WITCH IN THE CITY

Remembering Demeter on the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel  Every year, on the sixteenth day of July, church bells ring across the Mediterranean in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Villages carry statues of the Virgin through narrow streets lined with flowers. Farmers ask for blessings upon their vineyards and fields. Families gather to give thanks for another season of growth, placing themselves beneath the mantle of the Mother who watches over both land and people. For many, it is simply another feast of the Church. Yet beneath these celebrations lies a much older rhythm, one that reaches back thousands of years to a time when another mother received prayers at the height of summer.  Long before chapels crowned Sicily’s hills and Marian shrines overlooked fields of wheat, these same landscapes belonged to Demeter, the Great Mother of Grain and Queen Goddess of the Earth. She was not merely the goddess of agriculture, but the divine teacher who gave humanity bread, agricu...

A Solstice Working for Empowerment & Protection  There is a moment each year when the sun stands at its greatest strength. The days have stretched to their fullest measure. Fields shimmer beneath golden light. The air itself seems charged with life, carrying the scent of warm earth, flowering herbs, and distant rain. It is the turning point known as the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year and the ancient crown of summer.  For countless generations, this season was honored with fires kindled upon hilltops, garlands woven from sacred plants, and prayers offered beneath the open sky. It was believed that the power of the sun reached its greatest height during this time, blessing the land with vitality, abundance, courage, and protection.  Yet the Solstice is more than a celebration of light. It is a reminder of personal power.  Just as the sun stands fully revealed in its glory, so too are we called to stand firmly in our own strength. It is a season for ca...

  May Day - Calendimaggio - The Feast of Flowers  Floralia, Beltane, Roodmas, May Eve, April 30th - May 2nd Calendimaggio - The First of May  In many cultures throughout the world the month of May is a time of festivity as well as the observance of the Earth’s Renewal and Waxing Sun. Calendimaggio "Calendi" meaning ‘Day’ and "maggio" means ‘May’. It is traditionally held the first week of May from Thursday to Saturday (lasting a total of three days). In Italy, Calendimaggio includes medieval themes and costumes, theatrical performances, feasting, drum parades, music, singing, and the playing the mandolin and guitar. In our Witches’ Tradition the Calendimaggio Festivity focuses on the Cosmic Union of the Feminine and Masculine Forces of the Universe and celebrates the Cosmic link between Life and Death. It is taught that on May Eve, the Veil between Worlds is at its’ thinnest (similar to Halloween) and the spirits of the dead awaken beneath the ground - desiring the ...