Judith Ashley: Lithia

Monday, December 25, 2017

The Turn of The Wheel

Judith Ashley is the author of The Sacred Women's Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual traditions that nurture the soul.

For those of us who look upon the natural world around us as proof of The Divine, Winter Solstice is an affirmation that on some level all is right in the world. In ancient times, the people were connected to the land in a way that most of today’s population is not.

Can you even imagine being so in tuned with the world around you that you would notice the difference in the amount of light there was between the Darkest Day and the next?

There were no clocks, no calendars in the day of the hunter/gatherers or earlier.

And yet our ancestors learned how to mark the passage of time.

Winter Solstice marks the longest night and the shortest day of our year. For me, personally, it is my New Year’s Eve because it heralds the returning of the light.

If you follow the waxing and waning of the Moon, Winter Solstice starts the waxing of the Sun that represents light. From now until Summer Solstice, the Sun gains in strength. On the Summer Solstice that starts to wane as darkness becomes more a part of our lives.

One of the things that fascinates me is how our ancestors kept track.

Stonehenge and other stone and wood henges, The Great Pyramids of Egypt and pyramids and ancient temples are aligned with the stars, planets and the position of the sun and moon on particular times of the year like the Solstices and Equinoxes.

And when the Judeo-Christian religions took hold and grew, many of the traditions from earth-based traditions were incorporated. There are several books on the subject if you are interested in learning more.

For those people who celebrate life, Winter Solstice gives them a focus.

For those people who have SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) it is a sign the days will lengthen and we’ll be out of winter soon.

For those people who prefer heat to cold, it reminds them that Spring/Ostara, the vernal equinox, when day and night are equal in length, and flowers are not far away.

In my Sacred Women’s Circle series, my heroines celebrate the 8 Sabbats, holy days that mark the turning of The Wheel of Life (Samhain, Winter Solstice/Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Summer Solstice/Lithia, Lammas, and Mabon). And, they each marry on a Sabbat.

Regardless of your spiritual path, I wish you all the light you need to show you the way to love.

To learn more about Sacred Women Circles, read my books. Start with Lily: The Dragon and The Great Horned Owl. In Lily, you can learn how to create your own Circle and your own Ceremonies.

Your free copy of Lily: The Dragon and The Great Horned Owl is waiting for you.

Go to JudithAshleyRomance.com and sign up for my occasional newsletter “Connections.”

Follow the prompts to download your own digital copy of the first book in The Sacred Women’s Circle series. While there, check out The Women to learn more about The Sacred Women’s Circle series.

Learn more about The Sacred Women’s Circle series on my website.

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Friday, December 23, 2016

The Turn of The Wheel and Sabbats

Judith Ashley is the author of The Sacred Women's Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual traditions that nurture the soul.

In ancient times when people’s lives depended on their ability to understand the world around them, they learned to tell time by the moon and the sun. Most people know the moon waxes and wanes whether they understand how our ancestors used that knowledge or not. Again, most people have heard of the beginning of winter, spring, summer and fall.

What might not be known is that besides these four predominant markings of the turn of the wheel, there are an additional four holy days that mark the in between times.

The Wheel of Life celebrates all eight holy days or Sabbats. Since my Romancing The Genres post talks about Winter Solstice, I’ll start there.

Winter Solstice or Yule marks the longest night and shortest day of the year.

Imbolc marks the half-way point between Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox or Ostara.

Spring Equinox or Ostara marks the first time day and night are equal.

Beltane marks the half-way point between the Spring Equinox or Ostara and Summer Solstice or Lithia.

Summer Solstice or Lithia is the opposite of Winter Solstice. Now we experience the longest day and the shortest night.

Lammas is another half-way point. This time between Summer Solstice or Lithia and the Fall Equinox or Mabon.

Fall Equinox or Mabon is the second time during the year when day and night are equal.

Samhain or All Hallows’ Eve is the opposite of Beltane and marks the half-way point between the Fall Equinox or Mabon and Winter Solstice. In some traditions, Samhain begins The Turn of The Wheel of Life.

Want to know more? Here are some resources for you.

You can find each of the following books at Llewellyn Publishing.

Sabbats – Llewellyn publishes a guide to the Sabbats each year.

The Magickal Year by Diana Ferguson

Circle Round by Starhawk, Diane Baker, Anne Hill

When God Was a Woman by Merlin Stone

Another resource for print books is Book Depository. They ship anywhere in the world for free.

If you’re curious but aren’t sure you want to delve into the Sabbats from a non-fiction perspective, you can read my Sacred Women’sCircle series. Throughout the series you will celebrate the Sabbats with Lily, Elizabeth, Diana, Ashley, Hunter, Gabriella and Sophia.