Happy Halloween, the Winter Sabbat

Happy Hallowe’en, the Winter Sabbat!
From the Initiates of the Wolfa Coven…   

Let us share some things about this special time and then end with a memory of All Hallows past. 

Shall we begin? 

The time of Hallowe’en, Hallowmas or Samhain and that of May Eve or Beltane are but two ways that the year can be divided. The High Priestess and the Great Mother rules one part of the cycle and the the High Priest and the Great Father rules the other. They are two divisions of the year in terms of calculating a seasonal cycle. In times past, maybe these were movable fire-festivals based on the times of change upon the earth, or by certain portents that would signal its time of transition? This differs from the solar calculations of the fixed times of the Sun’s station in the sky at times of the equinox and solstice, but instead relies on the changes that appear to us on Earth. Today we generally recognize it as the night of Oct 31 – Nov 1 and the night of April 30 – May 1 in the northern hemisphere. 

Hallowmas, or Samhain was said to be the beginning of the Celtic year and tells of the transition from Summer to Winter, hence, it being the Winter Sabbat. All around us, the fires of growth given by the heat of the Sun’s strength continues to dwindle, and I would imagine that our ancient ancestors didn’t want this to occur. Because of that, maybe they felt they should assist the Sun by lighting a bright baalfire. Today it serves as a central hub around which we perform our rituals. 

This baalfire can be said to be a form of sympathetic magic to assist the Sun, as this time of decay is in conflict with the desire for growth. New fires in the hearth, in folklore, were said to be started by the carrying of fire from hearth to hearth with the intention of strengthening the Sun’s power, spreading the light outward, chasing away phantoms of old night and providing protection. The heat of the fire radiates outward, hence why we naturally circle around the hearth as a meeting place with its heat diffusing outward from all sides. 

Today, we generally carry out this same theme in symbolic form through the use of Astral Candles, lit from our central fire, whether indoors or outdoors, and the Astral Candles themselves being the representation of the inner-sanctum of the individual “spirit-hearth” from which outward, we radiate, and are clothed by the soul and a body of flesh and bone. 

The leaping and circumambulations around and over the fire is also a form of sympathetic magic so that the strength of the central baalfire might also strengthen the bodies of the initiates. “As the fire burns bright, so may our our strength and stamina increase.” 

Sacrifice, or to make something sacred, has been part of religious rites throughout time immemorial. In our religion today; we sacrifice from ourselves the burdens that we carry with us on our backs – which include the slights, faults and hard-feelings which only burden and weigh us down. These thought-forms are offered to the fire before us, in symbolic form and by petition, in order that the remaining ash (experience) may fertilize (with new-found wisdom) our next cycle of growth. All things are in symbolic form within our rituals. We forget not the times of triumphant growth but do not wish to live in the ignorance of our past faults. 

This is said to be a harvest festival, but whereas the previous harvest festival, Lammas or the Autumn Sabbat held a theme of thanksgiving and “gathering” of our life-harvests, this one symbolizes the continued threshing, in which the valuable grain (the fruits of our labors) are separated from what can’t be used in food. (Symbolic of the nourishment of our soul, mind & body) 

The foretelling of what is to come has been a theme always found within this Winter Sabbat. Many methods were said to have been used in times past, and those old methods mixed with the new are used by clairvoyance or with divining tools to foretell of the omens and auguries to be. For us it is a revealing of the watchword for the new year. There are tales recounted in folklore of Irish Kings even asking their advisor, a chief Druid, to foretell what is to be from Halloween night until it comes round again. 

Certain places and customs, such as going to the crossroads at midnight and listening for the whispers on the wind on special nights have been shared – and of course, remembering to carry with you a piece of Mistletoe in order to encourage spirits out of hiding. 

As a festival of the dead, those we are honor, might be fed, as we wait for a whisper in our ear or a tap on the shoulder from those we remember. 

