I just came upstairs from turning on the dryer, and I discovered a beautiful birch-bark crescent moon hung on my front door where the harvest Indian corn originally was. I have no idea where it came from; one of my visitors over the past couple of days must have hung it there, or the upstairs neighbours, or even HRH without telling me. Or maybe it was fairies. Whoever put it there, it’s absolutely beautiful, and I love it completely.
I think I’ll find some red and green ribbon and sift the tiny jingle bells out of my sewing box to add to it, in order to make it even more Yule-specific for this season.
Oh, lucky you!! I’m having a terrible time getting into the spirit this year. Your post *almost* did it. :D
One of my problems with Yule is that I’m so slow to slip into the mood that it’s here and gone by the time I get there. Having a child is helping, I’ve noticed this year. I’m actually pleased that small things like this are helping me even more.
I deepened my understanding of how I fit into the shift of seasonal energy today. October is the lead-up to Samhain season; December is the lead-up to Yule. With the very final feeling of Samhain in the first days of November, I’m adrift throughout the rest of the month, and while that works symbolically as reflection of the dead season it’s no so good for the psyche. Particularly when paired with the drastic reduction in daylight and the loss of the leaves from the trees. It’s a moderately obvious thing when one looks at the wheel of the year, and intellectually I know that it’s a twilight zone spiritually for me, but damn, it *really* hit home this year for some reason.
My kids are teens and disinterested in Yule/Christmas. They like the feast. They want money instead of gifts. They couldn’t give a rats arse if I decorated.
I think I have mild SAD, so this time of year is especially difficult for me. This year, I’ll be trying to work with that need to go under, to hibernate, rather than trying to fight it.
I’ve been having ‘eurekas’ and ‘breakthroughs’ myself lately. Wonder if it’s somehow astrological. Saturn is retrograde, or so I read somewhere. I wonder what that means?
::ponders::
Did you work through TOSW by Chris Penczak? Or just read through? I usually just read through books, but this one has captured my imagination and I’m already trying the exercises.
Ivy
I began it intending to work through it, but I was just so interested in what he was saying that I kept reading. Also, my boy was just a year old at the time when I got it and needed a lot more hands-on attention, so putting time aside to do the exercises was impossible then. I do intend to work through it, though, and I remember suggesting to my coven that we work through parts of it together because the exercises addressed really fascinating issues.
You are welcome! I hung it from your doorknob and HRH later put it in place of the harvest corn. I know how you like Birch and thought you would like the moon. I have the star upstairs. I was just in too much of a rush to knock on your door to pass it to you.
Thank you, Scarlet! You’re right, the birch and the crescent mean a lot to me.