I like to follow the changing seasons by celebrating the phases of the Moon and the Sabbats. I usually follow the New Moon, the Waxing Quarter Moon, the Full Moon and the Waning Quarter Moon, because it would be too much for me to celebrate all the phases, and these four phases appeal to me most.
However, I celebrate all of the Sabbats (Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lammas, Mabon and Samhain), since I believe in the Wheel of the Year concept with birth, death and rebirth of the Sun during the year and the seasons.
For this season I´m preparing Mabon (Autumn/Fall Equinox, harvest festival, equal day and night, balance workings, to give thanks and to let go, celebration of the beauty of Fall) and Samhain (All Hollows Eve, initiation and self-dedication, the veil between the worlds is thinnest, shadow work, divination, celebration of the Ancestors, the Crone and the witches.
I feel I live in much better balance with the seasons, since I began practicing as a witch almost three years ago. And it reflects on my personal life areas, which means that I´m a much happier person today than I was three years ago.
Not that I was not able to be happy before I left the witch´s closet, but by naturally following the phases of the Moon and the seasons of the year many things have become way easier to handle. It is as if witchcraft and the celebrations of nature´s cycles has a healing and calming effect on me that makes me think with a more positive outlook.
But I still have my bipolar disorder, and it was like riding a roller coaster without brakes and clutch. Until my helpful crew at the psychiatric day clinic hit the combination of the right prescription medicine and the right mindful therapy. It has been a long ride since then, many months struggling to get back in the saddle.
With the natural influence from the seasons I now live a much better life, and I ascribe a lot of it to my work with witchcraft. It is something I love, it is natural medicine to me, and it is the natural flow of ups and downs in life.
Being aware of the phases of the Moon gives me a deeper understanding of change as the only constant to acknowledge in life. The past is gone. There is no promise of a new tomorrow. So today is a present and the only place to live your life.
And with celebration around the Wheel of the Year I learn on a daily basis that time is short, and therefore we need to seize the day much more than we do today. In a modern world of stress, hate and bigotry, it is essential to me to celebrate each Sabbat with great care.
I might as well do my best in everything I do, because I live by the Sun and love by the Moon. I´m recovering from a tough life and I don´t need more conflict for a life time.
There is beauty, calmness and zero anxiety when performing celebrations of the Moon and the Wheel of the Year.
Coming up on Monday 23 2019 is the Mabon Sabbat. It is also called Autumn/Fall Equinox and is about thanksgiving, letting go and getting in balance. Day and night are equal, from now on the dark half of the year rules. But it is also a time to review intentions from this Moon cycle.
My New Moon intentions from August 30 2019 :
- To develop my blog with care and to show my readers what I want and need to do with it.
- To develop my writing by learning from other writers and to write from the bottom of my heart and soul.
- To develop my passion for witchcraft into a daily way of life that makes room for diversity and everyday mundane life which is the absolute basis for anything I do.
- To work less with the big rituals and concentrate on establishing a reasonable daily practice.
- To keep up the learning process preparing for my fourth year as a witch.
My Full Moon intentions from September 13 2019 :
- Keep on writing, whatever situation I´m in.
- Be ready to face a quick decision and do less if necessary, but still do it right.
- It´s alright to have a bad day. It won´t last, as won´t a happy one, is my new mantra.
My goals need more time, I need more time, to evolve. So these intentions will carry on for another Moon cycle and as many as needed. But i´m getting closer every day. I keep on writing whatever happens, I´m trying to establish a reasonable daily practice of witchcraft, and my new mantra is effective.
I live one day at at time and do my best every time.
So my intentions with the Mabon Sabbat are to let go of what no longer serves me. That can be many different things, but I choose to make a ritual with the intention of letting go of unnecessary writing doubts, bad excuses for procrastinating mundane issues, and self-pity on a bad day.
It is the Waning Quarter Moon on Sunday before the ritual, so the timing is perfect for this.
But there will also be a ritual of thanksgiving, I have a lot to show gratitude for. I´m almost through with my psychiatric treatment, which is planned to stop on Wednesday September 25 2019. It is a great privilege to have gone though a couple of years with bipolar disorder and anxiety and come out cured as much as possible.
