Article

by Claire du Nord

Baskets filled with colored eggs nestled in colored grass. Cute, little fluffy chicks and bunnies. All sorts of candies and other treats. Sound familiar? It’s Ostara time, and all the stores are filled with pastel-colored items that Witches, both in and out of the Broom Closet, can include in their celebration of it! Claire du Nord here, a High Priestess in the Temple of Witchcraft tradition, with the sixteenth article in our “For Broom Closet Witches” series.

Of course, you don’t have to buy things to celebrate Ostara. There are lots of possibilities for crafty “Do It Yourself” ways to make merry at Ostara time. In my opinion, neither option is better than the other, and mixing the two is perfectly fine. After all, it is your celebration!

While contemplating the season of Ostara, with its spring flowers, new life, new beginnings, etc. – the hallmarks of this Wheel of the Year Sabbat – a memory flooded my thoughts . . .

When my son was about 2 ½ to 3 years old, we were in a major department store, walking side-by-side, with me gently holding onto his little hand. His father was a little way up ahead, pushing the stroller. Suddenly, my son pulled his hand out from mine, and in a rush of panic, my immediate thought was that he was about to bolt, even though he had never done anything like that before. In that split second, as I prepared myself to chase after him, all my preconceived notions about what was happening came to a screeching halt as, to my surprise, my son reached his little hand up to a display of artificial flowers that we had approached only seconds earlier.

As I stood there watching him, my mind switching gears, he grasped a bouquet within his reach – red tulips. Then he extended them to me with the most precious look of love in his eyes and said in his little voice, “For Mama.” I almost broke down in tears right there in the middle of the store! However, as I didn’t want to startle, worry or confuse him, I controlled my emotions and thanked him profusely with hugs and adulations. I carried them until it was time to check out, and I discretely paid for them, still marveling at the profound happiness that I hadn’t anticipated experiencing that day. This is one of my most precious memories.

And here are the tulips, gracing my Ostara table – as beautiful as they were on that day, over thirty years ago…

For my Ostara table, I chose a rose-colored shawl as a tablecloth. I added white candles and an Eostre basket with colored eggs and baby chicks. I also blended up some Pimiento-Colby Jack cheese spread to go with my home-made Almond-Sunflower Seed crackers.

I also prepared some “Deviled Eggs”, although, being a Witch, I hesitated to include them, because of their name. But I told myself, “Before you pass judgement, do your research and see what the name is all about. Then you can decide whether to include them or not.” So, what I found out was that the term “deviled” goes back to ancient Rome and the word “diavolo”, which means “devil” in Italian. Eggs were typically served with spicy sauces, as a first course to elaborate meals (hot and spicy flavors being symbolically “devil-like”).

In the 18th century in other parts of the world, the term “deviled” was once again given to dishes to mean a highly seasoned or spicy food. Since “Deviled Eggs” are usually prepared with mustard and paprika, I can see how the term might fit, following the trail of meaning. Even so, I decided to include them in my Ostara celebrations after all, with plenty of mustard in the yolk mixture and a good dusting of paprika on top – not for any potential connections to “The Devil”, but rather for the nutritional components they naturally contain, namely the Phytochemicals in the Mustard the Capsaicin in the Paprika.

In the cuisines of other countries, there are many variations on the ingredients used to “stuff” the eggs, so they don’t necessarily have to be “hot and spicy”. And with the same inclination to avoid any reference to “The Devil”, there are many people who refer to them as “Stuffed Eggs” rather than “Deviled Eggs”, side-stepping altogether the historically unsavory connotations associated with the name.

I hope this article has been helpful, and until next time – Merry Meet, Merry Part, and Merry Meet again!

Ostara Blessings,
Claire du Nord

Magick in Mundane: On Being Too Much

by Erica Sittler

Perhaps, all of us magickal folk fall into the mundane realm of “too much”.
Too much curiosity.
Too many questions.
Too many crystals/rocks, plants, hats.
This past Saturday in under 24 hours, I was either told, shown, or written to that I was essentially “too much” and to get back down in my place.

First response to first incident:
– shake it off
Seriously, what does that person know and why should I let their comment bother me. It did bother me, but I was trying to pull a Swift and shake, shake, shake.

Second incident response:
– left the room in shame, became violently ill.
It was a personal, imperious public snubbing by someone I considered a friend and I was mortified. I didn’t understand it. Couldn’t process any rationale behind it except the desire of the other to stamp me out of their circle. It was crushing, humiliating, brain numbing. It turned into a panic attack (in private) which for me involves a lot of uncontrollable shaking, followed by a what would look like the stomach virus from hades itself.

Third incident response:
– It’s not hives, but have you ever wanted to scratch your skin off your body? Specifically scratch your chest open to free your poor heart that is now in full blown flight mode? Yeah, that was me. My poor chest looks  like I ran straight through a briar patch.

Pain, pain, pain.

All this yucky “get back where you belong, which is not here.” As in a national civic group, me personally as a human, and where I actually live.

One day, I will have the strength of will and depth of knowledge in my craft to be able to more effectively deal with these as they come up. To snuff them out. This was not that day.

It was only later in the quiet darkness a full 24 hours later that I am able to assess more clearly a few tidbits to help put what had happened into clear focus and action steps I can do so it won’t happen again.

1. Where were my shields? Obviously, they were not deliberately set and engaged. Not recharged before entering a room. Not set over my mailbox. Not cast over my home before I left it for that day’s adventures. Not doing that shows a lack or weakening in daily discipline on my part. Can a shield last for more than 24 hours? Certainly? Yet how many days can it hold without being fortified? I suspect not as long as I’d like to fancifully imagine. At least for me, putting up that shield needs to be more than a morning holy stretch.

2. What is the state of my devotions? My Lorica Prayer? My daily and weekly offerings? Have I given in to an excess of shortcuts? Of “I’ll catch up tomorrow” ideals that never come true? Do I believe the spirit realm grows lax in its care for us if we grow lax in our care, or heed, of them? Yes, actually, I do. It’s not spite or retribution or punishment. It simply is the natural order of most things…even stalactites require a steady drop of moisture to grow.  Why am I not putting the sincerity of my devotion within my craft first and foremost daily? Time.

3. Visiting my inner temple. When was the last time I did that, really? For it is here my heart is safest. Here where I can listen and acquire wisdom. Here I can rest, recharge and be healed. Here I can sort and process the realities of my life. Again, I’ve not made this intentional time a priority in my current life, because I haven’t “needed” it. And, you know, I have been really busy.

Yet, when the pile hit the proverbial fan this weekend, I came crashing down like a sandcastle against the incoming surf. Ridiculous, sad, and completely avoidable.

Because l, let’s face it: I am too much and the time has come to stand firmly in that muchness. For you also. To radiate and glow and rejoice in the fullness of it all. And that is a very good thing. The world craves and needs that muchness even while some despise it. Deep down, you know and I know that the people who despise us are not worth losing skin or sleep or breakfast over…much less sneaking out of a room in shame. But to be able to withstand being despised or humiliated for being “too much”, we must be fortified with our shields, our devotions, and our time spent in our inner temple. Only then, can our faces light like flint and our eyes glow with an inner fire that burns and deflects such nonsense away. Our thoughts and hearts have much better things to focus on. Too Much.

