Luna's Gathering Pagan Resources

Merry Meet to all who find themselves here at my hub. It will slowly become an amalgamation of all the helpful and interesting facts and products I come across on my Path as a Pagan. I hope others find them as useful as I have.

Blessed be!

Discovering my Path

As with many other Pagans, my spiritual path started at a Christian church. One way in which I differed is I was never forced. As a kid, I chose to ride the "Joy Bus" to the local Church of Christ every Sunday morning. At that age, I think it was just fun to be around other kids without my siblings there. In high school, it was a Baptist church. Again it was completely my own choice. The difference the second time around was I was old enough to understand what was being said and smart enough to eventually question it. I saw more hypocrisy those few years than ever before and since. It was a big part of what made me search elsewhere for something that fit with my beliefs. It took at least another 4 years to find Paganism. I got a job at a bookstore where at least two of my fellow co-workers were practicing Witches. They gave me a couple of book recommendations to get me started and my new path was begun. I consider myself an Eclectic Pagan whose focus for now is candle magick and the Tarot. In time, I'll expand that to include herbs and moon magick. I'd love to be considered a kitchen Witch, but I am dangerous in the kitchen. I can barely make a meal, much less magick.

A full glossary of magickal terms can be found in most beginning guides. This list is some of the terms rarely used outside the Pagan communities. Others such as coven can easily be found in a standard English dictionary.

• athame - small dagger used in ritual to direct personal power, not for cutting; kitchen witches actively encourage the use of magical tools for mundane purposes to increase the witch's familiarity with them
• besom - broom
• deosil - clockwise
• esbats - ritual observances of the full moon; a time for magickal work
• pentagram - upright five-pointed star representing earth, air, fire, water, and spirit
• pentacle - pentagram enclosed in a circle, often symbolizing protection
• Sabbats - the annual cycle of the Earth's seasons. It consists of eight festivals, spaced at approximately even intervals throughout the year. Four of these fall on the solstices and equinoxes and are known as "quarter days"; the other four fall (approximately) midway between these and are commonly known as "cross-quarter days" or "fire festivals". A time of magickal celebrations
• widdershins - counter-clockwise

Most Pagans celebrate the Full Moon and observe the changing of the seasons. The year contains 12 or 13 full moons and eight days of powers. This first section will list the 13 Full Moon celebrations, or Esbats, and the best type of magick to perform each full moon.

• January - Cold Moon: for spells of protection, strength, and introspection; dream magick
• February - Quickening Moon: for spells of renewal and cleansing
• March - Storm Moon: for spells of success, and spiritual growth
• April - Wind Moon: for spells to start projects, attain magickal goals, and use the powers of the elements
• May - Flower Moon: for spells of wisdom, love, good health, and faery magick
• June - Strong Sun Moon: for spells of abundance, success, and health
• July - Blessing Moon: for spells of healing and divine communication; time to harvest herbs
• August - Corn Moon: for spells of abundance and good health; time for formulating spells
• September - Harvest Moon: for spells of protection and confidence; time for honing magickal skills and attaining magickal goals
• October - Blood Moon: for spells of healing and divination; time for remembering and honoring lost loved ones
• November - Mourning Moon: for spells of healing, protection, and hope; time for honoring family and fellowship
• December - Long Nights Moon: for spells of change and banishing negativity
• The 13th Moon - Blue Moon the second of two full moons to occur in the same calendar month, the month in which it occurs varies: for spells of transformation and rebirth; time when the strength and power of our magickal workings is increased, so care must be taken with the powerful energies

This second section will list the Sabbats, when they are celebrated, and what the holidays represent. Four of the Sabbats are the seasonal Soltices and Equinoxes, while the other four, also known as fire festivals, fall on cross-quarter days, halfway points between the seasons. The list will be in chronological order starting with the first celebration of the calendar year. The dates for the Solstices and Equinoxes are approximations. Because the current calendar is 365 and 1/4 days long, they can fall anywhere between the 20th and the 22nd and on rare occasions even the 23rd. Check your calendar for the exact date for the current year.

• Imbolc or Candlemas - February 2: a festival of light, it is the midpoint of winter and spring, a day to celebrate the Goddess as Maiden.
• Ostara - March 21
• Beltane - May 1
• Midsummer or Litha - June 21
• Lammas or Lughnasadh - August 2
• Mabon - September 21
• Samhain - October 31
• Midwinter or Yule - December 21

This list was taken from the book "The Wiccan Web" by Patricia Telesco and Sirona Knight. The emoticons are perfect for sending spells via e-mail or chat.

Acronyms
BM - black moon
BB! - blessed be!
CYCIR - cyber circle
CYRIT - cyber ritual
FM - full moon
MM - merry meet
MP - merry part
SMB! - so mote it be!

Emoticons
{}    air element
~~~~><    banishing negativity
o====    candle burning
^^^    earth element
()    fire element
S____D :-)    incense burning
#    magic (weaving patterns)
(+)    positive energy
$#    prosperity magic
Y    protection
3x3x3    threefold law
)0( triple goddess
'"    water element
*_____:-)    waving your wand

This is a small sampling of the lists to get you started.

Add more focus to your spells with candles in the appropriate color(s) for the spell's intentions. This is just a basic beginner's list. Using the color that feels right to you, however, is more important than following someone else's idea of what is "right".

• black - banishing, protection, break up blockages
• blue - wisdom, inner peace, spiritual growth, loyalty, water element
• brown - grounding, financial security, earth element
• gold - leadership, luck, authority, the Sun
• green - abundance, prosperity, nature, fertility
• orange - creativity, focused energy, creating change
• pink - love, well-being, affection, nurturing
• purple - justice, removing bad luck, connecting with spirits, personal power
• red - energy, passion, immediate action, fire element
• silver - clarity, idealism, ethereal beauty, the Moon
• white - purity, psychic energy, spiritual strength, can be used in place of any of the colors as white is the combination of all colors
• yellow - intellect, communication, spontaneity, air element

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