There are exactly 23 days until the official launch of my Papercraft Blog and the official re-launch of a more structured Magick Mirror. I am getting things done - slowly but surely, and as of today I looked at my blogs and at my list of things yet "to do," and discovered to my surprise, that I'm almost there!!! My dream concept is about to become reality; and I can't wait to share!
So here's where I'm at - the Papercraft Blog is coming along. The skeletal structure is in place, I'm figuring out wordpress as I go, and I have officially begun working on content. Yay Luhnna!!!
As for Magick Mirror - I wanted to get more structured. I felt like I was in danger of spreading myself too thin and didn't want to find myself in a position of neglecting this blog to meet deadlines for other projects. So, I have a plan. I am officially committing myself to 3 posts a week - that's a lot for a busy work-at-home Mom, so after much sulking, I've decided to be good with that.
Mondays and Fridays I will post real articles on Magick Mirror - the reflective, contemplative articles you have come to love and expect from me. On Wednesdays, I've decided to mix it up a bit. I LOVE the idea of Wordless Wednesdays, so I'm going to include it here on Magick Mirror - with a twist of course. All of the imagery I include here will be related to my understanding of the craeft, and although my posts will be wordless I am hoping you all will have much to say.
Finally, you will still be able to find my bi-weekly, Wednesday, articles on The Pagan Household and I will continue to keep some time open for occasional guest posts. What do you think? Any thoughts?
Namaste and Blessed Be,
Luhnna
Friday, January 28, 2011
Inspired by Life
I am so excited for Stacy Evans, author of Inspired by Life Blog and Hearth and Home Columnist on The Pagan Household. Her followers count hit 25 this week and today she is at 27, so she's decided to reward her followers with her very first giveaway! Yup - 4 great gifts: a pentacle tote bag, a Celtic charm key chain, a beautiful Josephine Wall journal, and a $20 e-gift certificate for Dragon Moon Gifts. I actually have the very same journal and use it as a Dream Journal. It's good size, high quality and absolutely beautiful. I love mine.
If you are not familiar with Stacy, she's a young pagan Mommy, writes for the blogs I mentioned above and even has her own etsy store - impressive for someone with such a little munchkin at home. I'm impressed with all she is taking on and I hope y'all will take a look at her sites, read her posts and be sure to enter her giveaway. You can also find her on facebook and twitter.
Personally, I find her success inspiring. I have only been online for a few months and have met so many great people. Stacy stands out as one of those great, helpful, encouraging souls - she puts herself out there and is always available for others in need. Most admirable is that she really seems to be doing what she does for herself, for her family and for others, not for money, not for acknowledgment, but because its just who she is and what she loves to do. It's good to see someone so deserving actually achieving her dreams; and I hope that I will be able to do the same with the same, selfless, loving motives.
Namaste,
Luhnna
If you are not familiar with Stacy, she's a young pagan Mommy, writes for the blogs I mentioned above and even has her own etsy store - impressive for someone with such a little munchkin at home. I'm impressed with all she is taking on and I hope y'all will take a look at her sites, read her posts and be sure to enter her giveaway. You can also find her on facebook and twitter.
Personally, I find her success inspiring. I have only been online for a few months and have met so many great people. Stacy stands out as one of those great, helpful, encouraging souls - she puts herself out there and is always available for others in need. Most admirable is that she really seems to be doing what she does for herself, for her family and for others, not for money, not for acknowledgment, but because its just who she is and what she loves to do. It's good to see someone so deserving actually achieving her dreams; and I hope that I will be able to do the same with the same, selfless, loving motives.
Namaste,
Luhnna
Thursday, January 27, 2011
I have a Button!!!
OK - so, just a little bit of randomness... I have been working on my craft blog attempting to create a button - and attempting is the key word here. Yup - if you haven't guessed it by now, you might as well know that I am seriously inept at everything internet related. Hours have been spent painfully hashing out the dos and don'ts of botton crafting. I'm not kidding - HOURS; and, I still don't have one for my craft blog! Darned wordpress. But - I am happy to report, that Magick Mirror officially has a button!!! You can find it to the right under the "About Me," section.
