Tag: Earth

Let’s Talk Witch – Pagans & New Year’s Resolutions

Let’s Talk Witch – Pagans & New Year’s Resolutions

Though the whole idea of doing resolutions for New Year is not a Pagan tradition at all, that doesn’t mean we don’t all try to manage few each year. So why not try some Pagan New Year’s resolutions this time?

Attend a Festival

This is a particularly important resolution if you are typically a solitary type of Pagan who doesn’t get to be social in their path very often. Do a little research and find a good Pagan festival that is taking place close enough to where you live and make plans to go. It could be a 1-day gathering or a week-long extravaganza. If you have never gone to a Pagan festival, you might want to try a shorter one to get your feet wet. Gatherings that take a few days usually mean you’ll be doing some camping. These are great for meeting new people and doing some networking in the larger community.

Make a New Altar Tool

Unless you already have an altar full of wonderful home-made goodies, you should try to make at least one new tool for yourself this year. That doesn’t mean you have to master blacksmithing so you can create a metal-worked athame or buy a kiln to craft a ceramic goblet. Use what crafty skills you have and use some basic supplies to create something new. Wands are actually quite easy, and candle-making supplies are common enough in craft stores. Decorate a notebook for a new Book of Shadows or go an extra mile to design a personalized Tarot deck. Work with what you have and make creative magick.

Explore a New Path

Now this doesn’t mean that there is anything wrong with your current path or that you have to change your beliefs in any way. But it never hurts to branch out or to see things in a new way occasionally. Do a little study into a path that is different from yours and see what’s different. Read some books or websites, or even try to take part in a meeting, circle or other gathering if you can find a local group. Of course, make arrangements before you just show up so they know why you’re there. You certainly don’t have to change anything about your own practice but this branching out can help breathe some fresh air into your own beliefs.

Make some Deity Time

This may not apply to everyone, depending on your current practice and understanding of the Divine. But many people are so busy these days that quiet time with a God or Goddess can easily be overlooked. It doesn’t have to be daily (though that would be nice), but you should be able to find some time each week for some kind of spiritual pursuits. Meditation or ritual should do just fine.

Non-Pagan Ideas

Well, these are kind of Pagan and I thought they would round out my list nicely. You can make a tribute to Mother Earth by spending some time outdoors helping to pick up litter or trash, or you could find a cause that fits your Pagan ideals and do some other types of volunteering (maybe an animal shelter). It doesn’t have to be a local cause either. Get involved with some online activism to help promote ideas you are passionate about.

There are some ideas to get you started. You don’t have to do all of them, but maybe one or two will peak your interest for the upcoming year.

Ezine Articles

Author:  By Terri Paajanen, About.com

Calendar of the Moon for December 30th

Calendar of the Moon

Dark Moon Night

Color: Black
Element: Air
Altar: Upon a black cloth set a single black candle, incense, an iron sickle laid to mimic the direction of the waning moon, a cup of water, a lock of silver hair, and a white bone.
Offerings: Bones. Stones. Menstrual blood. Give something up.
Daily Meal: Soup of some sort, cooked in a cauldron, eaten in silence.

Dark Moon Invocation

At this time, in the dark of the moon,
When the Silver Lady ages
To an old woman in the dark,
Haunting crossroads, working magic,
Stirring her cauldron
Of poison that heals,
Grandmother Moon of sorcery
And wisdom, who sees all
And reveals little to our searching eyes.
Moon of Death, Moon of mystery,
Moon of silence who hides her face,
Let us learn silence from your averted gaze
Let us learn patience from your aging face
Let us feel for the dark places within us
And find our way down your path in the darkness
Which is utter and complete
But not impenetrable.
As darkness wraps us,
So silence heals us.
As darkness finds us,
So silence guides us.
As darkness speaks,
So silence falls.

