P.S. To sign up for our E-Newsletter click here.
Looking for gifts?
See my designs at Redbubble. For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:
Goddess Reveals Your Enchanted Light: Peace, Prosperity, Possibility Along Your Wiccan Path
Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal
Goddess Walks Beside You: How You Can Listen, Learn and Enjoy the Wiccan Path
Blessed Be,
Moonwater
P.S. To sign up for our E-Newsletter click here.
Looking for gifts?
See my designs at Redbubble. For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:
Goddess Reveals Your Enchanted Light: Peace, Prosperity, Possibility Along Your Wiccan Path
Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal
Goddess Walks Beside You: How You Can Listen, Learn and Enjoy the Wiccan Path
Blessed Be,
Moonwater
P.S. To sign up for our E-Newsletter click here.
Looking for gifts?
See my designs at Redbubble. For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:
Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal
Goddess Walks Beside You: How You Can Listen, Learn and Enjoy the Wiccan Path
“You call them Yule trees. I grew up hearing them called Christmas trees,” my friend Kevin said.
“That may be so. Still, Yule is the Winter Solstice. Yule has been celebrated for thousands of years,” I replied.
Yule trees signify everlasting life. Our ancestors believed that evergreen trees were special. Why?
In the winter time, all the vegetation of the land died, except for evergreen trees. These trees defied death. These trees held some special power against Winter.
Realize that Winter was a scary and tough time for our ancestors. Vegetation perished and people died due to cold, illness and lack of food.
Our ancestors held the evergreen tree—the Yule Tree—as a sign of life in the middle of Winter … and as a symbol of eternal life.
Our ancestors brought evergreen trees into the home to bring this energy to the people who dwelled there.
When made into wreaths. the combination of the circle (the circle of life) and the evergreens made the symbol of everlasting life all that more potent.
I invite my fellow Pagans to smile when they see Yule Trees.
We know the special meaning and we can celebrate that!
Blessings,
Moonwater SilverClaw
P.S. To sign up for our E-Newsletter click here.
Looking for gifts this Yule season?
For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:
Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal
Goddess Walks Beside You: How You Can Listen, Learn and Enjoy the Wiccan Path
“I’m feeling low,” Matilda said.
“I hear you,” I replied. “Something in particular?”
“We’re squeezed from all sides. All the Christmas music, the shopping, the happy couples, the family time. Hey, it was Yule!—before the Christians hijacked our season,” Matilda continued.
Ever feel, as a pagan, that you’re on a small island in the middle of “Christmas-focused people”?
The holidays often create depression and anxiety in Pagans. Seeing all the decorations and good cheer may be nice. Still, we Pagans know that one of our sacred Sabbats was perverted into a consumer holiday.
One holiday season, I was sitting in a knitting group at a yarn shop, when an older woman exclaimed, “What’s all this ‘happy holidays’ crap? It’s Christmas, damn it! It’s always going to be Christmas.”
I felt my hackles rise because I knew full well that in the group were a Jew, me and an Asian with parents from China. Through our diversity, we were already demonstrating that “happy holidays” was a respectful greeting at this time of year.
Why? Because in the USA, we have people of various cultures and traditions.
Long time readers of this blog know that I deal with depression symptoms. It’s true that outside things like all of this tinsel and tyranny of some people pushing their religion on others can exacerbate my depression symptoms.
Getting Past Feeling Depressed
I have learned to focus on the beauty around me and what it means to me. By this I mean, I focus on this present moment. If I see a Yule tree and I enjoy its beauty, then my depression symptoms “quiet down.” Who cares what others call the tree.
Pagans Feeling Anxiety during the Holidays
I have a number of Pagan friends who have to hide their faith from their Christian family and friends. Talk about anxiety! What if the pagan lets something slip like: “Oh, yeah. I had so much fun a Pantheacon”?
Here are some of things I do to lower my anxiety levels.
I have a particular family member who works with some people who are not open to hearing about the pagan path. So I make sure to guard my own energy before an event with that particular group. I prepare to listen and talk about things that this group is comfortable talking about.
Most importantly, I make sure to devote time with like-minded pagans so I feel safe and nurtured—and renewed in energy.
About dealing with the consumerism of the season:
I didn’t participate in Black Friday. I did not run around and attempt to get big bargains. That activity has nothing to do with the true meaning of the holiday Yule, which is about honoring the birth of the God, and the return of the sun.
Pagans and Wiccans know what Yule really means.
