Wishing a Blessed Spring Equinox to All from the Coven of the Catta and Lady Ember Willow Hawk 3*

This morning saw the sun rise on a cool and crisp first day of Spring as we arrive at Ostara, the Vernal Equinox and say a full farewell and end to Winter. Though in the Catta we banish the shades of Winter at Candlemas when the first promise of Winters end is at hand, today we see the full shift into the Brighter half of the year and many traditions choose this time to enact some form of rites to say Farwell to the dark time and welcome in warmer, more pleasant weather. 

Outside the birds are singing and flowers are in bloom despite the rain and wind that battered us yesterday and last night which ushered in the cool snap that we often times see somewhere between now and the end of the month before the last of that is at an end until the wheel brings us round again in Autumn. 

Today is both a midpoint and tipping point as Day and Night, which can also be seen in the idea of the Dark and Light halves of the year, stand in balance while after today moving us forward into the Light. Brighter and warmer days lie ahead and the full beauty of nature surrounds us.

In the Catta today we place silver candles on the altar as well as freshly harvested spring flowers and blooms around the cauldron. At this celebration we also call to the Great Mother to come out of the Kingdom of Darkness and rule again. This also is the time to ask the Goddess and Her Consort for Their blessings on seeds and newly blossoming plants in the hope that they will grow and flourish in this tide and time of renewal and life returning visibly to the land.

However we keep this sacred day of balance and renewed life hopefully it will be a blessed and happy one for all. BB Aren

Wishing a Blessed Candlemas to All from the Coven of the Catta and Lady Ember Willow Hawk 3*

The great wheel of the year has turned bringing us to Imbolc or Candlemas as it has always called in the Catta coven. At Candlemas we stand mid way between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, with days gradually growing longer and the light returning. This is a time of waxing light where even though much of the land remains covered in snow and cold winds whip and circle about us the first stirrings of renewal are taking place in the earth and the signs of the Spring season that is yet to be are first coming to notice. Buds are appearing on some plants and bushes and scattered Azaleas can be seen peeping out letting us know that the height of winter is now behind us. Nature is stirring in anticipation for the coming season and that sense of renewal and hope are the cornerstones of this magical time of year. On this Sabbat in the Catta we work to banish the shades of Winter and candles are lit to represent the renewal of the Earth and the returning of the Sun’s strength and presence, as well as to celebrate and honor the Maiden Goddess moving into Her time of Power. With the dawning of the bright Sun of Candlemas we leave the old years Winter behind us in preparation for embracing the New Years gradually growing light and promise which will lead us forward towards Spring. However we each of us keep and celebrate this sacred time hopefully it will be a joyous and bright one for all. BB, Aren  

Wishing a Happy and Blessed Yule to All from the Coven of the Catta and Lady Ember Willow Hawk 3*

As the year has progressed since Samhain we have gradually seen the sun setting a bit earlier in the evenings and less and less daylight with night falling sooner. That has led us to the Winter Solstice,Yule, Alban Arthan, as the sun now begins to set on this shortest day of the year in preparation for the longest night. This is a time when our ancestors focus turned inwards to home and family and the work of crop and field was done until preparations for Spring began anew in the coming year. As our ancestors thoughts and focus turned inwards so too does ours here in the present. Colder weather and shorter days has given us more time indoors to think and focus on our personal affairs both mundane and spiritual and it is only right we take advantage of this time afforded us well away from snow and icy winds. In preparation for this celebration we have brought a touch of the outdoors inside with greens and garlands and that abiding symbol of this time of year, the brightly decorated tree. Bright candles with flickering flames adorn tables and mantles as we go about our activities each celebrating in our own ways according to our beliefs and particular traditions, whether it be joys of remembered Christmases past and present or the more pagan preparations to honor the Goddess as She gives birth to the Divine Child. In this as in so many ways though our paths may differ we share more in common than that which separates us. At this Sabbat red candles carefully anointed with bayberry oil stand on the altar as well as sprigs of cedar, pine and fir, if available a cauldron also sits upon the altar with bits of the 9 sacred woods for the later ritual fire as this is indeed a fire celebration. As we kindle the balefire and altar lights in symbol and in celebration of the birth of renewed life and hope we Honor the Great Mother and Her Divine Child of Light and think with hope on the gradually longer hours of daylight ahead as we move towards the years end and the colder nights giving way to more temperate days in the year to come. This is a time of hope, a time of simple joy and the celebration of the renewing Light, mundane as well as it’s magical and spiritual connotations. However you keep this special time, with Yule logs, balefires and ashes collected for later use in magical work or joining together looking at the tree shining with lights in darkened rooms hopefully it will be a Blessed and Bright Winters Solstice for All ! BB, Aren

