In the Suffolk countryside this wiccan coven is fulfilling, revealing and fun.
During our Yuletide ritual this year they will, once again do battle. This happens twice a year. At Yule the Oak King will win the fight, and rule until Litha at midsummer, when the Holly King will again hold sway.
The battle is symbolic, these two are always present, with one coming to the forefront with greater influence at each half of the year.
These kings represent different ideas. The time of the Oak King is for growth, development, healing, and starting new projects while the Holly King gives us time for rest, reflection, and learning.
The Queen of Midwinter, the Goddess of the winter moon, will be represented by our crone, meeting the Ivy Queen as she presents King Holly and then King Oak. Sides will be taken, as supporters cheer on their champion but the result is well known. King Holly will succumb, with good grace, to allow King Oak to bring in the growing strength of the sun.
Here we are in the middle of winter. With this ceremony we can glimpse the exciting new future. The world has turned, and its face will slowly gather more from the strength of the sun.
The Hunter's Moon and Harvest Moon are not brighter, bigger, or yellower than during other times of the year. But all full moons have their own special characteristics, based primarily on the whereabouts of the ecliptic in the sky at the time of year that these moons are visible. And the full moons of September, October and November as seen from the northern hemisphere often seem larger and brighter
In general, the moon rises about 50 minutes later each day, as it moves in orbit around Earth. All full moons rise around the time of sunset. The Harvest Moon and Hunter's Moon are special because the time of moonrise on successive evenings is shorter than usual. In other words, the moon rises more like 30 minutes later, from one night to the next, as seen from about 40 degrees N. latitude, for several evenings around the full Hunter's or Harvest Moons.
The sky remains brighter, for longer and was used by hunters to track their preyn.
The reason for the shorter-than-usual rising time between successive moonrises around the time of the Harvest and Hunter's Moon is that the ecliptic - or plane of Earth's orbit around the sun - makes a narrow angle with respect to the horizon in the evening in autumn.
The Gaulish calendar may have divided the year into two halves, the 'dark' half, beginning with the month Samonios (the October/November lunation), and the 'light half', beginning with the Giamonios (the April/May lunation). The entire year appears to have been considered as beginning with the dark half, so that the beginning of Samonios may be considered the Celtic New Year's day. All months began at full moon, and the celebration of New Year took place during the 'three nights of Samonios' or trinux, the full moon of nearest the midpoint between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice.
The full moons marking the middle of each half-year may also have been specific festivals, the Coligny calendar marks the mid-summer one, as Lughnasadh, but omits the mid-winter one, Imboc.
The seasons are not directly linked to the solar year, the solstice and equinox but the midsummer festival was considerably later than the summer solstice, around 1st August. It appears that the calendar was designed to align the lunations with the agricultural cycle of vegetation, and that the actual movements of the Sun were less important.
In medieval Ireland, ''samain'' remained the principal festival, celebrated with a great assembly at the royal court in the Hill of Tara, lasting for three days, consistent with the Gaulish testimony.
The popular literature over the last century or so has given birth to the near universal assumption that Samhain, now associated with Halloween, was the Celtic New Year. This is now being disputed.
In Stations of the Sun' (Oxford University Press, 1996), the historian Ronald Hutton points out that there are no references earlier than the 18th century in either church or civic records that suggest this was true. It is generally correct to say that Samhain is Summers End. With the end comes a new beginning.
The etymology of the word is complex: Samhain' is from the Old Irish samain, samuin, samfuin, referring to lathe na samna', samhain day, on 1st November, and the festival and royal assembly at that date in medieval Ireland ('oenaig na samna, samhain night). It is often known as summers end, and spelt with an 'f'' that suggests 'sam' summer and 'fuin' sunset or end. The Old Irish 'sam' is summer, in Welsh it may be 'haf' in Breton' 'hañv', in Old Norse 'sumar' all meaning "summer", and finally in Sanskrit there is 'sáma' for season.
So Samhain may not refer to summer at all but to an assembly, although the word is derived from words meaning summer – confused, so are we. If you need more look at Wikipedia
We intend to hold beach Esbats on the next two moons, the Barley Moon on the shores of the Deben and the Harvest Moon on the Stour. We will continue to experiment with Fire Scrying. Pyromancy, as this is known, can be used in the same manner as other divinatory tools such as the Crystal Ball and the black mirror, one has something to focus upon, rather than de-focusing the mind. It is important to use local and natural driftwood to enhance the scrying. A light ,trance-like and relaxed state of mind works best and makes it easier to see the fire-shapes which give images for interpretation.
The next Carlford Coven Esbat is Thursday 13th April. We call this moon the Hare Moon and as she waxes full we will concentrate on and observe the rabbits and hares leaping and playing, carefree in their mating and joyful in their games. This sacred animal was associated in legend with springtime and fertility and they will make us feel within our hearts the carefree nature of these wild creatures.
It's a celebration that we have now revolved through all the seasons at this site. Last year's ceremony to celebrate Ostara (which we then called Oestre, only because either name can be used) remains on the site at Oestre where you will find more pictures of this year's successful rite.
