Imbolc February 2 marks a mid point
between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox.
The very beginning whispers of Spring begin
to show this month and we connect to the
hope the season of planting and blooming
will be here soon.
The days are starting be a bit longer
each day and we have a little more light.
Celtic Goddess Brighid is celebrated during
Imbolc. She is a goddess of healing and purification,
inspiration, creativity, and poetry. Brighid is
also keeper of the sacred flame and connected to
fire and guardian of the hearth.
This is a great time to connect to aspects
of the Goddess Brighid. Here are some ways
to celebrate Imbolc with her.
*You can do purification and healing rituals while
asking for Goddess Brighid's help and guidance.
*This is a great time to connect more to your
creativity and ask for Brighid's help in seeking
inspiration.
*Write a poem in honor of this great Celtic
Goddess.
*Read poetry that inspires you.
*Do some cleaning and purifying of your home's hearth.
*Light a candle on Imbolc or each day of February and
connect to Goddess Brighid for healing, purification, or creative
inspiration you need. You can make this part of your daily
ritual of meditation for the month.
*Contemplate on the idea of warmth and fire during this
cold time of year and the hope of light and warmth Brighid
brings with the whispers of Spring on Imbolc.
Many Bright Blessings!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
New Moon Aquarius Blessings
Today marks the New Moon in Aquarius. Being a Sun and Rising
sign Aquarius I really like this New Moon energy.
This is a great new moon for new beginnings in starting
or joining new groups since Aquarius rules the collective and groups.
It is also a great time to think of new ways to volunteer
and contribute to your community with the humanitarian energy
of the Water Bearer sign.
Aquarius also is about the BIG picture so this is a great time
to think big and start new BIG picture goals as well as evaluate
the larger view of your life this new year.
This is also a great new moon to allow light to shine on what
makes you unique and connect to your individuality. Solar Aquarians
are quirky, unique individuals living life in their own way outside the norm.
Light a candle tonight, meditate, and allow the new energy of this
Aquarian New Moon to shine in your life. Bright Blessings!
sign Aquarius I really like this New Moon energy.
This is a great new moon for new beginnings in starting
or joining new groups since Aquarius rules the collective and groups.
It is also a great time to think of new ways to volunteer
and contribute to your community with the humanitarian energy
of the Water Bearer sign.
Aquarius also is about the BIG picture so this is a great time
to think big and start new BIG picture goals as well as evaluate
the larger view of your life this new year.
This is also a great new moon to allow light to shine on what
makes you unique and connect to your individuality. Solar Aquarians
are quirky, unique individuals living life in their own way outside the norm.
Light a candle tonight, meditate, and allow the new energy of this
Aquarian New Moon to shine in your life. Bright Blessings!
Monday, January 9, 2012
January 9, 2012 Cold Full Moon in Cancer
Tonight January 9, 2012 is the Cold Full Moon in Cancer.
January brings the cold, dark Winter time of year. The
warm celebration of holidays around the light of December
have ended. The New Year has brought the hope for new beginnings
and a fresh start. Now we face the time of year when we
can slow down and stay warm indoors. It is a good time for
reflection as we work with the new year quietly. It is a good time
to reconnect with our spiritual practice, meditate, and be introspective.
We can allow the energy of rest and hibernation be with us just as
the animals are in their Winter slumber.
Full Moon in Cancer lights up aspects of home, nurturing,
family, mother, watery emotions and protection themes in our lives.
We can release anything that may be in the way of nurturing ourselves,
any negative emotions, or family and home issues under this Cancer
Full Moon. This is also a great time to do a cleansing ritual or take a
hot purifying bath. You can purify your self and home with sage.
As the first full moon of the year this is a great time to work on releasing
in these Cancer areas and make room for new beginnings on the first new moon.
May you have a warm, bright, nurturing full Moon! Blessings
January brings the cold, dark Winter time of year. The
warm celebration of holidays around the light of December
have ended. The New Year has brought the hope for new beginnings
and a fresh start. Now we face the time of year when we
can slow down and stay warm indoors. It is a good time for
reflection as we work with the new year quietly. It is a good time
to reconnect with our spiritual practice, meditate, and be introspective.
