Laurel’s Easy Sabbat Planning Guide

For all of the witches who struggle with Sabbats sneaking up on them, here is a guide to help whip up an easy celebration so you never have to miss out on Sabbats again!

A Sabbat is a seasonal festival mostly celebrated by Pagans and Witches. Sabbats are like any other holiday, except these are normally celebrations of the changing of the seasons, or the “turning of the wheel.” Each person will celebrate each Sabbat differently, as each season is completely personal to you.

⛤ The First Step

The first step I recommend to planning a Sabbat celebration is to figure out exactly what the Sabbat is to you. Figure out how you feel about the sabbat and what you naturally associate each one with. This can take some time to work through, especially if you are new to sabbats or if you tend to avoid nature at all costs.

⛤ What to ask yourself:

- What does this Sabbat mean to you? - What is the Earth doing right now? What does it look like outside your window? - What is in season (this includes foods, herbs, flowers and decor)? - How do you feel this time of year? How does this particular Sabbat make you feel? Is this normal? - What sort of things make you feel “witchy” or connected to this Sabbat? - Why is this day special to you?

⛤ Things to Do:

- Perform a ritual. Rituals can be as elaborate or as simple as you want them to be. Sometimes all you have to work with is a tealight candle and a week old pack of cookies.

- Cook. Some of us feel connected to the world around us when there is food involved. After all, it’s not a party unless there is food. Try out a new recipe with in-season foods, or make your favorite comfort food dish.

- Go outside. The easiest way to celebrate the changing of the seasons is to go outside and experience them. Even if it’s a short walk (because not many people want to go for long strolls in the dead of winter), take a moment to step outside and experience nature and observe what it’s currently doing. If you are able, plan a day trip to somewhere special or new to explore.

- Decorate. Nothing gets me in the holiday (or Sabbat) spirit like decorating. As a child decorating for Christmas was the best because that was the only time we put up decorations. Now, as an adult, I use whatever I have handy to decorate for every Sabbat I can to make me feel more festive.

- Offerings. If you work with spirits of deities, you may wish to put together some sort of offering for them when you celebrate. This can be food, special rocks or flowers from outside, or something you’ve made yourself.

- Spells. Sabbats are prime times to do spells for me. The spells I cast are reflections of the coming season and what I want from them.

- Crafts. There are a ton of different little projects for Sabbats floating around on the internet. Get creative and make something! If you are on a budget, make something with what you have, or modify a craft to include what you have. I like to make something new each year for the Sabbats (it’s an easy way to get “decorations” too!)

- Divination. Nothing says celebration like a good old fashion look into the future. Choose any form of divination that you’d like and do a reading for yourself.

- Journaling. Sometimes the easiest way to celebrate and connect is to get into your own head. Let the Earth inspire you. Stare out a window (or sit outside if you can) and just watch what happens around you. Let it inspire you to create. Journal about your own feelings, write a freestyle poem or sketch and paint what you see.

⛤ Creating a Ritual

Not all rituals have to be long and elaborate. Some of my favorite rituals are just sitting around in sweatpants with a hot cup of cocoa and my journal, reflecting on the season and my life. Ask yourself these questions to help piece together how a ritual would be best done for you.

- What am I celebrating? How can I celebrate this? - Who am I worshiping? - How much space do I have? - How much time do I have? - Why am I celebrating this Sabbat? - What do I/can I buy for my celebrations?

The important thing for Sabbats isn’t how grand your ritual is, it’s all about gaining something from it, whether that be a nice warm fuzzy feeling or a great insight into your life.

⛤ Reflection and Meditation

After each Sabbat day, I find it helpful if I reflect upon what I did that day and how my celebration went. This is when I do most of my journaling, but you don’t have to write anything. You can simply sit and rest and meditate on the day if you wish. Use this time to unwind.

- What did I do today? How do I feel about it? - What ideas do I have for next year? - What did this year’s Sabbat teach me? - What was my favorite part of today’s celebration? - What was my least favorite?

Happy Celebrating! ~L <):)

Lammas

Here’s a brief overview of the holiday Lammas. [LAH-mahs] Some people use the name Lughnasadh. [LOO-nah-sah] They are both names for the same holiday–the celebration of the first harvest–, however they are not necessarily interchangeable.

Lughnasadh is the Gaelic name for this occasion. It celebrates the waning of the sun god Lugh as the summer gives way to fall. The year’s crop is ready for harvesting. Lammas is the modern name. It has minimal connection to the Gaelic sun God, so if you don’t believe in the God, you would use the term Lammas. Both terms recognize the power of the sun God infusing his blessings into the first year’s harvest, however Lughnasadh credits a Gaelic God while Lammas credits a more general sun God. Lughnasadh is the more traditional name, so you can choose to use that term if you want without having any affiliation to Lugh.