Warming spices mixed with gently heated apple cider, and also separately in warmed sweet red wine are favorites among our coven this time of year. The herbs and spices of these warming herbs, brewed into a special recipe, does seem to help warm the body a little for the chilly night. Apples are in season, and many enjoy the abundance of locally grown apples. 

Food made with orange and lemon peel are also popular for some of us, due to its sunny nature and it also serving as a bit of sympathetic magic, with a similar theme in mind for the strengthening the powers of the dwindling sun. 

A special “ritual tea” is used as well by some of the witches in our coven the day before Sabbat, which is a blend of many herbs made into a tisane. 

Witches are always using herbs in both their cooking and for magical recipes, and though we may have different outlooks from coven to coven, herbs and their uses is one of those pieces that seems to unite us – from the strong citrus-like flavor of Coriander, to the rich earthy flavors of Sage & Rosemary, to the bite of a Tellycherry Black Peppercorn, the taste of Caraway in a crusty bread, to the delightful notes of Thyme and the licorice-like flavor of Fennel. To me personally, edible herbs are always a treat for the wits and senses. I feel blessed I am not allergic to these common herbs, as I truly enjoy their companionship! 

Recently I was gifted with a delightful treat of Giant Hyssop to make into a tisane and I enjoyed its taste very much. The bees and butterflies seem to enjoy it, and I was glad to try this tasty treat that was foraged by a friend!

Now to a special Hallowe’en Memory to illustrate for you the Winter Seasonal and the embrace of the New Year: 

This is a tale of a wonderful Hallowmas, or the Winter Sabbat – a remembrance of a beautiful evening at the Wolfa Coven – It was conducted under a clear sky with a big and beautiful full moon overhead.  This ritual was slow and somber in tone because of the theme that this ritual conveys.

It was a cool night with temperatures in the mid 50s with what looked to be one of the biggest full moons of the year.  The chillness of the air was tempered by the light and heat of the baalfire that was lit. The flames leapt high and crackled in the quietness of night. 

In this ritual, petitions were offered up to the Ancient Ones, through our central baalfire,  of the slights and faults, hard feelings and pain: the things we had to come to terms with in order for us to find release and freedom – which is a seasonably appropriate theme.  

As growth of the land begins to “pull back” until Spring (at least here in Pennsylvania), these petitions and their representations are burnt and released to be transformed in order to become fertilizer for our new wishes, hopes and dreams that we will plant next Spring. (Part of the ritual is that after the fire has gone out and cooled, some of the ashes are saved for Spring to be used as fertilizer by the initiates. This is embracing of our experiences, now turned to wisdom, in order to plan and plant stronger thought-forms in this now new cycle – on earth and in Astral Light.)

It is not out of line to shed a few tears, or spend some time in silence.  Both birth and death can be equally painful acts – both in the physical world and in symbolic forms when we start new projects, or must let go of old dreams that we have rationalized will never come to be – the letting go of the unrealistic expectations that we have placed on ourselves, or the letting go of particular experiences that have caused us pain. This is a personal ordeal that each initiate welcomes, for we ask to be shown these faults so we may do and act better in this future cycle. 

Two dances were performed to bring in this theme – both conducted in the manner of the season. The first conducted was the dance of the red cord wheel, conjoined as a hub in the center.  This is the spinning out of the old year for us to send off the slights and faults offered to fire. The second dance was one of secrecy and silence.  Both of these are conducted slowly, with or without words at this season.

The newest watchward was selected, which is the password for the season, and has been safeguarded until the season of Candlemas returns once again. This secret password for entrance into ritual, started now in this new year, will serve as a theme and one we strive to embrace. 

As the wine is served with its warming herbs to revitalize the body, we concentrated for those who need help, we communed with our dearly departed and prayed to strengthen our resolve around a friendly fire before the flames died out. 