We can allow the energy of rest and hibernation be with us just as
the animals are in their Winter slumber.
Full Moon in Cancer lights up aspects of home, nurturing,
family, mother, watery emotions and protection themes in our lives.
We can release anything that may be in the way of nurturing ourselves,
any negative emotions, or family and home issues under this Cancer
Full Moon. This is also a great time to do a cleansing ritual or take a
hot purifying bath. You can purify your self and home with sage.
As the first full moon of the year this is a great time to work on releasing
in these Cancer areas and make room for new beginnings on the first new moon.
May you have a warm, bright, nurturing full Moon! Blessings
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Winter Solstice and Yule Blessings
Tonight December 22 marks the darkest, shortest night of the
year known as the Winter Solstice and celebrated by pagans
as the sabbat Yule.
At twilight tonight there was a stillness and a peace
as I walked home. The dark hour earlier than all
evenings before was beginning. Now each day will get a
little longer as the sun increases little by little bringing
the rebirth of light into the world.
This is a magickal time to celebrate the light as well as
themes of release, endings, rebirth, renewal, hope,
and new intentions, as we head soon into a new calendar year.
You can simply stand in the darkness of this night and then
light a candle to symbolize the sunlight returning to Earth.
You can release what you need to now from this old year
and set intentions for this new year to come. Reflect on
what things you would like to rebirth and renew in your life.
What ways can you connect to the light more each day as the
days grow longer now? What are you hopeful for this new
year?
Enjoy the peaceful energy the Winter Solstice brings. This
is a quieter time of year while nature is dormant. We can take
advantage of this Winter season for deeper introspection, prayer,
and meditation.
May you all have a Blessed, Bright Yule and Winter Solstice!
year known as the Winter Solstice and celebrated by pagans
as the sabbat Yule.
At twilight tonight there was a stillness and a peace
as I walked home. The dark hour earlier than all
evenings before was beginning. Now each day will get a
little longer as the sun increases little by little bringing
the rebirth of light into the world.
This is a magickal time to celebrate the light as well as
themes of release, endings, rebirth, renewal, hope,
and new intentions, as we head soon into a new calendar year.
You can simply stand in the darkness of this night and then
light a candle to symbolize the sunlight returning to Earth.
You can release what you need to now from this old year
and set intentions for this new year to come. Reflect on
what things you would like to rebirth and renew in your life.
What ways can you connect to the light more each day as the
days grow longer now? What are you hopeful for this new
year?
Enjoy the peaceful energy the Winter Solstice brings. This
is a quieter time of year while nature is dormant. We can take
advantage of this Winter season for deeper introspection, prayer,
and meditation.
May you all have a Blessed, Bright Yule and Winter Solstice!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
November Full Moon in Taurus
Blessings of the Full Moon in Taurus November 10, 2011. This has been called the Frost, Snow, Hunter's, and Beaver Moon.
To the Celts this was the first moon on their Wheel of the Year. This November full moon was called the Mourning Moon. This was a time to let go of bad habits, old baggage, and anything else negative in one's life that needed to be released from the previous year. This made room for the new year and new beginnings. This time of year is also the beginning of the modern pagan Wheel of the Year.
You can use this Full Moon energy to do the same as the Celts. Use this full moon energy to release and let go all negativity. Take a relaxing, purifying bath. Light a candle and honor the endings and completions in your life right now. Do a releasing ritual.
You can also contemplate this new beginning of the Wheel of the Year under the full moon light as the season of Winter begins to stir. The days keep growing darker and colder. Soon snow will begin to fall and we enter a season of quiet, introspection.
This full moon is in the astrological sign Taurus. Taurus is a fixed Earth sign. This is a good full moon to spend time connecting to the Earth and getting grounded for the Winter season. Get your home ready with all the comforts of the cold season to come. Feel your natural rhythms and take a walk in nature. Look at your current finances and how you are bringing in an income with this practical earth energy. Review your goals and plans for the month ahead.
