Happy Solstice!

Happy Solstice!

 Today marks the longest night of the year, and the ingress of the Sun into the sign of Capricorn. The seasonal turning point of Winter Solstice, the rebirth of the sun, was a numinous event so important that it symbolized life or death for our forebears. It provided hope at the darkest time of the year, and assurance that life would continue. The Sun symbolizes the divine masculine, the fertilizing creative potential, and this year, in line with all of the other astrological events that happen on this date, there is an interesting twist. The Sun is conjunct Pluto, the planet of deep transformation and endings followed by new beginnings. It is tempting and exciting to ponder the implications. For, along with the re-awakening of the divine feminine and Goddess energy, we also have the potential for the masculine not to be overthrown or subsumed, but metamorphosed into its higher octave. No matter what the outer effect, this December 21^st could well prove to be a turning point, a crossroads for us. However, its energies could transpire in a much more subtle way than what might be expected; on an inner landscape, that eventually radiates outwards until the changes take hold in the topside world. Whatever happens, we must be ready to remain as grounded and centered as possible, so we can help midwife the birth of a new collective consciousness.

 

On the Wheel of the Year, we are now at the opposite polarity of the Summer Solstice, the time of the Longest Day, and the peak/decline of the Sun/God.  He, and the sun, have been slowly diminishing in power since Summer Solstice, and it is now time for his rebirth.  In the Celtic traditions, there is an old story about the Holly King and the Oak King that do battle for supremacy over the light and dark half of the year.  Countless standing stones and other Neolithic structures were built to honor and mark the return of the sun, two of the most famous being Stonehenge in England, and Newgrange in Northern Ireland. In Welsh myth, the Mother/Crone goddess Cerridwen stirs her cauldron of inspiration and rebirth, providing us with another motif that illustrates the mystical nature of transformation and renewal at this time of year.

Vestiges of the Holly King

 

In ancient times, winter was not always as easy as it is now in the northern hemisphere, with our heat on demand, light at the tips of our fingers, and an array of exotic fruits and vegetables from the far flung reaches of the earth for the asking.  The Winter Solstice: the Sacred Traditions of Christmas,      explains that the people of the old world did not even have fresh milk to drink for the entire winter, as sheep and cows only lactate after giving birth (February 2^nd is known as “Imbolc” on the Celtic wheel of the year, and literally means “the time when ewe’s milk comes in”) (Matthews).  This is a highly recommended book that explains the origins of many of the modern day Christmas traditions that have their origins in much older pre-Christian northern lands. It is chalk full of fascinating lore and even recipes that will restore our feeling of the sacred at this pivotal time of year, which many of us have    become quite understandably jaded by in the consumer culture we live in.

I invite you to close your eyes for a moment and imagine what it was like at this time of year for countless generations whose blood still flows through us. 

It is the longest night of the year, and the long awaited rebirth of the sun is almost upon us. Outside the wind howls fiercely as it cuts through the trees, and snow covers everything in a blanket of white as far as the eye can see.  It is though the Cailleach has always reigned and the golden warmth of the sun just a distant memory, or maybe even a dream.  Caught in this seemingly endless winter, we don’t know for sure if it will ever come again.  So we wait. Our stomachs are growling for fresh meat or a bowl of sweet milk, but all we have had for weeks has been the last of the smoked meat and the bits of dried barley cakes saved for just this time during the last harvest.  The weather has been too inclement even for the hunters to brave the cold and bring us fresh meat, but tonight they are out, they have no choice.  Many of us are silent, deep within our own thoughts, gazing into the flames of the hearth fire and dreaming our private dreams.  In this profound silence, with the fire crackling, and the forces of nature driving against our warm and protected cocoon, it is easy to slip between the worlds and to see into the heart of the mysteries.  The crunching of heavy footfalls in deep snow and the jovial shouts of the hunters stir us from our reverie. 

NewGrange Tomb Spirals - Winter Solstice

 A weak shaft of light illuminates our space, highlighting sacred symbols and spirals etched into the walls, marking the end of the Longest Night.  We will celebrate and feast this day, the God has been reborn and spring is just another turn of the wheel away.

Every Solstice I am reminded of those wise words indelibly etched into my childhood memory from The Grinch who Stole Christmas: “It came. Somehow or other it came just the same!”  For no matter how deep and dark and endless, or bereft of hope winter can sometimes seem, it is always followed by the return of the sun, and eventually a glorious spring.

