Llewellyn's 2012 Witches' Companion by Llewellyn (i wanna iguana read aloud .TXT) 📕

women, food is much more complicated. Food can be both positive and negative. In its negative form, food can be a weapon or a punishment; in the positive state, the food we prepare is our way of nurturing—it’s a gift and expression of love and healing to those we love. Food can be a comfort and a friend when times are sad and difficult. Food is communion, a way to establish and maintain community, a way to communicate, and sometimes an avenue to the difficult stories and confessions about body and family issues. Food is nurturing, food is communication, and food can be an expression of love. Still, food can also be extremely negative. So in spiritual groups, we walk a fine line with food. Be sensitive to the needs of your members when it comes to food and drink.

However, many times, food is just food. With your group, make a commitment to regard food as a delight and a gift. As the Charge of the Goddess tells us, “all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals.” Seek to make food for your sisters as a generous portion of delicious, delightful tastes and satisfaction of appetites. Make a promise to yourself to enjoy the food at your gatherings. Food is also symbolic of the bounty of the green earth, the generosity of Mother Earth.

What to Explore?

It’s always a challenge to find and implement ideas for a group meeting. Having a cache of ideas to delve into can help keep the inspiration fresh and the ideas flowing. When I was teaching, other teachers and I used to joke that we only needed to keep “one chapter ahead.” While that seems ill-prepared, it isn’t really. Being prepared and ready ahead of time alleviates the stress of last-minute preparation and the fear that your muse of inspiration might desert you. I always keep a handy list of topics and themes I want to explore. As leader, I feel I learn as much as (or more than) anyone else in the group.

Since this is a new moon group and the moon is sacred to so many goddesses, consider having a Goddess of the Month to learn about or to be a “sponsor.” For one year, I had a Divine Sponsor for our meeting each month. I wrote a charge of the goddess or god as part of what I called, “and now a word from our sponsors.” You can approach this in a variety of ways, including a lesson, having each member reflect on what that goddess means to them, or sharing objects and food sacred to her. Every culture in the world has moon goddesses. Diana was the maiden goddess of the crescent moon to the Romans, as was Artemis to the Greeks. In Egypt, Bast, Isis, Hagar, and Nephtys were all goddesses of the moon. There’s seven right there!

The moon in all phases is a celestial body prominent in astrological thinking. Each month, you can learn more about the zodiac signs and your relationship to them. Strive to go deeper than the just the facts of dates, elements, associations, and qualities to make the understanding personal. You might want to key the topic to what sign the new moon is in. Here are some possible themes for the astrological year of new moon groups:

Aries is a cardinal fire sign. It is action-oriented and responds quickly and with determination. Aries is the spark of inspiration.

Taurus is a fixed earth sign. It is loyal, steadfast, and practical. Taurus can endure much and manifests dreams and desires.

Gemini is a mutable air sign. It is intellect and thinking, and it craves variety. Gemini is communication and mental effort.

Cancer is a cardinal water sign. It is nurturing, home-making, and nest-building. Cancer is sensitive, caring, and intuitive.

Leo is a fixed fire sign. It is romantic, affectionate, and confident. Leo is entertaining, in-charge, and ambitious.

Virgo is a mutable earth sign. It is analytical, organized, and craves perfection. Virgo is thorough, reliable, and cautious.

Libra is a cardinal air sign. It is companionable, with a strong sense of fair play. Libra seeks justice, sees both sides, and is social.

Scorpio is a fixed water sign. It seeks to unravel mysteries and has strong will and intense drives. Scorpio is intense and resourceful.

Sagittarius is a mutable fire sign. It is optimistic and easygoing and loves freedom. Sagittarius is humorous, philosophical, and spiritual.

Capricorn is a cardinal earth sign. It is organized, practical, and hard working. Capricorn is methodical, loyal, and self-disciplined.

Aquarius is a fixed air sign. It is independent, eccentric, and helpful. Aquarius sees the big picture.

Pisces is a mutable water sign. It is imaginative, dreamy, and artistic. Pisces is sensitive and psychic.

Our Western astrological system is based on a solar calendar, but it is also not the only astrological system out there. The thirteen-month Celtic Lunar calendar is based on trees and has animals and qualities assigned to them. The months are Birch, Rowan, Ash, Alder, Willow, Hawthorn, Oak, Holly, Hazel, Vine, Ivy, Reed, and Elder. The Chinese zodiac is based on animals and provides a number of qualities to explore each month. The twelve animals are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and boar (pig).

Divination systems also provide a rich resource of learning and exploration. Tarot, runes, I-Ching, pendulums, and divination of ordinary objects are all resources for your group. The possibilities are endless!

All of these systems have many ancient and contemporary ideas associated with them. They can provide you and your group with a rich well of ideas. You can take these themes as a springboard for your gathering. Remember that these are just suggestions, part of your tool kit for creating a great monthly group meeting.

How to Explore Your Themes

Once you have a sense of the topic or topics you want to pursue, how do you pursue it? How do you make it meaningful and helpful to everyone in the group? Be sure to take in your sisters’ thoughts and find out what they