Mabon
By MoonRaven

Mabon marks the Second Harvest, the end of the grain harvest (which begun at Lughnasadh), and rests on the Autumn Equinox. The Equinox mirrors dwindling of life (and eventual progression to rebirth), as well as the struggle for balance; day and night are equal for a single day. The pagans of antiquity didn't have the ability to determine astrological positions as we do today. The European peasantry, therefore, celebrated this Sabbat on September 25th; actually, the Celts marked their days from sundown to sundown, so the Mabon celebration actually started on the sundown of our September 24th. Today, with the help of our technology, we can calculate the exact day of the Equinox; the date when the sun enters the sign of Libra, the Balanced Scales, which appropriately fits the Equinox. September 25th is a medieval holiday which the Church Christianized under the label of "Michaelmas," a feast in honor of the Archangel Michael. It is thought that the Roman Catholic Church at some point considered assigning the quarter dates to the four Archangels, since they had assigned the cross quarters to the four gospel-writers. Making the Vernel Equinox a holiday called "Gabrielmas" was taken into consideration in honor of the angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary on Lady Day. This Sabbat can also be known as: the Second Harvest Festival, Feast of Avalon, Cornucopia, Wine Harvest, the Fall Equinox, Harvest Home, the Autumnal (or Autumn) Equinox, Festival of Dionysus, Alban Elfed (Caledonii, Druidic), Winter Finding (Teutonic), or Equinozio di Autunno (Strega). The full moon closest to the Autumn Equinox is called the Harvest Moon, and farmers would harvest their corps by this moonlight as part of the Second Harvest celebration.

Meanings:
Mabon is very much like Thanksgiving. Most of the crops have been reaped and abundance is more noticeable than ever! Mabon is the time when we reap the fruits of our labor and lessons, both crops and experiences. It is a time of joy, to celebrate that which is passing (for why should we mourn the beauty of the year or dwindling sunlight?), looking joyously at the experience the year has shared with us. And it is a time to gaze into the bright future. We are reminded once again of the cyclic universe; endings are merely new beginnings.

Since it is the time of dying sun, effort is also made to celebrate the dead with joyous remembrance. It is considered taboo to pass a burial site and not honor the dead. Natural energies are aligned towards protection, wealth, prosperity, security, and boosting self-confidence. Any spells or rituals centered around balance and harmony are appropriate.

MoonRaven

Hyssop (Hyssopus Officinalis)

Gender: Masculine
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Fire
Powers: Purification, Protection

Spiritual or Magical Properties:

Hyssop is the most widely used purification herb in magic. It is added to baths in sachets, infused and sprinkled on objects or persons to cleanse them, and hung up in the home to purge it of evil and negativity.

MoonRaven

Raymond Buckland
Submitted by MoonRaven

Raymond Buckland came to the United States from England in 1962. He had written television comedy scripts for ITV’s The Army Game and a pilot, Sly Digs, for BBC-TV. He was also personal scriptwriter for the British comedian Ted Lune. In the past thirty-five years he has had nearly forty books published - fiction and non-fiction - with nearly two million copies in print. Titles have been translated into sixteen foreign languages. His publishers have included Ace Books, Warner Books, Prentice Hall/Parker, Samuel Weiser, Inner Traditions International, Galde Press, Visible Ink Press, Citadel, and Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. He has also written newspaper and magazine articles and five screenplays. Two of his books each have over 450,000 copies in print. One of his titles was a Book of the Month Club selection and others won the 1999 and the 2002 Visionary Awards.

Considered an authority on the occult and the supernatural, Raymond Buckland has served as Technical Advisor for the Orson Welles movie Necromancy, and has also worked as an advisor for a stage production of Macbeth with William Friedkin, director of The Exorcist, etc. Raymond is of Romany (Gypsy) descent and, as such, is an authority on the Gypsies, four of his books being on that particular subject. He has lectured at colleges and universities across North America, including Penn. State University, University of Western Illinois, University of North Dakota, University of New Orleans, Kent State and Oberlin College (Ohio), New York State University, Ohio’s Cincinnati University, and San Diego City College. He has been written up in such newspapers and magazines as The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, New York Daily (and Sunday) News, Cleveland Plain Dealer, National Observer, Look Magazine, Cosmopolitan, True, and many others.

