The Pagan Origins of Birthday Celebrations!

Here are a few excerpts from an interesting looking book on the Pagan origins of birthday celebrations, called The Lore of Birthdays by Ralph Linton.

Originally the idea was rooted in magic. The working of spells for good and evil is the chief usage of witchcraft. One is especially susceptible to such spells on his birthday, as one's personal spirits are about at that time. Dreams dreamed on the birthday eve should be remembered, for they are predictions of the future brought by the guardian spirits which hover over one's bed on the birthday eve.

The traditional birthday cake and candles also have their origin in ancient Pagan idol worship. The ancients believed that the fire of candles had magical properties. They offered prayers and made wishes to be carried to the gods on the flames of the candles. Thus we still have the widely practiced birthday custom of making a wish, then blowing out the candles.

The Greeks celebrated the birthday of their moon Goddess, Artemis, with cakes adorned with lighted candles.

Since it was believed that the positions of the stars at the time of birth influenced a child's future, astrological horoscopes came into being, purporting to foretell the future, based on the time of birth. 'Birthdays are intimately linked with the stars, since without the calendar, no one could tell when to celebrate his birthday. They are also indebted to the stars in another way, for in early days the chief importance of birthday records was to enable the astrologers to chart horoscopes.

The Greeks believed that everyone had a protective spirit or daemon who attended his birth and watched over him in life. This spirit had a mystic relation with the god on whose birthday the individual was born. The Romans also subscribed to this idea.

This notion was carried down in human belief and is reflected in the guardian angel, the fairy godmother and the patron saint.

I've also seen mention made of gifts for the birthday celebrant likened to sacrifices and offerings given to deities.



I suppose, instead of christians asking if it's appropriate to celebrate a birthday in a Pagan way, Pagans should be asking: Should we celebrate a personal birthday in the same way we celebrate our Gods? Are we engaging in hubris and elevating ourselves to the status of deity? Are we celebrating the divine spark within and therefore it is justified?


I'm obviously cool with celebrating a personal birthday, so I pick the later ;)

A Midsummer Night's Dream...

What is really happening in this play? Yes, it's a big, bawdy comedy set in Athens complete with love quadrangle wherein the young lovers are entangled by fairy mischief, a wedding, and The Fairy King and Queen are fighting over a changeling: each claims him for their own. But what are the real consequences of this rift? It's in Titania's first speech. My notes are in italics.

Titania
...And never, since the middle summer's spring,
Met we on hill, in dale, forest or mead,
By paved fountain or by rushy brook,
Or in the beached margent of the sea,
To dance our ringlets to the whistling wind,


Ringlets! Circles! She just said they haven't done their usual ritual... Great Rite much?

But with thy brawls thou hast disturb'd our sport.

It's Oberon's fault for trying to take her changeling!

Therefore the winds, piping to us in vain,
As in revenge, have suck'd up from the sea
Contagious fogs; which falling in the land
Have every pelting river made so proud
That they have overborne their continents:



The wind hasn't gotten its tribute and therefore the weather is fucked! Floods!

The ox hath therefore stretch'd his yoke in vain,
The ploughman lost his sweat, and the green corn
Hath rotted ere his youth attain'd a beard;
The fold stands empty in the drowned field,
And crows are fatted with the murrion flock;
The nine men's morris  is fill'd up with mud,
And the quaint mazes in the wanton green
For lack of tread are undistinguishable:



Nine Men's morris is a boardgame from ancient Italia. She's saying that it's not being played, like baseball was almost suspened during WWII. More importantly: No crops! The animals are dying off too. 


The human mortals want their winter here;
Their circle will turn the wheel of the year and usher in the harvest season. At this point, it's eternal summer and fucking up everything!

No night is now with hymn or carol blest:
Therefore the moon, the governess of floods,
Pale in her anger, washes all the air,
That rheumatic diseases do abound:
The people are too confused and upset to pay homage to their Gods and The Moon is ticked off!