I practice being gentle with myself about gift-giving. Sure, you can give close ones gifts. Just go easy about it.
The way to deal with depression and anxiety is to nurture yourself.
Focus on being in the present moment. Find the beauty you cherish and create your own meaning.
Blessings,
Moonwater SilverClaw
P.S. To sign up for our E-Newsletter click here.
Looking for gifts this Yule season?
For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:
Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal
Goddess Walks Beside You: How You Can Listen, Learn and Enjoy the Wiccan Path
Has Starbucks started a War on Christianity? Really?! They did it with a simple design of a cup—a red and green cup? By the way, weren’t red and green considered The Christmas Colors?
Wiccans wonder about this. I mean isn’t all of the Christmas decorations, nativity scenes and Christian songs during November and December enough?
And what is the big deal about saying “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”?
I’m not a Christian, but I’ve heard that Jesus, the Christ, was into love, sharing and tolerance.
I was talking with a friend about the loud bellyaching that seems to be an annual stance of some, a certain few, Christians. Some Christians are touting that Starbucks having plain cups of red and green is “against Christmas.” How is not having snowmen and snowflakes against Christianity?
I realize that Christianity, like many religions, began with others persecuting some members.
We Pagans know about that—we remember the horror of The Burning Times! Persecution continues. I have friends who hide their Pagan beliefs because they know that their families (yes, some Christians) would disown them. My Pagan friends also know that in some parts of the USA, they would lose their jobs if their Paganism was “found out.”
Again, I emphasize just certain Christians are making a big deal out of Starbucks’ plain cups.
It’s reported that Jesus talked about love and sharing. Giving to the poor. In fact in The Bible (Matthew 5:44), Jesus says, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
Wait a minute! Failing to place Merry Christmas on a cup is NOT persecution. Come on, people!
So why are certain Christians shouting “war on Christmas”?
I cannot be certain. I had a conversation with some learned people. These ideas are what arose: “A number of people feel fear. Such fear may lead to greed. And such fear may lead to the need for an opponent.”
We Pagans are not an opponent.
It is not persecution when people say “Happy Holidays” to honor that there are people in the USA who are NOT Christian: Jews, Buddhists, Pagans, Taoists, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Baha’is, atheists, certain scientists, philosophers, and more.
Again, Jesus the Christ, I am told, loved people, even tax collectors and prostitutes.
In the meantime, we Pagans, can lead by example.
We’ll have warm hearts acknowledging that there are many spiritual paths.
We Pagans do not need to shout about people following their own journeys.
I remember this quote:
“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” – Mahatma Gandhi
I have Christian friends. They don’t shout about Starbucks cups.
I guess that’s part of why they’re my friends.
Blessings,
Moonwater SilverClaw
P.S. To sign up for our E-Newsletter click here.
Looking for gifts this Yule season?
For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:
Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal
“I don’t get it. Why are there so many faces or versions of the God and Goddess?” my friend, Cara, asked.
“Let me put it into this context. Today is the first of three harvest festivals called Lammas. We collect our bounty at this time, reaping what we had sown in the beginning of the year. This is a wonderful time of family and friends. It’s also when we see the Gods grow older and start to wane,” I replied.
“Grow older. What’s that about? They’re Gods. They don’t need to grow old,” Cara protested.
“True. Still, the Gods are relating to us. They’re expressing the Cycles of Life. And Cycles are part of the human experience of birth, maturity and death,” I said.
The Many Faces of the Gods
Why do the Gods change and look different at different times of the year and look different to everyone in general?
All over the world, people describe “God” or the God and Goddess in many varied ways. People point to various physical traits and characteristics (See these varied descriptions of Deities).
The Gods can look like anything they want to. The Deity that I relate to has the body of a man and the horns of a stag, for example.
At this time, I relate to the Goddess in the form of the Earth Mother. I appreciate how She nurtures us and shares her bounty with us.
Each individual can connect with Goddess in any form. Who’s to say that the Goddess isn’t black, red, yellow or even blue? She could be a Heron or any other animal or the combination or several creatures.
We notice how Deities differ in appearance from culture to culture. We also have young Gods and Old Gods. These Gods help those people understand the life cycles they are in at that particular moment in time.
Young women often relate to the Maiden aspect of the Goddess. Many women in their later years find that they have more in common with the Crone.
The God and Goddess in their many forms are manifestations of the ALL. The God and Goddess are the Universe – The ALL is a singular entity.
