Category: Sabbat

Imbolg Sabbat

7/8/2021

Imbolg Sabbat
-by Lord Tanys

Imbolg is a very important Sabbat for me, not only because it is so awesome a time in itself, but because it marks several firsts for me.

Brighid's Bed circa 1997 Imbolg Sabbat 2021 Inner Circle Sanctuary

A Brighid's Bed c. 1997

I started my magical path as so many do, as a Solitary, with very eclectic practices. I began practicing Ceremonial Magick, and Witchcraft. I was in a dorm room on Nellis Air Force Base, and thanks to my gig with NAFB Honor Guard, was given a room to myself.
I did many of the exercises I found in my Wicca books, and some spells, but I don’t recall doing any Sabbats- if only I had kept a journal.

My first recollection of performing a Sabbat then, would be Imbolg 1991, with my soon-to-be first wife. I believe the Ritual itself was mainly a mix of Scott Cunningham and the Farrars. And wouldn’t you know my wonderful son was born in October of that year. “In the belly” (one of the more popularly understood meanings of the name of this Sabbat) indeed!

When I joined classes in the Temple of the Inner Circle, with our Founders Lady Morgana and Lord Mordred as my teachers was when my Witchcraft really kicked into overdrive. My first Sabbat with TOTIC was in fact Imbolg, with Lady Rochelle and Lord Karonis as the High Priestess and High Priest of the Ring. Our Sabbats have always been led by students, and after taking part in this particular one, my view of the seasonal practices of Wicca would never be the same.

We were in the desert near the lake and the glow of the fires lit strange shadows on all the rocky walls around us. The standard Sabbat set up for us in those pre-drought days included a fire in every quarter, and in the center, and one for Elders’ Row and one for Guests’ Row. The ring was immense, marked by a long rope, and even larger than the ring we had practiced in the weekend before in Lady Morgana’s front yard.

Lord Karonis was resplendent in the Black and Green robe of a First Degree Initiate, wearing a hugely horned helmet, and as he lit the Center Fire with a plumber’s torch, I thought to myself (and not for the first time in my burgeoning TOTIC career) “Wow, these people really know what they’re doing.” And when Lord Karonis delivers his lines, he proves this over and over again.

I remember Lady Rochelle also being an incredible earthly representative of the Goddess, in her robes and finery, and her voice ringing out into the night and one of the most Witchy deliveries I have ever heard. It gave me chills. Thankfully I got to see her do it again at Spring Equinox. These two were incredible leaders, and made my first Sabbat with Temple of the Inner Circle not only a game changer, but set the bar very high for Sabbat performance, which is a bar that to this day we try to reach and exceed.

“Wow, these people really know
what they’re doing.”

The beautiful thing about keeping to a Tradition, is that every time a Sabbat is done, it brings back memories, emotions, and Magick from Rings gone by. You can call it tapping in, or linking; Lady Morgana called it recharging your batteries. And it does.

As I read one of our Students’ essays, I was particularly struck by her description of the effect on her brought about by the sound of the High Priestess’ sword on the gravelly ground as she cast a more recent Ring. I could hear it in my memory, and it had that similar effect on me as I sat reading about it. In 1995, Lady Morgana’s yard, casting the Ring for practice, the sword pierced the grass, and wasn’t very audible. But a week later, in the desert at night, that sound was electrifying.

Brighid's Bed c. 1997

Imbolg is one of the two times the High Priest of the Ring delivers the Charge of the Goddess. The slight changes in Grammar are very interesting, as is the energy of the person filling the High Priest role. At one point in the Ritual, six people embody different aspects of the Divine, as three Goddesses and three Gods. When the Crown of Lights is “lit” on the head of the Mother Goddess, it is quite spectacular. Entrancing is the procession of those Goddesses, led by the Maiden Goddess as She sweeps away bad from the rest of the Solar Year, while the Coven chants.

We make an offering to the Goddess in the form of Brighid’s Bed. This is a beautiful piece of work crafted by the High Priestess of the Ring, and the Maiden. People sometimes ask why we would burn such a beautiful thing in our Center Fire. It is our belief that offerings to the Divine should absolutely be the best thing we can bring, afford, or make.

