I stood beneath the eclipsing moon, the sound of whippoorwills a chorus rising from damp trees. Thin white clouds scudded around fresh stars and I recited the Charge of the Goddess, slowly and alone, remembering as I always do the feel of sand beneath my feet and my baby’s head against my heart when I first memorized these words, “let your divine innermost self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite.” The sky that day was gray bowl above the sea, spitting rain onto my shoulders as I turned in wide circles across the sand, letting the words become a part of my soul, sink into me, until my bones remembered them too. Now, I stand, hand on my heart and say aloud: “Goddess, we need a world that does not hide you and that does not hide from you. Let me be a part of creating this world.” I feel her, as I do, both beneath my skin and everywhere, all at once and I allow myself to be enfolded for these breaths in the rapture of the infinite, the full moon becoming enclosed in the shadow of the earth.
Astrologers and wise elders will tell you that major events happen in the world during the eclipse time; secrets are revealed, scandals occur, stock markets drop and all manners surprise. During these rare celestial occurrences, that which has been hidden shall be revealed. Vikings and their brethren believed the sun and moon were created by benevolent gods to bring light to a dark world. The Norse gods placed the sun and the moon in chariots that flew across the sky, shedding light on the entire world. However, the hungry giant wolf chased the sun and, every once in a while, caught up with it and devoured it, which darkened the sky. When the sun began to burn the insides of the wolf, he would cough it back into the sky. This, according to Nordic folklore, is how eclipses happen.
Eclipses are celestial events that still fascinate us, and you can easily gather a group together for a ritual. Invite enough people to form two circles. Twenty is ideal, so you have ten in each circle. Ask half of the people to wear all gold and the other half to wear all black. Those in black are the Sky Wolves who will eat the sun, represented by those in gold. For safety, everyone needs to wear their best UV protection sunglasses (in gray, brown, or green) to safeguard their eyes.
So, how's the last month been? Was it intense? If not for you, then for acquaintances, social circle, family members?
Or maybe not. One thing I have learned as I have saged with age, is that the more you become conscious - mindful of all the various strands and strains, as well as the bigger issues - less dramatic happenings, well, happen to you personally. Some people need the neonlit drama to din in the meaning or life lesson that has been avoided.
From July12th/13th (depending upon your time zone) we commence a momentous season of a rare series of three eclipses within a month. The first occurrence this eclipse season is a solar eclipse in Cancer. Then at full moon, on July 27th, we have a total lunar eclipse in Capricorn. The following new moon in Leo is on August 11th. There is plenty of internet chatter about how these eclipses will have a huge impact on both individuals and the collective. But we all have a conscious choice how we are going to walk in the world. So I thought I would share with your how I plan on marking my path through this next month.
For this solar eclipse in Mama Moon sign Cancer I have created an altar for collective ceremony and prayer with a group I belong to, the Sanctuary of the Divine Feminine. This is an altar that is dedicated towards healing traumatised children and divided/separated families. My intent is to symbolise by using photos of parents and children together, of extended families rejoicing in happy celebrations and gatherings. This collage is at the foreground of the altar and uses images from both my own and my husband's lineages as representatives for all families.
January 31 brings us a lunar eclipse in Leo. This is quite an enigma in many ways, for this is also the 2nd full Moon in the first month of this year, as well as being a supermoon. What does all of this mean? Is it really something spectacular?
Well, yes, and no. Let's break it down. First, the supermoon. This doesn't give the Moon any additional magical powers or make its influence any more strong or mysterious. It's an astronomical term, meaning that the Moon is at its perigee—or less than 223,694 miles from the Earth—at the time that it was either new or full. That's it!
The supermoon isn't going to change the Moon's usual gravitational pull on us. There's not going to be any unnatural weather or otherworldly events because of it. The atmospherics may make it appear a bit larger, but that's also got to do with the angle at which you view the Moon; Moon rise always appears larger. It may or may not appear brighter; again, even if the Moon's brilliance is highlighted, just how much it shines is going to depend on atmospherics and the angle from which it is viewed.
Erin Lale
Fellow faculty at Harvard Divinity School posted an open letter to Wolpe in response to his article. It's available on this page, below the call for p...
Erin Lale
Here's another response. The Wild Hunt has a roundup of numerous responses on its site, but it carried this one as a separate article. It is an accoun...
Erin Lale
Here's another response. This one is by a scholar of paganism. It's unfortunately a Facebook post so this link goes to Facebook. She posted the text o...
Erin Lale
Here's another link to a pagan response to the Atlantic article. I would have included this one in my story too if I had seen it before I published it...
Janet Boyer
I love the idea of green burials! I first heard of Recompose right before it launched. I wish there were more here on the East Coast; that's how I'd l...