Erica Sittler is a Witch practicing her craft in Mississippi where she is a local, active member of the Temple of Witchcraft. Her magick is in the mundane and in bringing honor and attention to those small things that build a sustainable and adventurous life. She is a Temple Mystery School student under the instruction of High Priestess Sellena Dear.

Forgiveness, Forgetfulness, and the Ties that Bind

Photo by Meruyert Gonullu via Pexels

Photo by Meruyert Gonullu via Pexels

by Christopher Penczak, Edited by Tina Whittle

Not that long ago, I was quoted, correctly, saying that I’m Italian and I hold a grudge. And that is not untrue. Or perhaps it’s the combination of my Italian heritage and the natural inclinations of a Sun sign Taurus. Yet I had a few students who were shocked, because I’m one of the few Witchcraft teachers they know who also talks about forgiveness a lot, even asking our first-year students to work with a forgiveness mantra for self and others. How do I hold these two seemingly contradictory things at one time? These are the mysteries, and such paradox is inherent in all mystery teachings.

Some students get quite upset, thinking I am trying to sneak Christianity into their Witchcraft. Their Witchcraft is one of power, justice, and even vengeance. When I began my training, purposeful curses (other than those for defending yourself) were not often talked about. It was probably happening quite a bit, but it wasn’t discussed openly. In the current times where the talk is more overt, the practice has certainly multiplied, but is often exercised quite unskillfully. A number of students started studying with me because they cast curses, often a little too successfully or with the curse backfiring, and they needed help. A few thought (erroneously) that cursing was just a self-help pseudo-therapy type of thing seen mostly on social media, something to release anger and make you feel better, nothing that would have an effect they regretted.

While I’m certainly not Christian, as an occultist, I cannot ignore the strands of Christian mysticism in the Western Mystery Tradition of the last two thousand years. If you practice forms of Hermeticism, Qabalah, and alchemy, if you have any influence from tarot, the grimoire traditions, or the Golden Dawn branches, you have been touched by it. The Christianity of the early Celtic Church doesn’t leave me shuddering in the same way that parts of Roman and Orthodox Christianity do, though the high rituals of those branches certainly have their own magick to them. The principle of the redeemer, the concepts of the Age of Pisces, and the non-Christian forms of salvation that are found in the Greek term Soter/Soteira are things I readily embrace as part of the occult tradition. Today many Witches are seeking Christian folk magick to supplement or even replace their Neopagan occultism, but ignore the theological principles in the tradition. Embracing, rejecting, or actively ignoring Christianity plays a role in our Witchcraft.

When I ask someone to explore forgiveness, I often get the response that they can’t. A very good friend and now graduated student tells me that I just don’t understand the abuse she suffered, and she cannot forgive her abusers, and I do understand that, at least intellectually. The discussion went into the concept of the forgiveness of a debt, and how that metaphor plays into our modern concepts and understanding of karma, not necessarily with “good” and “bad” karma, but credit, something owed to you, and debt, something you owe. The ideal of liberation is to be free of credit and debt, and simply enact your true will in all things, incurring neither.

If one who does harm is not contrite and has not made efforts to resolve or restore the harm, you do not absolve them. But if you focus on their harm to the extent that it harms you, you must take steps to resolve it for yourself. Like not wanting to have someone on your accounting books, absolving the debt, expecting nothing, allows you to let them go and not carry with you the hurt and the expectation that what is owed will be restored. You will balance your own books, let go of that expectation and debt, and be free. Yet you wouldn’t engage them again, or in this metaphor, lend them money again. That would be foolish. Forgive the debt, but don’t forget the circumstance.

When I say I hold a grudge, I remember those who have done wrong, and who have not sought to rectify or offer apology only to continually repeat the same bad behavior, and I won’t do anything to further support them in their harm. If my actions could contribute to preventing further harm, then I would. While it’s not exactly malice, there is a satisfaction in seeing those who do harm not be happy or successful until they change their patterns of harm. I wish all my enemies great happiness when doing good, or at least being neutral, but if their happiness is rooted in causing harm to others, I certainly don’t wish them happiness and success. I wish them no success until they change. I do truly wish they would figure it out and cease harming. And I am open to the idea that they might serve a purpose I cannot see, understand or personally accept. I am open in my grudge to observe change and respond to it. I might even take the risk that change has occurred…once! But if my hope is betrayed again, until I see the change with others and verify that it’s true and lasting, I won’t engage. There is a chance for true forgiveness and resolution for all, but it takes willing partners on all sides.

A Witch can forgive. I encourage it when possible and right for you. But I don’t believe a Witch can forget. Even when it’s resolved on both sides, that which is remembered has led to that resolution, and it gives hopes for others doing harm that change, restitution, and forgiveness is possible. If we believe in an interdependent and interconnected world, we must be willing to hold the possibility of redemption and reunion for all our parts, those within us and those within the world.

Magick in Mundane: A Twist of Thread

by Erica Sittler

We’ve come to the end of our course here in W1. If I was a good student, I would be studying for our test. You know, the one you have to pass in order to initiate? Pass with a 100%. It’s an open book test, so everyone should pass, right? Yet, I am the student who could easily not do that. I hope there are bonus questions. Or maybe we get extra credit for good behavior….

…instead of studying, I’ve been working with my red cord. Just a simply woven cord, made with intention by my teacher, so cherished by me and my fellow classmates. It will be our little “badge of honor” so to speak and recognizes the time, effort and devotion put toward our magickal practice. So, I’m very fond of this cord even though I haven’t quite earned it yet. W1 is all about the Inner Fire. Hence the color red. Earlier this week, as I was holding my cord, I realized what I needed to do, and I set to work with needle and thread and some little stones then I wove them into the threads of the cord itself. When starting, there was a thought of roughly how I was going to go about it. But that is not at all how it turned out.

Now, you see, handwork, or fine detailed sewing skills is not one of my strengths. Neither is math. Seriously. Do not ask me to do something complicated that involves math. You will really wish you hadn’t. But that was hardly a deterrent to my vision for this cord. So, I gathered and folded and counted and sorted and got busy with my needle and thread. Hours and hours and hours later, my cord looked nothing like I thought it would. It had sprouted a life of its own.

Where I thought a pattern of six was to go, the cord required nine sets, symbolically for the nine of us classmates who made it through the year. Where I thought a line of five was meant to go, a snake appeared, complete with tiny rattles and a pointy head. Where I envisioned a soft gleam of moonstone, a skull face with fiery red hair came forth. Days went by and I gave up on what I thought was happening and just let the cord instruct my fingers which by now had been pierced more times than I could count. Lava rock beads showed up and oils, but only certain oils. Other oils refused to open their caps and add a drop to the collective infusion of lava. After three attempts with three different bottles, it fully dawned on me that I could play along if I wished, but what my cord actually wanted was for me to simply be the conduit for it to become its full self.

Amulets and talismans appeared. Symbols of liminal spaces and reminders of allegiances and allies fused themselves to the cord, stitch after stitch. As it finished itself, I realized I had my math wrong and what I thought was the back was  now somewhere else completely. It did not matter. Obviously, it was exactly where it was supposed to be. I kept quiet while sewing, working hard to not overthink the process, but just let it happen and enjoy it. Coral hag stones gathered with my grown son on a liminal stretch of shoreline one sunset joined the collective. Tiny strings of tiny beads and seeds like feathers added adornment. And then quite firmly the intuition to “set the needle down”. Ummm, we are just going to stop? There are more beads and this stone only has this small bit added? Should there be more? Can I add this tiny bell? I’m mentally bargaining with the cord, knowing full well by now that if it doesn’t want it, there will be no keeping it there, no matter how many knots I tie. I add it. It stays.

