World Wide Solstice Sun Wreath Ceremony

My friend Beth Owl's Daughter has graciously hosted this ceremony for the last 14 years. and each year it's been growing. It's now pretty much world wide. Please follow the link for more information on this event which begins TOMORROW night at dusk and continues through the holiday season.



I'll be back soon with a new post.



https://www.owlsdaughter.com/it-is-time-for-the-2018-solstice-sun-wreath-ceremony-year-14/?fbclid=IwAR0S0hg7OGajzoY0YKrkCFZE30XyxoszhkdyAV0k6czDkkzvvvEZjfCfaes

Heard Only In Silence

"I live in the woods out of necessity. I get out of bed in the middle of the night because it is imperative that I hear the silence of the night, aloud, and with my face on the floor, say psalms, alone, in the silence of the night... The silence of the forest is my bride and the sweet dark warmth of the whole world is my love and out of the heart of that dark warmth comes the secret that is heard only in the silence..."

~ Thomas Merton

I have written in this blog previously about being more sensitive and psychically aware in the middle of the night and wee hours of morning. Many of us on this path are. The Divine speaks to me more clearly in these hours, when most of the work-a-day world is sleeping. In the relative silence of that time, I am better able to observe the world around me. The other evening there were seven deer just outside my window,driven by hunger to feast on the acorns fallen from the oak not more than 10 feet from the building. In the silence I watched six of them walking about on long, graceful legs before being joined by a magnificent buck. His antler rack was so large that it cast a shadow across the ground from the street lights. We sat together in the darkness and  silence for at least a quarter hour,  connected by simply being. I consider it my Yule present from Nature.

The old saying is that "silence is golden". I say silence is a gift. It is Peace and Tranquility and the place we go inward to dream and renew our soul. While it is the place I believe we are closest to the Immanent Divine, it also the place where we meet our demons. One always seems to be in proximity

of the other, and without silence and discernment, it is difficult to know which we are dealing with, which is why examination of the self was a part of these long, dark nights for our ancestors.

The late mystic Thomas Merton speaks of the secret that is heard only in silence; to him silence was the voice of God. And despite changing definitions, I believe it still is exactly that. Silence holds space and fills it with possibilities. Silence fills that space with love and even more of what bonds us as human beings to one another and all other creatures. It is in this silence that we hear the murmurings of Earth and the crack of the spark of Life.

We no longer fear the darkness of this time of year as our ancestral tribe once did ( speaking from the First World, because this is still a very real threat in the Third World.) I believe we should listen within the silence, embrace it, and celebrate what it teaches.

And with that I wish you a Blessed Solstice wherever you are, a Joyous Yule, and a Merry Christmas- whatever speaks to your heart.

A Season of Stillness and Waiting

In contrast to the hysterical blowout of Black Friday, the following Sunday is the first day of the Season of Advent, days of quiet reflection and waiting leading up to the Nativity of the Son of God. The Latin word adventus stems from the ancient Greek root parousia, meaning presence or arrival.Usually it's associated with the birth of Christ at Christmas, but I have purposely left this definition vague for reasons explained later. Right now, let's just frame this period of time as 'weeks of waiting'.

Beth Owl's Daughter begun a lovely interfaith tradition for this time of year which is emotionally uplifting. It's a cyber event that I've been participating in for several years now; I find it transformative. It's an excellent alternative to the traditional Christian Advent, and everyone is invited to participate: http://www.owlsdaughter.com/its-time-for-the-2016-global-advent-sun-wreath-prayer-circle/

I look forward to this time of year because it feels like a little otherworldly-a magickal time outside of time. The waiting for the birth of the Divine Child is a space set aside for deep introspection and connection with the sacred. There are a few things I have adapted from the Christian tradition of Advent  and made a bit more universal. It's easy to apply Pagan terms and tradition for these Weeks of Waiting. Allow me to share a past post on the subject with you:https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6786474119988979465#editor/target=post;postID=5457978819530187517;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=5;src=postname


I believe that building toward Yule and the coming of Sol Invictus makes the holiday holy in the best definition of the word; it adds layers upon layers of richness and meaning to The Longest Night of the Year.Within all of these layers of meaning,I still immerse my spirit  in the words of the Anglican Hymn O Come,O Come Emmanuel. It is a translation of a much older Latin hymn Veni,Veni Emannuel, part of the 8th century 'O Antiphons' related to the Magnificat sung during the weeks proceeding the Nativity of Christ. The age of the English text of the hymn is up for debate because there are various versions, but the music dates to much earlier, to 15th century France. The number of verses is also up for discussion and even the order in which they are sung and on which particular Sunday in Advent. (I must admit, when you are walking in procession garbed in heavy liturgical vestments, the 5-7 most popular verses feel like there are hundreds and physical discomfort can become distracting).  But all the same, it does not feel like Advent has begun until I sing this particular hymn.

