In France, the pumpkin festival draws people from far and wide to search the produced markets in search of The Mother of all Pumpkins. Once the great squash has been decided upon, it is decorated and placed upon a throne, where it is allowed to remain for a respectable period of time. At the conclusion of the festivities, the pumpkin is made into bread and soup and sharing among those in attendance.
Labor Day is a perfect time to share some positive and powerful job Shui. This tradition maintains that you should never let your files be ‘stepped’ on or put on the floor. According to these ancient rules of order, ‘stepping’ on your files creates a negative energy that will then adversely affect your job ‘luck.’ Important files should be kept in order and positioned to the left of the desk so that your labor will reflect your purpose and your passion.
By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com
Maria DeSimone on the topics of leo, birthdays, astrology
It’s your birthday, Leo, and you want the world to know it! That’s right; you’re not ashamed to admit that you want to feel like the center of attention on your special day. Hey, you deserve it. After all, you spend plenty of time making others feel exceptional, so why not get some of that ego boosting goodness delivered right back atcha? Either way, you’re ready to party into the night and enjoy every drop of birthday goodness.
Indeed, no other sign exudes love, warmth and joy the way you do, Leo. You’ve got a talent for simply being in anyone’s presence and making them tremble with instant jolts of happy. Since you’ve also got plenty of pride, however, you do expect admiration in return. If your light beams aren’t met with appreciation or if you feel disrespected then watch out — you will roar! Also, a born leader, you prefer to rule the land — something you do quite well. Just remember to be a noble leader since you may have a tendency towards bossy bursts of superiority.
You tend to shower those you love with extravagant, impressive gifts. And when it’s your birthday, you certainly appreciate the same attention to showiness. Drama is your middle name and if there’s not a party in your honor this year, you’ll be happy to make a night on the town attending a play, concert or other fun, entertaining event. As long as you’re given plenty of attention and applause, you’ll continue to beam joy out to the world. Leo, on your birthday, there’s only one word that counts: celebration. It’s time to rejoice in YOU!
It’s both my birthday and the start of the Chinese New Year, so you know there’s going to be a celebration tonight! Part of that party will be a traditional grand New Year’s feast including salmon (for longevity and intelligence), cabbage (for financial fortune and riches) and mandarin oranges (for good health) eaten to bring good luck all the next year! No meat is eaten on New Year’s Day out of respect for animals and knives or sharp instrument are not used lest we cut our good fortunes in half. Wishes (birthday or New Year) are always made on this day as well. Write your wish on a piece of paper with a red pen and place it inside a red envelope. Burn the envelope to seal your resolution and make it permanent. These special day smoke signals bring big and rewarding results! So if you got ’em, light ’em, and Happy New Year!
By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com
More Chinese New Year Comments
The attraction of yin and yang is the powerful and fundamental force. The image of this hexagram is that of the attraction between a man and a woman in the courtship stage. In response to the magnetic attraction between them, the masculine principle (the creative, outgoing) seizes the initiative and submits to the feminine (the receptive, sensitive). When the assertive is able to defer to the receptive, and when the receptive accepts responsibility and exercises quiet leadership, an exciting and profitable union is the result. This brings good fortune, for all success depends upon the magnetic effect of mutual attraction.
Consistency is important in matters of mutual attraction, for this is what separates courtship from seduction.
If you are by nature an instigator, it is good to take the initiative. But you need to remain sensitive, and highly principled, and avoid the temptation to be manipulative. Let the power of mutual attraction pull you along. If you are the receptive one, keep your mind innocent and free of pride, so that you may remain open to good advice or helpful assistance. When your influence arises from innocence, an even more powerful magnetic force is at work for you.
Remaining open to the forces of attraction brings good fortune. Closing yourself to them heralds the dying of the soul. Learn to yield to the natural tugs and pulls of the heart.
Earth’s Commandments
1. Thou shalt love and honor the Earth for it blesses thy life and governs thy survival.
2. Thou shalt keep each day sacred to the Earth and celebrate the turning of the seasons.
3. Thou shalt not hold thyself above other living things nor drive them to extinction.
4. Thou shalt give thanks for thy food to the creatures and plants that nourish thee.
5. Thou shalt limit thy offspring, for multitudes of people are a burden unto the Earth.
6. Thou shalt not kill nor waste Earth’s riches upon weapons of war.
7. Thou shalt not pursue profit at the Earth’s expense but strive to restore its damaged majesty.
8. Thou shalt not hide from thyself or others the consequences of thy actions upon the Earth.
9. Thou shalt consume material goods in moderation so all may share Earth’s bounty.
–Earnest Callenbach. 1990
A little birdie told me that we had a person amongst us celebrating their birthday today,How about that?