(The candle is blown out, and all leave in silence. From the beginning of this rite at Hesperis until the dawn, silence will rule in the house. Talking must be done only in whispers, and between no more than two people, and only for that which is necessary. Long meditation is encouraged, and all work must be done quietly if possible. The evening meal should be eaten by candlelight, and only candles may light the house, except for the sake of certain important work.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Current Moon Phase for December 30th – Waning Crescent

Crescent Moon

(waning /4% of Full)

This is a time to rest, reevaluate and reflect, pulling back into yourself to reconnect with inner sources of strength. Now is not a time to initiate anything new. It’s a phase suited to spending time with friends and getting in touch with the “big picture.” A window of opportunity exists for seeing your life objectively and becoming aware of what is important to you. At this point, what are your dreams and aspirations? What larger goals can you aspire to that will bring vitality and excitement into your life? This is a time for resting and gaining inner strength to prepare for a new cycle.

Let’s Talk Witch – The Summerlands

Let’s Talk Witch – The Summerlands

All religious systems have a place where the soul ascends (or descends) when the physical body can no longer function. In Craft belief, we call this place the Summerland. This is the resting place- the way station, if you will- for souls to recover, and categorize information and lessons we have learned. We have no Hell, or place of terror or damnation.

Reincarnation- the logical process of living, dying, and living again on the earth plane. Some religions also believe in transmigration, where an individual’s soul may enter not only the body of a human, but the body of a plant or animal.

In most Witchcraft Traditions, reincarnation is the accepted theology for dealing with the subject of death and rebirth. We move with the seasons, the cycle of the Wheel, the turn of birth, death, and rebirth. That part of it usually isn’t questioned because it is logical.

What is questioned is the space between the living experiences, the number of lifetimes, and the reasoning for going through each one. Also intriguing is “who we were,” with whom, and when.

Reincarnation is one of Wicca’s most valuable lessons. The knowledge that this life is but one of many, that when the physical body dies we do not cease to exist but are reborn in another body answers many questions, but raises a few more.

Wicca teaches that reincarnation is the instrument through which our souls are perfected. one lifetime isn’t sufficient to attain this goal; hence, the consciousness (soul) is reborn many times, each life encompassing a different set of lessons, until perfection is achieved. No one can say how many lives are required before this is accomplished.

In Wicca, we seek to strengthen our bodies, minds and souls. We certainly live full, productive earthly lives, and we do so while harming none. The soul is ageless, sexless, non-physical, possessed of the divine spark of the Goddess and God. Each manifestation of the soul (i.e., each body it inhabits on Earth) is different. No two bodies or lives are the same.

What happens after death? Only the body dies. The soul lives on. Some Wiccans say that it journeys to a realm variously known as the Summerlands, Land of the Faerie, the Shining Land, and the Land of the Young. This realm is neither in heaven nor the underworld. It simply is- a non- physical reality much less dense than ours. Some Wiccan traditions describe it as a land of eternal summer, with grassy fields and sweet flowing rivers, perhaps the Earth before the advent of humans. Others see it vaguely as a realm without forms, where energy swirls coexist with the greatest energies- the Goddess and God in their celestial identities.

The soul is said to review the past life, perhaps through some mysterious way with the deities. This isn’t a judgment, a weighing of one’s soul, but an incarnational review. Lessons learned or ignored are brought to light.

After the proper time, when the conditions on Earth are correct, the soul is reincarnated and life begins again.

The final question- what happens after the last incarnation? Wiccan teachings have always been vague on this. Basically, the Wiccans say that after rising upon the spiral of life and death and rebirth, those souls who have attained perfection break away from the cycle forever and dwell with the Goddess and God. Nothing is ever lost. The energies resident in our souls return to the divine source from which they originally emanated.

Because of the acceptance of reincarnation, the Wicca don’t fear death as a final plunge into oblivion, the days of life on Earth forever behind them. It is seen as the door to birth. Thus our very lives are symbolically linked with the endless cycles of the seasons which shape our planet.