Food was shared, but since it was a number of years ago, I recall it not, but I won’t forget the feeling felt around the central baalfire that night. Or maybe the wine shared was so good that I felt enfolded in the ecstasy of it all. The troubles of the world and all that we negotiate with was put on hold and not a care in the world was felt in that short period of time spent communing with the Lady and those with whom we love. 

Into the remaining coals and burning embers, the colors of orange and red danced about and we divined in its ever-constant changing dance for a vision or portent of what we need to know, for this warm gift of clairvoyance was a ready made tool in which we could peer into for insight. 

While a small chill in the air was felt as the fire dwindled, the light of the full moon had an overwhelming sense of warmth, even through Her silvery touch that reached down to us that night. 

In that moment of staring into the Lady’s embrace, I couldn’t help but wonder how many initiates are out there in the world looking at that same moon above them and visioning a dream for the new year? How many are wondering if anyone else out there communing in a similar fashion? Do they wonder if other initiates feel the same way on this night? The Moon is the doorway to the Astral Plane where the hopes and fears of tomorrow and the past reside. 

Are they reaching out to make a connection to the Great Mother and Great Father of all life? Are they reaching out to us? Diana makes us dream, and through her waxing and waiting, we are in anticipation for her to shine again upon us next time. 

These are but moments … precious moments in time that we can carry with us. Let us never loose that. So many in the world do loose connections because of things that are trivial and do not matter in the long run. Would they be helped too if they knew how to release these burdens into the baalfire in a circle such as ours? 

All these are moments that make the experience worth it. Just moments in time, communing with the Gracious Lady and the Oversoul; or collective thought-form of the coven that has been formed and shaped by the initiates connected through this lineage, where Witch & Druid meet, and the labels of such matter little – for this is who we are, around this bright Druidic fire. 

And we end this tale with the witches blessing: Merry come and Merry go!

Drawing Down the Moon

The phrase ‘Drawing Down the Moon’ has been commonplace in Wicca-rituals and conversation on rituals for many decades now. For some covens, this is a monthly ritual performed by a coven of initiated witches at the Full Moon where an invocation to the Lady is made so She may speak through the body of the High Priestess to the Coveners. In this article, we wanted to share some information about how our coven sees this practice and just briefly describe a sacred ritual in our religion.

Drawing Down the Moon as done in the Sacred Pentagraph Tradition – the Ancient Order of Bell, Book & Candle

The practice of conversing with spiritual intelligences … including angels, elemental spirits, and spirits of the other side has always been part of our tradition. When it comes to the topic of DDTM: The terminology of describing a ritual as “Drawing Down the Moon” is a borrowed terminology made popular by other traditions of the Craft that came out of the broom closet around the same time as our tradition’s practices did – however – it is lingo that is understandable to most Wiccans, so we might as well use this term for this article to speak a common language; even though our ritual rubrics for carrying out this ritual are different than other traditions — though we might have a similar goal in mind in some instances.

The Coven Medium receiving messages from the Gracious Goddess – personal messages for the Coveners, the Covenstead and for the quarter ahead.

In the Sacred Pentagraph tradition, the practice of Drawing Down the Moon could potentially be performed four times per year during the Full Moons of March, June, September and December. These are the months in which the Solstices & the Equinoxes occur.

Since the months of the Solstices & the Equinoxes are times which initiate the beginning of each of the four seasons in the yearly quarterly cycle, this is the most opportune time to ask for messages from the Gracious Goddess in order to receive insight needed for that quarter. It is also recommended that it is not necessary to be performed more than these four times per year in our tradition, as that gives all the Coveners adequate time to put to use the information received by the Gracious Goddess. If we did this every month, we may not have had the opportunity to put into place all the insight that has been given – so this is a good ‘conservation of energy’ thing to consider. There are literally dozens upon dozens of other Full Moon Esbats that can be performed for many purposes during the other months of the year.

