The Yule Spiders
By Christine Moonflower
Long, long ago on the eve of the Winter Solstice , a night full of frightful darkness, chilling cold, softly falling snow and howling winds, a young mother was awake when all in her house was resting; preparing for Yule. She had meager funds and knew she wanted to provide a grand feast and celebration for her family. She baked batches of cookies and hung them on the tree; the gingerbreads jelly bean eyes, glittered and sparkled in the light of the candles. She gathered sweet and juicy fruits, apples, oranges, plums and pears and hung them along with nuts on every bough. The tree was decorated with bows and bulbs of every color. She hung little homemade toys on the tree; there was a drum, a silver train, a red ball, a pair of skies, a set of jacks, a deck of cards, and many dolls. She wrapped clothes that she had woven in bright paper and placed them under the tree. She hung wreathes and garlands. She swept and scrubbed the floors and washed every window. She cleaned up every cobweb and dust bunny and chased every single curious spider away. Everything was almost perfect yet she desired to do more. After the long and hard year her family had experienced she wanted this to be the most perfect Yule ever! She had seen how good her husband and children had been, doing things without her even having to ask them and she knew they too spent time late and night adding glitter and glue and making gifts for her and for the whole family. She was proud and just a little sad and finally said to herself “this will have to do,” and went to bed.
All the spiders that had scurried out of the way now emerged from their hiding places and saw the twinkling lights, and smelled the aromas of food, they were very curious and inched closer to the tree then excited they ran. They marveled at its beauty and climbed on its branches to get a closer look. One spider looked into a glass bulb and saw his distorted reflection and it startled him, he jumped nearly as high as the tree itself! The other spiders almost fell off their branches laughing. One spider snuck just the slightest nibble of a cookie before deciding that they tasted nowhere near as good as flies! One spider snuck over to the presents and tried to lift the great bow around it to sneak a peak of what was inside!
The spiders climbed and climbed, running up the trunk and darting and jumping between branches. When they finally tired and were satisfied that they had seen everything, they jumped of f of the branches and scurried to the attic. But when they got a few steps away from the tree they saw what they had done. The perfect and pristine tree was almost entirely covered in cobwebs! Every branch and ornament, every toys and treat was covered. The spiders felt so sad, so guilty, they didn’t mean for this to happen! So they set upon the task of cleaning up, but to no avail, whenever they cleaned up one strand of web they would just make another. Defeated and exhausted they headed to bed shaking their heads and saying, “this will have to do.”
Later on that night when everyone was fast asleep the full and bright Moon parted the snow filled clouds, and peaked behind their warm blanket; she looked into all the houses around her and blessed each resting face with her light. But she found one small spider still awake, she asked him why. The spider explained, “I could not sleep, I did not mean to ruin the Mothers tree, I just wanted to see all the pretty things and be part of the celebration.” The Moon asked him to lead her to the tree. There she saw the web covered tree, and laughed. The small spider said, “The Mother has always been so kind to us, never harming us, never squishing us, or chasing us outside, I wish I could do something to help her.” The Moon was touched. She winked at the young spider and shined the full light of her face onto the tree. Each thread of web changed and was now transformed into pure spun silver that sparkled and glittered in her light. The small spider was amazed; the Moon just smiled and told him not to worry and to go to bed.
That morning when the family awoke they were shocked and let out gasps of joy and amazement; this woke up the spiders who scurried downstairs expecting the worst. Instead they stopped in their tracks admiring the beauty. “What happened?” One spider asked. The small spider explained, “this is the Moon’s doing ,” and smiled. The spiders soon joined in the family’s celebration, they climbed upon the branches and examined its silver threads and watched the family open presents, eat breakfast, sing and enjoy the new sunlight shining brightly through the window, which made the silver threads truly sparkle.
The spiders and the family gave thanks to the new born Sun, to the Mother Goddess, the Moon, to Grandmother Spider and all of her family and to each other’s thoughtful and hard working hands, and warm hearts. They knew they were truly blessed and knew that the magick of the season was the joy of family and friends and of simple acts of kindness and compassion. Blessed Be!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Monday, December 5, 2011
Yule Ornament Crafting and Cookie Swap
This Sunday at Bright Blessing Michele Savage is continuing a tradition that has happened on and off for maybe 5 years in the Ogden Pagan Community. It is the Yule Ornament Making and Cookie Swap. This is a very fun activity that I look forward every Yuletide season. It gives me a quick break from the busy holiday season, and allows me time to hang out with my community, to catch up and to craft.