He is the author of more than twenty-five books, including such best-selling titles as Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft, Gypsy Dream Dictionary, Practical Candleburning Rituals, and Witchcraft from the Inside. Ray has lectured and presented workshops across the United States.

Raymond Buckland has appeared on numerous radio and television talk programs, including: The Dick Cavett Show, Tom Snyder’s Tomorrow Show, Not For Women Only (with Barbara Walters), The Virginia Graham Show, The Dennis Wholey Show, and the Sally Jessy Raphael Show. He has been seen on BBC-TV England, RAI-TV Italy, and CBC-TV Canada. He has appeared extensively on stage in England and played small character parts in movies in America.

Raymond has taught courses at New York State University, Hofstra University, New Hampshire Technical College and for Hampton (Virginia) City Council. He is listed in a number of reference works including Contemporary Authors, Who’s Who in America, Men of Achievement, and International Authors and Writers Who’s Who.

Information from raybuckland.com and Llewellyn.com

An Introduction to Residual Energy Devices
By Demna Gwynnvyd and Mathew Z.

You may be asking yourself what is Residual Energy and
what is a Residual Energy Device?

Residual Energy is any energy remaining on an object or area after magickal or psychic energy passes through it. A Residual Energy Device is any object that manipulates magickal or psychic energy naturally or created. Residual Energy Devices are an important tool to use in Everyday Magick because they provide us with a tool to work on our energy working when we need. And possibly more useful is having a magickal tool designed for a specific purpose that you may use when you need as opposed to having a general purpose ritual tool that would require you to do a full ritual to use.

The core concept to creating and using residual energy devices is the principle of symbolic interaction. Our minds are built on a structure that relies heavily on verbal and visual symbols. Associations are built between symbols as we grow and learn by creating devices that are all linked to a core concept. You activate that portion of your subconscious mind and also draw to you the energy in the surrounding area in accordance with the occult principle of like attracts like.

For example, suppose I wanted to make a staff that I would use to control or draw to me energy for learning, creativity, and healing. I would find a long branch that fit my needs and spend some time shaping it. I would then carve onto it symbols for Mercury and Air which I associate with the Mind. You might also include the symbols for Aquarius or other Air signs. I would then paint it yellow perhaps with other associated colors. It can be as simple or complex a design as I feel necessary.

Once you have created a device, you will want to build a bond to it. If you spent time creating your own devices by hand there will already be a bond made. You should create a small ritual to confirm it's purpose anyways, as this will make it a more effective tool.

The ritual should take part as much in the symbolism of your core concept as you can design. In the above example I would draw out an octagon in my personal ritual space. I would lay out cards from the wand suit either on my altar or on the octagon around me. I would burn light airy incenses and use a similar oil to anoint the device with. I would then recite an invocation to Mercury and proclaiming the purpose and symbolism of the device. While doing this I would be holding the object or otherwise focusing the energy and intended purpose into the device, if using oil this is the time to anoint the device. As part of grounding I would eat fish and drink white wine, apple juice, or some other lightly colored drink. All of these things are associated with my core concept and therefore the object holds power for me focused into a tool I can now use to aid learning, creativity, and healing.

As you can see the process is actually very simple and there are many useful published lists of associations and rituals. You should focus on the ones that have meaning to you and are inline with the tradition you practice.

Horn of Plenty
By MoonRaven

You will need:
Horn of plenty--plastic or basket-woven
Fake or real fruits of the harvest: Grapes, citrus fruit, corn, pumpkin, especially apples.

Simply place the fruit inside the horn so that it is aesthetically pleasing. It is best to make it look as if the bounty is spilling outwards, extending its nourishment.

The horn itself, before being filled, can be used in ritual as a symbol to "drink" from to symbolically consume the harvest. It is symbolic of the mother Goddess's womb. It can then be filled as a symbol that the fruits of the Goddess never run dry.

MoonRaven

How Am I Different
By Starlight

I listen to music, I watch T.V, and
I go to school.

Yet when people look at me they say
I'm different.

Why you ask? Because I have different beliefs.
I'm a Pagan and I believe in nature
so that makes me different.

