Constructing my Ice Moon Esbat Ritual

glitter-graphics.com

February is the Ice Moon, in which is a time to renew our energy. Since the heaviest snow usually falls during this month, native tribes of the North and East most often call February's Full Moon the Full Snow Moon. Some tribes also referred to this Moon was the Full Hunger Moon since harsh weather conditions in their areas made hunting very difficult.

The influence of Full Moons is felt three days before and three days after, giving you a while week to perform the Esbat ritual, but I try to make it as close to the actual day as possible. We use Full Moons to do magic in completion, success, gains, and accomplishments. They are also good for abundance, animal blessings, banishing negativity, business success, drawing power, employment, energy, friendship, garden blessing, health, love, meditation, otherworld, peace, self cleansing, and strength.

Some things that are helpful to look up about certain moon's are:

-the names
-herbs
-colors
-flowers
-scents
-stones
-trees
-animals
-birds
-deities
-power flow

This is the correspondences for this next Full Moon
Ice Moon (February)

Also known as: Storm Moon, Horning Moon, Hunger Moon, Wild Moon, Red & Cleansing Moon, Quickening Moon, Solmonath (Sun Month), Big Winter Moon

Nature Spirits: house faeries, both of the home itself and of house plants

Herbs: balm of Gilead, hyssop, myrrh, sage, spikenard

Colors: light blue, violet

Flowers: primrose

Scents: wisteria, heliotrope

Stones: amethyst, jasper, rock crystal

Trees: rowan, laurel, cedar

Animals: otter, unicorn

Birds: eagle, chickadee

Deities: Brigit, Juno, Kuan Yin, Diana, Demeter, Persephone, Aphrodite

Power Flow: energy working toward the surface; purification, growth, healing. Loving the self. Accepting responsibility for past errors, forgiving yourself, and making future plans.


This is also a great time to make moon water (which at this time of the year is a great time to use that abundance of snow outside.) if using snow, make sure it is melted, strained through a coffee filter a few times to get the chunks of stuff out like sticks and vegitation, and make sure you boil it well to kill any microscopic nasties. Then you can empower it and charge it with the moon light! Use it over the next month for watering plants, offerings, spell work, etc.)

ok so using this info, see what you can come up with. When I finally get mine done I will post it :D Can't wait to see what you guys come up with!

Blessed Be
Amistis

YouTubein

Ok I have been working on making more videos, kind of trying to think of ideas to vlog about. I am currently uploading another one --woot 2 in one day! So we'll see how it goes. If you get time check it out! Here are the addys to my stuff.


http://www.youtube.com/user/mooseph2005
http://www.myspace.com/mooseph
http://www.myspace.com/amistismysteria
mooseph 2005 for AIM
mooseph_2005 for yahoo
mooseph_2005@yahoo.com my main email

Blessed Be!
Amistis

Esbats

Esbats are rites held for the purpose of communing with the Moon's energies and are regarded as the time for most magickal workings. As opposed to the Sabbats, which are fire or sun festivals, Esbats are dedicated to the Moon in her various phases. These are considered the 'working' celebrations, the time in which to attract, banish, invoke protection, or to perform any other magickal workings. Most Sabbat festivals are held in order to celebrate the changing of the seasons, the gathering of the harvest, etc. The Esbats are held in honor of the Goddess. The Lunar Year contains 13 Full Moons. These have all been called by various names in the past but the ones that seem to have become the most popular are:

MODERN ANCIENT CELTIC
January Wolf Moon Fearn - Alder
February Ice or Storm Moon Saille - Willow
March Chaste Moon Nuin - Ash
April Seed or Growing Moon Huathe - Hawthorn
May Hare Moon Duiir - Oak
June Mead Moon Tinne - Holly
July Hay Moon Coll - Hazel
August Corn Moon Muin - Vine
September Harvest Moon Gort - Ivy
October Blood Moon Ngetal - Reed
November Snow Moon Beth - Birch
December Oak or Cold Moon Luis - Rowan


But that's only 12 you say? That's because the 13th Moon is called the Blue Moon, this occurs when four full moons fall within the same season (as regular seasons only have 3 full moons, the fourth full moon between solstice and equinox, or vice versa, is the Blue Moon). Obviously this must happen once a year, and always at a different time due to the inaccuracies of the modern calendar. The Celts originally set their year to correspond with the 13 moons but with the coming of the Romans and their method of calendar keeping this tradition was lost. Their 13th Moon was called Ruis or Elder. The Blue Moon is considered the 'goal moon', at this time it is customary to set specific goals for yourself and to review your accomplishments and failures since the last one.

The other 12 Moons all have special meanings as well.

January is the time to conserve energy by working on personal problems that involve no one else. It is also a time for protection rites and reversing spells. During this month the energy flow is sluggish and below the surface.


February is the time for loving the self, accepting responsibility for past errors, forgiving yourself, and making future plans. At this time the energy flow is working toward the surface; good for purification, growth, and healing.


March is the time for new beginnings, breaking illusions, and seeing the truth in your life however much it may hurt. The energy flow breaks into the open, a good time for growing, prospering, and exploring. Light and Dark are in balance now.


April is the time for working on your temper, emotional flare-ups, and selfishness. The energy is flowing into creating and producing; a good time for change, self-confidence issues, taking advantage of opportunities, and realizing self-reliance.


May is the time for strengthening the connections with supernatural protectors and beings around you. The energy is in full flow making this a good time for intuition, propagating, and connecting with faeries and nature spirits.


June is the time for decision making, taking responsibility for present happenings, working on personal inconsistencies, and for strengthening and rewarding yourself for your positive traits. The energy is in full, but restive, flow, the Earth tides are turning making this a good time for protection, strengthening, and prevention spells.


