‘Twas The Night Before Yuletide…
Posted by Morrighan on December 20, 2011 at 12:00 pm | Last modified: December 16, 2011 8:47 am‘Twas the Night Before Yuletide
(This version author unknown, original Clement C. Moore)
‘Twas the night before Yule, and all ‘cross the heath,
not a spirit was stirring – no human or beast.
Warm cider was left by the altar adorned,
to celebrate the Oak King would soon return.
The children lay sleeping all snug in their beds,
while faeries and elves danced through their heads.
Mother and Father beneath blankets piled deep,
had just settled for their own Solstice sleep.
A noise in the night that would give them no peace,
Awakened them both, was it the honking of geese?
Eager to see such a boisterous flock,
They raced to the window, mouths opened in shock!
The west wind blew in a wedge of swans white and gray,
Mother Holle behind them in her gift-laden dray.
A figure on a broomstick in the north sky so clear,
La Befana was bringing her own Yuletide cheer.
From the south came a comet brighter than the moon,
And they knew that Lucia would be with them soon.
These spirits sailed earthward over hilltops and trees,
Mother Holle serenading her feathery steeds:
“Fly Cerridwen! Fly Tegin! Fly Boann and Dagda!
Fly Nantosuelta! Fly Sucellos! Fly Borvo and Damona!
May the sacred spirit inside you soar,
From the stars in the sky, to yon cottage door.”
As soft and as silent as snowflakes they fell,
Their arrival announced by their faintly chiming bells.
They landed so softly, their bodies aglow.
Their feet leaving no marks atop the fresh soft snow.
Before they could ponder what next was in store,
There came a soft creak from the threshold door.
They crept from their bedroom and were spellbound to see
There in the parlor stood the Yule Trinity!
Lucia, the Maiden, her head wreathed in flame,
Shone with the brilliance for which she was named.
Her twinkling eyes held the joy of a child,
As she spoke with a voice that was gentle, yet wild:
“May the warmth of this hearth never fade away.”
She lit their Yule log, it still burns to this day.
Mother Holle in feathered cloak stood regal and tall;
The Matron of Solstice, the Mother of all.
Under her gaze they felt safe and secure.
Her voice commanding, but almost demure:
“May the love of this family enrich young and old.”
From beneath her cloak showered coins of pure gold.
La Befana wore a kerchief atop her silvered hair;
Like the veil of a Crone who has secrets to share.
In her eyes gleamed the wisdom only gained by spent youth.
Her voice was a whisper but her words rung with truth:
“May health, glad tidings, and peace fill these rooms.”
Then she banished misfortune with a sweep of her broom.
They then left a gift by each child’s sleeping head,
Took a drink of the wassail, and away they sped.
While they watched them fly off through the night sky they laughed,
At the wondrous magick they had found in the Craft.
As they departed, the spirits decreed…
Merry Yule To You All & May All Blessed Be!
From our hearth to yours, happy Yule and a blessed 2012!
- Morrighan, Artemis & Draco
Yuletide Yule Gift
Posted by Morrighan on December 12, 2011 at 9:00 am | Last modified: December 12, 2011 4:42 am
If you have purchased a copy of Yule from any venue, send me the receipt and I will send a free copy of Litha to you as a thank you/Yule gift!
If you haven’t yet bought a copy of Yule – there is still time… stop by one of these sites and order your copy:
Kindle | Smashwords | Diesel eBook Store | B&N | Kobo | Etsy
To send a copy of the receipt, please use the contact form – either copy and paste it into the body, or attach it.
Offer valid until 12/21/11 at midnight.
Tags: Creating New Pagan Family Traditions, ebooks, gift, reader appreciation, thank you, Yule | Categories: Celtic & Pagan Info, etsy, Main, Pagan Parenting, Sprites Pagan Kids | Comments Off | PermalinkYule-Creating New Pagan Family Traditions
Posted by Morrighan on November 1, 2011 at 5:00 am | Last modified: November 1, 2011 4:29 am
The girls and I have been working on the former chapbook project off and on for some time now. In the last week, we’ve polished up the Yule selection, and it’s now available through Kindle and in multi-format ebook through Smashwords.
ierne (Morrighan Corvidae) of Glas Celli presents a short handbook to introduce traditional pagan information, ritual, meal plan and activities for new pagan families.
Yule, also known as Saturnalia, Alban Huan, Sol, and Midwinter, is celebrated at the winter solstice, on or around December 21st.
It is the time of darkness, and yet a returning of the light. The night of the solstice is the longest period of darkness each year; with the breaking of dawn, the light returns a little more each day, until the summer solstice in June. It is now that the Oak King returns to defeat the Holly King, symbolically replacing the aging deity with a younger, stronger self. The son replacing the father to become the son once more, the circle of life – the wheel of the year – facilitated by the Great Mother. She has given us her greatest gift, and in exchange, we honor both herself, and her son.
I honestly can’t say when the next one will be available, but when I get a few moments of spare time, I’ll probably try and re-format the Litha chapbook for official publication as well. Should all go well, I hope to have the next one done and ready for Beltaine (which would be the Beltaine collection…)
This is also a bit of an experiment for my formatting skills… I’ve never included images in the ebooks for Belfire or myself, and Yule has an abundance of them. I’m hoping to get some constructive feedback through reviews etc.
I have to admit to having some fun tracking down open source, easy to customize coloring pages!
Tags: Artemis Corvidae, celebration, coloring, Draco Corvidae, ebook, family, family activities, ierne, Jodi Lee, Morrighan Corvidae, non-fiction, pagan, puzzles, ritual, sabbat, word games, Yule | Categories: Book of Shadows, Celtic & Pagan Info, Main, Pagan Parenting, Sprites Pagan Kids | Comments Off | Permalink