Lammas is celebrated on August 1st (Northern hemisphere) or February 1st (Southern hemisphere).

Spellwork

Lammas is a time of giving thanks, so be sure to leave offerings to your deities. It’s custom to use something from your harvest (if you harvested anything) as your offering. Spells involving blessings or guidance are going to fare well during this day.

Correspondences

Symbols: Sunflower, Wheat, Baskets, Creative Tools (pen, paintbrush, microphone)

Colors: Deep green, orange, burgundy deep reds

Herbs: Vervain, Sunflower, Rosemary

Food/Drink: Grain, Honey, Nuts, Berries, Beer, Cider

Incense: Frankincense, Rosemary

Crystals: Tiger’s Eye, Obsidian

Ways to Celebrate!

Use this holiday to celebrate the things in life granted to you. Share your talents with others. Go for a walk in nature. Have a feast.

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2 years ago

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4 years ago

Liquor Magic: Ginger Cardamom Vodka

A long time ago I made a few posts with recipes for flavored liqueurs that could be made and used for magical purposes that also just tasted really really good. It’s been awhile, but here’s another tasty one. Of course, this recipe is intended for those of legal drinking age.

This is a vodka flavored with raw ginger, honey, cardamom, and thyme. It’s great on it’s own or as a hot toddy. It can also make the deadliest dark and stormy ever. This recipe is best for when you need the energy and confidence to make things happen. For this recipe you will need

-One fifth of vodka, or 3 and a quarter cups of vodka

-1 cup of honey

-1 cup of grated raw ginger (be careful when doing this, my hand was burning by the end of it)

-¼ cup of crushed caradmom pods or of ground cardamom (I recommend using the pods, I used ground cardamom and you can’t really strain it out as well, so it leaves a precipitate at the bottom)

-2 tablespoons of dried thyme

To make:

Combine all the ingredients in a large jar, awakening the desired property of each ingredient. Store away in a cabinet somewhere for 3 to 5 days. Once that time has passed strain out the solid ingredients into another jar or bottle using a mesh strainer or cheese cloth. And you’re done!

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Hey if any of you guys are interested in demonology at all to any extent, grimoire.org is the most amazing and well-sourced resource I’ve ever seen, it cites everything from multiple historical grimoires, has a publishing timeline for them, displays sigils, has a section set aside for each demons powers, even lists similar demons, and it’s all very easy to understand the way it’s set up. Can not recommend it enough, it has more demons and more info than I’ve seen listed elsewhere

MAGICK BUTTER CHICKEN FOR GAINING BALANCE AND CONTROL

I feel like everything that is happening in the world current time, has really thrown everyones energies off balance. Being an empath, this makes it hard for me to ground myself, when overwhelmed by so much draining energy and negativity. In times like this, sometimes, we can’t control everything that is happening around us. With this acceptance, sit back, and cook yourself some butter chicken. Because you ~ really deserve it.

Ingredients:

Fresh Produce:

1 medium-sized onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp fresh grated ginger

1 ½ pounds cubed chicken breast

Squeeze of lemon

Dairy:

1 cup half and half

¼ cup plain yogurt

6 tbsp ghee (Angels tips. Ghee is healthier than butter, reduces heart attack risk, and helps with the absorption of magick herbs!)

Pantry:

2 tsp olive oil

8 oz can tomato sauce

5 tbsp tomato paste

Pinch of sugar

Magick Spices:

1 ½ tsp chili powder ~ warding, hex breaking, good outcomes, spell booster

1 tsp paprika ~ healing, increases power, comfort

Pinch of cayenne pepper ~ protection, strength, empowerment

1 tbsp garam masala ~ healing, protection, strength, comfort

Salt and pepper to taste ~ Warding and protection

Directions

In a large deep pan, heat extra virgin olive oil. Add in garlic, onions, chicken, and ginger. Mix in with all of your spices.

Now melt in ghee, and cook until it is about ¾ of the way done. Cook on medium heat.

Then pour in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, lemon juice, sugar, yogurt and half and half. Stir to combine fully. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes to allow the sauce to reduce.

Taste the sauce, and add whatever you feel suits your taste. You can even add more magickal ingredients to this recipe to fit your magick needs!

Serve over white rice, and garlic naan.

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1 year ago

Dried orange slices = Mini Solstice Suns The perfect decoration for a Yule Log. Here’s a way to dry some for our event this Saturday! https://www.thehappierhomemaker.com/diy-dried-orange-slices/ Event invite: https://facebook.com/events/2455125771377780/ #InnerCircleSanctuary #ICSEvent #Wicca #witchcraft #Yule #YuleLogs #crafting #solstice #WinterSolstice https://www.instagram.com/p/B5q1ArGndfb/?igshid=utay482dm2zp