Reincarnation is as real as a plant that buds, flowers, drops its seed, withers and creates a new plant in its image.

Let’s Start Monday With “A CALL OF NINE”

Blessed Be Comments
A CALL OF NINE

By Chant of One – the Spell’s begun
By Chant of Two – it cometh true
By Chant of Three – it comes to me
By Chant of Four – through Heaven’s door
By Chant of Five – the Spell’s alive
By Chant of Six – the Spell I fix
By Chant of Seven – it flies from Heaven
By Chant of Eight – it’s at my gate
By Chant of Nine – the thing is mine

Current Moon Phase for December 21 – Waning Gibbous

Gibbous Moon

(waning /75% illumination)

This is a tremendous time of transmutation. All of the prior elements are coming together for a final burst of creative output. You have seen a clear view of your own needs and the posture of significant others. Now the accumulation of that input is leading to a deep, core change within you. In this phase, you will naturally be inclined to seek higher guidance so that you can emerge from this transformation successfully. The Disseminting Moon favors sharing what you have learned (and are learning) with others.

Gloria! In excelsis Dea! Glo – ria!

Yule Comments & Graphics
Gloria

Snow lies deep upon the Earth
Still our voices warmly sing
Heralding the glorious birth Of the Child, the Winter King
Glo – ria!
In excelsis Deo!
Glo – ria!
In excelsis Dea!

Our triumphant voices claim
Joy and hope and love renewed
And our Lady’s glad refrain
Answer Winter’s solitude
Glo – ria!(etc.)

In Her arms a holy Child
Promises a glowing Light
Through the winter wind so wild
He proclaims the growing Light.
Glo – ria! (etc..)

Now the turning of the year
Of the greater Turning sings
Passing age of cold and fear
Soon our golden summer brings.
Glo – ria! (etc..)

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – December 20

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – December 20

“My pottery is the handiwork of God.”

–Teresita Naranjo, SANTA CLARA PUEBLO

The Great One has given every human being at least one special talent and one special gift. We need to develop and practice these gifts because they are the handiwork of God. Maybe we are artists-when people look at our work it puts joy in their hearts; maybe we are singers-when people listen to our songs, their hearts are happy; maybe we are writers of song or poetry-when people hear or read our work, it may change their lives. We need to honor ourselves and our gifts. We need to thank the Creator for our talents and our gifts.”

My Creator, let me use my gifts to further Your work on the Earth.

The First Yule

The First Yule

Author:   Serenity Starbright Dilsworth (Owl)    

Once upon a time … before your mother was born … and before her mother was born …and even before your mother’s mother was born …. when the world was new and the Earth and the Sun gave birth to the first beings …the very first people … the very first animals … and the very first plants.

It was the season of Spring, which celebrates new life, and the Sun shone warm and smiled down upon the world from his lofty perch in the sky while Earth took pride in all her newborns and nurtured them tenderly and with love. It was a time of great joy!

The Moon waxed and waned and traveled the night skies and Earth’s Children grew healthy and strong through the warm Summer season. They laughed and worked, played and danced and The Earth and Sun watched over them lovingly.

Then came the Autumn season …and the Earth began to sleep longer with every passing day. She grew so tired and was not able to feed her children any longer. She did not have enough strength to bring forth new life. High overhead … the Sun grew distant … and took longer and longer to return each morning. The nights grew longer and cold winds replaced the gentle breezes of the Summer.

Then …one very cold day …the Earth went to sleep. She laid her head down upon a pile of fallen leaves and nestled under a pure white blanket of snow. And she slept … and she slept … and she slept and nothing the Children could do would disturb her Winter slumber. The children called and called to her, but she did not wake up.

The children looked to the skies for advice and comfort from the Sun … but he was so distant that he could no longer be seen at all …and the children were frightened and sad … it was the Longest Night they had ever known.

