Day: October 4, 2019

Following the changing seasons is natural to me, I have done it al my life, but it is only in my later years that I have come to fully appreciate both the differences and the similarities between the seasons. They are different, but yet, they have the same condition with them, change.

Change is to me the only thing to accept and work with in life. The past is a constant that we cannot change, and nobody promises that there will be a future tomorrow.

Therefore, it is natural to me to follow the seasons of Nature. It is much more accommodating than modern stress and performance anxiety that only leaves you unsatisfied with life in general, if not tamed and changed into something better, something mindful, and something worthwhile doing.

I change with the seasons as a witch and as a human being. From the darkness in fall to the fantastic light of life in spring and from the joys of summer to the toughness of winter I follow Nature´s old ways and attune myself to the ever changing conditions of life and its many challenges. Since I became a witch, this has felt right.

Fall

September, October and November, beautiful, colorful and dark is the actual season here in the Northern Hemisphere where I live as a witch. I feel the turning of the Wheel of the Year most in fall. Here I contemplate the big issues in my life, here I show gratitude and respect, and here I attune myself to the harvest aspect of this time of year.

The celebrations are Mabon in September and Samhain in October, whereas November to me is a time for reflection and introspection.

Just a few days into October, it is getting cold quickly, and the rain seems to never stop. I´m preparing for Samhain, my New Year. I plan to work with my ancestors, the Nordic runes, and my dedication as a witch.

September has been unusually wet and cold. Fall came early this year. Perhaps a chilling reminder of the climate changes that we cannot control, but only try our best to change by letting go of e.g. bad plastic habits in time.

October is cold and wet too, we put the district heating on two days ago, and I sit and write with s plaid around me and warm slippers on my feet. I´m dressed comfortably, and there is a fresh cup of coffee right next to me.

September is a beautiful month with the harvest coming in and the thinning of the air as a soft whisper of the Wheel turning once more. October is colorful Nature at its most beautiful display of gold, red and orange on the falling leaves in the garden and on the street.

November is grey and dark, now it is time for meditation and long hours reading and writing about what matters in life. Here I often do shadow work and contemplate about life in general and my life experiences. I also cleanse my house with incense, because the New Year has begun, and as we do spring cleaning, so do I also cleanse for any stale energy left over from the past year´s many rituals and magickal workings.

Winter

December, January and February, bright, long and cold is the coming winter season here in some of the old Viking dominions. The cold needs to be icy, otherwise my 50-year-old bones and muscles ache at this time of year. I long for the promise of spring that comes with the Sabbat Imbolc in February, where the amount of candles used equal the lack of light in Nature.

The celebrations are Yule in December and Imbolc in February, whereas January is a time for inner reflections, recuperation and planning of the year.

December, the bright month, where the balance shifts once again, so that there will be more light from now on, because Yule/Winter Solstice is a lost battle for the dark time of year, as the light gains momentum and strength during the coming months.

January is a long and expensive month with mundane bills and and new routines to build up, where the days seem to be dark and cold forever. Here I work with healing and meditation, and I try to be as creative as possible to help overcome my ailments that are worst during the winter season.

I long for spring and the possibility of days with coffee in the garden with my loved ones and my friends for life. I´m restless, impatient and want to go ahead with my plans for the year as soon as possible.

February is the month of light becaue of Imbolc, where the first seeds of this year´s garden production are blessed and planted, and the celebration of the coming of the light.

Now it is time to prepare for spring and to make jars with salt and bay leaves to call for the spring to come quickly and nourishing, so that it is possible to be outside and sit and talk about life´s ups and downs around an early bonfire. Just remember to remove the jars from the window sills before it is summer, which begins at June 1st.

The winter season is a waiting time, a time to relax and enjoy the good things about solitude and the work with the inner child, and a time to be creative with little beautiful projects that both pleases the eye and the mind. I study a lot in this season, and it is also a suitable time to go through what I´ve already learned about witchcraft since last winter.

Spring

March, April and May, cloudy, changing and sunny is the future spring season that has been mesmerizing to me as long as I can remember. I love the little signs of spring, budding sprouts, beautiful spring flowers, and the trees awaiting to fully blossom everywhere in Nature. And I can´t wait for the sunshine pouring into my home and my heart and soul.