Taurus makes this a very creative and sensual full moon as well. Commit to new creative projects. Enjoy the sensuality of life that Taurus connects us too such as a delicious meal, time connecting with your partner, light candles and burn incense, listen to sensual and relaxing music, or take a bath with lovely smelling salts and oils. Connect to your creative, earthy, sensual Goddess self on this Taurus Full Moon. Think of ways you can you nurture yourself more right now each day.
Full Moon Blessings!
To the Celts this was the first moon on their Wheel of the Year. This November full moon was called the Mourning Moon. This was a time to let go of bad habits, old baggage, and anything else negative in one's life that needed to be released from the previous year. This made room for the new year and new beginnings. This time of year is also the beginning of the modern pagan Wheel of the Year.
You can use this Full Moon energy to do the same as the Celts. Use this full moon energy to release and let go all negativity. Take a relaxing, purifying bath. Light a candle and honor the endings and completions in your life right now. Do a releasing ritual.
You can also contemplate this new beginning of the Wheel of the Year under the full moon light as the season of Winter begins to stir. The days keep growing darker and colder. Soon snow will begin to fall and we enter a season of quiet, introspection.
This full moon is in the astrological sign Taurus. Taurus is a fixed Earth sign. This is a good full moon to spend time connecting to the Earth and getting grounded for the Winter season. Get your home ready with all the comforts of the cold season to come. Feel your natural rhythms and take a walk in nature. Look at your current finances and how you are bringing in an income with this practical earth energy. Review your goals and plans for the month ahead.
Taurus makes this a very creative and sensual full moon as well. Commit to new creative projects. Enjoy the sensuality of life that Taurus connects us too such as a delicious meal, time connecting with your partner, light candles and burn incense, listen to sensual and relaxing music, or take a bath with lovely smelling salts and oils. Connect to your creative, earthy, sensual Goddess self on this Taurus Full Moon. Think of ways you can you nurture yourself more right now each day.
Full Moon Blessings!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Samhain Blessings...Wheel of the Year Begins Again....
Yesterday, October 31, was Samhain which marks the
end of the Wheel of the Year and was also the Celtic New Year.
It is the last Sabbat in modern pagan traditions of 8 yearly
Sabbats.
Samhain is a day to honor the dead and one's ancestors.
The veil between the living and dead was believed to be the
thinnest by the Celts who first celebrated Samhain.
This is also a time to reflect on death and endings as the
year grows dark and the harvest has ended as we prepare
for a new beginning of the seasonal cycles.
The Wheel of the Year Turns and begins again today
on November 1. Now we enter a time when
the days grow darker and colder until the darkest night of the
year on the Winter Solstice and the pagan sabbat Yule
December 21. This is offically Winter. After this day
the days slowly grow lighter and the light returns symbolizing
rebirth after death.
This year I am celebrating Samhain as the beginning of
my seasonal cycle year. This time of the year always feels
more like a beginning than January 1 on our calendar does to me.
I took the time yesterday to reflect on endings, death, my
ancestors, and all I am releasing and letting go. This includes
habits, thoughts, relationships, things, and projects, that no longer
serve me to make space for this new cycle of the Wheel of the
Year.
I am also using this time for new beginnings including
restarting this blog after a long break. I will be writing about
the 8 Sabbats and New and Full Moon cycles monthly
as well as aspects of the Goddess, seasons, nature, ritual,
magick, and astrology.
I am also taking this time from now until the Winter Solstice
on December 21 for deeper introspection including
meditation, connecting in ritual with the Goddess and the
Goddess within myself, getting back into a yoga practice,
journaling, dream work, working with intuition,
doing creative projects, and making more time in my schedule
for being in quiet self reflection and connection.
On the Winter Solstice I intend to be renewed and rebirthed
in some way from this time.