Happy Spring Equinox! The Magical Between the World Time of the Pisces/Aries Cusp

Door Between the Worlds

From an astrological point of view, the shift from the last sign of Pisces to the first sign, Aries, is a numinous time that blends both endings and beginnings.  The cusp between these two signs is a liminal time, like twilight or dawn, when we are, so to speak, between the worlds.  It is a time that is akin to the mystic hidden shores of Avalon, that world that exists alongside consensual reality, yet is usually concealed in the mists just outside our conscious awareness.  This is a powerful time for reflection, and also when we are able to see glimpses of the Otherworld. 

 To understand this very special time between the cycles of ending and beginning, all we need to do is observe nature.  In a single day, the weather shifts from dramatically sublime grey skies and pouring rain, to dazzling bursts of sunshine that illuminate the world and transform our consciousness; creating prisms in a raindrop on a new green shoot, and rainbows in the heavens.  Pisces, as the last sign in the zodiac, is a culmination of all the seasons, experience and wisdom of all the other signs combined.  In esoteric terms, Pisces is the endpoint of spiritual evolution, when the soul transcends the

New Green Growth

earthly realm and merges with the collective unconscious. What happens after the cycle is complete? The return of spring, and the newborn lamb that is Aries! On March 19^th,  at 10:14 PDT, the Vernal Equinox heralds the beginning of the Sun’s (and the soul’s) journey through the zodiac, and initiates the spark of new life that is the start point of individuation of the rebirth of the spirit. 

Harbingers of Spring

Aries is bursting with the triumph of new life, and fresh starts.  On March 22nd, we are lucky enough to have a New Moon in Aries at 7:37 am PDT. This is THE New Moon of the year; the Newborn Aries Sun joins forces with the new lunar energies, and the sky is the limit.  Now is the time to initiate plans, be a pioneer, and put it into motion.  Of course, Mercury is still in its retrograde cycle, and in keeping with doing something that begins with "RE" - perhaps we can take this time to reflect and remember our purpose.   It is also an auspicious  time for magical (spring) housecleaning, and performing ritual to set our intentions for the coming year. Fling open all the doors and windows, and let the cleansing air circulate and refresh your home.  

Art Studio: Create Something New

The Roots of New Beginnings

Burn sage or cedar, and walk counterclockwise around your space to banish any stale, stagnant, or negative energy.  Many plants need to be pruned at this time of year, so go outside and gather clippings of new green growth to decorate your Altar.  This is the time of the Germanic Goddess of Spring, Ostara, the root of the word Easter.  Ostara is the Anglo-Saxon/Teutonic Goddess of spring, rebirth and fertility.  

Ostara is the quickening time.  We feel the anticipation of the growing light rise within us, just as the sap rises in the trees.  The wheel of the year turns again, and we are at Spring Equinox, as all of nature celebrates the mystery of Rebirth.  Buds are bursting from their casements; birds awaken us with their courting music; and there is an undeniable feeling of unfurling optimism deep within the very rhythm of life itself.

Spring in my Neighborhood

Imaginative Spring Planter!

More Great Recycling Ideas! A Very Special Planter

Untangling Inspiration

Everything's Coming up in Color!

The Wheel of the Year: Happy Yuletide!

This year, on December 21st, at 9:30 pm PST, the Sun makes its yearly journey into the sign of Capricorn, meaning we have reached the longest night of the year - Winter Solstice, or Yule. I believe that for those of us whose ancestral roots reach back through time and space into pre-Christian Northern Europe, there is a genetic memory that is inherent in our psyches that lets us know on a subtle level when the wheel has turned. We are now in the dark half of the year, and though we have modern conveniences that suggest differently, our bodies and souls tell us what we know to be true - it is nearing midwinter.  How many of us have noticed the urge to turn within, to stay in bed, to hibernate?  Our bodies have a deep wisdom of their own, and we instinctively know that now is the time to rest, reflect, and dream of the time when the sun is reborn.

