PaganSquare.com - WitchesAndPagans.com

Growing up, my mother used to have white candles in the every window at Christmas time.  I remember loving how it looked.  Our traditions was different from most of the other people I know.  

Christmas eve my siblings and I went to the barn with my father.  Cows were milked, fed, tended.  None of us could go to the house.  We weren't allowed to go outside to play.  We all had to stay in the barn while the chores were being done.  My mother stayed in the house.  As an adult, I know she was prepping the house, gifts, and stockings for us.  As a child I thought it was magical.  

In the old days, people would hibernate somewhat in the winter.  Tools would be repaired, activities went from tending the earth to resting.  Animals were tended but outside work was minimal mostly because the weather prohibited it.  Though there were worries about food and fuel lasting through the dark times, it was a quieter more restful time of the year.

Now we don't have the luxury of staying indoors by a warm fire.  We also don't have to worry about food or fuel being scarce.  The frenetic pace of life continues even when we get a snowstorm dropping inches of snow on us.  We wait until the plows dig us out and continue with our lives.  Rarely do we take a day or week or more to stay at home, cuddle in and ignore the fast pace life we normally have.  

I’m sorry to say I went black Friday shopping.  My daughter wanted to go and she dragged me along.  I didn’t mind the craft stores but the others were too much.  Winter is a time to go within and reflect on what’s needed.  Black Friday shopping is definitely not anywhere near an internal reflective state.

While one of my daughters was home for Thanksgiving we went and did things almost non-stop.  We ran errands, cooked food, went to a movie.  It was go go go from the time she got home.  It made me cranky. 

One of my hobbies is genealogy or researching family history.  It fascinates me how people come together, finding a glimpse of their lives whether through a family story, newspaper clipping, or document.  I can spend hours lost in the past and digging through old documents, visiting cemeteries, and searching online.  

What's the purpose of this?  Part of it helps me know who I am, where I come from, and how I got here.  Another part is my way of honoring those who have given me my foundation.  Strong women, determined men are a large part of my history - like most other people.  

It's FALL!  My favorite season and another turning point in the year.  I love the cooler weather, the changing leaves, and almost everything about fall.  It's a special time of year for me.  I have a lot of memories from this time of year as well as a lot of meaning.

Growing up on the farm, it was all about the harvest.  The growing season ending and getting the crops in for the long winter.  It was also about canning, freezing, and doing other prep for our own food.  Grocery store shopping was for things we couldn't grow or make ourselves.  

The moon is growing stronger each night.  During the waxing (or growing) phase the “moon in more than half illuminated but not quite full.  This is the calm before the fullmoon.  As the light grows even brighter in the night your confidence grows.”  This is a time of growing and adjusting.  Give yourself time to adjust to the changes.  

In the last month, I’ve been dealing with a lot of changes.  My middle daughter is moving.  She got a different job and is relocating two states away from where she currently lives.  It’s great she’ll be closer to home but the transition is hard on her.  

"The disseminating moon is nearly full but not quite. It has faded from full but is more than half illuminated. This is the phase of the moon where you switch from sending your energy out into the world to looking within yourself to see what is working well and what needs changing. You have brought in all the positive energy of the waxing moon. Now it is time to use that energy to discard the chaff in your life. What needs to change? Even the most balanced and positive person can have problems letting go. At these times you have to accept that some chaos is bound to occur and you have to just ride through the bumpy rapids. This phase is about small changes and preparing to let go of the negative aspects of your life. These meditations help you begin that process." Moon Affirmations

Like the change in the moon, this is a time to make small changes.  What is one thing you do or say about yourself which is negative?  Do you stand in front of the mirror and say - I don't like - fill in the blank.  I have done this often.  I don't like my face, never have.  The nicest thing I could say about my face was I had nice eyebrows and unique eye color (hazel so brown/green).