There will be Beltane celebrations a plenty this week throughout the world and according to where you are and what greenery is available the old custom of garlnd making is always a lovely thing to do, to hang on your or someone else's door on the 1st May.
You should however take care as to what greenery you choose for some plants carry a specific message.
Always use plum for those who are glum
Always choose pear for those who are fair
Always use gorse for those who are coarse
Always choose vine for those who are fine
And so it goes on....
Enjoy your garland making and the deeper meanings behind them.
Blessed Beltane
Read more 'Mrs darley's Pagan Whispers'

Sacred Samhain

Tonight the veil is thin. Tonight we remember those who have gone before. Tonight the Goddess takes on a duel aspect, on the one hand She is the expectant mother who will give birth at the next festival of the Winter Solstice and on the other She is the Dark Mother - the Wise Woman. This is the Crone who asks us to journey within to explore our shadow selves and to give that aspect as much reverence as the sunnier side of our nature which is more often the aspect we portray to the world.
It matters not which face of the Goddess turns to face us, Her other aspects are always there and just because they may not be visible to the naked eye does not mean they fail to exist.

'In the marriage bed
Your Goddess lies,
Her youthful eyes
Still shine behind an ageing veil......'

From 'The Mermaid' - Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers

The Blood Moon

October's new moon should now be visible in our skies just before sunset. This was the Celtic Blood Moon and was the time when the maternal qualities of the Goddess were honoured, including the gift of life itself. The Celts believed that the spirit of a person dwelt within the blood and as the harsh times approached, the Gods were called upon to strengthen the blood of the tribe.
This Blood Moon is in the sign of Libra - time for artistic activities, justice, partnerships, emotional balance, love, and diplomacy. May the Blood Moon strengthen your resolve and bring you peace of mind.
Read more 'Mrs Darley's Moon Mysteries'

Welcoming the spring

Today is the Vernal Equinox - the first day of spring and the first time in the year when day and night are of equal length, but from this point forward until the Autumn Equinox we are journeying into the light.

This is the festival which celebrates the union between the God and the Goddess, between the strengthening sun and the awakening earth. It is a time of balance, of male and female energies binding together to bring forth a year of abundance and fertility.

Why not light a fire tonight or even a candle and welcome the return of the light as we spiral outwards into spring.

Read more 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers'.

Bidding Farewell to the God

Lughnasadh is upon us. It begins at sunset tonight (1st) and ends at sunset tomorrow. The word itself derives from the Irish Celtic God Lugh, who, in actual fact had very little to do with the corn harvest, but was a popular and heroic God often referred to as the shinning one and for whatever reason gradually became associated with the sacrificial aspect of the God.

Lughnasadh celebrates the beginning of the corn harvest, the last sheaf of which was thought to contain the spirit of the corn God. As such, the reaper who cut it down was considered to have taken the life of the God and it was not therefore an auspicious act to participate in. It therefore became general practice that when everything was cut except the final sheaf, that all the reapers would stand blindfolded in a semi circle and hurl their sickles at it, thus no one would know who had taken the Corn God's life.

Once cut however, the sheaf took on a different aspect altogether and was taken home by one of the reapers to be 'dressed', i.e. made into a human shape or tied with red ribbons and took pride of place at the harvest supper, sitting next to 'the master'. It was often known as a 'kern baby' and is where our term 'corn dolly' derives.

Simple corn dollies can be made at home and are still used by farmers today to bring fertility to their cattle. Fertility and abundance can however come in many different ways and should you decide to make your own dolly, even if it is simply tying together a few pieces of corn with a ribbon, make sure you hang it by the hearth until the spring equinox, at which point the seeds should be scattered on the earth to bring you abundance for the summer.

Over the next couple of days give a moment of thanks to the Goddess for the corn which sustains us and to the God as his blood is spilled upon the earth to bring us fertility for the year to come.

May Marriages

The month of May is traditionally thought to belong to the Goddess and as such any man who was brave enough to marry during the month was said to fall prey to the lust and power of a woman!

The Romans too considered May an unlucky month for a wedding, due to the celebration of their festival of 'Lemuralia', at which sacrifices were made to purge each house of hostile spirits and therefore marriages were not considered wholly appropriate.

With the coming of Christianity, May became the month of the Virgin Mary and was a time associated with chastity and purity, therefore not a time to celebate the nuptuals!

If, however you are celebrating a wedding this month, may the Goddess smile upon you and bring you love, healthand happiness.

The Binding

Fresh on the wings

Of a March wind

You run.....

Wild and free

Yet bound,

With knowing

Yet unsure.

Feel the blood of life

Coursing through your veins.

Feel the animal passion

Rising in your loins.

Run, run, wild and free

For She is but a whisper away...

Know

That when you gaze upon Her face,

Her beauty will bind;

Your destiny beckon.

From 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers' by Carole Carlton

Click on Amazon link atthe top of the page.

The Spring Equinox

Today marks the Spring Equinox, a time when day and night are equal, but from which point we journey joyfully into the light of a northern summer, as daylight hours begin to exceed those of darkness.

This is a time when the Horned God of the wildwood and the maiden Goddess meet and she becomes pregnant with the Solstice child, hence the cycle of life begins again.

This is a time of joyous celebrations and so, as the moon still hangs full in the sky tonight, sit beneath it around a fire and toast the warmth and light that is to come.

Snowdrops

Snowdrops have always been recognised as the first harbingers of spring, but folklore dictates that to bring them into the home is often asking for trouble.

