Month: October 2022

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How to Celebrate Samhain & All Hallow’s Eve

how to celebrate samhain - welsh witch

how to celebrate samhain

What is Samhain?

 

To learn how to celebrate Samhain, we must first understand the celebrations’ origins. Samhain (pronounced sah-win) is the pagan celebration from October 31st to November 1st and is the Celtic pagan tradition from which modern day Halloween stems from. The two holidays are not the same though. Both are celebrated differently and by different people. The Samhain festival celebrates the end of the harvest season. It is also known as the festival of the dead, honouring those that have passed. Often, Samhain rituals involve fire, as it is the fourth of the four fire festivals within the Celtic Pagan year. The other fire festivals being Imbolc, Beltane and Lammas. With Samhain, comes darker evenings, more time for introspection and cosy times ahead. It is a time to retreat inwards, reap the harvest from the year prior and plan for the cold months ahead. Samhain is also known as the Witches’ New Year, so it is a great time for planning a fresh start and cleansing the past year.

 

How to Celebrate Samhain?

 

There are many ways to celebrate Samhain. Individually, people choose different methods of celebrating, so it is important to celebrate in a way that feels genuine to you.

 

  • Offerings for The Dead

 

Some choose to celebrate with a ‘Dumb Supper’, also known as a silent supper. A meal in which no words are spoken, and a place is laid in offering to the dead. Some of each drink that is consumed on the table is poured into a cup in a spare table space. This is repeated with some of each of the foods that are served. Once the supper is complete, the food is then placed outside for the night. It is left as a spiritual gift to those that have passed. Since the time of Samhain is when it is believed the boundary between the living and dead is weakest, it is thought that communication with the dead is stronger during the Samhain festival.

 

  • Practice Fire Rituals and Mindful Lighting

 

Similar to the traditions on Bonfire Night, Samhain can be celebrated with fire. Lighting a fire, candle or a spell cauldron or incense is a good way to honour the dead and celebrate the passing of the summer season. If you don’t have the space for any of those things, making sure you have ambient lighting or conscious lighting choices in your home is a way to be present and grounded in the festival. If you’re looking for a new candle, our Welsh Witch Candles are an excellent witchy addition to any altar.

 

how to celebrate samhain - fire rituals

Light a bonfire or candle to help celebrate the fire rituals associated with Samhain

 

  • Embrace the Changing of Seasons

 

Take a walk in nature during the Samhain festival and be mindful of the changing colours, the dying vegetation and appreciate the cyclical nature of Samhain and the end of the summer season.

Forest bathing is a great way to connect with nature and be present in the death of one season and the change into another: take off your shoes (if you want to connect directly with the Earth) and wander around a natural area and ground yourself to the earth. If it is allowed and without disrupting the nature of the location, gather a few items to create a nature mandala in the forest. Arrange items however you like in a circular mandala pattern and appreciate the process of life and rebirth in both nature and spirituality. This helps you to connect deeply with the surrounding environment and again reinforces the cyclical processes in the Circle of Life.

 

how to celebrate samhain

Take a walk in nature, admire the nature surrounding you or make a natural mandala out of fallen leaves and flowers

  • Journal or Meditate on the Past Year

 

Since it is the start of the Witches’ New Year, it’s a good time to reflect on the year passed. Spend time writing about your journey over the past months. If you feel like it, practice a meditation where you invite in your past and future selves in. Invite them to discuss the goals you wish to pursue and what you’ve learned this year. If it helps, using a divinity tool such as a tarot deck or oracle cards is a good way to discover further steps you can take to reset.

 

  • Host a Community Circle

 

Connecting with others is a good option on how to celebrate Samhain. Creating your own community circle or finding one in your local area is a perfect way to meet new people and celebrate together. Write intentions together and burn them as a group. Similarly, discuss your highlights of the year or share tips on how you each celebrate Samhain. Getting together is a great way to celebrate any Celtic Pagan festival. Grab your nearest and dearest, or meet new people by hosting a circle online!

Cook some earthy, nutrient rich food, and serve drinks or premium botanical spirits to connect with the natural elements. Our award-winning Welsh Witch Spiced Rum is a perfect addition to any festive celebration, with notes of cinnamon and orange paying homage to the fire rituals and the inspiration stemming from the traditional Welsh bara brith tea loaf.

 

How to Celebrate Samhain: However You Decide Best!

However you choose to celebrate Samhain, remember to be mindful of the religious and spiritual significance of the yearly event for many. It is important to be respectful of tradition and remember that everybody may choose to celebrate slightly differently. If you choose to drink, do so responsibly and respectfully. If you wish to view our collection of premium award-winning botanical spirits, you can do so here.

 

 

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Moon Charge Your Life – 5 Ways to Use the Lunar Cycle

moon-charge-your-life

moon charge your life

Want to learn how to moon charge your life? Keep reading to find out more! During the creation process of our Welsh Witch Craft Spirits, we understand the power of the moon and her phases being a sacred part of everyday life. We take the lunar cycles into account – we are the Wild Moon Distillery, after all – it’s only fitting we use the moon’s power to bring forward new ideas, concepts, and creations.