The initiate of the Coven who serves as the Coven Medium for the Gracious Goddess must have developed their mediumship abilities. In this ritual, it is most likely the High Priestess who will serve this role as the Coven Medium. In our own Wolfa Coven, most of our established and regularly attending current initiates have mediumship abilities to one degree or another – which means that any initiate of one of the higher degrees could technically do this for the coven if needed. I think it’s a little unusual to have a full coven of mediums like we do – it’s just worked out that way for one reason or another. The rubrics and rituals of this ritual have not been put into print, but we can at least describe our thoughts and reflections upon it so that other covens who are curious what we do get an idea of our ideas, and also for readers that just want to read about diverse thoughts and practices in the religion.

We cast the Cosmated Esbat Circle to begin – usually this circle is cast by the High Priestess, the High Priest, the Handmaiden & the Practicus who serve as the four officers of the Esbat circle – but in the case of this ritual, since the High Priestess and High Priest must focus on inducing the trance state, that usually means the Practicus and Handmaiden will carry this out, and witches make do!

We have many ways of creating a magical circle, and this method for Esbats is very quick and takes very little time. Since the time of Esbat is highly focused on spellcasting, psychism and talismanic magic, or the very practical sides of Wicca, the focus is mainly on these specialized areas rather than on the communal seasonal themes partaken of at a Seasonal or Sabbat where on occasion more ceremonial aspects of ritual might be done.

The Coven Medium sits before the cauldron with the hood covering her head and arms. Her body wrapped up in her robe and cape in order to go into the silence and allow trance to come on and speak forth the messages of the Gracious Goddess. It can be performed indoors or outdoors. The coven dances and invokes the Gracious Goddess to come down, and the High Priest will direct the Ether raised within the atmosphere to the High Priestess to use in trance.

After the Gracious Goddess speaks fourth what needs to be heard, then there may be a time allowed where questions can be asked of Her.

The Scribe of the Coven scribbles down notes as fast as they can, as quickly as the messages come in.

When finished, the High Priest asks the heaviness to withdrawal and the Handmaidens of the Coven perform specific actions which help to bring the Coven Medium back into normal time and space.

Before closing the Cosmated Esbat Circle, we like to have some wine and some bread in order to have some togetherness and ease back out of the state of consciousness that has been invoked, especially before the Coven Medium and others need to stand again. Sometimes, depending on the Coven Medium, sessions of trance mediumship can take a little while to shake off. This time sharing food also allows us conversation to discuss things shared and bring ourselves back gently.

In our own experience in our coven, every Medium experiences different effects on the mind and body through these types of rituals. Why this is so, could be many … some of the reasons can be related to the type of Spirit Guide that each Initiate of the Coven has that assists them on the Astral Plane; some could be because of the spiritual development that the Initiate currently has gone through in this life and the many lives before and some could just simply be related to the specialty and talents of the Medium.

During the time of trance as a Coven Medium, there are many things that happen — The most common thing that occurs is messages are shared, prophesy is spoken, clairvoyance is used. On rare occasions, even spirit healing sessions occur.

These rituals and how to do them are ones you learn and participate in a traditionalist coven amongst initiates.

Blessed Be!

If you wish to learn more about our practices, you can buy a copy of the Sacred Pentagraph book here from Amazon.

The Sacred Pentagraph – Five Books in One

Hallowmas, the High Ceremonial Dumb Supper

Updated: October 8, 2021

Because of the intensity and amount of sheer preparation for this ritual, we do not conduct the high ceremonial Dumb Supper each year, but this year, we will be conducting it once again with many folks highly looking forward to it! This is part of the Book of the High Priestess, as she serves as the lead Medium in this ritual. 

The Spirit Board of the High Priestess – occasionally used this time of year by three women of the coven when performing divination of the Watchword for the coming year. 

