Starting at the end of October and concluding on the Winter Solstice, the Pleiades have drawn an arc all across the celestial dome, lighting up the Wintery Bridge[1]. In my practice and personal mythology, this bridge that begins to open in late October, ushers dark and depth and it is an avenue for The Wild Hunt[2], Otherworldly beings, and the dead.
At this time, fairy beings, Álfar and Sidhe, and of course the Ælfs/Elves[3]
that I am connected with make their presence felt in ways that are more poignant than usually. People who track their ancestry to fairies or elves or have dual nature both human and fairy/elf may experience the energy of this particular time quite strongly and be affected by it in profound ways.
I celebrate thus the Wintry Setting together with the Winter Solstice, the convergence of the wintery travel of the Pleiades concluding and the sun’s journey beginning on this day.
I celebrate the Wintry Bridge, this star-lit spanning between worlds, between horizons, between seasons in calendars, and between seasons in our lives.
I celebrate and welcome those who travel on it.
May we all rejoice in the stellar light that shines upon us throughout this season.
Outline for the Ritual
The ritual I do to mark this occasion focuses on opening and anchoring a portal between worlds, a task I have been assigned by my guides among elves and fairies. Here’s an outline that you can adapt to suit your own purposes. Also, welcome in joining me to open such portals: the world needs them badly.
- Start standing at the center of the space where the ritual will take place. Face the direction that you would usually face when beginning a ritual. For example, I begin facing my altar by the Fairy Tree, then first turn North.)
- Announce what you are about to do, using words like: “I am setting sacred space. In this sacred space I will open a portal between worlds, human and fairy, a portal that shall allow the two worlds to merge within the confines of the space that I dedicate to this purpose”
- Turning to the left, walk a spiral path starting at the center and gradually expanding toward the periphery of the space. You can walk one several coils, depending on how large your space is. (As I spiral outward- my space accommodates a 3-coils spiral- I sprinkle water on the ground and repeat my intention.)
- When you reach the periphery of your space, walk one full circle to mark the outer boundary. (I have a copper bowl filled with water in which I soak herbs that I know are pleasant to fairies and Fairy Higher Powers. As I walk around this last full circle, I sprinkle herb-infused water on the ground. In my experience, it makes the space feel really good, and it is a nice way to welcome the Powers that I seek to invite. You may want to sprinkle water and/or dried flowers as you walk throughout the whole spiral path, not just the outer bounds. You may wish to use plain water, scatter leaves or something else, or use nothing at all beside your own intent.)
- After you finished walking the circle that defines the outer boundary of your ritual space and sets the size of the portal, acknowledge the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters, Seven Queen, or The Hen & Chicken as I knew it while growing up. Begin inviting the Powers that you associate with the Autumn Equinox. You can do this is any way that suits you, so feel free to adapt what I describe below.
(As I already mentioned, I am personally connected with seven main Fairy Liminal Powers, or Fairy Liminal Gods[4], and four other more regional or seasonal ones. In my own experience, five among these seven relate to the Wintry Setting. They are: Keeper of the Passages/The Gatekeeper, The Queen of Apples, The Queen of Winds, The Spinning Goddess, and The Queen of Ice and Snow. These five Fairy Gods are the ones that I call to both anchor the portal, and to bring in the blessings of the season along with balance through the months to come.)
- I begin the ritual by standing at the center of the space which is my backyard.
- I have prepared a small jug with fresh water, which will be the first offering I make to the Powers.
(Call the Powers that you feel drawn to call. Even if you resonate with the ones that I mention here, still know that you can call them in any order you chose. For me personally, this order is arbitrary since I do not have any fixed correspondences that link a Power to a specific cardinal direction.)
- I stand at the center, facing the Fairy Tree. I call the Keeper of the Passages/Gatekeeper to open the gates between worlds and help me keep them wide open. I ask the Gatekeeper to grant passage from one side to the other only to those among humans and fairies who are goodly inclined toward each other’s world and its inhabitants. I invite his presence and his blessing in the ritual space that I am creating. I welcome the Keeper of the Passages and pour out some water as an offering for him.
- I turn to face East, and call the Queen of Apples. She is vitality, joy and zest for life, health and vibrancy, sensuality and sexuality. She encapsulates the energies of the seed that will become the apple tree (of any tree for that matter) whose twigs can be made into wands used in healing work, and whose fruit nourishes and heals; she is the empowered feminine and emblematic of personal sovereignty. I call on her, beholder of vitality and life-force, she who embodies abundance whether on fields, orchards, or as the health and vigor of mind and body. I invite her presence and her blessings in the ritual space that I am creating. I welcome the Queen of Apples and pour out some water as an offering to her.