This crafting lets Pagans make their own ornaments and not just have to adopt ones that are traditionally Christmas related. We can incorporate Runes, Ogham, and Goddess symbols and can make pentacles, and brooms, We can include all sorts of natural ingredients, pine cones, seedpods, herbs and even do ornaments as spell crafts, to bring prosperity, protection, luck or love for the new year. We can also make Earth friendly recycling ornaments using things laying around the house, puzzle pieces, buttons, old bulbs, scratched burned cds to make ornaments. You get a chance to teach and be taught and at the end of the day we end up with a whole box of ornaments ready for our Yule tree and lots of good memories!
The cookie swap is also a fun part of the celebration, people get to share their Kitchen Witch skills, to brag about their cookie making abilities as well as taste others. They get a box of cookies to take home to their families and the recipes to boot! It may sound a bit dorky but it is so fun!
My advice if you would like to host a Ornament Making and Cookie Swap is to:
1. Host it early in the season, as we get closer to the holidays peoples calenders fill up rather fast
2. Announce it early, maybe as soon as the end of October so that people may have time to prepare.
3. Set an RSVP drop dead date, so people prepare enough materials but not too much.
4. Basically plan on this activity taking hours and plan accordingly.
5. You can center the crafting around a special day, the Full or New Moon or St. Nicolaus Day. You can have a visit from Befana for the kids, or host a ritual after wards. Just beware the crafting takes a lot out of people.
6. Inform people to make sure the crafting is not too complicated or takes too long. A thirty minute a person limit is a good guideline for time.
7. Make sure if you are allowing children to be there that people are aware and that they keep dangerous items out of their reach. Also make sure you have some crafts the kids can easily make. It may even be a good idea to host a certain block of time for kids crafts and a certain block for the more complicated adult crafts.
8. Host one at a spot with lost of space.
9. Prepare the space with tables, newspapers and dollar store vinyl table clothes that can be thrown away if they get too messy.
10. Make sure people bring a box for cookies and a box for ornaments unless you are planning on providing some. You may want to keep some on hand just in case people forgot.
11. Make it an potluck. Potato bars work rather well. Have the hosts provide the main ingredients, potatoes, and fixins and have others bring other potluck items that can sit. Things that can be served and kept cold work well, as well as things that can be kept in a crock pot. Finger food is also good, that way people can snack in between crafts. After hours of crafting people tend to become rather ravenous!
Here is the link to the crafting:
http://www.facebook.com/events/213221985419426/
And here is a copy of the email I use to explain what we are doing:
Yule Ornament Making , Cookie Swap
Crafting starts at 3 PM and goes until we are done and all ornaments have been presented
Feasting will be a potato bar and will be set up all day. The potato bar fixins will be provided by the hosts. We ask that everyone else bring a potluck item to share, soups, stews, chili in crockpots or foods that can be eaten cold and grabbed quickly are recommended.
For this event we will be participating in an ornament making and a cookie swap. Each participant is asked to RSVP no later than December 9th! The reason for this is because each participant is to teach us how to make an ornament and is to bring enough supplies that everyone can make one; this way people leave with many different kind of ornaments for their Yule tree. If your ornament needs to be made in many different stages, please tell me and we will schedule you as the first person to present.
Each person is also asked to make and bring their favorite cookie recipe, please bring enough so that one cookie or more it’s up to you can be given out to each participant. They are also asked to bring a copy of the recipe, printed on standard small sized index card. We will be making this into a booklet/ornament as well. Be creative, decorate this page as you see fit.
This activity is open to children, and participants are asked to consider this when they teach their crafts and to be mindful of any harmful objects; though this is primarily the parents responsibility. It is asked that anyone bringing children to please let us know and tell us how many and the ages of the children . This is so we can set up some easy crafts and activities for them to do during the day.
Hope to see you then!
Blessed Be!
This crafting lets Pagans make their own ornaments and not just have to adopt ones that are traditionally Christmas related. We can incorporate Runes, Ogham, and Goddess symbols and can make pentacles, and brooms, We can include all sorts of natural ingredients, pine cones, seedpods, herbs and even do ornaments as spell crafts, to bring prosperity, protection, luck or love for the new year. We can also make Earth friendly recycling ornaments using things laying around the house, puzzle pieces, buttons, old bulbs, scratched burned cds to make ornaments. You get a chance to teach and be taught and at the end of the day we end up with a whole box of ornaments ready for our Yule tree and lots of good memories!
