I’m always so excited as we move thru the Seasons towards December…it’s a time of the year that holds such wonderful memories of holidays gone by. When I was little, the lights were so amazing to me and I was fascinated by the reindeer and all the Magic surrounding the celebrations. Me and Brother Christopher always look forward to creating new memories this time of year...and Angelique is already excited and hoping to get more Cat Nip bags and toys in her Stocking. (Don’t tell her but I already spoke to SantaCat and was assured she will get her nip.)
As Witches, we adore the magic of celebrating the birth of Light on the longest night of the year…a celebration that has occurred, in one form or another, since at least the late Paleolithic age in the great stone circles and at other circles around the globe. The power of such celebrations can’t be underestimated…gathering around the fire in the circle to greet the rising Sun on the longest night of the year, knowing that from this time forward, the days will gain in length again…it must have seemed miraculous to the ancient people. As we carry on our own Winter Solstice celebrations today, I am always reminded of the old chant by Morning Feather and Will Shepardson goes, “we are the old people, we are the new people, we are the same people deeper than before.” And it’s true…we are connected to those that have gone before us in ways that we don’t fully understand, by flesh and spirit…and in very real ways, the same life that was in them is also in us…moving forward in never ending spirals as we journey forward with our fellow travelers and allies.
The renewal of Light is a common theme during this time of year in many religious, magical and/or spiritual traditions. We all have a subtle yet deep animal sense that the Light has been declining and perhaps going away since the Summer Solstice…and it’s getting colder…and as Witches we are delighted to engage in ritual acknowledgment of the profound change that is about to occur in the time of the greatest darkness. It reaffirms that Life is eternal and perpetually reborn in the Child of Light…that we, like all beings go thru the same cycles the Sun goes thru, each day, each year…each life. May the promise of the Spiral renew and strengthen us in the coming times.
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Witch Joseph’s Holiday Card Packs
Brother Christopher and me (and Angelique of course) love sending out greeting cards for the holidays…and we love the ones we receive every year too. (We usually hang them in our home around one of our doorways with garland)
We have a few of these Cat Collage Holiday card packs left and available on the website.…24 cards in each pack WOW…we think they are adorable.
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Creating a Pagan/Witch Winter Solstice Nativity
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Witch Joseph Winter Solstice/Christmas Spiders
No tree would be complete without a magical Spider Ornament…each one comes with a print out of the Legend of the Christmas Spider.
Legend of the Christmas Spider
“It was Christmas Eve, and the mother of the house had just finished sweeping and cleaning the house to make sure it was ready for Santa to visit them…the Tree was put up and decorated. All the Spiders in the house had fled to the attic to escape the broom, but after everyone was in bed they came downstairs and were amazed at the beautiful tree with its decorations…so they climbed into it’s branches and climbed, leaving webs behind them all over the tree. When Santa arrived, he was amazed at the beautiful tree and delighted with how happy the little spiders were but he knew how upset the mother would be if she saw her tree covered in spider webs, so he used his Christmas magic to change the webs to silver. When the family woke the next morning they were thrilled at the beauty and magic of Christmas. Always make sure the Christmas Spider is placed in your own tree as part of your tradition.”
These make lovely gifts for others or for yourself and your family. Incorporate the Christmas Spider Ornament into your family traditions to celebrate the magic of the holiday, regardless of which holiday(s) you and your loved ones are observing. Merry Holidays Everyone!
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Witch Joseph’s Yuletide Simmer Pot
ingredients: 3 sliced oranges, 1 sliced lemon, 3 cinnamon sticks, 3 small sprigs of Rosemary, handful of cranberries, cloves
Arrange the cloves in magickal shapes by sticking them into the lemon and orange slices…(holiday stars, heart shapes, runes ect)…place in large pot of water, and simmer…Say these or similar words:
”Living symbols of Fire and Sun, Send us joy and lots of Fun, By earth and air, fire and sea, as I will, So Mote it Be!”
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We enjoy facilitating creativity and fun…especially at the Winter Solstice…so we created these Snowflake Ornament kits especially for y’all…check them out on the website…and be sure to browse the Yule/Winter Solstice/Winter Holiday’s Collection…we have other fun holiday items as well.
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As we get into this holiday season, please remember you don’t have to do anything that sacrifices your well being…the very first gift of the holiday you give should be the commitment to be gentle with yourself, to prioritize your comfort and well being and to live for your truth and happiness instead of the approval of others. People who love you will want this for you. The system we live within often attempts to prevent us from thinking and living this way…reject this and be free. Don’t support corporations, instead, when you give gifts, make them yourself…or support small businesses…donate to charities on behalf of loved ones…bake cookies…there’s lots of options that don’t involve going into debt, filling our lives with stress or forcing ourselves to be around people who don’t really care about us. Let this holiday season be a new start…let us surround ourselves with true family that share love with us and support us and that we love and support. It’s one of the ways Peace overtakes the world. Share the Light and Be Happy! Xoxox
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Did you know…we sometimes create special order items for customers? Here is an example of a Cernunnos Talisman that I created for myself that was inspired by a special order.
