Dark Moon Magic. Cerridwen Greenleaf
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burial rite. Christian baptisms are performed using the sacrament of water. The Chinese deity Kuan Yin, the goddess of compassion, offers spiritual seekers the comfort and solace of a holy lake. Aphrodite herself rose up from the fecund ocean foam, and the Yoruba divinity Yemaya is believed to rule all the waters of the earth.
I was born with both my natal sun and moon in the astrological sign of Pisces. As a double Pisces, I receive much spiritual substance from water, so I turn to my element for succor.
How the Four Directions Relate to the Four Elements
The four directions we invoke in magical circles and ceremonies correspond directly to the four elements. Calling out to the four directions creates the sacred space of the circle, the center of ritual work. In so doing, you are calling forth the four elemental entities and energies.
NORTH
The north corresponds to the element of earth and the season of winter.
•Colors: brown, green
•Totem animals: elk, wolf, bear
•Tarot suit: Pentacles
SOUTH
The south corresponds to the element of fire and the season of summer.
•Colors: gold, red
•Totem animals: lizard, snake, lion
•Tarot suit: Wands
EAST
The east corresponds to the element of air and the season of spring.
•Colors: yellow, pink
•Totem animals: eagle, hawk, raven
•Tarot suit: Swords
WEST
The west corresponds to the element of water and the season of autumn.
•Colors: purple, blue
•Totem animals: swan, whales, dolphins
•Tarot suit: Cups
You can purify your home every day, and in so doing, create sacred space for living a life of daily ritual. After cleaning or straightening your home each day, bless the rooms and ensure that you are surrounded with good energy.
Supplies:
•Cup or bowl of water
•Salt
Directions:
1.Take the cup or bowl of water and add a sprinkle of salt. Then anoint your fingers and forehead with the salt water.
2.Now turn to the east and say:
Powers of the East,
Source of the sun rising.
Bring me new beginnings.
After speaking, sprinkle some of the water in the east.
3.Face south and say:
Powers of the South,
Origin of the sun and warmth and light,
Bring me joy and bounty.
Scatter some of the water in the south.
4.Face west and say:
Powers of the West,
Source of oceans, mountains, and deserts all.
Bring me the security of the ground beneath my feet.
Scatter some of the water in the west.
5.Face north and say:
Powers of the North,
Bringer of the winds and the polestar.
Show me vision and insight.
Scatter some of the water in the north.
End this simple ritual by sprinkling the water and salt all around your home, especially on or around windows, sills, doorways, and thresholds where energy passes in and out as visitors and delivery people arrive. In this way, you are cleansing and managing the energy of your space. After a distressing occurrence, you can repeat this ritual to clear out the “bad energy.”
The Winter Soul, Gothic and Gloaming
What is the Winter Soul? The Winter1 Soul is mysterious. The Winter Soul is somewhat forbidden and foreboding. The Winter Soul is cold, ominous, and travels alone. The Winter Soul is romantic. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that some souls are drawn to a “winter” sensibility—to the dark, cool, and seemingly gloomy place inside of us—a place into which most mundanes don’t dare venture. I advise you to delve fearlessly into the Winter Soul and explore it fully. Still not sure about the Winter Soul? There are plenty of examples in popular literature and culture. Think of Heathcliff tromping across the freezing moors, his heart tormented by a dark, intense passion. Think of the short-lived but never-to-be-forgotten sci-fi television show Lexx, whose star, Kai, was actually dead yet somehow more beautiful, brilliant, capable, and alive than anyone else on the show. And think of Mary Shelley’s Dr. Frankenstein and his monstrous creation trudging over the frozen plain of the Arctic in this dramatic and oh-so-tragic tale of life, death, love, and pain, the first Gothic novel ever written.
These are all dreams, creations, and expressions of the Winter Soul. From Poe, to Siouxsie Sioux, to the lone witch on the moonlit hill, these are incredibly imaginative beings with a will to go it alone, dare to take risks, and explore a lonesome path to gain the great riches of their own souls at the end of the journey.
If you were drawn to this book, then you too are a Winter Soul. You picked up this book to explore a different kind of magic. And as you do so, you will experience a liberation of your spirit unlike any you have ever known before. With the freedom of a Winter Soul, you will come to “know thyself” very well, and in this deepened self-knowledge, you will gain personal power. Winter Souls are strong, and in that strength comes a calm, potent centeredness and an intuitive brilliance that can lead, help, and command. As you continue along your spiritual path, always pursue the depths of your Winter Soul to the fullest and nurture your spirit to the truest expression of your self. When you see a pagan standing out in the crowd, you know this person is unafraid to convey an uncompromising individuality and developed sense of self. Dark Moon magicians are engaged with their inner nature and with outer nature all around us.
SHADOWS AND LIGHT—ARRANGING A WINTER ALTAR
There are many ways to nurture your truest nature and Winter Soul; perhaps the most obvious is creating a winter altar. This altar should be unlike any you have ever created before—because you are now recognizing a previously unexplored aspect of yourself and of spirituality and focusing this in your altar, your “power center,” in the words of Carl Jung, and I concur. Only in accomplishing this can you fully integrate and become whole. Thus, this altar is a tribute to and exploration of your unseen self and should be drawn from your deepest intuition. Select offerings and objects you are drawn to without quite knowing why. The answers will come. Spend as long as possible contemplating the qualities of this side of yourself and collect representations of these qualities carefully. What articulates these unique qualities?
You can go with the obvious symbols of winter—white, icicles, clear crystals, and so on—but do not limit yourself. These types of symbols only skim the surface of the possibilities. What of a fossil that is frozen in the amber of time? Perhaps a birch branch with delicate lichen barely clinging to the surface.