The cookie swap is also a fun part of the celebration, people get to share their Kitchen Witch skills, to brag about their cookie making abilities as well as taste others. They get a box of cookies to take home to their families and the recipes to boot! It may sound a bit dorky but it is so fun!
My advice if you would like to host a Ornament Making and Cookie Swap is to:
1. Host it early in the season, as we get closer to the holidays peoples calenders fill up rather fast
2. Announce it early, maybe as soon as the end of October so that people may have time to prepare.
3. Set an RSVP drop dead date, so people prepare enough materials but not too much.
4. Basically plan on this activity taking hours and plan accordingly.
5. You can center the crafting around a special day, the Full or New Moon or St. Nicolaus Day. You can have a visit from Befana for the kids, or host a ritual after wards. Just beware the crafting takes a lot out of people.
6. Inform people to make sure the crafting is not too complicated or takes too long. A thirty minute a person limit is a good guideline for time.
7. Make sure if you are allowing children to be there that people are aware and that they keep dangerous items out of their reach. Also make sure you have some crafts the kids can easily make. It may even be a good idea to host a certain block of time for kids crafts and a certain block for the more complicated adult crafts.
8. Host one at a spot with lost of space.
9. Prepare the space with tables, newspapers and dollar store vinyl table clothes that can be thrown away if they get too messy.
10. Make sure people bring a box for cookies and a box for ornaments unless you are planning on providing some. You may want to keep some on hand just in case people forgot.
11. Make it an potluck. Potato bars work rather well. Have the hosts provide the main ingredients, potatoes, and fixins and have others bring other potluck items that can sit. Things that can be served and kept cold work well, as well as things that can be kept in a crock pot. Finger food is also good, that way people can snack in between crafts. After hours of crafting people tend to become rather ravenous!
Here is the link to the crafting:
http://www.facebook.com/events/213221985419426/
And here is a copy of the email I use to explain what we are doing:
Yule Ornament Making , Cookie Swap
Crafting starts at 3 PM and goes until we are done and all ornaments have been presented
Feasting will be a potato bar and will be set up all day. The potato bar fixins will be provided by the hosts. We ask that everyone else bring a potluck item to share, soups, stews, chili in crockpots or foods that can be eaten cold and grabbed quickly are recommended.
For this event we will be participating in an ornament making and a cookie swap. Each participant is asked to RSVP no later than December 9th! The reason for this is because each participant is to teach us how to make an ornament and is to bring enough supplies that everyone can make one; this way people leave with many different kind of ornaments for their Yule tree. If your ornament needs to be made in many different stages, please tell me and we will schedule you as the first person to present.
Each person is also asked to make and bring their favorite cookie recipe, please bring enough so that one cookie or more it’s up to you can be given out to each participant. They are also asked to bring a copy of the recipe, printed on standard small sized index card. We will be making this into a booklet/ornament as well. Be creative, decorate this page as you see fit.
This activity is open to children, and participants are asked to consider this when they teach their crafts and to be mindful of any harmful objects; though this is primarily the parents responsibility. It is asked that anyone bringing children to please let us know and tell us how many and the ages of the children . This is so we can set up some easy crafts and activities for them to do during the day.
Hope to see you then!