I am very pleased with how it turned out…and I enjoy making new items for ritual, ceremony or for every day, that help people feel connected to their Deity(s) and/or to Source. If you want to commission a special order…send me an email with your ideas and I will get back with you and we will work together to create a piece you will love for years to come.
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(These also make great gifts for loved ones for the Solstice)
How to make Birdseed Ornaments
Ingredients:
2 cups mixed birdseed
2 packages powdered gelatine
½ cup water
Various shaped cookie cutters
Plastic straws to make the holes for hanging
Twine (since twine is biodegradable)
Instructions:
- Dissolve 2 packs of plain gelatin in ½ cup of boiling water…allow to cool a couple of minutes
- Incorporate the birdseed well.
- Place cookie cutters on parchment sheet and press birdseed mixture firmly into them with the back of a spoon.
- Insert a straw wherever you'd like the hole for the twine to be. Then pack birdseed mixture around the straw as well as you can.
- Let moulds set for a couple of hours while they harden. When they're ready, gently push them out of the cookie cutters and take the straws out. Make sure that the straws have punched a hole all the way through.
- Tie the twine through the hole and then allow ornaments to cure in the open air for at least 24 hours before packaging them up in breathable packaging. This can be done sooner if it is a last-minute gift and you're in a hurry. But the longer you can leave them to cure for, the better.
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Witch Joseph’s Winter Solstice Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
The dry ingredients:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
The Wet Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup (1 stick; 113g) butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
Instructions
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You will need two bowls…in one bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients…in the second bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Mix the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients until incorporated and place in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
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(Use the middle rack for baking) Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
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Tear off tablespoon-size clumps of dough, and roll them, between the palms of your hands, to form balls…spacing the balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle a small amount of sugar over the balls.
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Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the cookies puff, their edges crisp, and their tops develop attractive cracks -- 10-12 minutes. Cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks for further cooling. Enjoy with coffee or tea…or hot chocolate.
- We like to make whipped cream for dipping these in! YUM!
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Yule/Winter Solstice Ritual Suggestions
Items needed for this ceremony: candle for the cauldron
Sabbat Colors: Gold, White, Red and Green
Altar is decorated with evergreens, mistletoe, pine cones and winter themes.
(Circle is cast or Sacred space is established according to your traditions…this can be done as a stand alone ritual or can be the center part of your liturgical ceremony for this Sabbat.)
Ritual Declaration: “This is the night of Solstice, the longest night of the year. Now darkness triumphs, and yet, gives way and changes into Light. All waits while in the cauldron, the Dark King is transformed into the infant Light. We watch for the coming of dawn, when the Great Mother agains gives birth to the Child of Promise, who is the bringer of Hope and the promise of Summer.”
-Solstice candle is lit in the cauldron-
“We are awake in the Night.
We turn the Wheel to bring the Light.
We call the Sun from the womb of Night.”
-incense is lit-
“Queen of the Sun, Queen of the Moon, Queen of the Horns, Queen of the Fires! Bring to us the Child of Promise! It is the Great Mother who gives birth to Him. It is the Lord of Life who is born again. Darkness and tears are set aside, when the Sun comes up again. Golden Sun of hill and field, Light the Earth, Light the Skies, Light the Waters, Light the Fires!
-mediate on the cauldron candle-
“The dark God has passed the Gate. He has been reborn of the Great Mother and with Him, we are each reborn. Blessed Be!”
response: “Blessed Be!”
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We also offer these versatile Winter Solstice/Yule Sabbat kits (we have one for each of the Sabbats available on the website)
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We are also pleased to offer our special blend Winter Solstice resin incense (for use with charcoals…now available on the website)…we feel it really captures the Spirit of the Holy Day.
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Be Sure to Check out some of our Fun Holiday Items on the website in the Yule/Winter Solstice/Winter Holidays Collection…here are some examples:
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From all of us here at Witch Joseph, we wish you the happiest and most joyful of Winter Solstice celebrations…and no matter what holidays we celebrate, we know that it’s a celebration of Light and Love…and being together is what is important. We Love Y’all!
WJ and BC and A xoxo
PS…Angelique wanted me to remind you…about her Catnip Bags (available on the website) she loves them…and she looks forward to finding them every year in her stocking…check them out for your beloved felines xoxo