Lo and behold, a magickal cord. Where did that come from? How did that happen? Why did that happen? What does it mean? What can it do?

Fairytales are full of ordinary things that hold extraordinary power and can do amazing things at certain times and in certain places with certain people. A doll, a key, a carpet, a bean… the simplest of things, transformed into more. How? Sometimes, it’s just fate or luck. Other times, it’s through little rituals, like feeding the dolly or bathing in the river seven times. What makes my little twist of thread so special? Absolutely nothing. It is made of commonplace materials and you can find much prettier ones…

But…

But, I have a very visceral, tactile relationship with this particular twist of thread and its bits and snips. Utterly unique and not replicable, for did you walk the rough shoreline at sunset with me and my son that day, so that every time you see and feel them you call to memory a day you walked a liminal space where earth water and sky conjoined with such crashing beauty it took your breath away and you wanted to melt into the  coral rocks and be a part of that beauty for eternity. And that tiny yellow shell with its pinprick of a hole? That? Why that was your gift from the merfolk. You had wandered another stretch of ocean. Ocean where salt hung heavy in the stiff breeze. A long, rough wooden pier where men were fishing for sharks and you, completely out of place, were making peace and an offer of friendship to creatures unseen, but felt and acknowledged. That tiny shell has as much value to me as any pirate’s golden trove. And those magnolia seeds. Why who knew when pierced they released a perfume as sweet as the flowers they originated from? And those stones? And that particular arrangement? Do you see me as a young child visiting an esoteric shop much to my father’s chagrin. Do you see me tenderly picking out a tiger’s eye stone like it was the most beloved of friends long out of site? Or there, again as a poor, scraggly, abused kid looking through the Sears catalog and finding rings made of my birthstone, garnets, and thinking they must be the most precious of all stones, to have earned the position of January’s stone. On and on and on in the working.

Herein is the magick. With every stitch there is a memory, an association, a smell, a symbol, a meaning: a something to make it matter. Dearly matter, if to no one else but myself. I have woven and rubbed and snipped and gathered all the best I learned in this W1 course. Certainly we learned fancier words to describe such things in class. Words like correspondences and sympathetic workings. Words I now can say with certainty I know what those words mean, for I have gathered and worked and bled here upon this long and beautiful scrap and now pulsating cord for days. Why? Because my life is far richer when it matters. When the things I surround myself with matter. When the nature of my work matters. That, Beloved, is at the heart of all good magick: it all matters.

Erica Sittler is a Witch practicing her craft in Mississippi where she is a local, active member of the Temple of Witchcraft. Her magick is in the mundane and in bringing honor and attention to those small things that build a sustainable and adventurous life. She is a Temple Mystery School student under the instruction of High Priestess Sellena Dear.

Mystery Plays, Schools and Magickal Classes

Photo by Johannes Plenio via Pexels.com

Photo by Johannes Plenio via Pexels.com

by Christopher Penczak, Edited by Tina Whittle

I am enamored by the mysteries! On all levels, they embody the essence of the magickal journey because all things have their mystery, from the most philosophical to the seemingly mundane, for one mystery teaching is that nothing is mundane. But you have to have the experience of that mystery to truly understand it.

Preserve the mysteries. Reveal them often. These have been mantras for me. Not that I wish to profane the holy before those who would disrespect it, but the preservation and revelation come with my full realization that those who have the eyes to see and the ears to hear will do so, and for those who don’t, the mysteries will remain occulted. But sometimes the very exposure to them through art, word, and music will trigger something deep and catalyze a change, making someone into a seeker and potential initiate.

Because I’m so enamored by the mysteries, I think a lot about how the mysteries have been transmitted in the past, in the present, and how it will happen in the future. I talk to many others involved in this work and do a fair amount of practical application of the ideas, adjusting and adapting as time goes on to see how best to serve the mysteries.

One of the things I have found helpful in the context of a teacher in the Temple of Witchcraft is to define the purpose of a Mystery School over other forms of magickal experience and education. Sometimes people join with expectations, and when the reality is different, they have some problems, no matter how much we might try to prepare people for the reality.

Ancient Mysteries

In the ancient world—and I think carried on in some forms of seasonal community today—we find the concept of the mysteries as a profound celebration. A powerful example influencing modern Witchcraft is the Eleusinian Mysteries of ancient Greece, devoted to Persephone and Demeter. Initiates were sworn to secrecy, and that secrecy has held, so we have only outer understandings and our best guesses to the meaning of the experiences. It’s not the only form, as we have it in Mithras, Orpheus, and Dionysus, as well as various mystery cults to goddesses and gods of Rome, Greece, Egypt, and Mesopotamia, and likely versions across the world.

In such mystery traditions, there was usually a focus on a deity and their story as the central expression to the mystery. There would be lesser and greater mysteries, overt and deeper meanings and experiences, if not a grade system. Experiences would include travel through holy pilgrimage, cleanings, special diets often leading to fasting, challenges and ordeals to test determination and will, sacramental drinks and food, and some form of ritualistic art experience to transmit the gnosis of the mystery. The mystery play is believed to be a way to transmit the mysteries to the entire group, showing the mystery rather than relying on the poetry or actions alone. Words and symbols were conveyed while the audience members were in a trance state, allowing them reach the deep levels of being. Such a medium helps when the community is not necessarily receiving special philosophical training or might not possess even basic literacy (in the Eleusinian Mysteries, for example, one need only speak Greek and not be a murderer to enter). Otherwise, all genders, social statuses, and races were welcome. During the ritual, one experienced a revelation on the nature of reality, often the immortality of consciousness, and the process served in creating a map to the afterlife for the initiate, sharing specialized knowledge. This transformed death from a fearful to often joyous experience, creating a permanent change in perspective. Initiates of the Greater Eleusinian Mysteries, for example, were said to never fear death again.

Such mystery traditions could gather at regular intervals, again like those of Eleusus, or be attached to a more regularly meeting society with additional roles and responsibilities for initiates, like modern masonic orders and akin to modern covens in Witchcraft, or be attached to a philosophical school, with the preparatory lectures, learning, and exercises like an actual school, creating a fundamental change in life and lifestyle. Those who simply attend seasonal festivals and what traditional covens often call the Outer Court trainings are participating in the pre-mysteries, or even in some cases, the lesser mysteries of the yearly cycles.

A Mystery School

As a founder of a modern mystery school, I try to provide the information, experience, support, and context that both continues what I received and takes it to the next level in the development of community. While I technically learned through continued academic-esque classes alongside formal and informal coven experiences, I didn’t attend a fully realized school. My ethos is to create, write, or do the thing you wished you’d had so it will be formed for the next generation, and they can do the next step rather than reinvent from scratch as we often are forced to do. One of my key understandings in diving deeper into magick is that magickal study can magnify anything. You become more of whatever you are. If you are physically balanced and healthy, you truly become amazing. If you are spiritually unbalanced, or even harmful, it often magnifies that imbalance, so like ancient mysteries, we go through a cleansing, an inventory of self, and then a greater foundation to make ourselves aware and conscious of what we are magnifying and what we are healing. Otherwise, we can easily enter into magickal delusion.

