Samain

Samhain is almost upon us again.
what to do...
where to do it
how and who do with it with...

let us feast, and make merry and remember our loved ones as the new year approaches

Mabon

We are coming upon Mabon or the Autumnal Equinox. It is this time of year that I really begin to think about all that is wonderful about Autumn. The spices, the squashes, the aromas, the colors and the festivals.

The holiday of Mabon is called many things: Autumn Equinox, the Feast of the Ingathering, etc. It is ritual of thanksgiving for the fruits of the earth and a recognitions of the need the share them to secure the blessings of the Goddess. The name Mabon was coined by Aidan Kelly around 1970 as a reference to Mabon ap Modron, a character from Welsh mythology. In the northern hemishphere this equinox occurs anywhere from Sept. 21 to 24. In the southern hemisphere, the equinox occurs anywhere from March 19 to 22. It is preceded by Lammas and followed by Samhain.

So grab a slice of pumpkin pie and a tall mug of cider and give thanks for all that we are about to sow in our lives. Mabon is HERE!!

Lord Oak's Reign

Now is the time for the Great Lord Oak to reign and bestow upon us all his worldly and otherworldly knowledge. May he truly "Suess" it up. :)

Here is what the tree Oak means to us.
Genus: Quercus alba
Folk Names: Duir, Jove's Nuts, Juglans
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Deity: Daga, Dianus, Jupiter, Thor, Zeus, Herne, Janus, Rhea, Cybele, Hecate, Pan, Erato
Power: Protection, Health, Money, Healing, Potency, Fertility, Luck

With this in mind remember that by choosing a magickal name, it imparts upon us those traits which the name carries. May Lord Oak carry this name well and guide us until Samain :)

Windtree Ranch

Windtree Ranch is a Sister Group of ours and I would like to promote it a bit here.

"Spiritual growth takes time. A vow to a monastic lifestyle was made in 1979. SummerLand Monastery, ATC was conceived in 1991. Incorporated as Summerland Corp. in 1994. WindTree Ranch was established as the mortgaged home of SummerLand Monastery, ATC in 1996. "Mortgage free in 2003" was our goal and we made it! Gas prices undermined our work on the land. Teaching off the land was accomplished from 2003-2008. In June of 2008 we moved to Mexico.
Now we are teaching rural subsistence farmer's children so that they will be able to support themselves in Mexico. We have lived on the USA/Mexico border long enough to know how non-productive a lifestyle can be when parents keep trying to "jump the border" for a better life. We are working from Central Mexico to increase educational levels from inside Mexico. "

If you would like to help Windtree Ranch accomplish their latest goal please visit their website at
http://summerlandmonastery.org/SM-main.php

Vision for the continuing education of our coven

If possible I would like to have you guys do some lessons on a book that you have read. I know that this seems like a book report of sorts but I promise that you will get so much more from it spiritually than reading "Catcher in the Rye".

I would like you all to search within yourself and find a topic that calls to you. Be it tarot or druidism or something else that you find fascinating or deeply moving. I would like for you to find a book on the topic. Not just any book on the topic though because otherwise you will be going to Hastings or Borders to find any old book.

I want you to find a difficult book on the topic. IE: if you are in to the idea of Stregheria. Look up Leland's Aradia. Think of something a little more textbook style and go from there. You will find that there is a real reward to struggling through a book written by people hundreds of years ago about magick and learning what they have learned rather than wading your way through a book that gives you the information like prechewed food.

Lughnasadh

Lughnasadh or Lammas is comming up in a couple of weeks. So here is a brief overview of what is going on with it. For ritual I would like everyone to bring something special that they can demonstrate how Lughnasadh makes them feel. It could be a sheaf of wheat or corn to illustrate the harvest. It could be a cornucopia to help in offering of a great harvest before winter. Let your imagination run away with you.

Lammas is a Neo-Pagan holiday, being a cross-quarter holiday between the Summer Solstice (Litha) and the Autumnal Equinox (Mabon). It is opposite Imbolc, which is celebrated on February 2nd in the northern hemisphere, and late July / early August in the southern hemisphere. Lammas takes place with the Sun near the midpoint of Leo in the tropical zodiac.

Lughnasadh was one of the four main festivals of the medieval Irish calendar: Imbolc at the beginning of February, Beltaine on the first of May, Lughnasadh in August and Samhain in October. One early Continental Celtic calendar was based on the lunar, solar, and vegetative cycles, so the actual calendar date in ancient times may have varied.[citation needed] Lughnasadh marked the beginning of the harvest season, the ripening of first fruits, and was traditionally a time of community gatherings, market festivals, horse races and reunions with distant family and friends. Among the Irish it was a favored time for handfastings - trial marriages that would generally last a year and a day, with the option of ending the contract before the new year, or later formalizing it as a more permanent marriage

The Coven of the Sacred Stone People adhere to a druid philosophy. We are ecclectic in many ways and draw power and strength from various walks of life but our main doctrine comes from what we know of the Druid faith.

We are essentially tree huggers and nature lovers. We strive to promote an eco-friendly and sustainable lifestyle for not only ourselves but our whole planet.

We cannot own the planet but rather belong to it. We are the Earth's children and up till now have been very naughty indeed. Let us honor and revere her so that we can come back home.

The Sacred Stone People Statement

The Sacred Stone People are an Arizona based Wiccan coven. We are relatively small but have been known to accept new members on occasion. We are a non-profit religious organization and have open ritual dates that are available to the public. Dates are on the sidebar if you wish. Please contact us if you wish to attend. Closed meetings are closed to the public and only for coven members.

We have a Clan that consists of non regular members. They are allowed to attend open and semi-open meetings without special invitation.

Meetings are held on a 40 acre plot in the Bisbee area, nestled in the beautiful Mule Mountains.

New Website for The Sacred Stone People

This blog will be monitored and closely taken care of so that the coven members of the Sacred Stone People as well as any Clan members of the outer Clan will have access to news and dates of ritual.

I am going to use mostly ritual names in this blog for privacy purposes.

No one's personal information will be posted unless I have the strict permission to do so. Also the coven members as well as the Clan members know of the usual spots for ritual and therefore will not be posted on this blog. If you have a desire to come to an open ritual please contact me at http://www.apothecaryalchemia.live.com/. You may also contact Lady Zabella and Lord Oak at http://www.thesourcewithin.yahoo.com/.

Other than these precautions, please enjoy. :)

Blessed Be. )0(

Lady Rainya