The ALL, (the term I will use from now on to represent both masculine and feminine together) wants to connect with Its children—that includes us.
You probably noticed that you simply relate more to certain images, ideas and thoughts. Maybe the Maiden form of the Goddess speaks to you. Perhaps, the Horned God means a lot to you because you feel this glorious connection to nature. The All is every form of the God and Goddess at the same time.
The ALL is the sky and the Earth beneath our feet. It is the forests, the streams, the wind and the howl of the wolf. It is Maiden, Mother and Crone.
So we are never alone, because we are part of the ALL.
I believe the ALL split Itself and had children because It wants to know and learn about Itself through the lives of Its children, us. Yes, we have an afterlife and reincarnation. Those are also steps in the ALL learning about Itself.
So I invite you to enjoy learning about the pantheon of Gods and Goddesses.
Discover which form you most relate to now.
Since Life is made of Cycles and new chapters, you will have many opportunities to connect with new forms of the God and the Goddess throughout your journey.
Blessings,
Moonwater SilverClaw
P.S. To sign up for our E-Newsletter click here.
For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:
Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal
And
The Hidden Children of the Goddess Book
And
Tears streaming down my face, I had no idea if anything would ever be okay again. I had just heard that my dear friend and neighbor had been shot dead at his workplace.
This devastated me. It seemed that the world had fallen apart around me. This was one of many hurdles that I faced this year.
But the year was about more than grief. It was about new growth. I planted seeds of hope. About a year ago, I started a new book, Goddess Has Your Back. How ironic: I lived through a number of situations in which I needed for Goddess to have my back.
All year I diligently worked on feeding those seeds, watering and tending to them (writing and editing) everyday. Now is Samhain, and I’m grateful to be entering into my own harvest season. And the fruit of my labor this whole year (with my team of editors) is my new book which is available Now entitled: Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-esteem and Make Your Life Magickal.
In my new book I address building yourself up and creating a new, empowered viewpoint about yourself and others. Further I provide empowering rituals for all the seasons and Esbats of the year.
In the next few days, I’ll know more about the actual date of release.
I’m feeling grateful that my work will be available for others, and wish that it helps you grow and have your bountiful harvest in your own life.
Taking Care of Yourself through the Seasons
Throughout my year of ups and downs, there has been one constant. With my coven, I have done a number of rituals and meditations. I suggest that you actually make a plan to do a ritual at least once a month.
Now it’s your turn. What are you tending in “your garden” and what is going to be part of your own harvest?
Be good to yourself.
Blessings,
Moonwater SilverClaw
For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:
The Hidden Children of the Goddess Book
And
Get what you want.
“Your aunt died this morning,” my father said, his face twisted in pain. “She wouldn’t eat. She didn’t want to live, anymore.”
Why had she stopped wanting to live?
Maybe this post finds you at a really tough time. Life can really hurt. We can get stuck thinking about what we don’t have.
Many Wiccans are drawn to magick because they want something to make their lives better. Perhaps, you’re longing for something to change in your life. Wanting things is not a bad thing. The Gods want us to be happy, and working on ourselves to bring something new into our lives can help us feel fulfilled. Maybe you want to make space in your home for something new like a corner of a room dedicated to your knitting materials or something else.
The real question becomes: How can we feel good now?—even if our thoughts are stuck on what we don’t have.
Pause for a moment.
What are the things you already have in your life that you are grateful for?
What do you have that you like? An iPod? A watch?
I’m grateful for this chair I’m sitting in. It’s more comfortable than the previous one.
My friend, “Sarah” lives at a level below the poverty line. But I notice that she pays attention to what the Gods have already given her. She’s happier than another friend, “Grant” who you’d think, with his high income, would be happy.
I invite you to center your thinking (for a time) on “what I have” instead of just “what I don’t have.”
In the moment, you’ll likely feel better. This is a good thing. Then, when you turn to the Gods asking for something that you desire, you’re in a better space to do effective magick.
Be grateful for what you have to get around, whether its a new car, old car or your feet!
Being grateful for the things we already have will help us realize how fortunate we are. In such a good state of being, it is easier to connect with wanting to live.
A few days ago, we celebrated Mabon, which is a harvest festival during which we’re thankful for what the Gods and Goddesses have given us.
Let’s continue our grateful feelings each day.
Blessings,
Moonwater SilverClaw
For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:
The Hidden Children of the Goddess Book
And
GoddessHasYourBack.com 