There are multiple parts to the High Ceremonial Dumb Supper. They typically are: 

1. The Gathering 
2. High Ceremonial Dumb Supper 
3. Divination of the Yearly Watchword 
4. Divination Party & Feasting 

The gathering part is easy – all gather at the appointed time and place for ritual. This is a formal occasion, and the High Priestess will either be in black or purple formal wear, robes and capes. The other coveners participating will typically be wearing black robes and capes as well. 

The Dumb Supper itself is pretty formal – with most members sitting in the appointed seating area with the triangle in the center and the plates of food for the ancestors in front of them in the inner circle and the members of the coven and their plates of food in the outer circle. Typically the only ones standing at this point or moving around the circle would be the High Priestess and her assistants who are performing the high arts of necromancy. 

The High Priestess with her Coven Broom, which is the symbol of her IV* Degree, will cast the magical circle into a tomb for the dearly departed to enter. The motions of her broom direct the rites themselves – including telling our loved ones where to sit and gather. Depending on whether the bristles of her Coven Broom are upright or down will direct the spirits on when and where they are welcomed. 

The third part of the ceremony itself is the Divination of the Yearly Watchword. This ritual is conducted by the High Priestess and two female assistants, each representing the Great Mother Goddess and using their combined collective wills to give prophesy. The yearly Watchword serves as a Coven Password to gain entrance into the coven’s rituals for the year. The Watchword, along with the Grade Signs that a witch will give before the Summoner of the coven will let him know whether this person was invited or not to the ceremony. 

The Watchword itself is a bit prophetic as well – for within those short, small words contains a great deal of insight and knowledge that members of the coven should pay attention to during the upcoming yearly seasonal cycle. You will find, time and time again, that just a single word represents a coven theme for the entire year. 

The High Priestess will perform this act of prophesy after the requisite ritual incantations so that it is revealed to all coveners present. 

Lastly, the divination party and the feast can commence. After the atmosphere is cleared some then acts of divination for each other can begin – using whatever method or tools each witch dictates. This is the formal part of the feast or gathering. 

Now that we briefly covered the themes that occur for the Hallowmas in our coven, let’s dive a little more into some additional details on this, shall we? 

The ritual of the Dumb Supper itself is a form of necromancy. At one time in our history, it was mainly used as an All Hallows observance by young women in order to be told the name or names of their future husbands or what their occupation was. Back in those dark days where your fate depended on the industry of your husband, these types of rituals were used by ladies wanting to know this information. Fortunately today, the Dumb Supper itself is rarely or ever used for foretelling who your future mate is…. it’s not that it can’t be done, it totally can, but this isn’t as relevant in our society today thankfully. Today, hundreds of years later from those Victorian era times, we can perform this in order to receive meaningful information or just simply commune with our departed loved ones. 

Today, this is a high rite of necromancy that takes a few weeks of coven preparation. With Witchcraft able to be practiced more fully without as much fear of persecution as we have had in the past, we have been able to restore some of these rituals with more pomp, circumstance and flair that they deserve – especially for such grand occasions! 

When we perform this ritual, the dearly departed that are selected to sup with us on the night of Hallows are summoned each night, at the same time, for 13 nights leading up to the night of All Hallows Eve. Each spiritual guest must have time to gather enough strength in order to be present, and the High Priestess works to ensure their presence at this ritual for 13 nights in all. 

Even though the meal itself is eaten in silence, appropriate music might also be played in the background. Music not only creates the right atmosphere, but certain types of music may help to draw in the appropriate spirits to the ritual. It is not for haphazard reasons why many spiritualist circles play old church hymnal music. The reason for this type of music being played is because it is something that the spirits may recognize. It is not uncommon for many Spiritualist mediums to bust out an old southern “Amazing Grace” hymn at a Spiritualist meeting. The medium singing this has nothing to do with their religious beliefs, and doesn’t have anything to do with being Christian or not, but it is in setting up the right frequency and current in which the place it is performed gives the correct atmosphere where spiritual energy can gather. 

