Sabbat Box Blog — May Day

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Beltane Sabbat Box Theme Release • Earth's Instinct 0

Beltane Sabbat Box Theme - Earth's Instinct - 2016

Beltane, as many know, is the point on the Wheel of the Year between the equinox of spring and the solstice of summer. It observes the midpoint in a period of growth, production, and increase. Half of the planet (the Northern Hemisphere) now brings forth new life, new opportunities, new creation, while the Southern Hemisphere prepares to embrace the darkness about to come. What is most amazing about this time is not the phenomenon; it’s that this happens almost automatically.

The theme for this Beltane’s Sabbat Box for 2016 is Earth’s Instinct: the natural inclination for the nature, and the world around us to come back to come back to life and to come together to create new life as well. Wildflowers grow where no human lives or works. Birds fill the skies with their new hatchlings almost by magic. Trees gain their leaves, flower, and spread their seed for whole new forests to form, providing new homes for other life that goes about without any interference from us as humans. Also, in nature, this is the time of year where the masculine and the feminine combine, as instinct would have, in order to bring about this new life. In reference to magick, ritual or spell work, Beltane marks a time of the year where one may wish to work fertility magick, love spells/magick as well as prosperity magick and to give into your lustful desires or instincts, if only for one day.

Earth's Instinct - Beltane Sabbat Box 2016

Earth's Instinct - Beltane Sabbat Box 2016

Though we live in the Northern Hemisphere and have started to celebrate the return of the sun since Imbolc, our Earth as a whole -- between the Northern and Southern hemispheres, lives in perpetual duality. What that means is, when looking at the Wheel of the Year, one is able to see that Beltane and Samhain occur at the half-way points, as we travel through the Wheel of the Year. With that being said, some believe that similarly with Samhain, "the veil," (the veil between the our world and the afterlife) is equally as thin on Beltane as it is on Samhain, making this is great time to include some ancestral workings or magick into your Beltane celebrations as well. Make an offering for your ancestors, family members that have passed or those who came before you. Though it may saddening, part of Earth's and nature's instinct is to bring about new life, and with that same natural force of life, comes death. Both serve a purpose to our existence and both are relative to the celebration of Beltane.

As you celebrate May Day this year, take a moment to realize how little say we have in what Nature generates for our benefit. Understand that much of the realm outside your door is forging ahead without any need for us to do anything other than observe and appreciate. As we face our daily life’s obstacles, we also need to acknowledge what the earth—without toil or effort—offers us free of charge. Revel in the view from a river’s edge, a mountain’s glade, or an ocean’s shore. We didn’t build it, but we can cherish it. And we count on the world’s life-producing instinct to, in turn, breathe new life into us as well.

• DISCOVER THE BELTANE SABBAT BOX FOR 2016 •

Stoking The Fires of Beltane 5

BELTANE BOX • BOX SYNOPSIS

Greetings Sabbat Box members (and prospective members)! We here at Sabbat Box are excited about our very first Sabbat Box offering to the community for the upcoming celebration of Beltane. Here is a detailed synopsis of the Beltane Box for those interested in learning more about us.

We wanted to take the opportunity to share with you all how much care and attention to detail we’ve put into the items included in Beltane’s Sabbat Box. The flyer we included in your box gives some basic information about sources and possible uses for each item, but we wanted to share with you a little more about these things and why we chose them. This box has been three months in the making, and we hope that it shows!

Beltane Book: Rituals, Recipes, & Lore for May Day (Llewellyn’s Sabbat Essentials by Melanie Marquis

• WHAT: Beltane: Rituals Recipes & Lore For Mayday, Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials
• WHO MAKES IT?: Llewellyn Worldwide & Authored By Melanie Marquis
• WHERE CAN I GET IT?: You can purchase copies via the Sabbat Box Store or via llewellyn.com
• WHY WOULD I WANT IT?: Llewellyn has been a trusted source for books on Paganism, Magick and New Age topics since 1901. This particular book features spells, recipes, lore, invocations, correspondences, crafts and rituals that will help to inspire you to celebrate Beltane in your own unique way.

BREAKDOWN:
This good-sized volume is a brand-new publication (first edition), gathering some more detail on Beltane with practices and traditions observed both past and present. We included this not to mainstream or homogenize Pagan practices, but merely to offer some inspiration and expose our members to some of the history and mythos surrounding humans’ celebrations for the return of growth and understand the basis for many traditions around the world, both Pagan and non-Pagan. The book’s author, Melanie Marquis, has written numerous books on Pagan lore and tradition, as well as contributing to many Llewellyn’s popular yearly publications like the Witches’ Datebook. We believe that every Pagan can gain something from this collection of Beltane practices, or at least plant some seeds for your own ideas! You will find an array of fantastic information pertaining to Beltane, including plenty of rituals, spells and inspiration for your May Day celebrations.

