The Sabbats & Feast Days

21st December ~~ Winter Solstice/Yule ~ Honouring the Solar Deity/Sol Invictus aka Cernunnos and celebrating his return with the Light again dominating the sky with the lighter days just ahead. This is when the day is longest in darkness.

1 January ~~ New Year’s Day ~ Feasting of foods in which are to bring prosperity, health and happiness ahead in the New Year. Foods such as black eyed peas, rice balls, greens, foods that are of yellows, reds, and orange colours.

1 February ~~ Imbolg/Lupercus/Candlemas ~ Honouring Sol Invictus as this is his time of healing and bringing light to the Earth. Also honoured during this time as the feast is known as Bridgid’s Day. A time in which we honour the return of fertility and healing to land and its creatures the beginning of life born. Sicknesses are healed and the working with fire energy to remove anything negative. This is a time in which candles are light to shine bright

21st March ~~ Spring Equinox/Middle Eastern ~ Islam New Year/Ostara ~~ We honor the rising of new life on the Earth and begin sowing the soils for new seeds to be planted, and nurtured. In Ritual we honour the the awakening of the our Solar Deity/Apollo/Attis/Ra and known by many other names for the rising again to bring new life and fertility to the lands.

24th March ~~ Feast of Gabriel ~~ Arch Angel of Communication and the Western Quarter ~ workings with communications and spring energy.

1 May ~~ Beltaine ~ The Joining of Love in Marriage, where we honour the Mother and Father with the dancing of the May Pole and the leaping of the fires for purification and fertility.

21st June – 23 June ~~ Summer Solstice/Midsummer ~ Purification time and celebrating the battle between light and dark. This is the longest day of the year in which we again prepare with the upcoming harvests to settle in for the Winter months ahead.

28th July ~~ Feast of Uriel ~~ Arch Angel of Earth and the Northern Quarter, Protection, Healing, Traditions, House and Home, Success, Love, and Stability.

1 August ~~ Lammas/Bread Feast/Cornucopia ~~ A time in which we feast with Bread and Wine or Juice in where we honour the first of three harvests with the meal of grains and the first reaped harvest of foods just above the earth.

13th August ~~ Feast of Diana {Patron Mother Goddess of the Temple and Church}

21-23rd September ~~ Autumn Equinox/Mabon/First of three Harvest Festivals ~ A time when we honour the Goddess as she again reigns on the lands, Demeter.

29th September ~~ Feast of Michael ~~ Arch Angel of the Southern Quarter ~ Justice and Protection workings.

24th October ~~ Feast of Raphael ~~ Arch Angel of the Eastern Quarter ~ Healing, working with and crossing over the dead, removal of the negative and psychic, meditation, intuition workings.

31 October ~~ Samhain/Halloween/Witches New Year ~ Remembering and honouring Demeter and Kore for the Mother who losses her daughter to the Underworld she weeps and brings darkness and the cold chill of Winter for all to endure. We celebrate the ending of the year that has passed, we focus on honouring the dead and our ancestors, inasmuch, we too send out our Wishes for the year ahead and focus on removal of the negative and un-needed energies from our lives and the world. Food is prepared and put out as offerings to those who pass by from the Underworld who seek to spend time amoung the humans. We give money and candy for the blessings of prosperity to those who ring the door bells or who are in need.

Within the Inner Court of the Temple we do honour and venerate the feast days of most Gods and Goddess in the Roman Greco Calendar as well as feast days of Egyptian Pantheon.

Many times if we do not celebrate as one in Circle, we do serve the Goddess and God by working to assist others, be in volunteering to assist feeding in a Homeless Shelter, working in the Red Cross or doing something for another who is of more need. In this we honour and serve the Lady and Lord.

These are the main holidays in which we celebrate either in Ritual with others or on our own with friends and family.
Esbats are celebrated on the Full Moon of each month in which the days shall differ month to month. If the Esbat is not able to be attended in full ritual a simply ritual of honour is accepted, inasmuch, if one is unable to celebrate on the Full Moon directly, they may also honour Her three nights prior to the Full Moon and up to three nights following the Full Moon.

Supplies in which are needed for Rituals and Ceremonies
Candles ~~ Colours Used; Red, White, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Yellow, Pink, Purple, Gold and Silver. Represents the Fire Element
Incense [which are either in stick, cone or loose incense form], represents the Air Element.
Kosher Salt ~~ this is used to represent the Earth and used in nightly in our showers prior to sleep.
Pentagram Altar Tiles this is part of the altar’s main set up. Placed in the centre of the altar.
Silver Bell ~ used to announce the beginning of Ritual and to dispel any negative energy.
Chalice ~ Silver this is used to hold the water in which is represented on the altar.
Cauldron ~ this is used to burn wood to honour fire, inasmuch, it too can be used to represent the water element. Made of cast iron it is a tool of knowledge, wisdom and protection. The size is not important as they are heavy the bigger they get.
Conch Sea Shell to represent the Water or any clear bowl will do.

Jewellery we Wear
Pentagram [symbol in which we wear around our necks for protection], must be made of Silver or Gold. Rings of various stones are too worn, though we do not wear Onyx or any of the black stones.
Others may prefer the Triqueta which is known as the Celtic Knot, Ankh, Seven Pointed Star, equal lateral cross to name a few. All our jewelry is either Silver or Gold. We do not wear Pewter or any lead based jewellery.
Ritual Clothing and Accessories
Ceremonial Robes/Cloaks
Cords [red, black and white, our, our colours], braided and knotted.
Athame ~ this is a small version of a sword and represents knowledge and it is placed on the altar, or worn with the ritual garb.Statues ~ Main Pantheon for the Temple

Lammas, by Anna Franklin ~~ Current Sabbat coming on the 1st of August.
Midsummer, by Anna Franklin
Pagan Feasts, by Anna Franklin
The Wellspring, by Anna Franklin & Pamela Harvey
Ancient Ways; Reclaiming Pagan Traditions, by Pauline Campanelli ~ A journey through the Sabbats of a Witch, crafts, rituals, foods and more.

Communicating with the ArchAngel Uriel, Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael [series of 4 separate books], by Richard Webster; a guide to learn about the four Arch Angels in which we work with and honour, though these works are more focused to the directions as according to Kabbalah they are a good source to gain understanding into the workings of the Arch Angels.

The Art of Memory, by Francis Yates; based on the philosophy of Giordano Bruno inasmuch, by association to planets, colours or letters. This book will help you to understand the mind and how to apply what you learn and to memorize it by the speaking of a riddle, a word, colour, region and so on. This is taught to us within our trainings.

The History of Magic, by Eliphas Levi; a journey into the depths of our History and the founders in which many are forgotten today.

Magic in the Ancient World, by Fritz Graf;
From Library Journal

Whether because of uninspired translation or the author’s own heavy-handed writing, this work is a dull, disappointing read. Graf (classics, Univ. of Basel) presupposes that his reader is steeped in prior scholarly treatises on the history of magic and limits his study to the Greco-Roman period from the fifth century B.C. to the third century A.D. Relying primarily on literary sources from various papyri extant in European museums and libraries, he gives equal weight to oratorical allusions, theatrical fiction, and philosophical observations. He jumps back and forth in time and location without any discernible logic or progression. His connection of magic with religion, medicine, and astrology is hardly groundbreaking, and while his descriptions of spell casting are interesting, they do not lead to any articulated discussions. This work may have significance in academic circles where there has been considerable investigation into the origins and uses of magic, but it is not recommended for public libraries.?Rose M. Cichy, Osterhout Free Lib., Wilkes-Barre, Pa.