Thank you, Anglican tradition for instilling in me a love of liturgy and ritual. I truly wish something similar to this music existed within the Neo-Pagan traditions other than the appropriated 'Pagan Carols' we've all heard. While well meaning, many of them are...what's the word I'm looking for? Oh,yeah...corny.  The majority of them lack meter and sound a bit shallow to my ear. That's just me; maybe you like them, and if you do, that's fine. But I still would love to see someone come up with some original lyrics and music that are Pagan-centric and don't sound like hashed-over Christmas carols. ( One standout-the Unitarian Universalist Within the Shining of a Star, which relates the birth of a Divine Child to all children ).

Until then, I'll stick with the Christianized versions that are vaguely celebratory of the Birth of the Divine Child, whomever he or she may be.

Seeking Light in the Darkest of Days-Part III

I began writing Seeking Light in the Darkest of Days in 2003 with intention of the devotions and meditations becoming a book of seasonal liturgy for the Winter Solstice-the waning and waxing of light. The original draft began the day after Thanksgiving with prayers and invocations that centered around gratitude because I wanted that theme to carry through the entire manuscript, which included the Feast of Sol Invictus but ended in the Spring after the daylight began to measurably grow longer.

After writing the introductory sentences for the first days and their  accompanying reflections and meditations, I realized that carrying that through to the Solstice broke neatly into three sections of seven days, which I was pleased to find because I wanted the devotions to echo the premise of the Latin octava dies, or an octave ( which is known commonly as an 'eighth day' but is actually just a seven day week). The concept of the 'eighth day' gives the octava dies a magickal feel somewhat like the proverbial "day that is not a day" outside of ordinary time that is spoken of by some traditions during circle casting. The sanctity of octava dies is, of course, implied because it is men who set things apart to make them sacred.

I have always loved the weeks of anticipation that lead up to Christmas Day known as Advent in the Christian tradition. The word Advent simply means "coming", but there is so much more feeling and emotion to those weeks because the faithful were waiting for the cycle of the Church year to begin again, for the Son of God to be born, for the story to continue as it had throughout the centuries. When I was studying to enter seminary and much better versed in mythology, I understood the wideness of that waiting. The Divine Child expanded beyond the Christ Child and the Son; he was surely all of that, but much more as Sol Invictus, the Invincible Sun, the All Provider who returned on the horizon just in time before our agrarian ancestors rant out of food (and hope) in the middle of the cold season. With the lengthening light, the return of the Invincible Sun truly made him a savior in a very literal way. More sunlight during the day meant more warmth and less worry about what would happen when the dried,smoked or salted meats and vegetables ran out because-hooray-warmer weather meant the ability to plant and herd animals in the fields. I wanted to capture the emotion of thanks giving and gratitude in that moment in what I was writing. I had the first seven days written out and quickly added the draft of a second octave...and then everything stopped, because as often happens, Life took a turn and there were other priorities to attend to. I became ill and lost my job, and subsequently was evicted from my apartment and was actually staying in a homeless shelter for awhile. Life during that period was difficult, disconcerting, unsettled and frightening. What brought me through was the knowledge of cycles I'd learned from practicing a path of Pagan spirituality. Life occurred in cycles: being homeless was like surviving the uncertainty of Winter- but Spring would follow and things would improve until I entered my own personal Summer season and things would works themselves out and I could get settled back into a normal life. Things might not be the same, but they would stabilize, and they did.

Thankfully, before all of that happened, I'd had the foresight to transfer the original copy of what I was writing in a composition book onto a disc and stored it with friends who kept my other belongings while I was rebuilding my life. That is the first fourteen days of Seeking Light in the Darkest of Days. The final seven days were drafted a few weeks ago and appear here now. After so many years have passed-twelve to be exact-these passages had a history and the backstory deserved to be known. I have used these words in personal ritual, in public readings, and in groups. My spirit has whispered them to my soul when I had very little to hold on to, and they have endured time and again. And so, here is the last octave to Seeking Light in the Darkest of Days:

Day 15
“ God may be in the details, but the Goddess is in the questions. Once we begin to ask them, there’s no turning back”   - Gloria Steinem
I think it's equally important to discern not only the answers but the questions themselves. Why is this being asked and why at this particular time? The question is only answerable in the moment; in the next moment, the answer will different because the moment is different. All there is appears as Now as soon as the question is asked.The questions are static, but the answers- like the Goddess and the tides of the Moon- are fluid and changing. The only thing that continues to endure is the Goddess, She of Many Names. The God, as Consort, is indeed in the details, but because he plays many roles, it is he who defines us in that frozen moment in time.

In the shining disc of the Moon, I see  Your reflection- and my own.


Day 16
“ I gradually came to understand that beneath the familiar goddesses of the patriarchy, there is a much more ancient Goddess.” Carol P. Christ

The majority of us came into the realm of religion through man-made, patriarchal religions. Father God was considered the All and Everything. There was No One else. Worship of the Goddess had been suppressed and She was only glimpsed through the many female saints the Church Fathers allowed the faithful to venerate.   Think how differently the mainstream religions would be reacting to the world's problems had the Goddesses of Antiquity been allowed to thrive.


I reach among the thorns, seeking the Holy Rose.


Day 17

"This sunlight linked me through the ages to that past consciousness."Richard Jefferies

I often stand in these last few days of the year yearning-for what I do not know. I feel a bit sad and a bit in awe at once, and the emotion is bittersweet. Holiday memories come flooding back, but there is still something calling me from beyond the time I was born. I have several beliefs about what happens after we die, and on of those beliefs is that our soul fragments into pure light upon the moment of death and we return to the Universe, or the Cosmic Cake Mix, as a friend likes to call it. I like this idea of us all being mixed together, a little of this one and that one being added in to make a new creation, and I often wonder if that's where lives we've lived before come from.

We are drawn to the beckoning light to become- just to become. Living life will take care of the rest.

Day 18

"The leaf that captures a stream of sunlight, and then transfers its energy to the tree, serves one purpose in the spring and summer, and another completely different one through the fall and winter."

Guy Finley

It's been said that each of us have our own path, our own job to do in this life. We make our contribution to humanity in individual and unique ways. I believe we are destined to do this. I also believe that it will take an entire lifetime for most of us to know what that will be.

Reflect, O Radiant Soul, on your being. Honor the source that birthed you.

Day 19
"At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”  Albert Schweitzer

This quote from Schweitzer is perhaps his most famous. It is certainly my favorite from him. There are days my light doesn't burn as brightly as it should and days when I have enough light to share with someone who isn't reflecting the light as well as they could. There are too many who have kept space with me to name; unfortunately I've forgotten the names of others. But I am grateful they have fed my flame on those dark nights of the soul.

Rise up in me, O Flame of Illumination and Glory and light my path.


Day 20
We wait for many things. Our longing is never ending. We have momentous wants and expectations.
We aren't always granted our desires, and in a way I believe that is good; it teaches us that we are not as in control of things as we think we are, that there is something or someone guiding us through the Universe and the vastness of life. Our task is to find and identify that something or someone and develop a relationship as a co-creator so we may share in a living stewardship.

Who or What or Where....I do not know now. I wait for the clouds to part and show me Radiance.

Day 21
The Longest Night of the Year, the Shortest Day. We kindle our fire for warmth and light, bring in the evergreens to remind us that life continues even in the cold times, and hang them with bright ornaments to encourage the Sun-the Spark of Life-to return. If we are fortunate, we gather with friends and break bread to tell the old stories and. The spirits of our ancestors and beloved dead stand just beyond the shadows as we lift a cup and remember their names. As we celebrate the return of the Invincible Sun, we ask the Divine Child to remember us, too. Good Jul to us, and every blessing.

From the fading day to the quickening light, let us remember that we are the Guardians and Stewards of this sacred place, this holy land, our home. Let us welcome the Lord reborn and the Lady who gives life, and let us see the Divine in each other.