Tonight at 10:12 pm Eastern Time there will be a New Moon in Capricorn. During the day today, while the moon is still Dark, you still have time to sneak in that last Dark Moon spell. The Dark Moon, or the Black Moon, is the most auspicious time for banishing and neutralizing spells.

What does today, with it's Dark Moon in Capricorn, hold for us? Boston Phoenix Astrologer Symboline Dai says:

Great day — absolutely superb — for sitting down and organizing financial papers relating to loans, building projects, or dwellings in general. Yet isn’t the vibe about the party? Not really, especially for Cancer, who’d just as soon be home. Libra could be paralyzed — is responsibility a better choice than " going with the moment? " Capricorn, fun can and should be had. Ignore first sentence.

Tonight at midnight would be an ideal time to get out those spell books! The three days after the New Moon are the most powerful times to work spells for growth and beginnings which should manifest at the Full Moon. What more magickal time than witching hour on a New Moon at the dawn of a new year!

For tomorrow, Symboline says:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot … someone’s going to feel darn guilty, and I bet it’s an earth sign. Taurus — you’ve been doing so much to build community — perhaps it's time to focus that energy on the home. Capricorn, you may not feel like doing something new, but major planetary energy (sun and moon!) is focused on your willingness to innovate. VOC 4:09 am to 7:14 am Sunday.

Some people believe that you shouldn't work magick during a void of course moon. I personally think it depends on your personal astrology and the spell you are working. But for those of you who want to wait just to be safe, Sunday is your last chance to use that New Moon phase to your advantage, as the moon moves into Aquarius.

New Year's Day:

Waxing moon in Aquarius. Excellent for meeting new people, especially eccentrics or those who think outside the mainstream. The best New Year’s resolution right now is to figure out a trend-bucking tactic that works for you. Aquarius could be in a mischievous mood, finding amusement in unusual collections of people.

So whether you are working a spell or just hoping for something magickal for the New Year, there is lots of good lunar energy happening now to help you along.

Brightest blessings and best wishes for a Happy New Year!
Nixie

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 10:48 AM | Comments (0)

When you are in a multi-denominational family or relationship, the holiday season can be confusing, stressful, interesting or fun, depending on your point of view. I prefer to take the latter view. As a witch raised Christian dating a Jew, this holiday season offers me a wealth of opportunities for celebrating and merry making.

I like to open presents on Christmas Eve. Last night we popped a bottle of champagne and snacked on dumplings and shrimp. After presents - eight for each day of Hannukah - we had dinner and watched the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory DVD. This morning we drank hot cocoa with marshmallows outside by the fire pit, followed by a breakfast of homemade popovers. Thanks honey! Tonight, like good Jews, we're going out for Chinese.

You would have to have been vacationing on another planet, or perhaps on some desert isle, to have missed the recent War on Christmas kerfuffle. I don't understand why some people seem to feel that their ability to celebrate Christmas is somehow compromised by including expressions of good cheer to those celebrating other holidays at this time of year. Wishing someone Happy Holidays simply seems to suggest that whatever holiday one happens to be celebrating the wisher hopes it is a happy one and seems like common courtesy to me. I, for one, am happy to embrace the festive richness of living in a multi-cultural, multi-denominational world.

Goddess bless us every one!

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 7:57 AM | Comments (0)

Brightest blessings to you, my friends, readers and stumblers-on to my humble little witch blog!

Last week it dawned on me that our solstice holidays are upon us. How is it that they always sneak up on me like that? I celebrate Yule, Christmas and Hannukah. This year it seemed I wasn't going to do any of these holidays any justice. My new job, while a source of professional satisfaction and relief, has been keeping me very busy. And my new old relationship has been getting most of my attention - very happily so! Holiday preparation and reflection has taken a back seat to the rest of my life.

But somehow over the past few days, something festive hit me. Something in the air that gives me that eager anticipatory feeling that we got when we were kids. Something magical is happening! And suddenly I'm looking forward to the holidays and drinking eggnog and humming carols and wrapping presents and hanging wreaths.

