Songs of Solstice: Goddess Carols

 My copy of arrived yesterday, the cover art by Kat Shaw is beautiful the pages are filled with some wonderful songs sung to old familiar Carols, prose and poetry to warm the spirit’s soul on the winter solstice and beyond. Among the pages are more art pieces by Kat Shaw and other wonderful artist. This book of goddess carols will make an great addition to your Yule and Winter Celebrations. Personally this Girl God book will grace my goddess bookshelf for many years to come.

This may be the book you didn’t know you needed until you open the pages, there are page after page of beautiful Goddess Carols to make your winter celebrations extra special. I can imagine a circle of women gathered at the solstice voices raised in song, and I can hear myself singing these carols aloud during my own winter celebrations and beyond.

With my Walking the Wheel of the Year journey I plan to pick out a few of the carols I can sing at sunrise or sunset along with my drumming.

I have posted this to my other blog here:https://deborahsasthecroneflies.wordpress.com/

Warm Wishes for a Wonderful Winter Solstice

May this Winter Solstice and the Turn of the Wheel bring you Love, Peace and Good Fortune in the coming Year. Let us Welcome the returning Sun with Hope and Joy.

 Brightly burns the Yule log tonight,

Magic dances in firelight.

Hold my hand and join the song,

Raise the Sun King bright and strong.

Dark is giving way to light,

As brightly burns the Yule log tonight.

Blessing for a Happy Thanksgiving

 

A new month and a new member in my family.

November began with me starting my Walking the Wheel of the Year journey, besides the obvious walk in nature I plan to observe more closely what goes on around me as I walk for the entire year, I plan to take photos, make journal entries and collect bits and pieces from my walks, so finally I bought the book I have been wanting to read and perhaps it will make my walking the wheel of the year more eventful.

Yesterday Tropical Storm Nicole blew through the state of Florida, we has quite a bit f rain and heavy winds luckily all the trees have remained upright, so far.  We just had the tree debris removed from the tree that fell onto my neighbors fence last month.  After the workers finished a little visitor ran after the truck, I had a feeling he was living under those tree branches in my yard.  After he followed me to the back where I inspected the clean up and he kept getting under my feet.  He followed back up the driveway to the mailbox and to my door. We have so many stray cats in the area and many of them find their way into my yard.  This one was different, I believe he was one of the kittens that were around in May hiding in the stones of the fountain wall where other trees fell.

It was Wednesday the day of the Full Moon and Eclipse, which wasn't visible because of the clouds and rain prior to the Tropical storm heading our way.

Meet Moon Shadow, I went around the cul de sac and asking the neighbors behind me if he was one of theirs, he wasn't, he didn't belong to any of my surrounding neighbors. I ran some errands and he was waiting for me by my door when I returned. I scooped him up fed him with the food I just bought, I searched the few shelter sites and neighborhood sites, he wasn't posted on any. On Wednesday he had his first visit to the Vet, first to see if he was chipped, since he wasn't he had his first vaccines, he is scheduled to be neutered in a few weeks. He is the most affectionate cat, he has 6 toes on both front feet which makes him extra special. He showed up on the full moon with an eclipse and his coloring looks like he has moon phases. The night of the 8th I kept dreaming cats and the Cat Stevens song Moonshadow kept playing in my dream. It's been more than 20 years since I've had the desire for another pet, I believe the Goddess sent him and he chose me.

He is happy and warm and well fed getting to know his new home.  He is playful and would rather have cuddles then play time.  He has the most beautiful face, and he has my heart.

On November 1st I gave myself the first dose of Repatha, it was relatively easy to do and the injection site looks like a target. I am glad I only do this twice a month. I performed a short ritual asking for no terrible side effects as I’ve had with pills. Going from a very low fat diet to a nearly no fat diet went surprisingly easy, now my body and those cholesterol levels need cooperate.

As of today the only side effects that I noticed is intense hot flashes which come and go which isn't too bad since I have had hot flashes for quite a few years, though most of them subsided from menopause, I can put up with them.  I take the second dose on the 15th.  I had blood work recently and my total cholesterol dropped from 250 on July of 2021 to 216 on November 2nd, my goal is to have it under 200 by the New Year.