 

  1. Learn when the moon cycles are

 

A key aspect of learning to live with the moon cycles is getting to know the phases of the moon and what they symbolise. Finding out the current moon phase is easy, you can simply look it up online or download an app, such as Moon.ly, which will tell you about the phases and what this means. It can also be helpful to know the type of moon that is occurring that month. For example, the Flower Moon in May signifies the abundance of flora at that time of year, and the Full Corn Moon in September signifies the time of harvest and introspection. Reading up about each moon and setting intentions inline with them is a great way to sync your life up with the lunar cycles.

 

  1. Set intentions to moon charge your life

 

During the new moon, at the start of the lunar cycle, it is an excellent time to set intentions, invite new ideas and start a fresh beginning. An important part of starting to moon charge your life is becoming aware and present. This is the time when you can start new projects or try out new hobbies. Always try and align these activities with the start of the new moon as this is when intentions are most powerful. This time of introspection is important for grounding and looking ahead with clarity and optimism. Take some time to write down your goals for the weeks ahead or create a vision board of what you’d like to achieve. If you can, lighting a candle is a physical act which is perfect for intention setting. Our Welsh Witch Gin & Tonic Candles are a great witchy candle for any altar.

Our Welsh Witch Gin & Tonic Candles are perfect for setting intentions

  1. Know how to release what doesn’t serve

 

It’s important to know what to do during a full moon to utilise the powerful energy it creates. When it reaches full moon, it is easy to feel tired and emotional, as this is when the moon’s charge is energetically the strongest. Utilise these feelings to release any feelings of negativity, relationships that are no longer serving you, or unwanted burdens on your time and energy. It’s also a great time to look at your progress on your new challenges; if you started a new project or hobby during the previous new moon, use time during the full moon to appreciate how far you’ve come.

 

  1. Choose what you want to charge

 

When creating our Welsh Witch Craft Spirits, we charge our distilled healing Welsh water with the full moon, to cleanse and purify the energy before it is used in our premium award-winning spirits. You can moon charge and energy cleanse anything you wish – many choose to make their own moon water, or cleanse crystals, tarot decks or spell jars in the full moon. If you wish to cleanse yourself in the full moon, simply sit or lie somewhere in the view of the full moon, inside or outside, whichever is most comfortable for you, and imagine the moon cleansing your whole body. You can meditate or journal while you do this if you wish. Repeat each lunar cycle for an energy cleansing ritual.

  1. Cleanse your space and items regularly

 

Creating a routine using the lunar cycle is a perfect way to moon charge your life and make sure your items are regularly cleansed. Set a reminder before the new moon and the full moon in order to set your intentions and plan your projects. Journaling throughout the moon cycle is a good way to keep track of those intentions and seeing how the moon’s energy affects your emotions and moods throughout the month. Tying this into the astrological calendar, you may be able to understand your feelings better and find guidance in the lunar cycles.

 

Using the moon is a powerful way to incorporate more spirituality and intentions into your life. Throughout much of nature there are examples of cyclical processes, and at the Wild Moon Distillery we know the important role these cycles play and therefore they have a sacred place in our hearts. Do you use the moon cycles in your spiritual routines? Let us know or tag us in your rituals on instagram at @welshwitch_craftspirits.

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Our ‘Bara Brith’ Spiced Rum is a Gold Medal winner.

 

Welsh Witch spiced rum is a gold medal winner! We were the only one in The Spirits Business ‘Ultra-Premium’ competition to receive a gold in this category.  What’s more we were up against some amazing brands from the drink’s world in the Luxury Masters Competition.

The award is a recognition from an expert independent judging panel, which is an incredible achievement. Made even better by coming from The Spirits Business as the leading international spirits media trade publication.

 

What did the judges think?

 “Orange peel, gingerbread, and lovely spice aroma. Nice spiciness, a touch sweet, very consumer-friendly. “

“Mandarin, orange and grapefruit peel, alongside some chocolate notes. Clove and nutmeg. A pleasant smelling spiced rum. The palate is smooth and the spicing is very pleasant, dry and fruity with the spiced orange, mandarin note.”

“The nose is clean and marzipan cake. ginger candid and fennel on the palate. Balance is amazing /spectacular, that’s what I want from spiced rum.”

 

What makes our rum special?

Our spiced rum is special, unquestionably this is due to the deep rooted inspiration from the traditional Welsh ‘Bara Brith’. To get such high praise and tasting notes which recognise the care and attention we put into creating this warm potion means a lot.

You can find out more about Welsh Witch’s win and the Luxury Masters Competition over at The Spirits Business website from here.

 

Best served for maximum taste

The perfect serve…neat over ice, leave to rest.

You can purchase our Bara Brith spiced rum from here and we will be releasing a limited edition ‘gold’ gift set in celebration of this achievement. More will be revealed over the coming weeks, watch out for updates on our social media or sign up to our newsletter to be the first to know – sign up here.