-
Peeking in the Shadows: Crafting a Book of Shadows and Light
A Journey Through the Witch’s Wheel of the Year 2022! The Witch’s Wheel of the Year We Finish Our Journey Through the Witch’s Wheel and celebrate Yule/Winter Solstice…. We began our journey at Imbolc and now we have arrived at Yule/Winter Solstice. I invite you to revisit the pages and writings that have been crafted this year… Peeking in the Shadows: Imbolc Yule Although in many cases the celebration of Yule coincides with the astronomical date of the Winter Solstice, they are distinct in that Yule is a seasonal observance that often lasted longer than the single Sabbat date it is traditionally assigned of Dec. 20/21…
-
As Above, So Below (How the Stars Became Our Hearts)
Seasons Blessings! Moving into this period of darkness and the first snows begin to fall. I come to this place of contemplation. And as with the last few pieces, I’ll lose my 3rd person textbook voice. This piece will be a bit meta, as, yes, it’s snowing and I just now started this. Lol. And I said “Lol”. And I said that I said. This message is a download, heavy on my heart with these past moons. A lesson that’s been delivered to me through my personal life, and I feel the need to share. Blessed Samhain. What a strange season it has been, closing with a lunar…
-
Yule Correspondences
Lesser Sabbat – Winter Solstice Begins Wednesday, December 21, 2022 and ends on Sunday, January 1, 2023 Other Names: Jul (“wheel”, Old Norse), Saturnalia (Rome ~December 17 & 18), Yuletide (Teutonic), Midwinter, Fionn’s Day, Alban huan, Christmas (Christian~December 25), Xmas, Festival of Sol, Solar/Secular/Pagan New Year Animals/Mythical beings: yule goat (nordic), reindeer stag, squirrels, yule cat, Sacred White Buffalo, Kallikantzaroi-ugly chaos monsters(greek), trolls, phoenix, yule elf, jule gnome, squirrels, wren/robin Gemstones: cat’s eye, ruby, diamond, garnet, bloodstone Incense/Oils: bayberry, cedar, ginger, cinnamon, pine, rosemary, frankincense, myrrh, nutmeg, wintergreen, saffron Colors: gold, silver, red, green, white Tools,Symbols, & Decorations: bayberry candles, evergreens, holly, mistletoe, poinsettia,mistletoe, lights, gifts, Yule log,…
-
WitchCrafting: Crafts for Witches
Yule Decor Merry meet. You know magic is everywhere when you can find a good idea for Yule in a YouTube video from The Home Depot. I live on a bus and use mason jars for everything from drinking glasses and vases to making kombucha and storing herbs. “Fuss-Free Holiday Decorations & Prep Techniques” now has me using them to make berry luminaries. It’s simple: put pieces of evergreen in any-sized mason jar, fill with water, add some cranberries, and float a tea light candle (removed from its holder) on top. Mine will be on my altar, but these would go well on a…
-
Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times
Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times for February 2022 (Photo by Wout Vanacker on Unsplash ) Bright Blessings! The holidays are behind us and it’s a new year. How time flies! For some that means you are still procrastinating about putting the Yule decorations away, doesn’t it? And the kids have absolutely begged you to leave them up, haven’t they? Have a mug of hot wassail and admire your work a bit longer why not? While you are at it, think about all the good things you accomplished in 2021. If you can’t think of anything? I can. What about the time you made somebody’s day because…
-
19-Days of Illuminated Darkness 2020
The Countdown Begins… 19-Days of Illuminated Darkness 2020 This year we need the spaciousness of a returning Light that offers Hope and Healing. To bathe in the light the Solstice is to step into a mantle of power and illumination that pulls you from the stasis of longing into the temples of what can be. Join me, once again, in our fourth annual count down to the Winter Solstice and 19 Days of Illuminated Darkness. What was begun as the veils of Samhain parted and the New Year turned another cycle of the Great Wheel, continues as we welcome the Winter Solstice and the burgeoning of the Solar Light! Topics for…
-
The Gifts of the Solstice to Connect with the Animal Allies
(Image: Robert Kaufman) Seeking our Animal Allies We are filled with great anticipation for welcoming the Light of the Solstice, the promise of increasingly warmer days and the promise of Spring’s grace. Solstice is also a wonderful time of opportunity to connect to those energies and beings that stand with shining eyes in the darkened forest, seas and air. These gentle and fierce creatures are ready to support our work in all of our endeavors. I would like to share with you a pathworking written a few years ago and one that I have had requested many times. Join me on a journey through the gates of the elemental…
-
Yule Correspondences
(Ornate Pentacle Holiday Stocking by Jinx of Mtcoffinz Underground available on etsy.) Lesser Sabbat – Winter Solstice, circa Dec 21 Other Names: Jul (“wheel”, Old Norse), Saturnalia (Rome ~December 17 & 18), Yuletide (Teutonic), Midwinter, Fionn’s Day, Alban huan, Christmas (Christian~December 25), Xmas, Festival of Sol, Solar/Secular/Pagan New Year Animals/Mythical beings: yule goat (nordic), reindeer stag, squirrels, yule cat, Sacred White Buffalo, Kallikantzaroi-ugly chaos monsters(greek), trolls, phoenix, yule elf, jule gnome, squirrels, wren/robin Gemstones: cat’s eye, ruby, diamond, garnet, bloodstone Incense/Oils: bayberry, cedar, ginger, cinnamon, pine, rosemary, frankincense, myrrh, nutmeg, wintergreen, saffron Colors: gold, silver, red, green, white Tools,Symbols, & Decorations: bayberry candles, evergreens, holly, mistletoe, poinsettia,mistletoe, lights, gifts,…
-
19-Days of Illuminated Darkness Course Offering
19-Days of Illuminated Darkness Winter Solstice 2019 December 21st @ 11:19p.m. (EST) Join me, once again, as we count down to the Winter Solstice and “19- Days of Illuminated Darkness”. What was begun as the veils of Samhain parted and the Witch’s New Year turned another cycle of the Great Wheel, continues as we welcome the Winter Solstice and the burgeoning of the Solar Light! Topics will include: … The deeper meaning of the Sabbat, consciousness, honoring and fueling the spark of the Divine within and more. And, a few bonus posts with new writings and experiences to enjoy. The countdown begins on Tuesday, December 3rd as the…
-
Modern Yuletide Tales
**This is an excerpt from my first book, A Modern Celt: Seeking the Ancestors. The Winter Solstice has always been an incredibly magical time for me, despite not being (as far as we know) typically a Celtic festival. Here are some of my more mysterious experiences during the shortest day and longest night. My most precious memories of the winter solstice all seem to be of going to a specific lakeside on the longest night. I remember it always feels later in the day than it is, because despite it only being early evening it is already pitch black, and once you move away from the roads there…