Blessed Be!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
A Light for the Whole World
A Light for the Whole World
I was inspired by this:
http://www.youtube.com/user/carfarsmar?feature=mhee#p/a/f/2/2GjW45F0Jbo
11/26/2011
There is a new generation born
From the sleeping seeds planted in ancient groves
Locked in cold and silent sadness for so long
Emerging from the disseminated groves
Of mighty trees whose skeletal still stand
As the skyscrapers of our ties
Whose roots reach deep into the magma into the heart of the world
And whose arms are open wide
Embracing without anger or fear
Just love and oneness
The birds they perch upon your branches now and roost and nest
The snakes crawl though the bare roots
And lie their eggs
The animals emerge and forage
As the seedling
The children are born
In every heart the sun inflames a spark
That glows or dies as it chooses
These silent stars project more light then even he can
Or can go nova and engulf the whole world
We glow and there are few who can see it
Too consumed by their own light or darkness can recognize the similar shine
But we feel its heat now
As we come closer in prayer
In mourning
In a desire to unite and be one
Be free from the horror that have stalked us so long
We ignite each flame each soul as we sing
As we cry as call our god into being
As we pry his light from our breast and surround ourselves
As we stare upon the darkness
The light in the eyes of one child
The joy and innocence of its smile
The song of our laughter
Can bring us to ecstasy
Can kindle ours to rise, above all
As reclaim our humanity and our divinity
As we walk in the beauty and wonder of each sunrise
As we carry kindness, hope and love to the world
I was inspired by this:
http://www.youtube.com/user/carfarsmar?feature=mhee#p/a/f/2/2GjW45F0Jbo
11/26/2011
There is a new generation born
From the sleeping seeds planted in ancient groves
Locked in cold and silent sadness for so long
Emerging from the disseminated groves
Of mighty trees whose skeletal still stand
As the skyscrapers of our ties
Whose roots reach deep into the magma into the heart of the world
And whose arms are open wide
Embracing without anger or fear
Just love and oneness
The birds they perch upon your branches now and roost and nest
The snakes crawl though the bare roots
And lie their eggs
The animals emerge and forage
As the seedling
The children are born
In every heart the sun inflames a spark
That glows or dies as it chooses
These silent stars project more light then even he can
Or can go nova and engulf the whole world
We glow and there are few who can see it
Too consumed by their own light or darkness can recognize the similar shine
But we feel its heat now
As we come closer in prayer
In mourning
In a desire to unite and be one
Be free from the horror that have stalked us so long
We ignite each flame each soul as we sing
As we cry as call our god into being
As we pry his light from our breast and surround ourselves
As we stare upon the darkness
The light in the eyes of one child
The joy and innocence of its smile
The song of our laughter
Can bring us to ecstasy
Can kindle ours to rise, above all
As reclaim our humanity and our divinity
As we walk in the beauty and wonder of each sunrise
As we carry kindness, hope and love to the world
A Light for the Whole World
A Light for the Whole World
I was inspired by this:
http://www.youtube.com/user/carfarsmar?feature=mhee#p/a/f/2/2GjW45F0Jbo
11/26/2011
There is a new generation born
From the sleeping seeds planted in ancient groves
Locked in cold and silent sadness for so long
Emerging from the disseminated groves
Of mighty trees whose skeletal still stand
As the skyscrapers of our ties
Whose roots reach deep into the magma into the heart of the world
And whose arms are open wide
Embracing without anger or fear
Just love and oneness
The birds they perch upon your branches now and roost and nest
The snakes crawl though the bare roots
And lie their eggs
The animals emerge and forage
As the seedling
The children are born
In every heart the sun inflames a spark
That glows or dies as it chooses
These silent stars project more light then even he can
Or can go nova and engulf the whole world
We glow and there are few who can see it
Too consumed by their own light or darkness can recognize the similar shine
But we feel its heat now
As we come closer in prayer
In mourning
In a desire to unite and be one
Be free from the horror that have stalked us so long
We ignite each flame each soul as we sing
As we cry as call our god into being
As we pry his light from our breast and surround ourselves
As we stare upon the darkness
The light in the eyes of one child
The joy and innocence of its smile
The song of our laughter
Can bring us to ecstasy
Can kindle ours to rise, above all
As reclaim our humanity and our divinity
As we walk in the beauty and wonder of each sunrise
As we carry kindness, hope and love to the world
I was inspired by this:
http://www.youtube.com/user/carfarsmar?feature=mhee#p/a/f/2/2GjW45F0Jbo
11/26/2011
There is a new generation born
From the sleeping seeds planted in ancient groves
Locked in cold and silent sadness for so long
Emerging from the disseminated groves
Of mighty trees whose skeletal still stand
As the skyscrapers of our ties
Whose roots reach deep into the magma into the heart of the world
And whose arms are open wide
Embracing without anger or fear
Just love and oneness
The birds they perch upon your branches now and roost and nest
The snakes crawl though the bare roots
And lie their eggs
The animals emerge and forage
As the seedling
The children are born
In every heart the sun inflames a spark
That glows or dies as it chooses
These silent stars project more light then even he can
Or can go nova and engulf the whole world
We glow and there are few who can see it