How about you? What way can you celebrate this
new year cycle on the Wheel? What are you releasing,
ending, and letting go? What way can you add more time
for quiet introspection to your life during this cold dark time
of the year before the rebirth of warm light and sun at Yule?
What new beginningsare happening in your life?
What new ideas, habits, dreams, and projects would you like to start?
Samhain Blessings!
end of the Wheel of the Year and was also the Celtic New Year.
It is the last Sabbat in modern pagan traditions of 8 yearly
Sabbats.
Samhain is a day to honor the dead and one's ancestors.
The veil between the living and dead was believed to be the
thinnest by the Celts who first celebrated Samhain.
This is also a time to reflect on death and endings as the
year grows dark and the harvest has ended as we prepare
for a new beginning of the seasonal cycles.
The Wheel of the Year Turns and begins again today
on November 1. Now we enter a time when
the days grow darker and colder until the darkest night of the
year on the Winter Solstice and the pagan sabbat Yule
December 21. This is offically Winter. After this day
the days slowly grow lighter and the light returns symbolizing
rebirth after death.
This year I am celebrating Samhain as the beginning of
my seasonal cycle year. This time of the year always feels
more like a beginning than January 1 on our calendar does to me.
I took the time yesterday to reflect on endings, death, my
ancestors, and all I am releasing and letting go. This includes
habits, thoughts, relationships, things, and projects, that no longer
serve me to make space for this new cycle of the Wheel of the
Year.
I am also using this time for new beginnings including
restarting this blog after a long break. I will be writing about
the 8 Sabbats and New and Full Moon cycles monthly
as well as aspects of the Goddess, seasons, nature, ritual,
magick, and astrology.
I am also taking this time from now until the Winter Solstice
on December 21 for deeper introspection including
meditation, connecting in ritual with the Goddess and the
Goddess within myself, getting back into a yoga practice,
journaling, dream work, working with intuition,
doing creative projects, and making more time in my schedule
for being in quiet self reflection and connection.
On the Winter Solstice I intend to be renewed and rebirthed
in some way from this time.
How about you? What way can you celebrate this
new year cycle on the Wheel? What are you releasing,
ending, and letting go? What way can you add more time
for quiet introspection to your life during this cold dark time
of the year before the rebirth of warm light and sun at Yule?
What new beginningsare happening in your life?
What new ideas, habits, dreams, and projects would you like to start?
Samhain Blessings!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Celebrating the Winter Solstice and Yule
The whisperings of Winter have grown louder as the
days since the Autumn Equinox have become darker,
shorter, and colder. In some colder areas snow has
already blanketed the earth preparing for her long
Winter slumber with the hibernating animals and the
bare trees like black patterns against the pale white sky.
December 21st marks the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere
and the beginning of the Winter season officially on the Wheel of the Year.
This is the shortest and darkest day of the whole year.
For many thousands of years people from all over the world have
celebrated this day in some way with ceremony and ritual. For ancient
cultures the Winter Solstice meant the possibility that the sunlight
and warmer seasons may not return, if they did not in some way honor
and welcome the sun back by holding a vigil or a celebration.
Since after the Winter Solstice, the darkest day of the year, the days
begin to grow lighter, longer, and warmer until the Spring Equinox,
for agricultural people this mean they could again plant and grow
crops in the Spring after surviving the dark, cold Winter when food
supplies grew short. For them the possibility of not surviving the
Winter season was very real and a time of fear. Having the sunlight
return after the solstice was a life saving blessing in their beliefs.
The Wheel of the Year would continue to turn and the seasons would
change and grow warm enough to grow food for another year.
Today the Winter Solstice is still celebrated in many cultures.
Modern day pagans celebrate the Winter Solstice as the holiday
Yule which is influenced by Celtic and Germanic pagan traditions
relating the the Winter Solstice.
Yule celebrates the sun's rebirth and the return of light from
darkness. It is a celebration of hope, renewal, and light. It is also
a great time for introspection and planning for the future and the
new year.
