Greetings, my friends! It's that time - Black (Madonna) Friday, the gateway to the Season of Lights, gratitude, and appreciation; and the sometimes (okay, often) scary Holiday Shopping Season. What's more, we're still navigating some amplified, sometimes challenging astro-energetic transits... Continue Reading →
Yes, it is the Season of Lights celebrated over many generations in various cultural and spiritual traditions, with candles, lamps, and little (or big) sparklies shining from mini 'World Trees' (a.k.a. Christmas and Yule Trees), wreaths, and around doorways and... Continue Reading →
It's Thanksgiving week here in the United States, though the underlying notion of giving thanks, or gracefully receiving, and having some appreciation and gratitude (magic!), can be summoned up at any time, in any place. Of course, I'm thinking about the... Continue Reading →
Happy Imbolc, and Candlemas (read more about this ancient seasonal festival in my recent Sophia's Children musing on it)! (And Happy Lughnasadh to friends where it's Summer!) How have you experienced these last few weeks, with the Full Moon/Super Moon... Continue Reading →
e·piph·a·ny To reveal. Shine. Manifest Revelation. An Illuminating Realization or Discovery Resulting in Elation, Awe, Wonder. It's Epiphany, or the first of eight days of Epiphany ... well, it's more than that. (Yes, you can take it literally and/or metaphorically,... Continue Reading →
“Take off your shoes, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5) It's always nice (and sometimes sanity saving!) to remember that, breathe more deeply, and gather back the energy that's overly dispersed through fear, anxiety,... Continue Reading →
“Researching her film The Story of Stuff, Annie Leonard discovered that of the materials flowing through the consumer economy, only 1% remain in use six months after sale. Even the goods we might have expected to hold onto are soon... Continue Reading →
To hallow is "to make holy or sacred, to sanctify or consecrate, to venerate". (Wikipedia) It's a fine time for drawing up insight and guidance from the depths, and sustenance from our very roots. Yesterday, I had the privilege and... Continue Reading →
"A tender heart is not a problem to be solved, but a gift to be honored and protected, with all of the fierceness of a mama Lioness." Well, these are buzzy, Zap Zone days, rich in fiery, electrical energies that... Continue Reading →
May Day falls on the first day of May, and Beltane 'proper' is when the Sun is at 15 degrees of Taurus -- usually around the 4th or 5th of May. In 2017, it's Solar Beltane on May 5th. As... Continue Reading →
"There is mystery at the heart of what holds us together, expressed in shared symbols, stories and experiences." ~ Brigidine Sisters We enter into the Mysteries of Imbolc, Candlemas, or Fèill Bhrìghde. As I've mentioned in previous musings, Imbolc-Candlemas has... Continue Reading →
The Theologian Walter Wink and others have spoken of The Third Way - a radical concept in our (too often) "either/or", win-lose culture. Some traditions refer to the Divine Spark or Inner Light within us, which is hidden from us,... Continue Reading →
Ariakerou at Imado – Lighted House, by Kobayashi Kiyochika (1847-1915). PD-US.
“I build a lighted house and therein dwell.”**
This is a musing on well-lit houses, inner (and outer) gardens, being refuge and/or refugee, among other things.
In his July esoteric astrology letter, Phillip Lindsay shared the above ‘keynote’ for the archetype of the moon-ruled sign of Cancer, along with other powerfully insightful and inspiring observations and reminders.
(Thank you, Phillip. Kindred-spirit readers, you’ll find the link to Phillip’s full article below — highly recommended inspiration!)
We’ve recently had this Cancerian wellspring stirred, as the Sun did its annual meander through Cancer, along with Mercury and Venus.
Beyond these few weeks, the invitations and deep wellsprings of this deeply feminine, Yin-Water archetype are vitally important for these turbulent times we’re living in.
The same could be said for the ‘greater angels’ of each of the archetypes, and may it be…
To hallow is "to make holy or sacred, to sanctify or consecrate, to venerate". (Wikipedia) It's a fine time for drawing up insight and guidance from the depths, and sustenance from our very roots. Yesterday, I had the privilege and... Continue Reading →
"Whom should I turn to, if not the one whose darkness is darker than night, the only one who keeps vigil with no candle and is not afraid— the deep one, whose being I trust, for it breaks through the... Continue Reading →
There is deep wisdom in aligning with the energy and spirit of the season ... of Nature's rhythms, with which are bodies are strongly evolved to orient towards (or suffer from the cultural dissociation with Natural rhythms!).
There's also a wisdom and mythic quality associated with Imbolc, and other important archetypal energies and milestones as the wheel of the year turns.
What inspiration and deep restoration awaits you at this time of the year ... or any time that Imbolc-Bhrigdhe wisdom might spark the fires of inspiration within you?
The Nativity by the Danish Artist Carl Heindrich Bloch (1834-1890).
As we near the gateway to these year-end Holy Days, I’m wishing you a magical and wondrous Solstice, Christmas, and holy days passage, however you celebrate them.
Remember, too: We’ve got a Christmas Day Full Moon adding both illumination and energetic-psychic voltage, so may we all go gently, easily tend (and manage to keep) our center, and be filled with the greater joy and blessing of this time of the year.
And just in case you need some ‘on the fly’restoration and handy tips for keeping your center amidst the whirl and swirl?
Il Barbagianni, The Owl, by 1862, Valentine Cameron Prinsep.
“We all start out knowing magic. We are born with whirlwinds, forest fires, and comets inside us. We are born able to sing to birds and read the clouds and see our destiny in grains of sand.
But then we get the magic educated right out of our souls. We get it churched out, spanked out, washed out, and combed out. We get put on the straight and narrow path and told to be responsible. Told to act our age. Told to grow up, for God’s sake.
