Tree Blessing and an Encounter

So it is snowing like crazy this morning..big, fluffy flakes. It is like being inside a snow globe.

Mr. Squirrel enjoying safflower seed

Today the tree must be done!! First, though I will perform a Tree Blessing. I am adapting the ritual from Dorothy Morrison's book Yule A Celebration of Light and Warmth. Burning my white Goddess candle, I will use items representing the four elements (earth, air, fire, water) to bless, consecrate, and give thanks for this beautiful balsam tree that is gracing our home.

Small but beautiful, awaiting decoration

Yesterday I had the pleasure of going to a Craft Fair at an elementary school just up the road. Over 100 crafters and vendors had gathered in the cafeteria on a snowy Saturday to offer their wares to an enthusiastic crowd. I enjoyed browsing, running into some friends, buying a few lovely hand made items and enjoying the smell of fresh roasted cinnamon pecans!
I happened upon a lovely woman selling medicine bags, sage smudge sticks and other Native American items and I stopped and had a lively conversation with her. What a great encounter! She was brimming with great energy and we chatted and felt a kinship! I purchased from her a wonderful smelling braid of sweetgrass, which she said had been gathered and braided by a member of the Mohawk. I also got a great sage stick, and she gave me some pointers on burning both the sage and the sweetgrass. She threw in some dried cedar as well to add power to the mix. You can call it coincidence, serendipity, happenstance, or as I would like to call it, a Universe Moment. Thank you, Candace, I enjoyed meeting you! You made my day!

Sage, cedar and a sweetgrass braid

Saturday Snow and A Giveaway Alert!

Well, the snow has begun to add up a bit, after a few days of fits and starts. Looks like 3 or 4 inches at the moment which is not really much to speak of for our area. But it is quite pretty, and puts me definitely in the Yule spirit.

I am sorry to say that I have still not decorated the beautiful balsam tree that is sitting so nicely in the living room. Enjoying the fragrance, though.

Here are a couple of photos taken quickly from the house, since I just dont want to put on the snow gear at the moment! LOL!

Front Porch (that's my weeping Japanese cherry)

From the dining room, the BirdHouse Garden

Special Alert
To increase my chances of winning a giveaway, I am posting this link. Go see the beautiful bell wand that Aine is giving away on her blog. Just click: Deepest Well blog giveaway! 
Of course now this means that you are going to enter too, which lessens my chances!  Drat!

Preparing for Yule

Approaching Solstice

Yes, friends, the darkness wins, but these

short days so celebrate light:

Today the lemon sunrise lasted a few

hours until sunset, all day the snow

glowed pink and purple in the trees.

This is not a time of black and white,

my friends, outside us. Among us, too,

let's sing what winter forces us to know:

Joy and color bloom despite the night.

We measure warmth by love, not by degrees.

--Patricia Monaghan

Photo credit: http://www.angeliska.com/2008/12/winter-solstice-dark-season/

Poem: by Patricia Monaghan from the book:  Yule A Celebration of Light and Warmth, by Dorothy Morrison published by Llewellyn Worldwide, St Paul Minnesota 2004

Snowy Girls

Yesterday we had a bit of snow, barely 1/2 inch accumulation. But since it was 63 degrees F at 6:00 am that morning, having snow at 1:00 pm was rather remarkable!


A delivery in the mail yesterday from Joyce at OctoberFarm blog!! What a generous and delightful person! An enjoyable time was spent digging through the goody basket!!

Wrapped and beribboned

leaf-shaped salt&pepper shakers, candies of all kinds, recipe cards, tea towel

maple nut fudge, a leaf-shaped plate, salt water taffy, a popping corn cob (sorry for the blurry picture, I was too excited)

I thank Joyce very much for a great gift basket! She brings a wonderful spirit of fun to the Blog-o-Sphere!

On today's agenda is addressing that undecorated Yule tree in my living room. Doing the lights is not my favorite thing, but I shall persevere! I feel a pull to the outdoors though, as it is sunny, a bit cold. I think my Faerie cam wants to go looking for the Fae! I also plan to spend some time leafing through my Wiccan library for Yule ideas.

Blessings to you and enjoy your day!

Greeting December

 December 1st! Wow, how did that happen??! And it is very mild outside, here in Central New York, pouring down rain. Still waiting for that first measurable snow. This is a pretty busy month for most people, for many reasons and holidays. I am not going to engage the discussion about the "reason for the season".  Enough is written (and complained about) by many. Suffice to say, that the Wiccan Way is to respect all paths. Celebrate and be happy and healthy this holiday season, whatever your holiday and beliefs are.

I love making lists. I make lists of lists to make. Yesterday I spent a long while making lists for this month. Many things to do and think about.  I do not "get crazy" about the holidays anymore, though. I enjoy each day. Because the importance of each day is not lost on me. Living with gratitude, revering the natural world around me and doing what I can to honor and live my beliefs.

Hanukkah begins at sundown tonight, so to my Jewish friends (and you know who your are!) may this Festival of Lights be happy, may your candles burn strong, and may your latkes never burn.

Terrific Tuesday!!

Hello People! I am back, and feeling terrific! Being waylaid by pneumonia is not the best way to spend your days. Especially during Thanksgiving. Bolstered by penicillin, and the TLC of my wonderful family, I am ready to face December!

Here's something terrific that happened just this past Saturday. I received an email from the dear lady over at OctoberFarm blog http://octoberfarm.blogspot.com/  that I had won her weekly giveaway!!! Now that was a real pick-me-up!!! Almost as good as penicillin!!! LOL!!! I can not wait for the postal delivery that brings me Joyce's basket of goodies. I will share pictures!

My husband and I have a couple of terrific kids. They prepared Thanksgiving dinner for us, cleaned up the place afterwards. And then over the weekend, went out to a Christmas Tree Farm and selected a beautiful tree and brought it home.

son nicarus getting on his game face

nicarus and almost-son-in-law working the saw

the team joined by best friend wrapping the tree

Unfortunately the photographer, daughter raethan, did not get a picture of herself in her terrific hat!


We will enjoy the old traditional pagan custom of setting up our tree (it is a fragrant balsam) and bringing in other greenery such as holly and a variety of evergreens to place around the house. It is a way of connecting with nature during the dark days of this month. Greenery of all kinds help refresh the households' energies as we prepare for the Celebration of Light that we will observe on Yule.

Wishing everyone a Terrific Tuesday.

After Thanksgiving Greetings

I have been "missing in action" for almost a week, thanks to a good case of pneumonia. Thankfully, my two kids cooked the Thanksgiving feast, doing a fantastic job. It is a blessing to have such great children. (Children are actually ages 22 and 24, but they will always be my "kids").

A few more days of recovery and I should be able to get back into life and daily activities.  I am looking forward to posting some great photos of our winter weather, tracking the progress of the "Great Craft Corner De=Clutter", all kinds of Yule posts, and there is talk of a special giveaway here at Wiccan Writes that will knock your socks off!!

In the meantime, I wish blessings and love to everyone, and thank you all for your well-wishes.