The Wheel of the Year Turns to Samhain

 

Tonight as the barrier

Between the two realms grows thin,

Spirits walk amongst us, once again.

They be family, friends, and foes,

Pets and wildlife, fishes and crows.

But be we still mindful of the Wee Folke at play,

Elves, Fey, Brownies, and Sidhe.

Some to trick, some to treat,

Some to purposely misguide our feet.

Stay we on the paths we know

As planting apples we go.

This Feast I shall leave on my doorstep all night.

In my window, one candle shall burn bright

To help my loved ones find their way

As they travel this eve, and this night, until day.

Bless my offering, both Lady and Lord,

Of breads and fruits, greens and gourds.

September Ends on a Windy Note and October Burst with Thoughts of Autumn

October came in gently after hurricane Ian passed over Florida leaving much destruction in many areas of the state. I am fortunate enough to live in the north central part of the state so mostly we had rain lot’s of rain and some wind. In fact, after the hurricane was passed we had about 20 to 30 minutes of wind gust which took down another tree in my backyard.

Oddly enough I had walked around my house earlier in the afternoon and the tree was still standing, the next day my neighbor came to tell me about the tree which was on my fence over her back garden. She said she didn’t hear it but seen it fall. I didn’t hear it either, but I never heard the other trees that went down a few months ago. I told her it would be taken care of and the next day my son began to cut it apart, returned yesterday to finish his goal of getting it cut back enough to get it off the fence into our yard. So now the tree is in pieces in my yard which will be cut and hauled away soon.

October began with cool evenings and much drier air which makes my daily walk to the corner and back pleasant and has allowed me to walk in the park for a short walk. I think my energy is finally coming back. The photo is from the corner looking to my house, it isn't a long walk and most days I can make it up and back 3 times. 

I began a new 30 days of goddess journal, this time using the Simple Log book which has 3 days per page with the opposite page blank for images, art or more writing. I went with this method for the next few months since the online shops are quite busy from late September to January and with my stamina not where I would like it the shorter entries may work out best for me.

This is the first 6 days of October and I fit enough for each day even made a very small foldout goddess which was a challenge to cut with these old eyes. I do miss the larger pages but this will work best for me now.  

The pages above are October 1-3 words: Invite, Observe and Know, the pages below are for Oct. 4-6 the words are: Ramble, Intent and Refuge.

I have been feeling out of sorts lately some days just not myself and other days battling the constant nausea just gets to be too much especially when the abdominal pain worsens, honestly I don’t know how much more my body can take.

On an up note I have a few books I am going to start reading this week and a few magazine issues to finish.

We are quickly approaching the dark half of the year so I am preparing a few things which I will post about as they happen. This Saturday I am taking a Broom making class which I am really looking forward to attending. The following Saturday I hope to join the local group for a broom decorating workshop. I say hope because health at the best times throws a curve to my plans.

I will leave you with a sweet little witch image.

The Wheel of the Year is Turning to Autumn

The Harvest Elder tends the web of life.

She gathers in the clan and brings the harvest home.

Her season is Autumn, her holy day the Equinox, her lunar phase the Third Quarter Moon, her life stage early elderhood (mid-60s through late 70s).

She owns her wisdom without apology, taking her place on the Council of Elders.

When younger ones despair that justice comes too slowly, the Harvest Elder nevertheless persists — and encourages us to do the same.

She mends the fabric of the universe along with her granddaughter’s ripped jeans.

She surrenders to Mystery with every falling leaf.

She gathers the harvest in, then gives it all away.

She pours out a steaming cup of herbal tea for you.

Come, pull up a chair. Listen to her stories.

She reaches out her hand and says, “Come along. I’ve been there.

I will show you the way.”

She mends the web of life.

Art and Words by Joanna Powell Colbert

I have loved the work of Joanna Powell Colbert for many, many years so this morning when I received her Newsletter in my email, I just had to share this image of the Harvest Elder and the beautiful words she shared in the newsletter. This is one of the in progress images from The Sacred Wheel Oracle. You can be sure I will be purchasing it as soon as it's available.