Winter was not always as easy as it is now in the northern hemisphere, with our heat on demand, light at the tips of our fingers, and a stunning array of exotic fruits and vegetables from the far flung reaches of the earth for the asking.  The Winter Solstice: the Sacred Traditions of Christmas,      explains that the people of the old world did not even have fresh milk to drink for the entire winter, as sheep and cows only lactate after giving birth (February 2^nd is known as “Imbolc” on the Celtic wheel of the year, and literally means “the time when ewe’s milk comes in”) (Matthews).  This is a highly recommended book that explains the origins of many of the modern day Christmas traditions that have their origins in much older pre-Christian northern lands. It is chalk full of fascinating lore and even recipes that will restore our feeling of the sacred at this pivotal time of year, which many of us have become quite understandably jaded by in the consumer culture we live in.

Vestiges of the Holly King

On the Wheel of the Year, we are now at the opposite polarity of the Summer Solstice, the time of the Longest Day, and the peak/decline of the Sun/God.  He, and the sun, have been slowly diminishing in power since Summer Solstice, and it is now time for his rebirth.  In the Celtic traditions, there is an old story about the Holly King and the Oak King that do battle for supremacy over the light and dark half of the year.  The seasonal turning point of Winter Solstice, the rebirth of the sun, was a numinous event so important that it symbolized life or death for our forebears. It provided hope at the darkest time of the year, and assurance that life would continue. Countless standing stones and other Neolithic structures were built to honor and mark the return of the sun, two of the most famous being Stonehenge in England, and Newgrange in Northern Ireland.

I invite you to close your eyes for a moment and imagine what it was like at this time of year for countless generations whose blood still flows through us. 

It is the longest night of the year, and the long awaited rebirth of the sun is almost upon us. Outside the wind howls fiercely as it cuts through the trees, and snow covers everything in a blanket of white as far as the eye can see.  It is though the Cailleach has always reigned and the golden warmth of the sun just a distant memory, or maybe even a dream.  Caught in this seemingly endless winter, we don’t know for sure if it will ever come again.  So we wait. Our stomachs are growling for fresh meat or a bowl of sweet milk, but all we have had for weeks has been the last of the smoked meat and the bits of dried barley cakes saved for just this time during the last harvest.  The weather has been too inclement even for the hunters to brave the cold and bring us fresh meat, but tonight they are out, they have no choice.  Many of us are silent, deep within our own thoughts, gazing into the flames of the hearth fire and dreaming our private dreams.  In this profound silence, with the fire crackling, and the forces of nature driving against our warm and protected cocoon, it is easy to slip between the worlds and to see into the heart of the mysteries.  The crunching of heavy footfalls in deep snow and the jovial shouts of the hunters stir us from our reverie. 

NewGrange Tomb Spirals - Winter Solstice

 A weak shaft of light illuminates our space, highlighting sacred symbols and spirals etched into the walls, marking the end of the Longest Night.  We will celebrate and feast this day, the God has been reborn and spring is just another turn of the wheel away.

Every Solstice I am reminded of those wise words indelibly etched into my childhood memory from The Grinch who Stole Christmas: “It came. Somehow or other it came just the same!”  For no matter how deep and dark and endless, or bereft of hope winter can sometimes seem, it is always followed by the return of the sun, and eventually a glorious spring.

And so turns the wheel.

 Bright Blessings for a Happy Solstice and a Inspiring Yule!

Wake-up Calls, Claiming our Personal Power, and Saying Sayonara to the Nice Girl Syndrome: The Fifth House in Astrology

I have had a series of vivid nightmares lately.  In one, I was sitting in a hairstylist’s chair, chatting away to a distracting, gregarious stranger sitting at my side, when to my abject horror, I finally look up at my reflection in the mirror, and all of my long hair has been chopped off in a decidedly unflattering crew cut.    In another, I put my purse down in a “hidden” corner of the shoe department in a busy store, and when I go to retrieve it, it is gone.  I search frantically for my bag, and am presented with an array of designer purses and wallets, but none of them are mine.  In all of these nightmares there was a distinct feeling that I was going to be in trouble, because I was being negligent.   What are these dreams all saying? What do they all have in common? They are shouting at me, in my unconscious state: Wake up! Pay attention! Something meaningful is being stolen from you, while you are figuratively speaking, asleep at the wheel. 

