44 Days of Witchery: Day 14

Favorite Witchy Day.

Halloween/Samhain is definitely my favorite for decoration and social activity. We buy a single witchy decoration per year, and we have a huge box of them as a result. I love it.

I maintain an ancestor altar year round, and it is generally small, but carefully cared for. I keep an ancestor box, and photos of my Beloved Dead. As the veil thins in October, I move it to the main altar, which quickly becomes dense with items and memories.

The university students host a public ritual, and I help design the ritual and supply what is necessary for it. Usually it is a grand time. This year's seems promising.

For my own purposes, I don't do my ritual until the astrological cross quarter, which is usually around Nov. 5-10, depending. This year Samhain is November 7th at 6:30 in the evening.

All that said, in May of 2010, I was honored to do the Rite of Her Sacred Fires with hundreds of people around the world. I invited a few friends and the ritual was so enriching that it has become an annual affair for all involved. We get together every May to feast and commune. It has overtaken Halloween in terms of meaning for me.

I'll also be hosting that ritual in November this year for a small group because a friend hasn't been able to attend any of the May ceremonies. I am curious if there will be differences as a result.

It all goes back to Hekate lately, I admit.

New Moon

A lot of my art is born out of my spiritual life, and at the heart of that life is the New Moon. The Goddess that I honor, Hekate, has a bit of a bad rap, and her followers have been honoring her at the dark of the Moon for a very long time.

She's most well known from her roles in Shakespeare and in what has survived of Greek Mythology. If you dig through the remains of the Hellenes, however, you do not find a dark crone stooped over a bloody cauldron. Instead you find a young Goddess, proficient in herbs, for good or ill, who can lead you through the darkest parts of your life and help you to find a new day.

There is a reason why She has been called Soteira, Savior. She is also the Torchbearer. The Key-bearer. She guides those who know Her mysteries, and sometimes it is a scary ride, but Her gifts are more than worth it.

A lot of the art I make for myself bears Her mark. She has such a large role in my day-to-day life, that it's to be expected. Sometimes I think I'm becoming the Pagan equivalent of a nun in Her service. ^.^'

That doesn't mean that I can't do art for other Gods and non-spiritual purposes, of course.

Tonight is Her night, however, and soon I'll be participating in the Rite of Her Sacred Fires with thousands of others worldwide. I'm honored to be one of those lucky enough to hear Her call. For the next few weeks, I'm sure Hekate will be a prominent part of this blog, as I prepare altar cloths, paintings, trinkets for my guests, and redecorate the house a bit. Hope it doesn't bore you too much!

May She stand before you to light your way,
Sara