I wanted to write something special for Yule but have decided to offer you something better than what I would have come up with given my schedule. This is my favorite of the descriptions of Yule that I've read. I give all credit to Our Lady of the Prairie Coven. Please read their informative site and tell them how much we admire it!

Christian friends are often surprised at us witchy folk for celebrating the 'Christmas' season in much the same way as they. We may use the word Yule, and our celebrations may peak a few days before the 25th. However, many of the current seasonal traditions began as pre-christian solstice customs, such as: decorated trees, carolling, presents, Yule logs, and mistletoe.

The Christmas holiday has always been more Pagan than Christian. It has associations to Nordic divination, Celtic fertility rites, and Roman Mithraism. Both Martin Luther and John Calvin abhorred it. Puritans refused to acknowledge it, much less celebrate it. It was even made ILLEGAL in Boston. The solstice is already closely associated with the birth of older Pagan Gods and heroes, many of them (such as Mithra, and several others) possessed narratives of birth, death, and resurrection that were extremely close to that of Jesus. Many of the pre-dated the Christian messiah. That is why pagans (who have as much right to claim this holiday as christians, if not moreso) celebrate so enthusiastically. There was never much pretense that the date chosen for the birth of Jesus was an arbitrary date.

The Christian version of the solstice spread to many countries faster than Christianity itself. 'Christmas' wasn't celebrated in most of northern Europe hundreds of years after the creation of 'Christmas'. Yet these early pagans observed the season by bringing in the Yule log, wishing on it, and lighting it from the remains of the previous year's log. Feasting and festivities, rituals and carolling, fertility rites (girls standing under mistletoe got a bit more than a kiss) and divination were practiced. Watered down a bit, and modernized, these customs continue on today, even though few realize their origins.

This is the winter solstice, the longest night and shortest day of the year. It is the birthday of the Sun King, the Son of God -- by whatever name you call him. The Goddess becomes the Great Mother and gives birth, a long night of labor which brings forth the light of new hope. The day falls around December 21st, give or take a day or two. It is one of the quarter-days of the Wheel of the Year, one of the most important ones.

The Yule log made of ash was the center of the celebration, and was lit on solstice eve (on the first try) and kept burning for 12 hours for good luck. Later the Yule log was replaced by the Yule tree, and instead of burning it, lit candles decorated it. Christianity may claim it was invented by Luther or St. Boniface, but the custom can be traced back (according to Mark Nichols) through the Roman Saturnalia and to ancient Egypt. Such a tree should be cut fresh yourself, never purchased, and should be burned as all sacred objects should be.

Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe are important plants of the season, all representing fertility and everlasting life. Mistletoe was especially venerated by the Celtic Druids, who cut it with a golden sickle on the sixth night of the moon and believed it to be an aphrodisiac (magically only! Do NOT ingest it, it is highly poisonous!!!). Tables would be loaded with every kind of food and drink, especially the popular wassail (from the Anglo-Saxon 'waes hael' which means 'be whole or hale').

With all these old customs, and many more that weren't even mentioned here, it only remains to us pagans and wiccans to reclaim our lore and practices. By doing so we can share many of the common customs with our Christian friends, just with a slightly different interpretation. In this way we can share in the beauty and joy of this season, when the Mother Goddess gives birth to the Sun, her lover, and sets the wheel of the year in motion again.

I'll be thinking of you all as I sip my eggnog and eat my Yule cookies tonight. As the Sun returns, may you be safe, happy and well.

Nixie

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 8:43 AM | Comments (2)

A Nixie is a water fairy. I chose Nixie as my magickal nickname and nom de blog because I have always been drawn to the ocean, it has been suggested that I have descended from fairy folk, and the name seemed to fit my personality. (There is more to it than that and I'm writing a longer article about choosing a magickal name - to appear later.) Lately though, I've begun to question my choice.

