{"id":4801,"date":"2011-02-01T01:10:12","date_gmt":"2011-02-01T06:10:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=4873"},"modified":"2011-01-21T17:36:13","modified_gmt":"2011-01-21T22:36:13","slug":"living-life-magically","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2011\/02\/01\/living-life-magically\/","title":{"rendered":"Living Life Magically"},"content":{"rendered":"

Awakening Divine:\u00a0 Living Magically in the Dead of Winter<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the end of January, we find ourselves deeply nestled inside; inside our homes, inside our work and inside our Self.\u00a0 We find ourselves going deep within, partly as protection against the harsh winter, but also because our soul yearns to discover the wonder and magic of our inner Self.\u00a0 So after Yule, we find ourselves deep beneath the surface until the Wheel turns again at the beginning of festival, at Imbolc.<\/p>\n

The holiday of Imbolc or Candlemas marks the middle point of winter, the cusp, the balance point where the deep winter, ruled by the Crone Goddess Cailleach, gives way to the return of spring ruled by the Bride, the maiden Goddess.\u00a0\u00a0 Surrounded by candles, the warm glow of candlelight reminds us of the promise of Yule, that the Light will return and bring growth and springtime.\u00a0 Now is the time for Bride to wrest the season away from the Crone and make way for springtime.\u00a0 It is time to wake up the earth.<\/p>\n

Bride is Brigit, Brigid, Brigantia and many other names.\u00a0 She is a powerful, magical Goddess who was revered throughout the world of the Celts, called Minerva by the Romans and made a saint by the Catholic Church.\u00a0 Her name has many meanings including \u201cpower,\u201d \u201cfiery arrow\u201d and \u201cshe who exalts herself.\u201d\u00a0 She has responsibility and power over much of life.\u00a0 She is the patroness of poetry and inspiration, patroness of hearth and home, patroness of the forge.\u00a0 Through that triple responsibility, she rules fertility, healing, creativity, the crafts, spinning and weaving, goldsmith and smithcraft, poetry, and bardic lore.\u00a0 Her power was imbued in the countryside, so that the hills, wells, streams and rivers were her body.\u00a0 Her symbols speak of her power:\u00a0 fire, wells, cauldrons, the forge, and the Rowan tree.\u00a0 She is associated with animals that speak of the bounty of the world, the ewe, boar, and cow.\u00a0 Snakes are also sacred to her as a symbol of transformation and change.\u00a0 She invented whistling so she could bring friends to her side in time of need; and she invented keening to express grief too great to be held inside.<\/p>\n

Like her festival, she was born at a mid-point; that magical time between dark and dawn.\u00a0 Her magic is born of mystery.\u00a0 She is a triple goddess, but not in the Maiden-Mother-Crone aspect revered by modern pagans.\u00a0 Her triplicity is expressed in her most potent symbol, fire.\u00a0 She is the Muse, the Fire of Inspiration, of poetry and lore.\u00a0 She is the Fire of the Hearth, the patroness of childbirth, fertility, home-crafts, and of healing.\u00a0 She is the Fire of the Forge, patroness of smithcraft and the art of war.\u00a0 She is protection, creativity, procreation of all sorts, healing, transformation and renewal.<\/p>\n

On her feast day, her sacred creature, the snake would emerge from its mound and predict the end of winter.\u00a0 This is an obvious association to the American holiday of Groundhog\u2019s Day!\u00a0 Her feast day had other folk customs and celebrations as well.\u00a0 At sundown, a shawl, length of wool or mantle was placed outside to absorb the magical energy of this time.\u00a0 Then that mantle was used throughout the year for healing the people and animals of the household.<\/p>\n

