An esbat is a
coven
A coven () is a group or gathering of witches. The word "coven" (from Anglo-Norman ''covent, cuvent'', from Old French ''covent'', from Latin ''conventum'' = convention) remained largely unused in English until 1921 when Margaret Murray promote ...
meeting or ritual at a time other than one of the
Sabbats
The Wheel of the Year is an annual cycle of seasonal festivals, observed by many modern pagans, consisting of the year's chief solar events (solstices and equinoxes) and the midpoints between them. While names for each festival vary among dive ...
within
Wicca
Wicca () is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and was ...
and other Wiccan-influenced forms of
contemporary Paganism
Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism and neopaganism, is a term for a religion or family of religions influenced by the various historical pre-Christian beliefs of pre-modern peoples in Europe and adjacent areas of North Afric ...
.
Esbats can span a wide range of purposes from coven business meetings and initiation ceremonies to social gatherings, times of merriment, and opportunities to commune with the divine.
Janet
Janet may refer to:
Names
* Janet (given name)
* Janet (French singer) (1939–2011)
Surname
* Charles Janet (1849–1932), French engineer, inventor and biologist, known for the Left Step periodic table
* Jules Janet (1861–1945), French psych ...
and
Stewart Farrar
Frank Stewart Farrar (28 June 1916 – 7 February 2000) was an English screenwriter, novelist and prominent figure in the Neopagan religion of Wicca, which he devoted much of his later life to propagating with the aid of his seventh wife, ...
describe esbats as an opportunity for a "love feast, healing work, psychic training and all."
[Farrar, 1984, p. 178.]
Esbats are typically held once per month on or near the night of a
full moon
The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon (when the ecliptic coordinate system, ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon opp ...
or
new moon
In astronomy, the new moon is the first lunar phase, when the Moon and Sun have the same ecliptic longitude. At this phase, the lunar disk is not visible to the naked eye, except when it is silhouetted against the Sun during a solar eclipse.
...
.
Due to the connection between the moon and femininity in Wicca, esbats are associated with
goddesses
A goddess is a female deity. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. This includes themes of s ...
.
Esbats are a time set aside for
formal worship and have been described as similar to
Sundays
The Sundays were an English alternative rock band, formed in the late 1980s, which released three albums throughout the 1990s.
The band's beginnings came with the meeting of singer Harriet Wheeler and guitarist David Gavurin while attending ...
for Christians or
Friday nights for Jewish people. They can be solitary affairs but tend to be conducted in groups. Sources vary on whether these rituals are open to the public or only to initiated members.
Etymology
The term ''esbat'' is derived from
Old French
Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligib ...
''s'esbattre'' (Modern French ''ébat''), meaning ''to frolic and amuse oneself'', ''diversion''.
It was a borrowing by 20th century anthropologist
Margaret Murray
Margaret Alice Murray (13 July 1863 – 13 November 1963) was an Anglo-Indian Egyptology, Egyptologist, archaeology, archaeologist, anthropology, anthropologist, historian, and folkloristics, folklorist. The first woman to be appointed as a l ...
's use of
French witch trial sources on supposed
Witches' Sabbath
A Witches' Sabbath is a purported gathering of those believed to practice witchcraft and other rituals. The phrase became popular in the 20th century.
Origins
In 1668, Johannes Praetorius published his literary work "Blockes-Berges Verrichtu ...
s in her attempts to "reconstruct" a ''Witch Cult in Western Europe''.
Observance
An esbat is commonly understood to be a ritual observance on the night of a
full moon
The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon (when the ecliptic coordinate system, ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon opp ...
.
However, the late high priestess
Doreen Valiente
Doreen Edith Dominy Valiente (4 January 1922 – 1 September 1999) was an English Wiccan who was responsible for writing much of the early religious liturgy within the tradition of Gardnerian Wicca. An author and poet, she also published five ...
distinguished between "full moon Esbat
and other esbatic occasions.
The term ''esbat'' in this sense was described by
Margaret Murray
Margaret Alice Murray (13 July 1863 – 13 November 1963) was an Anglo-Indian Egyptology, Egyptologist, archaeology, archaeologist, anthropology, anthropologist, historian, and folkloristics, folklorist. The first woman to be appointed as a l ...
.
