Imbolc Foods that represent growth, such as seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, etc), poppy seed breads and cakes, and herbal teas.
Spring Equinox Hard-boiled eggs (to symbolize fertility), honey cakes, the first fruits of the season, waffles, and milk punch
Beltane All red fruits (such as strawberries and cherries), green herbal salads, red or pink wine punch, and large, round oatmeal or barley cakes known as Beltane Cakes.
Samhain: all black gemstones, especially jet, obsidian, and onyx.
Winter Solstice: cat's-eye and ruby.
Incense
Imbolc basil, myrrh, and wisteria.
Spring Equinox African violet, jasmine, rose, sage, and strawberry.
Beltane frankincense, lilac, and rose.
Summer Solstice frankincense, lemon, myrrh, pine, rose, and wisteria.
Lammas alose, rose, and sandalwood.
Autumn Equinox benzoin, myrrh, and sage.
Samhain: apple, heliotrope, mint, nutmeg, and sage.
Winter Solstice: bayberry, cedar, pine, and rosemary.
Potpourri
Using a small cauldron filled with potpourri can be a fragrant alter decoration. Burn the potpourri outside as an offering to the gods. Potpourri can also make a wonderful gift - to any witch/non-witch.
Imbolc:
• 45 drops of myrrh oil
• 1 cups oak moss
• 2 cups dried heather flowers
• 2 cups dried wisteria
• 1 cup dried yellow tulip petals
• ½ cup dried basil
• ½ cup dried and chopped bay leaves
Mix the myrrh oil with the oak moss, and then add the remaining ingredients. Stir the potpourri well and then store in a tightly covered ceramic or glass container.
Spring Equinox:
• 45 drops of rose oil
• 1 cup oak moss
• 2 cups dried dogwood blossoms
• 2 cups dried honeysuckle blossoms
• ½ cup dried violets
• ½ cup dried daffodils
• ½ cup dried rosebuds
• ½ cup dried crocus or iris
Mix the rose oil with the oak moss, and then add the remaining ingredients. Stir the potpourri well and then store in a tightly covered ceramic or glass container.
Beltane Potpourri:
• 45 drops of frankincense
• 1 cup oak moss
• 1 cup dried bluebells
• 1 cup dried lilac
• 1 cup dried marigold
• 1 cup dried meadowsweet
• 1 cup dried rosebuds and petals
• 1 cup dried yellow cowslips
Mix the frankincense oil with the oak moss and then add the remaining ingredients. Sir the potpourri well and store in a tightly covered ceramic or glass container.
Summer Solstice Potpourri:
• 45 drops of lemon or lavender oil
• 1 cup of oak moss
• 2 cups dried lavender
• 2 cups dried wisteria
• 2 cups dried verbena
Mix the lemon or lavender oil with the oak moss and then add the remaining ingredients. Stir the potpourri well and store in a tightly covered ceramic glass container.
Lammas potpourri:
• 20 drops of clove bud oil
• 25 drops of sandalwood
• 1 cup of oak moss
• 2 cups of dried pink rosebuds
• 2 cups dried peony petals
• 1 cup dried amaranth flowers
• 1 cup dried heather flowers
• ½ cup dried cornflowers
Mix the clove bud and sandalwood oils with the oak moss and then add the remaining ingredients. Stir the potpourri well and store in a tightly covered ceramic or glass container.
Autumn Equinox potpourri:
• 45 drops honey suckle oil
• 1 cup oak moss
• 6 small acorns
• 2 cups dried oak leaves
• 2 cups dried honeysuckle
• 1 cup dried passionflower
• 1 cup dried rosebud and petals
• ½ cup dried pine needles
• 1 tablespoon sage
Mix the honeysuckle oil with the oak moss and then add the remaining ingredients, Stir the potpourri well and store in a tightly covered ceramic or glass container.