I have recently become conscious of a rather disturbing fact.  I am full of seething resentment towards certain people, and its all my fault.  Like many women, I was trained from an early age to turn the other cheek, give the benefit of the doubt, and instead of wisely picking my battles; I have erstwhile chosen not to engage in battle at all, even while my ramparts were being sieged.  We all know the feeling.  Someone says something totally inappropriate to you, and you wonder for days if she meant to hurt your feelings or if you are just being “too sensitive”.  Meanwhile, you don’t call her on it, and you file it away, knowing in your gut that it just doesn’t sit right, and you probably should have asked her what she meant by that.  Here’s another good one.  You are chatting with a friendly acquaintance over coffee, and you bring up some deliciously good ideas, and answer her seemingly innocuous questions about your work, which you find neatly presented in her blog the following morning, as though they came directly from her, and her many years of research – she - the Wisewoman herself.

This can be unbelievably frustrating.  Second guessing oneself is something many women do on a daily basis, because they are so concerned with hurting the other person’s feelings, or Goddess forbid, confrontation.  We live in a culture that calls women over-reactive if we express anger; too sensitive, if we experience sadness, and just plain out of our minds if we question the status quo.  The sad thing is, this is not just a gender inequity; women have the propensity to fight dirty with each other – and by dirty, I mean subtle, in a way that knocks us off our balance and keeps us silent, for fear of appearing anything other than nice.  Yes, even in this day and age, many of us are still prey to this un-empowering ideal of womanhood.  Some of us cloak our inner nice girl in new ways, just to keep us from the audacious act of claiming our power.  For example, we can fool ourselves into thinking we are “doing the right thing”, or “acting with integrity”, when we are being clearly taken advantage of by our employers, lovers, and friends.  We might tell ourselves that we know we are being treated unfairly, but, heck we made an agreement, and being noble (read compliant) we will fulfill our part of the bargain because we got ourselves into it in the first place, and its only the right thing to do.  I am all for keeping promises and fulfilling my end of a bargain, but I have all too often been seen with my head down, enduring unfair treatment, and building a wall of resentment one brick at a time, because I am too afraid to say, “Wait a second, this is seriously not cool!”

In astrology, self esteem and confidence is Fifth house territory.   For those new to astrology, imagine your chart as a piece of pie, divided into twelve pieces.  Each of these pieces is called a “house’, and represents a different “department”, or area in life.   For example, the seventh house is our house of partnerships, and the sign found on the cusp, or beginning of that house will influence the way we interact as or with a significant other.  Also, if there are any planets in that house when we were born, the archetypes of those planets will also say something about our partnerships of any kind: marriages, including creative or business partnerships.

3rd Chakra: Self Esteem

The Fifth house, on the other hand, rules creativity, play, children, fulfillment, self-esteem, and self-expression.  It shows us how comfortable we are (or aren’t) claiming our personal space and sticking up for ourselves.  We can tell a lot depending on what sign is on our fifth, and what, (if any) planets we have in there, about our sense of entitlement to expressing ourselves in a given situation.  

The Fifth House is also related to the 3^rd Chakra – the Solar Plexus, which is about our personal will and self-esteem.   The color yellow, or gold is associated with this area, which incidentally are the colors also associated with the sign Leo – which rules the Fifth.  The stone Citrine has a particularly 3^rd chakra/fifth house vibration, and if you are doing work on bolstering your feelings of self-worth, its not a bad idea to wear this stone, or keep a piece of it in your pocket. 

Citrine

Boudicca: Celtic Warrior Queen

As I have realized the unhealthy resentment I was carrying around with me was actually diminishing the quality of my life, over the past month, I have vowed to make inroads with changing this pattern.  I won’t lie: it has been hard.  Really hard. Even putting up small boundaries has been a challenge, and the guilt of not being “nice”, has made me feel really bad. I have even had to get support for not going back on my new boundaries, and “just this one last time” do something that everything inside of me was screaming, “No! Hold out!”  I am not used to feeling this kind of conflict.  I am, however, used to feeling resentment – and I have decided that I don’t want to feel that way anymore.  So, until I can make my clear boundaries and not look back, I’m just going to have to deal with the discomfort.  This also goes for speaking my own truth and stating my needs.  There is nothing uncommon or monstrous about my needs. They are what they are. I am just not used to saying some of them out loud, for fear of appearing needy or infringing on someone else’s worldview.  It is scary; it is uncomfortable.  But I do feel an interesting sense of freedom starting to emerge; I feel lighter not carrying the burden of resentment.  It is a strange and heady brew that is honestly, almost kind of exciting.  I still have a long way to go, but I am just going to work with it, one situation at a time, and know that I am every bit as entitled as the next person. So there.

