Whew, boy, I missed posting this here yesterday (though if you follow my IG, you would have seen it!), but still useful in that three day window you can really dive deep into Full Moon energy.
In my Membership group, I do a collective Full Moon reading and more for our group, so check out my revamped Membership group and join if you like my approach to the medicine.
Long associated with death and rebirth, skulls, whether crystal or not, often evoke that deep fear within people, so much so they have become a staple of Halloween and horror movies. However, skulls have been one of the oldest symbols found ritual, religion, artwork, cultural celebrations, and iconography in human history.
In our not-so-distant past, death was part of human life. Humans were not shielded from death. People died at home, sometimes in the streets. Humans, of all ages and genders, saw war, accidents, disease, pandemics, and death. What is left of the human body, the bones, represents the impermanence of the human body. Even before we studied anatomy, dissected humans, or understood medicine, humans held bones as representative of death. They held skulls and bones. Humans understood that these parts of us were all that remains after death.
The Skull, or rather, the human head houses vision, hearing, speaking, and thoughts. It is what we look at when we talk and when we recognize a person—so it holds the seed of identity and spirit for many. Skulls are human-shaped with a mouth, eyes, and nose, but no longer house the Spirit or Soul of the human. The skull becomes an important symbol in depicting the cycle of creation as a whole: birth, death, mortality, and, at times, immortality. We see skulls represented in artwork, mysticism, religion, and spirituality.
The mystical and metaphysical symbolism intertwined with their very real structure brings in a feeling of grounding, the structure of life with the mysticism and mystery of death. Spiritually, we work with the skulls in altar work, ritual, symbolism, and meditation. I do think skulls are some of the most potent symbols one can work with. Shamanically, they are totally my jam.
Skulls have always held a special place in mythologies, legends, and traditions across different ancient cultures. While the meanings varied, skulls carried powerful symbolism and were often considered sacred, sometimes even used as offerings to gods.
For the ancient Aztecs, skulls weren’t just about death—they were seen as something more positive. Yes, they were tied to death and facing the fear of it, but they also symbolized life and the promise of a new beginning. To the Aztecs, skulls represented regeneration and rebirth, emphasizing the natural cycle of life. It was all about humanity and the idea that new life emerges from death.
In Celtic traditions, skulls were also considered sacred and were often placed on altars as offerings. For them, the skull was linked to the soul and seen as a symbol of power. The openings for the eyes and mouth were thought to be holy, offering a pathway to wisdom and knowledge. Beyond being a “house for the soul,” skulls in Celtic lore were sometimes symbols of creation and transformation, representing the ever-turning cycle of life.
In Buddhism, skulls were closely connected to the concept of emptiness. The belief was that everything in the Universe, at its core, is neutral, and only loses that neutrality based on how we perceive it. Emptiness wasn’t negative—it was a key part of understanding the true nature of things.
In both Hinduism and Buddhism, skulls were also tied to Munda Mala and the sacred syllable, OM. Deities like Shiva and the Mahavidyas Goddesses often wore garlands of skulls, representing divine power. Skull jewelry symbolized the gods' greatness, showing that they were beyond fear, danger, and even death itself.
In Christianity, skulls symbolize mortality. Saints in many religious artworks are often depicted holding skulls, representing wisdom and a higher understanding of life. This act symbolized letting go of earthly concerns and turning toward spirituality, placing trust in the Divine.
At the same time, the skull, being part of the human body, also represents the link between the spiritual and physical worlds, connecting life and death, the seen and the unseen.
As a Latina, I have consistently grown up with ghost stories, skeletons, and the honoring of ancestors. My mother kept and still keeps a fancy-cut crystal glass with water for death, sometimes putting food next to it on a window sill for the dead who may visit our home.
Skulls have a significant role in Latin American culture, especially in the context of el Día de Muertos or the Day of the Dead.
Of course, there are pre-Hispanic origins of el Día de Muertos. Aztecs and other Indigenous peoples in pre-Columbian Mexico celebrated death as a natural part of life. They believed that the dead were not gone, but rather that they had a relationship with the living. The Aztecs celebrated the death of their ancestors with a festival that lasted a month, honoring the goddess Mictēcacihuātl, the Queen of the Underworld. Mictēcacihuātl was known as the “lady of the dead.” She ruled the underworld, and watched over the bones of the dead, which the Aztecs believed were a source of life in the next world. Her grinning skull face is strongly associated with Dia de Muertos.
