Mother Goddess Mother’s Day Ritual

Mother’s Day is the day of the year when we pay special honors to our earthly mothers.  We show her how much we love her and appreciate all she has done for us.  I think this would be a good time, also, to honor and appreciate our Mother Goddess.  This should be a special time we set aside just to “have a visit” with Her.

For this ritual (actually it’s more like a meditation than a ritual) you will need the following:

For Rose Spray
1 oz rose fragrance oil
3 ozs vodka
3 ozs water
A plastic spray bottle.

Candles:
(I use the small chime candles here, but whatever you have on hand in the appropriate colors will do).
1 pink candle ( for Divine love)
1 red candle (for love and compassion)
1 white candle (for purity and protection)
1 yellow candle (for happiness)
1 green candle (for healing and prosperity)
1 purple candle (to represent you and your spiritual connection to the Goddess).

Rose Incense
Roses
Rose petals

Before you begin this ritual/meditation mix and spray your altar and the space you will be in with the Rose water.  Place the roses in a vase on the altar, and scatter the rose petals all over it.  Arrange the candles in the following manner:

Place the candles in the shape of a star beginning with the pink one at the top point, then move clockwise around with the red, then white, then yellow, then green.  Place the purple candle in the center of the star.  Light the candles beginning with the top point and go clockwise.  The purple candle is lit last as you will your conscious mind to connect with the Mother Goddess.  Light the incense and begin your “visit”  Make this visit as real as you possibly can and feel your connection to Her.  Tell Her how much you love Her and appreciate all She has done for you.  If She has anything to say to you that you feel is important write it down.  Feel the love that She is offering you and give yours in return. 

When your “visit” is over you can either allow the candles to burn themselves out, or snuff them out and use them again when you want to have another “visit” with the Mother Goddess. 

The above is a basic and altar set-up.  Feel free to make it as elaborate as you want. 
Enjoy your “visit” with Her.

One of the biggest advantages of being a solitary Wiccan is the freedom to practice our spirituality in the way that fits us best, in lifestyle and our own inner guidance.  I have talked to literally hundreds of solitary practioners over the years and I have found some common traits running through us all.  The very first thing I recognized was a strong independent nature.  Once a student has learned the basics, that student tends to continue to study and adopt those things that are true for her/him.  It takes a lot of strength and a strong sense of self to stand for what one believes in a society that is not yet ready to embrace us (to be truthful, religious intolerance seems to be growing in this country).  Often times the solitary witch has to practice in secret in order to keep a job, or avoid family problems, and in some cases to keep their children.  In cases such as these she/he must have a strong inner spiritual strength, otherwise it might not seem worth the effort.  For all of you who are having to walk this tightrope, I give you my prayers and hope that soon your life situation will allow you to shine as brightly on the outside as you do on the inside.

Solitary Wiccans rarely follow any spiritual leader or practice without looking into it more deeply.  They also have a strong knowing of what is right within themselves.  I am not speaking about the novice witch here, but the one who has spent some time studying and developing her/his inner awareness. 

I have also observed that most solitary witches are happy to lend a hand and share energy with others when the need arises. 

I may live in the "woods" of Arkansas, but I have a network of solitary witches and when one of us is in need of help we come together as a group.  We don't consider ourselves a coven, but a sisterhood.  We also come together for certain Sabbats or special events.  If you can develop a network like this you will be able to participate and share while still retaining your independence.  Of course you should be cautious when developing your network.  Take the time to get to know the people that you wish to share your inner self with.  This should be a "sharing network", not a "dependency network".  Everyone should feel free to choose whether to participate or not at any given time.

There is a lot of freedom in the choice to be a solitary witch, but with that freedom comes to responsibility of keeping yourself motivated enough to be an active practioner.  Sometimes we can get in a rut and we become "lazy witches" in as much as we just don't have the impetus to do an esbat this month, or spend some time working on our psychic abilities, etc.  When we find ourselves in this place we are the only ones who can pull ourselves out.

On the positive side of this freedom, we can choose when, where, and how we will exercise our spirituality.  We determine what type of ritual, spell, or celebration that we are going to use.  This encourages our own creativity and by creating it ourselves, we are far more connected on an energy level. 

From time to time I will be sharing some of my own rituals and other things on this blog.  If any of you would like to share, please send me an email or leave a comment.

Blessed Be!

Happy Beltaine everyone! 
As Solitary Practioners, we may find ourselves a little less inspired than covens and groups to do formal rituals.  This is not at all uncommon when we are feeling low, worried about what is going on in our lives, or in poor health.  I have been a practicing Wiccan for over 30 years and I have had my  share of down times.  When I get that way I usually try to do some meditation to help me get over that rough spot.  That being said, this is an excellent time to work on healing yourself.  We all suffer from stress every day and even though we may think we are dealing with it well enough, our bodies are still affected by it because the effects of stress tend to be accumulative.  The obvious signs of this are insomnia, over-eating or under-eating, feeling "unwell" (like you might be coming down with something, but it doesn't manifest into an actual illness), feeling "so old" even though you know you aren't, a generalized ache throughout your body,(but most especially in the neck and shoulders), and of course the low grade headache that just never seems to go away.  A good period of meditation to help ourselves get grounded and centered, followed by a self-healing ritual can go a long way to helping us overcome those accumulative effects. 

I personally like to take a long hot tub soak before doing this kind of healing work (I make my own special bath salts for this).  If you decide to do this, visualize yourself as being cleansed of all negative energy just before you pull the drain plug. 

This is the season of growth and regeneration and we can use those energies provided to us by nature to help ourselves.  If you do nothing else for this Sabbat, do some healing work on yourself. 

If you have any questions just send me an email, or post it in the comments section here and I will respond.

Blessed Be!

In keeping with Beltaine activities, how about doing this Seed Blessing Ritual on Beltaine?

Germination Ritual for Seeds

This ritual can be used for any seeds you are going to germinate indoors, but it is extremely beneficial for those plants that have been named for a specific goal. 
Listed below are the items you will need:

• a yellow votive candle
• a green votive candle
• seeds you wish to germinate
• a germination pot with fresh potting soil (Enough for all the seeds you will be germinating here. I like to use those ones that are made of peat moss because you do not need to remove the baby plants from these containers to plant them outside.)
• craft or Popsicle sticks to label the seed bed(s)
• water
• plastic wrap to cover the soil when done
• Newspaper or plastic to protect your altar from the mess (unless you are doing this on an outdoor altar)

Before you declare your sacred space assemble all the above and place them on your altar. Once you have done this go ahead and declare your sacred space then light the yellow and green votive candles. If you have chosen to dedicate some or all of the seeds to represent future goals do the following:

• Take up one of the peat pots and fill it with fresh potting soil. Bless the soil by saying similar words to this: " I ask you Earth Mother to bless this vessel and the soil contained within so that the seeds I place in them will grow into strong and healthy plants". Do this for every pot you will be using.

• You will have to name each seed for the goal it is to represent ( it is best to use a few seeds for this just in case some of the seeds do not germinate). Take the seeds in your strong hand and say something like this: " I name you for my goal of saving $200 by the end of June". Repeat this two more times charging the seeds with your own will power to achieve this goal. When you have done this, plant the seeds in the soil. Write the name of the plant and your goal on one of the craft sticks and place it in the pot. Water thoroughly and cover with plastic wrap.
• Repeat the above 2 steps for every seed you are germinating.

When all seeds have been potted and labeled you may then end this ritual or do additional work you may need done.

Beltaine is the celebration of fertility, that of the Earth and all life.  The energies of this Sabbat are focused on creation and nurturing.  If you are looking forward to accomplishing some creative endeavor, such as writing a book, planting a garden, becoming pregnant, etc. use the energies you generate to help you accomplish these things.   But please remember, after we plant the seed we must continue to nurture and work on our project in order to keep it growing and become successful.

Here are some suggestions for things to do for Beltaine:

1.       To make your own ritual oil for Beltaine, use equal amounts of these oils and add to 3 parts of base oil.  Allow to sit on your altar to absorb the energies of this Sabbat.

Ritual Oils: Passion Flower, Rose, Tuberose, and Vanilla

       Another great way to celebrate Beltaine is to create a "May Basket"  This is another powerful fertility symbol used in this Sabbat.  The basket is symbolic as the Goddess' womb and of the sacred marriage. It was filled with plants and flowers, and would seem that life "sprung forth" from it.      

      This can be easily done with one of those hanging baskets and you add the flowers to it.  Keep the basket and care for it as a symbol of  those things you are working to create during this season of growth.

2.  You can make yourself a wreath ( caplet) of either fresh or artificial flowers to wear during your ritual and in honor of the season.

3.      If you live in an area where you can have a bonfire (even a small one), sit around the bonfire and spend some time communicating with your ancestors or others who has crossed over.  Ask those on the other side to give you help and guidance during the growing season.  The next day, after the ashes are completely cool, sprinkle the ashes around the outside of your home to protect and bless your home and flower gardens.

4.      This is also a good time to do some fairie magic.  You can leave some oatmeal and honey outside to attract them and grant you some of their good luck. 

 tThe important thing to remember is to connect with the energies of this Sabbat and use them to bring about the changes and growth you want in your life.

  May the God and Goddess bless you and your endeavors and may you continue to grow spiritually.

Welcome to the Solitary Wiccan Blog

Welcome to all of you Solitary Wiccans.  I have started this blog as a way to connect with you, share information, and to get some feed back from you.
I would also like to welcome those who are new to the Craft, or would like to know more about it.
Since we have Beltane coming up soon, I thought I would like to share some ideas for celebrating this Sabbat with you.
Here's a link:   http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/beltanemayday/p/Beltane_History.htm to give you some background on this holiday.  I will be posting more on this during the next few days.
Please feel free to leave your comments, ask questions, or just say "Blessed Be".