Wishing a Magical Samhain to All from the Coven of the Catta and Lady Ember Willow Hawk 3*

The great wheel turns and the seasons change taking us fully to Summers End as was one of the names for this scared time and day, Samhain, All Hallows, Halloween. The name itself conjures up so many deep and varied images and wisps of memory. It reminds us of childhood walks down twilight streets that are known in the light of day but strange seeming on this special night, perhaps a small awareness even then of what this night was and is and always will be, the night of the thin veil and things that are and yet aren’t or perhaps might not yet be. Autumn winds blowing scattered leaves about as carved pumpkins grin at us with flickering smiles inviting us to come and knock on the door and say the words “Trick or Treat”. Candy given freely out to wandering ghosts and ghouls, goblins and witches in memory or at least in echo of an older practice from an older time when soul cakes were given to those wandering door to door on this night that is and isn’t and lies somewhere in-between.
Samhain is and was and always will be a magical night. A time when we honor and reach out with love and snippets of happy memories to those beloved dead who have passed the veil before us. A night when we know in our heart of hearts the words we speak will be heard and with lighted candle and ringing bell we honor and remember and share a few magical moments visiting with those who have returned on this special night to be close to us again. Indeed while this night is one especially suited for those communions and visits the tide of Samhain like all natural ones ebbs and flows and this whole month the barriers between here and there are thinner and more easily traversed culminating on the night we knew even as costumed and wandering children was one not like the others and most magical.
There are many ways to keep this most magical of Sabbats, some will hold the Dumb Supper, others will simply ring the bell and light candles saying words of welcome and Blessing to those beloved visitors that come to our doors with silent feet guided by the pumpkins flickering smile even as it did us on those all too long ago nights of our childhood. However we keep this night, Whether we celebrate the Goddess passing the Mantle to Her Consort, in His aspect as the Lord of the Summerland to watch over us at this time as is done in the Catta or whether we call this night upon the the Lady in Her aspect as the Dark Queen hopefully we can all of us find that balance between the many layers of this celebration which is both solemn and joyful.
In the Catta on this night we light the candles and ring the bell and honor Sybil Leek, Dr Santee ( Lord Merlin ), Lady Phoebe, Lady Alsace and Lord Shawnus Merlin Belarion, Will, Joan and others. We honor our line, our teachers , our coven family that have crossed the Veil. Speaking with Lady Ember today I am reminded of the special joy Lord Shawnus took at this time and his laughter, and know that even now he is still enjoying this special night waiting for the candles to be lit and the bell to be rung. Wishing a Happy and magical All Hallows to everyone. BB Aren

Wishing a Blessed Autumn to All from the Coven of the Catta and Lady Ember Willow Hawk 3rd*

Today the sun enters the sign of Libra standing again in a point of balance, with the hours of day and night equal bringing us to the Autumn Equinox, sometimes called by its more modern name Mabon or Harvest Home linking it to its older connotations of the harvest and the all too brief window of celebration after its completion before the hardships of the winter months are at hand. Indeed this time of balance also marks the tipping point which will bring us further into the darker half of the year as the Sun seems to decline in strength as we move ever closer to longer nights and much colder temperatures. There were a myriad of ways our ancestors celebrated this time and unsurprisingly when agriculture and the harvest was of vital importance for their survival this time was also one of preparation as well as rest after the labors of the harvest were done. Corn dollies were often times fashioned to both protect the spirit of the harvest and seek its blessing through the darker months until the fields were once again worked and fertile. In this practice as in many other ways the Spirit of the Harvest was honored and it’s blessing sought as colder times approached. We may no longer depend so heavily on the agricultural aspects of this time as our ancestors did but as the physical and spiritual are two sides of the same coin we too can see this as a time of rest after our years spiritual and magical labors and a time of preparing for the shifting seasons bringing in a colder and harsher time. At present though the sun shines brightly and slightly cooler breezes are here, a welcome change from the abiding heat that has marked this year’s sometimes record breaking Summer temperatures and it is a time of celebration. However we do so, with Coven, Grove or Solitary hopefully it will be a happy and joyous time for all. Wishing everyone a Blessed and Bright start to Autumn. BB Aren

