Hail and Farewell

We say "hail and farewell," when we close a ritual. It's our way of acknowledging the deities and participants who've come to work Magick with us. It's our way of acknowledging our divinity as Magickal people. It's a simple phrase, but one that carries love, honor and respect.

This past week we said "hail and farewell," to two people whose lives touched many in deep and profound ways. George Michael and Carrie Fisher both left us in the same week and many are still grieving their passing, trying to cope with the loss.

What is it about grieving for celebrities and icons that is so personal? We don't know these people, yet we feel intimately connected to them. I believe it's because they're artists and through their work, they shared their soul. They exposed their vulnerabilities and allowed us to love, celebrate, and wonder, right along with them. Their words, their music, and their art became backdrops and tapestries to our own lives. And when they leave us, we feel it profoundly.

Along with the celebrities who left us this year, there were also personal losses. I began 2016 with the passing of my sweet dog, Shadow, and the year ended with the deaths of others I loved. I'm sure this is the case for many. Death finds it's way to everyone, every thing, eventually. Sometimes I think the mass sharing of grief over icons and celebrities also helps us to cope with our own personal losses. Not everything about social media is bad or fake.

As the Wheel turns toward the new year, and we feel the pain of loss, there is also the joy of a new beginning and looking back at the good things we accomplished in 2016. Not every day was bad, not every moment was filled with sorrow. There were moments of joy, laughter, camaraderie and friendship. Small goals were attained and milestones were achieved. Take time to remember the good things. Celebrate the things in 2016 that made you happy. Though we began the year with the passing of our dog, we ended the year by adopting a shelter dog and that has been a wonderful blessing in our lives.

We all need to carry on. I'm looking forward to 2017. It's the only way to keep moving, to keep going. As long as we're breathing we have opportunities for change and growth. It's up to us to choose how we use the days we're given. Let's make 2017 our best year, yet!

Celebrate the Light!

I look out from my window this morning and I see blue sky, slowly being overtaken by a rolling patch of grey clouds.

It's the morning of the longest night, the night of the Winter Solstice.

I'm excited because I know this night starts the celebrations. All over the world people will celebrate the return of the Sun, our ability to survive dark times and bask once again in the Light. This seems especially important this year, in light of all the things that are happening in the United States and on our planet.

I am especially grateful my article, "Drumming Up The Sun," was published by Llewellyn Books in the 2017 Magical Almanac. The ritual of the Denver Pagan community heading up to Red Rocks Amphitheater in the dark early hours on Winter Solstice morning, has long held a special place in my heart. Red Rocks has long been a place of joy and celebration for me, since the first time I attended a concert there in the 1980's. I feel blessed to have my thoughts and feelings about this wonderful place printed and published.

I am also grateful to write for one of Denver's and the country's top metaphysical stores, Herbs and Arts. My piece for their website titled, "Winter Light," tries to lend a bit of magick and reflection to this time of year, especially for those who practice and believe in the Old Ways, while living in these modern times.

We all seem to hearken back to "olden times," during the Holidays,  in our memories or imaginations. It seems we need to believe in simpler times or imagine peaceful, serene, compassionate settings to help us cope with the stress of our lives.

Perhaps above all else, that is the reason why we so fervently celebrate the return the Light. It matters. It is important. May the Light continue to shine in all our lives.

Blessed Be.

I Believe

I watch all the Christmas movies. Some of my favorites are "Elf, Jingle All the Way, Home Alone, The Santa Clause, A Christmas Story," and my all time favorite, "Polar Express."

I anticipate watching my favorite movies with the childlike enthusiasm of a first time viewer.

I listen to Holiday/Christmas music on local radio stations and on my favorite web channel, Pandora.

I decorate my house with lights and every thing twinkly until my husband screams, "no more!"

I love looking at my tree, filled with precious ornaments, and thinking of times gone past and times yet to come. I leave my tree up until the first week of January and feel sad when it's time to take it down.

I send out Holiday cards, buy gifts and drink eggnog spiked with bourbon or Kahlua and sprinkled with a touch of cinnamon.

