Art credit: Daniela Simina, 2022
Zoom out to get the broader perspective.
If I could look from a vintage point at myself, my thoughts, feelings and spiritual needs in the context of this month, what would I see? What is this month all about? What does this December-vibe suggest that I should focus on in my personal practice and my life in general?
For this year, I was considering some complex journey work, a ritual inclusive of circle casting, elaborate offerings, drumming… It sounds interesting. It would be undoubtedly thorough. BUT would this be what I really want? I realize that in fact, I want something simple. Meaningful yet uncomplicated, like meeting old friends. No need for protocol, just basic good manners, some food to share and a warm heart to welcome the Other. So, each time I feel drawn to create a special moment in a simple manner, I light up the candle on the altar and sit down with a steaming cup of tea or coffee and usually, a sandwich or a snack. I leave a piece of food on the offering plate on the altar and pour some tea or coffee for my Fairy Guides and Gods as well. Then our conversation begins. Or we may just sit in silence. I am keenly aware of the changes around me, the sounds, variations in temperature, ideas, images, impressions etc. I might read runes or cards asking if there's anything in particular I should know or do.
Contemplate, listen and take notes
It may sound funny, but note taking is critical. Yes, I can enter an altered state of consciousness while eating a sandwich, and carry on a conversation with Powers and Spirit Guides while sipping my tea; however, chances are that I might not remember much, if anything, once that mild trance state ends. So this time, like any other time, I begin jotting down everything that comes through. Once the chitchat ends, I spend few more minutes to organize the contents. I notice reccurent paterns of thought, bold ideas, images. They may not have a clear meaning at the moment but later on they may prove to be useful bits of information.
Gratitude.
I genuinely express gratitude for all the achievemnts big and small. I give heartfelt thanks for the challenges I have faced and the support I received in overcoming them. I don’t subscribe to the “everything happens for a good reason” kind of thinking which I find overstated and largely untrue. I believe that most of the times bad stuff happens due to error, negligence, or just because. But I do believe in th eold adaggio “whenever life hands me a lemon, I'll try to make lemonade out of it.” By facing challenges of different kinds I developed new skills and learned things that I would not have learned otherwise. In the process of overcoming challenges I also got to know myself better, to honestly tell what are my strengths and admit to my weaknesses, to own my mistakes, and to own my reality without apologizing anymore for who I am and what my limitations are.
Planting new seeds.
The end of October and begining of November is the time frame when I take stock of both what I had intended to accomplish and what I actually managed to accomplish up until that time, which strategies were successful and which ones were not. December is the time to plant new seeds for new objectives and allow the incubation stage begin. However, incubating , as I see it, is not a passive process. What I call incubation stage goes beyond generating a bunch of ideas and then sleep on them for the rest of the month, or through the entire winter. Plans treated this way rarely come to fruition. I’ll stick for now to agricultural analogies to explain what I mean. I think of ideas for my plans and projects as seeds. It’s not enough to just put seeds into the ground because they may either rot, dry out, or sprout something so frail that it would die way before bearing any flower or fruit. So. Once planted, seeds still need care and nurturing, like watering and warmth. By analogy, the plans that I make now need nurturing and active support before taking a definite shape and bear results. The incubation stage includes all the of the preliminaries and the supporting steps required for my plans to succeed, or sticking to the analogy, for my seeds to germinate and grow.
As an example, let's say that I plan to publish a book next year. Assuming that I already have a clear idea about the subject, I will go ahead and find a working title that will make me feel inspired and connected to my work each time I think of it. This is the seed planting stage. I might hold a little ritual to bless the project before addingit to my list of objectives for the next year. Then the incubation stage begins. I put together a list of resources that I shall consult, start reading, take notes, think of how am I goung to structure the book, and write bits and pieces when inspiration strikes. I also think of who is going to proofread the manuscript. I’ll make a list of people who I could ask to write endorsements and the preface. Do I need illustrations? If so, will I draw those myself or will I hire somebody? Last but not least, I shall consider publishing options. Brainstorming with friends, contemplating, getting inspired by what other people in my field are doing are also part of the incubation stage. When the incubation stage is over, I begin to write the book.
I usually have more than just one objective in sight, so I need prioritize and budget my resources. One of these days I’ll sit again by my altar in the same polite yet casual manner, and make a list with everything I would like to manifest in the year ahead. I do not focus on constrains and limitations but on what do I want. Then I’ll write five or seven of them in order of priority with the highest ranking at the top of my list.[1] The list will remain on the altar and I will begin tending to the incubating seeds. This means that I will apply to each objective on my list the same kind of analysis that I mentioned above. Tempting as it may be, I wouldn’t work on all of them simultaneously. I shall start with objective ranking #1 on my list, and once the preliminaries for this one are well underway, I’d tackle objective #2. More often than not, circumstances may demand that I work on a couple of things simultaneously, or address them in different order than initially listed. It’s perfectly fine: I’ll just go with the flow and make sure I don’t create bottlenecks by undertaking too much at once [2].
I invite An Dagda, Irish Deity and Fairy King in Ireland, without whom I can’t even imagine celebrating this seasonal marker. I also acknowledge Grian, sister of fairy queen Áine[3]. Central to this holiday is The Queen of Apples, Liminal Goddess with whom I connect over healing and mysteries of the feminine nature. (I do not tie feminine or masculine to biological gender)
Daniela
[1] This is an actual piece of guidance that I received during the first informal, unplanned meeting I had with Fairy Guides.
[2] This is where I usually fail short, but I am honestly trying to follow my own advice for the sake of my mental and physical health.
[3] Irish fairy lore.
[4] In Romania, where Christianity is the dominant religion, house cleansing and blessing is usually done by a priest who visits the houses in his church district on the eve of specific holidays. However, I personally witnessed my grandmother and my own mother blessing the house with basil and holy water on several occasions.
[5] I use moon water, water from melted snow or ice, or rain water.
[6] Any of the following: incense, asperse around the altar water with herbal oils, food, fresh drinking water, milk, some wine or beer. The offerings may include a poem written for the occasion that I’ll burn after reading it out loud, or anything that I could craft for Them- in case I decide to offer something of this sort.
[7] I did not know there was a fairy tree in the backyard when we moved into this house, but the fact became evident quite soon, so I learned to treat it accordingly.
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