| Esbats |
| And Esbat is a ritual Pagans do on the night of the full moon. To the ancient peoples, the moon was mysterious, beautiful and a thing to respect. There are 13 full moons in a year, 13 times to pay special honor to the Goddess. The moon is a feminine symbol and that is why we associate the moon with the Goddess. The moon regulates the ocean tides and people even planted their crops by the phases of the moon. Before the days of artificial light, women would get their periods around the full moons as well.The moon is one of the most beautiful things in nature and its no wonder why people have been fascinated by it for centuries. For Pagans, this is the night to honor the Goddess. We look at the moon having three phases, waxing, full and waning. The time before the full moon is the waxing phases, then comes the full moon, and after that is the waning phases. These phases also symbolize the Goddesses three forms, Maiden, Mother and Crone. In the Waxing phase she is maiden, young, pure and carefree. Near the Full moon she is the Mother, nurturing, caring, mature and sexual. At the Waning stage she is the Crone, old, wise, and persistant. We can have rituals at all three phases to honor the particular form of the Goddess, or just on the Full moons. The full moon is also a time of great power. Magic should be done on these nights, preferably under the full moon. If you were to do magic that was to be performed for several days, you would want to start it a few days before the full moon and end it on the night of the full moon to give it maximum power. See here for more information on the moon's phases. Esbats are the time when many covens do the Drawing Down the Moon ritual. The Charge of the Goddess is read and the Goddess enters the body of the High Priestess to give messages and blessings. There are many ways to do this, but the most popular is to stand out under the full moon, arms raised to the sky and feel the presence of the Goddess enter your body. You could feel extremely energized, or maybe enter a trance-like state. The experience is different for everyone. On Esbats, you could set up and altar with moon symbols, such as white flowers, seashells, moon goddess statues or pictures, silver candles, a bowl of water and salt, a wand, and any other symbols of the moon, sea or the Goddess. You could do a small ritual thanking the Goddess for something she has given you in the past month, or you could say a prayer asking her for something. Often times I go outside with a few tools and just feel the moons energies. Sometimes I don't have a set plan on what I will do, but it comes to me as I stand out there and feel the Goddess. It's an extremely beautiful and powerful feeling to connect with the Goddess. |
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