there are old (6 or 9) lines, the statements for those lines are read. Additionally, those lines should be converted into their opposites and the proverb for the new hexagram that results should be consulted as well.

You can search on Google for the specific meanings of the different hexagrams, but I recommend buying a book that gives more detail into this method and into the other methods as well. In addition to the meanings of the hexagrams.

So good luck on your journey into teaching your children divination.

Blessed Be!

The little children ran up to the old man in the chair and yelled in unison and great excitement, "Grandfather, Grandfather! Can you tell us another story?"

With a smile and twinkle in his eye, the old man asked, "What story do you want to hear? I have told you the stories about the first seven Sabbats, why don't I tell you the last one? The one about Samhain."

With eager nods the children yelled out, "Yes. Please."

So the Grandfather settled himself comfortably into his chair and began to speak. "If you will think back and remember. The story for Mabon found the God dead and living away in Summerland. And found the Goddess returning pregnant, from a spirit quest, after she found the God and got his promise to return at Yule as her unborn child.

"But the Goddess aged from the elements, remember Winter is coming quick as we approach the end of October, was found dead in the wilderness. Or so the faeries that found her thought. They brought her to the Holly King, Lord of Winter.

"When he saw her body he turned in bitterness and fled to his drinking horn in his mighty hall. But the faeries prepared Her body and laid in rest. Then they gathered all they could from far and wide and held a wake in Her honor.

"And they were gathered and mourned Her and most of all the death of their hope for the future. For how could they carry on without a Goddess to watch over them? But then the crowd fell silent as the oldest and ugliest lady any had ever seen hobbled into the hall.

"They all, to the last person, shunned her for they were disgusted at her hideous looks. But the old lady hobbled up slowly and in great pain, to the very foot of the throne of the Holly King. And looked up at Him as he turned his head away.

"After a long moment the old lady spoke, 'Do you not recognize me, my Son? I am your mother that you had given up hope on. Near death I was but I have returned with a promise of new life and light. That will come from my womb at the end of hope. When light is at its shortest. And on that day you shall pay for your arrogance.'

"The Holly King was struck to his heart with fright at these words and he ordered her to be locked away in the tallest tower. So that he may have hope of avoiding this doom that was laid upon him by his ancient Mother.

"But as we know, since the Sun is reborn every Yule, this did little to help the Holly King avoid the punishment for his arrogance. We also should know that it is on Samhain night, since the Goddess came back to us from death, that the veil is thin and torn in some places and that we may see other friends and family that have passed on. This is why we carve a pumpkin so that those familiar spirits can find their way to our homes. And when they are there we lay out the Mute Supper for them to gather strength for their journey back to Summerland.

"What was that little one, why do we dress up? Well we dress up so that those ghosts that are not our family do not take us back with them. They can't find out who we are, if we are covered up.

"Now run along children, have your parents help you carve the Jack O' Lantern and make your costumes. And let this old man rest from all this storytelling."

There are a few fruits and vegetables that are traditional for Samhain, besides pumpkin that is. A few of these are squash, and apples. Nuts are also traditional for this time of the year. It is the time of the last harvest and so those things that we associate with late fall are the foods we will be wanting to prepare.

So here are a few recipes for you to enjoy:

Apple nut Stuffing in Acorn Squash

• 2 acorn squash, halved and seeded
• 6 slices of white bread, cut into small cubes
• 1 tsp. dried sage
• 1/2 tsp. dried poultry seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. each rosemary and thyme
• 1 tsp. butter
• 4 dried apple rings, chopped finely
• 2 tbsp. pine nuts
• 2 tbsp. slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup warmed milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsps. butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare squash, set aside. 
3. In a medium bowl, toss together bread and spices, set aside.
4. In a medium saute pan, heat 1 tsp. butter until melted. Add chopped apple rings and nuts. Saute until apple is slightly softened and nuts are golden in color.
5. Add apple and nut mixture to bread mixture.
6. Add warmed milk and salt and pepper to taste.
7. Dot squash halves with butter.
8. Scoop stuffing into hollow squash halves
9. Put squash halves on a baking sheet, brush lightly with butter, cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.
10. Squash will be ready when soft and fragrant

Clear Sight Carrots
Ingredients:

• 3 cups sliced carrots
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

Boil or steam the carrots until tender. Drain. Add the butter, brown sugar, ginger, and cinnamon; stir until the carrots are well-coated.

One of the things that my family does every month is to gather together for the Full Moon and do ritual together. This serves as an opportunity to teach our child about Wicca and to work magick together for any family goals that we may have.

Here is a very simple and kid friendly ritual that you can use. Feel free to modify as your needs demand.

Blessed Be!

