Seasons of Wicca: The Essential Guide to Rituals and Rites to Enhance Your Spiritual Journey - Ambrosia Hawthorn 2020
August Moon
Moon Celebrations (Esbats)
Rituals to Enhance your Spiritual Journey
Gregorian Calendar: The August moon is often called the corn, barley, red, or sturgeon moon. During this full moon, work on magic relating to abundance, health, prosperity, and renewal.
Celtic Tree Calendar: The Holly moon is celebrated until August 4 and the Hazel moon is celebrated from August 5 to September 1. The Celtic name for hazel is coll, pronounced kol. The Holly moon is associated with beauty, protection, luck, and dreams, and the Hazel moon is associated with manifestation, protection, knowledge, and wisdom.
PROSPERITY MANDALA ESBAT
One of the major elements of the month of August is prosperity. You can see this in the land itself; fields are full of crops as the harvest season begins. In this ritual, you’ll use foraged items to create a seasonal mandala—a symbolic circular, symmetrical design—to honor the bounty of the earth and bring prosperity into your life.
Ritual Setting
Outdoors under the full moon
Tools and Supplies
Wand or athame
Elemental representations
Deity representation
Foraged decorative items for mandala—corn, barley, yellow flowers, herbs, and stones
Camera (optional)
PRIOR TO THE RITUAL
1.Shower or bathe, visualizing all old or unwanted energies leaving your being.
2.Find an outdoor space to use as an altar. Cleanse the space.
PREPARING THE ALTAR
Set up the outdoor altar space with the tools and supplies. Use a table if you’d like. Place the elemental and deity representations intuitively around the altar space.
THE RITUAL
1.Cast a circle of protection. Hold the wand or athame as an extension of your hand to gather and direct energy as you call upon the elements. Starting from the east and ending north, call upon the element of air for mental clarity, the element of fire for power, the element of water for fluidity, and the element of earth for stability.
2.Invoke the God and Goddess or deity of your choice by saying something like: “Goddess of the Corn Moon, I invite you to my sacred circle tonight.”
3.With the foraged decorative items, begin to construct a mandala, working from the center and continuing outward. Try to make your mandala as symmetrical as possible. As you place each item, focus your thoughts and intentions on prosperity, noticing how your life reflects the Corn moon’s energy. Where do you see prosperity and abundance in your own life?
4.As you complete each stage of the circular pattern, chant: “From seed to harvest, Mother Earth, I thank you.”
5.Continue constructing the mandala. When you’re finished, close your eyes and meditate for 5 to 10 minutes.
6.If you’d like, take a photograph of your mandala, as you will leave it behind.
7.Thank the Goddess: “Goddess of the Corn Moon, I thank you for your guidance tonight.”
8.Release the elements in reverse order by beginning facing the north and ending east, thanking each element for their assistance and bidding them farewell. Then open the circle by saying: “I open this circle and release the energy back into the earth.”
9.Return the foraged mandala to the earth as an offering.
BURN AND BANISH HEALTH ESBAT
Health and renewal are two other important themes of the August Corn moon. It’s a time to take stock of your life and to focus on your spiritual and physical health. What needs to be banished from your life in order for you to feel renewed and to move forward in a positive direction?
Ritual Setting
Altar
Tools and Supplies
Wand or athame
Elemental representations
Deity representation
1 pillar or votive candle—black (for banishing)
Fire-safe plate or candle holder
Lighter or matches
Black permanent marker
4 to 6 bay leaves
Fire-safe cauldron
Offering of choice—baked goods, crafts, or foraged items
PRIOR TO THE RITUAL
1.Shower or bathe, visualizing all old or unwanted energies leaving your being.
2.Cleanse the altar.
PREPARING THE ALTAR
Place the tools and supplies on the altar. Place the elemental and deity representations intuitively around the altar space.
THE RITUAL
1.Cast a circle of protection. Hold the wand or athame as an extension of your hand to gather and direct energy as you call upon the elements. Starting from the east and ending north, call upon the element of air for mental clarity, the element of fire for power, the element of water for fluidity, and the element of earth for stability.
2.Invoke the Goddess or deity of your choice by saying something like: “Wise Crone of the Triple Goddess, join me in my circle and lend me your wisdom and guidance.”
3.Light the black banishing candle on the fire-safe plate.
4.Reflect on your spiritual and physical health. Using the permanent marker, write on the bay leaves the things you wish to banish from your life. What’s causing you burnout, fatigue, or stress?
5.Once you are finished writing, set fire to the bay leaves one at a time, using the flame of the banishing candle. Place the burning bay leaves in the fire-safe cauldron.
6.When the last bay leaf is burning, visualize everything causing you stress or difficulty being banished from your life.
7.Thank the Goddess and leave your offering: “Wise Crone of the Triple Goddess, I thank you for your wisdom and guidance tonight.”
8.Release the elements in reverse order by beginning facing the north and ending east, thanking each element for their assistance and bidding them farewell. Then open the circle by saying: “I open this circle and release the energy back into the earth.”
9.Extinguish the candle. Allow the bay leaves to burn out. Take any ash outside and return it to the earth as an offering.