The celebrations are Ostara/Spring Equinox in March and Beltane in May, whereas April is a time for blessing of garden projects, to do the spring cleaning, and to clear up clutter in the Book of Shadows.

March is typically cloudy most of the time, alternating with rain and sunny mornings, where the fight between the dark an light seasons is most contrasting. Again it is time for balance work, which I concentrate at the Ostara Sabbat/the Spring Equinox. And to banish what no longer serves me.

April is often mild, but also subject to sudden changes in weather conditions, where Jack Frost at times show up later than expected. It is time for growth spells and abundance prayers. I sometimes make a love or friendship ritual at this time to strengthen the energy between us.

May, the sunny spring month, it mostly warm and beautiful with the Beltane Sabbat as the turning point in the beginning of the month. It is a month filled with love and laughter, and I´m usually busy planning the Summer Solstice/Litha that introduces the fact that time is short, and that summer last only a few moments before the Wheel of the Year turns towards the darker months.

It is a time of expectations and moments of utter joy of life. The birds are singing their best, and the animals are getting ready for parenting their little new ones. There is room to grow new ideas and to further work with attracting abundance and blessings for a simple, yet mindful life.

The spring season is an action time, where many of the plans from winter now are to be fully implemented. It is time for spring cleaning and banishing work as well as tending to my witchy garden projects together with my husband, who does the tough work which I no longer can do due to chronic pain and osteoarthritis.

Summer

June, July and August, warm, hot and capricious is the summer season here in the southern part of Denmark, where I spend my life. We have just passed a long and beautiful summer, not as wild as the one last year, where we five months in a row had a gigantic heat wave that came in series of extended summer days and evenings from early spring to long into late fall. And I feel sad every time that summer has passed, for time is really short when enjoying it.

The celebrations are Litha/Summer Solstice in June and Lammas in August, whereas July is a time for rest and relaxation.

I long already for the next summer to show up. In June, it is already time to say goodbye to the Sun, however, because as the Wheel of the Year turns, so do the seasons. Here the battle between light and dark is symbolized with the Summer Solstice, where the balance from now on is in favor of the dark time of year.

In July, my birth month, I work only little with witchcraft except from the beginning gathering of herbs from Mother Earth. Typically, my work is focused on New Moon intentions and Drawing Down the Moon at Full Moon. But I go through my Book of Shadows regularly to supply and expand my current knowledge of witchcraft, and I work with creating creative projects for witchcraft purposes.

August is back to school, back to work after a good and long vacation. My studies of witchcraft is intense, but not as deep as in the fall and winter season. I usually try to learn about witchcraft corresponding with the changing seasons and the turns of the Wheel of the Year. Here I often study how to create rituals and spells, which I write during the fall and winter seasons.

The summer season is both an action and relaxing time, where the preparations for harvest are in full swing, and the last of the warming and beautiful summer evenings are enjoyed around a bonfire in the garden as often as possible. As a witch I work with my intentions for the dark season and to fill my outlook on life´with positiveness and lots of light and enriching moments as playing with the neighbor´s children in the garden or laughing with each other at the bonfire in the evening.

In conclusion …

… I can only recommend others to begin following Nature and the ways of Mother Earth. Time is too short for modern stress and the eternal dance around the golden calf in the hunt for success, money, and personal gain.

It has had a major positive impact on my attitude towards many things in life, and I often relate my work with the changing seasons to other areas of life than witchcraft. That is my point of view for my next blog post about witchcraft next Friday.

The more I work with witchcraft and changes, the more I feel attuned to Nature throughout the year. The more I contemplate life´s many twists and turns through the lenses of witchcraft, the more I feel alive and free from overrated mundane issues like money-related success and happiness from the shop-till-you-drop plastic culture that we are imposed to strive for.

No, I definitely prefer the words of an – to me- unknown author :

“Happiness is the new rich.

Inner peace is the new success.

Health is the new wealth.

Kindness is the new cool.”

Those were the words for today. Have a blessed, life-enriching weekend, dear reader.