Supplies:

Five Candles -- yellow, two red, blue, green,
A bowl of water
A bowl of dirt
A feather
Bell for each of the children participating

Ritual:

Arrange the colored candles and other items in a circle around you. In the East put the yellow candle and the feather. In the South put the red candle. In the West put the bowl of water and the blue candle. And finally in the North put the bowl of dirt and the green candle. Light these candles as you set them out. Walk with your children from candle to candle, ringing a bell as you leave from candle to another.

Start in the East and tell them that it represents Air. Wave the feather at them so that they can feel the wind.

In the South tell them that here is Fire represented. Carefully let them feel the heat from the candle.

In the West talk to them about Water. Have them wash their hands in the water.

In the North speak about the element of Earth. Let them touch the dirt.

When you return to the Center talk to them about the Goddess and the God and how they are always there. Let them know about Love and the Blessings that the Gods can give us. If you are outdoors then have them look up at the moon. Tell them that tonight is the night of the Mother Goddess, represented by the Full Moon. While you are doing this you can light the red candle to represent the mother aspect.

Read to them the Rede of the Mother. Or just tell them what the Mother means to your family. Let them know that they are loved always and that the Mother provides for all of her children.

If you wish you can include them in a simple candle magick working. One that is geared towards helping accomplish a goal that the Family has.

When you are done you can break bread with your family, being sure to leave a little to offer to the Gods.

To close circle we just walk widdershins and say "Goodbye" to each of the elements.

The short answer to this question is, maybe. I believe that there are as many answers to this question as there are parents in Paganism. So this answer will vary from child to child and from family to family. But for myself and my family the answer is a resounding yes, when they are old enough. I say this because I am a firm believer that divination works, this is from both readings I have done for others and for readings that have been done for me.

So When Are They Old Enough?

Well they are old enough when they understand simple magick and can tap into that energy that is all around us. In divination they must be able to see, feel and understand the currents that are surrounding us. I know that much of this feeling comes with practice, but if the child can't charge a candle or a stone, then how can we expect them to be able to see the pattern of the future? So it will come with time and age. But how can you prepare them for this kind of working? You can begin by including them in rituals as active participants just not spectators. Also when they reach an age where they can understand cause and effect and are aware that they are responsible for their actions, you can begin to teach them simple magick. And finally you can train them to meditate and focus on their breath and their own energy currents. These few actions will give them the needed experience that they need to both become Wiccans with awareness and able to perform divination.

But What Kind of Divination?

So now the only question left to ask is, "what kind of divination should they learn?" Again this answer has multiple answers, so I am going to try and cover a handful of the more common forms of divination in the next few weeks. But here is a list to pique your interest:

• Tarot
• I-Ching
• Runes and Ogham

So I hope that you subscribe or at the very least keep visiting over the next few weeks as I explore these topics in greater detail.

Blessed Be!

He is the Norse God of wisdom, war, battle, and death, and also magic, poetry, prophecy, victory, and the hunt. Yeah I know that is a big list but he is a big and powerful God.  As the principal deity of the Norse Pantheon he was the head of the Aesir. His children include Thor, Baldur, Horur.

One of the best known stories about Odin is his adventure on Yggdrasil, the World Tree. In this story Odin hung from the World Tree, after being pierced in the side by his own spear, for nine days and nights. In exchange for this sacrifice he was given the wisdom that gave him his power over the nine worlds.

As we approach this quiet time of Samhain, this introspection and seeking of wisdom seems to be quite appropriate. But oftentimes wisdom does not come with out a price, we cannot have the room to embrace new things unless older and more worn out things pass away.

So take some time and examine your own spiritual life. What things do you need to cut away? What are you yearning for? What holes do you need to be filled in? You may find that as you listen that those things are already there just waiting for you to be ready.

Personally I have never been a fan of pumpkin flavored anything, but since this the most prevalent food of this season, I figured I would give it another try. So I went to the store and bought a small pie pumpkin. A small one that weighed like two pounds or so.

I then chopped the pumpkin in half and gave a half to each of the kids for them to scrape out the seeds and the strings, which I had to help them with. I then baked each half for about an hour at 350 degrees. Then, when cool, the kids got their half back to scrape out the flesh of the pumpkin from within the shell.

The recipe we used for pumpkin bread is as follows:

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter softened
• 3 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 cups of pumpkin puree, packed

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. 
2. Add the eggs and mix well. 
3. Combine dry ingredients and stir into creamed mixture just until moistened. 
4. Stir in prepared pumpkin. 
5. Pour into two greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pans. 
6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until bread tests done.

Now that I have baked this bread, I must say that my palette has truly changed. I actually enjoyed the pumpkin and am planning on buying a larger pumpkin this week to make more of this fantastic bread. I must tell you that the two pound pumpkin only yielded me about 3 cups of usable pumpkin puree, so if you are planning on making more than a couple of loafs you will want either more pumpkins or a larger one.

