In the days of welcoming back the Mother Sun to the Northern Hemisphere the ancient tribes recognized that, though the light returns, the true Winter is just beginning. The Days of Jultide began on December 20 or Mother Night–the longest night and deepest Dark time of the Seasonal Cycles. This “Night of the Mothers” may have been celebrated to honor Ancestors and to call for the the Disir, the sacred feminine protectors of the Old Norse pantheon, the Sisters of the Other Realms, such as the three Norns, or Wise Weavers of Wyrd (earthly Fate).

It may also have been a time in which the power of the Valkyriur, or the powerful Swan Maidens, Valkyries and protectors of warriors and dying souls were beckoned to preserve the people on the longest night.  Welcoming the Feminine with lengthening light seems to be part of the Viking and pre-Viking periods in Norse mythology and tradition.   On December 21, with the rising of the new Solstice Sun, the livestock were slaughtered so that they would not have to be fed during the deep wintertide.

The ritual 12 or more days of great feasting, of setting fires alight atop hills, mountains or high points above the tribal homesteads is still practiced across the northern part of the world. These Need Fires created for for Healing and Blessing reflected the power of the Sun’s fire and were meant to guide the Lady Sun’s progress as she returned from the South toward her northern home.

Feasting, shared generosity and blots or ceremonies of many kinds were celebrated up to January 12. This was a time of honor, fidelity, loyalty and service to the tribe and to the Earth.  Oaths were made while sharing long nights of drinking and hand-festa, to strike a bargain by joining hands. These handfasting rituals–or the making of lifetime promises, commitments and pledges could include love, friendship, business or political alliances.

One became an OathWoman or OathMan in the ancient form of pledging and promising commitments to others, or to the Shining Ones, the Gods and Goddesses of Valhalla.

It is very probable that, along with the Roman festival of Saturnalia, this time after the rising of the New Sun may be the ancient Mother of all contemporary indulgences and New Year’s resolutions!

For 2018—consider what it would be to literally become an Oathperson, loyally honoring and KEEPING your vow to yourself, service and preservation of our 21st Century homestead–Planet Earth.

 

 

 

 

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After the elections–the glorious ride!

Dear Ones–I live in such gratitude for the past weeks of Indian Summer and the return of the Obamas.

After the elections—-Remember the Glorious Ride!

 “My bay had lightning stripes all over him and his mane was cloud. And when I breathed, my breath was lightning.”

–Black Elk to his horse

 For my Horse Husband, Ranger:

My bay is like a river of blood, running, running through mountain veins, my veins. Still, he is a red boulder, carved by something older than speed. His heart is mustang, big and fierce, earthed and stolid. He is meant to carry only himself. And, on the holiest of days, I join him.

Blessings on this wide-open, sacred plain of hope and activism. May that which carries you through this world fill your heart with ultimate joy and stretch you far beyond even your wildest hopes. May you ride the Mustang!

Marcie

Archangels Among Us!

There are Great Wings around us. This week, ending on October 7 is, for many Old Country celebrants, the Week of the Angels.

“The Spirits love you” is one of the ways that Native American and other indigenous cultures speak blessings to their loved ones. To the Lakotah People, the Wakayin are the messengers of the Great Spirit, who travel with Lightning and Thunder to bring guidance and transformation to All of the Relations below.

Here, in the Rocky Mountain West, we take our Angels seriously. We are home to some of the largest winged creatures on the planet: Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, Great Horned Owls, Ospreys, Whooping Cranes, Blue Herons–just to name a few. We bow in respect as the 8-foot wing spans spread glorious silhouettes on the ground around us and tumble and swoop above and before us as we hike, climb and ride our bikes or horses into the realms of the Rocky Mountain High Country. The Utes of Colorado and Utah say: “Seeing Brother Eagle adds one holy day to your life.”

Throughout all time, we humans have lifted our eyes to the sky-world to welcome Winged Guides in their many protective and prescient forms. Now, as the magikal time between Mabon (Autumn Equinox) and Samhain (All Hallows’ Eve) heralds seasonal transformations, we Practitioners of Earth-Centered Wisdom open our dwellings and sacred living spaces to the influence and powerful guidance of the Spirit Watchers, or Archangels. In this Week of the Angels, we are honored and grateful to host the Hosts of On-High–the 8 great Warriors of the Sacred Spirit. These are the most reverred spiritual embassadors said to link the Divine and the human in Gnostic and Judeo-Christian esoteric teachings. Beginning on Sept. 29, we have been preparing to receive the visitation of the ultimate Guardian Angels in our own homes.

Among the better-known Archangels such as Michael, Raphael and Uriel there are two very stunning members in the sacred octet. Both have been ostracized, marginalized and even demonized by dominating religious and political powers of the past. Lucifer, whose name means “Bringer of LIght” and Gabriel, or originally Gabriell, the Sacred Feminine Archangel, have almost literally been struck from their original realms of spiritual importance and belief.

Archangel Lucifer represented for the Gnostics the enspiriting messenger of the Imago Dei  or the embodyment of the Personal God which eminates from within each individual. This archetype origianally offered the hope of spiritual collaboration and compassion between the Divine and the Individual as well as the importance of Free Will in developing a transformative and active mission in human life.

Archangel Gabriell is a much more suppressed archetype of the early Judeo-Christian pantheon. As the single female energy, She may have represented the Bat Quel, the Feminine Mentor or even Goddess/Sister of the Jewish Yahweh, or God. She certainly is a reminder that no over-arching belief system can ever be balanced or complete without the Spiritual Wisdom and all-important guidance of the Sacred Feminine.

As we clean and freshen our homes, prepare welcoming altars, prayers and blessings we also prepare our personal spiritual environments to receive great seasonal change. We welcome the Archangels as interactive dynamic,Divine energies who, in their mercy also yearn for communion and communication with the world of Nature and embodied spirits.

May the Angels surround and lift you during this Season of transition and change.

Blessings, Marcie