Episode 238 - The Magic of October

Witch Wednesdays

All about the energies and magic of October plus a few October holidays to highlight.

• Correspondences:
• Crystals: Opal, tourmaline
• Animals: bat, rat, crow, raven, dove
• Flower: calendula
• Deities: Athena, Hephaestus, Venus, Shiva, Cernunnos
• The sun is in Libra until October 23. Libra is a cardinal air sign.
• Moon Phases
• October 2: new moon in Libra
• October 10: second quarter moon in Capricorn
• October 17: full moon in Aries
• October 24: fourth quarter moon in Leo
• October Holidays:
• Winter Nights (Vetrnaetr): an ancient Norse festival that marked the beginning of winter. It typically took place in late October or early November.
• Feast of Pomona (Late October): The Feast of Pomona was dedicated to Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit, trees, and orchards. Although not exclusively tied to October, it was often celebrated in late autumn as the harvest came to an end.
• The Festival of Cailleach: The Cailleach, or the Old Hag, is a figure in Celtic mythology associated with winter, storms, and the land. Some traditions marked the transition to winter by honoring the Cailleach in late October.
• Thesmophoria: an ancient Greek festival held in October in honor of Demeter and Persephone, goddesses associated with agriculture, fertility, and the cycle of life and death.
• The Rites of Eleusis (Eleusinian Mysteries): secret religious rites held annually in honor of Demeter and Persephone, primarily in September but extending into early October. These rites were part of the broader context of harvest and fertility.
• October 8 - Canadian Thanksgiving: celebrated on the second Monday of October. It’s a day for giving thanks for the harvest and blessings of the past year. The holiday is similar to the American Thanksgiving but occurs earlier due to Canada’s earlier harvest season.
• October 11-12 - Yom Kippur: the Day of Atonement, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. It typically falls in October, depending on the Hebrew calendar.
• October 31 - Halloween: has roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. Halloween is associated with costumes, trick-or-treating, carving pumpkins (jack-o'-lanterns), haunted houses, and themes of the supernatural.
• October 31-November1 - Samhain: an ancient Celtic festival that marks the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, traditionally celebrated from the evening of October 31st to the evening of November 1st. It is considered one of the four major Gaelic seasonal festivals and is often regarded as the Celtic New Year.
• October 31 - Diwali: also known as the Festival of Lights, is one of the most important Hindu festivals. The date of Diwali varies each year based on the lunar calendar, but it often falls in late October or early November. This year the 5 day fest starts on October 29, but Diwali itself is October 31 to November 1.

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