Samhain Potpourri:
• 45 drops patchouli oil
• 1 cup oak moss
• 2 cups dried apple blossoms
• 2 cups dried heather flowers
• 1 cup dried and chopped apple peel
• 1 cup dried pumpkin seeds
• ½ cup dried and chopped mandrake root
Mix the patchouli oil with the oak moss, and then add the remaining ingredients. Stir the potpourri well and store in a tightly covered ceramic or glass container.
Winter Solstice potpourri:
• 20 drops musk oil
• 25 drops pine oil
• 1 cup oak moss
• 2 cups dried mistletoe
• 1 cup dried poinsettia flowers
• 1 cup dried bayberries
• ½ cup dried rosemary
• ½ cup dried holly leaves and berries
• 3 crushed pinecones
Mix the musk and pine oils with the oak moss and then add the remaining ingredients. Stir the potpourri well and store in a tightly covered ceramic or glass container.
Deities
Imbolc The Goddess in Her aspect as the Maiden, Bridgid (Celtic goddess of fire, wisdom, poetry, and sacred well: also a deity associated with prophecy, divination, and healing), and Aradia (daughter of Diana, and "founder or the Witch cult of Earth").
Spring Equinox Eostre (Saxon goddess of fertility), Ostara (German goddess of fertility), the Green Goddess and Lord of the Greenwood.
Beltane Flora (Roman flower-goddess), the lunar goddess Diana and Artemis, Pan (the Greek horned goat god of the woodlands, fields, shepherds, and fertility), Faunus (the Roman equivalent to Pan), and all fertility deities.
Summer Solstice Aphrodite, Astarte, Freya, Hathor, Ishtar, Venus, and other goddesses who preside over love, passion, and beauty.
Lammas Lugh (a Celtic solar deity worshipped by the ancient Druids), John Barleycorn (the personification of manly liquor), Demeter, Ceres, the Corn Mother, and other goddesses who preside over agriculture.
Autumn Equinox The Goddess in Her aspect of the Mother, Persephone (Queen of the Underworld), and Thor (Lord of thunder in Norse mythology).
Samhain The Goddess in Her dark aspect as the Crone, Hecate (goddess of fertility and moon-magick, and protectress of all Witches), Morrigan (Celtic goddess of death), Cernunnos (Celtic fertility god), and Osiris (an ancient Egyptian deity whose annual death and rebirth personified the self-renewing vitality and fertility of Nature)
Winter Solstice Lucina (Roman goddess of lunar mysteries, Frey (Scandinavian god of fertility and a deity associated with peace and prosperity), Attis (Phrygian fertility god), Dionysus (Greek god of wine), Woden (the chief Teutonic god), and, of course. jolly old Kris Kringle (the Pagan god of Yule and personification of the Yuletide spirit).
Altar Decorations
Imbolc A crown of thirteen red candles, a spring of evergreen a besom or Witch's born to symbolize the "sweeping out of the old," a small statue or figurine representing the Triple Goddess in Her Maiden aspect.
Spring Equinox Hard-boiled eggs colored and painted with magickal symbols to symbolize fertility, a lucky rabbit's foot amulet, and a bowl of green and yellow jellybeans.
Beltane A small Maypole and/or phallus-shape candle to symbolize fertility, a daisy chain, springtime wild-flowers (such as primrose, yellow cowslips, or marigolds).
Lammas Corn dollies (small figures fashioned from braided straw) and/or kern babies (corncob dolls) to symbolize the Mother Goddess of the Harvest.
Autumn Equinox Acorns, pinecones, autumn leaves, a pomegranate to symbolize Persephone's descent into the Underworld, a small statue or figure representing the Triple Goddess in Her Mother aspect.
Samhain A jack-o`-lantern, apples, candles in the shape or Witches, ghosts, black cats, skulls, photographs of deceased loved ones, tools of divination, a small statue or figure representing the Triple Goddess in Her Crone aspect.
Winter Solstice Mistletoe, holly, a small Yule log, strings or colored lights, Yule/Christmas cards, a candle in the shape of a Kriss Kringle (Santa Claus), presents wrapped in colorful holiday paper, a homemade wreath.