July is the time for dream-work, divination, and meditation on spiritual goals and plans. The energy is slower and more relaxed, proper for success and prosperity spells. This month is the time to start preparing for the colder and darker months ahead.


August is the time for harvesting, gathering, and appreciating. The energy flow is slowing more and now is the time of vitality, health, and friendships.


September is the time for organizing and straightening up physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual clutter. The energy flow is resting and Light and Dark are in balance.


October is the time for inner cleansing. Meditate on the laws of Karma and thoughts of reincarnation. This is the time of letting go, justice, balance, and inner harmony.


November is the month of transformation. It is time to prepare for the coming winter and a time to strengthen communication with the god or goddess closest to you. The energy flow is taking root and preparing to flow once more.


December is the time of Spiritual Paths. The Earth tides are turning and it is time to reach out to friends and family, the lonely, and the needy. This is the month of death and renewal. Spells should should be aimed at endurance and provision.

Hopefully this info will help in designing Esbat Rituals in the future.
FYI-the next full moon is February 9, 2009 Monday

Better...

I'm feeling much better now, ate my first real food in almost 2 days. Took a nice nap and that helped. So now I am just doing my thing with my boyfriend sleeps on the couch. Thats about all, nothing special...
Amistis

Sick

Sorry I haven't posted anything. I have been sick and spending a long amount of time of the couch. I had some vernors but that wouldn't stay down, was achy, tired, feverish, sometimes i was chilled then i'd be burning up and had to get everything off of me. I was gonna go to the store to get gatorade and jello but I couldn't make it off the couch without my belly starting to roll-hence the vernors coming back.

Sorry if its TMI but yea, that all I have to write about right now. My WONDERFUL boyfriend got me the gatorade and strawberry jello on his way home from work. How I love him so!!!

Oh! Yesterday I ran to one of my witchy friends houses to pick of a small round table for a portable altar, and she makes artist trading cards, so she gave me one of those and an altar cloth she had made for the table, kind of like a quilt style. I am so not creative it ain't even funny.

So thats about it. I'm clean and minty now, I have to go to class by 8am to take a math test, what joy! Then I get to come home and J-E-L-L-O!

Blessed Be!

Amistis

Blessed Imbolc!

So far today I got up at the crack of dawn for class. Its not as warm as yesterday, there's a bit of crisp in the air. I drove to school, went to Algebra, then found a cool new spot to do my studying with my 2 hrs between class. I like it better than my other new spot because its got a whole wall of windows and the sun was shining through it making me warm enough to shed my coat. So its almost 11am, so I go up to my Philosophy of World Religions class only to find out it was cancelled and I sat there for 2 extra hours for nothing...go figure. So I got home a bit early, the clouds have started rolling in. I fed the kitties, then decided to run to the store. I got more eggs, cake mix and frosting with sprinkles! little debbies and a bag of doritos with the two different kind of chips to snack on, dry cat food and cat treats. Then I realized we were almost out of milk and I forgot to buy some so I swung into the gas station. When I got home I shoveled a path to the back yard where my garden hibernates and my bird feeders lay barren. Then I go inside, take the little bit of milk I had left and pour it onto the part of my garden I uncovered, and watched it melt the snow, as I thought of a plentiful, healthy garden. Then I make the jug into another bird feeder since the squirrel destroyed my other one. Filled them up with the last of my seed, and on the way back in, it went from spooky quiet to tons of loud chitter chatters from the birds like they were saying "CHOW TIME!" So now I am going to bake my cake. Later I will do my ritual after my love goes to work, and I don't know what it'll consist of yet, but I do plan on incorporating melting snow into it. So I'll be on later to add whatever I end up doing! Blessed Imbolc!

Ok I'm back again, did my ritual thingy, posted a new vid on youtube. Posted pics of my ritual on www.myspace.com/amistis

Right now I am melting snow, then straining it through a coffee filter, then boiling it to kill any remaining nasties, then when its cooled down, I shall store it for future ritual use. Good old snow water!
Amistis

Going to babysit...

Leavin in a few to babysit for my friend, her daughter is Alyvia. I am so tired, but hey I do what I can to help.

Had some disturbing dreams tho...

first one my brother and his wife were preggers, and they were tryin to have a baby (which is funny cuz last i knew she was on birth control)

second one, I was after my friends man and I told her what i did and she got mad naturally and i told her please dont be mad, you were next...um ok then

i asked for visions not crazy fest man these are NOT visions....

Ok here I am again (11:22pm). I took a nap cuz I am so freakin tired. Maybe ritual sapped it outta me? I still don't know what I should do for my OWN Imbolc celebration at home. I was thinking I could make a cake, and smudge my house, milk offering, dunno what else tho. I'm gonna try to research some of that when I got time in between classes tomorrow, and when I figure it out, I'll post what I did.

So baby sitting went well, I cleaned her kitchen. I did all the dishes and scubbed stuff, and it was so perty when I was done. I wish I had a big kitchen like hers and I love the old looking windows, and man do they let the light in! OHHHHHHH that REMINDS me! When I was scrubbin dishes, I looked out the window in front of me and saw something moving. Then I realized it was a FREAKIN HUUUUGGGEEE HAWK, and I stood there watching for a while, then it grabbed whatever it was eating and flew off with it in its talons. It was so cool. Then when I let their dog out to go potty there was a fat squirrel, and man was that stinker cute!

It was strangly warm today, like 41 degrees, but don't get used to it they said, cuz its going back down into the 20's the rest of the week. Gotta love Michigan weather. So anyways, I'm going to finish up this groovy stuff for class tomorrow, then I'm hittin the shower and bed. Gotta be up about 7am tomorrow, what joy!
BB
Amistis