- I turn to face South, and call The Queen of Winds: she holds power over the first and last breaths, she is the air in the freshly aerated soil awaiting the seeds to fell and nestle into; the hollow and mysteries of caves, and bubbles in the lacy crests of ocean waves; she’s in the burning fire logs, in the flame and the popping; she’s in the fluffiness of snow but also in the deadly blizzards; she is in the whipping November winds and winter storms, lamenting among barren branches and whistling in the dark, long nights. I invite her presence and her blessing in the ritual space that I am creating. I welcome the Queen of Winds, and pour out some water as an offering to her.
- I turn to face West, and call The Spinning Goddess, The Great Weaver. She’s the one who spins the thread of anything and everything, who turns wool into thread, and thread into tapestry or clothing, doing both work of art and utilitarian, as needed. Time itself is strung on the thread she spins: past, present, and future for her are one. She gives out her thread for people to use, but then what individuals do with it is their own choice: she’s there to help, provide, teach, but cannot complete the task for you; she’ll teach you how to work – magically and otherwise- but will not do the work for you. I invite her presence and her blessing in the ritual space that I am creating. I welcome The Spinning Goddess, Great Weaver and pour out some water as an offering to her.
- I turn North and call the The Queen of Snow and Ice. She is the spirit in the snowflakes dancing through the air and snow blanketing the earth; she’s in the icecaps, in the sheets of glass covering bodies of water, and the silvery-white that coats grasses and rooftops with the first frost in late autumn; she’s within the grains of hail in summer storms. She is the cold soul devoid of emotion or devastated by loss as much as she is spark of joy, perfection and beauty, and sheer potential awaiting to express itself. I invite her presence and her blessing in the ritual space that I am creating. I welcome The Queen of Snow and Ice and pour out some water as an offering to her. (* Note: if geographically, meteorologically, or for any personal reason calling the Queen of Ice and Snow doesn’t fit with what you do, call instead the Liminal Power that makes sense to you; this applies to any of the Powers invoked in this ritual.)
(You may notice that I change the direction and turn clockwise as I invite the Powers. I do this in order to both raise and balance the energy within the space. To open the portal, I walked counterclockwise. I will not close the portal, and therefore I will not walk the opposite way at the very end. Personally I feel I need to bring in a balancing element/action so the energy of the space doesn’t go haywire- hence the change of direction: counterclockwise to open, clockwise to raise energy and ground it. You may change to whatever suits you, based on your own training, intuition, and guidance from your own fairy advisers.)
- Stand at the center and face any direction that you chose: ask the Powers, collectively, to anchor the portal and guard it so only those fairies and Fairy beings who are benevolent to you and beneficial for the place may come through.
- Standing at the center, or by the altar if you have created one, and face any direction you chose. Invite the Fairy Queen(s) or King(s) that you are devoted to or connected with, if there is/are any. Pour out water for them too. Affirm that the portal is open for them to move through as they please, and ask them to guard it against any inimical being that may want to come in.
- If you believe that you have ancestors or relatives in Fairy, invite them to join. Pour out water for them. Affirm that the portal is open for them to move through as they please, and ask them to guard it against any inimical being that may want to come in.
- Invite your fairy familiar(s) and allies. Pour out water for each of them, and greet them individually. Affirm that the portal is open for them to move through as they please, and ask them to guard it against any inimical being that may want to come through.
- Express your gratitude for the presence and support coming from those that you invited and the peoples they represent.
- Intend for the portal to remain open and bridge the worlds asunder, human and Fairy.
- Present the offerings of food, and other drinks if you have any (I usually have little cakes, or fresh bread and butter, fresh fruit, or a portion of what I have cooked for myself and my family. I may also offer milk, wine, beer, fruit juice etc. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but whatever it is, it shall be the best quality you can afford.)
- If you have any other offering, such as song, dance, reading aloud something that you chose for Them, you can deliver that now.
- You can burn incense or fragrant herbs as part of offerings. (MAKE SURE THAT YOU DON’T BURN ANYTHING TOXIC!!)
- Leave the offerings in their dishes in the ritual space for as long as you plan to be around celebrating the Equinox. Please keep in mind that on this particular occasion the ritual focuses on opening a portal between Fairy and the human world. Celebrating the Winter Solstice is part of this ritual, but it is more of a backdrop rather than the main purpose in itself. So prepare accordingly, and elaborate your celebratory aspects as much as you like; what I intend to provide here is only an outline, and my focus is on the portal opening part. Make merry and feast, and when you are done, pour out the offerings: you can burry them, put them into fire if you are having a fire for the occasion, or leave them on a rock, or on what would represent an outdoor altar space. Be careful about what you leave outside, and make sure it is not toxic for the wildlife or the vegetation around. Alcohol is damaging for herbs and animals, and chocolate is toxic for dogs and the canis family in general (wolves, coyotes, foxes – etc), so best burry or burn those items.
- Since there is no plan to close the portal, find a moment to tell your Fairy invitees that they may stay or leave as they wish. A while ago, during my training in witchcraft I learned the formula “In good will and perfect trust/ stay if you will, go if you must.” I like it and still use it, although I occasionally may play around with the wording.