The celebration would begin by a house-cleaning that included burning the greenery leftover from Yule celebrations.\u00a0 New greenery, rushes and candles were placed in the household.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The new rushes for the floor were blessed.\u00a0 A dolly was created from these rushes, dressed in white.\u00a0 The doors would be flung open, and the unmarried women of the house would bring the Bride into the house.\u00a0 She was greeted by the married women of the household and put into a bed by the hearth. Other customs included candle magic and wishes, tying ribbons to trees and bushes for the wishes of the year, and making even armed Brigit\u2019s crosses, reminiscent of her association with the sun.<\/p>\n

So here we are in this time between the severity of Winter and the birth of Spring.\u00a0 We are nestled here, like the seed beneath the earth.\u00a0 In the deepest part of winter we move deeply inward, and rest there.\u00a0 The Goddess holds us in her embrace and we snuggle close, safe and warm.\u00a0 In that rest and safety, we renew ourselves.\u00a0 Our emotions, our spirit, our mind and our bodies find rest and nurturing stillness.\u00a0 We rest there until we are renewed.\u00a0 And at that mid-point of Winter, we hear the call, the inspiration.\u00a0 The flame is renewed within us as we stir inside our seed-like shell.\u00a0 The shell that used to keep us safe and secure is now confining and constricting.\u00a0 We stir and move, ready to break free, ready for our journey upward and outward.<\/p>\n

There are some magical and practical ways to invoke this transition from internal hibernation to a deliberate awakening.\u00a0 Begin by cleaning.\u00a0 Often after a winter of not noticing, the strengthening sun will suddenly reveal more dust and dirt that you had noticed before.\u00a0 It can be daunting to look at all that must be done in totality..\u00a0 I developed a \u201cClean One Thing\u201d strategy or spell.\u00a0 This spell is so lacking in \u201cwhoo whoo\u201d or magical flourish, that it might just seem like regular house cleaning.\u00a0 However, it is short, sweet, and do-able.\u00a0 I make a \u201cClean One Thing\u201d list of very short housework tasks.\u00a0 It is not \u201cclean the bathroom,\u201d but rather the first item will say \u201cclean the tub,\u201d \u201cwash the sink\u201d and so on.\u00a0\u00a0 I take the list and share it with the Goddess, dedicating my industry and cleaning to Her; and leave the list on my altar.<\/p>\n

So that when I get up off my couch to do some housework, I need to only accomplish one thing.\u00a0 That is my only focus for cleaning.\u00a0 When I\u2019m done with that one chore, I\u2019ve accomplished a goal. \u00a0Cross it off the list.\u00a0 Thank the Goddess and then I\u2019m done.\u00a0 I can then decide to take a break, have a cup of tea, read a book, or do one more thing.\u00a0 It does kind of fool you into getting a lot of work done.\u00a0 I think dedicating the work to the Goddess makes it a spiritual experience rather than a dirty chore.\u00a0\u00a0 Usually at the end of the list, I\u2019ll burn it or bury it as a ritual act of completion.<\/p>\n

Another simple thing to do to move into more action is to \u201cwake up the earth.\u201d\u00a0 If you are completely done with your internal journey of the season and ready to get up and get going, you can wake up.\u00a0 Be aware that if you do this, you are waking yourself up too!\u00a0 As you are grounded and connected to the earth, you are awakening your own divinity in the process.\u00a0\u00a0 This is fun to do in a ritual with a group, or can be done as a solitary.<\/p>\n

Wake Up the Earth, Wake Up the Divine Me<\/span><\/p>\n

You will need as many tools and accoutrements as you prefer.\u00a0 You can do this with your body and voice; or with full \u201csmells and bells\u201d ritual tools.\u00a0 A drum is very helpful.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ground and Center, connect yourself to Mother Earth<\/p>\n