No loves, I am sorry, but I couldn't figure out how to get rid of the ugly white canvas background, but like I said before - completely inept at this internet stuff! I'm just thrilled I got an image this time. Hahaha.
So, tell me what you think? Any thoughts?
Loves and Namaste,
Luhnna
No loves, I am sorry, but I couldn't figure out how to get rid of the ugly white canvas background, but like I said before - completely inept at this internet stuff! I'm just thrilled I got an image this time. Hahaha.
So, tell me what you think? Any thoughts?
Loves and Namaste,
Luhnna
Sunday, January 23, 2011
I don't usually do this, and I know I've been away...
...but I'm sure many of you have read my new bi-weekly column, Green Family Magick on The Pagan Household, and my recent guest post on The Balanced Witch. I am still here, I'm just really swamped - so my posts may be few and far between for a while!
Aside from working on The Pagan Household - which by the way, if you haven't read already, you should absolutely do soon; I have been very busy preparing for the launch of my new crafts blog, Luhnna's Papercraft Corner, and Etsy Shop, Familiar Moon. I am extremely slow when it comes to technology, so you can only imagine how much "fun" I've been having - LOL. I hope to have both of these sites fully launched by February 20th. In addition to all of that, please understand, we are still knee deep in preparation for the impending move, Imbolc is right around the corner and our family is just getting over our second bout of illness since Yule. It's crazy here!!!
Still - crazy as it is, I wanted to spread the word for two up and coming pagan favorites of mine (and I'll admit, for purely selfish reasons). Author Laura DeLuca's new book Destiny is soon to be released and she has partnered with one of my favorite Etsy shops, The Whimsical Pixie for a complete Destiny Inspired Altar Set that I just LOVE. I want this for my daughter - it's exactly her style, so I have entered my way into this drawing in as many ways I can see possible. <3 It helps that I already liked her blog to begin with and The Whimsical Pixie is the reason I got started with Etsy in the first place, so I don't mind sharing with you all. If you have the opportunity, please check them both out and share with your friends. The more we support fellow pagans in their endeavors, the more we will find ourselves accepted and embraced by mainstream society. Witches of the World Unite!!! Hahahaha.
I hope to be back on here regularly, soon after Imbolc. However, realistically, I'm going to commit to being back for good once my business projects have launched - just shy of a month. I appreciate your patience and look forward to seeing you regularly again. I hope you visit me on The Pagan Household in the meantime.
Loves and Blessings,
Luhnna
Aside from working on The Pagan Household - which by the way, if you haven't read already, you should absolutely do soon; I have been very busy preparing for the launch of my new crafts blog, Luhnna's Papercraft Corner, and Etsy Shop, Familiar Moon. I am extremely slow when it comes to technology, so you can only imagine how much "fun" I've been having - LOL. I hope to have both of these sites fully launched by February 20th. In addition to all of that, please understand, we are still knee deep in preparation for the impending move, Imbolc is right around the corner and our family is just getting over our second bout of illness since Yule. It's crazy here!!!
Still - crazy as it is, I wanted to spread the word for two up and coming pagan favorites of mine (and I'll admit, for purely selfish reasons). Author Laura DeLuca's new book Destiny is soon to be released and she has partnered with one of my favorite Etsy shops, The Whimsical Pixie for a complete Destiny Inspired Altar Set that I just LOVE. I want this for my daughter - it's exactly her style, so I have entered my way into this drawing in as many ways I can see possible. <3 It helps that I already liked her blog to begin with and The Whimsical Pixie is the reason I got started with Etsy in the first place, so I don't mind sharing with you all. If you have the opportunity, please check them both out and share with your friends. The more we support fellow pagans in their endeavors, the more we will find ourselves accepted and embraced by mainstream society. Witches of the World Unite!!! Hahahaha.
I hope to be back on here regularly, soon after Imbolc. However, realistically, I'm going to commit to being back for good once my business projects have launched - just shy of a month. I appreciate your patience and look forward to seeing you regularly again. I hope you visit me on The Pagan Household in the meantime.
