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    Rites and Rituals

    Ostara and the Quickening Moon, the Magick of Spring “I remember that I kissed you, I kissed you as dawn kissed the day. Sweet dew wet your lips, You took my breath away. The Earth trembled beneath our touch, The forest moaned with our lust, as I kissed you so endlessly. And the Wheel turns, can you feel the fire burn inside? Do you hear the wind sing our names, of a destiny that cannot be changed. As it is willed, so is it done, our dance is now begun, when the Moon is kissed by the Sun.” Ostara, the Vernal Equinox, is the place upon the Wheel where the…

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    Rites & Rituals

    Imbolc “I remember I saw you, I saw you dancing through the woods. I watched you dance away the snow, from the shadows where I stood. I smelled your scent within the breeze, it dropped me to my knees. As I watched you, so longingly…. And the Wheel turns, can you feel the fire inside, begin to burn? Can you hear the wind whisper our names? Destiny that cannot be changed As it is willed, so is it done Our dance has just begun When the Moon is kissed by the Sun” Imbolc, I imagine somewhere deep within a sacred grove of ancient trees. The youthful God stands quiet and still. The Mother…

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    Rites and Rituals

    The Long Night’s Moon and Yule “The Wheel turns and I feel my fire has burned away. I feel the Earth holding me tight. I know the Crone now walks through the night. And I know the Wheel still slowly turns, back to me to make me burn, With the love, I forever, hold for thee…..” For me, both of these moments separately mark very significant changes upon the Wheel. When they coincide within the same night, something that occurs roughly once every 19 years, there is magick in the air.  This night, I am able to witness and emerge myself in the middle of the dance that shadow and…

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    Rites and Rituals

    A Full Moon in November A heavier darkness now eats at both the beginning and the end of the day. The colors of Autumn have fallen and yielded to gray shadow. Spring and Summer drift further away, carried deeper into memory, upon the colder winds that have started to blow. The Full Moon rises over the river, Her bright light illuminating a world laying on the edge of sleep, waiting for the Wheel’s inevitable turn to Winter. Native people called this moon the Beaver Moon for they saw them using the last few days before the ice formed, readying themselves to outlast the impending cold. Others call this the Dark…

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    Rite and Ritual

    Samhain “When the night drifts into stillness, past the witching hour’s toll, Where the shadows fall in silence and darkness reaches for my soul.” I stand before the large iron cauldron, waiting. Colder, heavy air settles down upon my robe and I breathe deeply. Patiently I wait, my senses spreading out, reaching into the night searching for the moment, listening for Her ancient whisper. Slow are her old ways, subtle is her deep touch as she presides over the decaying memories of yesterday. I imagine her walking through the forest laying her hands upon the trees she passes, reminding them its time to sleep. The last few golden leaves drift…

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    Rite and Ritual

    Mabon, the Autumnal Equinox “And now we stand here, within the shadows of the Fall. Let me hold you just once more, so I can try to remember it all. Sing to me my love this day. Sing to me as I fade away, back to the shadows, where I’ll dream of you.” With my eyes closed I alone stand apart from my coven sisters and brothers and feel the last waning light of the Autumnal Equinox’s setting Sun fade away. I know that the tops of the old conifers I stand beneath still bask in Summer’s last light, as the forest floor begins to hear the shadows awaken. The…

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    Rite and Ritual

    Lughnasadh and the Moon of August “I remember I held you, up high on the mountain’s side. As I looked out over the land, all your magick filled my eyes. I hear the ravens call my name, reminding me everything must change. For the Earth, she lays waiting for me.” This month I stand between the Summer Solstice and the Autumnal Equinox. It is a moment upon the Wheel that seems to defy my ability to discern the turning changes still taking place. The morning air is warm and sweet. I can see and feel a richness of the land. The bounty of Summer’s end is now ripened and ready…

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    Rite and Ritual

    The Magick of a Summer’s Night Full Moon The warm evening slowly melts, giving way to the night. Cooler air begins gently drift further out from the river’s banks and creep across the forest floor. A full moon crests above the fir covered ridge north east of the river’s course. I stand at the entrance of the path, tuning myself to the moment while looking up to the moon through the darkening cedar boughs. My feet melt into the Earth, seeking a deeper connection as I fill my lungs with the forest’s breath. Sweet and warm fills my senses within the sated content that slows my vibration. I think I…

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    Rites and Rituals

    The Summer Solstice The morning feels still, the air holds a gentle warmth from yesterday, as dawn kisses the new day with first light. I stand facing the East. My wand is in my left hand, my blade held in the right and I await the new day’s breath. For me, there is a special magick within that initial cool breeze that descends the moment the Earth’s star crosses dawn’s horizon. I open myself with eyes closed, my arms outstretched. I allow the first breeze to pass through me. I can feel it touch my spirit, filling me with a contented peace that emerges, as a smile appears upon my…

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    Rites and Rituals

    Beltaine and the Flower Moon I step into the forest. I slowly and deeply breathe. Standing still beneath the ancient trees, my senses fill with the magick of Beltaine. In every space, in every moment, new life unfolds before my eyes. The soft breeze grows ever more enchanted as the flora whispers sweet seduction to the birds and the bees. Shafts of Sunshine pierce through the great conifers’ boughs glinting off a myriad of insect wings and delivering fuel to the forest floor. I remain quiet, drifting deeper into Nature, and I begin to see and feel how the energies have changed from Ostara. It seems only a few days…