Cast a circle according to your custom<\/p>\n

Call in the Directions according to the tradition you follow<\/p>\n

Call in Your Gods, or the Spirits of the Season<\/p>\n

Meditation<\/p>\n

Take a deep breath and let it out with a sigh.\u00a0 Take another deep cleansing breath and let it out completely and fully, making noise as you are led.\u00a0 Take a third deep breath and let it out with a tone.\u00a0 As the tone reverberates through your body, find yourself in a cave on a soft bed of wonderful comfortable covers.\u00a0 Stretch and stand up.\u00a0 Guarding you is the Ancient Crone Goddess of Winter, holding a torch that is very dim.\u00a0 She looks at you and smiles.\u00a0 Then she turns and walk to the doorway of the cave, where you see another figure at the entrance.\u00a0 You realize it is the Bride, Brigit.\u00a0 She looks at you and grins widely, in a challenge and in welcome.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

The Ancient Crone of Winter hands the torch to Brigit and the torch flames to life and you see a triple flame as she holds her hand out to you.\u00a0 It is time to step over the threshold and to emerge from the cave.\u00a0 You go and walk through into the world.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

Out in the world you look around at the landscape and you sense the change from deep, dark winter to an emerging springtime.\u00a0 You feel it with your inner divinity more than you see it.\u00a0 But you take it all in.\u00a0 Brigit leads you to a circle of Be-ings, gods, goddesses, the Spirits of people you know in this word.\u00a0 They welcome you into the circle as all join hands in song and dance.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

The circle dances and dances and dances.\u00a0 Your heart is beating and your blood is flowing as your body and your soul awakens in harmony to the energy of the earth.\u00a0 In your dance, you feel the slumbering earth awaken, stretch, yawn, and start to move.\u00a0 You are AWAKE and so is the earth! <\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

The whole circle begins to chant:\u00a0 The goddess is awake and magic is afoot.\u00a0 The goddess is awake and magic is afoot. <\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em>As this happens, emerge from your meditative state and continue the chant until a cone of power is sent off into the Universe for the good of all and the harm of none, to the blessing of an awakened world and an awakened you!<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve raised the cone of power, take a minute to ground yourself.\u00a0 Once you are grounded and centered, you are ready to leave the circle.\u00a0 Refreshed, renewed and invigorated.<\/p>\n

Farewell and thanks to your gods<\/p>\n

Farewell and thanks to the directions<\/p>\n

Open the circle<\/p>\n

Be good to yourself after a ritual and celebrate with food and drink that centers and grounds you; things that bring you fully into this world with all its magic and wonder.\u00a0 Be ready for signs of awakening.\u00a0 They are there, subtle and visible to those with the heart and eyes to see.<\/p>\n

