The Magickal Pen

All Hail the Winter Solstice!
December 21.2018
11:28a.m.

Sun in Capricorn

Today is the final countdown and we welcome the longest night, now knowing that we carry the flame of newborn light within. This day is marked astronomically by the moment the Sun  reaches its southern most point in the sky, its orbit aligning with the earth’s horizon at the astrological demarcation of Capricorn. Saturn and Pluto also share the Capricornian energy of this day and the energy of earth is more pronounced.

Saturn, having just transited into Capricorn today, calls us to beginning the process of re-structuring what we have claimed as our baggage or our gifts.  And, if we are resistant, Pluto reminds us of the necessary endings so that what lay in the future may be birthed from what has past before. In fact, Pluto has been working on this agenda at the level of our earthy…

A Simple Contemplative Ritual

Today the offering is a simple ritual you may wish to use on this eve of the Winter Solstice or tomorrow. We have been seeking the light within and now we are ready to call forth that light and as we call to the Solstice and the longest day of darkness.

What you will need:

• A quiet space where you will not be disturbed and is or can be darkened;
• Something comfortable to sit on;
• Any color candle and holder;
• Matches (preferably the long ones)-not a lighter;
• A warm cup of cider, hot chocolate or tea.

Establish your space in whatever way aligns with your practice, calling it forth as a sacred, safe and quiet space for your working.

Settle in to whatever chair or other bodily support you have chosen. Make note of the strength of it as it supports the contours of your body…

Waking Up

Breathe deeply. The time is almost here. We stayed out in the sun’s full light and knew that the days would shorten and the time for quiet and rest would be ticking down to the day that soon will be.

We’ve waited through the first harvest, as wheat and grain were cut and the grain lord nourished and filed our bellies. We’ve waited through the second harvest and the last of the root and sacrifice of the animal gave promise that we would survive the increasing darkness ahead.

We called to the ancestors and stood at death’s gate seeking the way and offering up plates of food and drink to those beloveds long past. The veils parted and their gossamer form billowed out in the chill of purposeful winds. And, the cry of the banshee cut sharp and strong like shards of ice.

We settled in deeply to…

Just Breathe…

The Light Within the Shadow-Part Three

Read Part One here..
Read Part Two here..

Now, is an excellent time to begin a practice of meditation and reflection. Meditation can take many forms, not just the traditional pattern of sitting quietly in contemplation. Any time we spend in reflecting on our inner nature can become an act of meditation. Be sure to breathe deeply into these moments….

In meditation, I allow my breath to slow and deepen into the darkness and move along the paths of my own creation that I have tended to in the previous months in preparation for this time of going within. These paths are often mired with the thorns and treacherous roots of inertness, illusory thoughts and judgments that I have used as the trappings of who I am in the world. My Shadow has nurtured each and knows the weakness and strength of…

Image: Ellen Vaman

The Light Within the Shadow of the Solstice
The Work of Self
This is Part 1 of a 3-Part Post

For most of us the turning of the Greater Wheel to the Winter Solstice is one of welcoming the return of the Light of renewal and strength, the promise of increasingly longer hours of daylight and anticipation of warmer weather and a more outer world focused time. This change is subtle in physical form as this is also when the cold of the Winter  will remain for a few months more prompting us to retreat indoors as the early arrival of evening’s darkness envelopes and calls us into the warmth and light of home.

Each year, I do my work of Self, both within my Tradition (The Assembly of the Sacred Wheel) and personally to call forth this return of Light. And, I also find myself retreating…

We Are Waiting!

Breathe in the night knowing that there is a Light soon to be birthed in the darkness and we stand as co-creators; the Hermit soon to emerge from the slumber of unknowing….

Move slowly and
Speak not a word
And we may catch
A glimpse of HIM yet.

The night is dark
But I have seen the
Icy thread of HER cloak.

Crystal blue eyes and
Hair black as the midnight sky
Grace a face of pale beauty
Poised on a body that is tall and lithe.

She has etched the night sky with
Fingers long and fair painting starlight and
Holding the breath of new dawn
In HER hands’ cupped embrace.

SHE has embraced the world
In the longest of nights.
HER Promise held deep within.

The forest is hushed and white with snow
Ice crystals glisten round and all of life.

Patiently holds strong in…

The Lantern of Truth
Tarot Spread

Today’s post is a special Tarot spread that can be used anytime you are seeking deeper insight into how to stoke those fires of light that dispel the darkness and illuminate growth. It aligns with the six-pointed star that is held within the lantern of the Hermit. This being the product of the greater work of turning within and allowing to grow a light of consciousness that shines brightly in any circumstance and on all planes. I have also given a little hint as to the Qabalistic references of the card’s placements (not necessarily the traditional assignations :).

A Little Numerology:

The Hermit- Key IX

Nine (9)is the number of endings and beginnings and initiatory experience. This is the final single digit number that relates to the individual and unique “you”. Wherever nine occurs there is opportunity for growth; but, only if you…

A Journey into the Dark

My offering today is an audio of a pathworking that I have used at various points in the solar year. It is a journey of courage taking you into the darkness of seeking the light. Enjoy…..

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A Pathworking of Light and Dark