Webs of Woven Words, Threads, Stitches and Enchantments

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Preparing for the Winter Solstice

My goddess shrine is decorated for the Winter Solstice, photos to come in a day or so. In the meantime, other preparations. Tonight I will facilitate my Divine Feminine Meditation and Discussion group. We will discuss winter goddesses, participate in a guided journey/meditation, and then prepare our bayberry candles for the longest night.

The bayberry candle spell is something I have been doing (and have written about) for many years. The burning of these candles brings prosperity, good health, and a good life. Sometimes I burn the candles over nine nights, other years I have only done this for three nights.

I also scatter a blend of herbs around my candle. The candle is burned in a votive cup holder, because one year I placed three candles in a terra cotta dish, anointed them with bayberry oil, and scattered the herbs in the dish with the candles. I lit all three and a while later I had a freaking torch - no kidding, the herbs, oil, and candle wax ignited and sent up a three foot flame. We used a large lid from one of my pots to snuff it out. I received a lecture from my darling hubby about fire safety. He was very stern because not long before this I had set a very tiny portion of our carpet on fire when a candle fell over. It was a very small burn and was immediately extinguished. What can I say - Leo Sun, Leo Moon, it is beyond my control. And actually, I haven't had any fire mishaps in years... well, except for that candle spell I was doing for a friend earlier this year; it sort of exploded, but... no harm, no fire; it flared up and then went out. That was a good omen. ; )

I have real bayberry wax candles for my ritual, nine of them this year. I got them at Cape Candle, you can take a look here. For the gals in my Div. Fem. group, they will choose a Crystal Journey bayberry or a bayberry/Dragon's Blood votive. I think the combination of bayberry and Dragon's Blood, while not traditional, is a fabulous combination; definitely kicking up the magick! We will cleanse, consecrate, and then empower the candles so they will be ready to burn on the Solstice.

Most of the gals in the core group, those who always attend, have become close friends, some are apprentices. They are all very dear to my heart and I feel very lucky to have met them. The goddesses certainly blessed me.

Do you follow the old tradition of burning a bayberry candle on the Winter Solstice?


Blessings dark and deep!

2 comments:

  1. LOL the part about the fire was funny. I'm happy that no one or thing was hurt.

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  2. No, I always have good control of my fires, LOL, it's all that Leo energy!

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