When the Spanish arrived in Mexico, they brought Catholicism and forced many Indigenous people to convert. The holiday was moved to coincide with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, which are celebrated on November 1 and 2. But are these two celebrations the same?
Both are centered on remembering the dead, but they approach this remembrance in different ways. All Souls Day focuses on praying for “all the faithful departed,” while Día de los Muertos invites the spirits of loved ones back for an annual family reunion.
All Souls Day has been around for centuries. By the 9th century, monasteries were setting aside a day to pray for the dead, and it was a Benedictine abbot who first established November 2 as the official day to remember the departed. After the devastation of World War I, Pope Benedict XV extended the observance to the entire Catholic Church in 1915. On All Souls Day, people of faith remember those who have passed and pray for their peaceful journey into the afterlife with God.
Día de los Muertos, on the other hand, is not only about remembrance—it’s also a celebration of life. Families gather at gravesides, turning them into festive picnic spots where food, drinks, music, flowers, and fireworks are shared with the dead. It’s a joyful gathering that celebrates the memory of loved ones. Altars are set up in homes, adorned with flowers, photos, and offerings like food to welcome the spirits back and honor their presence.
Many offerings are sweet treats, like candy skulls, coffins, and sugar rolls called pan de muerto. The celebration also includes playful elements like toy skeletons and papel picado (colorful tissue paper cutouts of skulls and bones). These joyful touches bring a sense of sweetness and lightheartedness to the otherwise somber concept of death.
Whether through prayers on All Souls Day or the lively customs of Día de los Muertos, the past is brought into the present. Families, along with the broader faith community, gather at altars and gravesides to celebrate life in the midst of death, finding joy in sorrow. In these celebrations, memory becomes a living hope for eternal life.
Today, Día de los Muertos is celebrated in many ways, including building altars, dressing up, and sharing food. Every year, families and communities celebrate Día de los Muertos for three days. We think of this as a Mexican holiday, and yes, some of the largest, most elaborate celebrations are in Mexico. Still, El Día de Muertos is celebrated all throughout Latin American. In my mother’s hometown of La Chorrera in Panama, the procession came down in front of her home, as she lived across from the cemetery. According to Google, the states of Oaxaca and Michoacán have special traditions for the holiday. In Nejapa de Madero, Oaxaca, preparations begin a month before the celebration, including choosing stalks for altars, preparing food, and buying mezcal. In cemeteries and homes, families gather to honor and remember their loved ones who have passed. Celebrations vary by region and cultural influences. For example, in Guatemala, people make kites to reach their ancestors, while in Bolivia, processions involve the actual skulls of ancestors.
Skulls, or calaveras, sit at the center of Day of the Dead festivities. It would not be el Día de Muertos without brightly colored skulls. Everything, brightly colored and light, shows skeletons, skulls, and representations of death, like Monarch Butterfly, the carrier of souls. We see skulls made from sugar paste, wood, paper maché, or carved bone. Sugar skulls are given as gifts to family and friends to honor and celebrate the lives of the deceased. The decorations on the skulls reflect the likes and desires of the deceased. They are placed on altars and on the gravesites, and then left in the rain to melt into the Earth, mirroring the decomposition of the body after death.
The Aztecs and other Meso-American civilizations believed in death as a continuation of life, and that the dead would return to visit during a month-long ritual. They decorated their temples with skulls, kept them as trophies, and used them in rituals to symbolize death and rebirth. After Colonization, the Catholic Church often incorporated the local customs and celebrations into Catholic existing holidays. El Día de Muertos began to be celebrated on the Holy Days of All Saints Day and all Souls Day, incorporating and honoring babies and children who have died (El Dia de los Angelitos),
To welcome them, families build altars, or ofrendas, in their honor. These altars often include yellow marigolds, candles, photos of the deceased, cut tissue-paper designs, as well as food and beverages offerings, though these can vary from culture to culture.
Skulls, or calaveras, are often used as decorations. Though these can be made of papier-mâché, clay, wood, metal, cut-out tissue paper, they are often made of sugar decorated with colored icing, flowers, or metallic colored foils.
After Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, the newfound freedom of the press led to the publication of many broadsides featuring skulls, or calaveras. These illustrations were a form of popular resistance by artists and writers. Lithographer José Guadalupe Posada's illustrations of calaveras found a wide audience in the new country. His most famous calavera was la Catrina, a female dandy portrayed as a fleshless skull with a wide-brimmed hat.
The skull is the “home” of the mind. It symbolizes higher knowledge, truth, and ageless wisdom. Skulls or heads hold two or three chakra centers, depending on your perspective: the Crown Chakra, the Third Eye Chakra and the Throat Chakra (I do see it this way because of the ears and mouth.)
Skulls represent and emphasize the power of the rational mind, willpower, and mental agility. It represents the ability to transcend the limitations of the established systems of knowledge, penetrate deeper truths, and find higher meaning.
Skulls are old symbols of courage and strength. Associated with not simply valor and glory in war or battle, but they are associated with death for a cause as well as OVERCOMING death, which we will talk about more in a bit. Defeat the odds, overcome obstacles, limitless personal power, and the ability to deal with danger bravely and boldly is often seen in the symbolism of skull with warriors, fighters, ex-military and military folk.
Although it has been linked with fear, the skull represents the ability to conquer fears and rise above them.
To pretend skulls symbolism is not about death would be to completely miss the mean of Skull. Everything in life moves in cycles. Endings inevitably occur as a part of that process. While they represent finite things, skulls also symbolize the start of the new cycle and the birth of new life as well as the end of one cycle and the beginning of another.
A skull reminds us that everything in life is transient and impermanent. The only thing that does not change is the knowledge that everything changes. Skulls urge us to see the beauty of every day, or as the Mexican iconography of Skull in El Dia de los Muertos reminds us, to laugh in the face of death. Skulls represent presence and gratitude, inspiring us to live a well-examined life with purpose and meaning.
Skulls have been used in shamanic work in many ways, (literally countless) but including some here that are interesting:
Ritual implements: In Hindu Tantra and Tibetan Buddhist Tantra, a skull cup called a kapala is used as a ritual bowl. In Tibetan Buddhism, kapalas are often decorated with jewels and precious metals.
Spiritual adornment: A shamanic practitioner in Bali made a necklace from five individually carved skulls made from water buffalo horn.
Symbolism: Skulls can symbolize death, evil, fear, and mortality, but they can also represent protection, power, and gratitude toward life.
Prehistoric Europe: Shamans in prehistoric Europe packed skulls with clay and burnt brains.
Mesolithic shamanism: Mesolithic shamans used red deer skulls with antlers during rituals.
Lakota culture: In Lakota culture, the buffalo skull is a symbol of self-sacrifice and is present in all sacred rituals.
Tibetan Buddhism: In Tibetan Buddhism, skulls are reminders of impermanence that help remove attachment to self and one's body.
Whew! If you made it this far through my Skullie research, congratulations! You deserve a little sugar skull as a reward. So, as you know, I love the Tarot and often will create Tarot Layouts with symbols I find resonate or for issues I am facing, and so I took the Skull and asked it—how can you help Tarot readers?
And I held my own Crystal Skull asking the questions. Immediately, my eyes went to that midway gaze between focus and unfocus and I could see the blackness of the eye sockets, the nose, the mouth and the ears as places to tap into. Not our eyes, but what is left is the eyes of our eyes, the nose of our nose, the ears of our ears, and the voice of our voice…the spiritual, wise parts of us that exist before consciousness and will exist after the body dies. And so I present The Skull Layout
As a Gemini Ascendent, I would just like to keep this brief, even though that is not my forte. It's the Full Moon, witches, in Gemini. We are focusing on our communication, confusion, mixed messages and our own stories. You know, the story of what happened that may or may not be true, but is the story you keep telling yourself in your head, or telling anyone who will listen. It is time, friend, to look at that shizzle. This actually is a great aspect to ask the right questions to get good answers, but the key is asking the right questions. Don't ever ask a question you do not want the answer to, especially in this lunation, but if you want to know, ask. I have a list of questions, but I am going to shut up now before I put my giant Gemini rising foot in my mouth. I’ll let my graphics speak for themselves!
Have a drama free Full Moon in Gemini, if that is even possible.
