Hello again folks!
I'm sorry if the last installment was a tad short. I was getting tired and I did want to enjoy a movie with my bubby.
So we covered the very bare bone basics of the Holidays and why they were important.
Of course each holiday not only was a physical marker of the seasons passing ( which of course was very important to take note of). That was the outer connective point for people. The behind the scenes aspect is the lore that followed it.
Outside we saw Winter ( everything cold, harsh and dead) with the promise of renewal and rebirth ( Yule...longest night with promise of the sun coming back), then we saw the awakening ( Spring time with animals waking up, animals birthing, flowers budding), afterwards we have a nice long warm break ( Summer) and then the reminder of the harshness to come with the gathering of what we have planted ( Fall) before everything "dies off" again ( back to Winter).
Life, Death, Rebirth.
And the lore and myths that accompany each holiday reflect that too ( hence the Inside connection to deity).
See duality....
That which is within affects that which is without, and that which is without affects that which is within.
Change is the constant in the cycle as it continues to move on.
Now as you can see the Holidays are pretty Solar ( Masculine) based ( the Feminine has her place for balance in the lore though). So what would be the outer connection to the Feminine be if the Masculine is a main player for the Holidays.
Don't worry it's all about balance.
The Feminine ( Goddess) gets her chance for reconition every month. Let's touch base on the role of Esbats ( Monthly Lunar Holidays so to speak).
The moon represents the Feminine in that it changes throughout the month. Ladies so do we. Before the invention of fluorescent lights and electricity in general ,women had a tendency to have their monthly on or about the Full Moon ( that is why it is called "going on your moon" if you use oldespeak). Another fun fact. Get a bunch of females together for a few months....the strongest will set the schedule for monthlies ( biologically). It's REAL fun when you have more than one strong personality....(OMG they're all BLEEDING and they are are all ARMED and there is no CHOCOLATE to be found!!!!)
I digress.
So the monthly special ( indicating fertility of course) happening on the Full Moon....it is no wonder that the Full Moon represents the Mother aspect of the Goddess then.
Goddess has three faces right?
Yup.
To represent THAT we have crescent ( Maiden) Full ( Mother) crescent ( Crone). It would look like this ) O ( <-----and now you all have an idea what that triple moon symbol is about
It represents the constant in the everchanging face of the Feminine.
So back to the Esbat....what is that? That is a monthly Full Moon celebration. This is a great time to physically ( and spiritually) connect to the Goddess ( regardless of your physiological gender....remember Wicca is NOT jist fer guuuuurrrllllssss). This is a time to sit back and connect to your nurturing side, to connect to your strengths, to give thanks, to accept what you have earned, to ask for help in endeavors, to connect to heal and so much more. If you need it, earned it, are thankful for it etc. now is a great time to consciously put some time aside and acknowledge. Connect. It's not just about praying to or "worshipping" ( I do so hate that word) some Goddess. It's about connection to Divine Feminine Energy. Both within and without yourself ( remember we are made up of all 5 elements so to speak and Divinity resides inside of us as Spirit which is in it's own sense conscience and sentient energy).
That is not to say that Maiden Moon or Crone Moon ( waxing and waning crescents) are any less powerful. In fact those are great times to connect to the feminine ( Goddess) within and without also. They are generally reconized and utilized for specifice reasons ( workings, meditations etc) though we will touch base on THAT in another installment.
C/S/
Wicca in a nutshell (IV) 
Linear Mode
