26 Days Until Yule!

Since those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are only 26 days away from celebrating Yule, I thought it would be appropriate that I take some time to discuss Yule. Yule takes place during the Winter Solstice which occurs on the 21st or 22nd of December. For those who may not be aware, the winter solstice is the longest night of the year. Yule is what we Pagan's celebrate and it has observed even before Christmas became a holiday!

Yule is a Norse word which means "wheel". It is considered to be the rebirth of the sun. When we celebrate Yule, we celebrate the upcoming increase in daylight as it moves back towards the earth. When we light candles and burn a Yule log we are encouraging the sun to make its return to the earth.

Many of our Christmas celebrations originated during Yuletime. The Christmas Tree began as a Yule Tree. The Yule tree represents the survival of life after death. Other items used during Yule are wreaths, decorations of holly and ivy and the giving of gifts have all made there way into mainstream Christmas celebrations!

The sabbat of Yule is sacred to God in his archetype as Lord of the Old Year and the Sorcerer. The character representations of God are very similar to Santa Claus or Dickens' Spirit of Christmas Present.

In honor of Yule, some Wiccans stay up until dawn to witness the sun's return. The most recognized celebration of Yule are also associated with Christmas. Gift giving, the beauty of the lights and decorations, the feasts with family and friends all honor the rebirth of the sun and the renewal of lift during this holiday.

Here is a classic Christmas song that is also a very meaningful Yule song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENTR7yUcf5E

Wisteria Vines and a chat with my mentor

Today, I mentioned to my First Degree Mentor that every time I go for a hike in this specific forest I smell Wisteria. Today while we journeyed, I smelled them again but obviously it is November and Wisteria is not in bloom. The smell was definitely there as my beloved dog sniffed the air just as I did to enjoy the lovely scent. Up until today, I assumed that the vines were hiding from me but evident by their lovely scent. Today, I realized that is not so. Many of the trees are without leaves and I did not see any signs of any sort of scented flower anywhere in the area (or anywhere along our journey).

Courtesy of Wikipedia

My mentor referred me to a website which discussed the attributes of Wisteria. It says "...an incredibly durable vine, able to live (even flourish) through mistreatment and harsh conditions." The website goes on to say "The wisteria is a voracious grower with the ability to spread out over acres, spiraling out into impressive expanses. Symbolically, we might see this as an external reflection of our own expanding consciousness." I find it quite interesting that I smell this flower when I am out on a quest for items for my spiritual workings or just to recharge from an especially draining week at work. 

This same website says "...keep in mind the wisteria can be destructive in her growth, and requires discipline to avoid spiraling out of control (indeed, the vine has been known to take down entire buildings and trellises with her burdening weight). Wisteria reminds us that the journey into our conscious evolution is vital to our own blossoming. However left unchecked, or practiced without foundational discipline may cause unsavory results." This also applies to how I am. As I go through life I must be careful to remain disciplined in my growth, to keep myself in 'check' and to ensure I am studying and growing for the right reason... not the status quo reason. If I work towards status quo I eventually become drained, depressed and scatter-brained. The life objectives of the wisteria are quite similar to my spiritual needs. I found that quite interesting. 

As a child, I had many challenges that should have brought me into a life of misery and self pity. Fortunately, I didn't go there. The wisteria's attribute of flourishing despite maltreatment and harsh conditions hit me quite hard. I not only made it out of the BS, but I grew and flourished through the life I built in my adulthood. I have a feeling that my mentor is correct that plants can be life totem's just as animals can. I've had many 'run-ins' with wisteria through my years, the scent has made me smile often through the years and I really think this plant is important in my life. 

References: 

http://www.whats-your-sign.com/wisteria-meaning.html

Supportive Partners Matter!

My DH came in last night all excited. He had found a piece of wood today that he thought I'd like for my altar. He was saying why and I did agree, lol. It's beautiful and will make a great addition. We chatted a bit about what needs to be done: creating a pseudo action plan for how to do it and what to do with it. My husband does not practice the craft with me, but he participates in the "geary" aspects of my craft.

New piece of wood, before anything done to it at all.

This, of course, is a great benefit to me. He cut a small disk of a small bit of a young tree trunk for me a few weeks back. (It was in our firewood and was only 6" or so, only 2-3" was really usable.) While he was planing it for me, a piece of bark chipped off. I was still happy with it, and used it for the pentacle on my altar. It wasn't as pretty with the chipped bark, but it did the trick.