Struggling with facing your own demons? Feel like you are missing a piece of the puzzle in your life?
No fear, the Scorpio New Moon is here to hold up a big ass mirror so you face the truth of things and call them by their proper name.
Hey, it might be someone else, but I am just going to say that 98% of the time it is you, honey. Y-O-U.
This New Moon in Scorpio can be emotionally transformative if you let it, or you can fall back into the role of Victim or Martyr, if you'd like. This is 100% your choice, but if you let the Moon do its thing, you are more like to uncover some uncomfortable, yet life changing truths, clarify where you stand and why. Just let yourself HOWL this new moon, and by HOWL, of course, I mean, Honest, Open-minded, Willing and Loving.
You can do this work. I believe in you.
Pluto and Mars are drinking straight black espressos and placing bets on you as we speak. Have fun.
I threw in a little tarot layout for your amusement and to help the process along. It’s a doozy. Called my shit out in typical Scorpio style, but this Capricorn is here for it. I need that, and so do you. You're welcome.
Blessed Full Moon in Aries.
When we are dealing with Full Moons, we are looking at the Moon being in the sign opposite of the sun, unlike New Moons where the sun and moon are in the same sign. The tension created by the Sun and Moon in opposition can create breakthroughs in our consciousness and allows us to grow, evolve, and transform.
Aries and Libra sit opposite each other in the sky and on the zodiac wheel, so as the Sun sits in Libra, the full Moon lands in Aries. So, we have the Sun in Libra, and we have the Moon in Aries. What relational energy do these two sign have? Well, they are both cardinal signs, meaning they kick off season, they are both leaders and often great at motivation, drive and kicking off projects. It’s the finishing of projects that sometimes challenges Cardinal signs.
The Sun in Libra allows us to work with its vibrations in our energetic bodies. Aries is home to the first house of the self and ruled by Mars, while Libra is home to the seventh house of relationships and ruled by Venus. Mars and Venus. Self and Other. These are our tensions on this Super Moon in Aries. With the closeness to the South Node, this full moon may feel a bit like an Eclipse.
To work with some of this energy, I created a Tarot Layout that might be useful for those of you who use Tarot as a way in and to connect with Spirit.
Blessed Autumn Equinox!
Autumn Equinox or Mabon comes any time between September 21-23. As one of the lesser Sabbats on the Wheel of the year, it has a more modern approach from witches and pagans, but do not be mistaken--this time of the year has always been celebrated as the Second Harvest on the Wheel of the Year. First Harvest is August 1 when we celebrate Lammas or Lughnasadh honoring the harvest of the delicate grains, including wheat, corn, and others. Second Harvest celebrates the more abundance harvest of again corn, root vegetables, squashes, gourds and pumpkins, fall fruit including apples, pears, grapes, plums and others, and other abundant crops that last in root cellars through the winter. Third Harvest festival is Samhain, celebrated Oct. 31st, when the fields are basically done, and animals are harvested for winter.
Just for reference, the Wheel of the Year is a way on understanding what are called the Solar Festivals, or the eight points on the year that are celebrated in connection to agrarian festivals throughout the world.
Mabon is considered a Masculine sabbat (like Lughnasadha). Key concepts here are gratitude, Balance, Equality, Equity and Equanimity, Abundance, Protection, Prosperity, Self-confidence, and Harmony. If you are interested in learning more, check out my latest podcast on Centered (available wherever you get podcasts) where I talk about Autumn Equinox, the Pagan understandings of the Second Harvest (I also do a deep dive into the history of the word "pagan" and then how witches started Wicca and compiled the Wheel of the Year, including how they were named, then I talk about Mabon, the correspondences for altars and grids, and then spiritual work and insights for this time. I also share journal prompts and a personal gratitude reset ritual from her upcoming book + oracle card deck called Cycles.
Listen to my podcast about the history, lore, and rituals of Mabon (and literally so much more) right here:
I also created a Tarot Layout for Autumn Equinox, so you can work with the energies in your own practice.
I also wanted to include some pictures from my cacao ceremony and healing circle, including my altar, the distance healing grid, some candles I created and more.
I love me a Virgo New Moon. Because I love me some labels on bins, neat and orderly cabinets, the organization and order of mouse medicine (paying attention to details). I love streamlining things, and the beauty of efficiency, and Virgo New Moons are great times to get your shit together and implement some efficiency or organization habits.