Since magick, energy, and consciousness are not really talked about or broadly taught in our society, starting in a school, getting through the basics, and building a foundation can feel remedial at times. Older systems had an approach of breaking you down and building you back up again, which has its own problems. Modern ones often don’t, but having to start at the beginning can create resentment in more advanced students with previous study or self-study. Soon the wise see that not everyone has the same idea of what is foundational, and many “advanced” students have holes in their education. A good school closes the gaps and gives the necessary information and experiences so that students may more safely enter into mystery and magick. This can also be a self-correcting mechanism, as when the experiences and forces stop someone from getting to dangerous things because the necessary prerequisites can’t be met.

Some of the basics a mystery school will teach, show, and open experience to include:

Awareness of Other Reality—A living awareness and experience of a non-ordinary reality is key, and from that first point, much of the work is learning to deepen and make readily available this level of reality to the student.

Philosophical Foundation—We can’t live in this other reality 24/7, so we need context to be able to understand it intellectually and the skills to move back and forth through various levels of the “ordinary” and “non-ordinary” without going crazy, until such distinction no longer matters. Entering into the mysteries can break the rational mind without context, and many self explorers go crazy for a time, and can even shut down because of lack of context. That context can include the history of those in your lineage, those similar to you, and those different, furthering the understanding that it’s something as natural to us as any other aspect of life.

Energetic Well Being—Magickal training ideally includes levels of evaluation of personal energy, a cleansing of energy from thoughts and feelings that are unresolved as well as toxic influences from the environment, family, and past lives, freeing that psychic voltage for personal well-being and evolution. We begin to notice the unhealthy flows and patterns of energy that lead to harmful decisions and actions. Unhealthy patterns need to be dismantled and new healthy patterns established. We learn to seal the leaks to our energy and attention and build a stronger vessel, and learn to store life force for future magickal actions. Sometimes our energetic circuitry needs repair and eventual upgrade, and to do that, we have to learn how to consciously work with the flow of our energy, and how to tap into other sources of energy.

Change of Consciousness—Change of consciousness is ultimately about making a permanent change in perspective, integrating that otherworldly reality and being able to function within it, but also changing the baseline level of awareness into something more clear and distinct. It starts with learning things such as basic focus and concentration, developing a meditative mind. Disciplines are balanced with intuition, control, and flow until we understand the state of effortless effort and surrender to divine providence. That paradox is a deep part of all mystery training. Fused with changes from energetic well-being, we can see this as a form of soul crafting. New skills provide a foundation for leaps of consciousness into more expansive realms of awareness.

New Skills—Training will often be in occult forms of meditation, ritual, and psychic abilities, learning to apply the abilities to shift consciousness and manage vital energy. Through these skill sets, one can gain access to new nonlinear information, inspiration, spiritual entities, and dimensions of reality not normally accessed. Often it starts with items aligned with the lower rungs of a hierarchy of needs—the magick for everyday concerns and wants, simple healing. Some learn tricks and find power in impressing others, but all the smaller things lead to the greater magicks of evolution and insight, rather than parlor tricks. The skills work in tandem with everything else, providing framework to apply what is learned in practical, and mystical, ways. The secret societies and trades that influence and inspire Witches today were originally about passing skills—healers, blacksmiths, millers, horsemen, and masons.

Community—There is a bond that forms when people go through the same patterns of change. While everyone responds to it differently, successfully navigating it and graduating provides a link. We see it in all branches of the military, as well as college fraternities and sororities and secret societies. In a mystery school there can then be the sense of duty to the community, or a sense of service to pass on the things that helped you come to realization, understanding it takes those who have gone through it to pass it on to others to keep the learning and growing as a cycle that does not end after one generation.

We could add a lot more steps and details, but these are some of the basic points showing how a mystical school can approach things, as opposed to other settings of learning magick or experiencing the mysteries.

Classes, Workshops, and Intensives

In a general magick class, the intentions are much less intense, though there can be a lot of points that overlap, depending on the class. Today, magickal classes and workshops can include simply sharing techniques in a formal way or an informal way. Often we hold space and share an experience and our own stories and ideas. Teachers can have a formal class plan and syllabus of topics to cover, or be more freeform in the group. Some classes have a practicum experience part, and others just have conversation. Some magick teachers I know highly object to leading others through an experience or ritual publicly, because there is not the same bond, and safety, as with someone who has made a formal commitment to study with that teacher. Not having that taboo when I started, I never thought about it until much further along on the path, and the cat was out of the bag at that point, and I found ways to do deep workings with new people safely and effectively. It was all about process and setting space and intention. Having many years of experience with my share of mistakes doesn’t hurt now either. Those who attend classes often have a sense of bonding and community, but it’s more temporary than initiatory mystery experience. Weekend intensives can have an initiatory quality, but if they are not held by a tradition, school, or established custom, they can fizzle. I can’t tell you how many weekend intensives and festivals I’ve attended, and led, where the participants bonded deeply, feeling they had found family and “tribe” and then slowly drifted, as the one weekend wasn’t quite the bond they thought it was, even though it was stronger than most things previous to their experience. It can slowly fade or end in drama, which in its own way, too, can be initiatory.

People can enter a formal mystery tradition from those experiences and feel that the held traditions and customs are too stifling, preferring the freedom and flexibility of a weekend, often not realizing the drawback to that. Neither is better or worse, depending on what you want, but you can’t expect the commitment of a formal community without making that same level of commitment yourself. Many people, assuming the evening and weekend magickal class is all that modern magick has to offer these days, leave Paganism and Witchcraft and seek a deeper mystery and community in Buddhism, Hinduism, and African Traditional Religions. Though held unbroken much longer, they offer a different perspective of the mysteries. I look to the regeneration of the Pagan, Goddess, and Witchcraft mysteries where I am, with the growing communities I experience.

In the end, it’s always good to ask yourself, and others, what you are getting into and why, and reflect upon the answers. If you seek the mysteries with a true heart, even outside of anything formal or traditional, you will find the mysteries. Some will have support. Some will not. Some will have context. Others will make their own context. And this, too, is part of the mysteries. Preserve the mysteries. Reveal them—and experience them—often!

 

by Claire du Nord

In keeping with one of my favorite mottos – “Rescue, Reuse, Repurpose” – the Tannenbaum from this past Yule presented me with several new opportunities to do just that – knowing that in a short while it would be time to celebrate Imbolc, the next Sabbat on the Wheel of the Year. Claire du Nord here, a High Priestess in the Temple of Witchcraft tradition.

The whole Tannenbaum couldn’t stay in my little apartment forever as it was, of course, but it could still “live on” in several new “Repurposed” ways. The first idea that came to mind was to make an Imbolc Besom to use in my Imbolc Household Purification efforts. The Pine Besom would serve as an energetic Pine Cleaner, just as vacuuming up all the pine needles that had become strewn about the living room served as a Yuletide Carpet Freshener that filled the air with the wonderful, unmistakable Yule season scent.

I began to prune the Tannenbaum from the bottom up, using my roommate’s garden loppers. In the process of removing the branches, I found the perfect branch to serve as the first set of bristles for the besom:

Then, I began to add more pieces with a similar shape until the bristle part of the besom was full, at which point I found the largest branch on the Tannenbaum to serve as the handle of the besom. I used some green and white cording to attach the handle to the bristles, wrapping the cording around at the base of the bristles, pulling tightly as I wrapped around each time:

And here is the finished Imbolc Besom!

