Ceremonies Of The Seasons

'Ceremonies of the Seasons' is a celebration of the rituals that lie behind the calendar. It is the perfect book for all lovers of nature and rural traditions, as well as anyone intrigued by myth, symbolism and ceremony.

To give her family and friends a deep experience of earth-based spirituality, Jane Meredith holds eight rituals per year, celebrating the solstices, equinoxes, and cross-quarter festivals. 'Rituals of Celebration' provides accounts of the most memorable rituals she's organised, as well as how-to instructions for creating the rituals.

Creating Circles and Ceremonies is the accumulation of decades of circles, ceremonies, rituals, Mystery plays, initiations, rites of passage, and other magickal workings co-created by the Zell-Ravenhearts, today's foremost Wizard/Witch couple. For more than 30 years, Oberon and Morning Glory have traveled widely throughout the worldwide magickal community--participating in gatherings, conducting workshops, and creating rituals for groups large and small. They have met and made Magick with the leaders of many traditions: Celtic Shamanism, British Dianic, Italian Strega, Welsh Witchcraft, Faerie Trad, Ceremonial Magick, Ozark Druidry, the New Reformed Order of the Golden Dawn (NROOGD), Hinduism, Native American tribes, Greek and Egyptian mythology, and the futuristic Church of All Worlds. Here, in one easy-to-read volume, is their collection of chants, invocations, circle-castings, quarter-callings, spells, and ceremonies. It is also a "kit" to use to assemble your own rituals, for any season or reason: Book I presents a basic ritual outline. Each element is followed by numerous examples which may be "plugged in" to customize your own ceremony. Book II gives numerous examples of actual ceremonies: Esbats (full Moons) and special occasions; Rites of Passage; Mysteries and Initiations; spells and consecrations. These can be adapted and modified as needed for any size group--from small family gatherings in your living room, to huge outdoor celebrations involving thousands of people. Book III provides an assortment of full rituals and ritual elements for celebrations of the eight great seasonal festivals called the Wheel of the Year. Versions of these have been commemorated for millennia in most traditional cultures of the Northern Hemisphere; and today are universal throughout the worldwide Pagan community.

This book is a captivating visual record of the rich, still-alive traditions in Mexico and Guatemala conveyed through striking duotone photographs of community events in the region that take place within an annual cycle that refers to its pre-Columbian past, agricultural seasons, and Catholic traditions. The seasons of life are represented by colorful celebrations and rituals commemorating Mesoamerican history, culture, and religion. Beginning with the early December celebrations of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico's Yucatán, Bill Frej photographed thirteen celebrations including feast days of patron saints in Chiapas, Mexico, and Rabinal, Guatemala; the Carnival celebrations before Lent; Holy Week before Easter; and finally, the Day of the Dead in Oaxaca, Mexico. Three of the celebrations are distinct and unlike the others--the Masked Dance of Abraham and Isaac in Yucatán, Mexico; the Puáaxku jitsé in Santa Teresa, Nayarit, Mexico; and the Achí masked drama in Rabinal in Guatemala's highlands. The photographs capture the traditional clothing, dances, and elaborate processions and behind-the-scenes preparations--women cook and decorate churches, children gather flowers and pine boughs, men and boys paint their faces and bodies, and everyone prepares for the days ahead. An introduction by Anne Frej and essays by Frine Castillo Badillo, Nicolasa Chávez, Philip E. Coyle, and Gary H. Gossen provide details on the celebrations and further illuminate the subjects, providing historical and cultural context on these enduring folk celebrations.

Subtitled 'Rituals for Aotearoa', the book gives information about customs, symbols and stories relating to seasonal change from Maori and European perspectives. It examines the meeting of the two dominant cultures of Aotearoa, and provides an overview of seasonal celebrations. Each seasonal section examines the heritage from Maori, pagan and Christian European traditions and offers suggestions for developing and structuring rituals.