Category: Daily Posts

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – December 5

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – December 5

“I’ve had a long regard for generational things: pottery, cultural things, participation in dancing, extended family. Only in that way does culture survive; only in that way is culture active.

–Tessie Naranjo, SANTA CLARA PUEBLO

Culture teaches us how to live and it ensures that knowledge about life is handed down from generation to generation. Culture gives us the feeling of belonging. It helps us raise our family in a good way. It teaches us how to treat one another. Culture sets boundaries for societies. We need to develop our culture. If we have left our culture, then we need to come back to it. Culture leads us back to the Great Spirit. Sometimes in our lives, we leave what we know works and experiment with something else. Then we get into trouble. So we need to come back home. Indian people are lucky to have a culture to return to.

Creator, thank you for the culture. Let me live it today.

December 5 – Daily Feast

December 5 – Daily Feast

The Cherokee calls this month U Ski’YA – the Snow Month. A dusting of snow softens the rustling leaves and defines the edges of rocks and trees that are hidden in heavy foliage in other seasons. This is the quiet time, the sharp edge of winter adjusting the land unto itself. The woods would be gray if it were not for the blue mist that hangs like soft gauze drapery through every glen and cleft in the hills. Evergreens thrive in soft leaf-matted ravines, and cottonwoods stand stark against the dark woods. When the winds lay down in late evening the horizon clears to show vivid colors and every window is gilded gold until the sun disappears and the blue hour comes. It is as quiet as when the earth was created – and then an owl calls.

~ I stand here upon this great plain with the broad sunlight pouring down upon it. We shall be brothers and friends for all our lives. ~

RED CLOUD – OGLALA SIOUX

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

About.com: 12 Days of Yule Devotionals (Day 5)

About.com

 

Day 5: A Prayer for the Beginning of Winter                              
Patti Wigington
From Patti Wigington, your Guide to Paganism /Wicca                                                                           
Take a moment to honor the changes of the season — even if it’s cold and windy! Despite the fact that it’s dark and gloomy, this is a necessary part of the ongoing cycle of life, death and rebirth. As you meditate upon this devotional, consider the benefits to the long, cold nights to come.
 

A Prayer for the Beginning of Winter                            

In early winter, we can see the skies becoming overcast, and smell fresh snow in the air. Take a few minutes to think about the fact that even if the skies are cold and dark, it’s only temporary.


See the gray skies overhead, preparing the way

for the darkness soon to come.

See the gray skies overhead, preparing the way,

for the world to go cold and lifeless.

See the gray skies overhead, preparing the way

for the longest night of the year.

See the gray skies overhead, preparing the way

for the sun to one day return, bringing with it light.

 

Additional Reading                            

With the darker weeks of the year, people often find themselves stressed out and even depressed, despite the fact that Yule should be a time of joy. Learn how to recognize the signs of holiday burnout, and find out how you can prevent it from getting the best of you! Dealing with Stress at Yule
 

Tomorrow: Sunset Prayer                            

                                        This email is written by:                                                                      Patti Wigington                                                          Paganism / Wicca Guide                                        

About.com: 12 Days of Yule Devotionals (Day 4)

About.com

 

Day 4: Counting Your Blessings
Patti Wigington
From Patti Wigington, your Guide to Paganism /Wicca                                                                           
Feeling thankful for what you have? You should – it’s important that we count our blessings each and every day! Cultivate an attitude of gratitude during this season of giving and sharing. Take a moment to meditate upon the fortunes you have — and not just the material goods.
 

Counting Your Blessings – A Prayer of Thanks                            

Yule should be a time of joy and happiness, but for many people it can be stressful. This is a season to take a moment and be thankful for the blessings you have, and to take a moment to remember those less fortunate.


I am grateful for that which I have.

I am not sorrowful for that which I do not.

I have more than others, less than some,

but regardless, I am blessed with what is mine.

 

Additional Reading                            

If you have a set of Pagan Prayer Beads, or a Witch’s Ladder, you can use these to enumerate your blessings, much as a Catholic would say a rosary. Count off each bead or knot, and consider the things you are thankful for, like so:
First, I am thankful for my health. Second, I am thankful for my family. Third, I am thankful for my warm home. Fourth, I am thankful for the abundance in my life….

