“It’s that Wonderful Time of the Year…” Winter Holidays on my Fairy Magic Path

December is upon us. I realize that this is a statement of the obvious, but I would like to draw attention to this time called by default, wonderful. It is wonderful, yes, unless chaos takes over to the extent that there won’t be neither time nor energy left to even notice the wonder- let alone fully experience it. I am speaking from my own experience, because I found myself several times exactly in this situation; and I’m done with it, really. Which statement leads to the question: what are actually my plans to restore the ‘wonder’ in ‘wonderful’, and make these weeks wonder-full?

Art credit: Daniela Simina on wombo.art

Step one. Zooming 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 is December energy inviting or maybe even demanding that I focus on?

I was tempted to consider 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 I light up a candle on the altar, and sit down with a steaming cup of tea and a sandwich. I break the sandwich and leave a piece on the offering plate on the altar. Then I pour some tea for my Fairy Guides and Gods as well. And so begins our conversation.

Step two. 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. 

Step three. It boils down to…

The content-organizing part distills into:

1) December is the right time to genuinely express gratitude for all the small and big achievements;   especially for the small achievements, because they were in many cases the building blocks for the bigger ones. Give heartfelt thanks for the challenges I have faced. This is a little complicated because I don’t really subscribe to the overstated “everything happens for a good reason” kind of thinking. Quite the opposite. I believe that bad stuff happens sometimes due to error, negligence, or just because. What I do believe goes along the lines of “whenever life hands me a lemon, I make lemonade.” In facing challenges of different kinds I have 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. 

2) For me, December represents a natural progression following Samhain. What I mean by this is that during Samhain I took stock of both what I had intended to accomplish and what I actually managed to accomplish, which strategies were successful and which ones were not. December is the time to plant new seeds and allow the incubation stage begin. I hope I didn’t make anyone believe that incubating in this case is synonymous to a completely 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 stay a little longer with the agricultural analogies to explain what I mean. I like to think of 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, let alone any fruit. So. Once planted, seeds still need care and nurturing. 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 supporting steps required for my plans to succeed, or sticking to the analogy, for my seeds to germinate and grow.

Concrete example: I plan to publish a book in 2022. Assuming that I already have a clear idea about what will I write and, hopefully, a working title, I  first put together a list of the resources that I shall consult, start reading, take notes, and of course began writing. I also think of who is going to help me edit, and I’ll make a list of people who I could ask to write reviews and the preface. Do I need illustrations? If so, will I do those myself, or will I hire somebody? Last but not least, I shall consider publishing options. This stage of planning and preliminary actions happen during what I call incubation stage. 

I include here walking in nature, brainstorming with friends, contemplating,  and getting inspired by what other people in my field are doing.

3) Considering that I have more than just one objective in sight, I need to sort out priorities, 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 2022. I used capitals to convey the idea that I would pour out on paper all those things that I really want to see happening in disregard of constrains and limitations. Then, still disregarding constrains and limitations, I’ll write 7 of them in order of priority with the highest ranking at the top of my list.[1] And  while the list will remain on the altar, I’ll begin to actively tend to the incubating seeds, which 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 #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].

Step four: Treat spiritual and practical aspects as equally important!

I can’t emphasize this enough: spiritual and practical are the two facets of the same thing in both my personal practice and my life in general. So now and always, here and everywhere else, practical and spiritual must go hand in hand.

What do I actually mean by this? 

I am a pagan walking a fairy-led path, and my beliefs inform my spiritual practice. My spiritual practice, in turn, informs my everyday life and supports my every step. Hence it is only normal at this time to ask for help, guidance, and give gratitude to my Fairy Allies and the Liminal Powers that I honor. Which brings me to the point of considering who do I address and how.

Liminal Powers 

Art credit: Daniela Simina on wombo.art

1)  Who’s around for winter holydays? An Dagda, Irish Deity and Fairy King in Ireland, is omnipresent; I can’t imagine any holiday, any marker of seasonal change without him. On the Winter Solstice I also acknowledge Grian, sister of fairy queen Áine[3]. The Queen of Apples, Liminal Goddess with whom I connect over healing and mysteries of the feminine nature, is also present. Last but not least, I honor the Liminal Powers presiding over this season and whom I call the Queen of Winds and the Hunter.

Queen of Apples, Fairy Goddess

Art credit: Daniela Simina, on wombo.art

2)  Action, the answer to the “how to…?” question, manifests as ritual and offerings done to mark bigger occasions such as Winter Solstice and the New Year’s Eve, or as everyday little things. I will not detail now the ritual I wish to do for Solstice because it would make the post unbearably long, but I will give some highlights. 

I usually cleanse with smoke, and for this purpose I burn a mix of juniper and sage in a bowl which I carry around the house. I move around quickly so the smoke coming from the by the smoldering herbs doesn’t get excessive. As I walk around, I thank the spirits of the herbs, and ask them to lend their cleansing and protective qualities to our home. I then use smoke cleanse myself and whoever else in the family is willing to undergo cleansing. In Romania, basil is one of the best known herb used for purifying spaces and people.[4] On top of the smoke cleansing, I would get some dried basil , or rosemary if basil is not available, dip it in water[5] and asperse around rooms, onto myself, and onto family members. 

I change the altar cloth, and decorate accordingly. My altar is quite simple, with places for the Liminal Powers, a little corner dedicated to my ancestors, and a candle holder surrounded by a feather, a stone, and a shell, symbolizing the Three Realms and the fire at the core of everything.  I also keep on the altar two little bowls and a saucer for offerings along with the wand and the ritual blade that I use most often. 

On the eve of whatever I am celebrating, Solstice or New Year in this case, I first open a portal by turning counterclockwise, and then I light the candle while inviting the Powers I would like to have joining.  I make offerings[6] , some  of witch will remain on the altar while some other will be taken outside by the Fairy Tree[7]. Magic work, in case that I plan on doing any, takes place usually outside in the clearing near the Fairy Tree. After that, I take time to sit, listen, and feel. I divine and take omens to find out if the offerings are well received, and if anything else is expected from me on this occasion. I close the ritual by restoring the energy of the space back to a neutral state: I do this by scattering leaves or earth if I am outside, while I turn clockwise. Indoors, I’ll just turn clockwise and use the ritual blade to close the portal. If the celebration includes feasting, I invite our beloved dead to join and partake from food, drink, and merriment. The next day is dedicated to activities that involve family and friends.

I mentioned magic work done in conjunction with holiday rituals a number of times. The magic I do at this time is specifically directed toward supporting the plans that I have for the coming year.  Namely, the 7 objectives on the list that I had left on the altar until this moment will receive the magic/ energetic support they need, as part of the assistance provided through the incubation stage that I spoke so much of.

It may sound complicated and even contradictory to my expressed desire to simplify things, but compared to the ritual structures that I used in the past, this really is a whole lot simpler. For me, at this point, what makes rituals special is not their length, nor the intricacy or straightforwardness of structure. The special feel is solely related to where do they take me emotionally, and it relates directly to my ability to adapt, do what feels right and heartfelt, and be in the moment instead of just in my head. This is what makes the rituals feel special, holy, and from here, the feeling spills into everything else, like bubbly champagne spills over the rim of the cup when poured fast.   

Whatever I do and however I do it is just between me and Them. This statement alone, powerful in its simplicity, holds the key to sparking the magic and fills with wonder the days and nights ahead.

Until next time, happy whatever you are celebrating, and bright fairy blessings!

Daniela

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[1] This is an actual piece of guidance that I received during the first informal meeting with the 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 behave accordingly.