Sabbats - The Magick Moon

Sabbats: A Witch's Approach to Living the Old Ways is a 7 x 10 paperback by Edain McCoy.

First and foremost, Witchcraft or Wicca is a religion. In The Sabbats, Edain McCoy reveals the eight major holidays of this faith and the many ways in which they are celebrated.

There are two basic types of holidays. The first come at the Solstices and Equinoxes. The others divide the time between those dates in two, resulting in eight major holidays or Sabbats with approximately the same amount of days between them. The balance, here, gives the appearance of spokes in a wheel, so this cycle is commonly called the Wheel of the Year.

The holidays represent two things. First, the harvest cycle. Each holiday represents a time in the growth of crops. From planting to growth, from harvesting to letting the lands lie fallow in the cold winter, the festivals follow the agricultural cycles of ancient times. However, they also represent the eternal love of the God and Goddess, following the God's birth from the Goddess and his death before she gives birth to him again. This also follows the pattern of the Sun which moves from warm and high in the sky to cold and low in the sky.

The book is filled with ways you can follow the Wheel of the Year, whether you work with a coven, with your family, or by yourself. You will learn the secrets of ritual construction and handicrafts appropriate to each of the festivals. You will also learn recipes for traditional foods for each holiday and even songs appropriate to the Sabbats.

This is a wonderful, joyous book filled with color, information, and wisdom. If you are involved with Paganism in any way, this book is a must for your studies and practices. This book functions as both a resource and as a practical manual for the celebration of the holidays. Get your copy today.

When most people think of Witchcraft or Wicca, especially those who are not practitioners, they think of spells and magick. While those are important parts of "The Craft", many would claim that more important are its religious aspects.

All major religions have sets of holidays. Christianity has Christmas and Easter. Judaism has Yom Kippur and Chanukkah. The generic term for the Pagan holidays is "sabbat", and in The Sabbats, author Edain McCoy describes each of the eight Wiccan holidays, including their lore and ways to celebrate them for Witch covens, Pagan families, and solitary Wiccans. You will learn songs, recipes, rituals, games, and more so that the holidays become a living, breathing part of your spiritual life.

The first Sabbat is called Samhain. It takes place on October 31 of each year. It has many meanings including the end of the final harvest; a chance to commune with and remember dead ancestors; and a celebration of the eternal cycle of reincarnation. The second Sabbat, known as Yule, takes place on the Winter Solstice around December 22. "On this day the God (who died at Samhain) is reborn of the Virgin Goddess. This is a representation of the Sun starting to go higher in the skies after this day.

The third Sabbat is Imbolg, a day set aside to honor the Goddess who was slowly turning the Wheel of the Year back to spring. Ostara, the fourth Sabbat, occurs on the Spring Equinox around March 22. It is a celebration in honor of the Goddess of Spring. Beltaine takes place on the first of May, and is a joyous, wild holiday. It marks the end of the planting cycle and is known for the practice of fertility rites in order to encourage the crops to grow. Symbolic of the fertility rite, of course, is the maypole.

Midsummer, the Sabbat of the Summer Solstice around June 22, marks the longest day of the year and the height of the God's (and the sun's) power. Since many herbs are collected at this time, this section shares how to dry herbs and how over fifty of them can be used for magical purposes. The seventh Sabbat is Lugnhasadah. It is the first harvest, so the feast of Lughnasadh is one of the most important Sabbats. The eighth Sabbat is Mabon on the Autumn Equinox around September 22. After this festival, the days begin to get shorter.

But learning about the festivals of the Wheel of the year is just the beginning. You will also learn rituals for each holiday that can be used whether you are a solitary or working with a coven. You'll also learn recipes for each holiday and crafts that stress the spiritual significance of the day. The book also includes an outline for ritual construction, the elements of rituals, and a glossary with definitions of over 200 terms. A resource and merchant guide will help you find the items you need for celebration of any of the Sabbats.

This description is just an overview of some of the information you will find in this book.It is simply a must for all Pagans, Witches, Wiccans, and magical people.

PUBLISHER REVIEWS

Many different types of books have value. Some, like encyclopedias, are broad works which give general introductory material. Such books help people learn if they are really interested in something and need to get a basic idea of what is involved.

Then there are also in-depth resources that reveal intricate and detailed information. Sometimes this type of resource will contain lots of interesting bits of information, but have no continuity.

Breaking the mold of the latter is Edain McCoy's wonderful book, The Sabbats. This is one of the most in-depth studies of the eight major Pagan holidays ever written. In it you will discover the history of the eight holidays — Samhain, Mabon, and the rest. But that is not all. You'll also learn ways to celebrate the festivals including games, arts and crafts, music, recipes for traditional foods, and much more.

I suspect that you will read this book twice. First, it is such fun that you are going to read right through it, learning all about the holidays you celebrate. You'll learn their sources and alternate methods of participating in the festivals. This alone will add greatly to your understanding of the Wheel of the Year.

But second, you're going to pull this book out and go through it every time a Sabbat is about to occur. You'll look at it for new ideas and deeper understandings of the day. Of course, you might also want to use the glossary of common Pagan terms on a daily basis, so don't put this book on a back shelf!

This is a book you will learn from initially, and then learn more from every time you open its fun and intriguing pages. This book must be on your shelf.

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