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 this lore. Blessings to you, Waverly, for your faithful, invaluable … Read more
Tell me what you feel in your room when the full moon is shining in upon you and your lamp is dying out, and I will tell you how old you are, and I shall know if you are happy. ~ Henri Frederic Amiel, Swiss philosopher, poet and critic (1821-1881) Well, Mr. Amiel, I am … 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 Ring the bells of joy and blessings! Throw open the Gates … Read more
The walls between the worlds are thinned; The Gods’ might is at its peak, The wights and the dead walk freely among the living. Let us remember them on this Mother Night. ~ from a Heathen rite posted on the Internet some years ago, original source unknown. This is the Eve of the Winter Solstice. … Read more
Halcyon days, now wars are ending. You shall find where-e’er you sail Tritons all the while attending With a kind and gentle gale. ~ Halcyon Days by Thomas Shadwell (1642 – 1692) With the arrival of yesterday’s New Moon, and then the Winter Solstice being only a week away, we here in the Northern Hemisphere … Read more
What you love, loves you. What you want, wants you. The soul of your business is invested in you and in the success of your business. It has its own reasons for being, its own allies, its own ecology which shapes its unfolding story. ~ Hiro Boga As many of you who have studied … Read more
Samhain Blessings to All! Today is the Great Festival of Samhain (pronounced SAH-wen, or SOW-wen), which marks the third and final harvest and summer’s end. This is the ancient Celtic New Year and also the New Year for many traditions of modern Pagans and Witches. This is the midpoint between Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice … Read more
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. – Exodus 22:18 On this day in 1985, the American House and Senate dropped the “Helms amendment,” which would have specifically barred the IRS from granting tax-exempt status to groups that promote Witchcraft. And on this day in 1998, only fourteen years ago, the Vatican finally took … Read more
I am she that is the natural mother of all things, mistress and governess of all the elements, the initial progeny of worlds, chief of powers divine, Queen of heaven, the principal of the Gods celestial, the light of the goddesses: at my will the planets of the air, the wholesome winds of the Seas, … Read more
Hail! Journeyer of the Heavens, Queen of Brightness, King of Beauty! Gifts of gladness richly bringing, Autumn sheaves and red leaves’ fall. Generous be the heart within us, Open be our hands to all, Justice to be in equal measure, Harvest thankfulness our call. ~ Greeting to the Autumn Equinox Caitlín Matthews, A Celtic Devotional … Read more