Wishing a Blessed Lammas and Green Corn Moon to All from the Coven of the Catta and Lady Ember Willow Hawk 3rd*

The month of August comes in on a wave of heat that very much makes it seem that Summer is still at it’s peak.  However on this first day of August the wheel has turned and Lammas or Lughnassad has arrived, this shifting of the seasonal wheel moving us further from the Summer Suns peak. This Lammas is an especially sacred one as it also coincides with the rising of the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon, the first of two full moons we will see in this month. This is especially significant as grain has always been an intrinsic part of the Lammas celebrations our ancestors kept indeed grain and its harvesting could be seen as the heart of this special time of year where we focus our thoughts on the bountiful harvest that we have not yet reaped but are working towards. At this time with the first harvest just beginning our ancestors knew that much could still happen before the full crops were brought in so as part of this celebration offerings of fruit and grains first cut were offered to the Gods asking for abundance and blessing to help ensure a successful harvesting later on. In the Catta this is still echoed, as in many traditions of the Craft, where freshly baked bread and fruit are placed on the altar to offer at rites end to the Gods asking for Their blessing and abundance as the coming season matures. When we ask for the blessings of abundance this can take many forms as while our ancestors lives depended so heavily on what foods they raised up from the earth that is no longer universally the case for all. We still see and honor echo’s of this though in the small gardens many of us maintain and herb gathering which is of especial importance at this time. Abundance can take other forms and manifestations so truly at this time we are celebrating the earth and it’s fertility and asking for the Gods to help us receive what we most need to survive and be happy. Historically this celebration was both sacred to the Goddess, as Earth Mother whose blessing helped the crops to flourish, as well as to the mysteries of the Corn King and Harvest lord. However we keep this especially sacred time, Green Corn moon and Lammas combined, hopefully it will be a Blessed and happy time for all and one with blessings of abundance to come. BB Aren  

Coal Region HooDoo

I recently ran across a fascinating book titled Coal Region Hoodoo by Maxim w. Furek. In this book is a series of interesting stories and tales ranging from The Night of the Living dead movie, where the author mentions many in the small PA town where it was filmed being extras. This is something Shawnus mentioned to me once years ago laughing at the largely unknown irony he said as more than a few of those movie extras from the area had been occultists and that he often wondered if that helped to lend some of the mystique and feel to the movie that even now after all these years still is so well regarded by horror fans. Also in the book are stories of Ed and Lorianne Warren and the various hauntings they investigated as well as many other paranormal cases and tales. The author is from Berwick PA and grew up not far from the home of Dr Frederick Santee who was the founder of the Catta Coven. It turns out Mr Furek spoke with and Interviewed Dr Santee on more than one occasion which he discusses in the chapter included on the good Doctor and the Coven of the Catta which was both a surprise and joy to read as it does give a clear picture of who the Doctor was and some insight into what he believed. Given that chapter alone I couldn’t not mention the book here as well as highly recommending it to anyone interested in the paranormal and especially those stories and cases involving the PA area. BB Aren

Wishing a Bright Summer Solstice to All from the Coven of the Catta and Lady Ember Willow Hawk 3rd*