The people wept and wondered what would happen to them now for it was bitterly cold and the bounty from Spring and Summer was depleting. They were afraid that they would starve and freeze with Father Sun so far away and Mother Earth sleeping.

They went to the Moon … sister to the Sun … with all their concerns and worries … entreating her to have the Sun return and Moon listened quietly.

The Moon gazed upon the children and advised them gently:” Do not fear little ones … go climb the tallest of trees and the highest of mountains … turn your voices to the sky and yule a mighty song to reach the Sun.”

The children had never heard of a yule or a song. (In the Ancient Tongue, to yule means to yell or yodel … to call out loudly in song.) And they asked Moon to explain what it is because they very much wanted to reach the Sun in hopes he could wake the Earth.

The Moon smiled gently. “Look deep within yourselves and find your magick …find that thing that makes you the special person you are … find the thing that brings you joy …take your dreams and your desires … your hopes and your love … and weave all of that together into sound.”

So the children climbed the tallest trees and the highest mountains and closed their eyes to find the magick within them …they brought forth their hopes, their dreams, their joys and their love and when they opened their mouths … their voices rang across the skies in a symphony or harmony and the Sun heard them …he turned and began his journey back … the better to hear this glorious sound.

The closer he came … the more his warmth spread across the Earth … and the Earth smiled in her sleep and dreamt of Spring… The Wheel turned and hope and joy spread amongst the children.

And that …dear children …is the story of the first Yule.

This is an old story that has been told and retold many times. It is one I used to tell at Winter Solstice in the coven I belonged to when I lived in New England. I put it into writing so that the story may be preserved and enjoyed by others and it is my hope that folks will tell the tale to their children who in turn will eventually tell it to their children.

Yule is a time of joy, of hope, of dreams and wishes. On the Longest Night, it is good to gather with those that we love and cherish and stand upon the Earth as she slumbers and call out to the Sun in mighty song to herald his return and the fulfillment of dreams and wishes.

Rowan Pendragon explains: The winter solstice occurs when the Earth is tilted on its axis farthest away from the sun. This means that when the northern half of the Earth is pointed away from the sun at winter solstice then the southern part of the Earth is going to be tilted closest to the sun. This is why when we are celebrating winter solstice in the northern hemispheres our Pagan friends “down under” are celebrating summer solstice. We often celebrate Yule and the solstice on either December 20th or 21st but the fact is the date varies each year since the holiday is based on an astronomical event; when the event occurs is when the holiday takes place.

When the winter solstice comes we experiences the longest night of the year and the shortest day of light. On the night of Yule we first honor the death of the God and the decline of the sun, something that has been slowly happening from the day after the summer solstice. After we make this honoring we then begin to work acts of sympathetic magick to encourage the sun’s return and to aid the Goddess in her long night of labor as she prepares to birth the Son, the Child of Light, the Young God.

__________________________________________

Footnotes:
Day 1 of Yule – Preparing for Yule 2011 by Rowan Pendragon
Day 7 of Yule – The Return of The Light by Rowan Pendragon

Current Moon Phase for Dec. 20th – Full Moon

Full Moon

(waning/80% illumination)

A veil of self-absorption is lifted and suddenly you gain access to an unbiased view of others. This is a rare moment when you can see yourself objectively and become aware of whether or not what you want in your heart is actually beginning to manifest in your life. Traditionally, the Full Moon phase stirs emotion, and this is because when you “see” what is happening, you may become upset if you’re experiencing the “same ole, same ole” — rather than the things you would like. If the Full Moon phase is a disappointment, on the next New Moon it’s time to take creative action in the direction of your dreams.