Too consumed by their own light or darkness can recognize the similar shine
But we feel its heat now
As we come closer in prayer
In mourning
In a desire to unite and be one
Be free from the horror that have stalked us so long
We ignite each flame each soul as we sing
As we cry as call our god into being
As we pry his light from our breast and surround ourselves
As we stare upon the darkness
The light in the eyes of one child
The joy and innocence of its smile
The song of our laughter
Can bring us to ecstasy
Can kindle ours to rise, above all
As reclaim our humanity and our divinity
As we walk in the beauty and wonder of each sunrise
As we carry kindness, hope and love to the world
Saturday, December 3, 2011
One Small, Electric Candle
Today's topic is a bit of an odd one. It is a whole post on electric candles and I must admit at first I was very anti these candles, when they first came out. For the most part they look very fake, obviously plastic. I also thought they were very wasteful, just another piece of garbage for the landfill. They are scentless, do not come in that large of a variety of colors and their flickering action is usually a good try at best. But, after a few years and a few improvements to their design I have changed my mind. These “candles,” can provide excellent mood lighting and are excellent altar candles. They are great for outside lunar ritual when you want the light and flicker of candles but you do not want to deal with the fact that even the slightest breeze can extinguish them. They work well in crystal candle holders and will not burn, or stain the crystals. They cast a nice light in lanterns and candle holders with nifty shapes. And of course the best part of all is that they are flame-less, heat-less and smokeless which means they are less dangerous. You can use them outside in dry conditions, in buildings where open flames are prohibited, in labyrinths, or to outline a circle, in areas where pets and small children are present. They are great for floral wreath, St. Lucia crowns etc. You can also leave them unattended without any fear. A lot more of these candles are also becoming battery operated with batteries that you can remove and replace which makes these candles a bit more environmentally friendly than they used to be. These candles aren't the best for spell-craft, they just don't seem to pack he same punch as real candles. They are not as psychologically satisfying to dress, charge, light and watch disappear, sending your energy and intention to the universe, but they can be used in a pinch. They do however make excellent devotional candles for honoring your patron deity and are excellent for tending Brighid's flame.
They also, now come in my different forms, from tea-lights, votives, pillars of various sizes, tapers and special shapes like snowmen. Some candles have glitter, that travels like a snow globe, while others have LED lights in various colors that change. Some even have timers and sensors which will “light,” the “candle,” during the night and turn off automatically during the day. And, now is the perfect time to purchase some. Many stores Sam's Club and Shopko offer 24 packs of the electric tea lights for 15 dollars. Walgreens has beautiful , magickal electric tapers which have glitter for 1.99, dollar stores carry smaller packs of tea lights, and pillars made of real wax as well as some plain white tapers. Joanne's have the biggest selection of all with many kinds and colors and is the only store that I have seen votive electric candles in.
My only wish is that they'd make these look a bit more realistic, with more colors and the ability to place the taper candles in your own candle holders instead of the ugly plastic ones which they always come with.
You can also experiment decorating these candles by painting designs on them. Attaching real or fake flowers, stickers, paper or even adding drippings of wax over the candles to make a grubby look. Here is a link for an easy “Grubby,” candle one of which I must try out. I will keep you informed on how they turn out
http://www.ehow.com/how_6081696_make-electric-grubby-candles.html?ref=Track2&utm_source=ask
Friday, December 2, 2011
Honoring the Ancestors and the Beloved Dead this Holiday Season
Today I write this entry by the light of one small flickering candle. Though it is small and simple this flame casts quite a lot of light. This candle was slow to ignite, the flame on the wick was weak and only slightly burned and threatened to be extinguished, until it reached the center and heart of the candle. Then it burst forth in quite a strong and flickering flame. This candle has much significance to me and my family. It is the red candle that is always charged and lit first as part of the Yule Log ceremony. It is the candle from last years Yule Log ceremony. It is the blood red candle of the ancestors and the beloved dead. It drips with the memories of the past and the loss left by those not physically here. But those that stay within us in the whisper of memories and the lingering traditions that they helped keep alive. This candle will be burned to just a nub then it will be used to light the red candle on this years Yule Log.
The Holiday season may seem to be an odd time to honor the ancestors and beloved dead. You might be asking yourself, wasn't that what Samhain is for? But I believe the veil is thin from the Autumn Equinox through the Winter Solstice and that those who we have loved and lost are hear in spirit celebrating. They are surely at the front of ones mind as you hang that special ornament that you inherited from you Great Grandma, or make your Grandmother's special cookies, your reminisce and think about all of good times and wish with all your heart and soul that they were still here.
