It seemed like a small kindness, at the time, decades ago, buying a gift for some kids who didn’t have much. But the youngest one contacted me later. All grown up, she was spending her time working to give gifts to kids who didn’t have much. She told me that long ago gift had been magical to her, and had touched her deeply. It had stayed with her all this time, and made her want to help other kids who needed what she’d needed that year. It broke my heart with joy to know that

It struck me today how we in the northern hemisphere are entering winter, the dark part of the year, at the same time the pandemic is forcing us to become even more isolated. For the first time in my memory, we won’t be doing a whole family get-together for Thanksgiving or Christmas. And I thought how, to people of magic, to mystics and witches and those tuned into nature, that’s what the winter months are all about. Especially the dates around the Winter Solstice, the short

This is my second Winter Solstice post this year, but I felt inspired, so here you go! It's Winter Solstice What you'll need You’ll need a small fire. You can make a bonfire outside near sunset, or use your fireplace if you have one. You can use an iron cauldron or other fireproof container in a room without smoke detectors or outside. Write down the things you want to be rid of-not in too much detail. One or two words. “The accident” or “the incident” or “that person.” You’l

Elf ears. It just happens this time of year. It’s the Winter Solstice! This is one of my favorite holy days, because it symbolizes the power of light over darkness and proves that life is eternal. In the middle of winter, it’s dark and it’s cold where I live. The trees are all bare, the plants have all withered, and the grass is covered in a blanket of white. Things seem very dead, but that’s just an illusion as death always is. The very shortest day precedes the very longest

Elf ears. It just happens this time of year. It’s the Winter Solstice! This is one of my favorite holy days, because it symbolizes the power of light over darkness and proves that life is eternal. In the middle of winter, it’s dark and it’s cold where I live. The trees are all bare, the plants have all withered, and the grass is covered in a blanket of white. Things seem very dead, but that’s just an illusion as death always is. The very shortest day precedes the very longest

Today, 12/20/2016, is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, and tonight is longest night. The winter solstice occurs as the sun reaches its southernmost declination, and that happens globally at the same moment, which falls at 5:44 a.m. tomorrow, where I live. (Eastern Standard Time.) After that, the sun begins to move the other way, as perceived from Earth. (The sun isn’t moving, we are.) Tomorrow will be a little bit longer than today, and every day after

Today, 12/20/2016, is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, and tonight is longest night. The winter solstice occurs as the sun reaches its southernmost declination, and that happens globally at the same moment, which falls at 5:44 a.m. tomorrow, where I live. (Eastern Standard Time.) After that, the sun begins to move the other way, as perceived from Earth. (The sun isn’t moving, we are.) Tomorrow will be a little bit longer than today, and every day after

But for a while yesterday I felt exhausted; throbbing head, crazy tummy. And then, because like attracts like, I got news about a great big additional holiday task I need to handle and then stress set in. Because when you’re off, you’re off and when it rains, it pours. I Know What to Do on Such Days I have a practiced system in place when times like this occur, and it’s become second nature to me. I know just what to do. RELAX. Take a nap. Watch a Hallmark movie. Eat comfort

But for a while yesterday I felt exhausted; throbbing head, crazy tummy. And then, because like attracts like, I got news about a great big additional holiday task I need to handle and then stress set in. Because when you’re off, you’re off and when it rains, it pours. I Know What to Do on Such Days I have a practiced system in place when times like this occur, and it’s become second nature to me. I know just what to do. RELAX. Take a nap. Watch a Hallmark movie. Eat comfort

Why I Still Believe in Santa Claus: Part 5 Finally, I offer this bit of evidence, the video story of a woman whose faith brought snow on Christmas to a Tex Mex border town where it hadn’t snowed at all in 109 years, and never on Christmas, and who healed her husband’s heart just by the power of her belief. Watch this video (it’s right on top of the page, but you have to get through a movie trailer first) and then meet me back here and we’ll talk. When I shared this story on m

Why I Still Believe in Santa Claus: Part 5 Finally, I offer this bit of evidence, the video story of a woman whose faith brought snow on Christmas to a Tex Mex border town where it hadn’t snowed at all in 109 years, and never on Christmas, and who healed her husband’s heart just by the power of her belief. Watch this video (it’s right on top of the page, but you have to get through a movie trailer first) and then meet me back here and we’ll talk. When I shared this story on m

Why I Still Believe in Santa Claus: Part 5 Finally, I offer this bit of evidence, the video story of a woman whose faith brought snow on Christmas to a Tex Mex border town where it hadn’t snowed at all in 109 years, and never on Christmas, and who healed her husband’s heart just by the power of her belief. Watch this video (it’s right on top of the page, but you have to get through a movie trailer first) and then meet me back here and we’ll talk. When I shared this story on m

Why I still Believe in Santa Claus: Part 3 There was this one Christmas Eve Day a couple of years ago, when I spotted a minivan alongside the road. As I passed, on my way home from some last minute holiday thing or other, I noticed the person behind the wheel was…Santa! Full beard, red coat, the whole nine yards. I couldn’t keep going. I pulled the car over, turned around, and went  back. Then I eased up beside Santa and put my window down. The following conversation went som

Why I still Believe in Santa Claus: Part 3 There was this one Christmas Eve Day a couple of years ago, when I spotted a minivan alongside the road. As I passed, on my way home from some last minute holiday thing or other, I noticed the person behind the wheel was…Santa! Full beard, red coat, the whole nine yards. I couldn’t keep going. I pulled the car over, turned around, and went  back. Then I eased up beside Santa and put my window down. The following conversation went som

Why I still Believe in Santa Claus: Part 3 There was this one Christmas Eve Day a couple of years ago, when I spotted a minivan alongside the road. As I passed, on my way home from some last minute holiday thing or other, I noticed the person behind the wheel was…Santa! Full beard, red coat, the whole nine yards. I couldn’t keep going. I pulled the car over, turned around, and went  back. Then I eased up beside Santa and put my window down. The following conversation went som

In the first post in this series, The Cycles of Nature Within Us, I explored some of the reasons observing the turning points of the year is important for us. I pointed out that what happens in nature happens in us, because there is nothing that is not us. I led you through a series of modern day experiments that point very clearly to that new reality that has set old scientific paradigms on their ear. So in this post, I want to home in on the Winter Solstice itself. First, f

In the first post in this series, The Cycles of Nature Within Us, I explored some of the reasons observing the turning points of the year is important for us. I pointed out that what happens in nature happens in us, because there is nothing that is not us. I led you through a series of modern day experiments that point very clearly to that new reality that has set old scientific paradigms on their ear. So in this post, I want to home in on the Winter Solstice itself. First, f

In the first post in this series, The Cycles of Nature Within Us, I explored some of the reasons observing the turning points of the year is important for us. I pointed out that what happens in nature happens in us, because there is nothing that is not us. I led you through a series of modern day experiments that point very clearly to that new reality that has set old scientific paradigms on their ear. So in this post, I want to home in on the Winter Solstice itself. First, f