Celebrating the Winter Solstice

I hope you will indulge me as this post is not herbal in nature, has nothing to do with the moon or goddesses and is actually a reflection of a huge 'pause' in my day-to-day life that I referenced in the Samhain blog entry.  I have been participating in this blog experiment for two years (to the date!) and I am stretching a little by crafting a post with a different slant.

I have to admit:  my Winter Solstice newsletter did not get written, and it was the 'big one' that the entire world was talking about!  "The end of the Mayan calendar".  I spent the day at a Unity Celebration at the Art of the Heart in Chester, NJ with other like-minded holistic folks being focused on ascension energies and the crystal light flooding into our great mother earth.

As an herbalist, environmental steward, ethnobotanist and affirmed tree-hugger, these last few months have been quite enlightening and there has been a decided shift in my thinking:  I want to connect even more fully with the green world, with the plants, with the plant spirits, with my beloved tree friends.  To my mind, part of this interconnectedness incorporates Reiki, so as a Reiki II practitioner, I am striving to complete my Reiki III Master & Teacher Certification in January.


On this winter solstice, I baked mini muffins and placed them around my yard at the base of trees for the fairy folk.  I took the CDs that come in the mail for postage stamps and other various sales pitches and hung them in the trees as unbreakable reflective decorations to celebrate the the light is returning!  And have you noticed that it is not pitch dark black outside at 4:30PM as it usually is at this time of year?  Something is going on, and even if I don't have words for it, I can participate in the unfolding of it.
joy of the Yule Season: 

Wishing you much peace, light and all manner of positive energy on this Winter Solstice!  May 2013 bring abundance and good health.

Celebrating the Summer Solstice/Litha

Celebrating Summer Solstice/Litha!

On the Summer Solstice/Litha, the earth is ripening with life, fertility and abundance.  This time of year, when the sun is at its zenith, many cultures and traditions still honor the sun and the Green Man, both in their full glory.  The date can vary slightly, and generally falling on June 20th to 22nd.  From this day forward, daylight will diminish by a few seconds each day, until day and night are equal again on the Autumnal Equinox in September.

 In Celtic lore, as well as many other cultures throughout recorded history, the Green Man is a symbol of rebirth, representing the expansive cycles of growth.  The power of the sun at Litha is at its most potent, as one can see all around with the bounty of growing life.  This is a time of year of brightness and warmth, when crops are growing in their fields with the heat of the sun.  In addition to festivities honoring the plentiful sun, the 'yang', male energy that is so verdantly abundant, Summer Solstice/Litha is a time when the Holly King retakes his throne.  It is reminiscent of the battle between light and dark.  The traditional lore follows that the Oak King, who rules the half of the year from the Winter Solstice to the Summer Solstice, relinquishes his power on the Summer Solstice/Litha to the Holly King, who then rules from the Summer Solstice through to the following Winter Solstice.

Litha is a wonder-filled time to celebrate outdoors, especially if you have children.  Go swimming or turn on the sprinkler and run through it.  Have a bonfire or barbeque at the end of the day.  Make it a special night with music, storytelling, holiday sparklers or dancing at dusk with the magical fire-flies.  Consider letting them stay up late to say 'goodnight' to the sun.  Be sure to take a moment to appreciate the gifts that each season brings.  Blessed Be!

[Above graphic is of the Wise Green Man speaking in hawthorn leaves.  Found in Parish Church in Sutton Benger, UK  (c.1300)]

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Herbal Whispers and Inspirations

Inspired by my many herbal sisters across the country, including Yvonne at Fuller Harvest Farm in Canada, and nudged by the total lunar eclipse of the full moon last week ON the Winter Solstice (talk about a trifecta!!), I begin this Herbal 'conversation' with the hopes of encouraging folks to learn more about the healing properties of local medicinal botanicals - which include everything from ground covers to invasive vines, common plants, perceived weeds, shrubs and of course, our noble trees who are the guardians of our communities and considered the elders of the botanical world.  More information will follow as I get the hang of blogging, and additional information can always be found at my website, http://www.willowmoonherbals.com/.

FYI:  I took the above picture just as the moon was beginning to be eclipsed at about 1:35AM on 12-21-2010 EST.