And you know why we were told that? Because the people doing the telling were afraid of our wildness and youth, and because the magic we knew made them ashamed and sad of what they’d allowed to wither in themselves.”
'Tis the Season of Lights ... or we're on the cusp of it, anyway. It beckons. Though not without its challenges, it's a potentially delicious time and Season-Spirit of the year ... lights sparking our own Divine Spark, and various... Continue Reading →
Imbolc-Candlemas is celebrated during the first few days of February, and the exact-point occurs when the Sun is at 15 degrees of Aquarius — February 3rd this year (check your own time zone for any variations).
Imbolc-Candlemas also initiates whatthe late mythic astrologer Steve Nelson called the Candlemas Hora … a holy time. He said:
“This Mid-Aquarius “power gate” begins the Candlemas Hora, a 15-day period from Feb 3 to 18 when the nature of the New Year becomes illuminated and the vital energies of Nature stir to life.”
Lady of Częstochowa, another well-known Black Madonna located at the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland. Read the ‘Rilke & the Black Madonna’ post to learn more of her significance.
Read on to stir your Divine Spark —and the Wise Guide and Keeper of the Flame that you may be, in your unique way and presence — in sync with the meaning of this season.
If you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, you’ll be at the midpoint of Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox, which is Lughnasadh. You can read about that here.
Even if you’re in Lughnasadh time, if you’ve got interests in the deep Feminine,the Black Madonna, and the associated gifts of deeper and awakening Wisdom, you’ll enjoy the Imbolc-Candlemas post for those goodies.
For additional clues and insights on your role for these times,have a look at the current featured offerings or send me an email (info ‘at’ sophias-children ‘dot’ com).
Featured Image Credit: Aqua Sulis, Bath, England. Photo by your Sophia’s Children creatrix, Jamie Walters (that’d be me!). Link here if you use it, please.
In the Orchard (1912) by Franz Dvorak. Public domain image courtesy of Wikimedia.
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Magdalene with the Smoking Mirror, Georges De La Tour, 1640
We enter into the Mysteries of Imbolc, Candlemas, or Fèill Bhrìghde.
Imbolc or Fèill Bhrìghdewere some of the names given to this time of year by the Gaelic-Celtic ancestors, as they marked the midpoint between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox, and later is was called Candlemas or Fèill Brìghde.
Other cultures and traditions celebrated and honored the turning of the Seasonal wheel by other names.
I feel a special affinity for this time of year, since I was born at Imbolc-Candlemas, with Sirius and Orion visible in the Winter night sky.
For some of our ancestors, that reminder of coming Spring (and fading Winter) was a pretty big deal, in a region where it got plenty cold, and a time when there wasn’t the ease of electricity, central heating, a gas stove and electric fridge, or…
Happy First Day of Christmastide to you! The fire in the hearth and the yule log, both ancient traditions and symbols of the Divine Spark within and also prayers for wellbeing and true prosperity over the coming year. Lighting the... Continue Reading →
"And then the sailors say, 'The halcyon days are here. Let us be glad. There is nothing to fear'." ~ Emma Firth, Stories of Old Greece, 1895 My friend Molly Hall mentioned Halcyon Days in a message this morning, and... Continue Reading →
I originally wrote this article for Samhain in 2014. It's timeless and rooting, so I'm updating it freshly for November 2017. Nowadays, with so much wisdom forgotten, many people think of Samhain or the cross-quarters as evidence of pagan ancestors... Continue Reading →
"Who speaks of liberty while the human mind is in chains?" ~ Frances Wright, writer, abolitionist, social reformer, 1828 Frances "Fanny" Wright lived and died more than half a century before women in the United States won the right to... Continue Reading →
Happy May Day. Happy Beltane. We're mid-way between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice, and the theme of Now is fertility and emerging growth. With the arrival of Spring, we see, hear, and sense the spirit of greening (and thus fertile... Continue Reading →
"Holy Spirit, giving life to all life, moving all creatures, root of all things, washing them clean, wiping out their mistakes, healing their wounds, you are our true life, luminous, wonderful, awakening the heart from its ancient sleep." ~ Hildegard... Continue Reading →
Happy Spring Equinox, to those in the Northern hemisphere (and Autumn Equinox, to those in the Southern 'sphere). Here's a little Spring-time reflection food for you, to help tap into or attune with the essence of Spring, wherever you may... Continue Reading →
There is a concentrated energy of new beginnings at the moment, with the five-element theme making a big shift from water to fire. Regeneration is one of several key 'fire themes' of this coming year -- think 'Phoenix', the beautiful... Continue Reading →
e·piph·a·ny To reveal. Shine. Manifest Revelation. An Illuminating Realization or Discovery Resulting in Elation, Awe, Wonder. “So many people are frightened by the wonder of their own presence. They are dying to tie themselves into a system, a role, or... Continue Reading →
"Take off your shoes, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." (Exodus 3:5) Wishing You All Happy Holy Days; Crazy, Holy Grace; & An Illuminating Season of Lights, Jamie
Initially written in 2013, and updated in 2018 It's Thanksgiving week here in the United States, though the underlying meaning can be summoned up at any time, in any place. Of course, I'm thinking about the soon-to-be-feasted-upon turkey, stuffing, gravy,... Continue Reading →
"Trees have their sap from water. Water fecundates all things made that are called "creature". We see by means of water. Water gives many souls a splendour not to be outshone by the Angels." ~ Wolfram von Eschenbach (c. 1170... Continue Reading →
Ariakerou at Imado – Lighted House, by Kobayashi Kiyochika (1847-1915). PD-US. 
Il Barbagianni, The Owl, by 1862, Valentine Cameron Prinsep. 
Magdalene with the Smoking Mirror, Georges De La Tour, 1640 