Gardnerian Traditional Witchcraft – B.2. To Help the Sick (1953)

Gardnerian Traditional Witchcraft – B.2. To Help the Sick (1953)

B.2. To Help the Sick (1953)
[1] Ever remember the promise of the goddess,  “For ecstasy is mine and joy on earth” so let there ever be joy in your heart.  Greet people with joy, be glad to see them.  If times be hard, think, “It might have been worse.  I at least have known the joys of the Sabbath, and I will know them again.”  Think of the grandeur, beauty, and Poetry of the rites, of the loved ones you meet through them.  If you dwell on this inner joy, your health will be better.  You must try to banish all fear,  for it will really touch you.  It may hurt your body,  but your soul is beyond it all.
[2] And ever remember, that if you help others it makes you forget your own woes.  And if another be in pain, do what you may to distract his attention from it.  Do not say “You have no pain,” but if you may, administer the drugs which sooth as well as those that cure.  But ever strive to make them believe they are getting better.  Install into them happy thoughts.  If you can only get this into his inner mind so that it be always believed.
[3] To this end it is not wrong to let people think that we of the cult have more power than we have.  For the truth is that if they believe we have more power than we really possess, we do really possess these powers, insomuch we can do good to them.
[4] You must try to find out about people.  If you tell a slightly sick man, “You are looking better.  You will soon be well,” he will feel better, but if he is really ill, or in pain, his Knowledge that he is in pain will cause him to doubt your words in future.  But if you give him one of the drugs and then say, “The pain is growing less.  Soon it will be gone,” because the pain goes, the next time you say, “The pain is going,” he will believe you and the pain will really get less.  But you must ever say so with conviction, and this conviction must come from your believing it yourself, because you yourself know that if you can fix his mind so that he believes you, it is true.
[5] ‘Tis often better to look exactly between their eyes, looking as if your eyes pierced their heads, opening your eyes as wide as you may and never blink.  This continued gazing oft causes the patient to grow sleepy.  If they show signs of this, say “You are growing sleepy.  You will sleep, you are tired.  Sleep.  Your eyes grow tired.  Sleep.”  If they close their eyes, say “Your eyes close, you are tired, you cannot open your eyes.”  If they cannot, say “Your arms are tired, you cannot raise them.”  If they cannot, say “I am master of your mind.  You must ever believe what I tell you.  When I look like this into your eyes you will sleep and be subject to my will,” then tell them they will sleep and wake up refreshed, feeling better.  Continue this with soothing and healing drugs, and try to infuse into them the feeling of ecstasy that you feel at the Sabbath.  They cannot feel it in full, but you can command them to feel what is in your own mind, and try to concentrate on this ecstasy.  If you may safely tell that you are of the Cult, your task may be easier.  And it were well to command them to know it only with their sleeping mind, and forget it, or to be at least unable to tell anyone about it when awake. A good way is to command them that, if they are ever questioned about Witchcraft or Witches, to immediately fall asleep.
[6] Ever remember if tempted to admit or boast of belonging to the cult you be endangering your brothers, for though now the fires of persecution may have died down, who knows when they may be revived?  Many priests have knowledge of our secrets, and they well know that, though much religious bigotry has calmed down, many people would wish to join our cult.  And if the truth were known of its joys, the Churches would lose power, so if we take many recruits, we may loose the fires of persecution against us again.  So ever keep the secrets.
[7] Think joy, think love, try to help others and bring joy into their lives.  Children are naturally easier to influence than grown people.  Ever strive to work through people’s existing beliefs. For instance, more than half of the world believe in amulets.  An ordinary stone is not an amulet but if it hath a natural hole in it, it must be something unusual, so if the patient hath this belief give him one.  But first carry it next your skin for a few days, forcing your will into it, to cure pain, to feel safe, or against their particular fear, and this amulet may keep imposing your will when you are absent.  The masters of talismans knew this full well when they say they must be made in a circle, to avoid distraction, by someone whose mind is on the subject of the work.
[8] But keep your own mind happy.  Remember the Words of the Goddess: “I give unimaginable joys on Earth, certainty, not faith, while in life, and upon death, peace unutterable, rest, and ecstasy, and the promise that you will return again.”  In the old days many of us went to the flames laughing and singing, and so we may again. We may have joy in life and beauty, and peace and Death and the promise of return.
[9] The Bible speaks sooth, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine but a broken spirit breaketh the bones.”  But you may not have a merry heart.  Perchance you were born under an evil star.  I think that the effects of the stars are overestimated, but you cannot make a merry heart to order, you say.  But you can, in the Cult; there be secret processes by which your will and imagination may be influenced.  This process also affects the body, and brings it to joy.  Your body is happy, so your mind is happy.  You are well because you are happy, and you are happy because you are well.
[10] Prayer may be used with good result if the patient believes it can and will work.  Many believe it can, but do not believe their God or saint will help.  Prayers to the Goddess help, especially the Amalthean Horn Prayer, as it causes stimulation to the body as well as to the mind.