Blessed Be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Awakening Divine:\u00a0 Living Magically in the Dead of Winter At the end of January, we find ourselves deeply nestled inside; inside our homes, inside our work and inside our Self.\u00a0 We find ourselves going deep within, partly as protection against the harsh winter, but also because our soul yearns to discover the wonder and magic of our inner Self.\u00a0 So after Yule, we find ourselves deep beneath the surface until the Wheel turns again at the beginning of festival, at Imbolc. The holiday of Imbolc or Candlemas marks the middle point of winter, the cusp, the balance point where the deep winter, ruled by the Crone Goddess Cailleach, gives way to the return of spring ruled by the Bride, the maiden Goddess.\u00a0\u00a0 Surrounded by candles, the warm glow of candlelight reminds us of the promise of Yule, that the Light will return and bring growth and springtime.\u00a0 Now is the time for Bride to wrest the season away from the Crone and make way for springtime.\u00a0 It is time to wake up the earth. Bride is Brigit, Brigid, Brigantia and many other names.\u00a0 She is a powerful, magical Goddess who was revered throughout the world of the Celts, called Minerva by the Romans and made a saint by the Catholic Church.\u00a0 Her name has many meanings including \u201cpower,\u201d \u201cfiery arrow\u201d and \u201cshe who exalts herself.\u201d\u00a0 She has responsibility and power over much of life.\u00a0 She is the patroness of poetry and inspiration, patroness of hearth and home, patroness of the forge.\u00a0 Through that triple responsibility, she rules fertility, healing, creativity, the crafts, spinning and weaving, goldsmith and smithcraft, poetry, and bardic lore.\u00a0 Her power was imbued in the countryside, so that the hills, wells, streams and rivers were her body.\u00a0 Her symbols speak of her power:\u00a0 fire, wells, cauldrons, the forge, and the Rowan tree.\u00a0 She is associated with animals that speak of the bounty of the world, the ewe, boar, and cow.\u00a0 Snakes are also sacred to her as a symbol of transformation and change.\u00a0 She invented whistling so she could bring friends to her side in time of need; and she invented keening to express grief too great to be held inside. Like her festival, she was born at a mid-point; that magical time between dark and dawn.\u00a0 Her magic is born of mystery.\u00a0 She is a triple goddess, but not in the Maiden-Mother-Crone aspect revered by modern pagans.\u00a0 Her triplicity is expressed in her most potent symbol, fire.\u00a0 She is the Muse, the Fire of Inspiration, of poetry and lore.\u00a0 She is the Fire of the Hearth, the patroness of childbirth, fertility, home-crafts, and of healing.\u00a0 She is the Fire of the Forge, patroness of smithcraft and the art of war.\u00a0 She is protection, creativity, procreation of all sorts, healing, transformation and renewal. On her feast day, her sacred creature, the snake would emerge from its mound and predict the end of winter.\u00a0 This is an obvious association to the American holiday of Groundhog\u2019s Day!\u00a0 Her feast day had other folk customs and celebrations as well.\u00a0 At sundown, a shawl, length of wool or mantle was placed outside to absorb the magical energy of this time.\u00a0 Then that mantle was used throughout the year for healing the people and animals of the household. The celebration would begin by a house-cleaning that included burning the greenery leftover from Yule celebrations.\u00a0 New greenery, rushes and candles were placed in the household.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The new rushes for the floor were blessed.\u00a0 A dolly was created from these rushes, dressed in white.\u00a0 The doors would be flung open, and the unmarried women of the house would bring the Bride into the house.\u00a0 She was greeted by the married women of the household and put into a bed by the hearth. Other customs included candle magic and wishes, tying ribbons to trees and bushes for the wishes of the year, and making even armed Brigit\u2019s crosses, reminiscent of her association with the sun. So here we are in this time between the severity of Winter and the birth of Spring.\u00a0 We are nestled here, like the seed beneath the earth.\u00a0 In the deepest part of winter we move deeply inward, and rest there.\u00a0 The Goddess holds us in her embrace and we snuggle close, safe and warm.\u00a0 In that rest and safety, we renew ourselves.\u00a0 Our emotions, our spirit, our mind and our bodies find rest and nurturing stillness.\u00a0 We rest there until we are renewed.\u00a0 And at that mid-point of Winter, we hear the call, the inspiration.\u00a0 The flame is renewed within us as we stir inside our seed-like shell.\u00a0 The shell that used to keep us safe and secure is now confining and constricting.\u00a0 We stir and move, ready to break free, ready for our journey upward and outward. There are some magical and practical ways to invoke this transition from internal hibernation to a deliberate awakening.\u00a0 Begin by cleaning.\u00a0 Often after a winter of not noticing, the strengthening sun will suddenly reveal more dust and dirt that you had noticed before.