This is particularly true when it comes to caring for the self. Virgo is a healer & caregiver. This moon is awesome for learning radical self-acceptance, practicing exquisite self-care, implementing some effective care habits, and learning to mother yourself with deep compassion and love.
The New Moon on September 14th is at 9:39 PM EST, and Mercury stations direct on September 15th at 4:21 pm ET. So, the Sun, Moon and Mercury are all happening in Virgo, making this a lovely time to do Virgo work.
Reflect on the last month or so and think about our "mistakes" or the setbacks that arose...what did they teach you? Where is the wisdom in mistake? Where is the beauty in the recovery? And maybe most importantly, what was your first reaction to the mistake or block or error?
And that is the rub this New Moon--the mistakes, the disorganization, the setbacks and how you responded, is the medicine. We are on a fact-finding mission to understand ourselves.
So, reflect over the last lunation, from August's New Moon in Leo to now. Where were your setbacks, then follow it through...why did that arise? How were you or weren't you present in the moment? How did you talk to yourself? How did you soothe yourself? How did self-criticism help or harm? We can look at how we were triggered, then where is the wound? Where did it come from? How can we feel safe? How can we be kind to our wounded self? Where are our joys, our needs and our wants?
The personal Tarot layout for this New Moon is all about self-care and how we can integrate it in with our goals, then develop habits that heal and move us to more radical self-acceptance. I shared my personal reading, and used Laura Tempest Zarkoff 's deck Anatomy of a Witch for extra insight. Blessed New Moon in Virgo!
A watery, mystical, dreamy Pisces full moon at the start of earth and detail-oriented Virgo season awakens your subconscious dream life and brings it in for a reality check. I love that these two mutable signs can help you shift focus from societal prescriptions and comfort to what you really want. Hey, this is a time for dreaming, and maybe even taking it a step further by allowing the Virgo Sun to say, Here are the actionable steps I would take to make that dream a reality.
Don't forget to ground and tap into Earth energy during this dreamy time. It is easy to get that 100 yard stare imagining a different life and seeing a whole other existence that honors who you authentically are. But then again, maybe it just means you are spacey. Whichever, take a moment to cleanse, ground, protect and honor your inner dreams. Write that shizzle down. What changes are you needing? Go back to March 2023's intention...what goal did you set and how has that shifted?
I have a personal Blue Moon Tarot Layout for y’all, so check that out if you are a tarot reader, and here is the collective reading.
Blue Moons are auspicious times, bringing magick & light to our dreams & long term goals. This Blue Moon is wonderful for focusing on setting long-term goals, exploring the deepest of our dreams (the one we daydream about, but never speak aloud), intentions, & releasing what blocks the way to your goals. This Piscean Blue Moon is more mystical & spiritual than other Blue Moons, This tarot layout helps you go deep with your dreams. With this layout we can discern what dreams we are ready to pursue, how to get there and become aware of all those energies that distract us from our goals & bring clarity to our wounded inner voice that lies to us about our worth & limits our infinite potential. Blessed Blue Moon!
Welcome to Virgo Season, witches!
We kick it off with a Mercury stationing Retrograde today, so hang onto your husbands, girls!* And by husbands, I mean, your communications. Keep them in your pants/in your drafts folders. Though this is an excellent time to plan things, because Virgo loves a good five-year plan and is an excellent wind at your back for the details that a bigger picture Earth sign isn't always great at (ahem, I am looking at you, Capricorn!)
Virgo is known for being fussy, but it isn't as much fussy as efficient, analytical, detailed, and a powerhouse of getting shit done. Some of you Air and Water signs might see it as fussy or sticklery, but that is just because you don't mind if the tablecloth is crooked and that is your prerogative. (But you are wrong.) Because it is a mutable earth sign, Virgo can manifest that mutability as anxiety, but it is really attention to all the things at the same time. Everything everywhere all at once. Virgo can make a minor typo feel huge. It is just because it is all important to Virgo brains, because the details make up the big picture, not the other way around. (Again, I am looking at you, Capricorn.) Virgo channels that native wisdom of streamlining, efficiency and order.
Virgo is ruled by Mercury, so you might find this particular Mercury Rx isn't as intense, but I still suggest the planning is more important than the doing in these three weeks.