This day of December 2, has a special significance also for my family. I is the day that my Uncle Rick passed 25 years ago. It was the first major death for my family and was very hard. What made it even worse was the fact that there was already presents set under neath the tree, for him, presents that he would never get to open. This spawned the tradition of observing his death, and waiting until after it to begin decorating or celebrating. This also helped me make the connection between the Beloved Dead and the ancestors and the fact that they should be honored at this time that they are so sorely missed. After Rick's death my parents bought a tiny, artificial, 6 inch tree, decorated with tiny ornaments and presents that we'd set up in remembrance of Rick. It was emotional and magickal and as a child I could also see a tiny spirit opening the gifts and I truly felt that he knew that we had done this for him and that he felt loved, missed and appreciated. You may wish to use this as an idea to create a remembrance tree for your beloved dead.
You cold hang inherited ornaments, or ornaments that represents, special hobbies, or interests that your Beloved Dead enjoyed. You can include pictures of the dead and put offering of food, gifts and flowers underneath its boughs. These ornaments from Martha Stewart seem easy enough or you can also use the standard Canning Jar Ornaments both would be a great craft to make as a family. You can also purchase ornament sized picture frames from most stores, sometimes even the dollar stores. Or can also have them created by your local Walgreens, Walmart or other Photo centers.
http://www.marthastewart.com/268890/picture-frame-ornaments
http://voices.yahoo.com/handmade-christmas-ornaments-easy-photo-frames-7057764.html?cat=24
Other ideas for including your Beloved Dead ion your Holiday celebrations s to tell stories of them, keeping their memories alive in your heart and n the heart of future generations. Is to make their special recipes, continue their traditions. You may also wish to decorate their graves. Donate to a charity in their honor. Set up a special place at the Holiday feast for them. Host a round of toasts in their honor. Place a candle, (electric is by far the safest) in the windows of your home to draw them near, and to let them know that they are remembered.
Hail the ancestors and the beloved Dead!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
A New Month, a New Season, a New Start
So, today is the first of December, a brand new month, a time of change and a time for brand new ideas. Today Winter seems to have finally approached and approached with a vengeance. The winds howled today, pretty much constantly and we had gusts ranging from 70's MPH to 100's MPH. They caused much destruction. Just on my way to work, I had to dodge toppled garbage cans, and dust storms, saw mailboxes ribbed off their polls, carports upside down and rocking and a huge Blue Spruce laying on top of a house. I can honestly say I have never seen such destructive winds quite this bad in my whole life! The whole day was filled with nervous energy, tension and the flickering of lights ready to go out. I honestly don't know why semi's weren't grounded and roads and businesses weren't closed. If I had my own business, I would not endanger my employees by making them travel to work.
This weather made me think of what Winter must have been like for the Native Americans and Pioneers. Where instead of numerous houses and business poised to block the wind, they had camps and solitary farmhouse in an open field without insulation and modern conveniences. How frightening would that be? To feel the wind travel through every nook and cranny of your house, to hear the endlessly howl and to have to huddle in the bleak darkness, wrapped in blankets around a small fire. It is no wonder stories and mythologies where created It is no wonder why Winter was a feared time of destruction and uncertainty, and it is no wonder why so many societies come together to celebrate lights and life among so much darkness and death. We all come together to bring forth the light and hope from deep within our minds and bosoms to ignite and call forth the flame of the Sun, or Son. To stand against the shadows and banish our own darkness and reclaim our own light.
It is on this day of such strange weather, such extremes and such powerful, pent up energy that I have decided to start this blog so I may have a forum to express myself, improve my literary skills, to share my thoughts, research, ideas, crafts, recipes and the insight I have gathered during my thirteen years as an eclectic, instinctual Pagan and Witch.
Please stayed tuned and Blessed be!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This weather made me think of what Winter must have been like for the Native Americans and Pioneers. Where instead of numerous houses and business poised to block the wind, they had camps and solitary farmhouse in an open field without insulation and modern conveniences. How frightening would that be? To feel the wind travel through every nook and cranny of your house, to hear the endlessly howl and to have to huddle in the bleak darkness, wrapped in blankets around a small fire. It is no wonder stories and mythologies where created It is no wonder why Winter was a feared time of destruction and uncertainty, and it is no wonder why so many societies come together to celebrate lights and life among so much darkness and death. We all come together to bring forth the light and hope from deep within our minds and bosoms to ignite and call forth the flame of the Sun, or Son. To stand against the shadows and banish our own darkness and reclaim our own light.
It is on this day of such strange weather, such extremes and such powerful, pent up energy that I have decided to start this blog so I may have a forum to express myself, improve my literary skills, to share my thoughts, research, ideas, crafts, recipes and the insight I have gathered during my thirteen years as an eclectic, instinctual Pagan and Witch.
Please stayed tuned and Blessed be!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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