Current Moon Phase for Dec. 19th – Full Moon

Full Moon

(waning/86% illumination)

A veil of self-absorption is lifted and suddenly you gain access to an unbiased view of others. This is a rare moment when you can see yourself objectively and become aware of whether or not what you want in your heart is actually beginning to manifest in your life. Traditionally, the Full Moon phase stirs emotion, and this is because when you “see” what is happening, you may become upset if you’re experiencing the “same ole, same ole” — rather than the things you would like. If the Full Moon phase is a disappointment, on the next New Moon it’s time to take creative action in the direction of your dreams.

Deity of the Day – Hekate

Deity of the Day

Hekate


Perhaps the most notorious of all witch goddesses, Hecate was a dark manifestation of Diana. Hecate is the patron goddess of witches and sorceresses because of her skill in the arts of black magic. She is the queen of darkness, perverse sexuality, and death. Classically, she is the goddess of “roads in general and crossroads in particular, the latter being considered the center of ghostly activities, particularly in the dead of night… Offerings of food (known as Hecate’s suppers) were left to placate her, for she was terrible both in her powers and in her person–a veritable Fury, armed with a scourge and blazing torch and accompanied by terrifying hounds.”

The followers of Hecate were rumoured to have strange powers, such as that of being able to draw down the moon in order to employ the averse aspects of lunar forces. Followers could metamorphose into animals and birds, had insatiable sexual appetites, and had an intrinsic understanding of aphrodisiac and poisonous herbs.

The Witches Almanac for Thursday, December 19th

The Witches Almanac for Thursday, December 19th

Thursday (Jupiter): Expansion, money, prosperity, and generosity.

Opalia (Roman)

Waning Moon

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

Moon Sign: Cancer

Cancer:  Stimulates emotional rapport between people. Pinpoints need, supports growth and nurturance. Tends to domestic concerns.

Moon Phase: Third Quarter

Incense: Clove

Color:  Green

The Possibilities of the Yule

The Possibilities of the Yule

by P. H. Tiger Snake Lockwood

Birth leads to possibilities — from the heart of chaos rose the Mother,
Euronyme. In Chaos, there is still order. Within what is orderly is Chaos. She
arose from that Chaos, and in her movement, spread Chaos. In her spread of
Chaos, She formed order. Movement begets movement, spreading outward, that
which is colliding haphazardly with other parts of itself. Her awareness let
her know it was cold, so she danced to warm herself. If it were possible to be
cold, it was possible to be warm. If it were possible to stand still, it was
possible to move. Her dance created movement in all things.

What was beneath her feet moved in relation to her.  The stars all around her
moved, both in her vision, and of their own accord. The cold about her moved
and stirred and became the wind. She caught the North Wind, and by forming it
in her hands she made Orphion.

Orphion became aware. He became aroused by Euronyme’s dancing. They joined as Euronyme danced, and that which came from the joining had its’ own awareness. Each awareness, while it was common for all to have awareness, was unique in it’s perspective.