No one knows what it is like
to be thought of as different,
they just know who is different.

As for me I'm not different,
I still have a family who loves me
and cares for me.

So you tell me How Am I Different!

Apple Butter
Submitted by MoonRaven

Ingredients:
4 quarts Apple
2 quarts Water
1 1/2 quarts Cider
1 1/2 pounds Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Allspice
1 teaspoon Cloves

Wash and slice the apples into small bits. Cover with the water and boil until soft. Press through a sieve to remove skins and seeds. Bring cider to a boil and then add apple pulp and sugar and cook until it thickens, constantly stirring to prevent scorching. Add spices and cook until it is thick enough for spreading. Pour into sterilized jars and seal.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Ingredients:
9 cups whole-wheat flour
4 teaspoons salt
2 pkg. active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups water
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup honey

Sift together 3 cups flour, salt, and yeast. Combine milk, water, butter, and honey in a saucepan and heat over low heat until liquids are warm (butter need not melt completely). Gradually add to dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes. Add remaining flour a cup full at a time until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and allow to rest 10 minutes. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in large greased bowl and turn to grease all sides of dough. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about one hour.

Punch dough down and turn out onto lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a loaf. Place into greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise in warm place until double in bulk, about one hour. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on racks.

After cooled, slice and spread on some fresh Apple Butter!

Moonstone
By Zandrixia

SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION: Moonstone is one variation of Orthoclase. It owes its beautiful silvery to bluish sheen ('adularescence' or 'schiller') to its composition of extremely thin plates of orthoclase and albite. The thinner these plates are, the bluer is the sheen. There are also moonstones consisting mainly of albite. These are less translucent, but they can occur in a variety of colors: grey, blue, green, brown, yellow and white. There are also moonstone cat's-eyes. The chemical composition is KAlSi3O8 and the hardness is 7. The streak is white.


LEGEND and LORE: This stone has always been revered because of its lunar attraction. It was believed that the shiller in the stone would follow the cycles of the moon. (Becoming greatest when the moon was full.) In addition, it has always been considered a "feminine, or Goddess" stone.

MAGICAL PROPERTIES: Meditation with moonstone calls into consciousness the three-form moon phase goddesses, Diana/Selene/Hecate, the waxing, Full and waning Moon. These are woman as goddess in her ages and contradictions, Maiden/ Mother/Crone. Cunningham favors this stone for spells involving love. In addition he has a longish essay on using it for a "diet" stone.

HEALING: Because of it's feminine nature, Moonstone has long been considered a "women's healing stone". It is used traditionally for healing/balancing of female organs and hormones.

COTC's newsletter staff is looking for writers of all ages and backgrounds. If you have an opinion or would like to write an article, contact us. We are blessed with a large subscriber base to our newsletter, with new people signing up everyday. So be heard! Submit all articles and poems to moonraven@childrenofthecircle.com or submissions@childrenofthecircle.com

Hope to hear from you soon,

COTC Newsletter Staff

By SDCW

Question: What is considered improper language or conduct in the company of children at a Pagan gathering.  

Answer: I would consider most Pagan gatherings and festivals to be Rated PG13. This is for the simple fact that we are such a free and open group of people with many paths that cross and overlap. There are no set rules or guidelines within our faith that would restrict any acts, language or ideas and for the most part, we are an open society that must rely on at least a minimum of moral values or rules when at open events.

One time I attended a gathering that I had not been to before. I pitched my tent and took a nap prior to the evenings open rit. Later in the evening I awoke and got ready for circle. I arrived at the circle with my daughter which is 16 and quickly found several people there in the circle skyclad. I did not know this circle or event would have people attending that were this open, but at the same time I also knew that this was not just a streak fest. I asked my daughter if she was uncomfortable or good to go with the environment and then proceeded with the evenings plans.

For some, this may have been offensive, but for me, it was a simple act of freedom which we as Pagans enjoy. Open and unrestricted. I am sure there were others with younger children that remained at camp while this was going on and yet others that joined in.

We need to realize there are more people in this world other than ourselves. Be open and possess the ability to adjust for each an every situation. Try not to condemn others for what they believe and practice. After all, we are Pagans and are supposed to have open minds right?

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