The next “Repurpose” happened quite suddenly, when the next longest branch I found “insisted” on becoming a wand – “I want to be a wand! I want to be a wand! I want to be a wand!”

I trimmed and trimmed until most of the branches had been removed. What I wound up with was sort of a besom shape from what remained of the Tannenbaum. I thought about hanging it on the wall as a sort of “witchy” decoration, but it was a bit too heavy for me to figure out how to do that. I was about to remove the last of the branches to make a sort of staff, when the third and final “Repurpose” made itself known.

I remembered the Celtic tradition of tying strips of cloth onto the branches of trees near springs, by the names of “Clootie Springs” and “Clootie Trees”. And although I had already trimmed off most of the branches, it could still work as a sort of “Maypole-Clootie Tree”! So, I got some strips of cloth from my fabric box, made some wishes, and tied them onto the “Clootie Tree” part.

I thought about the ribbons for the “Maypole” part, and the idea to make it into an “Elemental Maypole” popped into my head. So, I got some ribbons in the corresponding colors- White, Yellow, Red, Green and Blue. And then, I remembered the miniature elemental colored water bottles from Article #1 and thought it might look nice to attach those to the ribbons. I didn’t wind the ribbons around the “Maypole” part – that will be for another day. Rather, I tied bows in the elemental colors, with the matching tiny bottles.

So, here is the “Maypole” part:

Here is the “Clootie Tree” part:

And here is the whole thing, being held up in the same Tannenbaum base, (after being emptied of water, cleaned out and dried):

After looking at the result, I guess it turned out to be a besom after all. Or maybe just a conversation piece! (Insert smiley face here. . .)

For the Imbolc refreshments, I decided to make some Nut & Seed Crackers with Cream Cheese. First, the nuts and seeds were ground in a food processor, and then other ingredients were added to make the Nut & Seed Cracker “dough”.

Here are my Sun and Moon cookie cutters, (using the Sun one, which is really a biscuit cutter), for Imbolc:

Out of the oven and cooled, I must admit, they could pass for hamburgers!

Here are the Nut & Seed Crackers, with Cream Cheese on top:

For the Imbolc tablecloth, I used two fabric colors – one lavender, and the other a sort of tie-dyed pastel combination of colors:

And here is the Imbolc Table, including a carafe of milk and a bowl of Almonds and Sunflower seeds:

I hope this article has been helpful, and until next time –

Merry Meet, Merry Part, and Merry Meet again!

Imbolc Blessings,
Claire du Nord

Temple Numerology for 2024

44/8: The Master Number for 2024 & your personal numerology 

The year of 2024 has just started. The first month has just passed and many are already asking themselves, what is going on? It feels so intense! All I can say is, welcome to the Master Number Year of 44/8!  We are all in for a ride this year and we can expect life to become intense. But, if there is a lot of energy in movement, there is also a lot of possibilities to grow in wisdom, understanding and power as well.

In the end of this article, you can calculate and read about your personal numerological energies together with the master number of 44/8 ruling this year. The number that rules the year for everyone is called The Universal Year. 

So let’s grab a cup of tea or coffee and see how we can manifest this energy in the best way possible.

44/8 – A Master builder

When we take the Universal Year of 2024 and add the numbers, we get 44/8. (20+24=44), (4+4= 8). The double numbers in Numerology are Master Numbers. Other Master Numbers are: 11, 22, 33, 44, 55, 66, 77, 88, 99. 

The Master Numbers are extra powerful. They come with great challenges, but the reward is great once you have learned the lessons that they try to teach us.

44/8 is the master builder. We can imagine two squares together, 4+4 = 8. The squares being foundations or building blocks. We can also look at the master number 11 symbolizing a pillar of light. If we put the light of number 11 in four corners, we have 11+11+11+11 = 44/8. Seen this way 44/8 is a house, or a foundation of light. (The house of God, however, is 72/9.)

People born with the number 44/8

People born with the number 44/8 as a personal number in their numerology chart are great builders in the physical world. They are often interested in architecture, art, archaeology, mathematics. They are strong leaders and often the big boss of a company or organization. As a 44/8 you are a natural boss. They think and build big. Nothing is impossible. They many times say, “if you can imagine it, you can manifest it and build it”.

Despite this strong mental foundation and leadership quality, the life of a person with 44/8 also brings periods of surprise and chaos. The number 8 is the infinity symbol if you lay it on the side.

If we believe in karma, we might say that everything eventually turns back to us, or if we believe in cause and effect, we might say that everything we believe, say, or do has an impact, great or small, in the world that we live in. That seems truer for people born with the number 8, and even more so with the 44/8. It is as if the Universe has a closer look at what the 44/8 person is up to, and the effect or Karma comes sooner back to the number 44/8 person than it does for other people.

44/8 is the leader of a big company with a lot of money who suddenly lost it all but has the power to rebuild it again. Or the successful man or woman who suddenly gave up everything to become a monk or nun in a monastery, only to return ten years later back in the outer world to become once again successful.

With this in mind, we can truly say that the 44/8 person is a very spiritual person. Even if they don’t start their lives as one, life seems to teach them there are other forces active in life and creation, beyond what we can see with our physical eyes. 

44/8 as a Universal year

What can we expect on a global collective level with this number? With 44/8 as a Universal year, we can expect countries and organizations to make big and daring plays. Under the influence of 44/8, no one wants to be small, feel like the little guy, or feel left out. This can make smaller countries or states team-up with others to get more power or assurance. In this perspective we can expect bigger partnerships and alliances to take form. The challenge with this could be greater polarization between political parties, countries, and parts of the world. But it can also in some cases create stability when it is clear what team everyone belongs to.

And let’s not forget about the unexpected quality of the number 8 and especially the number 44/8. Even such a big energy as 44/8 can be tipped to the side and  forced to face the consequences of its actions. This could mean public figures, companies, banks, or the like that have been seen as untouchable now no longer are. It is wise for everyone to follow the news and to be updated on what’s going on in the world. Before you know it, the changes can affect your own back yard. 

Your Personal Life Lesson Number

Your personal life lesson number can tell a great deal about you and your life. It is a basic calculation used for many other calculations in your personal numerology chart. However, we are not going into detail about that right now. But, we are going to use your personal life lesson number to look at how you are likely to respond to the energies of the Universal year of 44/8. Let’s begin. 

How to calculate your personal life lesson number

To calculate your life lesson number, begin by adding the numbers of your birth year. Then you continue to add your birth month + your birthday. Let’s take Tom as an example: 

Tom was born October 5th, 1972

Birth year: 1972, you add 1 + 9 + 7 + 2 = 19

Birth month + birthday = 10 + 05 = 15 

Adding them together = 19 + 15 = 34, then 34 becomes 3 + 4 = 7 

Toms’ life lesson number is 34/7

If you are born the year of 2000, or after, the calculation is different. After 2000 you add it like this:  20 + 00 = 20. Then it becomes like this 2001 = 20 + 01 = 21, or 2012 = 20 + 12 = 32. This is to get a higher number and to give us more information in other calculations. 