Tomorrow: A Prayer for the Beginning of Winter                            

                                        This email is written by:                                                                      Patti Wigington                                                          Paganism / Wicca Guide                                        

About.com: 12 Days of Yule Devotionals (Day 3)

About.com

 

Day 3: A Prayer to the Winter Goddess                              
Patti Wigington
From Patti Wigington, your Guide to Paganism /Wicca                                                                           
Take a moment to embrace the chilly, icy weather of winter as Yule approaches. As you meditate on this devotional, take a moment to reflect upon the positive aspects of this dark season.

A Prayer to the Winter Goddess                            

Despite the fact that some people hate cold weather, it does have its advantages. After all, a good cold day gives us an opportunity to cuddle up indoors with the people we love the most.

 

O! Mighty goddess, in silvery ice,

watching over us as we sleep,

a layer of shining white,

covering the earth each night,

frost on the world and in the soul,

we thank you for visiting us.

Because of you, we seek warmth

in the comfort of our homes and hearths.

 

Additional Reading                            

Yule is the time of the Winter Solstice, and for some Wiccans, it’s a time to say goodbye to the old, and welcome the new. As the sun returns to the earth, life begins once more — it’s a time to bid the Crone farewell, and invite the Maiden back into our lives. Celebrate the divine with a Goddess Rite for Solitaries or for Groups.
 

Tomorrow: Counting Your Blessings                            

                                        This email is written by:                                                                      Patti Wigington                                                          Paganism / Wicca Guide                                        

About.com: 12 Days of Yule Devotionals (Day 2)

About.com
Day 2: A Sunrise Prayer for Yule                              
Patti Wigington
From Patti Wigington, your Guide to Paganism /Wicca                                                                           
Need a prayer for sunrise on Yule? Here’s one that celebrates the return of the sun at the winter solstice!
A Sunrise Prayer for Yule                            

Yule is the time when the sun begins its long journey back to earth. Take a moment today to reflect on the warnth of the sun, and how fortunate we are to see it begin its return.


The sun returns! The light returns!

The earth begins to warm once more!

The time of darkness has passed,

and a path of light begins the new day.

Welcome, welcome, the heat of the sun,

blessing us all with its rays.

Additional Reading                            

After you’ve watched the sun rise on the morning of Yule, spend some time with family, and share a bountiful breakfast together with one of these Sunshine Skillets.
Tomorrow: A Prayer to the Winter Goddess                            

                                        This email is written by:                                                                      Patti Wigington                                                          Paganism / Wicca Guide                                        

Technical Difficulty Today

WordPress was so kind to put us in a new image up loader. Well the up loader has a mind of its own. It does not want to upload today’s cartoon. Instead I am going ahead and posting the Yule lessons. I got to thinking about what I said earlier.  And had a change of mind, it would be much more nicer and simpler if the Yule courses were in one place. That is what I am getting ready to do now. Again, I hope you find them useful and also enjoy them.

Lady A

 

Daily Feng Shui Tip for December 5th – ‘Bathtub Party Day’ & ‘Repeal Day’

Is it a coincidence that ‘Bathtub Party Day’ and ‘Repeal Day’ both fall on the same date? And even though I’ll drink to the latter, I’m going to stick with the former for today’s tip. This next bath, taken from ancient Taoist Feng Shui texts, will help to wash digestive difficulties right down the drain. Add ten drops of sandalwood essential oil to your bath water. Place three tablespoons of soybeans, two tablespoons of fennel seeds and one tablespoon of rice into a net and suspend that in the bathwater. Reclining in the tub, close your eyes and gently massage the slightly tender spots directly beneath your shoulder blades. Also massage the heels of your feet. Twenty minutes of this healing bath and you’ll feel good as new — or even better!

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com

Calendar of the Moon for December 5th

Calendar of the Moon

5 Ruis/Poseideion

Plerosia: Honoring Zeus

Color: Purple
Element: Air
Altar: Upon a purple cloth set two torches, a sword, a chalice of Greek wine, a mash of barley, and the figure of an eagle.
Offerings: Barley. Wine. Gold coins.
Daily Meal: Poultry. Barley. Flatbread.

