Monday, January 12, 2015

midwinter solstice cool yule

days noticeably longer- like by a half hour. And with these nights of bright moon, even the dark is less so. 
frozen circle

20 days since Solstice. Halfway to Imbolc.
It will be Spring.
Even if the days of single digit temps are here finally.

ice crystals cat print

We are needing enforced down time as we evolve through this wombtime of winter.a bed of ashesUpon a bed of ashes we built our fire
on a day of cold with lightly scattered snow.
Days of warmth and deep chill followed, gently carrying us through the gates of winter and past
to the edge of cycles
around the wheel.ice scryingit was such a powerful ritual, a full one,
many families and folks and also solitude time
before and after alone with nature,
with the stream and the wind and the hard earth. 
ice crystals pine needle winter solsticeI couldn’t write many notes
only some words here,
letting most of the pictures tell their storywholeness

passing the flame from a candle to a candle
which would light our magical fire

lighting the candle 

carrying the flame a fire lit with no matchfirst strikefire structure 1 fire well & tree  burning next to the frozen well

fire curl

fire stretch

fire pole fire dance fire leap double fire  humble flame in the blue darkfire eyescentral fire sharing the flame lighting the crown  2 fires burn fire goddess and lightcandle in the snow with rune bag 3 chimes to start, each with a space deeper than the last
fires 1  fires 2 fires 3with flash

Bryan breaks the stick at exactly Yule. A new tradition.almost

Yule

Children waiting, not always so patiently, pacing or sitting, within or without,
with devices or not, coming & going. Tiny Tim.

gathering

centered on the earth sweetgrassour sweet grass alightsweet grass sacrifice fire sacrificeour hands bright wind blows smokewind blows fire the fire speaks illuminating the night
fire 1 fire 2 fire 3 fire 4 fire 5 fire 6 fire 7 fire 8 fire 9 

 

 

 

 

wise fire- keep us healthy and strongfire 10fire 11 fire 12 fire 13 fire 14 fire 14 fire 15fire 16encompassing fire- help us focusblazing light  feeding the flamesfinal sacrifice mystical fire- carry our prayersmagic fire sprites rune casting on ice  runes on icewinter solstice runesfrom the ancestors:Uruz or the primordial ox- aurochs
from the spirit of Nature & Place: Laguz, the lake, that which we draw up from, note that our waters are frozen, thinking about the reservoir and our water sources.
from the Gods & Goddesses: Manaz or the Self. There was something special being spoken about how we tend to look at the Gods and Goddesses as other and that there is an essence of humanity(that the Gods and Goddesses are in or through people) and that the mystery of this whole divine thing is more about the self.
and for the Season: Elhaz, the Elk Sedge, a position of attention or prayer or activity or action.Solstice cake

Be alert, the world needs more lerts.