Happy Cooking and Blessed Be!

Efficiency, defined by Webster, as the quality or degree of being efficient. A wonderful thing that is, being efficient. Doing things successfully with as little effort as is required. This is the key to a minimalist lifestyle. But one that many of us struggle with. As the deluge of books and TV shows on organization and productivity can attest to.

We can't seem to organize things or even let go of things that we don't need. We buy bigger houses so that we can buy more stuff, which we pile in storage and the garage and the occasional closet and then forget about it.

So how can we be efficient? Well you can make the resolution, this is a great time for that since Samhain is sometimes called the Pagan New Year, to clear out your life. Both of physical and spiritual things. Clean out the things that you don't genuinely need, if it makes it easier then just box the stuff up and come back to it in six months and see if you have missed anything.

Also take the time to clean out the dead weight in your personal life. I think most of us can say that we have friends, that aren't really friends. They come around to mooch off of us and disappear when we are strapped and can't help them anymore.

This won't be an easy process but it will make your life run better. Guaranteed.

What do all of you do to be more efficient? Share any links or tips below in the comments.

Blessed Be!

In my house we have a grapevine wreath and a family altar. Both of which we decorate for the Sabbats.  And if you decide to do this as well, the question may come up: "What do I decorate it with?"

Well there are many different things that you can do decorate it with. Our wreath and altar are pretty much unchanged since the last time we changed it at Lughnasadh. But we have removed the plastic corn and added squashes and gourds instead. For Samhain we will be adding a small pumpkin to the altar.

Here is a small list of the different things that you can decorate your altar or wreath with:

• Apples
• Acorns
• Gourds 
• Squashes
• Pumpkins
• Indian Corn
• Oak Leaves - in Autumn colors
• Pomegranates

Happy Decorating and Blessed Be!

Samhain is the third and last of the Wiccan harvest festivals. This one being the harvest of meat or the culling of the herds. In the days before refrigeration this was the time of the year when as a responsible farmer you would kill off those animals unable to last the winter, allowing for one last huge feast until Yule.

But in these days when we get our food from grocery stores and not our barn, what does Samhain mean? Well it is also the traditional time to honor the dead and our ancestors. In Mexico around this time is a festival, called Dia de Los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. On this day they prepare their deceased loved ones favorite meals and place it on their altar and go to the cemeteries to clean the gravestones of their ancestors. In some areas children dress up in costumes and ask passersby on the street for money or a small treat.You can obviously see some of our modern traditions in these ancient traditions.

Samhain is also a traditional time for renewal and reflection. Since it was the end of the Celtic New Year people reflected on the year past and made plans for the year to come. This is also a time that the veil between this world and the next is thin and the Sidhe and other spirits, both of the dead and those never alive can and do cross over for this night. Divination is another traditional activity on this night as well.

My traditions for Samhain include laying out a "mute supper" for any astral visitors that I may have. A mute supper being simply a plate of food set out for the dead at the table where we all eat. In fact in our family they get their own seat and everything. We also take the kids trick-or-treating and let them dress up pretty much however they wish. Then when they go to bed, the adults gather around and ritually extinguish the light of the old year and rekindle it from a new bonfire lit for this occasion, therefore bringing in prosperity for the next year. We will probably include Lassair in this event this year.

Blessed Be!

This is a topic that my views have changed on. When I was with my first wife I believed that since she was Christian and I was not that we should take the middle road and not "impose" religion on our child. Now I have been through divorce and am remarried with another child. My new wife is Pagan and so we decided together that at the very least our child together will be raised Wiccan.

I cannot speak for anyone else, but I believe, after much deliberation, that to not give your child a religion, regardless of what that is, does the child a great disservice. And makes them unprepared for a world of different religions vying for their soul.

So what steps should you take if you want to raise your children in Wicca? Well that answer depends on their age. For the older children it can be as easy as just telling them what you know and including them in ritual.

But for the younger children, how do you explain things as complex as ethics or even the different faces of the Goddess and God? I recommend breaking these different topics down into smaller chunks, that their short attention spans can process.

Physical representations can be helpful as well. When I taught my child about the elements, I sat her down with the different colored candles all around us, along with items symbolizing the different elements. I then walked her around the circle, letting her experience, see and learn about the different elements.

This is just one of the many things that you can do to introduce your child(ren) to Wicca. The key to all of this is to be creative. And above all make the lessons fun.

I would love to have some comments on what all of you do to teach your child. Or have you even made the choice to raise your child in faith?

Blessed Be!

Edit (10/13/08) For more information on raising children in Wicca you can check out a great organization called FWTI. This organization is dedicated to the idea that your family is your first and most important coven in your children's life.