Moons & Musings

Hello all! Today is our long awaited Día de los Muertos post!   Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead , is actually a multi-day festival celebrated in Mexico with the amount of days differing depending on family and local traditions. The main celebration is traditionally held on the 1st of November with emphasis on familial gatherings and honouring those that have passed on. It does coincide with the Christian time of Allhallowtide  Days of the Dead Here are some dates and their meanings: - November 1st.  Starting at midnight, Día de los Angelitos, Day of Little Angels, is to celebrate children who have passed  - November 2nd.  At midnight,  the focus shifts from children to adults with Día de los Difuntos. At noon, the focus shifts again to Día de los Muertos  - October 27th.  The souls of dearly departed pets come to visit  - October 31st . This day is specifically seen for great grandparents and great great grandparents  ...

So, here we are in the 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' (Keats: To Autumn), so we thought that we would look at the symbolism of fog, because, well, why not? Cat has tech issues today, so I am in the driver's seat for a minute! Scientifically , mist or fog is formed as water droplets that hang in the air when cold air and warm, moist air meet. It is commonly found in valleys in Autumn and Spring. Mist is thinner than fog, as such it will dissipate quicker. Technically, fog is when you can see less than half a mile (1,000m) ahead and mist is being able to see up to five miles ahead (1km to 8km). There is a lot of symbolism associated with mist or fog. The most obvious connection in today's world is an association with a state of mental confusion. I am sure that most of us have experienced 'brain fog' at some point. It is very prominent in a number of conditions, including (but not limited to) fibromyalgia, long covid and menopause. I was diagnosed with l...

  🖼️Credit - La Llorona by Leo D'Amico Hello all!! It's been a very long time since we've posted anything besides a Moon so, we're coming back with our Mythological Creature Series! So far in this series, we have covered: -  Vampire -  Goblin -  Wendigo -  Gargoyle Today, we are covering something different as the subject of this post is more Folklore than  mythological creature, but, we feel that "Creatures" like this should be included in the series.  There is a chance that you may have heard of this but if you haven't, caution is advised... DISCLAIMER: THE CONTENT OF THIS POST MAY BE DISTRESSING OR TRIGGERING. CONTAINS MENTION OF DROWNING AND CHILD DEATH. Today's Mythological Creature is La Llorona!! La Llorona (pronounced lah yo roh na ) is a Southwestern Hispanic American folk tale, dating from the time of the Conquistadors, though there is some speculation that she could have origins from the Aztec empire. La Llorona itself means The Weeping Wom...

  Hi Guys, Looking at the names of various days of the year at the moment, as we have just had Hallowe'en, or All Hallow's Eve. The 1st November, yesterday, was All Saint's Day, or All Hallow's Day, and today, the 2nd November is All Soul's Day. These are, of course, Christian and Catholic celebrations, mainly recognised in the Western regions. All Saint's Day This was a day set aside to honour those who have been martyred and Canonised in the Christain church, whether they are known or unknown. It is observed by both Western and Eastern churches with Western churches celebrating on the 1st of November and Eastern churches celebrating on the Sunday after Pentecost (the 7th Sunday after Easter.) All Saint's is also called: - All Hallows' Day - Hallowmas - Feast of All Saints - Feast of All Hallows - Solemnity of All Saints  There is some debate as to whether this day was seemingly hijacked by the Christain faith to replace Samhain, although Professor R...

  Hi Guys, Continuing with our Hallowe'en themed posts, and carrying on from the Flora Friday's Mandrake post, I have decided to look at a concoction referred to as Witches Brew. Also known as: Witches' flying ointment Green ointment Magic Slave Lycanthropic Salve Hexensalbe (German)  translates as Witches Salve Flugsalbe (German) Translates as flying salve Unguentum sabbati (Latin)  translates as Sabbath Unguent unguentum pharelis (Latin)  translation unsure  unguentum populi (Latin) translates as   poplar unguent unguenta somnifera (Latin)  translates as sleeping unguent Ingredients are said to vary between those who documented its use in the Late Middle-ages, but are said to include: The fat of a babe from its grave Meal of fine wheat Smallage (a type of celery) Cinque-foil Wolf's bane (Aconite - toxic) Mandrake   - toxic Belladonna - toxic Hemlock - toxic Jimson Weed (Devil's Snare - toxic) Black Henbane - toxic Henbane Be...

  Hi Guys, Continuing our Hallowe'en season today, I am going to look at some of the customs associated with this time of year. We already covered the Jack-o'-Lantern  and trick or treating  last Hallowe'en, so I have decided to look at apple bobbing! I will tie this in with our Apple Magic post from last October, and hopefully not repeat too much! Apple bobbing is seen as a game these days in which a barrel or other large container is filled with water, and apples are added. People then attempt to 'catch' and apple using only their teeth, leading to much hilarity, and some very wet people! The idea is to catch as many apples as you can. But, did you know, that originally, apple bobbing was a courtship experience, many hundreds of years ago? Each apple placed in the tub was attributed to one particular person, and if that was the apple you caught, that was the person you were meant to be with. Tradition  states that i f the 'bobber' (usually female) caught...

  Hi guys, Going back to the roots (pardon the pun) of this week today and coming down to earth (I'll get my coat.....) So, this could well be a long post, as I am going to try and cover a lot of sub-topics in one day! Remember, this is following on from our earlier elements post. Altar Items: Altar items that can be used to represent the element of Earth are: Salt - used for a long time (it is where the word 'salary' come from, people used to be paid in salt!!) Also used in purification rituals. Various plants, especially root vegetables. These can be changed with the season, Sabbat or depending on why you have created the altar - think Harvest Festivals. A jar of dirt - unfortunately without Johnny Depp, but you can use a bowl or other container of dirt, especially useful in fertility rituals. Crystals, see yesterday's post . Witch's Knot ( link ) Pentacle - although I do think that a pentacle represents ALL elements.  Link You can always do 'combination'...

  Hi Guys! We have covered the Elements in a previous post -  Elements , but I have chosen to go a little deeper into each one, and add a fifth to the mix!  bringing together as many aspects of the craft as we can. From Altar items -  Elements , to deities via superstitions and representations. Today I am following on from the wells we visited yesterday with water (in case you couldn't tell from the pic - courtesy of Cat!) General Water is considered a feminine energy, and relates to aspects of the Goddess and the Moon. Water is considered to be purifying, we often take ceremonial baths to cleanse before a ritual, and let's not forget the Judeo/Christian ritual of baptism, using Holy or blessed water. Associated with the colour blue Relates to the cardinal compass point of West (if I get these wrong, please shout, it is one thing I can NEVER remember!!) Associated with the Tarot suit of Cups Associated with purification, cleansing and emotions Dowsing for water is co...

Hello all!! Today's post is about Palm Sunday!! As it's the lead up to Easter, there are a lot of Christian days coming up so next week I'm going to fit as many as I can into one or two posts!! Palm Sunday is a Christian feast celebration that commemorates Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and marks the first day of the Holy Week. It is a yearly feast but doesn't have a fixed date however, it always takes place on the Sunday before Easter. Other names include: - Sixth Day of Lent - Yew Sunday - Branch Sunday - Oshana Sunday - Hosanna Sunday Origins The exact origins of Palm Sunday are unknown but there is recorded evidence of it happening in the 4th century in Jerusalem but, it would take another 5 centuries for Palm Sunday to reach the West.  Customs The customs of Palm Sunday include: - Attending church - Church processions - The distribution of blessed palms - Hanging blessed palm branches behind Christian artwork/imagery - Placing palm branches in Bibles I...