Come and Join us for our Yule Winter Solstice Rite
“After the longest night, tomorrow we sing up the dawn. "
THE DREAMING
“There we stood facing the entrance, it was now a little after twilight.. the in-between time, a strange mist hung in the air, we had a sense of being followed as we made the walk up onto the trackway. High up on the Ridgeway she stood, with long dark hair, she belonged to this twilight world. There sitting next to her on the Gatepost, was Crow, yet a Raven seemed to sit on her right shoulder, as if it was on guard, watching us, watching the land we stood upon... It was the in-between time for a good reason.. somewhere between All Hallowed Eve and Winter Solstice, it's hard to remember that many moons back...
As we stood at the Entrance, my heart raced, yet we had been called, an appointment had been made.. Between the Innate and I, The Land and I, she was an Old God from the Old world.. Those who seek her are seeking for something solid, tangible yet often find only shadow and dream, yet are drawn on in their quest by the sound of ravens calling, often unheard, yet always felt... I stepped in, the darkness engulfed me, she whispers to me " Blood and Bones, Earth Rock Mud and Stone" I hadn't gone out of my way to seek her, it was more of a response on my part, I reach into my bag and light a candle, mist hung in the air, the air was charged, as I lit that candle, it went from dark to light, and their I sat in-between the worlds, the wheel hung in-between time, it rested in the darkest part of the year!! Everything went silent!!!
We are now entering the “Dreaming” "
We warmly invite you to our Yule / Winter Solstice / Mother Night rite and to join our Community.
Come and join us ~ Sunday December 11th 12pm to 5pm
Hosted beyond the Woodland Gate!!
Coming along for the first time? Feel free to email for more details info@shanegadd.com
We will together wander the land, with a wand and staff to hand to gather a mixture of Holly and Evergreen, cutting a magical doorway into Yule, we will then craft a collective Yule Log and place it onto our fire, and together sitting around that hearthside , we will weave stories, songs and prayers of winter and of " The Dreaming " Drumming them into being, sharing some mulled apple juice and a mince pie or two we will craft a very own Yule Wreathe, and learn how to enchant it as you take it home and place it on your door!!
Discover More about our Woodland Immersive Experiences
In Norse mythology, the solstice is known as the Mother Night, because within the darkness Freya “labored to bring the light once more,” spinning the fates at her spinning wheel. The world Yule itself is derived from the Norse word Jul, which means “wheel,” referring to Freya’s spinning wheel of fates, the cycle of the seasons, and the continuous nature of life.
This is also Odin’s Time We are entering his time as we tip into December.. he is a lover of Hospitality and time spent around the Hearth sharing stories before he goes wandering again!! Turning up sometimes as a stranger!!! Testing your Hospitality.. Or even taking you on a unexpected journey!!!
It's also a time that I have come to know as " The Dreaming" a time where my drum sprung to life!!
Gift Vouchers - Looking for something different and special to gift this Yule? How about gifting a voucher for a Consultation, or a Reiki Healing Session or one of our Immersive Experiences!!
More often than not, you’re not choosing a gift for just any random person. You are thinking of buying something special for someone you love and care about.
Within this heart of mine are stories, tender, raw, powerful stories, of heartbreak, overcoming, joy, the best and worst days of my life.. Yet they are all stories.. Stories of hope and becoming.. We carry and hold them with grace!! ( Ps you may want to grab a nice cup of tea, enjoy the story)
My Drum carries those stories, she is birthed from the skin of a reindeer, who ran free on the northern Swedish tundra. Made in the similar tradition of the Sami nomadic reindeer herders, another thread woven of my ancestry, yet also a beautiful story of these lands.
For the last 3 Summers my heart was calling to birth a drum for myself and those that we sit with around the sacred fire with.. A calling that was blood and bone deep..
I discovered a wonderful elder and dear sister Dorrie Joy she holds and carries such a sweet tender medicine, she weaves drums into being, in the most magical and heartfelt of ways. It was such a honour to weave and create with Dorrie, surrounded by family, friends and beloved medicine sisters, who live such tender yet rooted lives..
For 3 days and nights I allowed my drum to gently dry.. Each evening sitting with it holding it, listening deeply to its story.. Then on the fourth night I sit back and lean into the weavers chair, my hand resting gently into the heart of my drum, my wish, my prayer is to welcome the drum into our home, to welcome her to the altar and the medicine shield… Above me watching over the space, is the ladder of 9, woven from blackthorn..
The air tingles, the pine resin burning gently, spirals towards the doorway.
“Doorways” I say to myself and smile, a little indicator that I am no longer alone.. The air is crisp and reminds me of a forest..
There she stands tall and lean, a woollen fabric robe shredded, a mixture of greens and browns, deep brown eyes, kind, soft, knowing. Wearing a brown leather belt, with a large pouch!! A merge of part human and part deer, with the wildest of antlers..
I feel the words before I hear them.
“I come from the Frozen North yet also here, a land that begins to slow, especially at this time of year. I come gently yet with thunder in my heart, a land of ice and snow, carrying the songs of the wild tundra, the echoes of your ancestral lands.. that even in the darkest times, light and life return. I am the “life-giving mother” who provided the peoples of your kin with all their basic needs – milk, food, clothing and shelter.
Some say I fly, yet I have carried the souls of the departed into the spirit realm, a guide through darkness and through death.
At Winter Solstice I appear as The Winter Goddess, crowned with Antlers. It holds the stories of the tree of life, carrying the sun, the moon, the stars within my antlers. It is on the Eve of winter solstice, that I am the Deer Mother, for this is mother night, the longest night of the year, I take flight, bringing light and new life at the time of greatest darkness.
I am your Drum, and these are some of my gifts and messages!! For now hold me, as I hold you..
I am Reindeer… Watching over you as you watch over the tribe..
She stood tall, lean, part human, part deer, her face long, deep knowing eyes, a spiral tattooed into her forehead, resting above her third eye, she gently lowers her head, kind, knowingly. In her left hand sits a drum, she places her right on her heart.. She whispers a unknown language, yet I feel her tell me, that it's only unknown to me in this time.. For this is not the first time we have met, for she knows me, it's me that is slowly remembering my drum, and the tender “Dear Mother”
How you can work with this Samhain Tide & “The Dreaming” As we move towards Winter Solstice
· Create an ancestral altar – As a place of connection, a focal point for your offerings and prayers, woven with autumnal / winter elements, photographs and mementos of your kin, images of your spiritual ancestors and symbols that resonate with your lineage.
· Story & Myth – Share stories of your deceased relatives, read old tales from their lands, sing and drum to them.. If we go back far enough, there will be ancestors that literally sung for you..
· Work with native plant allies – Rosemary and mugwort in tea, or smudging your home and altar will support the remembrance and honouring of your kin.
· Weave an Earth offering – For the Ancestors of Place that have tended the land you live with.
· Listening with Stones – One of our true elders, you can hold and listen to, dream with, and place under your pillow to guide your dreaming. Or visit a stone circle, cave or cairn where you can be amongst them and listen in to their stories.
· Tend to your Grief – When we grieve, we remember what we love. We honour all that we have lost, and we create a river of blessings for our kin that feeds them and helps us connect more deeply with them.
Recommended Reading for these Wintery Days Such a beautiful book wrote with so much heart, real, raw, and deeply nourishing.. Isla brings life to ritual in such a beautiful way that encourages you to weave and craft the rituals from deep within you!! A book for our times.. To discover more about Isla Macleod
G E T I N T O U C H