The power of awareness was new and disturbing. Orphion was aware of his part in creation, and became boastful. Euronyme, aware of Orphion’s boasts, aware of
having made Orphion herself, became angry. She stomped on the slithering
braggart’s head to remind him of the facts.

Each awareness that became had similar problems with the new power of this
awareness. They became so enamored of their uniqueness, awareness of others
lessened. Some became aware of the intoxication of awareness, and sought to
harness the power to prevent damage. Others did not, and they ended their time
quarreling. Many learned something of the intoxicating power of awareness, but
became confused as the powerproved dynamic, instead of static. How to
comprehend, even apprehend, the power of awareness, and avoid it’s intoxication was the question of the many. All became plunged into a darkness and cold, a void.

Awareness has many possibilities. If one looks deeply enough into their own
awareness, a face will be seen looking back. The face is not the skin over the
muscles and bones of one’s own skull, but it can be recognized as one’s own.
Yet, it does not belong exclusively to oneself. When one looks at others, still
that face will be seen looking back. To whom does this face belong then? What
is possible in that face? Recognition is shocking, and painful.

The dark night of the soul lay upon many. The many children of
She-Who-Has-Many- Names scattered over the world. They quarreled and fought, and committed atrocities against one another. Survivors of one atrocity would plot and overthrow those who had persecuted them. In victory, they committed atrocities of their own.

It was in this time of darkness and cold that something stirred once again. It
was something that had begun sometime before, but had to grow in the darkness Due to the cold, it had to be kept warm.

The darkness and cold was puzzling to many. The sun was close to the Earth, but
seemed so small, and its rays did little to warm the land. Rain fell as white
crystals, covering everything instead of being absorbed into the ground. Breath
was a white vapor that left the mouth as one spoke, and left the nostrils as
one breathed.

In the night sky, the stars moved, but the axis had shifted. The only thing
that continued, seemingly unchanged, was the moon. As the nights grew longer
her white form still hung in the sky, following her cycle. And the women
continued their own cycles, much like Hers. On that longest, coldest of nights,
another birth occurred. What had stirred in darkness, and had to be kept warm,
was brought forth in the pale light and scant warmth. What was born that night
was a male child whose face is the one all recognized as the one they have seen
before.

Calendar of the Moon for December 18th

Calendar of the Moon

Elder Tree Month

Color: Russet
Element: Air
Altar: Upon a russet cloth set three black candles, a cauldron filled with water, a vase filled with elder branches, a cup of dried elderberries, and a knife.
Offerings: Give aid to the elders in the House, and outside.
Daily Meal: Soups and stews, and soft foods.

Ruis Invocation

Call: Hail the month of passing.
Response: For all things pass away.
Call: Hail the month of waning.
Response: For all things must fade and die.
Call: Hail the month of creaking wood.
Response: Hail the month of creaking bones.
Call: Hail the month of the dwindling Sun.
Response: Hail the time of all endings.
Call: For even as we began the year in silence,
Response: So we shall end the year in silence.
Call: For even as we began the year with chill winds of newness,
Response: So we shall end the year with chill winds of darkness.
Call: May the raven croak his warning from the bare branches.
Response: May the deer leave her footprints in the wake of the first snows.
Call: We will surrender ourselves to the darkness.
Response: Yet even with that surrender, we shall not pass away.
Call: For the seed that was grown in the spring still lives.
Response: Its life force is given back to the Earth.
Call: Its life force is given back to the Maker of new life.
Response: And new life shall spring forth in time.
Call: This is the moment of waiting for the end.
Response: This is the moment of bowed heads.
Call: Elder Goddess, teach us to praise loss, death, and the passing of all things.
Response: For from this flux we know your blessings flow.

Chant: In the eye of the Moon
We walk willingly
Into the darkness.

