Celtic Tree month of Elder

The seasons have turned and we come to the end of the year, and with it the last Celtic Tree moon of the year - the Elder. The 24th of November sees the last day of the Reed month and the 25th brings in the month of Elder. This is the thirteenth moon of the year and is one of the most magical. This is a time of thanking the spirits for all we have been given in the past year, a time of celebration and of wholeness.

The Elder tree encompasses the festival of Yule and is the tree of the Goddess Venus. It represents the element air and is most commonly associated with the birth, death, rebirth cycle, with creativity and also renewal. This tree also has associations with the crone aspect of the Goddess.

This is a time to work magic for healing, spirituality, visions, Faerie magic, cleansing, protective, love and prosperity magic. It is also a time to make offerings and, as mentioned before, of thanks.

Associations for this time of year include malachite, the colour red (also gold) and black birds such as a rook.



On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scotland about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback: The Island of the Mist is book 2 The Stone in the Sword is book 1
The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats: The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin

Yule - a God Festival

Yule, or Winter Solstice, is classed as a god festival, as it is the time when the god is reborn. As we know, Christ was not born in December, but rather around October but his birth date was moved forward to cover this pagan festival, a time in which Mithras returns to the world, bringing the light with him. Balder, the Norse God, is also associated with this time of year, and is classed as a Holly God.

This is not to say that the Goddess is ignored - far from it but she does go into recuperation here, to reappear rejuvinated as the maiden at Imbolc.

The festivals at this time celebrated the return of the light, not because, as many patronising scholars believe, that they feared it would not return, but because they celebrated the increasing length of the day, moving out of the long dark nights.

Our ancestors burned the yule log as a form of protection and as a symbol of that light. This log was large, to last as long as possible. Stories were told, food was elaborate and drinking and dancing was a must. Life was short in these times and so much more precious as a result. They did not have our antibiotics, central heating, supermarkets for food whenever they needed it. In this we are very lucky and I find myself shaking my head at people who wish to harken back to 'the old days' - when food was scarce, women were objects and if you were of a different land/colour you were treated poorly.

I am thankful to have been born in these times. while I think too many people still ignore nature, I am thankful that we have advanced medically (although some of those advances have high side effects), academically and liberally.

As you will know, Yule is also the Winter Solstice. This year it is on the 21st of December but that is not always the case, as the position of the sun changes each year. It is always between the 20th and 22nd though.

Wherever you are, whomever you are with I hope you have a wonderful, warm and merry yule.

BB

On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scoltand about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback:

The Island of the Mist is book 2

The Stone in the Sword is book 1

The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats:

The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin

Yule Approaches

As we approach the dark of the moon, it is a good time, given the time of year, to think about what we have lost, given up, cast aside, or is not currenty working out in our lives. We want to pave the way for a happy and warming Yule, and so doing this now is both beneficial and timely.

Yule is the time of year when we think of family, of feasting and of giving. It is time for gathering round the fire (if you're lucky enough to have one) and of telling stories and eating well.

In these hard times it is a good idea to thnk about money as well. Rather than buying your child those expensive toys/gifts, why not make something for them>? That goes for friends and relatives alike. You don't have to be able to knit/crochet or make jewellery, although all of these are wonderful ideas. All you need is to be able to bake. If your kids don't appreciate home baking them make up a pack of games for them. Cards that have ideas written on them - 'pretend you're lost in a forest - how would you find your way out?' and so on. It stimulated the imagination and can keep them amused for days.

Remember gifts thwt were homemade that you got as a child and enjoyed them - make them for your own children.

Adding the personal touch at Yule can be far more rewarding than spending a fortune. We will be baking most of our gifts this year as finances are very tight.

I wish you, one and all, great blessings this yuletide!


On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scoltand about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback:

The Island of the Mist is book 2

The Stone in the Sword is book 1

The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats:

The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin

Yuletide and New Year blessings one and all!

I hope everyone had a lovely Yule/Xmas and is looking forward to the New Year as we pass from 2011 to the much anticipated (and in some cases dreaded) 2012.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Hogmanay and lights a candle to the goddess and the god, or at least toasts them 

I am a subscriber to Quest magazine, a wonderful little quarterly on the ‘Magical Heritage of the West’ and a bargain at £2.50 an issue (if you are interested, write to QUEST, BCM S C L Quest, London WC1N 3XX – yup, no email).

I do get annoyed though, when this old idea is perpetuated – that of our ancestors being idiots. I know the people writing and speaking of this do not mean it this way but that is what their idea clearly hints at. The folks of old prayed for the return of the sun. That is the most ludicrous thing I have ever heard. They were observers, they made Stonehenge and Callanish, built the pyramids of Egypt and Mexico, carved the stones in Petra and built the terracotta army but they didn’t know the sun would return?!?! Utter guff.

What people should be writing is that they prayed for a good year, weather that would benefit the harvest, enough sun for crops to grow but not so strong that they would be without water, for illnesses to be minor and preferably not to touch their family, and for their livestock to remain healthy. These would have been their fears, not whether the sun would return – credit them with the intelligence they surely had!

Anyway, rant over, I do hope you all have a wonderful time and that 2012 is a fine, fun and fulfilling year (without the whole end of the world thingy).

Blessings xxx

On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scoltand about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback:

The Island of the Mist is book 2

The Stone in the Sword is book 1

The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats:

The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin

Winter Solstice 2011

Winter Solstice rapidly approaches and is late this year, the 22nd of December. Many people don’t realise that this is not a fixed date, such as Halloween, but a date dependant on astronomical movements. Winter Solstice falls on either the 20th, 21st or 22nd of December according to the shortest day of the year, and more importantly, the longest night.
After this day, light begins to return to the northern hemisphere. The longest night is very important, as witnessed by Newgrange and Stonehenge, both of which were built to align with this event. This was a time of secrets revealed, celebration and observance.
I often wonder how many people, like me, celebrate both Yule and Christmas. This is habit when you grow up in a house where you are raised as Christian and your family continue to be Christian. It meant gifts waited until the 25th.
This year, I am at home with my husband and cats and we are doing the same, mostly out of habit but also because it would be strange not.
Yule was a time of ham and burning the Yule log, of decorating the home with holly and mistletoe, a time of home, hearth and family. I would imagine it would be easy to incorporate a vegetarian nut loaf in here for those who don’t eat meat, a sort of Yule log in itself.
In Scotland, temperatures are rapidly falling and I imagine that much of the northern hemisphere is experiencing the same, many to greater degrees. Staying warm is very important, as is looking out for elderly neighbours and making sure they are ok – many die from hypothermia at this time of year.
Blessings to you and yours.