There is a limit, however. Cured as much as possible means that there always will be a certain degree of disorder that I´ll have to handle myself. My scars of life are deep and they will always hurt at certain times of the year.
And one of my ways to try to control that part of myself is working with the phases of the Moon and the Wheel of the Year. Another one is writing and being creative in as many ways as possible. When I do that, there is peace, there is a feeling of wholeness, and there is space to be the me that I am.
I have always searched for an alternative way of living that could contain my broad views of life. I have never fitted in in any kind of conventional social group. I take up a lot of space as a person, because I have to feel freedom from constraints to function as a human being.
This I have found in witchcraft and in following the phases of the Moon and the Sabbats during the year.
From time to time I practice less the big rituals and concentrate on the daily little things as e.g. lighting candles whenever I´m writing or doing everyday chores. I listen to many different kinds of music depending on my mood in the moment. I read myself a prayer before doing any writing to keep my thoughts focused on the process rather than the quantity.
So even though I at the moment don´t practice so much as in July and August, there is daily witchcraft around me. I may not perform a ritual at a certain Moon phase, but I always contemplate what the phase is about and try to actually look at the Moon when it is not cloudy outside.
I like this fall season. It is so full of changes to remind us to live in accordance with the rhythm of nature rather than the shrill and hectic chaos of a so called modern world. Where is the modern in stress and disorders being more the rule than the exception ?
To me it is a step backward to live a life filled with stress and all kinds of shifting activities all the time. What happened to politeness, to mindfulness and to being happy with what you already have ?
I like to go offline once in a while. I like the silence and the peace from not being disturbed by noisy devices and needless gadgets. Then I find my inner calm and am able to regain my strength. Then I turn to witchcraft and nature´s ancient rhythm. Then I´m more in tune with life and its many challenges.
This season is also one of deep contemplation to me. On September 28 2019 it is five years since my mother died. It is something that I´ll never forget. It hit me hard. But I´ll go to the cemetery with pink roses, which she loved, weep my tears and go on with this life of mine.
I have to. And she would wish for me that I move forward. Death is a natural part of life, but we are not good as humans to handle it. I still mourn my late mother, and I take the time necessary, whatever people might say or not. I miss those gone before me, but I believe that we´ll merry meet again someday.
Living after the phases of the Moon and the Sabbats is of great importance to me, for it is my way of trying to live a life with as little stress and anxiety as possible.
So this weekend is going to be about planning a beautiful Mabon ritual for Monday afternoon and about writing in the stream of consciousness style. But it is also about taking good care of my wonderful husband, without whom I would feel so lost.
Yes, life is a rough and tough bully at times. We are growing older and there is always a price to pay for life experiences. So also with health, and dear Universe, please hear my prayer for my husband´s health. Let him be alright, let him be free from sickness and pain, let him be well.
Next Friday I´ll try to show what it is like to be writing as a witch. It is not two different worlds to fit together, it is my kind of style to mix between genres, styles and possibilities. I´m always on the lookout for new inspiration, so why not mix writing with witchcraft and thus put the magick into words that make a difference.
Today I think a lot about my family and friends worldwide, each of us fighting for our lives in our different ways. It is all about keeping on with what you are doing, to go on even though the road is filled with obstacles and setbacks.
It will all pass someday, and beyond the grey skies, there is always the Sun and the Moon.
I therefore send all the positive karma and good energy I have to give. May your lives be blessed with positive experiences and life enriching meetings with like-minded good people. So Mote It Be.
To sum up, living after the phases of the Moon and the Wheel of the Year has been a life-changing experience to me. And I can only recommend others to try to find their distinctive path, something happens inside, life becomes a little easier to handle. And it is in the little things that we often find the most.
I look forward to repeating my dedication as a witch on Samhain October 31 2019. It has become a tradition that I´ll follow as long as I live. It is beautiful and awe-inspiring to remind yourself about the choice of life style that becoming a witch implies.
It is also a milestone to me to celebrate yet another year. Already close to October, a year has gone so quickly that it is barely a breath in the wind. Yes, time is short, make the best of it every moment. A milestone because it is now up to me to handle my disorders on a daily basis. And I know that this time it´s okay.
See you again Monday evening, dear reader.
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