And thorough this distemperature we see
The seasons alter: hoary-headed frosts
Far in the fresh lap of the crimson rose,


Another reference to their lack of ceremony screwing up the weather

And on old Hiems' thin and icy crown
An odorous chaplet of sweet summer buds
Is, as in mockery, set: the spring, the summer,
The childing autumn, angry winter, change
Their wonted liveries, and the mazed world,
By their increase, now knows not which is which:
Heims is Old Man Winter/Winter personified. It's like the Holly King wearing the Oak King's crown. Chaos, I tell you!.

And this same progeny of evils comes
From our debate, from our dissension;
We are their parents and original.
Again, the screwy weather, the lack of offerings to Deity, the crops failing and herds dying is their fault because they have not not turned the wheel!

We have a follow up reference after they argue about the changeling:

TITANIA
... If you will patiently dance in our round
And see our moonlight revels, go with us;
If not, shun me, and I will spare your haunts.

He declines and vows revenge. Fast forward past the angst filled lovers, mistaken identity, silly actors, and a wedding and now we've come to the end of the play. Happily, they finally get to their revels. Oops, spoiler :P I don't have to annotate this, just a summary: The fairies turn the wheel and bless all of the couples who were married that night and their future children:


OBERON
Through the house give gathering light,
By the dead and drowsy fire:
Every elf and fairy sprite
Hop as light as bird from brier;
And this ditty, after me,
Sing, and dance it trippingly.

TITANIA
First, rehearse your song by rote
To each word a warbling note:
Hand in hand, with fairy grace,
Will we sing, and bless this place

(Song and dance) <--- This would be their wheel-turning ceremony which sets the season to rights.

OBERON
Now, until the break of day, Through this house each fairy stray.
To the best bride-bed will we, Which by us shall blessed be;
And the issue there create Ever shall be fortunate.
So shall all the couples three Ever true in loving be;
And the blots of Nature's hand Shall not in their issue stand;
Never mole, hare lip, nor scar, Nor mark prodigious, such as are
Despised in nativity, Shall upon their children be.
With this field-dew consecrate, Every fairy take his gait;
And each several chamber bless, Through this palace, with sweet peace;
And the owner of it blest Ever shall in safety rest.
Trip away; make no stay; Meet me all by break of day.


One of my favorite quotes comes right before this scene, spoken by Puck Himself:

Now it is the time of night
That the graves all gaping wide,
Every one lets forth his sprite,
In the church-way paths to glide:
And we fairies, that do run
By the triple Hecate's team,
From the presence of the sun,
Following darkness like a dream,
Now are frolic: not a mouse
Shall disturb this hallow'd house

Ten years ago I directed a production of Midsummer and was fortunate enough to work with the best Puck ever, Shay Ansari. He crossed over several years ago, taken much too soon. I know he will be out this night with the Faery Band. Blessings on you, Shay. May you dwell on the bank where the wild thyme blows...

Drunk on Moon Shine!

Not the Dukes of Hazzard revenuers-are-comin' kind of moonshine! I did some work tonight, on a technically not-eclipsed-to-me barely waning moon, at sunset. I started in the hour of Mercury and concluded during the hour of the moon. Here's a fun site where you can calculate planetary hours and read more about them.

I didn't write a script. I rarely do unless others are involved and required to do and say certain things at certain times. You learn by doing. When you learn it well enough, you start taking on roles. When you have taken on enough roles enough times, you take the lead. It's like music theory: when you know the notes and the chords, you can create a sweet sounding tune.

