Sabbats: A Witch's Approach to Living the Old Ways (Llewellyn's World Religion and Magick) - Softcover

McCoy, Edain

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1567186637 ISBN 13: 9781567186635

Publisher: Llewellyn Publications, 2002

Synopsis

In The Sabbats, Edain McCoy reveals the eight major holidays of Witchcraft and the many ways in which they are celebrated.

There are two basic types of holidays. The first come at the Solstices and Equinoxes. The others divide the time between those dates in two, resulting in eight major holidays or Sabbats with approximately the same amount of days between them. The balance, here, gives the appearance of spokes in a wheel, so this cycle is commonly called the Wheel of the Year.

The holidays represent two things. First, the harvest cycle. Each holiday represents a time in the growth of crops. From planting to growth, from harvesting to letting the lands lie fallow in the cold winter, the festivals follow the agricultural cycles of ancient times. However, they also represent the eternal love of the God and Goddess, following the God's birth from the Goddess and his death before she gives birth to him again. This also follows the pattern of the Sun which moves from warm and high in the sky to cold and low in the sky.

The book is filled with ways you can follow the Wheel of the Year, whether you work with a coven, with your family, or by yourself. You will learn the secrets of ritual construction and handicrafts appropriate to each of the festivals. You will also learn recipes for traditional foods for each holiday and even songs appropriate to the Sabbats.

This is a wonderful, joyous book filled with color, information, and wisdom. If you are involved with Paganism in any way, this book is a must for your studies and practices. This book functions as both a resource and as a practical manual for the celebration of the holidays.

About this title

From the Publisher:

Many different types of books have value. Some, like encyclopedias, are broad works which give general introductory material. Such books help people learn if they are really interested in something and need to get a basic idea of what is involved.

Then there are also in-depth resources that reveal intricate and detailed information. Sometimes this type of resource will contain lots of interesting bits of information, but have no continuity.

Breaking the mold of the latter is Edain McCoy's wonderful book, The Sabbats. This is one of the most in-depth studies of the eight major Pagan holidays ever written. In it you will discover the history of the eight holidays — Samhain, Mabon, and the rest. But that is not all. You'll also learn ways to celebrate the festivals including games, arts and crafts, music, recipes for traditional foods, and much more.

I suspect that you will read this book twice. First, it is such fun that you are going to read right through it, learning all about the holidays you celebrate. You'll learn their sources and alternate methods of participating in the festivals. This alone will add greatly to your understanding of the Wheel of the Year.

But second, you're going to pull this book out and go through it every time a Sabbat is about to occur. You'll look at it for new ideas and deeper understandings of the day. Of course, you might also want to use the glossary of common Pagan terms on a daily basis, so don't put this book on a back shelf!

This is a book you will learn from initially, and then learn more from every time you open its fun and intriguing pages. This book must be on your shelf.

About the Author:

Edain became a self-initiated Witch in 1981 and was an active part of the Pagan community since her formal initiation into a large San Antonio coven in 1983. Edain had researched alternative spiritualities since her teens, when she was first introduced to Kabbalah. Since that time, she studied a variety of magickal paths, including Celtic, Appalachian folk magick, and Curanderismo, a Mexican-American folk tradition.

An alumnus of the University of Texas with a BA in history, she was affiliated with several professional writer's organizations and occasionally presented workshops on magickal topics or worked individually with students who wished to study Witchcraft.

Edain was the author of over fifteen books, including Bewitchments, Enchantments, and Ostara: Customs, Spells & Rituals for the Rites of Spring.

About this edition

• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1567186637
• ISBN 13: 9781567186635
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368