|
NEW! monthly columns & weekly AstroFlash
A Favorite Solstice Ritual
December 2002
...second in a series on Women's Magick and Rituals
Flash shares her thoughts for the winter Solstice.
(Future installments will occur on Full Moons and major Holy Days)
Along with jumping over the fire to affirm one's new path, which is a wonderful tried and true ritual, I have created a fun and third eye opening ritual for Yule.
Tell all who come to your circle to bring a wrapped gift of something that they want to pass on. It needn't be new but it can be and not too expensive... just something you want to pass on. These gifts are placed in a box or sack in the center of the group. The woman who begins has the Priestess or group member place a lovely blindfold on her and then she reaches into the sack and lets the gift pick her. At this point she uses psychometry (a form of object reading where the diviner tunes into the object and gets impressions re the gift or giver) to divine the message from the gift etc. After she does this, the woman who placed the gift in the bag unblindfolds her giving her a kiss and a sip of Mead or other drink in the Chalice and then the "giver" dons the blindfold aided by the gifted after explaining something about the gift. This exercise continues til all the gifts are gotten from the bag. Whoever hosts the circle might want to always have a few extra gifts in case someone comes empty handed.
In my Circles this has always been a favorite Holy Day Ritual as the Yule logs burn warm into the Longest Night and we welcome the return of the SUN full of Holy Day cheer and renewed hope and inspiration.
Blessed Be
Flash
Cronings
November 2002
...first in a series on Women's Magick and Rituals
Flash shares her thoughts during the Season of the Crone.
(Future installments will occur on Full Moons and major Holy Days)
I am a 52 year old Crone. I was Croned at 50 and it was perfect. I feel like beyond 50 and its your choice as to when. No one can tell you better than you and your bones and gut. I think that being your own point of reference on this matter is a sign of Cronedom!! I've facilitated many Cronings and been a part of many from the very spiritual, like my own, to a much more mundane version that was more like a "roast" with a lot of slides and scrapbooks/pot luck.. tall tales about the Crone, etc. The first one that I helped put together, the Crones daughter was flown in unbeknownst to the Crone and was in disguise so well that her mom sat near her and didn't know her own daughter and at some point she jumped out of a cardboard cake to mom's amazement and delight.
One of the features that we keep in my community of Gainesville in Florida is a time where we send in the Crones..its a circle only of Crones whether they have been a Crone or not and they circle the new Crone and sing and dance w/ her in the center or in the circle itself. At some point, the eldest or one chosen to be "Spokes Crone" gives a little speech re: being a Crone and the "Crone Jewel"is passed from the last Crone to the new One. For my Croning in addition one of my Native sisters made me a beautiful soft purple shawl that I could wrap myself in and all the women closest to me were asked to sew on some of the fringe. Because I am so eclectic it was important to me to celebrate the many traditions that I am connected to so this same woman w/ the help of a small circle did a Lakota pipe ceremony inside the Croning. My Yoruba Priest of Yemanja and Priest of Obatala sisters led some traditional African chants and drumming.. and I brought in some of the more Wiccan practices. I feel best inside a circle that represents these 3 paths which I am so much a part of. I have been to much more secular Cronings as well. My then partner Tara is very much into creativity and not as much into ritual and she asked among other things for women to each bring some creative expression into the circle.
Some things to do in the beginning: Cleanse the space and create a circle using the 4 elements....invite all to enter the circle in order of age[oldest woman first]....4 women call in the 4 directions....another woman sweeps the inside of the circle sweeping away the karma of the first 50 years and then invites the Crone to finish up speaking or silently expressing what she is sweeping out and what she is sweeping in [make a space in the circle to sweep out the stuff and move away so that a pathway is created for release 'till the Crone is finished] ...all can light a white candle where they stand..... these are just some ideas that I have worked with.There are as many ways to give a Croning, as there are ways to be a Crone...most importantly.. Enjoy The Journey
Blessed Be
Flash
Now you can enjoy new horoscopes each week from Flash!
Look for them here: AstroFlash
browse the AstroFlash archive
Copyright © 2001-2003 Flash Silvermoon.
All rights reserved.
original design by S. Julien Web Development
enchanted by Avalon WebWorks
|