Loves and Blessings,
Luhnna
Monday, December 20, 2010
Four days later...
Well loves... here I am, four days later, and no closer to getting things done than I was a week ago! I've actually gone backwards. I am so not ready for Yule.
I told you before that my youngest, Georgi, became very ill with a severe case of croup on Wednesday. She spent all night in the ER on Thursday and we were both miserable all day Friday after having no sleep the night before. I am still trying to recover.
Her fever finally broke early Saturday morning and I was able to get some catch up work done around the house during the day, despite my exhaustion. Early this a.m. however, I woke up to her barking cough (a reminder that she still has a ways to go to be over this thing), and my son Holder crying that his tummy and his eyes hurt. Great. And yes - by early-afternoon, his mild tummy ache and burning eyes had developed into a full-fledged fever, complete with red eyes and lethargy. Thankfully, no sign of a barking cough from this one yet - but his fever has been stubborn and he has been whiny and needy all day.
To add insult to injury, Georgi has decided that she is not ready to share the spot light - so I have had TWO whiny munchkins all day, I am getting sick and absolutely nothing is getting done around my house. We have boxes everywhere (we are preparing to move in a few months), no room for the tree we were supposed to get today, no family altar, no candles, no baking done, no decorations up - we are SO far behind, and Yule's Eve is tomorrow (well - today depending on what time you are finally reading this).
I don't want to be stressed out all day tomorrow - Yule should be relaxing and enjoyable - and I don't want to be exhausted. So, I have reluctantly decided that it is time to let go. I am not going to get the articles I wanted to post up and on my blog for Yule this year - some of them will happen, but as Yule proceeds... others will have to wait until next year when we are settled into our Nashville home with less on our plates.
I am also having to let go of some of our plans - we may not get to make as many Yule crafts or Yule treats as we would like to do, we may have to scale it back to make room for more packing and purging. Our solstice ritual may have to be more of an observance due to sick family members; and this year, Yule just may have to be more for us about cleansing out the old to make room for the new to begin - just as the winter cold prepares the earth for the fertility of spring. Hmmm? I'm too tired to decide exactly how that's going to work just now.
The thing is, any of you who know me also know that I'm a bit obsessive compulsive (an understatement I'm sure). I do not let go easily. I am also a serious perfectionist which makes "scaling back" even more difficult to do. This is going to be much harder on me than it may seem like it should be. Still, I am trying to get behind this and start fresh. I will have to get some sleep and reevaluate in the a.m.. In fact, a little positive energy sent my way would be much appreciated. I can use all the support I can get; and any of you adept to healing, please send some healing energies out to my littlest ones? I really do appreciate the thoughts - thanks.
Please tell me I'm not alone... is anyone else out there having a Solstice season like mine?
Namaste,
Luhnna
I told you before that my youngest, Georgi, became very ill with a severe case of croup on Wednesday. She spent all night in the ER on Thursday and we were both miserable all day Friday after having no sleep the night before. I am still trying to recover.
Her fever finally broke early Saturday morning and I was able to get some catch up work done around the house during the day, despite my exhaustion. Early this a.m. however, I woke up to her barking cough (a reminder that she still has a ways to go to be over this thing), and my son Holder crying that his tummy and his eyes hurt. Great. And yes - by early-afternoon, his mild tummy ache and burning eyes had developed into a full-fledged fever, complete with red eyes and lethargy. Thankfully, no sign of a barking cough from this one yet - but his fever has been stubborn and he has been whiny and needy all day.
To add insult to injury, Georgi has decided that she is not ready to share the spot light - so I have had TWO whiny munchkins all day, I am getting sick and absolutely nothing is getting done around my house. We have boxes everywhere (we are preparing to move in a few months), no room for the tree we were supposed to get today, no family altar, no candles, no baking done, no decorations up - we are SO far behind, and Yule's Eve is tomorrow (well - today depending on what time you are finally reading this).
I don't want to be stressed out all day tomorrow - Yule should be relaxing and enjoyable - and I don't want to be exhausted. So, I have reluctantly decided that it is time to let go. I am not going to get the articles I wanted to post up and on my blog for Yule this year - some of them will happen, but as Yule proceeds... others will have to wait until next year when we are settled into our Nashville home with less on our plates.
