For my dedication, I used the Gaia Oracle Cards by Tony Carmine Salerno

Cover Reveal Day

Available March 2, 2022

The Beloved Dead and Helpful Ancestors enter our thoughts in October and early November when the veil between realms thins. This is particularly true for those whose loved ones passed during COVID lockdowns and travel restrictions when we were prevented from visiting terminally ill relatives, or gathering with our support groups following a loved one’s death. No wonder now, more than ever, people desire remembrance rituals, ancestor altars, and guidance in how to honor loved ones they have lost.

The Need For Ritual

Rituals help us accept and honor life passages, including the soul’s journey into the afterlife. When we gather, witness, and offer or receive support, we alleviate the heavy vibration of grief and loss. I witnessed this transformation during a recent ritual I facilitated in the high desert near Joshua Tree.

Photo Credit: Rob Coates

Each member of the group had experienced a heartbreaking loss during the pandemic. Compounding their grief was their inability to gather together for support. I asked each woman to bring a photo and mementos representing their loss. As wind gusted outside their small Airbnb, we sat on woven blankets around an altar that included live lavender and marigolds to subliminally raised the dense vibrations.

Photo Credit: Anne Nygard

In turn, each woman spoke about the items they had brought. Their lovingly chosen photos and mementos created vivid, sometimes poignant, other times funny or inspiring portraits of parents or a dear pet that had passed. Each woman lit a candle to honor her loved one and illuminate that soul’s journey. Others shared representations of unwelcome life passages that had rendered them grieving and adrift, fearful of the uncertain path ahead. They lit candles to brighten their way forward. After over a year and a half, the women finally had the chance to mourn together and support each other.  

Chant: The Blood of the Ancients

by Charlie Murphy. 

Sung by Hebamme Kiria Vandekamp

It’s the blood of the Ancients

That runs through our veins

And the forms pass

But the circle of life remains.

Beloved Dead and Ancestor Altars

Any shelf, wall niche, or tabletop can be transformed into an altar. Ancestor altars serve as touch points, sacred spaces where you can gain guidance from those who passed. Avoid placing the altar in your bedroom. And remember, the altar is meant to honor and build a relationship with those who have transitioned, not summon them.

The Beloved Dead may be friends, mentors, or pets that have passed. Ancestors may pose a greater unknown, so be sure to only address and honor helpfulancestors who intend your highest good.

The Basics to Include:

·     An altar cloth. Spirits like white, but let your instinct and lineage guide you. Your Beloved Dead and ancestors may prefer a clan tartan, or an African Kente cloth.

·     Photos

·     Mementos 

·     Candle(s)

·     Representations of the 4 Directions/Elements 

Air: A feather, bell, rattle, or incense 

Fire: Candle(s)

Water: A goblet or bowl containing fresh water; or a sea shell

Earth: crystal or other stone, a potted plant, or a small bowl of salt

Photo credit: Nick Fewings

Día de Muertos altarsoften include crepe paper marigolds, paper mâché sugar skulls and skeletons, and seven tiers to represent the seven levels the soul passes through to reach its final destination.

Through rituals and altars, connect with your dearly departed. Respect and release those in transition. Illuminate their path, knowing they will be available soon for advice and protection.

You are invited!

The House of the Goddess priestesses will be conducting my 

Arrows of Intention ritual on Zoom, 

Saturday, May 8, 2021, at 6:00 pm Pacific Standard Time. 

For the link, please email HouseoftheGoddess@yahoo.com

The ritual will include the creation of personal Intention Arrows. Please prepare with the following items at hand:

• A gift from the goddess (a stone, crystal, or shell)

·      1 dry, sturdy stick or slender branch, about 12 to 18 inches long (or whatever length feels right to you), with a natural or cut point at one end. (See examples of tree correspondences below.)

·      Enough yarn, ribbon, or twine to wrap ¼ to ½ of the stick

·      Scissors

·      Optional: a sharpie, feathers 

Intention Arrows

Tree — Correspondences

When crafting intention arrows, boost your magick by choosing a small branch (preferably deadfall/self-pruned) from a tree whose magical properties align with your intention. Various traditions may differ on tree correspondences. Below are a few examples drawn from Druidism, Shamanism, and Wicca.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Acacia: Wards off evil; protection; psychic abilities. Planet: Sun. Element: Air

Birch: A goddess tree.Tree of new beginnings; ladder to the Sky World; birch cribs bring Goddess protection for babies; endurance, getting in touch with and honor the eternal feminine principle in the universe and within yourself. Act cleanly; avoid distractions. Planet: Venus. Element: Water.

 Bottle Brush (horsetail): Abundance, fertility, love, energy, joy. The name invokes banishing, cleansing, and renewed energies, and in Australia is used to celebrate births. The red color represents life-blood, fire, death and rebirth, doorways and entrance to the underworld. Bottlebrush essences aid in moving through major life changes, brushing out the past and allowing us to move on. (Day, “Bottlebrush,”)

Elder: Exorcism, protection, and healing. Can force the release of evil enchantments or spells; used in wand making. Reminds us to honor the mother principle of the universe, and to work for the betterment of all beings. Element: Water.

Mesquite: Healing. Fuels magical fires. Planet: Moon. Elements: Water.

Oak: Protection, health, money, healing, fertility, luck. Stay centered and grounded in mind, body, and spirit. Seek balance in your life. Planet: Sun. Element: Fire.