I had work to do tonight and wanted to take advantage of the waning moon, the waning sun, and other releasing, removing influences. I opened the space, I called in Guardians, Patrons, Ancestors and the Land Itself. I made offerings of incense, water, and wine. The birds squawked, the dogs barked and the lucciolas lit my way. I was well attended and supported and it rocked. My words were from the heart. My gestures were a mix of old keys and the flow of the moment. I didn't have to plan what to do, I just brought out the ingredients I needed and was guided. When I saw the moon rise over the trees I was awe-struck. I felt like a little child standing there swinging my cauldron of incense. I felt how large the moon is, and the energy and how great She is, how all-encompassing. I felt connected to the core of our practice and I knew there were others out there honoring Her in all of Her forms. ::waves:: I saw you, and you, and.... you were there too! lol

I forgot to eat something afterward because I was so moonstruck that I dashed inside at the last possible minute to get kiddo to bed. Once he was prepped for bed, I took him to look at the moon rising above the trees. He loved it, but it was bad timing because he couldn't fall asleep for a long while after! I'm still bouncing around. I need to ground and to sleep! As fun an adventure as it might be, I don't want to go to sleep this buzzed!

Before I go, I wanted to share part of a fun chat I had with a friend tonight. We were discussing The Foletti and the work of RJ Stewart and Orion Foxwood. I mused that someone should write faery work from the Italian perspective since everything out there seems to be Celtic or Scottish. His reply:

"Other than the folletti, the nymphs and the satyrs, we Italians really don't have fey per se.  Well, we do... they are just the Dead."

I half agree and 1/4 disagree. But that's its own post!

He also waxed eloquent on a few definitions for his readers so I thought to share them with mine:

"Guided meditation: An exercise utilizing the imagination to program the subconcious mind & train the mind in preparation for REAL astral journeys.
Pathworking: Originally, a journey along the paths upon the Tree of Life. Broadened to include journeys centered upon core concepts & set imagery to help students internalize a teaching.

Journeywork: REAL astral work. Journeying is NOT scripted, though it may revolve upon a theme OR a particular area of focus.

Likewise, anyone who says (like Llewelyn books tend to do) that astral work leaves you feeling refreshed when you come to... is a fucking moron. You don't feel perky and happy go lucky! You feel like you are recovering from a jagermeister shot (at least 8) induced hangover AFTER being run over by an SUV."

Word! It's called work for a reason! Unlike the cacasetenze I spoke of the other night, Nemesis is a weaver of words and wise beyond his years. I'm glad to know him and glad to point you to his books. Maybe, if I ask real nice, he might guest blog?


I've repeated myself enough tonight! I'm off! Time to ground! Here's some Moon Love!

A Day of Firsts

First things first (haha and no the jokes don't get better from here): I want to be a responsible blogger and give credit where it's due, so I'm slowly, during daylight hours, going over past blog posts to make sure they are credited and cited properly. If you happen to see a photo in need of a credit or an excerpt in need of a link, please let me know! I usually write these posts late at night, well after I should have been sleeping, and I want to keep on top of things. Now, onto the funtastic day of firsts!

Congrats to Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom for placing 1st in the Top 25 Faith Blogs by Moms contest! And thanks for launching me into 29th place! 12 of the top 25 blogs are Pagan and 17 out of the top 30 are too! Wow. Thanks also to Circle of Moms for organizing this. I have so many wonderful blogs to read now and more people have found their way here!

Tonight I was really touched by a note I received from a reader. She said the blog made her feel connected. Yay! I appreciate that so very much- it's the best compliment anyone could give me. Being a Strega amongst Wiccans is being a minority within a minority. It can be very frustrating at times; No matter how much we love our Wiccan, or other Pagan friends and compatriots, there is something lacking when you're not amongst your own, when you have to change something to fit in, even tho it's supposed to be a safe place. Because so much of Italian Witchcraft is based in Family, we can feel disconnected in a fundamental way. It can make you feel off kilter- like you're on a boat but haven't gotten your sea legs yet. I think anyone with a strong family connection feels this when they've been away from the family fold for too long.

