On this night of the Dark Moon, turn your face towards the sky, chant the Gayatri, look to what is hidden, open to what is coming through the New Moon portal as the moon wanes, pauses, then begins to wax once more. By chanting the mantra, we align with an ancient mystery tradition that evokes bliss beyond rational explanation - we dream a new dream for the New Earth.

Imbolc, like each of the cross-quarter days, is a sacred time in the turning of the wheel. The Cailleach cedes place to Brighid. The Cailleach is the crone of winter - she who watches behind her veil. And Brighid, she is the protector of mothers and children - she who casts her mantle across the land to bless and shelter all.

Let’s welcome our Capricorn New Moon magical ally, Garlic. Garlic is also called the stinking rose. In this way, s/he bridges the power of Eros with Thanatos - Life, Love and Death - blooming  and rotting - activating and transmuting. S/he is a potent ally to be enjoyed daily during the winter season (especially raw).

Humans have a preference for patterns, rhythms and cycles. And here we are in the first week of a New Year with a New Moon - new cycles to invite intentions, transformations, and awakenings.

As the midwinter moon reached fullness last week, I heard reverberating through my mind: “consequences, consequences, consequences...”

Before the Roman calendar there was the Wheel of the Year - cycles guided by Sun and Moon. There are 8 primary points or gateways on the wheel. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice marks the northern gate, ushering us into the realm of magic governed by the element of earth. Earth is the power of manifestation and the wisdom of the ancestors. Earth is the enduring memory in bones, trees, ice and stones. Earth is the coziness and love shared in physical connection with one another. 

“When we feel certain that the human soul is no longer at work in the world, it’s time to make sure that ours is visible to someone, somewhere.” - Parker J. Palmer⁣

“...learn to hold the tension between the reality of the moment and the possibility that something better might emerge.”