If snowdrops are brought into the house before Valentine's Day, then any unmarried females will be destined to remain spinsters. Any hens that happen to be sitting when the flowers are indoors will not lay, whilst the milk from cows will be thin and the butter colourless.

Snowdrops are symbollic of the return of the maiden Goddess and for all their delicate appearence are strong and independant, both of which are necessary qualities for these first flowers which appear above the earth to face the harsh winter weather.

The Celtic Goddess Bride

Today until sundown is the festival of Imbolc which has, overthe years become synonymous with the Celtic Goddess Bride (christianised as St Bridget).

Bride is often depicted as the gentle maiden Goddess, who's return brings a promise of spring at this lovely winter festival. This image however, belies her true character and tenth century Irish writings provide a far more accurate description when they say she was; 'The daughter of Daghda, the great God of Tuatha de Danann, a woman of wisdom.'

The Tuatha de Danann were thought to have been a race of Divine beings who inhabited Ireland long before the time of the Celts. Bride therefore came from good stock and was indeed a woman of wisdom, often depicted as a triple Goddess in so much as she was, and still is, recognised as the patron of healers, smiths and poets.

To simply celebrate this festival, light a white candle, bring an offering of craftwork, a poem or a promise of helping someone in need and sit quietly in order to give thanks to a Goddess who's return heralds the return of life to the earth.

The festival of Imbolc

Sundown today sees the beginning of the Celtic festival of Imbolc, although in truth, the Celts did not have a fixed date, but celebrated in style as soon as the lambing season began. Imbolc was a time of the utmost importance to the Celtic tribes as the quality and amount of new born lambs meant the difference between survival and extinction.

The word Imbolc (pronounced 'im-olc') actually means 'in the belly' and refers to the stirring of life within the earth's womb. An alternative term for this festival is 'Oimelc', meaning 'the first flowing of ewe's milk, both of which are appropriate words for this exciting time of year.

When christianity came to these islands this festival became 'Candlemas' and commemorated the time when Mary went to the temple to undertake a purification ceremony forty days after the birth of Jesus.

Imbolc is still celebrated by Pagans and witches alike today and has become synonymous with the delightful Celtic Goddess Bride (christianised as St Bridget), who I will look at in greater detail as the week progresses.

Enjoy celebrating over the next few days. Decorate your home with white flowers and candles and arrange to share an Imbolc meal with friends or family to celebrate the return of the Goddess and the eternal hope of spring.

Sacred Holly

There has been much debate about whether holly represents the masculine or feminine principal. One school of thought considers it to be masculine because of its prickly nature and see the red berries as being symbolic of the sacrificial God spilling his blood upon the fields. Another school of thought considers it to be feminine, and that the red berries symbolise the menstrual blood of the Goddess.

The Saxons however, recognised that holly could represent both the male and female principal. They called holly without berries 'he' holly and holly with berries was referred to as 'she' holly. If more 'he' holly than 'she' was brought into the house, then the husband would rule the home for the following year, whilst if more 'she' holly was present then the wife would be in charge.

Perhaps we should all aim for a little of each in order to bring balance and harmony this winter solstice.

From 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers'

Samhain

A time of stillness of reflection and thanks before the beginning of the Celtic New Year and the continuing journey into the winter with the dark Goddess.

The Dark Realms

Through the mists of other worlds,
Through the veil between,
Come to me in dream and trance,
Come by means unseen.

Lead me through the barren land,
Where leaves and needles fall,
Lead me to the darkened heath,
Where ghosts and demons call.

Take me to the world beyond,
A world of stick and bone,
Take me to the shadow realms,
The dwelling of the crone.

Let me see the well of death,
The cauldron of decay,
Let me come to know the hag,
Once crowned the 'Queen of May'.

Wisest Hecate, dark Calleach,
Who bring us loss and pain,
Lead us through the door of death,
That we may rise again.

From 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers' by Carole Carlton

May the Goddess bring you blessings this Samhain

Mrs Darley's Pagan Elements

My new book is out this week entitled 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Elements'. It explores the four elements of air, fire, water and earth and takes what can only be described as a glimpse of what the fifth element or spirit can mean, for each of us have our own opinion of what spirit means to us.

Each chapter explores one of the elements which are vital to life upon this earth and offers what I hope are interesting facts about the world we are priviledged to live in. The atmosphere, the oceans, volcanoes and earth quakes are all investigated and their connection to the Gods of old, the mythical creatures that have become associated with them over millennia and their use, both physical and symbolic in alchemy and magic.

Mrs Darley of course is present in greater quantity than in previous books and, as usual, stops to make us think differently about aspects of the world in which we live whilst offering me plenty of insight as the book progresses. The following is a quote to hopefully whet your appetite:

'Here,' she said, 'lies a place where the Goddess dwells, where earth meets with water and yields to its power where religions fuse yet the old ways prevail. Here is a place where reason meets with magic yet magic defies all reason....'

I hope you enjoy it and that it fills your world with enchantments.

The Festival of Beltane

Sunset on the 30th April heralds the Celtic festival of Beltane, the beginning of summer. It is a joyous festival and celebrates the gift of life in all its forms, from the gathering of greenery to decorate and protect homes, to making love in the woods until dawn. Many Pagans enact the marriage of the God and Goddess in their Beltane rituals which symbolises the masculine sun and the female earth, the union of which will hopefully result in an abundant earth as we move into the warmth and beauty of summer.

Celebrate this coming weekend by attending one of the many May Day festivals that are held around the country, perhaps the Green Man Festival in Clun Shropshire or the classic and evocative 'Obby 'Oss festival in Padstow Cornwall.

Whatever you decide to do for May Day however, make sure you celebrate the joy of life.