We arrive at the Summer Solstice, celebrating the power of the Sun having reached its height and the longest day, even as in the Southern Hemisphere the longest night is being honored awaiting the rekindling of the light after the Suns power had reached its lowest ebb. Indeed this seems to be two sides of the seasonal coin, something we see played out through the wheel of the year, similar though opposite tides at play as we cycle though the seasons. Summer Solstice and Yule though quite different in both outer seasonal and inner spiritual expressions still hold some common threads and one of those is the way our ancestors saw the Sun and and the role it had in our mundane and spiritual lives. Beltane and Samhain are another such pair where though each unique and different still hold some common threads as the other world or spiritual world is felt to be very near our own at those times and is honored. So throughout the great wheel of the year the seasons as well as how they are kept in the Northern and Sourhern Hemisphere are inexorably linked in the great dance of life. Here in the Northern Hemisphere we celebrate the life force of the Sun and nature in its full flower while still acknowledging that following this the days will gradually grow shorter as we move further into the year wheels passage.  But today the Sun shines brightly upon us and however we keep this sacred day and time each in our own unique ways hopefully this longest day has been and will be a Bright and Blessed one for all. BB , Aren

Wishing a Blessed and Happy Beltane to All from the Coven of the Catta and Lady Ember Willow Hawk 3rd*

The seasons shift and the Wheel turns bringing us to Beltane, also called Roodmas, Bealtaine in Irish Gaelic, Bealtuinn in Scottish Gaelic meaning Bel-Fire and Walpurgis. It is under this last name of Walpurgis that we see the mirrored image of Samhain that is even now being celebrated in the Southern Hemisphere. These two points on the seasonal wheel and celebrations may seem to be quite different with one taking place in the Light half of the year and the other the Dark, but both have some correlations and shared underlying meaning with Beltane and Samhain tied each in their way to the Spirit world. At Samhain we honor the Mighty Dead and the thinned veil, and at least in the older lore of Walpurgisnacht we see something similar being celebrated, while the more widely held folklore of Beltane sees this time as more a celebration of life and fertility with the spirits of nature being honored as they too are more easily felt on this mirrored thinning of the veil which is only fitting at this time of year as we stand midpoint between Spring and Summer with the tide of life and light rising still.

Beltane is a celebration of life and nature that is rich in history and meaning, many see this as a time of the coming together of the Great Goddess and Horned God symbolizing both fertility and life, this being echoed in some of the older village practices from the United Kingdom where a Queen and King of May were chosen to symbolize and celebrate this sacred time. There was also the of the famous, and infamous at least to the puritans, maypole with it’s dances and customs, traditionally made of oak, fir or similar and cut close to or on the day of celebration. In the present day this is not always possible and in the catta tradition the besom, phallic topped staff , can and has stood in for the Maypole for the celebrations. Whenever possible this Sabbat is best held outdoors to better unite with and honor this special and magical time, space and safety permitting having a bale fire as well that herbs scared to this time can be cast into as a natural incense and offering is always a welcomed addition.  There are many different ways to celebrate this special day and however we each of us honor the Green Goddess of Nature and Her Consort hopefully it will be a Blessed and Bright time for all. BB, Aren 

Wishing a bright and blessed Spring Equinox to All from the Coven of the Catta and Lady Ember Willow Hawk 3rd*

The Vernal Equinox dawns on a particularly chilly morning but with it heralds an end to the darker months of Winter. Today we see a return to gradually longer and warmer days as around us life is seen stirring in the natural world and a tide of vitality and renewed activity is seen in animal and plant life as about us natures greening has truly begun. Though snow is still upon the ground in some area’s on this day, when the Sun enters Aries and all stands temporarily in balance, we are at the tipping point of the Sun growing in strength as it rises to it’s peak of power at the Summer Solstice. This waxing tide of life, light and vitality is a welcome change from the shorter days and colder nights that have been with us since last year when the tide of light began to wane and we entered the dark half of the year. We arrive on this sacred day known as Alban Eilir to the Druids as well as being named Ostara by others and celebrate the first promise of Springs return we saw at Candlemas kindling into fuller life, though for many the signs of Spring may be subtle at first that will soon give way to a waxing tide of growth and vibrancy all around in nature and in our lives both inner and outer after the passing of colder, darker times when introspection and inner work has most held sway. We can again go out more easily and see around us, feel around us, the wonder and beauty of nature, the bounty of the earth and the Great Mother Goddess. However we each of us celebrate this sacred time of rebirth and renewal hopefully it will be a Happy and Blessed one for all. BB, Aren