An excerpt from the Earth Goddess Invocation, page 141.
Lovely maiden, beautiful goddess of the earth, the fields, the flowers, the trees,
Lady of the oceans, ruler of rivers and seas,
Great mother of the beasts and the birds, I invoke you!
Great Lady of the wild wood, Great Lover of the world,
Great Danu, maiden of the stars and mother of earth,
I invoke you!
You are the Lover and the Beloved. You are the sun and the moon. You are the death and the life.
Great goddess, great Danu, lovely maiden, I invoke you!

There are plenty of recipes, spells, and invocations within this book that will surely continue to aid you upon your Beltane celebrations for times to come.

Would you like to discuss this book with other Sabbat Box members? Are you looking for more inspiration for Beltane? Stop on by the Sabbat Box community page to learn more and engage with other Pagans in reference to Beltane and Sabbat Box.

Beltane Tea - Blackthorn Hoodoo Blends

• WHAT: Beltane Tea
• WHO MAKES IT: Blackthorn Hoodoo Blends
• WHERE CAN I GET IT: You can purchase Beltane Tea & other Pagan teas via their website or the Sabbat Box Store
• WHY WOULD I WANT IT: Even if you aren't the biggest fan of tea, Blackthorn Hoodoo Blends may help change your mind about tea. This particular tea is very light and the caliber of quality of each batch of tea is way above par!

BREAKDOWN:
While much of the world enjoys tea simply as a beverage, there are a myriad of uses for tea going back thousands of years—as a medicine, a shaman’s tool, a poultice, and even an addition to ritual and healing baths. Amy Blackthorn’s company, Blackthorn Hoodoo Blends, was started from her desire to share her love of tea and her expertise in tea-making with others as a soothing “slow-down” escape to our busy, sped-up lives. The owner, Amy Blackthorn, uses only natural, safe ingredients in her teas, which she crafts by hand in small batches to share. Our choice from her various creations is, appropriately, Beltane Tea, a fragrant Jasmine Green Tea blend that we hope will stir the fires of Beltane for you. If you check out her website, you’ll also find that she is offering subscription services of her own. Shop Hoodoo Teas at her website today. Here is a nifty link to a list of youtube videos on how to brew a cup of loose leaf tea.

Jasmine, one of the two components of the tea has a feminine correspondence and the green tea associates with the masculine and we felt this was a great way to meld the coming together of the God and Goddess during the passionate and seductive energies that flow during Beltane. We also felt this was a nice way to add a bit of duality to the heavily masculine influenced box.

If you are not a huge tea drinker, remember, you can use your the herbs within to make a ritual bath for ritual cleansing, use the herbs to dress a spell candle, or one could use the herbs within the tea as casting herbs to your balefire as an offering to the divine.

You may wish to make a cup of Beltane tea prior to your Beltane celebration or ritual. One thing you could do is chant an invocation or visualize your intent of the tea whilst brewing a cup, charging it with your will. When ready, you can consume your magical brew to make it part of you and in essence "sealing" the intent of your tea ritual by drinking it. Depending on what your intent is for your Beltane ritual or magick (and if you wish to incorporate your Beltane tea as part of a ritual) you could stir your tea Deosil (clockwise) to manifest or Widdershins (counter-clockwise) to banish. One could also use the tea in the form of divination, also known as tasseomancy.

Do you have other ideas for how to use the tea inside your box? Feel free to share with us and other members of Sabbat Box by visiting the Sabbat Box Community.

Fire of Passion Oil, By Sun's Eye - Part of the "Mystic Blends" Collection

• WHAT: Anointing/Perfume Oil
• WHO MAKES IT: Sun's Eye
• WHERE CAN I GET IT: You can purchase this ritual oil via Sun's Eye website or via the Sabbat Box Store.
• WHY WOULD I WANT IT: Sun's Eye offers, by far, some of the highest quality oils that one can find to use within their magickal endeavors. Most of their oils will have corresponding herbs or stones added inside each bottle to further add both corresponding energies of the essential oils within as well as adding a layer magical detail to oil itself.

BREAKDOWN:
Part of Beltane’s significance is the natural inclination toward…shall we say, intimate contact? With that in mind, we chose this high-quality essential oil blend that actually contains some of the herbs used to create it right in the bottle! As Pagans ourselves, we understand the power of scent and touch to create and stimulate energy and intent; these oils, we believe, will do the trick! An added bonus to Sun’s Eye’s creations is their commitment to use of animal-free, natural ingredients. How you (safely) use this patchouli based oil is up to you—please don’t blame us for any unintended results nine months later ;-p (patchouli is commonly used herb of both sexuality and love as well as luck and prosperity).