Similarly, Ritual as we practice our Sabbat Rituals, can be seen as an offering of the best things in ourselves we can offer the Gods.

As Lord Mordred would say, “It’s what we do.”

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Equilux

8/24/2020

Originally posted Sep 2015

2020 Update
The Autumn Equinox will occur on September 22, 2020 at exactly 6:31 AM.
The Autumn Equilux in Las Vegas will occur on September 25, 2020 - there will be 12:00:39 of daylight (hours/minutes/seconds).

Sun and Moon, Hartmann Schedel's Nuremberg Chronicle, 1493

Sun and Moon 1493

The equinox is not really when the day and night are equal. We know that "equinox" derives from the Latin: aequinoctium - "aequi" or "equi" + noct (nox) or night or "equal night"... but No, not equal by a few minutes of the day

At the precise moment of the EQUINOX, there are three things happening:

1.) the sun is at zenith over the equator
2.) where the sun rises, it does so exactly in the east and where it sets it does so exactly in the west and
3.) both northern & southern hemispheres are EQUALLY illuminated on the side of the planet that the sun is shining on.

For us, here in Las Vegas, the EXACT moment of the equinox happened at 1:22 AM, earlier today. That's it. That one precise moment in time at 1:22 AM was the equinox.

Here in Las Vegas, dawn was at 6:29 AM and sunset was at 6:36 PM; giving us 12 hours and 6 minutes of daylight. Not equal. (But it's only six minutes... you can't forgive 6 minutes?!) No.

There are two reasons for this inequality: First, the sun is not a point in the sky. It is a disk. The apparent size of the sun (it's BIG & CLOSE) matters. Second, the atmospheric refraction of the sunlight in relation to the latitude of your location. The earth's atmosphere bends the light adding or subtracting how much actual daylight you have. Check this site for a more thorough explanation: Day and night exactly equal at equinoxes? By Bruce McClure)

Somewhere in the early 2000's, someone (probably my soul twin), usurped the word "Equilux" to mean 'equal day and night'... taken from a lighting term meaning 'equal illumination' or 'equal light'.

Happy Thanksgiving by Faith Goble https://www.flickr.com/photos/grafixer/5189263412

But despite that most don't exactly know the astronomical details, the Autumnal Equinox is a time to give "Thanks" for the success of our harvests, whether literal or metaphorically, and to prepare and look to the future return of that bounty.

We pay respects to the coming forces of night and Winter and learn from them as we ourselves prepare for the dark season ahead. The night starts waxing and the day begins waning and we are reminded that nothing ever remains without change.

The Inner Circle Sanctuary celebrates all these aspects of the Autumn Equinox in it's ritual. We honor the Old Ones and pay respects to our ancestors by doing as they did in this season; by giving offerings from the harvest back to Mother Earth and to mark the season.

We hope your Autumnal Equinox was filled with love, laughter, family, and friendship... and a deep and loving connection with all that envelops us.

-Lady Atheona

Click on the photo for more pictures from the ICS Mabon 2015 Sabbat

2019 Update
Sunday, March 17 is the day of the Equilux here in Las Vegas
The Vernal Equinox is on Wednesday, March 20 at 2:58 PM.
The Autumnal Equinox is on Monday, September 23 at 12:50 AM.
The Equilux is on Thursday, September 26.

2018 Update
Friday, March 16 is the day of the EQUILUX here in Las Vegas (As close as it can be, at least). Day and Night are mere seconds away from being equal! Midday is at 12:49 p.m.
The Vernal EQUINOX will occur on Mar. 20, 2018 at exactly 9:15 am.

2016 UPDATE
In Las Vegas the EQUINOX is at Sep 22 7:21 AM PDT
The Equilux occurs on Sep 25 - ALL DAY with midday at 12:32 PM

2017 Update
In Las Vegas the EQUINOX is at September 22 Sat 6:54 PM PT
The EQUILUX occurs on Sep 26 - Wednesday ALL DAY with midday at 12:31 PM PT

Follow Inner Circle Sanctuary on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.