The thing that got me thinking about this was a fountain at my friends' house in Minneapolis. It's a large pot with a plant in it and water that bubbles constantly through a pump. At first the sound was pleasant. After a few days of listening to it, though, it started to drive me to distraction and I had to ask them to turn it off. Is it possible that I don't have as strong an affinity with water as I thought? So I started to examine my feelings about the ocean. I love sitting by it, listening to it, sailing boats on it. I occasionally like swimming in it but I have an irrational fear of sharks and I get nervous when I can't see what scary things might be in the water beneath me. How can I be a nixie who's afraid to be in the water? Sounds like some sort of fractured fairy tale!

So, I thought, if I'm not a waterbaby, which element am I?

To begin the quest for an answer I turned to the source where I first learned about the elements - in the context of understanding the suits of tarot - Tarot for Beginners by Susan Levitt.

The exciting, masculine element fire represents the will, drive, destiny, creativity and spirit in action.

The element water is the nurturing, feminine element that represents emotions, intuition, spiritual belief, faith and love.

The masculine element air represents the mind, mental activity, intellect, thoughts and ideas.

The fourth element is stable earth, which represents the material world, money, health, tangible goods and the concrete reality of our Mother Earth upon whom we daily walk.

As a Taurus born in the year of the Sheep, earth seems like an obvious choice. I am a sensual aesthete and in the What witch are you? quiz I scored as an Earth Witch. But I hate camping so wouldn't that put me in the same category as a water fairy who doesn't like being in the water?

There's also plenty to suggest that I'm an airy fairy. I've always lived in my head; I like doing anything that lets me use thoughts and ideas. Lately I've been drawn to birds and images of them in many forms. They come to me during mediations. Just as I've always loved the sea, I love the wind.

When I look at Susan's description of the water element I begin to think that maybe Nixie wasn't entirely off base. I certainly possess those qualities. And there is the ocean thing. Fire - well I possess those qualities too. I'm spirited and creative. I am a Fire Sheep after all, with Dragon in my chart somewhere.

How's a girl to choose?

So I decided to consult some other resources. I found a good overview of elemental sprits at Fairies World:

Air Spirits: The air element, featured by intelligence, represented by Spring and Dawn is inhabited by Sylphs in the form of butterflies. They control winds, help birds in their migrations and flowers in their pollination. Their light yellow-toned translucent appearance is present in the scent of wet herb threatening to rain.

Water Spirits:
The water element featured by love and cures, represented by Autumn and Sunset, is inhabited by nymphs, mermaids, nereids, and undines. They appear as mythological creatures in all liquids, such as seas, rivers, fresh water brooks, falls, and clouds. Their aspect vary depending on their habitat. Nereids rule the seas; undines called Naiads by the Greek, are found in lakes. They are mostly blue and a receptive energy. Like mermaids, they attract any sailor with their songs until they wreck. They are the ones channeling natural river beds.

Earth Spirits:
The Earth element is the most dense. It is represented by Winter and the night. It is inhabited by Ladies, goblins, gnomes, and trolls. They are mostly green, and have a receptive energy. Fairies or ladies are characterized by their kindness and for being the oldest inhabitants of the planet. They may either be imposing or tiny; their powers, however, are incredible and dominate nature.

Fire Spirits:
The Fire element features both creation and destruction. It is represented by Summer, and daylight. It is inhabited by Salamanders, Farralis and Ra-Arus, appearing as reddish salamanders and dragons. They give the idea that with courage and imagination everything can be done. They send forth projective energy, and dominate the elements. No fire would be ignited without their intervention.

I'm not any closer to narrowing down what sort of elemental spirit I am than I was before. I'm an intelligent, kind, talented projector of energy who likes Autumn and Sunset. So what does that make me?

The mixture of fire and water is an alchemical balance of emotion put into action, or action stemming from strong emotion. The mixture of air and earth is the alchemical balance of making ideas reality and changing physical reality through ideas, values, thoughts and beliefs. Isn't that what being a witch is all about?

Maybe I'm a Nixie who prefers to sit on the earth of the shore, sparkler in hand, dipping my toe in the water, enjoying the breeze on my face.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 5:36 PM | Comments (1)