Olive: Healing, peace, fertility, potency, protection. Planet: Sun. Element: Fire.

Rowan: Reminds us tostrengthen our personal protection and our spiritual shields. Provides powerful magical protection, and strengthens one’s inner peace and patience. Also, increases psychic powers, healing, power, and success. Several First Nation tribes in America used rowan as a medicine. Planet: Sun. Element: Fire

Walnut: Health, mental powers, wishes.Planet: Sun. Element: Fire. Black Walnut: Powers of mind and breath, astral travel, motivation, weather magick.

Willow: Willow harps were associated with poetic secrets, the province of the Druids, and willows were considered sacred to poems. Several First Nation tribes in America used willow as medicine. Love, love divination, protection, and healing. Planet: Moon. Element: Water.

Sources:

Cunningham, Scott. Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herb. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2003.

Day, “Bottlebrush,” Amino blog, May 31, 2017, https://aminoapps.com/c/pagans-witches/page/blog/bottlebrush/1Jzl_oRvf6u0lqkw1r7wBjwvwPzkg4vQ1MK 

Hopman, Ellen Evert. A Druid’s Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine. Rochester, Vermont: Destiny Books, 2008. 

Spiritual allies, including goddesses and gods, can provide strong protection, inspiration, and solace during adverse times. For February, let’s take a closer look at the Goddess Brigid (Brigit, Brighid, Bride, Brigantia).

As we enter our second year since COVID-19 was first reported, many are experiencing emotional, creative, and economic crises. So why turn to Brigid? I always feel Brigid’s power most strongly the first week in February when pagans celebrate Imbolc, the Celtic festival honoring Brigid. She is known as the goddess of fire, healing, poetry, and smith craft. But let us delve into the deeper meanings beneath these labels, and how they might aid us during the pandemic.

Fire: Reignite the Creative Spark

Many authors and artists found their creativity stymied during 2020’s political upheaval, social isolation, and climate of fear and uncertainty. Brigid inspires internal magic — the creative spark and inner healing. (Thoughts manifest in Air, but Fire gives them the creative spark.) Light a red candle in Brigid’s honor to renew your creativity. Safely burn it for 1 or 3 days until completely burned down. Always snuff out the candle; never blow it out, lest the magic dissipates. Never leave a lit candle unattended.

Brigid’s festival marks the halfway point of winter. The fire and light festival gave snowbound villagers, whose food may have been dwindling, hope for better times ahead. 

Photo by Philippe Ourselon Unsplash

Water: Healing and Protection

Hope has been a runaway horse during the COVID-19 pandemic, sometimes galloping across verdant fields, powered by good news. Other times, Hope stumbled or disappeared into valleys shadowed by alarming statistics. No wonder mental and physical illnesses surged, as did anxiety and stress. Unseen danger—the virus—seemed to lurk on the surfaces we touched and in the air we breathed. Brigid is not a substitute for wearing a mask, washing your hands, and social distancing. But as Brigantia, the personification of her namesake, Britain, we can call upon Her for added protection and to regain our personal sovereignty.

St. Brigit's Well, Kildare, Ireland Photo by Ariella Moon

Water is the element of emotions. Water calms. Pre-  pandemic, I made pilgrimages to wells and springs honoring Brigid’s healing powers. Dedicate a water feature in or around your home to Brigid. Or devote a bowl of spring water to Her and place it on your altar or outside. Remember to refresh the water often.

You are Invited!

A Celebration of Brigid

Saturday, January 30, 2021

6:00 PST

To receive a link to the online Imbolc ritual presented by the House of the Goddess, please contact them at houseofthegoddess@gmail.com.

For Further Insights Into Brigid

See also: Imbolc: A Mid-Winter Festival of Light and Hope

Now is the time to enter the deep mysteries of your soul. What crystalized energies, old self-told stories, and disempowering words are lodged within you, blocking your inner light? What would be the consequences if you released them? 

A doctor, who had exhausted all traditional options, could not figure out why her patient was not responding to treatment. She referred the patient to me. The first question I asked was:

"What would be the worst thing that could happen to you if you became well?

"I would have to go back to a job I hate," the client responded.

No wonder the doctor could not heal her.

Sometimes we are so stuck in our old stories, we cannot fathom how to create new stories, new paths for ourself.

On this longest night, beneath the bright, rare, distant light of the Saturn/Jupiter conjunction, I invite you to delve deep into your soul and examine the stories you have told yourself. Consider writing a new tale, one filled with affirmations that will set you on a happier path. Choose small, achievable steps you can take to shift your thinking and actions.

The Universe will support your new story. Your spirit guides, totem animals, helpful ancestors, and unseen guardians will aid you on your new journey.

Have faith.

Blessed be.

~Ariella Moon

Yule marks the final seasonal ritual for many of us in the northern hemisphere. As we approach the Winter Solstice, sunlight disappears behind the mountains earlier, and dusk rapidly yields to night's cloak. 

Few of us will be sorry to bring 2020 to a close. It seems as though the dark days of the soul began not as the days grew shorter, but back in early March when the rogue COVID wave knocked us off our feet.

To help bring closure to this challenging year, I will be facilitating with the priestesses of the House of the Goddess and the Goddess Temple of Palm Springs during the online Yule celebration Saturday, December 19, 2020. The ritual begins at 6:00 pm PST. To join the ritual, email houseofthegoddess@gmail.com.

Blessed be.

~Ariella