Candles and Yule Logs are lit and the sun is encouraged to
return as the darkness of the old year ends and the light of
the new year begins. Some celebrate by keeping a vigil on the eve
of the Winter Solstice and watch for the sun to rise and return.
You can celebrate the Winter Solstice and Yule in many ways
such as these above. Here are some other ideas you can do to simply
honor the change in season and the sun's return.
*Greet the sun at sunrise on the morning after the Winter Solstice.
*Light a candle on Winter Solstice Eve and pray for the sun to return and
be reborn.
* Spend some time reflecting what you would like to let go of and release
from the old year's darkness and what you would like to move forward
with and begin in the new sunlight and year ahead.
*Reflect on the theme of renewal and rebirth in your life in the
new year.
*Have a celebration ritual or dinner to honor the returning sun.
*Work in ritual and connect with Sun Goddesses and/or Gods.
* Decorate your home and altar with symbols of the Winter Solstice
such as the sun, evergreens, and the Yule log
*Exchange small Yule gifts with friends and family that offer warmth
and love especially handmade and earth friendly.
* Enjoy a deep meditation on the Winter Solstice and the still,
peaceful, introspective energy it brings.
May you have a blessed and joyful Yule and Winter Solstice!
days since the Autumn Equinox have become darker,
shorter, and colder. In some colder areas snow has
already blanketed the earth preparing for her long
Winter slumber with the hibernating animals and the
bare trees like black patterns against the pale white sky.
December 21st marks the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere
and the beginning of the Winter season officially on the Wheel of the Year.
This is the shortest and darkest day of the whole year.
For many thousands of years people from all over the world have
celebrated this day in some way with ceremony and ritual. For ancient
cultures the Winter Solstice meant the possibility that the sunlight
and warmer seasons may not return, if they did not in some way honor
and welcome the sun back by holding a vigil or a celebration.
Since after the Winter Solstice, the darkest day of the year, the days
begin to grow lighter, longer, and warmer until the Spring Equinox,
for agricultural people this mean they could again plant and grow
crops in the Spring after surviving the dark, cold Winter when food
supplies grew short. For them the possibility of not surviving the
Winter season was very real and a time of fear. Having the sunlight
return after the solstice was a life saving blessing in their beliefs.
The Wheel of the Year would continue to turn and the seasons would
change and grow warm enough to grow food for another year.
Today the Winter Solstice is still celebrated in many cultures.
Modern day pagans celebrate the Winter Solstice as the holiday
Yule which is influenced by Celtic and Germanic pagan traditions
relating the the Winter Solstice.
Yule celebrates the sun's rebirth and the return of light from
darkness. It is a celebration of hope, renewal, and light. It is also
a great time for introspection and planning for the future and the
new year.
Candles and Yule Logs are lit and the sun is encouraged to
return as the darkness of the old year ends and the light of
the new year begins. Some celebrate by keeping a vigil on the eve
of the Winter Solstice and watch for the sun to rise and return.
You can celebrate the Winter Solstice and Yule in many ways
such as these above. Here are some other ideas you can do to simply
honor the change in season and the sun's return.
*Greet the sun at sunrise on the morning after the Winter Solstice.
*Light a candle on Winter Solstice Eve and pray for the sun to return and
be reborn.
* Spend some time reflecting what you would like to let go of and release
from the old year's darkness and what you would like to move forward
with and begin in the new sunlight and year ahead.
*Reflect on the theme of renewal and rebirth in your life in the
new year.
*Have a celebration ritual or dinner to honor the returning sun.
*Work in ritual and connect with Sun Goddesses and/or Gods.
* Decorate your home and altar with symbols of the Winter Solstice
such as the sun, evergreens, and the Yule log
*Exchange small Yule gifts with friends and family that offer warmth
and love especially handmade and earth friendly.
* Enjoy a deep meditation on the Winter Solstice and the still,
peaceful, introspective energy it brings.
May you have a blessed and joyful Yule and Winter Solstice!
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