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From Samhain to Ostara
New Page Books/Career Press 2004 ISBN #1-56414-731-2
As I grow older, seasonal/holiday celebrations take on a deeper, much more personal meaning. The outer trappings of decoration, gift giving, cooking and baking are still there, but I find myself turning inwards more, noting how each celebration marks the days of my life, serving as a memory bank for important points along my journey. I was thrilled to see Ashleen O'Gaea address this very thing in her new book, Celebrating The Seasons of Life: Samhain to Ostara (and the companion book, to be released in fall of 2004, Celebrating the Seasons of Life: Beltane To Mabon). This book stands out from all others because it does not attempt to represent one tradition, nor does it attempt to present the holiday's as "stand alone" events in the parade of life. Yes, we are given the lore behind the holidays - which represent Solstices, Equinoxes and cross-Quarter days, but in the context of the Wheel of Life. We see how one holiday lends itself to the whole picture, and how all of the holiday's represent out connection to nature and the divine in life. O'Gaea is a founding board member emeritus of the Tuscon area Wiccan-Pagan Network, and a board member and the senior Corresponding Priestess for Mother Earth Ministries-ATC (a Neo-Pagan prison ministry). She has even deeper credentials - wife and mother, and this is what makes this book. Her references to her husband Canyondancer are from the heart - her life with him is totally bound in who and what she is. Her references to their son are from the heart - with the wisdom and understanding that comes from motherhood. The voice of this book echo's ancient female wisdom - that the importance of life is our connection with ourselves, with the people in our lives and with the nature that surrounds us. Her house is the one where the coffee is always on, there are good smells in the kitchen and friends gather around the table for good talk and good cheer. From the book: "We all have the power - the ability and obligation - to make holy wherever we are and whatever we're doing, to recognize that wherever we are and whatever we are doing is holy. In a very real sense, the proclamations that we make of life's seasons - in the words and gestures of our Sabbat celebrations - are but echos of the proclamations life makes of its own seasons. To the attentive, life's proclamations of changing seasons, no matter how subtle they may be, are as clear as a baby's cry. Sabbats are our joyous response to the clarion calls of nature, of our Goddess and Her Consort, as They dance through our lives." Each of the four Sabbats addressed in this book - Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, and Ostara - are discussed in terms of the lore surrounding them, the rituals that they contain, activities that will help place the meaning of the ritual and lore into everyday life, and the symbols that represent them. From this, we see how they connect with the seasons, with the Wheel of the Year, with each other and with our own lives. You do not have to be Wiccan or Pagan to enjoy this book - for it to have meaning in your life. You can be a member of a Coven, a solitary practitioner, or a "visitor" to the celebration. It opens up the ability to reconnect with nature, to find a true source of life, love and joy in our own lives. For myself, I follow a shamanic path, and I found a great deal of wisdom in this book. Working with the four directions (I personally work with seven directions, but who is counting!), and the four elements (Fire, Water, Air and Earth) is presented as a very natural part of life - which it indeed is! Each of the ceremonies is presented in two basic ways - for group practice (Covens) and for solitary practitioners (or those non-Wiccan/Pagan souls that want to reconnect with nature). I found this to be one of the greatest gifts that this book offered - the respect for different ways of accomplishing the same thing in an honorable manner. This is a book of joy and comfort - of gathering herbs and greens, of going to the craft shop and finding inexpensive ways to create what you need for your ceremony, of creating warmth and harmony in your personal sacred space. This I have to share, as it brings back such good memories from my younger years, and is representative of the kinds of "tidbits" that are tossed into the mix in this book. It is a recipe (from Better Homes and Gardens, December 1989) for what O'Gaea calls "December Cider".
12 oz can frozen apple juice concentrate (thawed) Combine the first three ingredients in a four quart kettle and mix well. Add the 6 oz can of thawed frozen lemonade concentrate and mix well. Add the cinnamon sticks, ground nutmeg and whole cloves, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon sticks and cloves before serving. At the end of the book are appendices for: (A) casting a Wiccan Circle; (B) What's a child ready to learn about winter Sabbats? (Broken down into age groups, this gives solid information on how to include children in ritual and ceremonial work); and (C) Correspondences for the four Sabbats discussed, including activity, animal, color, direction, element, elemental, gem(s), Goddess, God, guardian creature(s), inner focus, metal, mythical beast(s), season(s), time of day and tool(s). This book expresses a sense of personal caring and commitment. It is very real, very down to earth, very comforting. I highly recommend it for everyone, and certainly plan to include the companion book in my library of resources also.
Bonnie Cehovet
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