We don’t have to hop on our brooms
and leave the room,
To send you many good wishes &blessings on this,
your very special day!
Make It A Good One!
Today commemorates the birth date of a modern day martyr, Dr. Martin Luther King. I am forever grateful to Dr. King as I remember the way he attempted to impact people who have long killed the messenger without trying to understand the message. This most special day remembers the birth of the man who dedicated his entire life promoting a message of equality, truth and fairness. Let each of us today promote peace in our own way. One of the ways we can do that is to invite peace into our lives, starting with what should be a most peaceful sanctuary, the bedroom. Using any shade of blue or green in that space is believed to heal both the spirit and the soul. From the paint on the walls to the accessories all around, try a splash of blue. And then go green. Heal you. Heal the planet. In honor of someone who tried to do exactly that. Happy birthday, Dr. King. I share your dream.
By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com
Beth/Poseideion II
Birch Tree Moon
Color: White
Element: Air
Altar: Upon cloth of white set the budded birch branches, a single white candle, the rune Berkana carved onto a piece of birch wood, and a bowl of clear water.
Offerings: White cakes with the Berkana rune carved upon them.
Daily Meal: Vegetarian with dairy and eggs.
Beth Invocation
Call: Now is the beginning of the year.
Response: Now is the time of stillness and cold.
Call: Now all is still and waiting upon the earth.
Response: Now the earth sleeps beneath her many blankets.
Call: Now is the time of patience.
Response: Now is the time of our longest wait.
Call: We are at peace with the Earth and with each other.
Response: We are at peace with the Earth and ready to begin.
Call: This is the month of indrawn breath.
Response: This is the time of all beginnings.
Call: May the year grow strong before us!
Response: May we grow strong before the year!
Call: For as the birch tree steps forth into the burned fields,
Response: So do we step forth into the aftermath of our own burning.
Call: For as the soft branches of the birch beat away the old year,
Response: So do we lower our heads for the strokes of the future.
Call: For as the pheasant hunts the snow for food,
Response: So do we seek through the ruins of the past.
Call: For as Frigga spins the clouds into thread,
Response: So do we circle like the spinning whorl,
Call: So do we take up the fiber of what has been,
Response: So do we bring forth the new year from our very hands.
Call: From our open hands,
Response: From our open hearts,
Call: From our open bodies,
Response: From our open souls.
Chant: Silver tree, in your branches
White of snow, stars are dancing
Tree of clouds, like thread of silver
Time runs through our hands.
Get ready to roll on ‘Old Rock Day,’ especially if you celebrate a January birthday! That’s because the ‘rock’ that you will wear will bring music to your ears, especially if you wear your birthstone as earrings. Anyone who celebrates a January birthday should know that their special birthstone is the garnet, the same gemstone that can bring big fortune and lots of luck. Long considered a regenerative and healing stone, the garnet is said to also bring strength and stamina. It is also believed to be super supportive as it invites opportunities for you to go deep within. Wearing it can also clear your mind while initiating clarity and compassion. The garnet is also believed to have the amazing ability to dissolve feelings of isolation and alienation, replacing them with intimate encounters that inspire and motivate. A true jewel, the garnet is a stabilizing old stone that is strong and sincere. Celebrate the garnet on a day devoted to special rocks because, as I mentioned earlier, that’s just how we roll!
By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com
6 Wolfmonath
Day of Kore Underground
Colors: Dark brown and white
Element: Earth
Altar: Set with a brown cloth, a white candle, a bowl of earth saved from the Day of Kore’s Descent, a cup of well water fed by an underground stream, a dead twig, and the figure of a serpent.
Offerings: Dried flowers. Shed skins of snakes. Seeds that will be planted in spring. A promise to bring joy into a dark place, even at the peril of your own life or happiness.
Daily Meal: Dark, coarse bread. Root vegetables. Poppy seeds. Millet. Nuts and seeds.
Invocation to Kore Underground
Cold lies the Earth
And all things upon it,
And our spirits are chilled
With the sight of Earth asleep.
The Maiden of Spring lies
Deep underground with her bridegroom,
Lying with the Lord of Death,
Lying with the ghosts of our ancestors,
Lying with all that is forgotten,
And we are called merely to endure
Cold and darkness
As She willingly goes below the Earth
To bring comfort and light
To the realm of cold and darkness.
