+ Current Moon Tip & Winter Solstice

New Moon in Sagittarius – also Altar ideas and ways to get ready for the Winter Solstice!

This is the Winter Solstice Greeting from Mary Swanson:

Dear, Cuddly and Much Beloved Children of The Earth,

Winter Solstice is here again– the longest night of the year is Sunday, December 20th.  On Monday, the light returns a little earlier and stays a little longer each day until Summer Solstice.Here in Vermont the weather has been mild.  We’ve had a few snowfalls but mostly at night you can walk out easily and observe the astonishing sky here.  The stars are brilliant, infinite and reach out into the forever. Slow down time is here.  Solstice (Sol = sun; stice = standing still)   Even in the midst of the holiday rush,  it seems like a sacred act… slowing down.

Human beings have been observing Winter Solstice since time began.  All over the world there are artifacts showing us that our ancestors watched the sky closely.  They marked when the sun’s light began to increase.  Our folk histories are full of stories about ancient rituals and time spent outside the normal everyday routines.

This Solstice is marked by the square between Pluto and Saturn.  They’ll be continuing this little dance until August.

Pluto represents the part of the psyche that has to do with bringing to consciousness the hidden, the taboo, the unsustainable, the dark underbelly of what we’d rather not see. Pluto is like a scalpel that lances a festering wound.  It is ruthless transformation insisting on naked truth & the unmasking of all artifice.

Saturn represents authority, structures, foundations, systems, physical reality, precedent.  It is the part of us that seeks what is real, of durable worth and can support sustained growth.
In the language of astrology, a square aspect between two planets means they’re having trouble understanding each other.   It’s difficult to imagine the other’s point of view.  And there’s no easy avenue for learning.  The relationship is marked by sudden conflicts and misunderstandings.

Pluto & Saturn are talking to us about our own sense of power and authority.  Anything built on a false foundation is crumbling.   Any sense of security based on denial is being ripped out from under our feet.  Structures that do not support healthy growth are being cleansed or are ending.  And it’s difficult to understand why.

The Sun, the light of conscious awareness, joins Pluto and begins to strengthen on Winter Solstice.  We may be shocked at what comes to light.  We may be angry or afraid. But as we allow ourselves to be conscious of what has been hidden, we have a chance to create sustainable life.

In the Pagan world, Nature is always there to show us how to come through difficult times.  At Solstice we slow down.  Observe.  An indisputable truth is being played out before your eyes:  in the darkest of times, the light returns.

Whatever darkness has been increasing in your world, change for the better may seem imperceptible at first, but if you’re paying attention, you can see it.

May your Solstice bring you Joy.

Blessed Be,
Mary