12 Days of Yule; Day 1

Winter Solstice is just 12 days away!  To celebrate the season, why not find a way to bring a little "Yule" into your life every day for the next 12 days? 

At http://paganwiccan.about.com there is a list of 12 Days of Yule Devotionals and I think they are wonderful!  I will share them here, along with my own thoughts on how you can journal on the Daily Devotions.  I will also share some other Winter Holidays, traditions, and Lore to consider, which you can also choose to journal or blog about if you wish!

Day 1 - Dec. 10 - Monday

Prayer to The Earth at Yule:
Just because the earth is cold doesn't mean there's nothing going on down there in the soil. Think about what lies dormant in your own life right now, and consider what may bloom a few months from now.

"Cold and dark, this time of year,
the earth lies dormant, awaiting the return
of the sun, and with it, life.
Far beneath the frozen surface,
a heartbeat waits,
until the moment is right,
to spring."

By Patti Wigington, http://paganwiccan.about.com/

My Journaling/Blogging suggestion;

Say the above prayer a few times through the day.  Let yourself feel the chill of the earth.  Instead of hiding in the warmth of indoors and sweaters, take a moment outside to feel the chill in the air.  Consider how the trees go dormant.... they aren't dead... they are simply conserving their energy for spring when they can burst forth with new life.  Ask yourself if there is anything in your life that you need to let "go dormant" for awhile.  Is there anything that just isn't working out right now?  It's okay to put some things on the backburner for awhile.  Maybe the timing just isn't right and that's why it's not working out.  You may be more succesful if you try again later.  You may have other things you need to focus on at this time.  Winter is a good time to simplify and minimalize your life.  Journal about what things you can "let rest" for now, and how you can simplify your life and put your energy only into the things that carry the highest priority for you.... just as the Earth lets her plants and animals sleep and hibernate through the harsh winter months!

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December 10th is also a day of an Ancient Roman Festival - The Festival of Lux Mundi, or "Light of the World", a time to honor the Roman Goddess Libertas.  Today is a good day to consider your freedoms. Express gratitude for the freedoms you have, and call upon Libertas to help free you from any restraints. Ask her to help you shine a light into all dark areas of your life. Light some extra candles and holiday lights around your home and ask for Libertas to bring freedom and justice into the world and your life. If you have a cat or cats, be sure to offer them some special treats and pampering tonight, as they are associated as friends of the Roman Goddess Libertas! Here is some info on the Roman Goddess Libertas;

One of the most popular of the Roman deities, Her name is the Latin word for freedom. She is an ancient goddess who probably goes back to the beginning of...

the Republic. The daughter of Jupiter and Juno, She was depicted as a Roman matron arrayed in white, holding in one hand a broken sceptre, and in the other a pike surmounted by a pileus, or cap. Both were symbols of emancipation; i.e., Roman slaves were released from bondage by a ritual which they were touched with a wand and given a stocking cap as a symbol of their freedom. At her feet lay a cat, an animal that is an enemy of all restraint.

In Roman mythology, Libertas is the goddess of freedom. She is the embodiment of liberty. Originally a goddess of personal freedom, she later became the goddess of the Roman commonwealth. She was particularly revered by slaves who had achieved their freedom. In works of art, Libertas is represented as a matron with the pilous -- a felt cap regarded as the emblem of liberty.

Libertas is immortalized in a statue that stands at the entrance of New York harbor as a beacon to welcome all newcomers. For decades, She had been an official symbol of the French Republic, and was presented to the USA as a gift from the people of France in the 1880s. Every night, She shines Her light of hope across New York Harbor.
From “An Inner Journey; The Moon, Mythology, and You” blog found at http://reclaimingthedarkgoddess.blogspot.com/

My Journaling / Blogging suggestion;

Make a list of the freedoms you have that you are thankful for.  Also list the things that bring "light" into your life - things that make you happy and joyful!  Express your gratitude and then light some extra candles or put up some extra holiday lights to represent all the little freedoms and joys that bring light into your life!  The nights are long and dark, but we can find light if we just look for it!

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As always, thanks for stopping by, and Happy Journaling! If you choose to post your journal on your blog, please include a link to this post, and leave a comment below with the link to your journal. If you choose to keep your journal private, that is fine too, but your comments are appreciated!

Journaling with Pisces and The Moon

Pisces energy encourages our spiritual creativity, so now would be perfect time to try some creative writing or journaling. You may have already felt more drawn to indulge in your creative side; crafting, writing poetry, etc. Yet Pisces energy is best utilized if this creativity is focused inwards - for the purpose of self-discovery or personal spiritual enlightenment. We can utilize the imagery and meaning of The Moon card as a guide to the mysteries within ourselves, uncovering the secrets of our psyche and baring our soul to the healing light of the moon, so to speak. Here I will explore some prompts and possibilities for journaling and creative writing with The Moon.

Questions to ask yourself;

The dogs, towers, and dismal terrain symbolize your fears; what do they represent to you?

What have you forgotten?

What do you instinctively want to do?

What kind of cycle or pattern are you repeating?

Are your actions appropriate to this particular situation or are you responding to some past situation?

What is bewildering or confusing you?

What is real and what is illusory?

These questions are from the book, "Tarot For Yourself" by Mary K. Greer. There are a number of ways you can use these questions.

First, you can meditate on the image of this card, and then in your journal or on your blog, simply write down each question and your answers. Let the answers flow from you, don't censor your thoughts or feelings, simply see where each question takes you. Write down what you feel about each answer; is this something you have always felt, or something new? Is this something you would like to change? Let yourself explore each answer honestly.

Second, you could draw a tarot card for each question. Use these questions the way you would use any tarot spread, just focus on the question and see what an additional card will tell you in addition to your original answers. You could do this with all the questions, or just one. You could do a separate journal entry or blog for each question /card, or you could do them all together. If you don't have a tarot deck, then the first method I suggested would work just as well, or you could use an online automated tarot reading to choose the cards for you. There is an excellent Free Reading program HERE at aeclectic tarot.

Another option, if you so choose, would be to bypass the above questions and just free-write. If you have a tarot deck or want to use the automated reading, study the image of The Moon and it's meanings, then ask the Tarot, "What am I learning from this Pisces energy right now?" or, "What does my Inner Pisces want me to be aware of?" Then draw another card. Write down how this second card makes you feel, and what you think it means in relation to The Moon. You could even write down a story or conversation between the two cards, exploring what they have in common and what they could lean from each other. For example, if you drew the Page of Cup, write about how the figure on this card would react if he were placed in the landscape of The Moon card. Has he been here before? What is his mission or purpose in this place, what can he learn? How is the landscape and energy of The Moon effected by this visitor?

There are as many options and possibilities here as your mind will allow, just go with what feels right and don't hold yourself back. You can learn a lot about this card, and about yourself with some simple journal entries and creative writing! Enjoy, and Blessed Be!!

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As always, thanks for stopping by, and Happy Journaling! If you choose to post your journal on your blog or journal, please include a link to this post, and leave a comment below with the link to your journal. If you choose to keep your journal private, that is fine too, but your comments are appreciated!