Plerosia Invocation

Most glorious of the Immortals,
Zeus that governest all things with law.
Hail! For lawful it is that all mortals should address Thee.
For we are Thy offspring, taking the image only of Thy voice,
As many mortal things as live and move upon the earth.
Therefore we shall sing Thy might forever.
Such a minister hast Thou in Thine invincible hands;
The two-edged blazing, imperishable thunderbolt.
For under its stroke all Nature shuddereth,
And by it thou guidest aright the Universal Reason,
That roams through all things,
Mingling itself with the greater and the lesser lights.
Thou knowest even to find a place for the small things,
And to order that which is disorderly,
And things forgotten of men are dear to Thee.
O Zeus, Dweller in the darkness of cloud,
Lord of thunder, save men from their unhappy folly,
So that being honored, they may pay Thee honor,
Singing Thy works continually.
Since there can be no greater glory for men of Gods than this,
Duly to praise forever the Universal Law.
Call: O Great Zeus, Lord of Olympos, we call you!
Response: O Great Zeus, Lord of Olympos, hear us!
Call: We hear your thunderbolt, and we are in awe!
Response: We hear your call, and we rise to our feet!
Call: Oi Theoi, genoisthe apotropoi kakon!
May the Gods turn away all evils!
Response: Oi Theoi, genoisthe apotropoi kakon!
May the Gods turn away all evils!

Chant: Lightning strikes, Thunder falls, Open me to the wind and the Fire…

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun for December 5th

Calendar of the Sun

5 Yulmonath

Festival of Faunus

Color: Green
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon cloth of green set a bowl of soil, gathered earlier in the year, and many small cups of soil, the figure of a goat, a plate of cookies shaped like goats, and a cup of wine. In the large bowl set many sticks of incense, with a single stick in each cup.
Offerings: Give seeds to people with gardens.
Daily Meal: Vegetarian

Invocation to Faunus

Hail Blessed Faunus, Benefactor of the Fields!
You whose name means Favored One,
Favor us, as we stand here today!
Favor our fields, that they may yield.
Favor our gardens, that they may grow.
Favor our flocks, that they may increase.
Favor our faith, that it may grow as well.
Give us increase and abundance of all good things,
Enough to help us through times of dearth.
Give us luck, that we may find our way
Past all the obstacles that cannot be
Surmounted by skill alone.
Smile on us, Faunus, Gladsome One,
Goat-horned and goat-hooved
Like the animals you watch over,
Let those in our care not go hungry
Nor suffer the pangs of thirst.
Show us the future, Oracular One,
And we pray that it may be a future
We can all look forward to.
Hail, Faunus, Father of Bona Dea,
Son and wife of Marica the nymph,
Called Lupercus, He who wards off the Wolf,
Ward the evil from our lives
And watch over us as your flock.

(The wine is poured out as a libation. One takes the great bowl of earth and purifies the altar room with its smoke. All others take a cup and walk alone to some place in the House or the lands in order to purify that place with the smoke.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Daily Cosmic Calendar for December 5th

The first main celestial event today is the lunar shift out of void mode in Leo and into practical Virgo (3:53AM PST) for the next 2+ days. It’s now time to roll up your sleeves and get down to brass tacks. Clean-up campaigns are a necessity. Make favorite rooms and bath areas glow again. Eliminate dust bunnies and bring outgrown clothing to second-hand stores. Repair work, sewing, and organizing your office-desk area are invigorated.  Being too pushy during the first half of the day is not advised since the Moon makes a potentially confusing polarity with far-out Neptune (4:52AM PST) while Mercury makes a frictional, 45-degree tie with underworld-ruling Pluto (5:26AM PST). Keep your business cards close to the vest, and don’t get roped into hazy, supposedly lucrative deals that offer pie-in-the-sky rewards.  Be more logical, sensible and grounded later on as the Moon makes a supportive, 60-degree liaison with Saturn (5:15PM PST) while the Moon also forms a trine with Pluto (7:36PM PST). Keep going forward as an efficiency master and serious, confident research expert.

Witches Spell for December 5th: Bury Your Old Self Spell

witch170

Bury Your Old Self Spell

by Robert Place

If you are bothered by an aspect of your personality   that you would like to let go of, then take a new potato and a knife (or your   athame) and carve the potato into an image that represents the aspect to you.   At midnight, take the carved potato our into a field (or wherever you can find   relatively undisturbed dirt) and bury it in the ground. As you do, repeat these   words:

 

“With this image, I  
consign this aspect of  
myself to my mother the Earth.  
As this image returns to the Earth,  
this aspect of my personality  
dissolves into my psyche  
and is transformed into  
new capabilities”
 

You’re done. As the image under the earth dissolves, so will the quality   you want to be rid of!