Lina was born June 23rd, 2013

Birth year: 2013 = 20 + 13 = 33

Birth month + birthday = 06 + 23 = 29

Adding them together 33 + 29 = 62, 6 + 2 = 8

Lina’s life lesson number is 62/8

How your life lesson is likely to respond to the Universal Year of 44/8

Now that you have calculated your personal life lesson, we can look at how you are likely to respond to the Universal year of 2024 and the Master Number of 44/8. Bear in mind that this is an indicator, to get the fuller picture we would need to look at your whole numerological chart. 

Life lesson number 1. You are a leader and very creative, a driven and mentally-active person. With the year of 44/8 you get a lot of ideas that you want to manifest. You may become frustrated by how long it takes from your idea to the goal and a tangible result. You may feel that regulations and laws hinder your creativity and what you want to do. You need to learn how to work within the framework this year, instead of against it. If you do so, you may achieve many things this year. 

Life lesson number 2. People and relationships are very important to you. You are a diplomat and love when things run smoothly. You make long term plans and the 44/8 can help you with that. You may become frustrated by what you have built in your life and wonder if you have made the right choices or not. Try not to think so much about what others think or what they are doing. Keep doing your own thing and enjoy your life, just the way that you do it.

Life lesson number 3. You are a people person (when you are around the right kind of people) and very social, even if you were shy as a kid. You love to learn and to create beautiful things. The heaviness of 44/8 and the situation in the world can dim your light if you allow it to. Despite your sunny attitude on the outside the energies from others can sometimes be a bit too much. Make sure that you recharge your sunshine regularly and remember that it is not your responsibility to make everyone happy. The structure of 44/8 could help you to get your life (and economy) in some more order and through that make the practical side of life easier. Just give it some time, Rome was not built in a day. 

Life lesson number 4. You are a natural builder and very practical. You learn by doing things and figuring out how they work. You love when things add up or come together: figures, numbers or building blocks. With 44/8 you get help to make your dreams into reality. Perhaps you dream about renovating, moving, investing, or starting your own company. Make sure  you don’t overwork, remember the people around you and why you are doing things. If you feel like you are hitting an energetic wall and that none of your plans are working, don’t hit your head against the wall.  This may be the time to redirect your life and start something completely new. 

Life lesson number 5. You enjoy life and your life is somewhat adventurous. You love to learn new things and it is important to you to not get stuck in a rut. The energy of 44/8 can feel heavy for you and the world may seem to have turned from a colorful place into a world filled with gray. On the other hand, the 44/8 may surprise you as it may help you to think bigger and in longer terms of time. Don’t forget who you are and that happiness, a smile, and a good sense of humor is good medicine, and that the world is much better with you in it. Sometimes people underestimate you and believe you are just living in the moment. But there’s a lot going on behind that happy face and, together with 44/8, you can make powerful changes for yourself and others this year. 

Life lesson number 6. You are very responsible, and you expect others to be as well. You are a lover of beauty, good food, and the pleasures of life. Family and friends turn to you when they have problems, and you love to be needed. The energy of 44/8 can be overwhelming for you, and you may need to take a time-out from the world now and then this year. Remember that sometimes things happen for a reason even if we can’t see it now. Sometimes when we cannot solve someone else’s problems, we are not supposed to. Perhaps it is their karma, perhaps it is part of a bigger scenery. The energy of 44/8 can help you to manifest some of your creations and artistic brilliance. Believe in yourself and know that your talent expands beyond your ability to take care of others. 

Life lesson number 7. You are an intuitive activator. Your freedom is very important to you, and you have a great intuition. There is so much more going on inside you than what you show to the world. The demands of the physical world can sometimes be a challenge. With the energy of 44/8 you need to have a plan, and then you need to have a plan B as well, as this can make you calmer. Be careful this year that you do not get yourself caught up in something (a job, relationship) that you believe that you must do, or stay with when you don’t. A change of plans is okay, even during a 44/8 year. Don’t compromise your integrity.

Life lesson number 8. You are a builder and a natural boss. With this Universal year being the same number as your life lesson number a lot of energy is entering your life. This is a good time to think about what you want: What do you want to manifest? How are your plans in relationship to your soul and your higher self? Take time before making any bigger decisions. Remember that the number 8 always lands on its feet, it is just a matter of time. This is an important year for everyone, but especially for you. Remember to ask for assistance when needed and remember that you are never alone. 

Life lesson number 9.  You are a dreamer but surprisingly practical when you need to be. You love when things flow around you and you are a natural teacher. Sometimes you need to shield yourself from the environment and that can make others believe that you are cold and distant, but you are not. The energy of 44/8 can surprisingly flow well with you because number 9 is somewhat of a master number itself and its universal energy can understand the bigger movements of 44/8. When others are surprised by what is happening, you say “I knew it!”. Be careful not to sit on the bench this year just watching how things unfold and what others decide. It is more beneficial for you to make choices and act. Don’t be afraid to make the wrong decision, feel the power of the universe in your back and trust in your intuition.

I wish you a great 2024 with great things coming your way.

Blessed Be!
Karin Spirit Talker Turtle Red

Karin Ugander (Spirit Talker Turtle Red) is a spiritual channeler living in the south of Sweden. In Scandinavia she is known for the AstroNumerology and psychic readings she’s been doing for over 20 years. Together with her husband Niklas, she runs KaniSkolan, a school of astrology, numerology, tarot, StarCode Healing, and natural medicine. They are also the founders of Alven Inner Ring tradition, a Scandinavian mystery school with roots in shamanism and magick. Karin loves to create magickal oils, flower essences and sigils she combines in her “Karin Victoria” sigil candles and flower sprays. In her spare time she likes to travel, walk in the forest with her dog, and spend time by the ocean. Karin is an ordained high priestess and graduate of the Temple of Witchcraft’s seminary program. Her work can be found on Instagram @flowerpowerwitch and @karinuganderofficial and she can be reached at [email protected].



Magick in Mundane: My Crooked Path With Nature

by Erica Sittler

They call it “the crooked path” for good reason, and my journey into witchcraft has been as simultaneously mundane and extraordinary as many folks. Like many of us, I was born into a Christian construct. Mine was the early versions of what is now alt-right religious extremism. Televangelists were our heroes. Beatings on an almost daily basis with rods and straps were proof that my parents were godly and “containing the wild ungodliness” of their offspring. Swimming in a caustic stew of religious and toxic emotional fervor alongside Bible-verse thumping zealots was my horrific “normal”.

…and yet, nature saved me in those years between then and now when my primal thought was to survive.

… nature saved me in the form of goose grass fairy mounds, where I spent hours crafting little homes that even as a young girl, I intuited were portals to another world far beyond mine. In birdsong and clouds where my eyes and ears would always perk up and pay attention, listening for stories and also looking for them in the clouds. I was transported. Gone. Alone with the earth holding me and the sky alight and in full motion, learning the language of birds.

… nature saved me in the form of the oak and magnolia trees and overgrown shrubbery where I would hide and climb and disappear for lifetimes on end.

…nature saved me in the form of a wild horse, I was charged “to break,” yet I could not tame that creature. Instead I rode her like the Wind she was, and subsequently was thrown off her more times than I can count. Through it, I learned to become one with an animal and become a part of that animal’s essence. Together the pair of us would ride full gallop for endless hours, panting and sweating, thrilled to be free. We would reach the edge of Perdido Bay (Lost Bay) and plunge in, swimming with sea creatures in the brackish waters, bronzed by the sun, dozing, blissful and mutually content.

