I think at the core of it... We all just want to live in peace, something we think about with much more clarity at this time.. to live with peace .. With sovereignty.. with heart and meaning... watching our children grow in peace and safety... The direction of this world can feel troubling....Deeply knowing what you know is a double edged sword. Yet the tide of light is running, change is stirring..
Where we find ourselves in this current world situation is not all about knowing what to do next. It is about radical responsibility and radical compassion and in turn taking leadership of our immediate everyday lives and nourishing our communities - Working with what is directly in front of us - becoming fully present as possible. Find the courage to stop, a deep stop, blood and bone deep, let yourself crumble and come back to you!! Then rest deeply in self, recover, meet you, meet the truth of who you are, and what is real, there is nothing to do only be present.
I'm convinced the only way we will navigate the coming months is by heart-led leadership... Building and nurturing Community...
For now I will continue to anchor myself and those that I care about.. And nurture Community.. The Circle of Giving is a Circle.. The skills and wisdom I foster was shaped and gifted to me from my Elders... and Good Friends... For me its about using that with integrity, care and consideration... I will continue to teach the little guy with love, all that is in my heart.. for he and his generation are the future..
We All must be a part of a culture of Hope
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What is the greatest thing you can ever give another? Time is the greatest thing you can give!
As we approach Yule we often think about giving gifts, yet time is one of the greatest gifts we can ever give!! this year, give the most inexpensive and yet most precious gift there is: YOU. You may not think much of yourself as a gift and may not even feel you have much to give. Yet you are and so is your time, and why because the time you give, you can never get back, once spent, gone!
When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things – not the great occasions – give off the greatest glow of happiness.” —Bob Hope
I will always (not just at Christmas) value experiences over possessions. Possessions are nice, but they rust, fall apart, get lost stolen, break . Experiences can’t be taken from us. They have eternal value, they live on within us...
Our Ritual approach to the Season
The first night of Yule, Mothers Night (Modranecht), is one of my most cherished rites of the year. It is not only a time that I honour my patron goddess Freya and Brigid, but also the ancestral mothers and female ancestors and guardians of my family, my Dísir. Earlier in the day we set up and decorated our Modranecht altar, in their honour. For us, we also use a Advent Spiral..
(We start our 12 nights of Yule on a set date, Dec. 20th, regardless of the date of the Solstice.)
For our commemoration of the first night of Yule, we use a simple blót.
For us we will be honouring Yule / Mothers Night as a community on the 12th which feels a beautiful thing to do.
Our Call
I call to our mothers, the light and the life bringers who have guided us from darkness onto the paths our ancestors have travelled, and now the paths we walk down.
Tonight we honour our Mothers, who through joy and suffering endured so that their children, and their children’s children might not just survive, but thrive.
“Hail Beloved Freya, beloved Brigid Goddesses of hearth and home. Beloved Goddesses
May you keep our household whole and safe.
May our family receive your blessings this coming year.
To our family’s Mothers, our Dísir, going back in a line to the beginning,
You who have watched over us and loved us always. We are forever grateful, we honour you, may you continued blessings hold and keep us in the coming year! You see all things, even if I may not know them, May your counsel follow me into the year ahead and be the compass from which I navigate. We are forever grateful..
May the blessings of the disir be upon you all We remember you with love and honour you this night and all nights..
In our Community ritual and rite we perform some simple Magic.
Blessings, toasts, and libations are made. Then we extinguish all other lights and light the candles on the Yule log at home we light the central candle in the Advent Spiral We have a simple meal of nourishing Soup in honour of the mothers and the returning light.
December 20th or on the eve of the Winter Solstice begins the twelve night celebration of Yule. It kind of reminds me of Samhain in purpose , but the Modranecht tradition is specifically for female ancestors, guardians of the home and family. I am so glad I found this tradition. I feel it will have special meaning to me. Freya has become my patron goddess, alongside Brigid, who has been there for as long as I can remember, in discovering our families heritage, both Freya and Brigid have such a firm place in my heart... , and I’m excited to be doing this special ritual in honour of them both, Freya, Mistress of Magic, Healing and Love, and Brigid, keeper of Hearth and Home, and also I find it wonderful that I will be honouring my mother and grandmothers in the same ritual.
When you are celebrating Yuletide as a 12 night event, starting on the 20th means the last night of your celebration ends up being on our modern culture’s New Year’s Eve. This holds special significance because the 12th night is Oath Night.
How Magical is that!!