Incense burners, five teracotta women seated around a well, they could be interpreted as members from a local cult, probably that of Demeter or Kore

4th century BCE

Heads up, witches - there's a seasonal black moon this weekend!

Just as Blue Moons are an excellent time to do enhanced Full Moon magic, for wishmaking, abundance, fulfillment, empowerment, and so on, Black Moons are an opportune time for a fresh start. Now is the time to deep clean your life, your space, your habits, and your priorities.

If you’ve been meaning to start a new project or endeavor, now is the time to move from planning to doing. If nothing else, make a To-Do list with some short-term and long-term goals you can work toward. Mark your thoughts and actions down in whatever book or journal you may be keeping to record your practice, so that you can look back on it later and see how much has come to fruition.

If there’s anything in your life you’ve been looking to rid yourself of, you can work that magic under a Black Moon as well. Banish whatever is holding you back. Cast bad luck, sickness, sadness, injustice, and pain into the cosmic void and let it be gone. Bind whatever (or whomever) may be preventing you from living your life safely and happily. Rid yourself of unwanted or disruptive energy. Make a commitment to drop (or at least lessen) habits that are impacting your life in a negative way. Re-assess your priorities and circumstances and, if necessary, make a change in your path toward something that serves you better.

Collect all those obstacles, interferences, and any sources of pain or oppression having a negative, disruptive, or unwanted influence on your life and fling them into the ever-hungry all-devouring cosmic void from which nothing returns.

- Simple intention setting! This can take almost any form, but set something in motion that can be built on as the moon waxes.

I like to write my intentions on a scroll and place it in a bowl on my windowsill or altar, alongside 15 stones. Each night I light a candle, place a stone into the bowl, and reaffirm my intention. When the last stone is placed, the moon will be full and I can open the scroll and see the progress I have made with a little help from my Main Gal, the moon 🤍

Pruning is good for your plants. For most plants, you want to prune early, and prune often. By pruning early, this means when your plants are still in their infant stages.

Not only will you be able to ensure optimal growth, good plant health and but also make a fuller, nicer shape when you prune often.

You can use your fingers and pinch off leaves and stems for most plants, and scissors for others. Fingers should be used for delicate plants, and make sure to pinch tightly and cleanly, right through the stem of the leaf. Heavy-duty garden clippers are generally not needed for herbs.

The most important thing is to not tear or rip off stems of plants, as it may lead to some terrible diseases.

Leafier plants like basil can die quickly after blossoming, so pruning is particularly important for such plants. When pruning these types of plants, cut them right where the leaf meets the stem.

Woodier herbs, like rosemary and thyme, should be trimmed so that they don’t become too woody (as they generally do with age), as no new leaves will grow. As soon as you start to see new growth, pinch some of the leaves back.

but the best thing to do is to prune the leaves at the top, not the bottom. The big leaves on the bottom act as a sturdy base.

If you prune properly, your plant will grow into an abundant, bushy plant. One useful technique called “tipping” helps you achieve that.

Remove the end 1-2 inches of your plant’s stem. That exposed end will split and grow into two separate branches. Once you get into the habit of doing that, your plant will become bushier, creating more foliage.

I call to you, kind Hecate, watchful daughter of far-seeing Asteria,

Torch-bearing goddess, night-wanderer, pale and fair as the moonflower.

Hekate of the three ways, goddess of the crossroads, keen-eyed one, you see clearly what others overlook.

Hekate of the three realms, goddess who holds a stake in all the worlds, all within are yours to stir.

Gentle of touch and firm of hand, Hekate, leader of the ghostly train, the barking of dogs marks your passage, the shining of stars lights your path.

Adeia: Modern Festival to Demeter

On a global scale, we’re dealing with a climate crisis that is putting food sources at risk. On a more local level, conflicts and abnormal weather are creating risks of bad harvests, resources shortages and/or inflations. We are aware that not everyone is impacted directly by the current ongoing issues, but we hope that this festival (or at least the idea) can be useful beyond these and be seen through a wider scope of praying for food security at large.  We named the festival Adeia, from the ancient Greek ἄδεια, which conveniently can signify both “abundance”/”plenty” and “freedom from fear”/”security”. All things the festival aims for. - @thegrapeandthefig’s original post

The gods I am propitiating for my Adeia are Demeter Soteira (saviour), Herakles Alexikakos (averter of evil), Zeus Hyetios (moist/fertilising rain), Hermes Nomios (protector of pastures and shepherds), Olea (nymph of my garden), and Djarlgarra (local river god).

My menu includes:

Dolmas on a bed of oats

Honey and oranges with dried figs

Pork loin and roast veg

Blueberry crumble

Milo and oat milk

We call upon you in our time of need Benevolent gods, givers of good

Crises threaten world-over and hardships befall many, and now again we raise our voices in plea

If these smoky offerings please you, and these sweet drinks warm you, look well upon us. Kindly gods, bless our coffers and larders again, and see abundance flow to our house. And should strife visit our doors, grant us the fortitude to endure

May Zeus meter his life-giving rains, so dry or soggy fields remain moist year-through

May Hermes keep a watchful eye on the flocks and farm-hands, that flystrike and heatstroke never hinder them

With outstretched arms I sing praises to you, bold Djarlgarra, he who holds moisture for our sun-stricken land

And to sweet Olea I gift equally sweet fruits, that you may keep my rain barrels at bursting and my garden fertile

I made offerings to Demeter Soteira and Herakles Alexikakos, following the original post about Adeia.

I'm already giving offerings to Demeter on a regular basis and have an altar for her but it was my first time with Herakles.

My celebration was pretty simple, but I still wanted to make it special so I cooked dolmas for the first time (and they are delicious!).

I also offered local beer, Greek honey, dried pig meat and tomatoes from my parents garden, as well as the incense I made for her earlier this week.

Then I prayed for a little while and the typical way I do it is pretty informal (hopefully still respectful) amd I put an emphasis on the blessings I already have and prayed for the months to come.

Tomorrow I'll see if the weather is good enough I'll go to the forest, I feel like that would close this festival quite nicely.