…nature saved me: in the form of my children. And many herbs, chickens, and the growing things I tended. And even those pesky geese who refused to leave and poop everywhere! They too became my friends and teachers. Through more oak and cedar trees who refused to move when they “blocked my view” and I maliciously tried to salt and poison them. For simply existing. I get to bear the shame of that unnatural behavior as a reminder scar of my great folly every day when I go out and bless those self same trees. For those oaks I now see as a holy grove. As such, they are treated with great reverence. As a necessary means of passage to the liminal realm of the water’s edge beyond them.

…nature saved me through astrology, for there the stars became more than scientific observations with my grandfather’s telescope, but instead immortal ones with whom I could build a relationship: and in so doing better understand myself.

… nature saved me when my tidy little world exploded yet again. Teaching me that “normal” is relative and “broken” is too often a weaponized word and that to be broken is a needful thing.

Nature brought me here, to the Temple of Witchcraft, and to the Mystery School where even the commonest of rocks are revealed to hold power of such intensity that my hands now tremble in the mere holding of them.

Nature, through this course, saved me by bursting me wide open, heart, mind and soul and saying, “Yes, I will open your eyes to my mysteries, come and learn of me.” In that sundering of myself, a deeper melding with all the animate forces in this universe occurred. I am humbled, awestruck, and deliriously in love with: Nature.

Be I just a dust mote, or the atom inside an egg … I soar and bound through the heavens, for this is what this level one Mystery School has taught me: I am one with this beauty, this terror, this living, pulsing, vibrant force that fills everything, even the mailboxes with their clanking mouths. I and we are of this same visceral, living essence.

Perhaps, a therapist would say, I used nature to disassociate myself for the actual trauma of my day-to-day life. They could say that, I suppose. I choose to believe that when I look back on my life from childhood onwards, it was nature that kept me alive. Nature that would not let that spark of the “wild one” extinguish. That gave me the inner strength at age 14 to put up an aural shield of iron around myself that in the spirit realm broke my father’s hand and made it impossible for him to strike me again. Defiantly, I rose from my parent’s bed and went out the side door and went out into my true home: into Nature.

And so, here I am wrapping up level 1 of the Mystery School: the art, science, and religion of magick. The threshold. It is in the everyday mundane aspects of life that Nature saves me and I learned that here.

Erica Sittler is a Witch practicing her craft in Mississippi where she is a local, active member of the Temple of Witchcraft. Her magick is in the mundane and in bringing honor and attention to those small things that build a sustainable and adventurous life. She is a Temple Mystery School student under the instruction of High Priestess Sellena Dear.

For Broom Closet Witches: Yule: A Broom Closet Witch’s Celebration

by Claire DuNord

This Yule Season’s magick was ushered in, quite literally, when this six feet tall live Tannenbaum came floating through the front door, followed by my equally tall roommate. He had just found it – would you believe – standing next to our apartment complex’s dumpsters! Claire du Nord here, a High Priestess in the Temple of Witchcraft tradition, with the fourteenth article in our “For Broom Closet Witches” series.

“Tannenbaum” is the German word for “fir tree”. Both my maternal and paternal grandmothers’ families were from Germany, (hence the emphasis on the Tannenbaum).

Here it is after its arrival:

Part of my plan for this Yule’s celebration was to sing the song, “O, Tannenbaum”, a German song sung at this time of year, which has come to be known as “Oh, Christmas Tree” in English. The song’s lyrics speak about the long winter’s darkness and the constant green color of the fir needles as a faithful sign that brings hope, relief and the promise of warmer days. As I understand the development of the song as we have it today, it was published in 1824 by Ernst Anschutz, who had based it on a 16th century folk song, (which wasn’t originally a song referring to a Christmas tree), by Melchior Franck. But first I would need to get one, otherwise it wouldn’t make much sense to sing the song. And then, Boom! It appeared! (Why anyone would have thrown away a perfectly good Tannenbaum before Yule was beyond me, but that dumpster has amazed me on more than one occasion.) As a matter of fact, the environs of that dumpster have provided me with a lot of my apartment’s furnishings. One of my many mottos is “Rescue, Reuse, Repurpose”.

Here is the Tannenbaum all “dressed up”:

For this Yule, I sewed a “God Jul” banner, using two of my mother’s tree ornaments. “God Jul” means “Good Yule” in Norwegian. I have spoken about her father’s Norwegian parents in other articles. My mother passed away in 1999, and this past Samhain I had a dream about her. As she was born a few days before the Winter Solstice, it “felt right” to incorporate the two ornaments of hers into my Yule/Jul creation.

First, I drew and cut out the letters:

Then, I pinned and cut them out from red fabric. I sewed the letters onto green fabric, and I sewed the figurines onto the top, making a slot for a dowel to be threaded through the top, adding some red and white cord across the top and another piece for hanging the banner on a hook.

Here is the “God Jul” banner:

For the dining room table decorations, I used my mother’s Holly tablecloth and her gold-painted triangular dish. Also, there were some lower branches that had to be trimmed from the trunk of the Tannenbaum for it to fit into the tree stand. They became a bouquet for the table. I cut a strip of red fabric to make a bow for the vase.

I also used my mother’s tins for Sandbakelse/Sandbakkels and her Spritz press to make the traditional Norwegian and Swedish cookies that she always made at this time of year.

Sandbakkel Tins

Spritz Press

Here are pictures of them after baking:

Sandbakkels

Spritz

I also baked a loaf of German Stollen, a bread with candied fruits inside and either frosted with icing drizzled on top, (like I knew it to be, growing up as a child), or with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Here are some pictures of the Stollen. (It is folded over on purpose.):

And here is the table, with everything on it:

My Wheel of the Year Sabbat celebrations are continually growing and evolving as I grow and evolve. (That is my hope, at least.) And it is comforting to know that in many cases, the same traditions that I grew up with in another context are completely appropriate for many of the Sabbat celebrations that I now observe in a new context as a Broom Closet Witch.

I hope this article has been helpful, and until next time…

Merry Meet, Merry Part, and Merry Meet again!

Samhain Blessings,
Claire du Nord

Temple Astrolog: Yule and an “Intergalactic Snowstorm”

The holidays are coming and for many of us this means spending more time with family and friends. This year the stars in the sky tell us there will be even more than usual focus on our relationships and where we are heading in life. Things can get a bit complicated, but there are still things you can do if you are prepared. So let’s grab a cup of tea or coffee and see what we can find in the stars to make the best of it.

Not the Same Celebration This Year

The goddess asteroid Juno (relationships) is now in Virgo (practical things) making good aspect to Uranus (change). Juno is interesting for many reasons. One of them is that she is often very activated in the sky and in our natal charts when changes are happening. These changes do not have to be of our own making. Many times they are connected to something happening around us that makes things different. A situation or an event that triggers us to choose our next step or a new direction in life. Because of this, Juno can be challenging even if she is making a good aspect in the chart and even if the Juno transit will leads us towards something good in the end. Changes and new perspectives can many times be uncomfortable in the beginning.

One example may be that your older parents decide to divorce. Suddenly everything changes. All the holidays will be spent differently in the future. And the children will not have their grandparents at the same place and time, and so on. Even if it is your parents who are divorcing, you have to change and the family situation will be different from now on.