I burn Yule incense and honor the return of the Sun on the Winter Solstice.

I do all these things because I believe. I believe in the spirit of Christmas, the wonder of the Solstice and the childlike magickal spirit that keeps hope alive.

I admit for a while, I was conflicted.

How could an earth-based Pagan woman, who believes in the Goddess, the Divine Feminine, enjoy Christmas?

That question rocked my world for a long time, until I returned to the Source and realized where a lot of our "Christmas" traditions come from. I realized I was actually honoring the spirit of the Holiday its truest sense, by celebrating Christmas in the secular sense, and that made my heart very happy.

I wish people "Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and a Blessed Yule," and feel goodness in my heart when I am wished the same.

At this time of year, there are so many reasons to be sad or conflicted. Not everyone finds joy in this season, or celebrates the same way. And particularly in the U.S. this year, lots of us have reasons to be dismayed.

However this is exactly why our ancestors took such glee in celebrating the light that banishes the darkness.

May you find peace and joy this season, in small ways and large. Remember to breathe, laugh when you can, share a smile, and count your blessings. May the spirit of the season light your heart and hearth.

Hail the Dark Goddess - Guest Post Priestess Amber Zeta

The Wheel Turns is excited to have Amber Zeta, Priestess, Mythologist, Change Agent, Goddessprenuer of Zeta Moon, and founder of Denver's Dark Goddess Festival, be our first guest blogger!

Take it away Priestess Amber!

The Dark Goddess Festival is an afternoon dedicated to the shadows, the inner mysteries, and the Dark Goddess!  A celebration of the Dark Mother, The Crone, and the Veiled One. I created this festival eleven years ago in response to a call from Kali Ma. It also came out of a desire to create a different kind of festival. At the time, I felt frustrated by how all the festivals had fees attached and back then, I barely had five dollars to my name. I felt jealous and upset that not only could I not afford the entry fee to attend festivals, but once in, it felt like a slap in the face as everything required a purchase to enjoy it, be it food, merchandise, or getting a reading or healing. The Goddess asked, “Why don’t you create a new festival then?”

So, I did. I felt called to bring to light the Dark Goddess because She is often misunderstood and taken for an agent of ill tempered forces. However, in my experience, She helped me out of my shadow self, into integration and understanding of myself in ways I was not reaching through other pathways.  The Dark Goddess represents our deepest desires, our primal instinctive side, and hidden knowledge as well as the potency of being you, your true you. Always through love, She cuts away all that does not serve a person; what is not in their best interest is severed. Like a tough love mother, She takes away what does not contribute to you, regardless of how you feel about it or how attached you might be to that thing. Only for your highest possibilities does She act. This is the gift I wish to share with others through the Dark Goddess Festival.

The Dark Goddess Festival remains free of vendors and an admission fee. There is entertainment, dancing, ritual, healers and readers available, for free or for reasonable fees, and a door prize raffle to help me offset costs of running the festival. I think of it as a gift I share with the community—the focus is on connection and experiences. I consider myself a bridge, connecting people to resources and others that may contribute to their lives and well being. This year, I would like to reach more like minded others who are seeking the Dark Goddess. I have a new volunteer committee to help me with advertising and marketing, a few of my lesser gifts. This year will be the 9^th Annual Dark Goddess Festival and as 9 is a very sacred number to the Goddess, I expect it will be a very potent and juicy one. I am looking forward to seeing what She has in store for the festival and us!

A mythologist, healer, and energy shifter, I have studied every metaphysical modality I can. I have a passion for learning and will always be reaching for the next level. I hold a  BA degree in Liberal Arts English with a Women Studies’ Minor and a Masters in Mythological Studies with a Depth Psychology Emphasis, which is Jungian and post Jungian theory. A practice witch and healer, I am honored to be a part of this growing Goddess priestesshood. Bright blessings and may the Darkness be Merciful!

Please feel free to visit Priestess Amber at her website; http://www.zetamoon.com