It is not uncommon as well for traditional witches to take the meter, rhythm and tone of a hymn and alter the words a bit as well. This is not done as an act of disrespect to our many Christian friends, and in many ways is because of the beauty and excellent quality of the writers of these hymns have used in their composition because the tonal quality of the hymn may reverberate through what is called the law of vibration and also what may be termed the theory of morphic-resonance, which was coined by a researcher into parapsychology named Rupert Sheldrake.

In Sheldrake’s theory, he poised the theory that nature itself has an inherent memory. That if one thing existed at one time, it will be retained within “Nature’s memory” and be able to be tapped into at a future time – in some ways, connected to the law of frequency.

This can be felt in old traditional covens. I can’t tell you how many times that new coven members have experienced our rituals after initiation into the Craft and have said, “Wow! For some reason, I feel connected way back to something very, very old!” This is not to say that our coven is an ancient coven by any means, unchanged back into dark ages, but our coven itself practices handed down ritual techniques and tradition that have not changed much. While the meat of some rituals have evolved over the years at times, the pattern of setting up our cyclotron of power has not, and can pull into it great power over repeated performance.  This feeling of not only deja vu but also of propelling a new initiate into new experiences and memories, many coven members have expressed memories and deja vu of being located in the Middle East somewhere – and this psychic experience is how this is validated in their minds. This all coming from witches who have been around the block and have been to hundreds of other rituals – they still attest to the beauty and majesty of our old rites with fondness and love and the feelings they evoke.

This morphic-resonance theory may also help to explain why other accounts of psychic phenomenon such as when you hold an object in your hand and are transported back in time and can see the pattern of events and read the thought-form impressions in rooms, walls and buildings. The divinatory acts of psychometry can fall into this category and helps to give an occult explanation for the energies and emotions felt around particular statues or saints that cause a release in certain emotions. 

The High Ceremonial Dumb Supper is also known as the “Rites of Hecate.” The goddess known as Hecate is well-known as a goddess of the crossroads and of the dead and night in mythology and history. How did this goddess and the practice enter the religion of Witchcraft? While we may never know, there are certainly older texts using rituals in the name of Hecate. One example of this is the old grimoire, which is a compilation of many grimoires, by A.E. Waite known as “The Book of Black Magic and of Pacts” which was a highly influential. This grimoire also contains a section on the forbidden arts of Necromancy and some of the incantations and conjurations bear a striking resemblance to our practice today, though in a safe and secure environment. This book also mentions the goddess Hecate in those rites as well – which is surprising for many grimoires of that time period to mention an Ancient Goddess.

The Book of Black Magic and of Pacts, by A.E. Waite. An old grimoire that was influential in witchcraft in the past, and even referenced by many Wiccans today!

After the spirits of our ancestors have been duly conjured by the High Priestess, she is able to direct them where to sit.

One thing different from mediumship circles is that since no talking is permitted during the partaking of this very sparse meal, no acting out or spiritual possession is permitted to overtake the guests. To allow the ceremony to descend into such character of moaning, wailing and the clanking of chains could overshadow any actual manifestations or whispers from the departed from occurring, or be simply missed…. So order and decorum must be kept by all participants in the ceremony.

After the ceremony has ended, the High Priestess will gather up all deceased ancestors and allow them to be peacefully released back to their places of beauty.

We typically bury in the ground the food that was offered to the ancestors at this solemn rite.

Following the High Ceremonial Dumb Supper, various types of divination may be performed by the coveners. One of the first tasks is to divine the secret “watchword” of the coven to carry us through the new year. This is a ritual act by three women of the coven who will choose which form of divination to use in uncovering this top secret watchward which will serve as the password for the new year to gain entrance to private coven rituals

May your Hallows ceremony be special this year – no matter how you and your coven celebrates!

Blessed Be,

Thorn Nightwind

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If you wish to know more about a full Sabbat cycle, more info can be found in The Sacred Pentagraph by Tarostar. Click on the book photo to learn more.