Let us never forget
That even in the time of winter
We can, as She does,
Give of ourselves
To bring light to the darkest places,
To endure them with faith in the cycle of life
And never to fail in our hope
Of the coming of the Spring.
Chant:
Kore Kore Kore Proserpina
(Let one chosen for the work of the daily ritual carry the bowl of earth from person to person about the hall, and let each one take a bit of the earth and rub it on their faces, and let it remain until the evening ablutions. Then let the water be poured as a libation to Kore into the remainder of the earth, and be carried outside and poured onto the Earth itself. Gather new earth, which will be saved until the day of Kore’s return.)
Oh, what a beautiful, beautiful day it is here? The sun is shining brightly, not a cloudy in the sky, looks like a perfect day to go run in the field. Till you look at the temperature gauge out the window, it is just 22 degrees out there, golly gee! I had some errands to run yesterday that is why the Countess filled in. It was suppose to be about 28 degrees yesterday. I had on a tee shirt and a sweater and it felt fine to me. I know Kiki loved it to pieces. She has her own little bed in the truck (not spoiled at all). When she gets in the first thing she does is rut around in the bed like a little baby pig. I guess she thinks there has been somebody sleeping in her bed!
Well can you believe it, the first week of the New Year is almost over. Before you know it, we will be saying goodbye to 2013 and hello to 2014. Really I hope not. I have made one New Year’s Resolution this year, it is to stop and smell the Roses. I mean really smell them. You know sniff in all the pollen and everything, lol! I guess I took something away from last year, never, ever take any minute we have in life for granted. Every little second is precious, oh, so precious. I have learned the meaning of “I’m going to seize the day!” I use to scratch my head at that one. Now I know, get up in the morning and live the day like it was your last one. I also learned something else, cherish your memories and hold your loved ones in your heart always. For as long as they live in your heart, they are never truly gone.
Before I take down the New Year graphics, I have one last blessing for the New Year. I wish everyone of you a very Happy & Blessed New Year. A New Year full of love, family, joy, comfort and most of all peace. Peace to you my family and Peace to the entire World.
Goddess Bless You,
Love,
Lady A
Oh, Great & Glorious Mother,
At the start
Of this New Year
When thoughts turn again
To beginnings
Starting afresh
New leave
And turning skeletons
Free from cupboards
Be with us
As we gaze into the distance
Of fresh mission grounds
Of hopes and dreams
Opportunities for service
Challenges
And uncertainties
Take our fears
And turn them into strengths
Take our lack of faith
And empower us
Though thy very Spirit
Who breathes life into this world
Whose presence is reflected
In the icy chill
Of winter’s breath
As well as the comforting warmth
Of a summer breeze.
Walk with us into this New Year
Of opportunity and growth.
So Mote It Be!
Beth/Poseideion II
Birch Tree Moon
Color: White
Element: Air
Altar: Upon cloth of white set the budded birch branches, a single white candle, the rune Berkana carved onto a piece of birch wood, and a bowl of clear water.
Offerings: White cakes with the Berkana rune carved upon them.
Daily Meal: Vegetarian with dairy and eggs.
Beth Invocation
Call: Now is the beginning of the year.
Response: Now is the time of stillness and cold.
Call: Now all is still and waiting upon the earth.
Response: Now the earth sleeps beneath her many blankets.
Call: Now is the time of patience.
Response: Now is the time of our longest wait.
Call: We are at peace with the Earth and with each other.
Response: We are at peace with the Earth and ready to begin.
Call: This is the month of indrawn breath.
Response: This is the time of all beginnings.
Call: May the year grow strong before us!
Response: May we grow strong before the year!
Call: For as the birch tree steps forth into the burned fields,
Response: So do we step forth into the aftermath of our own burning.
Call: For as the soft branches of the birch beat away the old year,
Response: So do we lower our heads for the strokes of the future.
Call: For as the pheasant hunts the snow for food,
Response: So do we seek through the ruins of the past.
Call: For as Frigga spins the clouds into thread,
Response: So do we circle like the spinning whorl,
Call: So do we take up the fiber of what has been,
Response: So do we bring forth the new year from our very hands.
Call: From our open hands,
Response: From our open hearts,
Call: From our open bodies,
Response: From our open souls.
Chant: Silver tree, in your branches
White of snow, stars are dancing
Tree of clouds, like thread of silver
Time runs through our hands.
