Well, I have been off studying for my finals, some of the hardest academic work I've ever done. Friends from the computer science world tell me this is standard: multiple choice exams with tricky wording designed to trip you up and not test your knowledge. This little liberal arts girl still finds this new and uncomfortable; however, got an A and a B+ for final grades. My thanks to Bridget and all the deities who have helped me quite actively this semester.
And yesterday was a wonderful Christmas pageant at church, where dear friend and CMU grad student Ashley portrayed the best of what church should be: she wrote the Christmas pageant autobiographically, recalling the day she first ever visited East Liberty Presby - on the day of the holiday pageant, and the Sunday School teachers put her in an angel costume and threw her up on stage. Her pageant yesterday used one of the kids as a "plant" in the audience to be the new church kid thrown into the play; yet in reality a new girl did come to Sunday School and sure enough was an angel amongst the heavenly host. I will post videos on Christmas eve!
But now to a life past school and all-weekend-church-pageant-rehearsal. It is solstice tonight, with a rare full moon eclipse into the bargain. I have invites to area pagan groups for group ritual, but want to plan something tonight on my ridgetop that is just me and Bridget and Flidais and Lugh and Kali. So at the last moment, here are links and ideas for you.
For lone or group celebrations tonight, here are some last minute ideas to pull together.
Karen Tate kindly shared her wonderful article on celebrating,"Letter To Goddess. . . Working with Lunar Eclipse Energies," and I excerpt part here:
"Whether one calls it a prayer or a spell, a meditation or a positive affirmation for the coming year, writing a Letter to Goddess will be how I'm personally working with the natural universal energies brought on by the lunar eclipse, which will occur about 10PM this Monday night, if you're in California. . .
Whatever your method, perhaps you'd like to ask for prosperity or love. You might want to meet new people and be surrounded with more positive friends. Maybe you need a job or want to develop better habits, or become more positive in your own outlook. You might have prayers that go beyond your own family and community as you vision a more progressive and enlightened world. What ever it is you would like to draw toward you, simply ask. Make your offering and release your prayer to Gaia. Don't forget to give thanks for that which you do have. I am a believer there is no wrong way to speak to the Great Mother and ask her blessings. What is more important is what is in your heart and your good intentions, than the accoutrement or method you use.
As added suggestions, remember four things: 1) Your own thoughts are things that can work for you or against you. Think positively. Look for the "gift" in all situations, even ones that you are not happy with. You cannot continually be negative or toxic and expect a positive outcome. 2) What you nourish and support flourishes and what you neglect withers. If you want a plant to grow, you have to water it. If you want a job, be sure in the coming weeks and months you do not expect a job to drop into your lap without sending out resumes. If you want to meet people, you have to get out from behind the computer. You have to do the practical work along with the spell work and affirmations. 3) What you put out in the world will come back to you. Treat people with fairness, kindness, compassion and generosity and it more likely will be what you experience. That's no guarantee that ugliness will not find you, but certainly, boons will come your way in response to the energy you put out into the world. 4) Consider if your way of life is in sync with Goddess ideals. Are you contributing toward a caring culture? Or are you caught up in consumerism and policies helping to make life on the planet unsustainable? Food for thought. Be the world you want to see manifested."
As ever, Karen's advice is fabulous and very astute. And there are many ways to use her suggestions: I plan to purify some of my crystals under the full moon eclipse, have a private ritual to perform, and plan to make and burn candles to Bridget herself. I have wine to offer deities, which I will offer in my garden under the moon, with wine for Bridget and Aengus under my apple trees, beer to Lugh (of course), and brandy for Flidais deep in my woods. I will write my letter to Goddess tonight, on homemade paper. And since we expect snow and no viewing of the eclipse itself, I will add some blessings to Sedna and White Buffalo Calf woman.
So obviously whatever ideas you have, go with them!
For more on the astrological impact of the solstice/eclipse/full moon, I am happy to have found this wonderful link on using this specific eclipse's aspects in tonight's ritual:
Astrology Explored: The Solstice Full Moon Eclipse Aspect. With links to find your own free online birth chart, the article articulates what this full moon eclipse will do for your own personal chart:
"Where does this eclipse fall in your chart? To do this you will need a copy of your chart which you can get from Astrodienst and find out which doorway the zodiac sign Gemini sits on. This is the house that will be activated during the eclipse period."
Excellent for personal prayers/spellcasting/divination tonight!
(and as an aside, my own free account at Astrodienst has been really useful for my own work with astrology. No, I don't use all of the websites impersonal interpretations - and gentle readers by now should know I wouldn't use all of anyone else's interpretations ever - still the free charts are wonderfully useful!)
The last full moon eclipse on solstice was 1991; the next will be 2094. So tonight, like the many solar eclipse conjunctions last summer, will be a major event in all of our lifetimes. Eclipses are major calls for us to find what works in our life and what does not. Solar eclipses can be major upheavals in our material worlds; lunar eclipses are often signals of major turning points internally. For those of us with Capricorn and Cancer sun signs, these past year's eclipses have been especially transformative (okay, bad astrological pun).
I did some fabulous private rituals last summer during the many astrological rarities those months - including pouring huge libations on August 8 during the amazing conjunction of Mars, Saturn and Venus. The results from that wonderful event are still flowing like that gospel river of blessings through my life.
Don't underestimate the benefit of the smallest puja/prayer or spell this evening. Harness a spectacular lunar event on the turning of the wheel of the year. And Merry Solstice, everybody!
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