Celebrating the Dark, Welcoming the Light

Many of us in the cold North struggle with seasonal depression due to decreasing light. Add to that the darkest nights of the year forcing us to go inward and it's a recipe for the lowest lows and the most difficult of seasons.  Having been born and raised along the 43rd parallel, seasonal sensitivity is a struggle for me every year and has been much of my life. While I embrace the deep, dark nights of Samhuinn it is the fickle Autumnal weather which teases me cruelly.  Our late Autumns and early springs are very similar and sometimes our days remind me more of Spring, which lifts my spirits only to crush that hope when I realise once again I have an entire winter to get through first.

When Pixie was a baby I also battled post partum depression in the months following her birth, it was compounded by the fact we were going into late Autumn/Winter in the months following her birth.  After that first year I began reclaiming old December traditions and celebrations as well as adopting new ones. After several years our dark of the year was filled with happiness, celebration and light.  The longest nights were embraced and welcomed as a way to rest and recuperate before the bustle of the holiday season.  The month of light and love got me through to the point where the days truly do begin to lengthen again (circa 28 Dec).  This year the days will begin lengthening again 31 December so starting a new calendar year with lengthening days leaves me feeling as though I have gotten over the hump of the short days.

For the month of December we start actually with Thankgiving, family gatherings for the actual day as well as birthdays for my nephew (and in future years my new nieces).  It is about this time I would start assembling my "Yule Cookie" list (found here), a listing of 13 types of cookies baked and gifted out for the holiday season.  I started documenting this tradition in 2003 and unfortunately lost a listing and was unable to assemble a new list last year (for obvious reasons).  So I still have five years worth of lists (with recipes) assembled and I hope that next year finds Pixie and I in our own home with a wonderful kitchen and financially abundant and secure to revisit this tradition.  Pixie loves cooking and is developing quite a discerning palate, so where this takes us over the years will be exciting to see.

December starts with Pixie looking forward to St. Nicholas/Sinterklaas on the 5/6th of December. She will leave her shoe out for the traditional treats left by St. Nick. coming off the heels of the month of Samhuinn we have been remembering our ancestors so by the point in December we are honoring our German/Dutch line in the family from my paternal great grandmother.  As we are mostly UK *mutts* this nice flavor of something a bit different is wonderful.

The next week finds us celebrating Lucia Day, it started when I was in 8th grade and did a report on Sweden.  My mother and researched foods and recipes and as a part of my project I brought in some delicious baked goods including lussekatter (Lucia Cats) which are cardamom-scented sweet rolls served on Lucia.  This is in celebration of the feast of St. Lucia and our family adopted the baking of these delicious treats every year on 13th December.  This is a christian feast day for St. Lucia however recent years I found that Lucia had pagan roots and was once acknowledged as the Goddess Freyja, hence the lussekatter (cats being sacred to Freyja).  Whether this is accurate or not it resonated with me so we use this day to honor Freyja and beckoning the return or light.

The following week brings us the Winter Solstice in all of it's glory, we make bird seed treats for our feathered neighbors and we donate goods to various charities, lots of outgrown winter clothes from the previous year go.  In our family it's gifting to others and celebrating that is the focus, we don't give gifts amongst ourselves on this day.   Our gift-giving comes later in the week and tends to trickle through to year's end when we really celebrate the returning light.  The hope helps me to get through the longest months (for me), January and February.

This Thanksgiving....

After a much needed respite from blogging I wanted to stop and take a moment to give thanks for all of the blessings in my life.  After finishing my daily entries and honoring the ancestors at Samhuinn I turned to a rest and preparing for Yule.  Knitting has been my favorite activity in the past few weeks.  I have started a Fair Isle knit scarf a la Hermione's scarf in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, it is time consuming, a bit challenging but infinitely easier for me than my tearful tackling in making socks. A photo of the scarf thus far is needed, and I really want to share it as it is a beautiful sight!

My big thankfulness this year, is another year of Pixie's healing.  My beautiful girl is doing well in her leukemia treatment and is strong, happy and healthy.  All of her numbers continue to be fantastic and where they want them to be and every day we are closer to her end of treatment in August.  I am thankful for my beloved daughter's healing! We are also so thankful for our friends who have done so much to help up emotionally, mentally and financially when we had no other resources.  We are blessed!

The amazingly wonderful, spectacular news is that my niece Olivia was born on Monday!  She is healthy, whole and perfect and a wonderful combination of my brother and his wife.  She is most definitely another old soul for our family and is instantly loved.  A gift!

I got to see her shortly after she was born and the most amazing sight for me, that I really cannot talk to my family about as some really don't get my seeing spirits lately, was how all of my brother's and my four deceased grandparents were encircled all around her.  I'm sure my sister in law's family were there too but I was not seeing them because two of my grandparents really stood out to me and took my breath away. Firstly our maternal grandmother, for whom one of Olivia's middle in names is from, was just enveloping her.  Her energy just embracing this wee new baby.  Secondly our paternal grandfather was standing over all of them, his energy so large and encompassing and so proud and loving.  I have just recently reconnected with him after mourning his passing for the last 30 years, he finally got through to me on the 31st.   Our paternal grandmother and maternal grandfather were there too but their energy was not as pronounced.  Combine with my brother's sheer joy and love for his firstborn child this was a VERY emotional afternoon.  Such a joy and a gift.

I have so much crafting to do between now and Yule, not sure how much blogging will happen however I really want to share favorite Yule recipes here.  In the meantime, blessings to anyone reading here, hoping your end of November is warm and love-filled.

Day 44-44 Days of Witchery-Witch’s choice!

This witch's choice is a few words on what a pagan/witch path is from someone long on a pagan path. Please bear with me, I'm working on a serious sleep deficit as this past month of Samhuinn was especially disruptive as my psychic gifts really took off in a major way, and I was not prepared for the onslaught that came at me.

I began questioning religion and slowly uncovering spirituality at a young age.  I was a teenager when I consciously sought out this path for myself, as it was so familiar and so like how my grandparents and ancestors lived.  This was the perfect path for ME.

Dear ones new to this path, yes this is an exciting time for you, you are learning and growing at a exponential rate.  You have so much ahead of you!  Please remember, that it is not for you to educate or *correct* others.  If you study your path you are reading another person's perspective.  Not the collective, but one person's perspective.  This is not the be all, end all. This is one view.  Your journey is to discover what your perspective is.  Our paths are unique to each of us.  Following the herd inhibits our own growth, take the time to learn for yourself, trust in yourself. Use what you study as a guide, if it resonates with you, fantastic.  However, it is not your place to pontificate the teachings of a fallible human.  It is not your place to push your ideals and perceptions on others.  It is not their path, theirs is unique to them.  We do not need to be lectured, or *corrected* by a new to the path upstart who still has much to learn.  Even if you believe your are an old soul, it is not your place to push.  We gain wisdom with hard work and introspection as we learn from our experiences and from other's experiences as well.

This has been a long time coming, this disjointed note.  I've been connected to the pagan community on the world wide web for nearly 20 years.  I have seen many newbies feel they know everything and stomp in with a huge chip on their shoulder. Insisting their way is the correct way and all others are misguided and misinformed.  Not all of us follow Wicca, Wicca is a modern day revamp of a plethora of old ways.  I do not follow it because it smacks too much of my Catholic upbringing for me.  I recall the years of warring where *eclectics* were not true pagans.  The flame wars over who was right and who was wrong threatened such a serious split to a group that was already battling for acceptance in a Christian-dominant world.  Perhaps it is where my path has taken me, or perhaps it is a maturing of the pagan community, but I no longer see these flame wars like they once were.  We are more accepting of each other's paths and embrace these differences that make us unique.  My 27 years actively on my pagan path has brought such amazing wonders, so much growth, change, I am always evolving and growing and I wish the same for everyone just starting out. Slow down and take time to marinate in all that you are learning.  Embrace all the lessons that the earth, universe and your fellow pagans on the path have to offer. All of it will contribute to your path.

This post is part of the 44 Days of Witchery

If you followed this journey with me, thanks for reading.

Day 43-44 Days of Witchery-A magical recipe-Smell Of Yule

As my 44 days of Witchery, as well as Samhuinn, wind down our attention will soon slip to Yule.  This is my favorite magical Yule simmering recipe.  I use my simmering crockpot and dump these spices along with some orange peel, perhaps a star anise and a few gratings of whole nutmeg and let the scent infuse my home with magical Yuletide cheer.

Smell Of Yule

1/3 cup crushed cinnamon sticks (2 - 1 oz. cans) -(energy, good luck, love, money, passion, peace, prosperity, protection)
1/3 cup whole cloves (2 - 1.12 oz. cans) -(love, memory, money, passion, peace of mind, protection, purification)
2/3 cup whole allspice berries (2 - 1.25 oz. cans) (Communication, compassion, determination, energy, healing, money & luck)
cheesecloth, cut in 4" squares

Place cinnamon sticks in an old towel and crush with a mallet. Place
in bowl and add remaining ingredients; mix well.

To make bags, place 1 tablespoon of mix on a double thickness of
cheesecloth squares. Tie corners together with string. Place in
jars.

TO USE: Simmer 1 bag in small saucepan of water to spread smell
throughout house. Also, simmer 1 bag in 1 quart cider, apple juice,
or red wine for a delicious spiced drink. Makes 7 half-pints. Attach
instructions to jars.

Source: unknown

This post is part of the 44 Days of Witchery

Day 42-44 Days of Witchery-A favourite nature spirit.

This is the forest primeval. 

The murmuring pines and the hemlocks, 

Bearded with moss, 

and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight...
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 

 
I cannot think of one favorite nature spirit. Having once lived in an area with all elements represented I found exposure to all sorts of devas/elementals/nature spirits.  This forest captured in a Winter Solstice sunrise was filled with everything imaginable.  We lived at the edge of hundreds upon hundreds of untouched forest acreage.  The above snippet of Longfellow's Evangeline truly captured the wood around my home.  Everything bearded in moss, hemlocks whispering, it truly was magical.  Despite the 30 acres atop the ridge which had been clear cut (horridly devastating) our magical 5 acres were a safe haven for all creatures and spirits. Each spirit brings such a unique energy and role to this environment that I simply cannot find a favorite. They are all favorites.

This post is part of the 44 Days of Witchery

Day 41-44 Days of Witchery-A spell you’ve done.

Freezer binding spell is the most recent spell done.  As a protective measure from the negative actions of someone no longer in my life.  What I like about this spell is that it prevents the effects of another's actions from affecting you. 

Another *spell* of sorts that I highly recommend to everyone is making a witch jar.  I have found tremendous success with them and people who have directed negativity toward me have quickly found that it comes right back at them, multiplied.  I've made believers out of non-Pagans over this highly protective resource.  Recipe for the jar can be found on my site.

This post is part of the 44 Days of Witchery

Stitch Witchery

I've been knitting like crazy since about July and have little to show for it.  I have a new niece coming very soon, so I am knitting lots of love into goodies for her.  I am a great starter, I start up a storm!  It's the finishing that trips me up, so I have a lot of unfinished starts for my niece- booties, a blanket (which was actually unravelled and started over).  What I have finished, and am quite chuffed over finishing, are two hats...a pumpkin, and some sort or purple berry hat.  Currently I am wrestling with an olive version for Miss Olivia, as requested by my brother (her daddy).  Hope to have it done today...Then on to tackling my first attempt at socks for Pixie...however I have a healing quilt that needs to be completed, fat lot of good it's doing her right now!....

and so many Yule pressies to create!