The Pentacle I drew on the small stump.

I think he knew it wasn't quite as I wanted, so he'd been watching all this time! It has been around 4 weeks since that all happened! (It was just before the new moon, as I needed a replacement pentacle because I have yet to find mine from when we last moved.) I really love that asshole!

I told him "Thank you for being supportive of my being out and about." He laughed at me and said, "of course dork. I support whatever you want." Lol, it's just good my endeavors are all legal and reasonable!

After sanding and waiting for me to do something with it!
DH wanted me to add that he used a Craftsman 4" Belt Sander to prep it!

Poetry Written on Today's Walk

Photo by Lillie Dawn

Sweet Smell

Sun shining,
Gentle breeze blowing,
Through the leaves.

Birds flying,
and singing,
through the autumn leaves.

Sweet smell,
in the air,
Is that Goddess
telling me she's here?

Photo by Lillie Dawn

Pagan Like Thee 

Bonding with nature,
from whence I came.

The peace recharges me
and makes me whole again.

The stresses of the
modern world leave me.

And nature makes me
happy I am pagan like thee.

~Lillie Dawn

Photo by Lillie Dawn

A Bit About Samhain

Traditional Irish Turnip Lantern
Early 20th century
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

As you may well know, the Celtics saw Samhain as starting the dark time of the year. It is the end of the harvesting season and the start of the winter season. It is the time when the veil between us and the otherworld is thinnest. This allows us to take time to honor our ancestors. It is also time for us to thank our deities for the gifts they have given us through the growing season and for the gifts we have to make it through the upcoming winter season. We also take the time to reflect on our own mortality and the nature of change and transformation. You may also know that this day marks the Wiccan New Year!

On this Samhain, we were blessed with a full moon very nearby. As such, we did a ritual with our Shrine on Halloween, that combined the Samhain and Full Moon ritual, but something didn't feel right the next day, so I decided to give it a go alone the next day. I think because I was rushed (running late home for work) and I didn't get my ritual bath. I also had computer issues when I got home, so this rushed me a bit more. I thought I had cleansed and grounded well enough, but something didn't "feel" right on the 1st, so I decided to do everything again. 

During my solitary full moon ritual, I like to ask for help to release things that block or limit me (an idea given by Rev. Don). This was a great combination with the Samhain ritual of honoring my ancestors and focusing on change and transformation. I must say that when I woke up the morning of the 2nd, after conducting a solitary Samhain ritual the evening of the 1st, I felt renewed. When I arrived at work, something I had been working on that benefits many of us came through. Granted, I had some odd news on another topic, but the things I was aware of and consciously asked about began changing! I really love how well things work out. 

Blessed be!

References: 

Kondratiev, Alexei (1997). Samhain: Season of Death and Renewal. Retrieved 3 November 2012 from http://www.imbas.org/articles/samhain.html

Lewis, Donald (Rev.). Witch School First Degree. Woodbury: Llewellyn, 2010. Print.

Chakras of the Earth

M.C. Escher's Snakes
Photo courtesy of Artistsmarket.com
All M.C. Escher works © 2003 Cordon Art B.V. - Baarn - The Netherlands. All rights reserved.

Chakras of the earth are also know as Vortices. Vortices are the energy centers or the chakras of the earth. Earth's energy is stronger at the vortex, just as our energy is stronger and easier to interact with at our chakras. Both are ideal spots to receive energy from or to send healing through. Vortex points are often used as places of worship and are sacred spaces due to there strength. We are able to work with our chakras to increase energy and to heal our bodies.



References:

Lewis, Donald (Rev.). Witch School First Degree. Woodbury: Llewellyn, 2010. Print.

Allegory Explained

What is Allegory? This was one of my questions for this week. According to dictionary.com, allegory is a Middle English word that defines a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms; figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another. It can also be a symbolical narrative. 

"Allegory" by Antonio de Pereda, circa 1654
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia

This is pretty much the same definition from a Wiccan perspective. For Pagans, symbolism is used to make difficult or abstract concepts easier to understand. According to our studies with Rev. Don Lewis, in the First Degree Lessons, allegory allows us to free ourselves from literal understandings and to embrace abstract thoughts.