Volume 11 Issue 2
Imbolc 2014

Seasons of the Moon is a quarterly online magazine published by students and members of The Order of The White Moon, an eclectic international order of women dedicated to The Goddess. The Order provides personal empowerment and priestess training, and operates local groups. All contributions are original material submitted by our students and members. (We do not accept outside contributions.) Please direct comments and questions to the Ezine Editor.

Seasons Of The Moon Editor and Council:
Ajna DreamsAwake
Kerritwyn Ceannaire, Moonwater Chalcedony Ashwood, Sea Dragon, Etain Feohwynn, Mystic Amazon, Maeve Cliodhna MoonBird

Imbolc 2014

Ritual Work
Imbolc Ritual - Making Brigid's crosses, Literata
Ostara Ritual - Finding the Sun, Literata

Sacred Sites
Wai'anuenue Falls, Ajna DreamsAwake

The Bardic Soul: Poetry and Song for the Spirit
Imbolc is Here, Peace Whitehorse
Ostara is Upon us Now, Peace Whitehorse
Medusa, Mystic Amazon

Ritual Work

Imbolc Ritual - Making Brigid's crosses

Making Brigid's crosses is a traditional Imbolc activity. In this ritual, we use strips of paper and empower each strip with an intention that we send to Brigid. Each strip can be a separate matter, or you can weave together multiple intentions all related to a single project or issue.

Materials:

Strips of paper. You can make these using regular typing paper, but I recommend construction paper if you can get some. Try multiple colors! Cut the strips lengthwise, about a half inch wide. If possible, use a ruler and pencil to sketch straight lines and cut with a long pair of scissors to make the strips even. You will need about 12 strips to make a single cross.

Writing instrument that will show up on the paper chosen.

Tape to seal the ends of the cross, or glue.

Ritual:

Cast the circle and call the Quarters. You can focus your invocations on Brigid and the theme of Imbolc, or tailor them to fit the intentions you will be instilling into your project.

Invoke Brigid with a poem, chant, or song. "Way to the Well" and "Holy Well and Sacred Flame" are especially well-suited to this Sabbat.

Write your intentions, wishes, or prayers on the strips of paper. Don't worry about filing them all; it is better to have a few blank ones included than to have too many to work into a single cross.

Leave one strip blank, or just write "Brigid" on it. Lay it down in the center of your space, pointing up and down.

For the next strip, read it aloud, and say, "Brigid, hear my prayer." Fold the strip in half with the words on the inside, folding it across the center strip with the ends pointing to the right.

Rotate your cross a quarter-turn counter clockwise. Now the single center strip is pointing left and right, and the strip you just folded is pointing up.

Read and bless the next strip. Fold it in half across the previous one with the ends pointing to the right.

Repeat the previous two steps until your cross is a size you like.

For a visual example of the folding, see this example or this project.

When you are done, use a little bit of tape across the ends of the arms to hold all the strips in place. (If you prefer to use glue to glue together each strip as you go, follow the instructions in the first link above.)

Holding your completed cross, repeat your poem, chant, or song and give thanks to Brigid.

Thank the Quarters and open the circle.

Keep the cross and hang it somewhere where you can look at it and draw on its energy. If your intentions are for a short-term project, then when it is completed, dispose of the cross by burning, recycling, or composting it as a thanks-offering to Brigid. It is especially appropriate to burn it on one of the fire festivals (Beltane, Lunasa, or Samhain) if you can. If the cross relates to a long-term project or concern, dispose of the cross at the next Imbolc, and make a new one if you wish.

Ostara Ritual - Finding the Sun

Eggs are strongly associated with Ostara and its images of fertility and growth, and dyeing hardboiled eggs is a wonderful tradition to use for this Sabbat. This ritual, though, uses the egg in a different way to symbolize the release of restraints that is necessary for growth and change.

Materials: Hardboiled egg. Whether you dye it or not is entirely up to you. If you do, you can spend time while waiting for the dye to take to meditate on the way that snow melts and begins to reveal the colors of springtime.

Plate or bowl and knife to cut the egg. (Be careful when handling knives.)

Ritual:

Cast the circle as you chant:

The earth, the air, the fire the water

return, return, return, return

Call the Quarters:

East, Powers of Air, blow through me with the winds of a fresh start! Hail and welcome!

South, Powers of Fire, burn in me with the energy to grow and change! Hail and welcome!

West, Powers of Water, flow through me with the courage to ride the waves! Hail and welcome!

North, Powers of Earth, ground me with the strength to break free! Hail and welcome!

Pick up your egg, and visualize its shell as the constraints that have been holding you back, especially anything that has been restraining you this past winter. Put all of your feelings about those situations into the shell (just the shell, not the egg!).

When you are ready, crack the shell with a sharp rap against the plate, and feel the constraints break. Peel the egg, and visualize all that has held you back falling away, allowing you to break free and emerge into a period of new growth and development.

Take the egg and cut it in half. See the golden yolk inside as the sun, which is returning to its strength and bringing energy to fuel the growth and change of spring. Say, "The sun returns!" and celebrate! Eat the egg to take that energy into yourself.

Thank the Quarters for their presence and blessings.

Open the circle.

