Yuletide Sky Riders: A Symphony of Light & Shadow

כ״ט בכסלו תשע"ב
Grael 2

Last night, early this morning, I dreamt.

Thick newly fallen white snow covered the ground in my small town. It was Yuletide. (Though I have never done this is real life) I was walking with family (and many other families) on a tour of the holiday light decorations up Vermilion Street. We walked toward the North direction.

In this tour, we all laid down in the new snow like snow angels to watch the coming festival of Lights. Lying upon the snow-blanketed earth, everyone with excited anticipation watched the sky overhead. Suddenly, Lights (like Northern Lights) emerged and began flashing all over the entire face of the sky, riding from one edge of the sky to the other - all over and everywhichway in a beautiful symphony of Light and Shadow. The lights we saw took on forms - it was the real mythic meaning behind the Mystery of Santa Claus we were seeing - Ancestral spirit riders of the skies bringing gifts of blessings to us!

This is the pagan mythic origin of the night ride of Santa Claus bringing gifts via flight through the night sky. It is also related to the Biblical shamanic ancestral Vision of Ezekiel.

And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning. [Ezekiel 1:14]

Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river Chebar that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of Elohim. [Ezekiel 1:1] The Elohim are the Divine Ancestors.

This year, December 27 is the first day of the fourth month of the Hebrew calendar (Tishrei, Marcheshvan, Kislev, Tevet). Tevet (the month of Ezekiel's vision) contains a portion of the 13 sacred days and the 12 sacred nights of the traditional Yuletide season. Ezekiel's fifth day of the month is the the thirteenth day of the thirteen sacred days.

Related entries -

Yuletide: A Time for Receiving Blessings by the Ancestors
Blood Vessel

Yuletide, a Time for Receiving Blessings by the Ancestors

כ״ט בכסלו תשע"ב
Grael 2



Yuletide was originally a time for receiving blessings by the Ancestors.

From the video description:

"The Ancient season of Yule which includes The Midwinter Solstice (the shortest day of the Year, 21st December) is a Sacred time of reflection and celebration. Many different cultures from the Nordic Vikings and Celtic Druids, the ancient Egyptians and Hopi Indians have ritualized this time to promote Spiritual Unity, Peace and Joy.


Yuletide Dates:
December 21, 22, 23
December 24 Mother's night, (Modraniht (Anglo-Saxon)
December 24 -- January 6 = The 12 Sacred nights/'Time between the Years'

The 13 Sacred Days & 12 Sacred Nights

The Magickal season of deepest darkness starts in the Celtic tradition at Samhain, slightly earlier in the Nordic tradition. During this supernatural time of Yuletide we may walk between the worlds. Now that the veil between the worlds is thin, all sorts of Otherworldly beings including the dead roam the earth, we may even encounter elves or trolls and also Gods and Goddesses.

The Twelve Sacred Nights of Yule start with Mother's Night (December 24th) and are considered the 'Time Between the Years', the difference of days between the lunar year and the solar year. As the old would end with Winter Solstice the New Year would only start at the end of the Rauhnaechte (January 6th). During this time Odin rides the storm winds with his army of the dead, both in the Wild Hunt and also leading them to their afterlife new, most importantly the ensuing storms in their wake stir the fertility of the earth for the New Year...

Odin appears to be 'blind' in one eye which he sacrificed at the Well of Wisdom for Understanding, with this eye he sees the underworld and afterlife...

The tradition of bringing sprigs of Holly and Ivy into the home pays homage to the masculine and feminine elements. Both of these powerfully magickal plants are evergreen, a reminder in itself that the earth never dies, but merely sleeps during the winter months."

Ancestral Memory and Soul Recognition

כ״ד בכסלו תשע"ב
Shamash 26

I don't have time right now to write more, but I need to make note of this right now. At the end of a dream I had back in 2006 (Druid Measures), though I didn't write of it at the time, there was another portion of the dream I left unwritten.

In the following video, there is an archeological excavation scene (starting at 21:10) in Silchester, UK at the ancient Celtic city known as Calleva Atrebatum. As soon as I saw this, it triggered in me recognition! Later in the linked dream, the opened ground at the excavation is a place where I hid from Roman soldiers! I can still see it in my mind.

Calleva, I know you.



"One element of that community was Irish, evidenced by the remarkable discovery of a stone carved with ogham, a form of writing that originated in southern Ireland and that is unlikely to date before the beginning of the fifth century." [Source: City of the Dead: Calleva Atrebatum]

Ogham inscriptions have been found there - the writing of the Druids!

Sacred Magic - Awen and the Seal of Solomon

כ״א בכסלו תשע"ב
Shamash 23

My design of a two Celtic Druidic Awen symbols (one upward, one downward) which when brought together, form the mystical magical Seal of Solomon. Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Spirit, Goddess-Consciousness.