I am also having to let go of some of our plans - we may not get to make as many Yule crafts or Yule treats as we would like to do, we may have to scale it back to make room for more packing and purging. Our solstice ritual may have to be more of an observance due to sick family members; and this year, Yule just may have to be more for us about cleansing out the old to make room for the new to begin - just as the winter cold prepares the earth for the fertility of spring. Hmmm? I'm too tired to decide exactly how that's going to work just now.
The thing is, any of you who know me also know that I'm a bit obsessive compulsive (an understatement I'm sure). I do not let go easily. I am also a serious perfectionist which makes "scaling back" even more difficult to do. This is going to be much harder on me than it may seem like it should be. Still, I am trying to get behind this and start fresh. I will have to get some sleep and reevaluate in the a.m.. In fact, a little positive energy sent my way would be much appreciated. I can use all the support I can get; and any of you adept to healing, please send some healing energies out to my littlest ones? I really do appreciate the thoughts - thanks.
Please tell me I'm not alone... is anyone else out there having a Solstice season like mine?
Namaste,
Luhnna
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Shoulda - Woulda - but not today...
So, I am supposed to be posting an article today on the lighting of ritual candles for the 13 days of Yule. Yesterday, I was supposed to create tutorial videos to upload for tonight's post with Yule's Eve craft recipes. Instead, about this time yesterday, my youngest decided that her job (at least for the next few days), is to remind me that I am first and foremost, a Mom.
Yup, my prissy little princess is sick - very sick. She purrs when she breathes, has a nasty bark of a cough, and a very high fever. She has been clingy, lethargic or otherwise whiny. I spent most of my day yesterday tending to her (and her messes - she has peed her pants at least 5 times since the fever came on); and I have spent the rest of my time attempting to console her jealous brother, manage the household necessities and tend to the needs of my school age monkeys. It was a very long day.
I did finally get her to sleep last night around midnight, but she woke up in a complete panic, unable to catch her breath, at about 2:30 this morning and I have been up with her since. In fact, I am writing this now with her pathetically limp little body pressed against my arm. So sad.
Anyway - I am exhausted! Hubby has finals this week - Anatomy & Physiology and Russian Sports Massage. He aced his Russian exam last night, but A & P is tonight (a cumulative exam over material covered in three consecutive terms) - so needless to say, he is extremely busy cramming for exams and unavailable to help much with a sick munchkin. Thankfully, however, he is hoping to break soon to allow me at least an hour nap to rest and reboot a little before he has to leave for class. Luckily, tonight is his last final so he'll be available all day tomorrow to help me get back on track.
I do have an outline of what I want to say prepared, so technically, I could post an article now. I could, and for another topic maybe, I would; but my method of writing is fairly organic - I like to write as it comes to me and post it right then and there. The problem with that, is that I don't like to write about spiritual matters when ill or just not in the right frame of mind. Being empathic, I am immediately aware of and affected by the energies of other writers when I read their works - when I write from such a space, I can feel the negative energy pouring into the text as I type and I am not okay with knowingly passing on that negativity to others. So - the candle lighting article and craft tutorials will have to wait (at least until after I've napped), potentially until tomorrow evening when I've had a chance to recover from all this madness. My princess does come first after all, and I have a feeling tonight may be equally as "eventful" as it was last night.
Wish me luck? And thanks again for reading - I hope to see you back here tomorrow...
Namaste,
Luhnna
Yup, my prissy little princess is sick - very sick. She purrs when she breathes, has a nasty bark of a cough, and a very high fever. She has been clingy, lethargic or otherwise whiny. I spent most of my day yesterday tending to her (and her messes - she has peed her pants at least 5 times since the fever came on); and I have spent the rest of my time attempting to console her jealous brother, manage the household necessities and tend to the needs of my school age monkeys. It was a very long day.
