We’re all amazed at how quickly the summer passes us by, but August is nearly upon us and it’s time to start preparing for the first of the harvest festivals!
Lammas – The First Harvest
This month, our Lammas Ritual will be on Saturday August 3rd.
Join us for a celebration of the harvest festival where the golden Corn King is sacrificed as the first summer grains are cut. The Goddess stands strong as the Mother of Fate, who holds the harvest sickle. Using a modern variation of the English folk song “John Barleycorn Must Die” as an evocation of the mysteries, we will explore the teachings of the Miracle of Bread in song, dance, and shamanic vision. We will commune with the spirits of the Harvest and grind the Mill as we turn the Wheel of the Year to bring blessings of bounty, health, wealth and good fortune to us all.
Open to all faiths and traditions interested in celebrating the mystery of the seasons and the turning of the Mill of Magick!
Magick Circle Workshop
The workshop from 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm before the Lammas ritual will be The Magick Circle Ritual in the Temple Tradition, led by Christopher Penczak.
The Magick Circle is the liturgy of the Witch. It is a ceremony designed to place us between the worlds where we can commune with the gods and spirits and make our magick. It is a microcosm of creation, aligned with the Goddess, God and Great Spirit, three worlds and four elements. Learn the history and theories behind the Magick Circle, from tribal folk dance and ceremonial circle to the era of the modern Craft. Understand each aspect of the ritual and the tools associated with it. Learn aspects of the ritual that are particular to more modern traditions, including the Temple of Witchcraft tradition. Experience the four animal totems of the Temple and how one can invoke the Three Rays in circle to enhance its effect. Understand why the sacrament of the Great Rite is important to Witches and how it can not only enhance your spell craft results, but the evolution of your soul.
The sliding scale donation is $15-$25, or $35 to attend both the workshop and evening ritual. Please pre-register for the ritual and/or workshops at the link below to RSVP. Contact Alix at [email protected] with questions, or to request additional information.
The Feast of Hecate
Our other big event in August is our annual Feast of Hecate, on Tuesday August 13th from 7:00pm to 10:00pm. Join us for a Victorian-style “tea at the crossroads” as we celebrate the Feast of Hecate with an oracular rite!
Each year since its inception, the Temple of Witchcraft has honored the Goddess of Witches by celebrating her feast day on August 13th as a part of our Wheel of the Year. This year, the Feast of Hecate will be an oracular rite with a twist: We will invoke the goddess in three of her aspects to speak to us through three oracles, and supplicants may sit down for a bit of herbal tea with Hecate and ask a question of the oracle. Then join us after the ritual for a feast prepared in honor of the occasion by Dawn Hunt, the Kitchen Witch of Cucina Aurora!
What to Bring: Feel free to adopt your best Victorian or “steampunk” style outfit for this event, although “witchy formal” or whatever style suits you is fine as well. If you can, please bring a teacup or mug suitable for a hot beverage – we will provide cups as needed, but would prefer to reuse and avoid waste as much as possible!
… and More!
Other events for August include our monthly Healing Clinic with the Virgo Ministry on Sunday, August 4th from 3:00 pm-5:00 pm, the Cancer Ministry’s Women’s Circle on Friday August 16th from 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm, and the Full Moon ritual on Sunday August 18th, from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm.