Stonehaven Fireball Ceremony - Rock God Tribute

And another one without the annoying music:

Once In A Blue Moon Spell

Here's a great spell to utilize the magical properties of the Blue Moon. You will need the following:

• A square of blue cloth or sturdy blue christmas wrapping paper. Ideally, the cloth or paper will have moons and stars printed on it, alternatively you can decorate it yourself with glitter glue, stickers, etc.
• 13 safety pins.
• Paper and a pen.
• Length of gold cord or ribbon.
• Bottle of Champagne, a glass, and a corkscrew.

Get centered, and sit down with your pen and paper and make a list of all the things you would want but which seem impossible. This includes anything that you find yourself repeatedly asking for. Think of "once in a lifetime," or "once in a blue moon," or "that couldn't possibly happen to me," things. The longer the list is, the better.

Now, look at each thing on your list and really think about it. Is this something you really want? If it showed up at your front door tomorrow morning would you really accept it? Are you sure this is for you? Cross off any items that you can't say YES to with enthusiasm.

Pick your top thirteen "geez I wish I could have that" items from your list. Cut your paper into thirteen moon shapes and write one wish on each one. Write it in a positive, affirmative way, such as: "I win millions of dollars in the lottery." or  "I get an all expenses paid month long vacation in Fiji with the person I love."

Open up the square of cloth or paper, and pin the 13 wishes to it with safety pins. (The safety pins insure safety and security for you as your wishes unfold.). Now fold the cloth into a neat little bundle and tie it with the gold ribbon or cord.

Take the champagne, the glass, corkscrew, and your bundle outside under the full moon. Hold the bundle up and say the following:

Please grant me these wishes

With harm to none

And bring me a life filled

With love and with fun.

I give you permission

on this special night

To unbind whatever

I may have closed tight 

to slip past the blocks

to move through whatever might

stop you from granting

these wishes tonight.

By the grace of the Goddess

By the grace of the God

As I say

It is done

So mote it be.

Now, uncork the champagne, and pour it into the glass. Hold up the glass of champagne and make a toast (say a heartfelt blessing) to the moon, and pour a small amount on the ground. Then make a toast to the Goddess and the God (a blessing and a thank-you), and pour a small amount on the ground. Then toast to yourself (something loving and kind), and drink the rest of the champagne in the glass.

Put the bundle in a place where things get worked on regularly, such as desk drawer, office cabinet, or tool box. On New Year's Eve of the following year, make a list of all the wonderful and amazing things that happened since this spell, then toss the bundle (unopened) into a fire with thanks and gratitude.

~Madame Fortuna

Full Moon Luck and Joy Spell

This is a very simple spell. You will need two candles, a white one for you and a blue one for friends and family. As the full moon is rising, light the candles and say:

"I light these candles for luck for me,

and for my friends and family,

So they will burn by day and night,

and bring us joy by their bright light."

Allow the candles burn until they are done. If something happens and you must put them out, pinch each flame out and say the following:

Little flame wait for me

I'll be back and bright you'll be.

Don't blow them out it will stop the spell. Be sure to relight the candles later when you can allow them to burn completely down.

Healing Circle Invitation

I received this invitation on Facebook, and am sharing it here for those who might be interested.

Healing Circle Template

Will You Work With Us From Your Own Altar or Sacred Space?

Eastwards I stand, for favors I pray
From Goddess Divine, and Lord of the Day
Earth lends Her power and breath sends the spell
Days end will reveal that all will be well!

- Pagan Pow-Wow Charm -

- 1200 AD

Every other Thursday night members and friends of the Black Forest Clan meet to work magick for those in need. Requests are many and varied, including: Healing, love, money, compassion, business, harmony, balance, opportunity, strength, and much more. What is important is that those working and those we work for are willing to change and help themselves. We don't ever guarantee that any enchantments will work -- that's why, in Pow-Wow, we always say we will TRY for you.

It isn't fancy here. No ornate altar. No hanging tapestries of religious icons. Not many nifty-neatie objects unless they are being empowered for someone upon request. The core is the dining room table. We use few tools and they can vary -- candles, herbs, paper, a big cauldron... sometimes crystals, music or drumming. The magickal vehicles we employ usually include chanting, whispering, sacred breathing and petition magick. Ice and Fire or Water and Fire are commonly our main elements. The fancy...the glitter...the glitz...is really in the work, itself.

Before we begin, we separate the petitions from friends, family, and strangers into the following categories:

• Healing (this can be any kind -- body, mind, spirit)
• Money & Prosperity
• Success (as in a project, business, schooling)
• Love
• Protection
• Banishing (tumors, cancer, anything invasive or negative, stalkers, abusive people)
• Peace (for all)
• Mental (studying, learning, decision making, solution oriented)
• Items to Be Empowered (prayer shawls, etc.)

Everyone gets a chance to participate. Individuals volunteer for the categories so that all can use their own ingenuity and skill. Once the petitions are categorized and selected by those who will be working we begin the actual circle by drawing the group mind together, first with cleansing herbal water and tuning forks or other sacred sounds, and then by chanting and inviting the assistance of Spirit and other selected energies. Once we have created the opening to the Divine, we normally progress with the empowerment of objects such as candles, healing shawls, etc., then move on to the requests that include those from people on FaceBook and MySpace. Interestingly enough, the circle never talks much about the individual requests -- meaning judgments are not made. If someone feels they are in need -- then that is enough for us. We always work for a fair and balanced conclusion. We don't eat during the workings, although water, tea, juice or coffee is provided.

Categories are often balanced. For example, we might start with something upbeat and strengthening, and then follow with a banishing or protection request. Magickal activities throughout the evening are carried by an individual's muse. We may sing for one category, drum for another, whisper for a third. Charms and chants chosen are also creatively encouraged, although we do use a lot of Pow-Wow influence. Petitions of those in need are burned as we raise the energy, then each working is sealed with a specific chant. We normally end our evening with a request for community peace, followed by a closure of thanking the energies invited.

Will you join us from your home this New Year's Eve? If so, you are doubly welcome.

by Silver RavenWolf
copyright 2009

The Blue Moon

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. It's a full moon, and it's a Blue Moon. What does that mean?

IN MODERN times, the term "blue moon" is defined as the second full moon occurring within a single month. By a somewhat older definition, it's the third full moon in a season that has four — instead of the normal three — full moons. Either way, it's an out-of-the-ordinary phenomenon occuring only once every few years. Hence the phrase, "once in a blue moon."

Why does this happen? A full lunar cycle is a little over 28 days long. However, a calendar year is more than that, which means that during some years, you may end up with thirteen full moons instead of twelve, depending on where in the month the lunar cycle falls. This is because during each calendar year, you end up with twelve full 28-day cycles, and a leftover accumulation of eleven or twelve days. Those days accumulate, and so about once every 28 calendar months, you end up with an extra full moon during the month.

This is an especially magical time, think of it as a lunar bonus round, a chance to ask for special "once in a blue moon" favors, or to work with "once in a lifetime" spells. This year (2009), a blue moon will occur on December 31, New Year's Eve, making for a unique oportunity for spellwork.

Historically, "blue moon" was understood in a more literal way. Once upon a time it denoted a phenomenon even rarer than an extra full moon, one that has occurred perhaps only once or twice in recorded history: the face of moon literally appearing to turn blue in color.

The full Moon tomorrow night will likely look no different than any other full Moon. But the Moon can change color in certain conditions.

After forest fires or volcanic eruptions, the Moon can appear to take on a bluish or even lavender hue. Soot and ash particles, deposited high in the Earth's atmosphere can sometimes make the Moon appear bluish. Smoke from widespread forest fire activity in western Canada created a blue Moon across eastern North America in late September 1950. In the aftermath of the massive eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in June 1991 there were reports of blue moons (and even blue Suns) worldwide.

source: space.com

Snapdragon - A Wishing Game

Here is an old old spell you can use as a way to say farewell to the Solstice and make a wish for the coming twelve months. It's less dangerous than it seems, though care should always be taken.

Fill a shallow dish with raisins and pour a few spoonfuls of brandy over them. As you pour the brandy, say the following:

You shall receive whatever gift you may name,

as far as wind dries, rain wets, sun revolves;

as far as sea encircless and earth extends.

Put out the lights, then set the brandy on fire. While it is still going, snatch one of the raisins from the flames. As you put the raisin in your mouth, make a wish. It will be granted in the next twelve months.

When doing this with a group, each person gets just one raisin. when doing it alone, you can pull out 3 raisins and make three wishes.

Bath for Protection and Purification

Place one teaspoon of dried basil in a cup of boiling water. Leave for five minutes, and then strain.

Add the liquid to your bath water to bring a protective and cleansing influence. This herbal bath is particularly useful to rid oneself of the negative feelings left by contact with those who are controlling.

source

Which Magickal Tradition Do You Follow?

I took this cool little quiz, and found it extremely interesting! Turns out I'm actually a Babylonian-Pagan-Old English Heathen! LOL! I knew Gypsies must have came from Babylon.

More Free SelectSmart.com Widgets

Frau Holle

Frau Holle also called Hulda is in old German Mythology the goddess of the dead. She plays a prominent part in German folk-lore and superstition. In stormy nights she can be often heard flying through the air, accompanied by weird spirits and witches. On such occasions it is dangerous for ill-doers to be abroad, as they will surely meet with severe punishment; while to the good she frequently appears as a benefactor. Her particular season is winter; when it snows she is shaking her featherbed.)

Found in:
Encyclopaedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences

A Christmas Salutation

I salute you!

There is nothing I can give you which you have not.

But there is much, that while I cannot give,

you can take.

No heaven can come to us, unless our hearts find rest in it today.

Take heaven!

No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present instant.

Take peace!

The gloom of the world is but a shadow.

Behind it, yet within our reach, is joy.

Take joy!

And so at this Christmastime, I greet you,

With the prayer that for you, now, and forever,

The day breaks, and the shadows flee away.

~Italian 16th Century benison

Invoking the Holly King

Today we do bid Hail to our beloved Holly King
With these ancient carols, we do again sing
He who is called Father Christmas is returning yet again
As the Solstice's longest night has finally begun
We await you, Santa Claus, Lord of Winter
To honor you on this day that you always were
Saint Nicholas, patron of children on Gaia's sphere
This invocation, we pray you do hear
Come bless us, upon this season of the Yuletide
Great Holly King as you fly upon your sleigh ride
Whether your gifts to us be physical or spiritual
We know that they will always be most magical
Grateful, because we know your blessings' great worth
We offer a blessing of our own --- Peace on Earth!

by Ginger Strivelli

'Twas the night before Yule

'Twas the night before Yule, and all through the Coven,

The cookies were baked and removed from the oven.

The bayberry candles were lit on the table,

The altar was wrapped in a new cloth of sable.

The children were nestled, all snug in their beds,

While visions of Yuletime danced in their heads.

Their stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that some presents soon would be there!

With Rocker in his new robe, and I in mine,

We were asking our Goddess her blessing divine.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

We sprang from our Circle to see what was the matter.

Away to the window, tripping over my sash,

My eyes were a-glamoured with a bright silver flash.

The moon on the breasts of the Goddess and God

Drew my eyes to behold the blessed Circle they trod.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But the manifestations of all those we hold Dear.

The physical forms of those whom we pray to,

Even Saint Nick, and his miniature sleigh, too!

Jehovah, Mohammet, Shiva, Hera and Thor.

Zeus, Freya, Brahma, and many, many more.

All the Spiritual Entities who'd ever been mentioned.

Even some, like dear Loki, who sowed seeds of dissension.

They greeted eah other with smile, warm and sweet.

Then, forming a Circle, they all took a seat.

With multiple Voices all joined as One,

The Corners were Called. And, when that was done.

The Chalice was passed from Hand to Hand.

Then, a blanket of silence enfolded the land.

A crystal clear Voice began to hold sway.

Which Deity spoke? I could not say.

But, clearly, I heard all the love in that Voice.

It caused my tired heart to take flight and rejoice.

"Our Children, it seems, have missed the whole point.

"We now join together, their hearts to anoint.

"Pour all of Our love O'er their hearts of stone.

"Let them see that together they're never alone!

"Show them it matters not which of Us that they choose.

"Their sad hate and mistrust cause each of Us to lose!"

As I stood there transfixed, I could suddenly see

If we all stand as one, what a world this could be!

Put ALL of our differences well behind us.

Let the love of the Gods enfold and remind us.

We ARE all the same,though varied our skins.

We all dream the same dreams, we all sin the same sins.

With a look of enlightenment etched on my face,

I beheld all the Gods in Their glory and grace!

They all bowed Their heads then said"So mote it be!"

They all smiled at each Other bestowing winks on me.

One by One they disappeared from my sight.

Just the Goddess and God were left in the light.

As slowly They twinkled, fading by degree,

"Happy Yuletide to all!!

Blessed be times three!"

~Written by Mary, a.k.a. Wandering Poet, a.k.a.littlebit~

Permission to reprint granted to all who keep keep this credit line by the author

A Winter Solstice Story For Children

A group of little Faeries huddled in their home deep under the roots of a giant oak tree. They were safe and snug in their tiny underground cave lined with dandelion fluff, bird feathers, and dried moss.

Outside, the wind blew cold and the snow fell softly down to cover the ground. "I saw the Sun King today," the faerie named Rose said as she pulled her mossy cloak tighter about her. "He looked so old and tired as he walked off through the forest. What is wrong with him?

"The great oak said he's dying" answered Daffodil.

"Dying? Oh, what will we do now?", Little Meadow Grass started to cry, "If the Sun King dies, our little plant friends will not grow. The Birds will not come and sing again. Everything will be winter for ever!" Lilac, Dandelion and Elder Blossom tried to comfort their friend, but they were all very sad. As they huddled together, there was a knock on the tiny door.

"Open up, Faeries," called out a loud voice. "Why are you hiding instead of joining us in our Solstice celebration?" Rose opened the door and the little gnome Brown Knobby pushed inside, shaking the glistening snowflakes off his brown coat and hat.

"We are too sad to celebrate," Daffodil said wiping her eyes, "The Sun King is dying, haven't you heard?"

"He is dead you silly Faeries." Brown Knobby's round dark eyes sparkled with laughter. "Now hurry, or we'll be late for the celebration!"

"How can you be happy and laughing?!" Elder Blossom stamped her little foot and frowned at the gnome. "If the Sun King IS dead, it will be winter always. We will never see the Sun again!"

"Silly little child-Faeries." Brown Knobby grabbed Dandelion by the hand and pulled her to her feet. "There is a secret to the Winter Solstice. Don't you want to know what it is?"

The Faeries looked at him in surprise. "Secret?" they all said. "What secret? We are only new little Faeries, you silly gnome. We've never been to a Solstice celebration before."

"Come and see. Come and see. Get your capes and come with me." Brown Knobby danced and jigged around the room. "Hurry, Hurry, don't be slow! To the Sacred Oak Grove through the snow!" He danced out of the door and disappeared.

"What did that gnome mean?" Rose asked as she gathered up her cloak of dried rose petals held together with cobwebs and lined with goose down.

"I don't know, but the Lady lives in the Sacred Grove." Meadow Grass pulled on her hat.

"Perhaps if we go to see the Goddess, She can explain what Brown Knobby was talking about".

The Faeries left their snug little home and trudged off through the snow toward the sacred oak grove. The forest was dark with only the light of the Moon shining down through the thick fir branches and bare limbs of maple and hawthorn. It was very difficult for them to get through the snow because they were very, very small. As they waded through the wet snow and shivered in the cold wind, they met a fox.

"Where are you going, Faeries?" the fox asked.

"To the sacred grove," they answered, they were cold and shivering.

"Climb on my back and I will take you there swiftly."

The fox knelt down so the Faeries could climb up. Then he raced off through the dark.

"Listen!" Lilac said as they neared the Grove of Sacred trees. "Someone is singing happy songs. A LOT of someones."

The beautiful music carried over the cold, still, moonlit air. It was the most beautiful music the Faeries had ever heard. The fox carried the Faeries right to the edge of the stone altar in the center of the grove, then knelt down.

"Look!" said Elder Blossom as they slid to the snow covered ground. "There is the Maiden and the Mother and the OLD Wise Crone, and many other Little People."

"They are all smiling and happy," said Lilac as she looked around at all the creatures.

"All the animals are here too," whispered Dandelion. "Why are they all looking at the Mother?"

The Faeries moved closer to the three Ladies seated on the altar stone. The Mother held a bundle close in Her arms, smiling down at it. The Maiden reached down and took the Faeries gently in her Hands. She held them close to the Mother so they could see what She held.

"A Baby!" the Faeries cried. " A new little Baby! Look how he glows!"

"He is the newborn Sun King," said the Maiden smiling.

"But Brown Knobby and the old oak tree said the Sun King was dead," the Faeries answered her. "How can this little baby be the Sun King?"

"That is the great secret of the Winter Solstice." The Old Wise One touched the baby's cheek with her wrinkled hand. "Every year the Sun King must come to the sacred grove during the darkest days of winter where he dies. I take his spirit to the Mother who gives him new life again. This is the way for all creatures, not just the Sun King."

" You mean everything lives and dies and lives again? the Faeries looked down in wonder at the baby Sun King, nestled in the arms of the Mother.

" Yes, Little Ones," answered the Old Wise Crone. "There is never an end to life. This is the great mystical secret of the Winter Solstice."

The Faeries laughed because they were so happy.

"I think the little Sun King should have gifts," said Rose. "I will show him where the wild roses bloom in the early summer."

"And, I will teach him to call the birds and listen to the songs of the wind," exclaimed Dandelion.

"When he is older and stronger, " said the Mother, "then the flowers will bloom at his touch, the birds will return to sing their songs, and the air will be warm from his breath, and winter will be gone for a time. Then the Sun King will run and play with you in the forest."

The little Faeries sang to the Baby Sun King, songs of the coming spring, the sweet smelling flowers, the bumbling bees, and all the secrets of the forest. And all the creatures within the sacred grove sang with them. Then the fox took them back to their snug home under the roots of the giant oak tree where they dreamed wonderful dreams, waiting for the warmth of spring and the fun they would have with the little Sun King.

(author unknown)

Yuletide Holiday Svaijko

Here's a recipe for a delicious Yuletide holiday svaijko. It is a freely adapted modern version of a very old, traditional Romany holiday recipe.

For the dough:

• 25 grams of yeast
• 60 grams of butter
• 2.5 deciliters of water
• 0.5 deciliters of sugar
• 1 liter of flour

For the filling:

• 100 grams of sour cream
• Sugar
• Raisins
• 100 grams of butter
• 200 grams of sweet chocolate

Mix the yeast, butter, water sugar and flour in a bowl so that you get a firm dough. In another bowl, mix sour cream, sugar and raisins.

Roll out the dough so that it is flattened, and spread the filling all over it. Shred the chocolate all over. Roll up the dough into a cylinder shaped roll - but carefully, so that the filling does not leak.

Brush the roll with butter, and spread some sugar all over it.

Bake it in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius (390 degress Fahrenheit) for about 40 minutes, until the roll is relatively firm inside.

Slice the roll into appropriate pieces. Serve it as a snack after the Christmas dinner, and your Christmas feast will be a great success!


NOTE:
If you need to convert the measurements there is a nifty calculator at Diana's Desserts.

Holly Tree Lore

It is during June that the light of the sun reaches its culmination, and then begins its descent into earth. The Holly speaks to the fierce capacity of the human soul to take the descent into the underworld, bringing inner light into darkness. Thus we can understand the signature of the tree, with its ability to germinate without sunlight, favoring dark, moist conditions that are more strongly related to the downward earth pole. Its stiff, pointed leaves are not unlike thorns or "spears." The Holly yields a hard, white close-grained wood that imparts a quality of solidity and impermeability, as it stands in the depths of winter, impervious to cold and darkness with its somber evergreen color.

The Druid initiates developed a sacred alphabet, called the Ogham, based upon the archetypal qualities of trees. The Holly, known in Gaelic as Tinne ruled the eighth moon of the year, or the month of June. The glyph for Holly is that of a spear, meaning literally, "I am a battle-waging spear."

Of all the trees in the Ogham, the Holly and the Oak are most primordial—they are viewed as two "kings" who exchange leadership on a yearly basis by engaging in symbolic battle. The Gaelic name for Holly—Tinne—is related to the word, tanist, meaning "dark twin." The Oak King rules from the time the light begins its ascent in December until the summer solstice in June. Holly is the "dark twin" who reigns during the waning light of the year, until winter solstice.

The Holly's prominence at Christmas is actually meant to represent a culminating experience within the soul life. It is an awakening of the love forces of the heart achieved through a descent into the interior of the self and the earth that comes to fruition during this festival. This understanding is depicted in Rudolf Steiner's Calendar of the Soul. Steiner is a modern initiate who incorporated the mystery streams of earlier cultures, including Druidic wisdom. His calendar is a series of 52 runic verses for each week of the year. Beginning at summer solstice, the soul gradually finds its way into an interior reality, moving out of the great cosmic heights. The sense of self coalesces like a seed, with light working into the inmost being, as a purifying and strengthening force. Then, at winter solstice, this light is quickened and shines forth from the heart chakra:

To carry spirit light into
World Winter-night
My heart is ardently impelled
That shining seeds of soul
Take root in world ground
And the Holy Word resounds
Through the darkness of the senses
Transfiguring all life.

In subsequent winter verses Steiner describes this activity of the soul as a "heart-high gladness". It is the inner light of Self-containment gained by living in "spirit depths"—at one with the "world ground." The soul is so solidly secure and anchored within itself that nothing can assail one's sense of deep peace. When this consciousness is mastered, the journey inward of the Self is complete. The heart awakens with a streaming of love, gradually seeking its way outward into the sense world again to meet the expansive forces of the light in spring and summer. We could say that the Holly flower which blooms in outer nature in late spring/summer, blossoms again in the human heart during winter as a force of love. Its nature is a sun force that lives, not in the heights but in the depths of the earth.

Perhaps the most profound archetypal picture of Holly is evoked through its symbolism as the Crown of Thorns. As the traditional Christmas carol proclaims, Of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown.

Druid priests wore Holly in their hair while collecting the sacred mistletoe medicine in the winter, Holly was also worn as a crown to represent the Holly King in seasonal festivals. The Holly Crown was a sign of deepest respect and recognition that such an initiate had mastered the forces of nature in harmony with the human soul.

The Holly tree came to be known as Christ-Thorn in middle Europe, for it was recognized that this plant spoke to the archetypal reality of the Crown of Thorns as a soul initiation. The Crown of Thorns is also a kind of "beheading." The false self must be pressed down with a Crown of Thorns until it finds a deeper truth in the human heart. The "battle waging spear" is thrust not outside, but within. Holly teaches us that we cannot find love outside ourselves, if it is not anchored from within the human heart. Holly creates what is divine from within what is human. Holly helps the human heart know its own wholeness; its own holiness.

~Exerpted from Holly The Heart Healer,
a wonderful article by Patricia Kaminski.

Thin German Crepes

These pancakes are perfect for the morning after the Solstice, and are excellent served the European way: with a sprinkling of sugar and fresh lemon juice squeezed on top.

• 5 well beaten eggs...add salt, sugar and flour to beaten eggs to make a smooth paste.
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 1/4 cups milk

Add milk and stir well until thin and creamy. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken. Stir again and cook as pancakes with a hot buttered pan. Re-apply small amounts of butter as needed. Serve with lemons and sugar, rolled up and cut, or with any accompaniments you can think of.

Source: Auramooth's Wiccan Page

The Song of the Holly Fairy

O, I am green in Winter~time,
When other trees are brown;
Of all the trees (So saith the rhyme)
The holly bears the crown.
December days are drawing near.
When I shall come to town,
And carol-boys go singing clear
Of all the trees (O hush and hear!)
The holly bears the crown!
For who so well-beloved and merry
As the scarlet Holly Berry?

Flower Fairies of the Winter,
Cicely Mary Barker

Rebirth

In lighting the fires, in stringing the lights, we do more than stave off the darkness, even more than honor the sun. We also stand with fierce courage to say to the darkness, "You may come this far but no further!" We have given the darkness its due, we have watched it leach the light from our lives for as long as we had to; now the long night is over, we can tentatively bring our own lights back from hiding, and let the new days begin.

This Turning of the Year, the returning of the light, this most hopeful of all days,has been celebrated across cultures and throughout millennia so, however you choose to participate, you will be part of an ancient tapestry. Whether you float old ideas and sorrows out to sea on paper mache boats with candles, make a Yule wreath to honor the sacred circle of life, death and rebirth, find a Yule log and burn it in your fireplace, or join the Fairies in ringing bells on Solstice morning to welcome back the sun, remember that this is a festival of inner rebirth. No matter how dark it seems, how completely dead the world appears, nature - including the holly and the ivy and the oak - teaches us that there is always rebirth.

source: Fairywoodland.com

The Winter Solstice

At the Winter Solstice we celebrate by bringing warmth, light and cheerfulness into this dark time of the year. Holidays such as this have their origins as "holy days". They are the way human beings mark the sacred times in the yearly cycle of life. On this shortest day of the year, the sun is at its lowest and weakest, a pivot point from which the light will grow stronger and brighter. This is the pivot point of the year. The Romans called it Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun.

A simple way to celebrate this day is with a small candle lighting ceremony. The purpose being to celebrate this time of renewal in our lives, to give thanksgiving for the past and the present and to offer a blessing for the year to come.

How to: Create a small sacred space. Decorate it in a way that feels cheerful, warm, and bright. In the center place a white candle. As the sun sets on this day, light the candle, and say a few words about bringing the light forth in your life, in the lives of your family and loved ones in the coming year. Either allow the candle to burn out of it's own accord, or relight it every evening until Jan 1st.

I am the Holly King

I am the Holly King, the dying Sun and King of the Old Year

Like the Phoenix who rises anew from its ashes

I too shall return, born anew

As the Child, the New Sun and King

I hold in my arms

He is my son and my heir

He is my Self

Having learned the wisdoms of the South

I now return to the North

To bring you warmth and light

And the promise of Spring

I am the Holly King.

~R.

Winter Solstice Chant

Geese and standing stones and mist,
Baying hounds and hooting owl,
Sparkling stars, snow is crisp
Herne is here. Bring forth the Bowl.

rebirth of the Sun
longest night of the year
winter Solstice
Alban Arthuan
celebrations
holly king
oak king
father Christmas
introspect
the future
Yule log,
evergreen
cedar
holly
mistletoe
candles
clove studded fruit
nutmeg
spices
wassail
ale
caroling
mumming
family bonds
love
peace goodwill
honor the God and Goddess

Hymn To The Sun

Shamash was the Sun God of ancient Babylon. The prayer that follows is one of the longest and most beautiful of the hymns that have come down to us in cuneiform. I think this would make an awesome invocation, prayer, or meditation to greet the Sun as morning dawns after the longest night of the year (The Winter Solstice).

Hail Shamash

You climb to the mountains surveying the earth,

You suspend from the heavens the circle of the lands.

You care for all the peoples of the lands,

And everything that Ea, king of the counsellors, had created is entrusted to you.

Whatever has breath you shepherd without exception,

You are their keeper in upper and lower regions.

Regularly and without cease you traverse the heavens,

Every day you pass over the broad earth. . . .

Shepherd of that beneath, keeper of that above,

You, Shamash, direct, you are the light of everything.

You never fail to cross the wide expanse of sea,

The depth of which the Igigi know not.

Shamash, your glare reaches down to the abyss

So that monsters of the deep behold your light. . . .

Among all the Igigi there is none who toils but you,

None who is supreme like you in the whole pantheon of gods.

At your rising the gods of the land assemble,

Your fierce glare covers the land.

Of all the lands of varied speech,

You know their plans, you scan their way.

The whole of mankind bows to you,

Shamash, the universe longs for your light. . . .

Every single person is entrusted to your hands;

You manage their omens; that which is perplexing you make plain.

You observe, Shamash, prayer, supplication, and benediction,

Obeisance, kneeling, ritual murmurs, and prostration.

The feeble man calls you from the hollow of his mouth,

The humble, the weak, the afflicted, the poor,

She whose son is captive constantly and unceasingly confronts you.

He whose family is remote, whose city is distant,

The shepherd [amid) the terror of the steppe confronts you,

The herdsman in warfare, the keeper of sheep among enemies.

Shamash, there confronts you the caravan, those journeying in fear,

The travelling merchant, the agent who is carrying capital.

Shamash, there confronts you the fisherman with his net,

The hunter, the bowman who drives the game,

With his bird net the fowler confronts You.

The prowling thief, the enemy of Shamash,

The marauder along the tracks of the steppe confronts you.

The roving dead, the vagrant soul,

They confront you, Shamash, and you hear all.

You do not obstruct those that confront you. . . .

For my sake, Shamash, do not curse them!

You grant revelations, Shamash, to the families of men,

Your harsh face and fierce light you give to them. . . .

The heavens are not enough as the vessel into which you gaze,

The sum of the lands is inadequate as a seer's bowl.......

You deliver people surrounded by mighty waves,

In return you receive their pure, clear libations. . . .

They in their reverence laud the mention of you,

And worship your majesty for ever. . . .

Which are the mountains not clothed with your beams?

Which are the regions not warmed by the brightness of your light?

Brightener of gloom, illuminator of darkness,

Dispeller of darkness, illuminator of the broad earth.

The Birthday of the Unconquered Sun

Soon it will be Yule, Christmas, the Winter Solstice. Another name for this special time is The Birthday of the Unconquered Sun, or Dies Natalis Invicti Solis. One really great way to honor the Sun (and yourself) is with a series of body positions called Sun Salutations. An excellent time to begin this ritual is on the morning of the Winter Solstice just as the sun is rising, (facing east). If a sunrise Sun Salutation isn't possible, but you want to include this in your morning routine, pick a time before breakfast, and that will be fine.

The Sun Salutation, (Surya Namaskar), is a series of 12 yoga postures performed in a single, graceful flow. Each movement is coordinated with the breath. Inhale as you extend or stretch, and exhale as you fold or contract. The Sun Salutation builds strength and increases flexibility. Different styles of yoga perform the Sun Saluation with their own variations. However, the flow presented below covers core steps used in most styles.

For the series below, a single round consists of two complete sequences: one for the right side of the body and the other for the left.

Even on days when you think you have no time for yoga, try and do at least one or two rounds of the Sun Salutation. You'll feel the difference.

1. Mountain:

Begin by standing in Mountain pose, feet about hip width apart, hands either by your sides or in prayer position. Take several deep breaths.

2. Hands up:

On your next inhale, in one sweeping movement, raise your arms up overhead and gently arch back as far as feels comfortable and safe.

3. Head to knees:

As you exhale, bend forward, bending the knees if necessary, and bring your hands to rest beside your feet.

4. Lunge:

Inhale and step the right leg back

5. Plank

Exhale and step the left leg back into plank position. Hold the position and inhale.

6. Stick

Exhale and lower yourself as if coming down from a pushup. Only your hands and feet should touch the floor.

7. Upward Dog

Inhale and stretch forward and up, bending at the waist. Use your arms to lift your torso, but only bend back as far as feels comfortable and safe. Lift your legs up so that only the tops of your feet and your ahnds touch the floor. It's okay to keep your arms bent at the elbow.

8. Downward dog

Exhale, lift from the hips and push back and up.

9. Lunge

Inhale and step the right foot forward.

10. Head to knees

Exhale, bring the left foot forward and step into head-to-knee position.

11. Hands up

Inhale and rise slowly while keeping arms extended .

12. Mountain

Exhale, and in a slow, sweeping motion, lower your arms to the sides. End by bringing your hands up into prayer position. Repeat the sequence, stepping with the left leg.

If the stick figures are not quite "doing" it for you, here's a video:

Incense for Yule

Frankincense
Symbolizing: Sun, Purification, Consecration, Protection, Spiritual Illumination
Forms: incense, oils
Divinities: Sun Gods, Ra at Dawn, Bel

Myrrh
Symbolizing: Healing, Death and Afterlife, Purification, Inner Peace
Forms: incense, oils
Divinities: Isis, Ra at Midday

Yule Oil
2 drops of each Cinnamon and Clove oil
1 drop of mandarin oil
1 drop of popine oil
2 drops each frankincense and Myrrh oil.

Yule Incense
2 parts Frankincense
2 part Pine Needles or resin
1 Part Cedar
1 Part Juniper Berries
Mix and smolder on Yule (on or around December 21st), or during the winter months to cleanse the home and to attune with the forces of nature amid the cold days and nights.

(The above recipe for "Yule Incense" is from Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews )

Other Scents and Incense for Yule celebrations and spells:

• Pine,
• Cedar,
• Bayberry,
• Cinnamon,

The Yule Log

On the winter solstice, on the longest night of the year, people would place and set afire an entire tree, that was carefully chosen and brought into the house with great ceremony. The largest end of the log would be placed into the fire hearth while the rest of the tree stuck out into the room! The log would be lit from the remains of the previous year's log which had been carefully stored away and slowly fed into the fire through the Twelve Days of Christmas.

It was considered important that the re-lighting process was carried out by someone with clean hands.

Tradition has it that the burning of the Yule log was performed to honor the Great Mother Goddess. The log would be lit on the eve of the solstice using the remains of the log from the previous year and would be burned for twelve hours for good luck and protection. As the fire began all other lights would be extinguished and the people would gather round the fire. In thanksgiving and appreciation for the events of the past year and in bidding the year farewell each person would toss dried holly twigs into the fire.

The next phase of the burning of the Yule log commenced with people tossing oak twigs and acorns into the fire and they would shout out their hopes and resolutions for the coming New Year and sing Yuletide carols. The celebration of the Yule log fire ended with unburned pieces of the Yule log saved to start the fire of next winter’s solstice Yule log.

The custom of the Yule Log spread all over Europe and different kids of wood are used in different countries. In England, Oak is traditional. The “mighty oak” was the most sacred tree of Europe, representing the waxing sun, symbolized endurance, strength, protection, and good luck to people in the coming year. In Scotland, it is Birch; while in France, it's Cherry. Also, in France, the log is sprinkled with wine, before it is burnt, so that it smells nice when it is lit.

Ashes from the Yule log are very beneficial to garden plants, however, it is considered very unlucky to throw out the ashes of the Yule log on Christmas day.

Various chemicals can be sprinkled on the log like wine to make the log burn with different coloured flames! Here's a short list. Be sure to follow safety precautions if you plan on using them!!

• Potassium Nitrate = Violet
• Barium Nitrate = Apple Green
• Borax = Vivid Green
• Copper Sulphate = Blue
• Table Salt = Bright Yellow

Yule Log

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, yokes and whites separated
• 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/ cup white granulated sugar(Yes, I know sugar is listed twice...)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla (or peppermint extract, almond extract...)
• 2/3 cup white flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa (the dry powered, not the blocks)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Whipped cream
• Chocolate icing (Homemade or store bought)

Directions

Using a wire whip or hand held electric mixer, beat the egg yolks until thick and very close to the color of lemon peels. Gradually add in the 1/2 cup sugar. Set aside. Using extremely clean beaters, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Peaks will form but will quickly "slump" over. (Note: oils and fats on the beater or in the bowl will prevent the egg white from whipping correctly.) Gradually add in 1/2 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. They will hold the peaks very well at this point. Gently fold the egg whites into the egg yolks. Try not to beat it up too bad, this cake raises mostly because of the air you've just incorporated into the eggs.

Sift the dry ingredients together. Gently mix or fold into the egg mixture.

Spread batter evenly into a well greased and floured jelly roll pan (15 1/2" x 10 1/2" x 1" pan). Bake at 375 degrees for about 10-12 minutes.

When done, a tooth pick inserted into the center will come out clean.

Immediately loosen the sides and turn the cake out onto a lint-free towel that has been sprinkled with flour or powdered sugar. Starting at the narrow edge, roll the cake and the towel up together. When cool, unroll and remove the towel. Completely cover the upper surface with the whipped cream. We like to add shreds of chocolate, but this is optional.

Re-roll the cake. Now you have a brown and white spiraled "log". Place it on the serving tray or plate to ice it because you won't be able to move it to another server once it has been iced. Spread the chocolate icing over the surface of the cake, don't worry about it being even.

After the surface is covered, take a fork to make short,wavy patterns coming the entire surface to give a log like texture.

If you want, garnish the center with small pine trimmings or cones (clean ones...)

source

The Charge of the Dark Goddess

Listen to the words of the Dark Mother, who of old was called Hecate, Nuit, Morrigan, Banba, Erda, Macha, MotherNight, Sekhmet, and many other names:



Whenever you seek wisdom, at the time of the Darkening Moon, come together in love and trust and learn of Me, who am the Wisest of Crones...Ye who search the mysteries of the Earth, the secrets of Air and Darkness, of Blood and Fire, the silence of the uttermost stars, come unto me, and I shall whisper to you in the depths of midnight.

Ye shall approach Me in silence, and as a sign that ye are free from fear, your breast you shall bare to My blade...for fear has no place in My mysteries, and that which you seek of me will destroy you if you fear it.

For I am the dolmen arch beyond which stretch the mysteries of infinity. I am the silence before birth and after death. I am the clouded mirror in which you scry your own soul. I am mist in the twilight, the vast and starry sky of midnight, shadows on the Moon.

All things come to Me in the end, and yet I am the beginning of all. I meet you at the crossroads, I lead you through the darkness, My hand you grasp in the passage between the worlds. To those that toy with Me am I an instrument of self-destruction. yet to the true seeker do I bring knowledge beyond mortal comprehension.

Of you shall I demand the utter truth of all that you are, and in return shall I give you all that you may be, all that I am. For My wisdom is beyond the Ages, and knowledge of My Secrets is power over self, over fear, over death. Nor do I demand aught of you which you cannot give. For I am the Mother of Mysteries, and as you know Me, so shall you learn to know yourself.

source: The Gay Mage

Gingerbread Men (and Women!)

Gingerbread tastes great and makes the house smell wonderful as it bakes. This recipe can be used for biscuits, pretty tree decorations, or cheery gingerbread men and women to munch on.

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup dark molasses
• 3/4 cup shortening
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 4 cups flour
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon powdered cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 4 teaspoons ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all ingredients except the flour. Add the flour slowly, mixing each addition thoroughly. The dough should be slightly stiff. If the mixture seems too dry, add a teaspoon or two of water; if too wet, add more flour. Roll out the dough on a floured cutting board to about a 1/4-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters shaped like little dough people to make the shapes. Place these on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes (time is only approximate). Transfer the cookies to wax paper to cool. Give your gingerbread people features by using colored frosting from a pastry tube.

(Makes about 3 dozen medium-sized cookies)

~from: Sabbats

Winter Solstice Potpourri

Here's a recipe for a nice potpourri for the upcoming Winter Solstice. It makes a great gift for your favorite magickal friends.

• 20 drops musk oil

• 25 drops pine oil
• 1 cup oak moss
• 2 cups dried mistletoe
• 1 cup dried poinsettia flowers
• 1 cup dried bayberries
• 1/2 cup dried rosemary
• 1/2 cup dried holly leaves and berries
• 3 crushed pinecones

Mix the musk and pine oils with the oak moss, and then add the remaining ingredients. Stir the potpourri well and store in a tightly covered ceramic or glass container.

From The Wicca Spellbook by Gerina Dunwich

A Wassail Ceremony

Here is a simple wassail ceremony.

• Heat a large container of ale or beer - about 3 or 4 pints.
• Add 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup mixed spices (cinnamon sticks and whole cloves are also excellent)
• Cut up 2 or 3 small sweet apples and add those.
• Add 1 1/4 cup of pineapple juice and the same of orange.
• Squeeze 2 lemons into the brew.
• Place over a slow flame; then, before it begins to boil, take off the heat and whip up some cream. Let this float on top of the brew like foam.
• Put into a suitably large bowl (the more ornate the better).
• Toast several slices of bread, if you have fruit cake you can use pieces of that instead.
• Now, with a few friends, go out to the tree or trees (see note below).
• Dip pieces of toasted bread into the brew and place in the branches of the tree. Hang pieces of bread and cake from the higher twigs to encourage robins (guardian spirits of the trees). Bend the lower branches down and dip their ends in the brew.
• Wet the roots liberally with the brew. Pass the rest around and when everyone is thoroughly warmed up, sing a wassailing song.
• Lift your glasses to the tree and shout "Huzzah!" three times as loudly as you can.

Note: These don't have to be apple trees, since any tree will benefit from a well-intentioned blessing, but it is traditional to wassail fruit-bearing trees.  You can wassail the trees in your yard, near your home, or trees in some previously selected area.

Wassail For Kids

• 6 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tsp. ground allspice
• 12 oz frozen apple juice
• 2 cups cranberry juice
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 16 whole cloves

Tie spices together in a cheesecloth bag. Combine juices, sugar, and bitters. Simmer together for ten minutes and remove spice bag. Serve hot, but not too hot for the little ones.

source

Ves Heill - Be Healthy

The wassail—a centuries old tradition from Great Britain—is a joy-filled party celebrating the Winter Solstice, Christmastime and happy tidings. Indeed, many of the traditions of this likeable event are the originators of well-known seasonal classics (like caroling, for one).

The word wassail itself comes from the old Norse "ves heill," which literally means "be healthy." It is a toast of goodwill and is at the heart of what wassailing is all about.

"Welcome everything! Welcome all alike what has been, and what never was, and what we hope may be, to your shelter underneath the holly, to your places around the Christmas fire, where what is sits."
~Charles Dickens

These days a wassail is a party, but, in centuries past wassailing mainly involved people singing carols from door-to-door, such as "Here We Come a Wassailing" or "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." Sound familiar? The carolers would carry a bowl of wassail, which was a hot mulled wine or some kind of warm, apple-based beverage. Often people floated a piece of toasted bread on top of the steaming wassail, which was the origin of our modern-day expression "I would like to propose a toast."

When carolers entered a home they would sing, share the wassail and receive eats and drinks themselves (such as plum pudding or shepherd's pie), at which time toasts for a merry Christmas and happy tidings for a new year would be exchanged by all.

Today, wassails are still held in homes or as public celebrations in many countries throughout the world, such as Great Britain, Canada and the U.S. The celebrations can be as simple as gathering some friends for hot cider to more elaborate celebrations involving the production of short plays (called mummer plays) or caroling through apple orchards.

To host your own wassail:

• Invite friends and family to share the occasion.
• Dress up the house for a festive holiday occasion.
• Serve a warm beverage, such as spiced apple cider, mulled wine or the like, from a bowl. This is a must! Otherwise, it's not really a wassail.
• Serve food that's warm and hearty, like beef pot pie or warm potato wedges with bacon, cheese and sour cream toppings. Christmas pudding or any kind of spice cake or pound cake should do nicely for dessert.
• Play festive Christmas music in the background. (Or, better yet, sing along with carols if so inclined.)
• Partake in games that involve teams of players, like charades, Cranium, Pictionary or Taboo.

The object is simply to have a good time and share the joy of the season!
source

Wassail Recipe for Yule

For the Wassail's Baked Apples:

• 1 dozen cooking apples
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons cinnamon
• butter or margarine
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Core apples and place in an 8 X 8 inch baking pan. Mix sugar and cinnamon, fill apples with mixture, dot tops with butter. Add boiling water and sugar to pan and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 to 60 minutes.

For the Wassail:

• 1 cup water
• 4 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon nutmeg, grated (for luck)
• 1/2 teaspoon mace
• 2 teaspoons ginger (to prevent arguments)
• 6 whole cloves (to influence people in high places, and for luck)
• 1 stick cinnamon (same as cloves)
• 6 whole allspice
• 1 dozen eggs, separated
• 4 bottles sherry
• 2 cups brandy

Combine first eight ingredients in a saucepan and boil for 5 minutes. Beat egg whites until stiff. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks. Fold whites into yolks. Strain spice mixture into egg mixture and stir. Combine sherry and brandy and bring almost to a boil. Gradually add liquor to spice and egg mixture, stirring rapidly as you do so. Before serving, add baked apples to foaming liquid. Serve in a large cauldron.

source: A Year of Holidays in the Pagan Tradition