Crosson - The magical family: pagan living in harmony with nature

Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

Copyright Information

The Magickal Family: Pagan Living in Harmony with Nature 2017 by Monica Crosson.

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First e-book edition 2017

E-book ISBN: 9780738753225

Book design: Donna Burch-Brown

Cover art: Neil Brigham

Cover design: Kevin R. Brown

Interior art: Kathleen Edwards

Llewellyn Publications is an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Crosson, Monica, author.

Title: The magical family : pagan living in harmony with nature / Monica

Crosson.

Description: First Edition. | Woodbury : Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd., 2017. |

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017025403 (print) | LCCN 2017036364 (ebook) | ISBN

9780738753225 (ebook) | ISBN 9780738750934

Subjects: LCSH: Magic. | Families.

Classification: LCC BF1621 (ebook) | LCC BF1621 .C76 2017 (print) | DDC

299/.94dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017025403

Llewellyn Publications does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business arrangements between our authors and the public.

Any Internet references contained in this work are current at publication time, but the publisher cannot guarantee that a specific reference will continue or be maintained. Please refer to the publishers website for links to current author websites.

Llewellyn Publications

Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

2143 Wooddale Drive

Woodbury, MN 55125

www.llewellyn.com

Manufactured in the United States of America

Contents

: The Family That Dances Under a Full Moon Together Stays Together

: Family Magick

: Growing Up Pagan

: The Power of Family

: Through the Garden Gate

: Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble

: Into the Greenwood

: Green Witchery

: Family Sabbat Celebrations

: Samhain

: Yule

: Imbolc

: Ostara

: Beltane

: Midsummer

: Lughnasadh

: Mabon

: Reap What You Sow

Activities

Chapter 1: Growing Up Pagan

Chapter 2: The Power of Family

Chapter 3: Through the Garden Gate

Chapter 4: Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble

Chapter 5: Into the Greenwood

Chapter 6: Green Witchery

Chapter 7: Samhain

Chapter 8: Yule

Chapter 9: Imbolc

Chapter 10: Ostara

Chapter 11: Beltane

Chapter 12: Midsummer

Chapter 13: Lughnasadh

Chapter 14: Mabon

To my magickal familySteve, Joshua, Elijah, and Chloe
who fill my life with enchantment, beauty, and song.

Disclaimer

This book is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of medical advice and treatment from your personal physician. Readers are advised to consult their doctors or other qualified healthcare professionals regarding the treatment of their medical problems. Neither the publisher nor the author take any responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, action, or application of medicine, supplement, herb, or preparation to any person reading or following the information in this book.

Introduction

The Family That Dances Under
a Full Moon Together Stays Together

I t was a clear July night and the moon was as round as a Chinese lantern in the sky. My friend Jean and I were in my backyard. We sipped lemonade and chatted about the garden. We had spent the day with our combined eight children at the lake and decided to enjoy the breeze that whispered through the weeping willow for a bit before she took her family home.

Quite suddenly, we both noticed a flash of white that just barely peeked from one end of my house.

Did you see that? Jean asked.

Yeah, I said.

Another flash. This time something extended quickly from the glowing formit was very much arm-like.

What the I got up to investigate. But before I made it to the side of my house, the small ghostly figure reappeared, this time hitting me square in the abdomen. It was the milky-white body of my then-seven-year-old son, Elijah.

Oh, honey, what are you doing?

Well, he managed to get out between heavy gasps. Im dancing naked under a full moon just like you and Daddy.

Jean smirked and I could feel the waves of embarrassment begin to flood my cheeks.

We had indeed danced naked under Junes Strawberry Moon. After the coven had gone home and the children were supposedly tucked in bed, there was such a lovely breeze that carried the sweet scent of honeysucklebewitching us boththat we couldnt help ourselves. It was something we were compelled to do.

Go put some clothes on, I said to Elijah, before the mosquitoes eat you alive. I ruffled the top of his red head.

Oh, I see how it is, Jean said, then grinned. The real magick begins after the Witches leave.

I shook my head. It had been a month and the kid had never said one word.

Later that night after my husband, Steve, had come home, I told him what had happened.

That goofball, he said. Then he quietly added, I hope he didnt see what was going on in the hot tub after we danced.

Steve, I hushed him. I was thinkingtomorrow night how bout we all dance together? Just the family.

Naked? he questioned.

Jeez, of course not.

Oh, goodbecause I just had a visual of that, and it wasnt pretty. He chuckled.

I rolled my eyes.

The next day I went up into my craft room (basically an attic space accessed through my bedroom) and dragged down everything I could find to make musical instruments. I found bells, ribbon, colorful yarn, dried beans, cardboard tubes, paint, markers, plenty of tape, and staples.

And so, after breakfast, my three childrenJosh, who was eleven; Elijah, who was seven; and Chloe, who was threegot to work. They wove ribbons and bells until they had anklets and bracelets for everyone that would jingle as we moved. They made shakers that they decorated with magickal symbolssome they knew, others they made up. It was Joshs idea to get a couple of the gnarled sticks he had found on the river that they used as staffs and tie bells on them.

So, as darkness crept upon us late that hot July night, our family stood bejeweled with tinkling bells, waiting for the Thunder Moon to majestically rise above the cragged peaks. And as our Lady Moon rose ever higher in the star-speckled sky, we cheered. Elijah, who was a fan of Where the Wild Things Are , declared, Let the wild rumpus start! We twirled and jingled, rattled and spun. We laughed and sung until we were all exhausted.