Love is the vital essence that pervades and permeates, from the center to the circumference, the graduating circles of all thought and action. Love is the talisman of human weal and woe — the open sesame to every soul.— Elizabeth Cady StantonIf you have been a regular reader here in past years, you know that … Read more
Death, the dreadful hunter, is on the track of mankind throughout the world and he will not give up on any spoor until he has laid hands on that he has been chasing so long. — The Metres of Boethius, Alfred the Great, c. 849 – 899 C.E. This dark period from Samhain to the … Read more
Give me a wildness whose glance no civilization can endure. — Henry David Thoreau I have mentioned that this dark period from Samhain to the end of November (and in some places, straight through to Yule) is the time of the Wild Hunt. Also known in Germanic countries as the Raging Host, tales of this … Read more
Triple Goddess, © BriarThere, 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 is the time to prepare for Imbolc, sometimes called … Read more
Blessings of the Triple Goddess © Mickie MuellerTriple Solstice Goddess (To the tune of We Three Kings,words by Lunaea Weatherstone,with her kind permission) Goddesses of Solstice are weBringers of the star and the treeMaiden, Mother, Crone uncoverWinter’s deep mystery… CHORUS:Oh…time of wisdom, time of sightTime of winter’s darkest nightGoddess hold me, love enfold meOpen me … Read more
Yule Blessings! Happy Winter Solstice!Hail to the returning Sun.We drink to the Old Gods.To the Holly, to the Oak, and Lady.A Merry Yule to all!— A very old Yuletide toast,from the lore of my dear magical sister Alruna The Shortest Day By Susan Cooper(author of The Dark is Rising) And so the Shortest Day came … 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
Groundless hope, like unconditional love, is probably the only kind that counts. — John Perry Barlow A BRIEF FOR THE DEFENSEby Jack Gilbert Sorrow everywhere. Slaughter everywhere. If babies are not starving someplace, they are starving somewhere else. With flies in their nostrils. But we enjoy our lives because that’s what God wants. Otherwise the … Read more
“The corporate revolution will collapse if we refuse to buy what they are selling…their ideas, their version of history, their wars, their weapons, their notion of inevitability. Remember this: We be many and they be few. They need us more than we need them. Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. … Read more
O Yuletide Tree, O Yuletide TreeEvergreen and fragrantO Yuletide Tree, O Yuletide TreeEvergreen and fragrantWe bring you in our home to beA sign of life’s eternityO Yuletide Tree, O Yuletide TreeForever green and lovely. Evergreens have long been part of Winter Solstice celebrations. The evergreen trees, such as fir, pine and cedar or juniper, keep … Read more