If you are interested in learning more about us,
please don't hesitate to Contact Us.

If you are interested in Joining our classes,
please start with our questionnaire here.

Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equinox
http://www.weather.com/science/nature/news/fall-autumnal-september-equinox
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/150922-equinox-autumn-seasons-sun-moon-space-science/ >> Great movie here 2:44 min
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/equinox
Why aren't there exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness on the fall equinox? http://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-fall-autumnal-equinox
Day and night exactly equal at equinoxes? By Bruce McClure http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/why-arent-day-and-night-equal-on-the-day-of-the-equinox
The Witches Bible by Janet and Stewart Farrar
ICS Sabbat packet

Improvise! Adapt! Overcome! Ostara during CoVid-19

3/31/2020

Improvise! Adapt! Overcome! has long been a motto of Inner Circle Sanctuary. That motto was put to the test recently with the viral outbreak of COVID19.

As state and federal officials were calling for self-isolation, many events locally, as well as throughout the country were cancelled. Non-essential businesses were closing doors, people were asked to go home and if you didn’t have to go out, then #stayhome.

Inner Circle Sanctuary is very good at keeping up with local and world events and the Elders were watching with a careful eye, to see how all of this would unfold. Our coven members’ safety is our first priority and with the implementation of social distancing for the next 30 days as ordered by our governor, our Ostara sabbat fell smack dab in the middle.

Winter Solstice 2019

12/15/2019

Here in Las Vegas, the Winter Solstice will occur at 8:19 PM on Saturday, December 21. The Solstice is an astronomical event occurring when the earth’s North Pole reaches its furthermost tilt away from the Sun. The day marks the lowest possible maximum elevation of the sun.
The shortest days & longest nights here in Las Vegas will occur from December 16th - 27th (daylight will only last for 7 hours & 42 minutes).

MabonMabonMabon!

9/19/2019

Mabon very well may be my favorite Sabbat on the Wheel of the Years. If the summer heat has not broken yet, it surely will soon, and that is something to be thankful for. This year, 2019, the temperatures were in the 70s the two weeks before Sabbat when I left for work, and it cheered my heart.

Ostara 2018

3/17/2018

Ga: Lady Anwyn
Gi: Lord Tanys
Jf: Lady Byathynne
V: Lord Gwendolen

The Sun God in the Wiccan Mythos

11/19/2017

THE SUN GOD
in the Wiccan Mythos
Presented by Inner Circle Sanctuary

SATURDAY, JANUARY 6, 2018
at 2pm
at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum
900 Las Vegas Blvd. North
Las Vegas, NV 89101

$12.00 Adults
$10.00 Seniors, Military and Students
$6.00 Children (3-11)
FREE Children (2 and younger),
Las Vegas Natural History Museum Members
ASTC Travel Passport Program (Two Adults & Two Children FREE)

https://www.facebook.com/LasVegasNaturalHistoryMuseum/

Midsummer 2017 Newsletter

6/19/2017

Midsummer - Summer Solstice
Estival Solstice
Tuesday, June 20, 2017 @ 9:24 PM PT

The Solstice is a celestial event that occurs when our planet's rotational axis, in either the northern or southern hemisphere, is most inclined towards the sun. The Earth is actually farthest from the Sun during this time of the year. The exact instant of time when the Sun is directly overhead the Tropic of Cancer marks the exact day and time of the solstice in June.

Isn't the Summer Solstice
the 'Beginning' of Summer?

When you look at your modern calendar, the Estival solstice is labeled as the beginning of Summer, so why do we call it Midsummer?

If we were to actually begin the seasons with the cross-quarter days of

Imbolg, the very beginning of spring,
Bealtaine, the very beginning of Summer.
Lughnasadh, the very beginning of the Autumn harvesting season, and
Samhain, the early beginning of Winter

then it's easy to see why the Summer Solstice is known as "Midsummer". (and why Yule is oft called "Midwinter".)