NEW! Urban Priestess: Danielle Blackwood's Astrology Podcast for November 2011

 

 Now you can listen to the astrological highlights for each month by Astrologer Danielle Blackwood!

This is my first podcast, I hope you enjoy,

Danielle

UrbanPriestess.ca website launches!

Greetings everyone!

I am happy to announce the launch of my new website www.urbanpriestess.ca

Please visit, and I welcome your comments!

Danielle

Autumn Equinox: The Second Harvest

The wheel of the year continues to turn, and we suddenly find ourselves in the middle of September. The shadows are beginning to grow longer as we face the second half of the year. What are we reaping in our lives? What can we bring to the table after all the work we have done in the passing year?  Although we will surely be bringing in some bountiful crops, there will be some cherished plans and ideals that we will have to allow to die on the vine. 

I am personally thankful this Harvest to see the results of my hard work not only in writing, but for finally breaking through the wall of fear and procrastination to get my work out there!  After much deliberation, I decided to submit a piece to Circle magazine which was published in their Summer issue Sacred Dance.  This was a very difficult decision to make, as it is autobiographical in nature, and more than a little expository.  Because I have gotten so much support and wonderful feedback from the handful of folks that I actually told about this piece, I would like to extend the invitation to any who are interested: It is titled Finding the Sacred within the Profane - under the pen name "Sarah Blackwood". 

I am also on the edge of my seat waiting for my new column in SageWoman Magazine, which will arrive on the shelves any day now!  I feel honored to be part of this magazine, which is celebrating its 25th year in print with this special issue.  My column is titled, "Turning the Wheel, Astrology from a Goddess Perspective."  Far from a traditional astrological "Sun Sign" column, Turning the Wheel is about learning to align ourselves with the natural rhythms of the seasons, so that as women, we may reclaim our rightful relationship with the earth, and our creative soulful selves.

Click here to subscribe to SageWoman


The sun enters Libra on September 23rd, at 2:05 pm PST, marking the Autumn Equinox. Day and night, and masculine/feminine energies are now equal. This is the Second Harvest, and the right time to take stock of our lives and make sure that our own energies are balanced. Remember that the time for celebrating is not just on the day of the Equinox, but for three days after, as with any magical holiday.  So, if we didn't have the time or energy to mark this day with a special personal ritual, or prepare a feast of thanksgiving, there's still time!

Harvest Time! Coombs Country Market

The Equinox is a natural earth centered time for Thanksgiving, and is sometimes known as Witches’ Thanksgiving. Our Celtic pagan ancestors would celebrate this time of year with a communal feast of the earth’s seasonal bounty. Bonfires would be lit, and merriment would ensue. Conversely, as it was a harvest festival, it was also a time for weighing and assessment; a time for reflection, rest, and repose after a long active season of planting and tending. It also marked the place in the wheel of the year to ready the nest for shorter days and longer nights; putting up preserves, smoking meats and ensuring all was sound for the coming winter. The balance inherent in this day of equal day and equal night were thus reflected in the wisdom of our ancestors, as they celebrated the abundance of the passing summer, while honoring the solemnity of the transition to the season of scarcity.


After the Equinox, the light graciously gives way to the approaching dark creative time of the year. It is both a literal and metaphorical time to gather the fruits we have seeded, tended and are now harvesting. It is the time of year when Persephone descends to the Underworld. 

Persephone: Queen of the Underworld

 The mystery is twofold: not only does Persephone go to the Land of the Dead to rule as its queen; Demeter, grain goddess and Mother archetype, grieves for her lost daughter and refuses to make the crops grow.


Both archetypes are inextricably connected, and the symbolism of both can be drawn on for meditation or ritual to mark this time of the year in our personal lives. Autumn Equinox is not only a time for the celebration of the Harvest and to honor the grain Goddess Demeter for the abundance she has provided for us in the passing year; it also marks the solemn and numinous descent of Persephone, and her transformation from Mother's Daughter to The Queen of the Dead.


Ideally, a ritual marking the Autumn Equinox would include aspects acknowledging both aspects of the Mystery. In Jungian psychology, all motifs are seen to be parts of the Self. In other words, although there are two main archetypes in the myth, they are both part of the greater whole, and both ultimately reside in our own psyche.