Seasons of the Witch - Softcover

Each chapter in this book is devoted to a Wiccan festival, its meaning, and ways to celebrate it. The advice operates at two levels: spiritual and personal as well as celebratory and communal. Wicca is a nature-based religion and uses natural change as its guide. This book shows spiritual seekers how to ritualize their lives throughout the seasons, acknowledging external and internal change. For example, Yule in December is a dark quiet time, when you think about the past year and year to come, hold old and new together as the light shifts, and think personally about how to let go and move on - a contemplative time, with recommended meditations from the book. On the celebratory side, this book tells you everything you need to know to create a festival for you and your friends. It describes traditional foods, art projects, songs and group activities. Instead of a Halloween party have a celebration of Samhain (November 1), where you make mulled cider and black, moon-shaped almond honey cakes, hang a traditional eight-spoked wreath of woven wheat straw and gather around a bonfire to cast off things about yourself you do not like by burning symbols of these things.

Gail Duff has been a writer, broadcaster, speech therapist, singer, songwriter, dancer, folk animateur and community arts worker. For as long as she can remember, the seasons and traditions of the year have been an important focus of her life. She feels that she was born a pagan and has been a practicing Wiccan for over eight years. She has successfully resurrected some of the folk traditions of southeast England and regularly takes part in many more. Seasons of the Witch draws upon many of these authentic practices and also includes traditional songs and ancient lore.