LITHA

Venerable Bede

Litha is a name often heard bandied about as another name for the Summer Solstice. Litha first came into use as a result of research by Aiden Kelly from a treatise called 'The Reckoning of Time' (De temporum ratione) written by a Northumbrian monk, Bede in 725 AD. The scholarly Bede described a variety of ancient calendars, including the Anglo-Saxon calendar that named the month of June (se Ærra Liþa, early Litha month) and July, (Æfterra Liþa, later Litha month). "It may have helped that it had been appropriated, as “Lithe,” for the Midsummer festival in the hobbits’ calendar in J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings (Tolkien 1966)." Aiden Kelly also brought the names of Mabon and Ostara into the neopagan vernacular so that all the sabbats could have traditional names.

Ancient Celebrations of the Solstice

Epona - a Vestal Virgin - Kupala See below for links

Celebrations of the Summer solstice occurs in history around the world, much like that of all the quarter days.

"In ancient China, the summer solstice was observed by a ceremony to celebrate the Earth, femininity, and the “yin” forces."
"In ancient Gaul, the Midsummer celebration was called Feast of Epona.
"Some Native American tribes held ritual dances to honor the Sun.
"For the Greeks, it would, according to some calendars, mark the start of the new year and the month-long countdown toward the Olympics.
"For the Romans, the solstice was the occasion for another unique exception to everyday life: on the first day of the festival of Vestalia, married women could, for one day only, enter the temples of the vestal virgins to make offerings to Vesta, goddess of the hearth and home.
"Mayas and Aztecs used the day as a marker by which to build many of their central structures, so that the buildings would align perfectly with the shadows of the two solstices, summer and winter.
"In Jewish tradition, it’s known as Tekufat Tammuz, the solstice of the month Tammuz.
"Eastern Europe celebrates the solstice with Kupala, a Slavic holiday with pagan roots. Named for the Slavic goddess Kupala, it was originally conceived as a fertility rite.
"Throughout Austria (and especially in the mountains of the Wilder Kaiser region of Tyrol), fires dot the countryside to celebrate the solstice."

Quoted from The Scientific American

How You Can Celebrate Midsummer

Osterfeuer TK on the beach of Binz, Rügen island, Germany by Tom Küpper - See below for link

Honor the longest day of the year. Wake at dawn. Stay up the entire day & night to greet the next day's sunrise.
Celebrate the power of the sun. Light candles specifically for the Sun when indoors or host a get-together around a bonfire.
Have a Midsummer's Night Bonfire Ritual. Include a barbecue feast to follow. Don't forget the Goddess! Supply a kiddie pool, squirt guns, water balloons and other water features.
Celebrate Fathers: Litha falls near Father's Day, so take some time and honor dads and the sacred masculine.
Use the day to recharge your magical tools by the light of the sun and the glow of the moon.
Attune with the God of the Green. Visit a nearby forest. Hike a trail. Meditate about and ground with your surroundings.
Head to the beach to soak in the heat of the Sun God but remember to cool off with the Ocean Goddess. Spend the evening there as well, with a bonfire to fight the chill coming off the water.
Light your bonfire by drawing down the sun and use a bit of the flame to light a brand new everlasting altar candle or lamp.

The God Face Surreal by Kyle Pearce - See below for link

Midsummer Folklore & Magic

Jumping a bonfire safely would guarantee good luck for the coming year.
Make an amulet of protection from the ashes of your Midsummer bonfire.
Create a stone circle and sit up all night on Midsummer's eve to see the fae. Carry rue in your pocket for protection or turn your jacket inside out to confuse them.
Whisper a wish to a pebble, circle the Midsummer bonfire three times and then toss the stone in to fulfill your wish.
Write your prayer (wish) on a paper boat, fill it with flowers, set it on fire, and let the boat travel down a stream.
Raise a tall, leafy Maypole to dance around.

'Fairy Islands' from the book Elves and Fairies 1916 by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite - See Link Below

Sun Gods

Ra aboard the Atet, his solar barge - See link below

Ra - Horus - Apollo - Helios -
Freyr - Huitzilopochtli - Lugh - Hvar Khshaita -
Inti - Liza - Mithras - Sol Invictus -
Surya - Tonatiuh - Utu (Shamash)

Apollo in his chariot with the hours by John Singer Sargent in the Museum of Fine Arts - See link below

Latest Blog Posts from
Inner Circle Sanctuary

Your Holy Day (Birthday)
Bealtaine 2017
June 2017 Newsletter
Origins of Inner Circle Sanctuary
The Pentagram for Inner Circle Sanctuary

Upcoming Events with
Inner Circle Sanctuary

July 15 - Pagan Bread Making
Aug 19 - What You Need To Know About Tarot
Sep 9 - My So Called Magical Life
Oct 21 - Samhain: Winter Has Come

Follow our events on Facebook to get notified when they are listed. Mark interested to get informational tidbits leading up to the event.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Midsummer Information gathered from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsummer
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/literally-psyched/why-we-celebrate-the-summer-solstice/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Reckoning_of_Time
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bede
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00155870802352178
Photo credits:
Globe Photo from http://www.michaelquinton.org/summer-solstice.html
Epona ~ The Celtic Horse Goddess By Emily Balivet, 2009 http://www.emilybalivet.com/Epona.html
Vestal Virgin by Jean Raoux (1677–1734) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jean_Raoux_-_Vestal_Virgin_-_WGA18999.jpg
Kupala (aka Festivities on Midsummer Night) by Wojciech Gerson (1831–1901) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gerson-Kupala.jpg
Osterfeuer TK on the beach of Binz, Rügen island, Germany by Tom Küpper
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Osterfeuer_TK.jpg
The God Face Surreal by Kyle Pearce
https://www.flickr.com/photos/keepitsurreal/1794450683
'Fairy Islands' from the book Elves and Fairies 1916 by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%27Fairy_Islands%27_from_the_book_Elves_and_Fairies_1916_by_Ida_Rentoul_Outhwaite.jpg
Ra aboard the Atet, his solar barge
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_deity#/media/File:Ra_Barque.jpg
Apollo in his chariot with the hours by John Singer Sargent Museum of Fine Arts
http://www.mfa.org/collections/publications/john-singer-sargent-murals-museum-fine-arts-boston
Copyright © 2017 Inner Circle Sanctuary, All rights reserved.

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News, Updates, & Information

Imbolg Sabbat

Imbolg Sabbat
-by Lord Tanys

“Wow, these people really know
what they’re doing.”

Equilux

Improvise! Adapt! Overcome! Ostara during CoVid-19

Winter Solstice 2019

MabonMabonMabon!

Ostara 2018

The Sun God in the Wiccan Mythos

Midsummer 2017 Newsletter

Midsummer - Summer Solstice
Estival Solstice
Tuesday, June 20, 2017 @ 9:24 PM PT

Isn't the Summer Solstice
the 'Beginning' of Summer?

LITHA

Ancient Celebrations of the Solstice

How You Can Celebrate Midsummer

Midsummer Folklore & Magic

Sun Gods

Latest Blog Posts from
Inner Circle Sanctuary

Upcoming Events with
Inner Circle Sanctuary

Inner Circle Sanctuary

Categories

Archives

News, Updates, & Information

Imbolg Sabbat-by Lord Tanys

“Wow, these people really knowwhat they’re doing.”

Midsummer - Summer Solstice​Estival Solstice Tuesday, June 20, 2017 @ 9:24 PM PT

Isn't the Summer Solsticethe 'Beginning' of Summer?​

LITHA

Ancient Celebrations of the Solstice

How You Can Celebrate Midsummer

Midsummer Folklore & Magic

Sun Gods

Latest Blog Posts from Inner Circle Sanctuary

Upcoming Events with Inner Circle Sanctuary

Inner Circle Sanctuary

Categories

Archives

Subscribe to our mailing list

Imbolg Sabbat
-by Lord Tanys

“Wow, these people really know
what they’re doing.”

Midsummer - Summer Solstice
Estival Solstice
Tuesday, June 20, 2017 @ 9:24 PM PT

Isn't the Summer Solstice
the 'Beginning' of Summer?

Latest Blog Posts from
Inner Circle Sanctuary

Upcoming Events with
Inner Circle Sanctuary