\u00a0 It can be daunting to look at all that must be done in totality..\u00a0 I developed a \u201cClean One Thing\u201d strategy or spell.\u00a0 This spell is so lacking in \u201cwhoo whoo\u201d or magical flourish, that it might just seem like regular house cleaning.\u00a0 However, it is short, sweet, and do-able.\u00a0 I make a \u201cClean One Thing\u201d list of very short housework tasks.\u00a0 It is not \u201cclean the bathroom,\u201d but rather the first item will say \u201cclean the tub,\u201d \u201cwash the sink\u201d and so on.\u00a0\u00a0 I take the list and share it with the Goddess, dedicating my industry and cleaning to Her; and leave the list on my altar. So that when I get up off my couch to do some housework, I need to only accomplish one thing.\u00a0 That is my only focus for cleaning.\u00a0 When I\u2019m done with that one chore, I\u2019ve accomplished a goal. \u00a0Cross it off the list.\u00a0 Thank the Goddess and then I\u2019m done.\u00a0 I can then decide to take a break, have a cup of tea, read a book, or do one more thing.\u00a0 It does kind of fool you into getting a lot of work done.\u00a0 I think dedicating the work to the Goddess makes it a spiritual experience rather than a dirty chore.\u00a0\u00a0 Usually at the end of the list, I\u2019ll burn it or bury it as a ritual act of completion. Another simple thing to do to move into more action is to \u201cwake up the earth.\u201d\u00a0 If you are completely done with your internal journey of the season and ready to get up and get going, you can wake up.\u00a0 Be aware that if you do this, you are waking yourself up too!\u00a0 As you are grounded and connected to the earth, you are awakening your own divinity in the process.\u00a0\u00a0 This is fun to do in a ritual with a group, or can be done as a solitary. Wake Up the Earth, Wake Up the Divine Me You will need as many tools and accoutrements as you prefer.\u00a0 You can do this with your body and voice; or with full \u201csmells and bells\u201d ritual tools.\u00a0 A drum is very helpful. Ground and Center, connect yourself to Mother Earth Cast a circle according to your custom Call in the Directions according to the tradition you follow Call in Your Gods, or the Spirits of the Season Meditation Take a deep breath and let it out with a sigh.\u00a0 Take another deep cleansing breath and let it out completely and fully, making noise as you are led.\u00a0 Take a third deep breath and let it out with a tone.\u00a0 As the tone reverberates through your body, find yourself in a cave on a soft bed of wonderful comfortable covers.\u00a0 Stretch and stand up.\u00a0 Guarding you is the Ancient Crone Goddess of Winter, holding a torch that is very dim.\u00a0 She looks at you and smiles.\u00a0 Then she turns and walk to the doorway of the cave, where you see another figure at the entrance.\u00a0 You realize it is the Bride, Brigit.\u00a0 She looks at you and grins widely, in a challenge and in welcome. The Ancient Crone of Winter hands the torch to Brigit and the torch flames to life and you see a triple flame as she holds her hand out to you.\u00a0 It is time to step over the threshold and to emerge from the cave.\u00a0 You go and walk through into the world. Out in the world you look around at the landscape and you sense the change from deep, dark winter to an emerging springtime.\u00a0 You feel it with your inner divinity more than you see it.\u00a0 But you take it all in.\u00a0 Brigit leads you to a circle of Be-ings, gods, goddesses, the Spirits of people you know in this word.\u00a0 They welcome you into the circle as all join hands in song and dance. The circle dances and dances and dances.\u00a0 Your heart is beating and your blood is flowing as your body and your soul awakens in harmony to the energy of the earth.\u00a0 In your dance, you feel the slumbering earth awaken, stretch, yawn, and start to move.\u00a0 You are AWAKE and so is the earth! The whole circle begins to chant:\u00a0 The goddess is awake and magic is afoot.\u00a0 The goddess is awake and magic is afoot. As this happens, emerge from your meditative state and continue the chant until a cone of power is sent off into the Universe for the good of all and the harm of none, to the blessing of an awakened world and an awakened you! Once you\u2019ve raised the cone of power, take a minute to ground yourself.\u00a0 Once you are grounded and centered, you are ready to leave the circle.\u00a0 Refreshed, renewed and invigorated. Farewell and thanks to your gods Farewell and thanks to the directions Open the circle Be good to yourself after a ritual and celebrate with food and drink that centers and grounds you; things that bring you fully into this world with all its magic and wonder.\u00a0 Be ready for signs of awakening.\u00a0 They are there, subtle and visible to those with the heart and eyes to see. Blessed Be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4801"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4801\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4739,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4801\/revisions\/4739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}