I did finally get her to sleep last night around midnight, but she woke up in a complete panic, unable to catch her breath, at about 2:30 this morning and I have been up with her since. In fact, I am writing this now with her pathetically limp little body pressed against my arm. So sad.
Anyway - I am exhausted! Hubby has finals this week - Anatomy & Physiology and Russian Sports Massage. He aced his Russian exam last night, but A & P is tonight (a cumulative exam over material covered in three consecutive terms) - so needless to say, he is extremely busy cramming for exams and unavailable to help much with a sick munchkin. Thankfully, however, he is hoping to break soon to allow me at least an hour nap to rest and reboot a little before he has to leave for class. Luckily, tonight is his last final so he'll be available all day tomorrow to help me get back on track.
I do have an outline of what I want to say prepared, so technically, I could post an article now. I could, and for another topic maybe, I would; but my method of writing is fairly organic - I like to write as it comes to me and post it right then and there. The problem with that, is that I don't like to write about spiritual matters when ill or just not in the right frame of mind. Being empathic, I am immediately aware of and affected by the energies of other writers when I read their works - when I write from such a space, I can feel the negative energy pouring into the text as I type and I am not okay with knowingly passing on that negativity to others. So - the candle lighting article and craft tutorials will have to wait (at least until after I've napped), potentially until tomorrow evening when I've had a chance to recover from all this madness. My princess does come first after all, and I have a feeling tonight may be equally as "eventful" as it was last night.
Wish me luck? And thanks again for reading - I hope to see you back here tomorrow...
Namaste,
Luhnna
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Green Family Yuletide Traditions - Pt. 3: Yule's Eve
Today I want to talk about Yule’s Eve – after all, Yule’s Eve is when the real fun of the season begins. I have personally celebrated Yule, privately, for the past 7 years, and during that time, we have incorporated some Yule traditions in with our family Christmases – but as I have mentioned before, this year will be our family’s first official Yule, and we are all REALLY excited! Here’s the plan:
Kicking it all off – The Gifts :
In honor of Yule’s Eve, I think it is most appropriate that the first gift of the season be spiritual in nature and come from someone who is themselves Pagan. It is the gift that will set the tone for not only the evening to come, but also for the 12 days to follow. As I am the only true pagan in my children’s lives, this year, I will be doing the gifting.
At the request of my littlest elves, we will kick of our 13 days of Yule with a gift exchange set to Alvin and the Chipmunks holiday music (my littlest ones are 4 after all). We will each open one gift and make a handmade thank you note for the gifter (in this case, me), who will promptly place each of the thank you notes in a special scrapbook set-up just for the occasion.
Since Yule is a time for reflection, I have decided that this Yule’s Eve, each of my older children and my husband will receive a handmade mirror book to journal about their upcoming year with the Craeft. It will also be easily arted to suit their individual needs (a project we intend to take on during our 13 days of Yule or on Twelfth Night after our Naming Ceremony).
For my young ones who do not yet write, I have decided to gift a sketch book style mirror book instead of a traditional journal. The idea is, that after each ritual, celebration or observance, they can draw a picture of what they liked or disliked the most. When the drawing is finished, they may dictate to me their story and I will write it on the page that follows. Since journaling is such a big part of most witches’ lives, I thought – why not start early.
If the mirror books go over as well as I think they will, I am hoping to repeat the tradition year-after-year.
About the Thank You’s:
The concept of HANDMADE thank you cards is one of the main reasons we decided to go with the 13 day gift exchange, so I will undoubtedly discuss this one again with you later; but as this particular tradition is so important to our Solstice season, I have decided to discuss it here as well.
I am trying to instill in my little witchlings that Yule is not about the gifts we are receiving, but about our families and friends reaching out to one another. It is about taking time to acknowledge our love and appreciation for those we share our lives with, and this is why we MAKE our thank you cards as opposed to filling in pre-purchased ones.
Making a thank you card takes time and requires us to tap into our creative energy. It is a way to really acknowledge the gift we have in our relationship with the gifter, as we have to really tap in to our understanding of who the gifter is and how we relate to them in order to produce a truly sincere card. Writing a few words on a store bought card (especially for young children), just doesn’t have the same impact.
