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have you hugged a witch today?

Listen up people, if you know any Witches, Pagans or Wiccans (and no, they are not all the same thing any more than Catholics and Protestants are the same) the loving thing to do is to wish them a Blessed Lughnasadh (pronounced Loo-nuh-suh or Lammas, as it was renamed by the Christians). Today is one of the 8 Sabbats celebrated by people who practice the Old Religion, and this one in particular is one of the 4 Major Sabbats.

For a Witch (my path so I shall focus on that aspect) the year is viewed as a wheel rather than a linear timeline with a solid ending and beginning. Witches observe the passage of time through the seasons, the moon cycles and the symbolic story of the birth, mating, death and rebirth of the Sun God in his everlasting dance with the Goddess.

Some consider the "beginning" of the Witches year to be on Samhaim (pronounced Sow-en), otherwise known as Halloween, on October 31st/November 1st. Though we don't really have a "new year" date this is as close as it gets for us Witchy types. So starting with Samhaim, the 8 Sabbats are as follows:

Samhaim
Winter Solstice/Yule
Imbolg
Spring Equinox/Ostara
Beltaine
Summer Solstice/Litha
Lughnasadh/Lammas
Autumn Equinox/Mabon

The four major Sabbats are Samhain, Imbolg, Beltaine and Lughnasadh.

Today's Sabbat marks the first of three harvest festivals, which signaled the end of summer, the days becoming shorter and the time for harvesting grains to stockpile for the long, dark winter ahead.

All of these festivals were celebrated as a community, each with its own meaning, symbolic representation within the dance of the Goddess and the God, correspondences (colors, etc, such as red and green for Yule/Winter Solstice) and unique feelings of connection to nature. They were also celebrated as a community with feasting, dancing, music and storytelling.

The traditions and celebrations of the Old Religion are not just for Witches and Pagans. They are reverent bonds with Mother Earth, Father Sky and the great mother and father of us all; Source, Creator, the Universe...the energy from which we all came to which we shall all return. The role of a Witch within her community was, and still is, that of a healor, a counselor, a protector. It's our "job" to observe the signs, support those who come to us in need, and work with magick and healing for everything from spiritual disturbances to physical illness. We serve as gatekeepers between this world and the Otherworld, into which we all shall pass one day...the place sometimes known as the Summerland.

Let go of all biased and negative depictions of Witches as green, wrinkled, evil old hags that curse people and ride broomsticks. That's a charicature based solely on fear and ignorance, meant to separate people from their old and revered spiritual path so they would blindly follow another.

But now we are all (for the most part) literate, able to think, observe and decide for ourselves and today of all days I implore you to look upon those of the Old Religion, no matter what they call themselves, with respect and wonder, rather than hatred and fear.

A Witch holds ALL living beings, and those on the other side of the veil, in the higest regard and makes no judgment on other spiritual paths. We're a peaceful group. We don't make blood sacrifices, worship Satan or participate in wild orgies. Those are all fascinating ideas for movies and books, but they're not based in any Truth. We're the original tree huggers, living in awe of Mother Earth and going about our days and nights with a slightly different set of eyes. We hear and see the world behind the world. We see magick and miracles everywhere and often we connect to that energy to work with spells and rituals, but never to harm another.

One of my missions in life is to dispel the myths about my kind. We have so much to offer if you could all leave the fear and misconceptions behind. It's funny that the same people who react with fear to the sight of a Pentacle (an ancient symbol of protection, and a literal depiction of walking back to God with open arms) would also come to us in secret to ask for divination or healing.

Today, I lift the veil between "us" and "them" so that we can become "the all" as we are meant to be.

You need not fear Witches, or Pagans or Wiccans. We're here to serve as guardians, healers, teachers...and today we celebrate a special day at a magickal time, on the day (Friday) associated with the Goddess Venus, love, passion and creativity.

No matter what your beliefs and background, revel in this day. Know that there IS magick all around you, if you would only open your eyes, and your heart.

Blessed Lughnasadh, Blessed Lammas...and Blessed Be All.