January 1 – Daily Feast
If, like a Cherokee warrior, I can look at the new year as an opportunity to stand on new ground, then strength and courage are on my side. If I have waited a long time for everything to be perfect – and there have been moments, brief as they were, that filled my expectations – then I can face the challenges. I will remember that things do work out, bodies do heal, relationships mend – not because I said it, but because I believe it. But it is time to make things right, to stay on the path. As water runs fresh and free from the woodland spring, so new life and meaning will bubble up from my own inner source. I will be still and steady, because there is nothing to be gained by showing fear in a chaotic world. I can turn from ignorance and prejudice toward a light that never goes out.
~ The death of fear is in doing what you fear to do. ~
SEQUICHIE COMINGDEER
‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
There’s one key factor that will make this New Year the best one ever. That important factor is your attitude.
The way you most consistently decide to see life will play a major role in the way your life actually unfolds. Right now, as the year begins, make the choice to make your life, and your whole world, the best it can be.
Create a new, improved year by going through it with a new, improved outlook on life. Make this a great year by choosing an attitude that reflects your own unique greatness.
In the year ahead you’ll encounter many obstacles, and yet there’s one powerful obstacle you don’t ever have to deal with again. That obstacle, the one you can get rid of for good, is your own negative attitude.
Just because things can often get difficult, doesn’t mean you have to be difficult. No matter what the situation, a positive, empowering attitude is always your best choice.
Stride confidently forward with the highest and best expectations you’ve ever had. Your life this year is what you make it, so embrace an attitude that will make it positive, fulfilling and great.
— Ralph Marston
New Year’s resolutions are a modern tradition but despite being neither a Wiccan tradition nor linked to the Witches’ year, which begins and ends at Samhain, many Witches still practise this.
Rather than setting yourself one or two difficult-to-attain targets, make a list of 6 to 12 things you would like to achieve during the coming year. Some could be linked to self-improvement like eating in a more healthy way or learning a new skill, whilst others are perhaps more in the way of personal treats; for example saving for a balloon flight or a weekend at a health spa. Try to include one or more things associated with your Craft, like remembering to observe the cycles of the Moon or writing up your Book of Shadows, for example. It can also be helpful to apply a ‘rule of three’ approach to this: for each item for self-improvement, have one benefit of others, the land or the Craft, and one which is for pleasure. Ensure that your list includes things which are relatively simple to achieve as well as more difficult goals.
Write a list of all your targets and, whilst burning a gold candle, recite them to yourself, repeating after each: “As in my will so mote it be.” Pin the list in a place where you will see it everyday. If you don’t want to announce your intentions to the world, you could place it on the inside of your wardrobe door. Now select one goal from your list and start work towards achieving it as soon as you can.
“The best way to succeed is to start.”
January 1 – The Real Witches Year by Kate West
If you think New Year’s resolutions are for people only, think again. My three cats, Rikki Tikki Tabby, Mr. Mittens, and Sushi have been thinking good and hard about how they can be better, happier cats. Here are their individual lists:
Rikki Tikki Tabby
1. Take more naps.
2. Stop chasing birds.
3. Take more naps.
4. Be nice to mice.
5. Spend more quality time with Mr. Mittens — especially in the form of naps.
Mr. Mittens
1. Ease off the catnip.
2. Drink less cream.
3. Refrain from walking across my human’s keyboard while she is blogging.
4. Stop shredding the newspaper before 8 am.
5. Make a viral video of me and Rikki doing something fiendishly feline.
Sushi
1. No scratching my human’s favorite leather chair.
2. No scratching the humans, especially the little noisy ones.
3. Leave the goldfish in his bowl.
4. Amass a huge following on Facebook.
5. No hair balls on expensive Persian rugs.
So you see, the cats indeed take the coming of the new year very seriously — that is in between their cat naps, catnip and bowls of cream!
January is a complicated month. At first blush, it’s like new love. There’s that wonderful, wind-beneath-your-wings feeling, that promise of a fresh start, a whole new you, an open door to the possibility that everything will be different (perfect) this time. But faster than you can say, “I’m going to renew my gym membership and go every single day!” along comes the other side of January: the bully.
This is the part that shows you the failure, the anticipated crash, the thud, the utter disappointment with yourself as all those good intentions that got your engines started in the first place run out of steam in unglorious and predictable ways. It’s the part that says, make a resolution; I dare you.
Fortunately, January is not the problem. It’s us. Well, our perfectionism, to be specific. Our all-or-none thinking frames our life so that if we’re not succeeding every second, we’re failing. Nobody wants that. But nobody can be that “perfect” person either. Many of us decide that because we break most of our resolutions, we will take the hall pass this year and skip any resolution making at all.
