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.

Check out my Windtree Press author page.

Follow me on Twitter: @JudithAshley19

I’m also on Facebook

© 2017 Judith Ashley

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.

You can learn more about The Sacred Women’s Circle series on my

website.

Check out my Windtree Press author page.

Follow me on Twitter: @JudithAshley19

I’m also on Facebook

© 2016 Judith Ashley

More Creating Sacred Space

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

I’m writing this post two weeks before you’ll read it. It will be published on October 31, 2016.

Ross quartz crystal with owl and a variety of stones 

Some of you will be celebrating Halloween.

Some of you will be celebrating All Hallows Eve.

And still others of you will be celebrating Samhain (SawWen).

I will be spending time alone in the dark as the Wheel of the Year turns. Why “in the dark”? Because I will not have my porch light on or welcome trick or treaters. I stopped doing that several years ago when I was paying for my granddaughter’s dental work. Why am I giving out candy? What can I do different?

What I came up with was handing out money. For me, that meant pennies. (I live in a destination neighborhood where parents bring their children). The little ones (pre-school or maybe first/second grade were delighted. The older ones (middle school and high school, not so much). That’s when I decided to go dark.

In my Sacred Women’s Circle Series, I write about the eight Sabbats (or sacred days) in the pagan Wheel of the Year. For many believers of earth based spirituality, Samhain is the beginning of the new year. I’m one who celebrates Winter Solstice or Yule as the beginning of the Turn of the Wheel.

But I digress to some extent.

Sacred space can be anywhere you want it to be especially if that space draws you to it. What that means is the energy of that space is a good match for you. Should you desire, you can expand on that initial feeling and add items that inspire you.

If you don’t have an outside view as I do, consider hanging pictures of places that draw you in. Places you’ve been or always wanted to travel to. I did that when I worked in a job where my space was a cubicle. By surrounding myself with pictures and stones that had meaning to me, I created a sacred space that did not offend anyone around me.

Consider what you might add to your work space, your writing space, your living space if you wanted to amplify loving, positive, creative energy. There is no right or wrong answer as Elizabeth explains to young women she meets while in Ireland. It really is all about what looks and feels right (physically and emotionally) to you.

You can learn more about The Sacred Women’s Circle series on my website.

Check out my Windtree Press author page.

Follow me on Twitter: @JudithAshley19

I’m also on Facebook

© 2016 Judith Ashley

Reflections from Samhain

Three of us celebrated Samhain together sitting around a fire pit drinking a bit of mulled wine and sharing our memories of Samhain's past and what this beginning of the turning of the wheel of the year meant to each of us. After general sharing we called in the elements and directions and honored those who've crossed the veil by telling stories about what they meant to us and still mean to us today. Besides the mulled wine, we had lemon poppy seed scones and later, wine.

One thing we all agreed on was that finding community was important to us. Sharing these traditions can be done through a solitary practice but there is also benefit in being part of community practice. My two friends have belonged to larger pagan communities while I've attended a few larger events but have not belonged to a larger community.

Recently I'd read about celebrating the Dark Moon. Something about that struck a chord and I shared that I wanted to add that to my practice. Both women were interested.

Out I went and finally found an outdoor fireplace that my granddaughter and her boyfriend set up for me. Tonight is the Dark Moon of November. Three of us (not the same three) will gather and celebrate this darkest time of the month. We'll spend some time reflecting by the fire on what we want to manifest during the waxing moon (from now until the Full Moon in a couple of weeks). Sharing is optional. I've already looked ahead - the Dark Moon of December is on Tuesday, 12/03/2013 and the Dark Moon of January is actually Wednesday, January 1!

My plan is, if possible we'll be outside but if it is raining, we can gather inside - in front of the fireplace. We'll keep the lights off because this is the dark time of the month and we are moving to the dark time of the year. From my perspective, part of the purpose is to be in the dark, in the void, to use that time or reflect on where we've been as well as where we want to go.

I've asked myself and am now asking you:
What do you want to bring forth during this next turning of the wheel?
What do you want to manifest during this waxing moon?

My prayer for you:
May your path this waxing moon move you ever closer to manifesting your desires.

Blessed Be

As The Wheel Turns

By Judith Ashley

Twenty years ago in September I was invited to join a sacred women's circle. Little did I know that when I said "yes" my life would change forever. So many experiences but more important so many people are now in my life because of that simple 'yes'. However, what also transpired with that one word was the change in my path in life. Less than ten years from my sitting in my first women's circle, the images and stories of seven women began to come to me in lucid dreams, day dreams, and visions. That was the beginning of my journey as the author of The Women's Circle series.

What I want to share tonight is that for most pagans, Samhain (Halloween) is the beginning of the year. The veil between the world of the living and the deceased is thin and in other times, it was important to protect yourself from the spirits of those who walked between the worlds. It was also the time you could communicate best with those who had crossed over.

Time has splintered for me this month of October 2013 and I find myself behind in what I wanted to accomplish - one task being the writing of this blog post about Samhain.

Since this is cursory at best, my plan is to return and share a bit more about this beginning of the Wheel of Life or Wheel of the Year. Since Winter Solstice is in six short weeks, I'll be back before then.

For now I've a few things to finish up before I join a few friends to celebrate.

May you find peace and love on both sides of the veil.

In love and light,

Judith