- Let the ritual melt into the rest of your day, evening, or night, without closing abruptly, so that it mirrors the opening of the portal and the smooth flow between worlds, a subtle but continuous process without any steep halting to it.
Happy Winter Solstice and Happy Lighting of the Wintry Bridge! May the starlight always shine bright on your path.
Daniela
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1 As Norsemen began to populate Iceland they encountered the local land wights and alfs who acted benevolently toward the newly arrived. Making offerings and treating the local wights and alfs with respect ensured humans’ survival. Wights shared knowledge and made crops and game plentiful. Advancing of Christianity destroyed the balance. Priests sprinkled holy water on places where alfs dwelt which made them leave. In leaving however the alfs and wights took away the land’s abundance, and people were left to deal with the problem. (Gundarsson, 2007; id.1993) In feuding against each other, chieftains and kings intentionally offended the wights and alfs dwelling into the opponents’ land to cause their downfall because without protection form local alfs and wights no ruler has control or power over land. (Gundarsson, 2007; id.1993) In Ireland, fairies seem to be bothered by church bells ringing which may cause them to abandon an area. (www.duchas.ie; Daimler, 2017; id. 2020) Destruction of fairy places is another reason for them to leave, oftentimes not before taking revenge on the humans who caused the destruction. (Gundarson, 2007; Paxon, 2021)
2 Portals open automatically at different times and/or in specific places, but ritual action actively supports the process by landing more energy to it. More over, through ritual action such portals can be anchored into physical places so they become permanent or semi-permanent. With these in mind, portals are not to be opened randomly and carelessly.
4 For details, check Daniela Simina, Pagan Portals “A Fairy Path: The Memoir of a Young Fairy Seer in Training”, 2023, autobiographic, TBR on amazon.com and Barnes&Noble
Bibliography and Resources
Books:
Carding, Emily “Faery Craft: Weaving Connections with the Enchanted Realm”, 2012
Daimler, Morgan “Travelling the Fairy Path”, 2018
Daimler, Morgan “Living Fairy”, 2020
Daimler, Morgan “Fairies: A Guide to the Celtic Fair Folk”, 2017
Daimler, Morgan “A Modern Dictionary of Fairies: A 21st Century Exploration of Celtic and Realted Western European Fairies”, 2020
Gundarsson, Kveldulf “Teutonic Religion: Folk Beliefs and Practices of the Northern Traditions”, 1993
Gundarsson Kveldulf “Elves, Wights, and Trolls: Studies Towards the Practice of Germanic Hethenry, Vol.1”, 2007
Paxon, Diana, L. “Taking up the Runes: A Complete Guide to Using Runes in Spells, Rituals, Divination, and Magic”, 2021
Simina, Daniela, “A Fairy Path: The Memoir of a Young Fairy Seer in Training”, 2023
On-line articles:
Daimler, Morgan “Liminal Gods- Deeper Theology”, January, 2021 https://lairbhan.blogspot.com/search?q=Liminal+Gods
Simina, Daniela, ”On Liminal Powers or Fairy Gods”
https://whispersinthetwilight.blogspot.com/2022/10/on-liminal-powers-or-fairy-gods.html
“The Fairy Dwelling on Selena Mor” https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/swc2/swc216.htm
“The School Collection”, https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes
“Perchta, Holda, and the Wild Hunt” https://earthandstarryheaven.com/2016/12/21/wild-hunt/
“The Wild Hunt” http://www.orkneyjar.com/tradition/hunt.htm
Classes:
Heath, Cat “Elves and Witches: A survival Guide”, contact Cat Heath at seo.helrune@gmail.com
Heath, Cat “Mound Magic: Elves, Necromancy, and Adaptation” Parts 1&2, contact Cat Heath at seo.helrune@gmail.com
Art Credit:
“Pleiades” Reimund Bertrams, Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/8385-8385/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=259458">Reimund Bertrams</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=259458">Pixabay</a>
“Winter Solstice, Sunrise at Stonhenge” , Howard Walsh, Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/kidmoses-14062968/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=4614639">Howard Walsh</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=4614639">Pixabay</a>
[1] My own naming for the trajectory the Pleiades follow from the end of October when they become visible on the E-NE horizon at nightfall, all the way through the time around Winter Solstice when thy set at dawn, disappearing below the W-SW horizon. The Wintery Bridge is not an official name, nor is it called this way in any lore that I know. Please feel free to use it in your own practice if you wish.
[2] See “The Wild Hunt”, and “Perchta, Holda, and the Wild Hunt” linked in Resources.
[3] In the post “A Bridge in the Winter Sky, An Eclectic Practice, and the Slippery Slope of Unfounded Attribution” I talk about a specific group, Ælfe or Elves to whom I am connected. I also make an important distinction: they are not the same as the Ælfe encountered in Anglo-Saxon lore.
[4] For this to make any sense please read “On Liminal Powers or Fairy Gods” linked in Resources.