Virgo heals. Virgos are natural healers, in the sense, that order, stability, and cleanliness heal our chaotic minds. Virgo is the sign of the healer, giver, space holder. So, this is a great season to be engaging in new routines with healing and service work. And by service work, I mean, being of service to fellow humans and/or animal friends. How and where can you be most helpful to your community?
Now, let’s talk a little about Mercury Retrograde. So, are you like,”Angie, are you effing kidding me right now, bro? I thought we were already in Mercury Retrograde?!?! I mean, shit ain’t right already.” We go into a pre-retrograde period a few weeks before it starts, and then go into a shadow retrograde period after it ends. So, you might have been stalking you for a few weeks in its pre-shadow time frame. So, you are already swimming in the soup, people!
Mercury Retrograde has a reputation, because it happens three times a year for three weeks a piece, then counting the pre-retrograde period and the shadow retrograde, that is like a good 2 months 3xs a year, so calculating in my really math-deficient brain that seems like a good 6 months of Mercury doing its thing. It reminds me of my friend Billy during a Daylight Savings time change. He posted something on FB that said, “OMG, stop complaining about the time change. It happens twice a year. JUST GO TO SLEEP!” Or that one cartoon I cannot find now where the Moon is leaning in some lady’s window when she is in bed and says, “Stop blaming me for everything!”
It is because Mercury rules communication, and we often notice electronics being a little temperamental, my dryer is broken, por ejemplo, (I feel like Laura Ingalls Wilder hanging my clothes outside with actual clothes pins. I even wear a bonnet to do it and call my kids Half-Pint.)
Communications is a little wonky, like sending a text before you edited it 15 times or mispelling something on your resume for an editing job...just double check things. Mercury Retrograde is in Virgo, and Virgo is a stickler, so expect those issues of Mercury Rx to be in the little details that drive you crazy. Listen, Mercury Rx is just as important as Mercury Direct...we get to use every part of the Moon + Planetary movements. We can use this time for planning, dreaming, laying out what our steps might be. Take three weeks for that planning time, but hold off on moving forward. I have some tips for you during this time:
And if you use Tarot, here is a cool layout:
If you are up for using crystals, I use a combination of Throat Chakra stones and grounding stones. Throat chakra or communication stones like Aquamarine, Blue Lace Agate, Hemimorphite, Amazonite, and my favorite for Mercury Retrograde is Fluorite, often called the stone of the student. It really helps with clarity and understanding. Grounding stones I use are Hematite, Smoky Quartz, Black Tourmaline and...wait for it, Garnet are great. My friend Chris (Tall Chris Crystals) gave me some Black Garnet, and that is going to be my new GOTO for Merc. Rx. The grid here is Fluorite, Smoky Quartz and Hematite, but you do you, boo.
(*I am quoting Practical Magic, not suddenly shifting personalities here.)
Creative transformative energy! Leonine powers of expression and boundaries are yours! You the shit, babe, and you know it! Find that thing you are exceedingly good at and be exceedingly good at it! Don't use your confident, sexy Leo powers to manipulate others and you be good! Remember almost everything is retrograde, so take it easy with other people! Let this New Moon guide inspiration, boundaries, expression and then do the perspiration part of your goals! You got this! Don't give up 5 minutes before the miracle happens! Remember transformation and annihilation feels the same until the end! Continue being very energetic and excited about every statement with a proverbial or literal exclamation point!
Blessed New Moon in Cancer on July 17th, 2023 at 2:32 pm ET. Time to practice some deep self-care, rejuvenation. The New Moon in Cancer happens the same day the lunar nodes shift signs for the next 18 months. The north node moves into Aries, and the south node moves into Libra. So, we deal with issues around the Self + Others, particularly around boundaries and home. This can be emotional, particularly if you have gone through some deep wounding around family, home, safety and where we feel safe emotionally. It may be a time when we jettison friendships or relationships that threaten us, or do not provide nurturing or safety. Or it can be a time to heal those wounds, or at least give ourselves a kind of closure. When Venus goes retrograde later in the month, it will be hard to have conversations, but this may be a time to do the work around how to heal, how to have conversations, and intuitively how to nurture and heal the self.
Happy new mooning!
Here is my personal one…whew, it was a doozy.