I am considering posting a short series of tutorials for making handmade Holiday Cards and Thank You notes over the next few weeks, complete with pictures and possibly video (assuming I can figure out how to post video - lol), if people are interested. So please comment if this is something you would like to have me to do and I will make it a priority.
In the Circle:
OK, so not only will this be our family’s first official Yule celebration, this year will also mark our first family Sabbat ritual, in the circle, at the altar, on Yule – and even better, it will be my children's first Full Moon! During the ritual, we will share our version of the traditional Yule Story and discuss as a family what to expect over the next 12 days. We will light the first of our 13 solstice candles to symbolize the growing light with the return of the sun; and we will light 3 oil lamps to set outside our door where they will burn through the night and welcome the God home.
I am not going to go into the details of our intended ritual here as I just don’t think it is appropriate to do so… However, if you would like to see a general outline of how we plan to proceed, please let me know – I would be more than happy to share. (I will be posting an article specifically detailing our Candle Lighting ritual in the next 48 hours).
Grounding Out with Cakes and Ales
We will close our circle after homemade Crescent Cakes (my special recipe) and a special holiday drink that I have not yet decided on. I am entertaining the idea of homemade Apple Cider, Rich Hot Chocolate – possibly with Espresso, or even Soft Mead (courtesy of pagandad.com). If you have any suggestions, I would LOVE to hear them. We will be sampling recipes over the next few days, so look for our family favorites in my Holiday Recipes article later this week.
A Few Private Moments of Reflection:
Once the children and my husband have left the circle, I will take a few moments in private meditation before then turning the first card of my Sacred Days of Yule Tarot Spread (courtesy of a post by June Kaminsky on BellaOnline.com – http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art26918.asp) onto the Wheel of the Year, located at my private altar. I considered a family reading, but decided that, at least this year – I would like this to be for myself. My own time, if you will, divining with the Universal Current.
This will be my first time using this particular spread, if you have used it or decide to try it this year as will be doing – please share your feedback. I am excited to hear your thoughts.
The Celebration
Finally, we will stay up all night long, listening to holiday music and making homemade ornaments, pine cone fairies, and popcorn-cranberry garland to decorate our tree, while excitedly awaiting the rising sun. Thursday I will post recipes for each of these projects, and if at all possible I will try to include pictures and video. <3
When the sun arrives, we will all take a few moments outside to bask in its life-giving rays, feel the vitamin D as it soaks into our skin and radiates throughout our bodies, and meditate on the year to come.
I will be posting several articles relating to this series over the next few weeks, so please feel free to follow my blog if you don’t want to miss anything. Also, if you are interested in a brief overview of our 13 Days of Yule tradition – please be sure to check out my guest post on PaganDad.com: http://www.pagandad.com/2010/12/thirteen-days-of-yule.html.
Thank you so much for reading - and I hope you will come back tomorrow. As usual, I am just dying for your feedback and I look forward to hearing from you.
Namaste and Blessed Be,
Luhnna
Kicking it all off – The Gifts :
In honor of Yule’s Eve, I think it is most appropriate that the first gift of the season be spiritual in nature and come from someone who is themselves Pagan. It is the gift that will set the tone for not only the evening to come, but also for the 12 days to follow. As I am the only true pagan in my children’s lives, this year, I will be doing the gifting.
At the request of my littlest elves, we will kick of our 13 days of Yule with a gift exchange set to Alvin and the Chipmunks holiday music (my littlest ones are 4 after all). We will each open one gift and make a handmade thank you note for the gifter (in this case, me), who will promptly place each of the thank you notes in a special scrapbook set-up just for the occasion.
Since Yule is a time for reflection, I have decided that this Yule’s Eve, each of my older children and my husband will receive a handmade mirror book to journal about their upcoming year with the Craeft. It will also be easily arted to suit their individual needs (a project we intend to take on during our 13 days of Yule or on Twelfth Night after our Naming Ceremony).