Juno is often also active when we change jobs, deciding to leave something or someone. But also when we start a new important relationship or partnership. Juno is involved in the first menstruation, first time having sex, giving birth, getting married, getting a divorce, children moving out, start of menopause and, last but not least, receiving an initiation. Juno may not be the most obvious or loudest of the goddess asteroids in the chart, but when you start to track her movements against big life changes, it becomes obvious she has indeed been there.

Good Time for Negotiations

Now when Juno in Virgo is making a trine to Uranus in Taurus things have changed or is about to. With this energy shift I encourage you to be active and not to be afraid of negotiations. Is your landlord selling the property? Negotiate on the terms of your lease and if or when you need to leave.

Do not be afraid to pick up the phone and try to make the best deal you can, no matter the issue. Does your ex want all the fun holidays but to skip driving the kids to their activities? Negotiate, make lists (Virgo the planner) and make things clear for everyone involved. After the work has been done you may be surprised by how good it finally gets. Personally I believe that the best deals are when everyone walks away with something that they want even if it is not everything that they want. On a global level we can hope that this transition helps the world leaders make decisions that are good for the planet.

  • Juno trines Uranus until the 3rd of March.

Tricky and Sensitive Communication

Mercury is the planet of communication. Right now Mercury is about to go into retrograde movement in the sign of Capricorn. Communication does not always flow easily for Capricorn. It needs to think a bit and digest before speaking. And when Capricorn finally speaks, it is usually with authority and power.

Right now Mercury is in opposition (challenging aspect) to Vesta (priest and priestess, fire) in the sign of Cancer (family, friends). That can make you very protective about your family and friends, perhaps even over-protective? You may also become extra hard against the people that you love, especially about how they behave and how they communicate. A good advice during this period is to be careful with what you are saying and especially how you say it.

It may also be good to be generous about giving and accepting apologies. This becomes extra strong because Lilith Black Moon is in Virgo, ruled by no other than Mercury. This makes communication blurry at best and completely off target at worst. So, remember that a “I´m sorry” can go a very long way. On a global plane this will affect countries, organisations and big companies for whom it will be very wise to apologise to the public when needed to.

On a magickal level Mercury (communication) in Capricorn (ruled by Saturn skilled in manifestation) is good for commanding energies and manifesting things with your words. Just make sure that your words speak of what you want to manifest.

  • Mercury is in retrograde in Capricorn from the 13th of December (Lucia in Sweden) until the 23rd of December when Mercury moves into the sign of Sagittarius.
  • The retrograde period ends the 1st of January 2024. Mercury travels through Capricorn again from the 13 th of January until the 5th of February.
  • Lilith Black Moon is in Virgo until the end of June 2024

What Do You Want?

The goddess asteroid Ceres (nourishment, fulfilment) is right now in the sign of Sagittarius. This is an energy that is looking towards the future. Sagittarius loves to learn, travel and explore. It does not want to be held back by others in any way. It is a freedom lover. When Ceres is in Sagittarius it becomes a bit complicated and you may be thorn between wanting the security from your loved ones and what is known on one hand, and on the other hand wanting freedom to do whatever you want and just jump into the unknown future.

Now the question is: What do you want?

The answer to this question is extra hard to answer right now. Ceres is making a challenging aspect to Lilith Black moon (blind spot, difficult to see) in Virgo (planning, strategy, practical things) making it difficult to see and feel what you want for your future (Sagittarius). It is also difficult to see what is possible or not? This inner and outer confusion can complicate relationships more than usual. Accepting that all the answers are not available at the moment can help both you and your relationships. A good sign is that Lilith Black Moon is also making a good aspect to Jupiter (the planet of luck) in Taurus (manifestation). That could also indicate good things and hidden gifts that you did not see coming.

  • Ceres is in challenging aspect to Lilith Balack moon until the 30th of December.
  • Ceres is in Sagittarius until the 7th of February 2024 when it moves into the sign of Capricorn.

A Very Strong Midwinter

The energies are very strong this Midwinter, especially if you are doing ceremony and healing work. Neptune (intuition) in Pisces (healing, soul work) is in a challenging aspect to the Sun in Sagittarius and Vesta (priest, priestess, devotion) in Gemini (communication).

This makes trance work, channelling and prophecies both strong and unpredictable. If you are doing a Völva ceremony or the like, make sure to take good care of the Völva, Oracle, Medium or Channeler. The energies passing through are strong and it may be difficult to come back to the body. This is amplified by Chiron (the healer) in Aires making a good aspect to Mars. Together they are fast and intensive, which can be challenging for the nervous system when doing healing and magickal work. On the good side this indicates a strong and fast channel for healing and transformation when doing spiritual and magical work.

Turbulence at Christmas

At Christmas, December 24–26, Mercury is moving up right next to Mars in Sagittarius. That can make communication intensive and at worst abusive. They also make a challenging aspect to Vesta (fire) in Gemini (communication) and to Neptune (drugs, alcohol) in Pisces (escaping).

With these aspects it can easily become too much of anything. A good approach to having a good celebration is to stop before things gets too far. Change conversation if it gets to intense, do another activity, say goodnight and break up the celebration when it is time to do so. Basically it is good to think that less is more. Remember that children and animals cannot choose their environment the same way as adults can. As healers and magickal people we can do healing and ceremony for Peace in the Home and protection for those who are vulnerable and exposed to harmful situations or people.

Happy New Year

At New Years eve the relationship confusion and the communication difficulties continues. Now we also have Venus (romance) in Sagittarius making a challenging aspect to Saturn (blockages) in Pisces and to Lilith Black Moon in Virgo, all adding to the confusion and risk of misunderstandings. Listen to your inner guidance and your spiritual guides. If something feels off, change plans and follow your intuition. This is an evening when it is extra important to be surrounded by people that you trust and are comfortable with.

Summary

Despite the turbulence and confusion about the future that many may experience this passage I believe that it is possible to find some relaxation during the Holidays. Remember to breath, to do your spiritual practices and to not carry the responsibility for everyone’s happiness on your shoulders.

On a higher level I would call this passage an Intergalactic Snowstorm. For those I recommend spending time in your pajamas, reading books and generous cups of hot chocolate. I will end this last Astrology blog for the year by quoting my husband Niklas Ugander: “It is as it is, until it is no longer so”.

God Jul och Gott Nytt År!
Karin Spirit Talker Turtle Red

Karin Ugander (Spirit Talker Turtle Red) is a spiritual channeler living in the south of Sweden. In Scandinavia she is known for the AstroNumerology and psychic readings she’s been doing for over 20 years. Together with her husband Niklas, she runs KaniSkolan, a school of astrology, numerology, tarot, StarCode Healing, and natural medicine. They are also the founders of Alven Inner Ring tradition, a Scandinavian mystery school with roots in shamanism and magick. Karin loves to create magickal oils, flower essences and sigils she combines in her “Karin Victoria” sigil candles and flower sprays. In her spare time she likes to travel, walk in the forest with her dog, and spend time by the ocean. Karin is an ordained high priestess and graduate of the Temple of Witchcraft’s seminary program. Her work can be found on Instagram @flowerpowerwitch and @karinuganderofficial and she can be reached at [email protected].

Temple of Witchcraft