Fire of dawn-light in Her hair, Fire flows like milk from Her hands. Fire of bright promise in Her springing step, Fire of the flame in Her eyes. A blessing on Your hearthfire, On Your gift of words, On the brightness of Your sacred body, A blessing on Your flame. — Cait Johnson Blessings for … Read more
There, at the foot of the tree, belonging to no man, A silver apple falls. There, amongst the branches, the mother sits. Weaver of dreams against the weft of the wood, Insight falls like gentle rain on a moon-bathed garden. — Song to Hecate, by Alison Jones Now we make ready for the great festival … Read more
Many people fail to understand the magic of poetry. Perhaps it was a run-in with some dull English teacher in middle school; or forced marches through obscure parts of Dante and Whittier, with the emphasis on rote memorization, not the passion and meaning of the words. But as most shamans, priestesses, bards, Kahunas, Druids, and … Read more
The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web. – Pablo Picasso Today, we complete the second-to-last chapter, Recovering A Sense of Autonomy. We have some exercises to finish, and I … Read more
May the Graces Bless Us with a Joyful New Beginning! xx Take out, then take in: Bad luck will begin. Take in, then take out: Good luck comes about. Blessings of the Year of the Empress – the fertile, Great Mother energy of the Tarot. I’ll be writing much more about what this means in … Read more
Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow: The year is going, let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true. ~Alfred Lord Tennyson, 1850 Many thanks to Waverly FitzGerald, who is the source for much of today’s lore. Blessings to you, Waverly, for your faithful, invaluable … Read more
I am offering an encore of this post of mine from last year. I hope it will inspire you, whatever your beliefs may be, for it is a powerful spell of transformation and abundance. It has been my own tradition on Christmas Eve for many years. Enjoy! – Beth We cannot do great things on … Read more
Join together beneath the mistletoe. By the holy oak whereon it grows. Seven Druids dance in seven time. Sing the song the bells call, loudly chiming. Ring out these bells. Ring out, ring Solstice bells. Ring Solstice bells. — Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull ©1977 The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year in … Read more
This is the Eve of the Winter Solstice. This is the great celebration of Mother Night. As far as we know, our ancestors did not have atomic clocks or satellites to help them dissect Time to the nanosecond. Instead, they had to figure by their keen observation, by dead reckoning, by the plants and animals, … Read more
From base to summit, gay and bright, There’s only splendor for the sight. O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Thy candles shine so brightly! We are moving into the deepest darkness of the year, with Winter Solstice only a few days from now. Now we embrace the Halcyon Days and we step aside from our … Read more