 

The Witches Correspondence for Wednesday, December 5th

The Witches Correspondence for Wednesday, December 5th

 

Magickal Intentions: Communication, Divination, Writing, Knowledge, Business Transactions, Debt, Fear, Loss, Travel and Money Matters
Incense: Jasmine, Lavender, Sweet Pea
Planet: Mercury
Sign: Virgo
Angel: Raphael
Colors: Orange, Light Blue, Grey, Yellow and Violet
Herbs/Plants: Fern, Lavender, Hazel, Cherry, Periwinkle
Stones: Aventurine, Bloodstone, Hematite, Moss Agate and Sodalite
Oil: (Mercury) Benzoin, Clary Sage, Eucalyptus, Lavender

This day is governed by Mercury. Wednesday’s vibration adds power to rituals involving inspiration, communications, writers, poets, the written and spoken word, and all matters of study, learning, and teaching. This day also provides a good time to begin efforts involving self-improvement or understanding

 

More Feelings Comments

The Witches Almanac for *Wednesday December 5th

The Witches Almanac for *Wednesday December 5th

*Wednesday (Mercury): The conscious mind, study, travel, divination, and wisdom.

 

Eve of St. Nicholas’ Day

Moon Sign: *Leo

*Leo: Draws emphasis to the self, central ideas or institutions, away from connections with others and other emotional needs. People tend to be melodramatic.

*Waning Moon

*The Waning Moon is a time for study, meditation, and little magickal work (except magick designed to banish harmful energies).

Moon enters *Virgo 6:51 am

*Virgo: Favor accomplishment of details and commands from higher up. Focuses on health, hygiene, and daily schedules.

Moon Phase: Third Quarter

Incense: Marjoram

Color: Brown

 

 

More Feelings Comments

Wishing You A Super Blessed Wednesday, Dear Family & Friends!

This is a super, duper quickie……

I am running late because I have been doing some business for the WOTC. So I apologize for being late but I hope you can understand. In our daily editions of the WOTC, I am trying to include information that pertains to Yule. I have a favorite site I love to visit, About. com. This site has some great Wicca and Witchcraft information. There was an offer to sign up for a 12-days of Yule course. I thought wouldn’t that be fun. Then I would share them with all of you. I am just now checking my email and I am totally ashamed of myself. I have 5 lessons in there unopened. So today, in between posts, I will be sharing those courses with you. I hope you enjoy. If you find them useful, feel free to print them out.

Now that you have the low down on what’s going on, I got to run….

Have a very Blessed Wednesday, sweeties,

Luv & Hugs,

Lady A

More Wednesday Comments

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’ for December 4th

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Two qualities so well liked in people are brightness and warmth, both parts of the sun. Sir David Brewster was a Scottish physicist of the eighteenth century. His study of the material world and its phenomena called the sun glorious, “the center and soul of our system, the lamp that lights it, the fire that heats it, the magnet that guides and controls it, the fountain of color which gives its azure to the sky, its verdure to the fields, its rainbow-hues to the gay world of flowers, and the purple light of love to the marble cheek of youth and beauty.”

What more beautiful qualities for any human being to possess than to have a soul at the center of its system, to light the appearance, to warm the feelings, to guide and control it through its colorful moods, and to let it rise as high as the azure skies and as wide as the gay world of flowers. But better yet, to be most beautiful with the purple light of love. What more to be given than the same qualities of the sun – by one Creator.

To live we need more than light, we need warmth. We need more than strength, we need grace. And more than all these we need love. There can be no greater joy than to see our respect for each other – the warmth and grace and love that bind together people in mutual concern.

Only when we can lay aside our personal feelings, our self-concern and worry of our own gain, can we join in true communion and fellowship with others. And to feel a sense of belonging is necessary to humankind.

It is the nature, not only to be liked and wanted, but to like and want others. And in this relationship find not just warmth but light, not only grace but strength, and in all of these find love.

“Walk in the light and thou shalt see thy path, though thorny, bright; for God, by grace, shall dwell in thee, and God himself is light.” – Barton

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones……and also for those who don’t have access to the Internet:

 

http://www.hifler.com
Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com

Elder’s Meditation of the Day
By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – December 4

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – December 4

“In the end I tell my children, there’s no way I can tell you how to be an Acoma, how to be an Indian. You have to experience it.”

–Stanley Paytiamo, ACOMA PUEBLO

Each person must make their own journey. It is like every human is given a life canoe. The canoe has one seat and one paddle. In order to get anything out of life we must be in the canoe and we must paddle down the river of life. Now, I can share with you how my journey has been, but I cannot paddle your canoe. You must paddle your own. Good luck!

Creator, I’m so glad I have You to guide my path.