Today we sat down and watched Star Wars with our son for the first time. He's rather sensitive to conflict (there are some nick jr episodes he won't watch because there's too much drama), so we didn't know how he'd like Star Wars. He likes the Star Wars toys he's been given in the past (especially any Lego version lol) The only scene that bothered him was the one where they're stuck in the garbage compacter. That was the one that bugged me as a kid too. Throughout the whole movie, much of the violence is abstract, almost cartoon-like: it happens to alien looking things or something explodes with fireworks type effects. In that compactor we have an unseen water monster who grabs the hero we identify with and tries to drown him. Then people almost get crushed! Yikes. That's the most realistic scene in the movie, emotionally speaking. Come to think of it, that scene still bothers me! He and I have talked about "The Force" in the past, about how everything is connected by energy and how to use it... it was fun to see him relate to that in a new way and to discuss why Darth Vader was "bad" even though he used the same energy that Obi Wan did. It's all about how and why you use it. We also talked about Han Solo being a "gray" or "shady" character who had been selfish until he found friends. Yes, we watched the one where Han shoots first! What kind of crappy bounty hunter could Greedo have been to miss at point blank range? Pft. Han shoots First! Overall, he liked it and wants to watch it again. Except for that garbage scene. Can't blame him!

Another first: This is the book I helped to write. I think 8 or 9 of my pieces were published in this book, now preserved at the NYPL. Squee! Can't wait to get down there and hold it! Happily, I've been able to read it already and have finally gotten the chance to see what my cohorts did that night!

I've started a post on my Fairy garden, and it, like so many others, has lead to deeper research on the Foletti. However! Since I have chiseled about this previously, I will now do a quickie on my Fairy Garden!

When I talk about Fairies, I don't mean a bunch of tiny smurf-like creatures. Whenever "they" want to make something seem unimportant, "they" diminutize it. Did I make up that word? I digress... The garden is more of what someone might call a "memorial garden" but it's not to honor someone who has passed, it's a space for us to honor the Spirits of the Land who are very much with us. There is a copper beech tree in the middle of the space. I've placed a small stone bench on either side of it. Because of the tree and the others nearby, there is very little sunlight in this space. I have forget-me-nots, a fern, and a few hooks upon which to hang baskets of impatiens. A friend recently offered periwinkle too! I'm not really going for "magickal" plants here, nor is this section my Italian Garden (you know... tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, rosemary, rue...). This is a place to connect, to leave offerings, to sit and spend time and give love and energy. I'm trying to care for it, make it pretty, and starting to be more consistent about the offerings I leave and the time I spend. It's a place to be still and to listen. It's much different than the area with the labyrinth- that one is all about movement, especially since it's by the road. That is a walking meditation. The Fairy Garden is one of stillness. I leave offerings of shinies, of food, of wine, and tending the space is an offering of time, showing my willingness to work on our connection. I don't know what it means that I found a broken blue egg on the ground just before the wood which delineates the space. I left it on one of the benches thinking The Spirits would know what to do with it, and now it's gone without a trace. I suppose they did know.

I'll leave you tonight with this excerpt from Leland's Aradia:

The Children Of Diana, Or How The Fairies Were Born

All things were made by Diana, the great spirits of the stars, men in their time and place, the giants which were of old, and the dwarfs who dwell in the rocks, and once a month worship her with cakes.

There was once a young man who was poor, without parents, yet he was good. One night he sat in a lonely place, yet it was very beautiful, and there he saw a thousand fairies, shining white, dancing in the light of the full moon.

"Gladly would I be like you, O fairies!" said the youth, "free from care, needing no food. But what are you?"

"We are moon rays, the children of Diana," replied one

We are children of the Moon.
We are born of shining light;
When the Moon shoots forth a ray,
Then it takes a fairy's form.

"And you are one of us because you were born when the Moon, our mother Diana, was full;
yes, our brother, kin to us, belonging to our band.
"And if you are hungry and poor and will have money in your pocket, then think upon the Moon, on Diana, unto whom you were born; then repeat these words -

"'Moon, Moon, beautiful Moon!
Fairer far than any star;
Moon, O Moon, if it may be,
Bring good fortune unto me!'

"And then, if you have money in thy pocket, you will have it doubled.
"For the children who are born in a full moon are sons or daughters of the Moon,
especially when they are born of a Sunday when there is a high tide.

"Full moon, high sea,
Great man shalt thou be!"