For my young ones who do not yet write, I have decided to gift a sketch book style mirror book instead of a traditional journal. The idea is, that after each ritual, celebration or observance, they can draw a picture of what they liked or disliked the most. When the drawing is finished, they may dictate to me their story and I will write it on the page that follows. Since journaling is such a big part of most witches’ lives, I thought – why not start early.
If the mirror books go over as well as I think they will, I am hoping to repeat the tradition year-after-year.
About the Thank You’s:
The concept of HANDMADE thank you cards is one of the main reasons we decided to go with the 13 day gift exchange, so I will undoubtedly discuss this one again with you later; but as this particular tradition is so important to our Solstice season, I have decided to discuss it here as well.
I am trying to instill in my little witchlings that Yule is not about the gifts we are receiving, but about our families and friends reaching out to one another. It is about taking time to acknowledge our love and appreciation for those we share our lives with, and this is why we MAKE our thank you cards as opposed to filling in pre-purchased ones.
Making a thank you card takes time and requires us to tap into our creative energy. It is a way to really acknowledge the gift we have in our relationship with the gifter, as we have to really tap in to our understanding of who the gifter is and how we relate to them in order to produce a truly sincere card. Writing a few words on a store bought card (especially for young children), just doesn’t have the same impact.
I am considering posting a short series of tutorials for making handmade Holiday Cards and Thank You notes over the next few weeks, complete with pictures and possibly video (assuming I can figure out how to post video - lol), if people are interested. So please comment if this is something you would like to have me to do and I will make it a priority.
In the Circle:
OK, so not only will this be our family’s first official Yule celebration, this year will also mark our first family Sabbat ritual, in the circle, at the altar, on Yule – and even better, it will be my children's first Full Moon! During the ritual, we will share our version of the traditional Yule Story and discuss as a family what to expect over the next 12 days. We will light the first of our 13 solstice candles to symbolize the growing light with the return of the sun; and we will light 3 oil lamps to set outside our door where they will burn through the night and welcome the God home.
I am not going to go into the details of our intended ritual here as I just don’t think it is appropriate to do so… However, if you would like to see a general outline of how we plan to proceed, please let me know – I would be more than happy to share. (I will be posting an article specifically detailing our Candle Lighting ritual in the next 48 hours).
Grounding Out with Cakes and Ales
We will close our circle after homemade Crescent Cakes (my special recipe) and a special holiday drink that I have not yet decided on. I am entertaining the idea of homemade Apple Cider, Rich Hot Chocolate – possibly with Espresso, or even Soft Mead (courtesy of pagandad.com). If you have any suggestions, I would LOVE to hear them. We will be sampling recipes over the next few days, so look for our family favorites in my Holiday Recipes article later this week.
A Few Private Moments of Reflection:
Once the children and my husband have left the circle, I will take a few moments in private meditation before then turning the first card of my Sacred Days of Yule Tarot Spread (courtesy of a post by June Kaminsky on BellaOnline.com – http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art26918.asp) onto the Wheel of the Year, located at my private altar. I considered a family reading, but decided that, at least this year – I would like this to be for myself. My own time, if you will, divining with the Universal Current.
This will be my first time using this particular spread, if you have used it or decide to try it this year as will be doing – please share your feedback. I am excited to hear your thoughts.
The Celebration
Finally, we will stay up all night long, listening to holiday music and making homemade ornaments, pine cone fairies, and popcorn-cranberry garland to decorate our tree, while excitedly awaiting the rising sun. Thursday I will post recipes for each of these projects, and if at all possible I will try to include pictures and video. <3
When the sun arrives, we will all take a few moments outside to bask in its life-giving rays, feel the vitamin D as it soaks into our skin and radiates throughout our bodies, and meditate on the year to come.
* * *
I will be posting several articles relating to this series over the next few weeks, so please feel free to follow my blog if you don’t want to miss anything. Also, if you are interested in a brief overview of our 13 Days of Yule tradition – please be sure to check out my guest post on PaganDad.com: http://www.pagandad.com/2010/12/thirteen-days-of-yule.html.
Thank you so much for reading - and I hope you will come back tomorrow. As usual, I am just dying for your feedback and I look forward to hearing from you.
Namaste and Blessed Be,
Luhnna
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