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Year and marks the start of the Dark half of the year. It is the night of the Ancestors
when we honour those who have gone before. At the Winter Solstice, the Oak King
vanquishes the Holly King, the sun returns slowly and we celebrate the rebirth of the
God. Imbolc is the festival of Briid, Irish Goddess of Smithcraft, Poetry and Healing.
Lady Day marks the Spring Equinox when Eostre reigns, Anglo-Saxon goddess of the
dawn. The egg and the hare are her symbols. Beltane is the beginning of the Light Half
of the year when we put action to the dreams we have woven during the darkness of
winter. Fertility is celebrated and love rules us all. At the Summer Solstice, the Holly
King is crowned, defeating the Oak King, for the shadows are lengthening again. We
leap the Bel-Fire for luck and wishes granted. Lughnasadh is next, the first of the three
harvests, day of Lugh, originally dedicated to his mother, Taillte, Lady of Tara and the
Sacred Places. The second harvest is the Autumn Equinox, a time of thanksgiving and
offerings. The wheel has turned again and Samhain returns...
Our traditions are many and personal. Every Pagan should know their own heart and be
unafraid to follow where it leads them; for when you seek the Mother, you shall find Her.
(150 Reads) comments?
General information: Drawing Down The Moon
Posted by: Nyxks on Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 10:49 PM
This is an extremely important ritual in many neo-Pagan Witchcraft
traditions. During the ritual the high priestess of the coven enters a trance
and becomes the Goddess, which is symbolized by the moon. This
transformation is accomplished with the help of the high priest, who
invokes, or draws down, the Goddess into the high priestess.
The origins of the ceremony can be traced to classical times. Ancient Thessalian witches
were believed to control the moon, according to an old tract: "If I command the moon, it
will come down; and if I wish to withhold the day, the night will linger over my head;
and again, if I wish to embark on the sea, I need no ship, and if I wish to fly through the
air, I am free of my weight."
In the modern rite, the high priestess has the option of reciting the Charge of the
Goddess, a poetic address written be Doreen Valiente, a high priestess in the Gardnerian
tradition (see Gerald B. Gardner, or delivering a spontaneous address.
Drawing Down the Moon is one of the most serious and beautiful rituals in neo-Pagan
Witchcraft. Depending on the altered state of consciousness (see Altered States of
Consciousness) of the high priestess and the ceremonial energy raised, the words that
come forth can be moving, poetic and inspiring. During the Drawing Down the Moon,
many women connect with the power of the Goddess and therefore with the power
within themselves.
To capture more of the essence of this rite the description of it given by Margot Adler in
her book Drawing Down the Moon will be paraphrased. After listening to a tape called
Drawing Down the Moon sent to her from a coven in Essex, Adler writes: "I did not
know it then, but in this ritual, one of the most serious and beautiful in the modern Craft,
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