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Current Moon Phase for Dec. 18th – Full Moon

Full Moon

(waning/92% illumination)

A veil of self-absorption is lifted and suddenly you gain access to an unbiased view of others. This is a rare moment when you can see yourself objectively and become aware of whether or not what you want in your heart is actually beginning to manifest in your life. Traditionally, the Full Moon phase stirs emotion, and this is because when you “see” what is happening, you may become upset if you’re experiencing the “same ole, same ole” — rather than the things you would like. If the Full Moon phase is a disappointment, on the next New Moon it’s time to take creative action in the direction of your dreams

The Witches Magick for Dec. 18th – Bow To The Moon Spell

The Witches Magick for Dec. 18th – Bow To The Moon Spell

In many countries, it is considered unlucky to point directly at the moon, but if you curtsey or bow to the moon, it will draw gifts and favors to you during the next moon cycle.

Use a lapis dream charm or a tumbled piece of clear quartz for this spell. Once the moon rises, go outdoors or stand where you can see the moon clearly, and bow(men) or curtsey(women) to the moon nine times. Each time you bow or curtsey, repeat:

“I curtsey(bow) to the Mother, I curtsey(bow) to the moon, please bring me abundance and bring it soon!”

Now hold the stone in your receiving hand as you say this prayer:

“Dear Goddess and God of the moon and stars
Please hear my prayer tonight
Grace me with your divine presence
So that I may dream of joyful abundance.
And help me to remember my dreams
When I awaken once again
Help me to interpret my dream messages
So that I may know their deeper meanings
Thank you, divine Lady and Lord, blessed be!”
 

Bow or curtsey to the moon three times. Each time you bow or curtsey, repeat:

“I curtsey(bow) to the Mother, I (curtsey)bow to the moon, please bring me abundance and bring it soon!”

When you go indoors slip the stone inside your pillowcase or put it next to your bedside as you sleep. As you drift to sleep, repeat to yourself:

“I clearly remember my dreams when I wake up and easily understand the dream messages.”

When you awaken, hold the stone in your receiving hand as you write down everything you recall from your dreams in your journal. Continue doing this until you draw abundance to you.

The Witches Almanac for Wednesday, December 18th

The Witches Almanac for Wednesday, December 18th

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

Feast of the Virgin of Solitude

Waning Moon

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

Moon Sign: Cancer

Cancer: Stimulates emotional rapport between people. Pinpoints need, supports growth and nurturance. Tends to domestic concerns.

Moon Phase: Third Quarter

Incense: Bay Laurel

Color: Topaz

Calendar of the Moon for December 27th

Calendar of the Moon

Elder Tree Month

Color: Russet
Element: Air
Altar: Upon a russet cloth set three black candles, a cauldron filled with water, a vase filled with elder branches, a cup of dried elderberries, and a knife.
Offerings: Give aid to the elders in the House, and outside.
Daily Meal: Soups and stews, and soft foods.

Ruis Invocation

Call: Hail the month of passing.
Response: For all things pass away.
Call: Hail the month of waning.
Response: For all things must fade and die.
Call: Hail the month of creaking wood.
Response: Hail the month of creaking bones.
Call: Hail the month of the dwindling Sun.
Response: Hail the time of all endings.
Call: For even as we began the year in silence,
Response: So we shall end the year in silence.
Call: For even as we began the year with chill winds of newness,
Response: So we shall end the year with chill winds of darkness.
Call: May the raven croak his warning from the bare branches.
Response: May the deer leave her footprints in the wake of the first snows.
Call: We will surrender ourselves to the darkness.
Response: Yet even with that surrender, we shall not pass away.
Call: For the seed that was grown in the spring still lives.
Response: Its life force is given back to the Earth.
Call: Its life force is given back to the Maker of new life.
Response: And new life shall spring forth in time.
Call: This is the moment of waiting for the end.
Response: This is the moment of bowed heads.
Call: Elder Goddess, teach us to praise loss, death, and the passing of all things.
Response: For from this flux we know your blessings flow.

Chant: In the eye of the Moon
We walk willingly
Into the darkness.

[Pagan Book of Hours]