Blessed Midsummer, friends, it is Angelica Yingst with a bonus episode celebrating another turn of the Wheel with Summer Solstice celebrations. Some call it Midsummer, Summer Solstice or litha or Leetha, as others pronounce it. I could not get a clear pronunciation of it. I found an Irish speaker who said Litha, but Wiccans will sometimes say Leetha. Ultimately, the word for the holiday comes from the Anglo-Saxon name for the month of June — Ǣrra-Līða. That essentially translates to “the first liða” — and July is effectively named “the second liða.”
Blessed Vernal Equinox, friends! This episode of Centered is a reading, history and insights around Vernal Equinox or what modern pagans and Wiccans call Ostara.
Disclaimer for this episode is that I nerd out on some religious and cultural history of this time of the year. I include talk about Christianity, Judaism and the bible. I tend to give you biblical verses for context not preachiness. One thing to know is that I have a degree in Religion. We tend to say that Theologians, of which I am not, focus on what God thinks about humans, and Religion scholars focus on what humans think about God, so I am coming from the latter of these. And in this quest to put things into context, I often will go to the source within that religion. I do my best. I was raised Catholic and am now a pagan. I’m an earth-worshipping, tree hugging, faithful and faith filled believer in the Goddess and God, and often will just say God to mean it all. I want you to know that, because I don’t want to mislead anyone. I tend to see our alikeness in religious beliefs rather than our otherness. I could literally talk Religion all day. And maybe I will some episode.
So, there is no one traditional religion or culture where you would find all eight pagan/Wiccan sabbats as a holiday system. Wicca, also known as Witchcraft or the Craft, seeks to reestablish the link to the earth and the cycle of seasons by following what Wiccans call the "Wheel of the Year." Celebrations, known as Sabbats, serve as the spokes of the Wheel, reminding practitioners of humanity's intimate connection to nature. The Lesser Sabbats, tied to the solstices and equinoxes, and the Greater Sabbats, purportedly tied to harvest and livestock cycles, occur approximately every six weeks. Through observance of the Sabbats and Esbats, rituals taking place every new and full moon, witches keep in touch with the progression of the year and nature's rhythms.That came about in the 1950s with the creation of Wicca by Gerald Gardner.
Ostara celebrates the vernal equinox. Ostara is one of the holy days that Gardner solidified for pagans. Ostara, named after the Eostre, the Germanic Goddess of the Spring (others say she is Celtic) is celebrated on the Vernal or Spring Equinox. Like many other spring celebrations in other cultures, Ostara symbolizes fertility, rebirth, and renewal. This time of year marked the beginning of the agricultural cycle, and farmers would start planting seeds…listen to continue.
In this episode, I am talking about Tarot + the spiritual work of the healer. I have questions that I keep finding that I forgot to answer earlier, or just held onto for a bit, so apologies if that was you. I like to create Q&As that are related. I also have some events and things coming up that you might be interested in, so I have that after my questions, if you hang out that long. Enjoy this episode of Centered.
The questions:
Can you talk about how to create your own tarot layouts? How did you start doing that? And how do you recommend doing it?
What is a significator and why don’t you talk about them?
Beka Caudill asked Is there a certain day you suggest doing your tarot pull for the year? Any specific questions to ask?
Julie Milletti asked Are there times when you don’t do anything spiritual — tarot, meditation, earth medicine practices, etc.?✨
Here is the reading I pulled, but you can see the template below.
Angie talks Samhain, letting go, emotional support corpses and pulls some tarot cards for the dark season of Samhain to Yule.
This is a picture of my Layouts book with my margin notes. I really encourage you all to change up things in your books, because connecting with the layout is the MOST important part. You have control!