But let’s be clear about what we are missing when we don’t set goals. We aren’t preventing ourselves from failing. We’re keeping ourselves from growing.
Setting goals raises us up from our ground level vantage point and gives us access to a privileged view of ourselves. Rather than being a passive participant reacting to life on autopilot, by setting goals we can imagine different paths, question if where we are headed is where we want to go, and in general take charge of our lives. This may be big questions about the direction we’re taking or, on a smaller scale, fine-tuning the details, or looking for more balance, fulfillment and health in daily life.
So, set some goals, take the opportunity to run your life instead of having your life run you. But to stay in the game and on your feet, don’t let perfectionism be your referee. You call the shots. Aim for sustainable change, not perfection. Lasting change takes time, and you are worth the investment. Your goals and aspirations are worth your persistence. Perfectionism doesn’t understand this, but you can.
Here are six ideas to give your resolutions more staying power.
1. No job is too small.
Lofty are we when making New Years’ resolutions — the bigger, the better. We want the big-splash resolutions, but those life-altering plans are often impossibly impractical, at least in one go. Think smaller. Do you want to have one more meal each week with your family? Do you want to have a gratitude-sharing with your family each week? Do you want to apologize faster, be more kind to strangers — or people you know? We don’t need the goals that would make our lives discontinuous or unrecognizable to our current selves — we want the actions that will make our lives better.
2. Work with your natural laziness: Set up your supplies in advance.
Failure and procrastination happen most often when the supplies we need to get the job done require us to actually stand up and do something (think about how we’ll suffer through a bad movie because the remote is across the room). Improve your chances of success by making things easier on yourself: Get your supplies ready in advance (e.g., grab the remote before you sit down). Prevent that last-minute avoidance/apathy phenomenon from getting in your way. Want to start going to the gym in the next couple of weeks? Get your bag together and put it in your car. Want to start bringing lunch to work? Make it the night before. Want to save money each month? Set up auto-withdrawal.
3. Think short-term.
Why don’t you plan your menus for the next 12 months? Or your outfits? So why are we planning our other goals for such a big chunk of time and then get upset when we can’t sustain it? Try to make a goal for each month, rather than for the year. This way you can make modifications in response to how you’re actually performing on the goal.
4. Give it time.
It takes a good three weeks to establish a new habit or pattern. That’s what researchers tell us. So, especially in the early weeks of a goal, expect that your adherence will experience some ups and downs. Hang in. Habit strength awaits you on the other side of that first launching phase. Build in room for slips, hiccups, and setbacks. If you expect that this is part of the process, you won’t misinterpret your slip ups and invent reasons to give up. You’ll think instead: Right, Momma said there’d be days like this; and try again tomorrow.
5. Think community.
Me, me, me, me. We all get sick of the focus on ourselves — our appearance, our eating habits, our weight. All good things, but expanding the focus beyond ourselves is likely to garner a much more appreciative audience than we can be for ourselves. Community may mean volunteering your time, but it also may be something that requires no planning — being patient and kind in your interactions at work, challenging yourself to see the best in others, doing something each week “just because.” Imagine if we all resolved to do this at the same time.
6. Raise the barn, together.
We are isolated in our desire to change ourselves. And when we fail, resolutions tend to be a source of private humiliation. Hey if we’re all in the same boat, let’s support each other in staying afloat. You can find a gym buddy or a job-hunting buddy if someone is going through similar challenges, but you don’t have to be working toward the same goal. Find a buddy who you’ll write to each week to update on your progress, and they’ll do the same. This will also be the person who will give you the pep talk when you slip up and say no big deal, keep going. (We all need that person).
One last thought. This year, as you approach the question of resolutions, rather than feeling like you’re starting from scratch and that you’re nothing without those changes, see that the better you that you’re looking for is already there. Make the bold move to see resolutions not so much as ways to overhaul your life, but rather as opportunities to free yourself up to locate the best version of who you already are. Cheers to overcoming the obstacles that get in the way of seeing and being that best self. Happy New Year, all!
©Tamar Chansky, Ph.D. 2012 A version of this was previously published on Huffington Post
I do not know what still awaits,
Or what the morrow brings;
But with the glad salute of faith,
I hail it with an open heart!
For this I know, that in my Lord & lady
Shall all my needs be met;
And I can trust the hearts of Both
Who has not failed me yet..
Blessed Be To The New Year, 2013!
More Happy New Year Comments
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