Turning Wheel

I love watching the Wheel of the Year turn. It's amazing to look back a couple of posts and see everything still covered in snow, and look outside now and see the blooming flowers. Soon the flowers will be gone, and everything will be covered in green as we move towards Lammas.

The initiation retreat and ceremony was last weekend, and our newest initiate came out the other side with a sense of clarity and transformation. A grueling 3 days for everyone involved but immensely satisfying.

Pushing forward

Image source

Change this year continues to be violent, moving at unpredictable, completely irregular speeds. What was supposed to have been the quiet time of the year, full of hibernation and refueling, has been virtually non-existent. The pace has been constant and unrelenting, and here we are now, on the first day where it actually feels like spring. Ostara came and went, snow stayed on the ground, and temperatures remained icy. Today, it finally feels like we have made it to the other side.

As the sun finally shows it's face, I find myself having time to blink and think for a moment, and I realize just how quickly time is moving. In less than a month, my sister witches are arriving to show their support as I initiate a new member into our tradition shortly after Beltane. The rapid movement of the Triskelion is definitely pushing things along this year.

Imbolc

Imbolc, time of change, renewal, and initiations. Festival of Brigit, fire, creativity, home and hearth. The changes are arriving quite violently this year, aggressively questioning the structures in my life. They are more aggressive than in years before, proving this is a year of major shifts.

Life peeks through under winter's icy coat, promising new beginnings and possibilities. As the plants will struggle to pierce through hard ground into existence, here's to coming out reborn on the other wise of adversity. Happy Imbolc.

The Hanged Man

Image borrowed from WikiMedia

The Hanged Man. Surrender. Acceptance. Submitting oneself to the Tree of Life. An absolute embracing of faith. The undeniable parallels to the story of Odin's sacrifice in the name of learning - a willing sacrifice.

This card has been, and continues to be, one of the most significant archetypes in my spiritual growth. At every milestone, I strive to remind myself to embrace the Hanged Man.

The January Moon

Photo borrowed from Shaun Johnston

Last night was the full moon closest to Imbolc. A full moon in Leo - a time to work on confidence, self esteem, and attributes of fire - cleansing fire, healing fire, burning away the old to make room for the new. I used this full moon to clear away obstacles to create room for the new beginnings of Imbolc. There are so many things to set in motion this year.

Winter visitors

When winter rolls around, I tend to bundle up and run as quickly from one place to the next, which can make me feel very disconnected from the cycles of nature. I live in a place where you can truly experience the shifts of the Wheel of the Year, and it's a shame to become isolated from this process. This weekend, I made myself venture outside and was pleasantly surprised. Can you see the animal tracks in the snow?

Word for the year: SACRED

As a witch, I almost want to resist the stereotype, but I can't help loving the number 13. It's a delicious number, dripping with mystery and associations, so I embrace it, like a reclaiming of sorts. It seems apt to start this project in 2013 - a promise to myself to be more immersed in the sacred, to re-focus on my path as a Priestess and make more room in my life for spiritual work. 2013 also marks the tenth year since my first initiation into priestesshood. I admit I'm not entirely sure the direction this blog is going to take. I intend for it to anecdotal, a compilation of experiences, but we'll see where it goes.

Photo borrowed from Benjamin Davison

I had the good fortune of meeting Pixie Campbell at a Squam Art Workshop last year. It was amazing to see her in person after reading her blog for a while. As part of my re-focusing efforts this year, I signed up for her SouLodge Medicine Wheel workshop and am about to jump into the first set of materials.

While I'm not one for resolutions, Pixie's post on her word for the year got me thinking - what do I want this year to be about? I want to constantly remind myself of the sacral in the every day, amid the profane. I want to stop allowing the grind of the corporate world deplete me. For me, the word of the year is sacred. To borrow from Pixie one more time, "Sacredness within is a birthright."