Sun’s Eye is a Pagan-run business looking to cater to other Pagans in a responsible way, and that’s why we chose it to enhance your Sabbat Box. Also, within Wiccan and modern Paganism, a common formality in working magick (candle magick even more so) includes adding common apothecary products such as anointing oils, ritual oils and spell oils into your magical workings. When working candle magick, one may wish to dress or anoint their Energy and Will spell candle with their Fire of Passion Oil to add both the divine masculine and the divine feminine in union during your ritual or spell work (see more about the candle and its masculine correspondences below).

Have some more ideas on how to use this oil for magical use or are you looking for further inspiration on how to use oils in particular? Visit the Sabbat Box Community to engage with other members about this product.

Wheel of the Year Parchment - By Amber 'K' - Via Azure Green

• WHAT: Wheel of the Year Parchment
• WHO MAKES IT: Azure Green
• WHERE CAN I GET IT: You can purchase this parchment via Azure Green's website of via the Sabbat Box Store.
• WHY WOULD I WANT IT: Since most Pagans keep a magical grimoire or book of shadows, one may want this particular parchment as a reference page to be placed within your book of shadows.

BREAKDOWN:
While this particular box item is not specific to Beltane, it gives an elegant overview of each Sabbat around the Wheel of the Year, suitable for framing or hanging in your sacred space. Started as a small local Pagan shop, Azure Green has been supplying the majority of products for metaphysical shops for almost 30 years. We chose this particular poster for its unifying theme of the eight Pagan Sabbats to the annual cycle of the Earth as it travels around the Sun. Many Pagans who purchase these parchments like to place them in their book of shadows. There is a plethora of parchments available via Azure Green that may tickle your fancy.

Find more magical inspiration by visiting the Sabbat Box community.

Energy & Will Blessed Herbal Spell Candle - By Coventry Creations

• WHAT: Herbal Pillar Spell Candle
• WHO MAKES IT: Coventry Creations
• WHERE CAN I GET IT: You can purchase this spell candle via Coventry Creations or via the Sabbat Box store.
• WHY WOULD I WANT IT: It can be hard to find high quality candles, let alone candles made specifically for Pagans and magical use. Coventry Creations has been hand pouring candles for over 15 years and use only the finest waxes and ingredients to create their candle line. This particular candle lasts about 40 hours, which allows you to get your money's worth out of it for sure.

BREAKDOWN:
This blessed herbal spell candle is infused with sandalwood and ginger to invoke the fires of Beltane in your own home. Sandalwood is a feminine herb and is associated with the element of water. The feminine aspect of sandalwood balances out nicely with the masculine energies of the ginger essential oil found inside as well. Sandalwood is commonly used by witches for protection, healing and manifesting one's will. Ginger is a masculine herb with an elemental correspondence of Fire and is commonly used by witches for love, money, and power.

Since Beltane represents the coming together of male and female energies to manifest growth, the marriage of the two prime essential oils within this candle make it perfect to be used as a symbol of Beltane in general, on top of its intended corresponding purpose of manifesting energy and will. Duality plays a very important role within Wicca and Witchcraft, and the harmony in which this candle creates with its masculine and feminine associations parallels nicely with the sacred fire's of Beltane and the manifestation of new growth, prosperity and will.

This particular candle comes with a spell/chant on the label. Use the incantation on the label or modify it to make it your own when working magick.

The spell/incantation within the candle reads:
I call on forces higher than I,
To awaken the vitality that I hold inside,
To strengthen my will,
And bring energy to me,
Motion is what I need to be.
Passion & Fire to spur me on, send me,
These energies from far beyond,
I call on thee in perfect trust and perfect love,
Sending me guidance from above.
Harming none and helping all,
Is how it shall be,
This I make true 3x3x3.

One thing you may want add at the end to "seal the spell" per se is..."This I will it, so mote it be."

Check out the Sabbat Box community to engage with other members in reference to this candle, how to use it and to talk about candle magick in general.

Sun Stick Incense

• WHAT: "The Sun" Stick Incense
• WHO MAKES IT: HEM
• WHERE CAN I GET IT: You can find these incense within the Sabbat Box store or at Azure Green.
• WHY WOULD I WANT IT: These incense smell divine! You know you are getting top notch quality incense with HEM. All of their incense are hand rolled and contain only the highest quality components to create their incense.

BREAKDOWN:
We included Sun incense in the Beltane Sabbat Box to spotlight the masculine divine of this particular Sabbat: the Sun! This bright, sweet, musky scent is a popular one and adds a layer of sensuality and exoticism to your sacred space. HEM is world famous for their incense, created from choice woods, resins, florals, and fine essential oils, is imported from India. All incense are hand rolled, allowing a clean, even burning stick incense.