I talk about this piece by Marybeth Bonfiglio called 41 Ways to Make Love to Yourself: https://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/12/41-ways-to-make-love-to-yourself-marybeth-bonfiglio/
Honored as the longest day of the year, Midsummer, or Summer Solstice, marks a time when the sun is at its height of power. Summer Solstice, called Litha in pagan and Wiccan circles, honors this longest day of the year. The word “solstice” is from the Latin word solstitium, which literally translates to “sun stands still.” Most of the festivals from around the world, despite religion and culture, honor the Sun’s strength and gifts, particularly agrarian cultures where this time when the crops were sown, tended for a good harvest. Nearly every agricultural society has marked the high point of summer in some way, shape or form. Listen for more…
As the Wheel turns and the grass turns greener, flowers blossom, their pollen heaving, enticing, the pollinators, come and spread seed. Greater Sabbats on the pagan Wheel of the Year are the cross-quarter holidays—what they call the Earth Festivals (as compared to the Solar Festivals that mark the equinoxes and the solstices.) Beltane marks the beginning of the transition from Spring to Summer. It occurs on May 1st. Blossoming flowers, the trees and grass really take off, the bees beginning to buzz…it is a time of lightness and fun, fertility and growth.
Beltane uniquely focuses on sexuality and sensuality with a bevy of yonic and phallic symbols. The Horned God, birthed at Yule, begins to hit his lusty stage, ready to mate with the maiden Earth goddess. Both are honored at this time—Cernunnos (as well as Green Man, Pan, the Oak King) and the Maiden Goddess. Beltane honors our own unions. The Roman festival of Floralia seems to have influenced the way Beltane was celebrated. Beltaine, the Celtic Christian festival meaning “Bright Fire”, honored the release of the cattle into the fields. Standing directly across Samhain on the great Wheel of the Year, Beltane calls in light and lightness in the same way Samhain honors the dark of life. There is a focus during Beltane on life in all its sensuous and corporeal glory.
The celebrations of Beltane are joyous, raucous events with massive bonfires, dancing, singing and more. Beltane fires are said to have healing properties that were used to grant healing prayers and protection. The smoke from the bonfires were used for purification and for vitality. The ashes then were placed in the fields for fertility. Celebrations at Beltane, sometimes called May Day, involved the Maypole—a tall wood pole, a phallic symbol, placed in the center of the festivities. A flower wreath placed on top of the pole served as a yonic symbol of the feminine. Brightly colored ribbon hang from the top of the pole to the ground. Maidens and boys were placed around the pole, grabbing every other cloth or ribbon (men facing one way while the women faces another, so they could look at each other.) They danced, weaving in and out of each other, symbolizing the sexual union of masculine and feminine.
When we look at the world through the agrarian calendar, or the Wheel of the Year, we often find some antiquated ways—particularly around the masculine and feminine. Around Beltane, the idea of the masculine and feminine coming together really meant bringing fertility to the fields for a good harvest. A good harvest meant the difference between life and death. It also meant expanding the family and bringing children into the world. Childbirth brings both the feminine and masculine together forming new life, and in this way, Beltane honors the way sexuality brings together the light-dark, masculine-feminine for new life. We can certainly expand our idea of sexuality now, but the symbolism of Beltane remains in the phallic and the yonic.
During Beltane festivals, couples stayed out in the fields all night, engaging in sexual union, particularly in the fields, to encourage fertility in the crops and soil or in the woods, where they would bring back greenery and flowers to decorate for the celebrations. Babies conceived during these couplings at Beltane were called merry-begots and thought to be blessed by the gods. These couplings were not the only celebrations of unions—marriages and hand fastings often were celebrated during this time.
Magick is thought to be easy to access around Beltane. All manner of people engaged in divination and magickal behavior from the grandmother to the cook who threw his soup bones in the fire to read in the morning. In fact, the two Greater Sabbats of the year, Samhain and Beltane, lying across from each other on the Wheel of the Year, honor the thinness of the veil between the worlds by encouraging us to dive into our Tarot and oracle decks, our runes, and scry into bowls of water, another yonic symbol.
I have been reading Tarot for many moon cycles. As a pagan and an earth medicine practitioner, I have created tarot spreads for each of the points on the Wheel of the Year to help us easily tap into the energetic and magickal work important around these different points on the Wheel of the Year and in our life. Beltane’s sexy energy encourages us to connect with the light, lusty, fertile energy of Beltane and May.
I wanted to share my Tarot Layout from my book the Complete Tarot Layouts. Because the energy of sex and creativity is so intimately tied together, you can use this layout for either. If you are more interested in a creative project, you can also think of that birthing out of the same energy of Beltane. Remember you can do this reading at any time you want to check in with a relationship or project of any kind, not just Beltane. Remember you can use this and any tarot layout with runes, oracles decks or any Tarot deck.