Literata is a Wiccan priestess and writer. She edited Crossing the River: An Anthology in Honor of Sacred Journeys, and her poetry, rituals, and nonfiction have appeared in works such as Mandragora, Unto Herself, and Anointed as well as multiple periodicals. Literata has presented at Sacred Space conference, Fertile Ground Gathering, and other mid-Atlantic venues. She is currently completing her doctoral dissertation in history with the support of her husband and four cats. www.worksofliterata.org

Wai'anuenue Falls, Hawaii

Wai'anuenue means "rainbow seen in water" in Hawaiian. Wai'anuenue, also known as Rainbow Falls, can be found near Hilo, on the Eastern side of the Island of Hawaii. Rainbow Falls derives its name from the fact that, on sunny mornings, rainbows can be seen in the mists. Beneath and behind the 80 foot tall waterfall, lies a lava cave, home of Hina, the Moon Goddess. Visitors can walk down stone steps to enter Her sacred space

The source of the falls is the 26 mile long Wailuku River. Wailuku begins its journey at the watershed formed by sister volcanoes Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. Mauna Loa is the largest volcano in the world, and her sister, Mauna Kea is the tallest (the base of which is situated at the bottom of the ocean).

Wailuku means literally "destroying water", torrential floods have caused a lot of destruction of habitat, and loss of life. Legends about Wailuku describe the violent nature of this mighty river. Yet, at the base of Wianuenue Falls, the violence is transformed into peaceful, turquoise pools of beauty. Hina has tamed the angry River God.

Hina is often called "Hina of Hilo" and is the Mother of the Hawaiian people. Hina was the first female to walk upon the Earth. She taught humans how to use fire, grow crops and weave cloth. Hina discovered salt-free water and all pools and waterfalls are sacred to Her. She created the rainbow as a veil to protect Her home at Wai'anuenue. Hina is a Lunar Goddess, the Crescent Moon is one of Her symbols. She also rules over Artists, Chanting, Clouds, Rainbows and Creativity.

Hina has several consorts, but She relishes Her freedom, and would pack up and leave the moment She thought Her independence was at risk from some jealous or possessive mate. Hina is often portrayed carrying a calabash (gourd) containing the Moon and Stars. However, due to Her own independent nature, she did not have the heart to keep them imprisoned and allowed the Moon and stars to float freely up into the sky. She fashioned a rainbow in order to climb up to the Moon where She has a home.

http://www.sacred-texts.com/pac/maui/maui16.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_Falls_%28Hawaii%29

Ajna DreamsAwake is a Priestess in The Sacred Three Goddess School. She is an eclectic Pagan, rediscovering Her Visionary Goddess Gifts.

The Bardic Soul: Poetry and Song for the Spirit

Imbolc is Here

Honor the Maiden and honor the Bride,

Imbolc is here this eventide!

Bless the tool and bless the seed,

Open the bottle and pour the mead.

Crocus from the earth break forth,

Yes snow still coming from the North.

Now in the middle are we here

Of the dark half of the Wheel of the Year.

Place Brighid in her floral bed,

With a gemstone on her head.

Wait to see, will Winter end?

What will the groundhog now portend?

Drag the plow from door to door,

Beg for pennies, candy and more.

Also known as Candlemas,

Get ready to greet the spring at last!

Do nought of picking or cutting of plants,

But sing the songs and chant the chants!

Decorate the harrow and plow,

Pour Water of Life upon it now.

Break a furrow newly turned,

And leave an offering freshly earned.

From the Earth the snowdrops bloom!

Light a candle in every room

To welcome back the warm, bright Sun,

Brighid's fire for everyone!

Ostara is Upon Us Now

Ostara is upon us now,

To the Maiden do we bow.

Equal dark and equal light,

Equinox, to our delight!

Decorate the colored eggs,

Of Winter left is just the dregs.

Persephone can now return,

The Equinox bale-fires burn.

Demeter will no longer mourn,

Her daughter now has been reborn

From Hades bower within the Earth,

Spring has come to field and firth.

Bunnies hop about the land,

Calf and kitten, foal and lamb.

Flowers bloom and garlands hung -

Bless the Maiden, Spring has sprung!

Sun-like roll and hot cross bun,

Feasting, merriment and much fun.

Ostara is upon us now,

To the Maiden do we bow.

Peace Whitehorse is a graduate of The Sacred Three Goddess School and a High Priestess in the Order of the White Moon. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and her Shetland sheepdogs, and is active in Sheltie Rescue.

Medusa

I thought about the woman whose hair

Was wreathed in snakes,

And I wondered...

Why punish her for having a lover,

When Apollo was unharmed?

Why didn't he stand up for her?

How was a mortal woman

Supposed to tell a God, "No"?

So her beauty was taken away

And she was given snakes for her hair.

Surely, she should have known better

Than to make love in a temple,

But then so did Apollo know better.

It wasn't fair.

True, she got powers from it...

They were dark powers that destroyed.

I can see her now, beautiful, naked

With snakes for hair,

Snakes writhing all around her feet,

Calm except when someone invaded

Her privacy and saw her serpent hair...

Then, fierce with glaring eyes and frown,

Turning them to ice within their veins

And then, to marble.

I read she had other Gorgon sisters

But she was the only beauty.

Surely her snakes talked to her,

Hissing in their own language;

Warning her of approaching

Heroes that would come to destroy.

Her anger at her metamorphosis

Would swell into a killing rage.

Serpent Queen,

You are losing your humanity...

Quell your rage, you were human once,

And a priestess.

Try to remember that

Before your serpent nature

Takes over again,

And leads to your final destruction.

Mystic Amazon has studied Reiki with Diane Stein and has also done Shamanic training. She is a High Priestess of the Order of the White Moon and an Ordained Minister, currently co-teaching with HP Ka Wahine Ahi at Sisters of the Rising Moon school. Divorced with two children, she now lives in Mississippi. Her hobbies include writing, folk art, folk magick, Reiki, and reading.

The articles featured in Seasons of the Moon are written and/or submitted by members of the Order of the White Moon and are their own intellectual property. Please feel free to share this publication but do give credit where credit is due and link back to the source.

Thank you for reading. We hope that you have enjoyed it just as much as we have enjoyed presenting it to you.

Many blessings to you and yours,
Seasons of The Moon Staff

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Volume 11 Issue 2 Imbolc 2014