The word "Beltane" comes from the Scottish Gaelic word Bealltainn, which means "bright fire." Beltane is also commonly thought to have been connected to the worship of an ancient Celtic sun god called Belenus. With these two things in mind, we felt these incense made a great addition to the box by adding in that correspondence as well as the connection to the divine masculine.

There are many ways to incorporate incense into ritual or magick. Some magical practitioners will burn incense to purify a sacred space, with the smoke of the incense lending corresponding energies from the ingredients within the incense to the ritual space. Some may burn the incense while meditating, to help set a tranquil tone. One may also use the incense to cleanse ritual tools or spell supplies as well...in the same manner as burning sage.

How do you incorporate incense into your magical practice? Share your ideas with us on how you like to use incense with other Sabbat Box members within the Sabbat Box community.

Sun Ash Catcher

• WHAT: Hand Painted Ash Catcher
• WHO MAKES IT: This item is imported from India
• WHERE CAN I GET IT: Unfortunately, the supplier of these ash catchers do not sell to the public, but you can purchase these ash catchers within the Sabbat Box store.
• WHY WOULD I WANT IT: These ash catchers are a perfect to adorn your altar with. They are beautifully hand painted and pertain to Beltane beautifully.

BREAKDOWN:
What’s some incense without a holder to burn it? We’ve included these hand-painted incense holders from India as a simple, colorful way to safely burn incense on your altar or anywhere you want to create a mystical, sensual air. These burners come in various colors and designs to fit a myriad of Pagan paths.

Sabbat Box A Pagan Subscription Box Pagan Supplies

Packaging & Shipping:
Part of the costs of your box include the box and the packing material itself. The items listed below account for a good portion of the overall costs for the Beltane Box. Each Beltane Sabbat Box is lined with paper padding and wrapping to add to the surprise of what we’ve curated for your box. Shipping is included in the total price—average cost to ship the Beltane Box: $8.00 alone. We here at Sabbat Box wish to be as environmentally friendly that we can be and do our best to source packing supplies and material from companies that have the same beliefs we do in that we want to make as little of an impact as possible on the environment.

BOXES: Your boxes where made from high quality corrugated paper and are 100% recyclable. Try to find another use for your box. They are 9x9x3 on the inside. You could decorate your box to hold some magical supplies or use it to again to ship something to someone or save it for another time when you may need it. If you must throw it away, we ask that you recycle it.
INFO SHEETS & COUPONS: Your info sheets are printed on 100% recyclable Mohawk 16pt paper which is sourced from sustainable forests. They are ECF (elemental chlorine free), helping to have less of an impact on the environment.
TISSUE PAPER & CRINKLE FILLING: The red tissue paper and black crinkle filling is made from 100% recycled paper and is recyclable.
BELTANE STICKERS: The stickers found within your boxes where printed on vinyl with a gloss laminate.

Savings & Coupons: Part of our goal is to provide a number of items to our members at a value far above what individuals can purchase on their own. When you add up all of the items as well as costs for shipping and packaging, you are saving over $17.83 with the Beltane Box. We believe this to be another good reason to be a member. Also, each box supports Pagan run businesses and their employees, and Sabbat Box looks forward to continuing to stay within the guidelines of our mission to help further inspire you to live a magical life.

Time:
It took us over 70 hours, from beginning to end, just to make the Beltane Boxes ready to ship. This included folding the boxes together, individually cutting each sheet of tissue paper by hand, weighing out the crinkle paper for each box, designing the flyers, coupons and stickers to be printed by the printers, individually placing each candle within a bag, individually placing your oil within a zip lock bag, individually rolling up each and every parchment and rubber banding them, individually assembling the boxes, individually taping the tissue paper within each box by hand, taping each and every box by hand as well as individually printing each and every shipping label and sticking to your boxes as well. This timeframe doesn't even include the efforts made to manage the website, the back end billing system, social media, customer service enquiries, accounting, marketing, purchasing, and so on. We believe in what it is we are doing and we sincerely hope that each and every one of you can see that the purest of intent has been placed within each and every box.

We thank each and every one of our suppliers, vendors, customers and MOST IMPORTANTLY our members for making this possible. This wouldn't even be happening if it wasn't for our members. We really look forward to shipping out the next boxes for Litha, as we are hoping to make this next box EVEN BETTER. We also are look forward to continuing to serve the Pagan community at large via our unique subscription box service.

Blessed Be,

Llyfer & Hugh
Founders of Sabbat Box &
Eclectic Artisans LLC

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