Esbats vary greatly and can be simple or elaborate. Rituals use symbolism to enhance the properties of a particular moon, of which there are
13 per solar year.
They are typically held at coven members' homes or outdoors. Tools such as candles,
athames,
incense
Incense is aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremony. It may also be ...
,
pentacles, items from nature, bowls of water, mirrors, and crystals are commonly placed on an altar.
The ceremony begins with participants establishing a sacred space by
casting a circle or purifying the area by
smudging
Smudging, or other rites involving the burning of sacred herbs (e.g., white sage) or resins, is a ceremony practiced by some Indigenous peoples of the Americas. While it bears some resemblance to other ceremonies and rituals involving smoke (e. ...
. Then, they commune with the divine, pray, and meditate. Central elements are reflection on changes that have occurred in the past moon cycle, things you wish to change by the next moon, and gratitude.
Once the ceremony is completed, a ritual closing is performed. Participants describe esbats as "spiritually fulfilling" and "immensely beneficial to our personal spiritual growth."
New Moon
When esbat rituals occur during a
new moon
In astronomy, the new moon is the first lunar phase, when the Moon and Sun have the same ecliptic longitude. At this phase, the lunar disk is not visible to the naked eye, except when it is silhouetted against the Sun during a solar eclipse.
...
(also known as a dark moon), it is an occasion to worship the darker aspects of witchcraft. This represents elements that are hidden or in shadow, and is not necessarily associated with evil.
New moon esbats may be used to worship a dark or maiden goddess, to banish something unwanted, or to end a phase in life. Because esbats typically occur when the moon is at its highest point, covens may choose for new moon esbats to take place in the mid-afternoon.
Full Moon
The full moon esbat tends to be a frenetic celebration. Spells for wholeness, children, mothers, families,
clairvoyance
Clairvoyance (; ) is the magical ability to gain information about an object, person, location, or physical event through extrasensory perception. Any person who is claimed to have such ability is said to be a clairvoyant () ("one who sees cl ...
, and love are performed.
Most full moon esbats are held at midnight because the moon is most visible which allows participants to feel closer to it.
One major component of full moon esbats is drawing down the moon. The idea is to draw the essence of the
lunar goddess into the body of a coven member, usually a priestess or leader. This is done by another member who channels lunar energy down through a receptacle such as a chalice or knife. The two stand facing each other in the center of the circle and the group asks the goddess to come down. Once the divine energy enters the tool, it is touched to the head, chest, or abdomen of the priestess. Through her body, the goddess speaks to the group by answering questions, giving instructions, offering blessings, or simply "
ouringher loving energy into the circle and
eadingyou in a merry spiral dance."
After returning the energy to the goddess, the sign of a pentagram may be used as a dismissal.
The ceremony of cakes and ale is the other main component which typically concludes the full moon esbat. This ritual uses cookies or a loaf of bread and a chalice of wine or other drink which are placed on a central altar. The bread and wine symbolize the body and blood of the mother goddess, who gives life to all things. Each participant takes turns blessing the bread, breaking off a piece, eating it, then passing it clockwise. The same process happens with the chalice. This allows everyone to honor the body and blood of the goddess as they wish.
See also
*
Full moon
The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon (when the ecliptic coordinate system, ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon opp ...
*
Lunar calendar
A lunar calendar is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon's phases (synodic months, lunations), in contrast to solar calendars, whose annual cycles are based only directly on the solar year. The most commonly used calendar, the Gre ...
*
Wheel of the Year
The Wheel of the Year is an annual cycle of seasonal festivals, observed by many modern pagans, consisting of the year's chief solar events (solstices and equinoxes) and the midpoints between them. While names for each festival vary among dive ...
*
Lunar effect
The lunar effect is a purported unproven correlation between specific stages of the roughly 29.5-day lunar cycle and behavior and physiological changes in living beings on Earth, including humans. In some cases the purported effect may depend on ...
*
List of lunar deities
A lunar deity is a deity who represents the Moon, or an aspect of it. Lunar deities and Moon worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms. The following is a list of lunar deities:
African
American Aztec mythology
* ...
*
Modern paganism
Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism and neopaganism, is a term for a religion or family of religions influenced by the various historical pre-Christian beliefs of pre-modern peoples in Europe and adjacent areas of North Afric ...
Notes
Wiccan terminology
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