It is written in The Pillars of Tubal Cain [by Nigel Jackson and Michael Howard who posit that *Solomon's Temple was constructed as a Goddess Shrine*], "It is said that the temple [of Solomon] was not built by human hands because allegedly a mysterious worm or serpent-like creature called the Shamir carved out and cut the stones. Other stories say that Solomon enlisted supernatural help to build it in the form of elemental servitors he conjured using his powers as a magician."

Interestingly, about 15 years ago, I wrote a mystic poem about the *Shamir*. Like my earlier poems, this one also describes one of my preincarnate memories of truly magical, experiential consciousness.

SHAMIR, DI-VISIONS OF THE NIGHT

first rhythms ever plunge, eternal hosts driven into life
drawing through a field of topographic brilliance
where judgment lovingly flows, churning out whole stones
resting against asymmetries trying, like diamonds in chaos
proto-perception foams, over annihilating operations
and from it, dark bursts of lucidity finely entwine
coarse grains of almost something, almost yet sufficient
the silent rush of yet nothing slides, wildly as percolating pivots
diligently thread through it, casting clarity
upon myriads, hard pauses startle into vision
projecting arrays without mass, strings of confluency
impressing discovery, a shadowy tail-end lingers
between depths of opposite observation
iterating embraces of many meanings like quasi-quanta
gathering functions about the head and, and
spinning spectra, pushing forward, yearning toward home
not knowing, yet only knowing
as some featureless reach edging edges stretches out
the magnetic sweet dance
where divisions collapse like crystal caves
softly sprinkling the belly of the night divine
with bytes of thoughtbare kisses
extending the glorious field of apprehension

Shamir in the magical Hebrew alphabet is a word deriving from the root שמר which means generically to protect and to distance from danger. The root drawn out into a word specifically meaning "divisons of the night" is found in the ancient Hebrew sacred book of Exodus [14:24], where it is written "and it came to pass in the DIVISIONS OF THE NIGHT, that Deity looked forth ..." Consequently, taking all this together, we can easily see that SHAMIR indeed pertains Goddess consciousness and to the Creative Force of AWEN She bestows.

The Hebrew correspondence to Celtic AWEN is HASHRA'AH.

Related entry - Sacred Sorceress Soy Pillar Candle

Mysteries of Kohelet and Traditional Witchcraft

ט״ז בכסלו תשע"ב
Shamash 18

That which has been is that which shall be, and that which has been done is that which shall be done; and there is nothing new under the sun. [from the ancient Hebrew Wisdom Literature, Kohelet 1:9]

In follow-up note to my previous two entries (Karma and Reincarnation in Traditional Witchcraft and Matzah Consciousness), Kabbalah teaches (Anthony Kosinec lecture) that “there is nothing new under the sun,” and that:

any event that will occur in our world, is not existence from absence, but rather existence from existence. It is an entity that has stripped off its former shape, and taken on another, different from the first

in the melting pot of Ceridwen's Cauldron as taught similarly in Traditional Witchcraft. Kabbalah also teaches that:

... the essence is called “the basis.” It is called “Matza.” It is the essential, basic material that we are created from. It is something that the Creator made from nothing; it is existence from non-existence, something from nothing. That essence, that Matza or basis, which is pure information ... we see that the essence is not controlled in any way by the dressing. It’s something that can dress or undress into new forms of life. Now, if we can begin to see that same system working in regards to our level then we can begin to see what is occurring and to be able to direct what is occurring [see A Stable Combination], we may be able to find a point by which we actually have some kind of choice in the process. This basis, this Matza, consists of the origin and the mentality of all of our ancestors ...

and from here we are intimately and essentially linked to, and may access all the Knowledge, Experience and Wisdom of our Ancestors.

Matzah Consciousness

ט״ז בכסלו תשע"ב
Shamash 18

In follow up to my previous post discussing the teachings of Traditional Witchcraft on subjects such as karma and reincarnation (which differ from the beliefs of many if not most neo-Pagans), here is a pentalpha of five poems (selected from many) I wrote (probably about 15 or more years ago during a concentrated Bardic/Psalmist phase upon my path as a magically inclined witch mystic) which relate to the Celtic idea (and teaching of Traditional Witchcraft) of climbing out of the Cauldron of Ceridwen and to being a Being WHOLE of CONSCIOUSNESS. Notably and relevant to my path as a Traditional Witch, these poems support the idea that the consciousness making up me in the life I am currently experiencing is a Stably Whole combination of elemental consciousness. Moreover, the stable unique elemental consciousness of being making up me indeed is so stable, IT REMEMBERS it's own coming together as an individual, namely me, even while existing within the Cauldron of Ceridwen. Also importantly, my experiences of memory further support that **I** in a state of Pure Wholistic Consciousness participated in the unique creation of my own personal individuality. I share these poems and my experiences to share the reality and Truth of the Teaching of Traditional Witchcraft:

A STABLE COMBINATION (a preincarnate memory of existence, originally published under the title A DANCE OF OUTLIERS)

asymmetries oscillating iterating disequilibrium
rushing in circuits of fluctuation imperfectly, perfect!
exotic attractors embedding the spinning critical magnetism
stretching out and considering, yet thoughtbare
projecting and collapsing, gathering with distance, yet near
trying and trying in motionless motion
extending apprehension, passing over, passing under, all around
tying knots of charged connection binding quanta of stops
concentrating conjunctions, strengthening two by two, yes and no
drawing out distinctions of uniqueness, outliers in some quantum time
establishing eccentricities, coagulating singularities
against the rhythm, making discretions
wavelets of indeterminate interval, itty bytes
contracting, constructing, expanding the matrix of translation
reproducing intensity superposing virtual phases of doing ... what
stringing a river of elucidating brilliance responding
to the essential siren current of the one opposite reflection
intercalating delights, perturbing stones of memory
driving the tug dancing between ignorance and knowing
exchanging a mystery, mysterious mysterious, inside out
curling across fields, and between, from some side
end against end, propagating the dynamic
wrestling the source toward convergence
in the matter

CAULDRON CONSCIOUSNESS (a preincarnate memory of existence, originally published under the title CAULDRON)

forged without calculation
reverberating with eternal essence, the lifeforce
brewing namelessly under the nostrils, purifying recognition
some thoughtbare combination, a tasty transformation
within a witch's cauldron, over colorless flames darkly
simmering a stew of primeval mysteries
including everything, yet nothing yet
percolating in silence, an utterly female science
patiently pivoting tongs stirring that connection
deliciously delightful
singly unique
sustaining completely, from the timeless time to come
turning history
without equivocation

ESSENTIAL AND TRUE (a preincarnate memory of existence, originally published under the title METAMORPHOSIS)

immutable
cast through a river of fire
eternally reverberating impressions orienting
into time
something essential, something true
blended together as one
igniting with life
a metamorphosis divine
some celestial darkness into endless light

CREATURE OF THE NIGHT ETERNAL (a preincarnate memory of existence)

deep deep complete
creature of the night eternal
a touch divine, a bit insane, off the edge
plunging into a cutting clarity
relentless, wild
stark and undistorted
without echo, raw tradition
a serpent song, a scorpion tale
thirsting inside out, like a finger of the endless
casting kisses
from the heart of the dark

DARK DIVINE (a preincarnate memory of existence)

neverending streams
of some humble brilliance
expressing a human tale
of the dark divine
now
here
as wonders run to life
through this tapestry of night casting kisses
of endless light
oh! how the heights envy
the depths of darkness breathing with the glory
of one perfect peace

Karma & Reincarnation in Traditional Witchcraft

ט״ז בכסלו תשע"ב
Shamash 18

Do we truly get back what we give? Does what goes around truly come around? It is very self-evident in the experience for most of us that the answer to these questions is not necessarily or simply - not the way you might think. For the Traditional Witch, the truth rests betwixt the horns (of enlightenment). Peter Paddon writes (A Grimoire for Modern Cunningfolk):

For the average neo-Pagan or Wiccan ... karma is about what goes around comes around [karma] ... Karma and reincarnation in the mind of the average neo-Pagan are closely aligned, because karma is said to extend beyond this lifetime and into the next. You can be working off a karmic debt from a previous lifetime in this one ...

But are these beliefs as held by the average neo-Pagan true? Not according to Traditional Witchcraft. As Peter Paddon again informs us, Traditional Witchcraft teaches:

We don't all get the right to reincarnate ... [reincarnation] is alot more complicated than that [than as the average neo-Pagan believes]. The concept is that when we die, the essence of who we are and what we are gets basically put into this huge melting pot, and becomes part of a cosmic soup from which ladles of new humanity are poured forth. And so, whilst we do get to come back, we don't get to come back as a single entity ... we get recycled ... this ties in to very well what the Celts believed. There is alot of evidence to show that the Brythonic Celts of Wales especially [my (Liorah Lleucu) ancestors, BTW] had this concept of the Cauldron of Ceridwen where we all go back into the cauldron when we die, and it's only the most elite and special people - who have earned the right to reincarnate as whole entities - who are able to climb out unscathed from the cauldron. Everyone else gets boiled down into the soup and recycled. This is really an important thing to me. It's a very key part of the Tradition I follow, the concept of the Mighty Dead. They end up becoming the great teachers, the great bards, the great characters of history and mythology. The basic idea about the soup is that all these components get pulled out in different combinations, and it's, if you like, the powers that be are looking for stable combinations. And when a combination is stable, it creates the scenario where that person is able to qualify to become one of the Mighty Dead ... Now, this then enables these people who've managed to retain their INTEGRITY [emphasis added] to come back as themselves for several lives and to be great teachers ...

So, do we truly get what we give? and does what goes around truly come around?

Traditional Witches are not governed by a moral code such as the Wiccan Rede or by the average concept of karma. In contradistinction to the average neo-Pagan, Traditional Witches are driven to ACT ETHICALLY and to CHEAT FATE (which for many may ultimately be to be boiled down in the cauldron) and to ask ourselves - am I willing to pay the coin for the action I am about to do? In this way, we are driven to maintain our INTEGRITY as whole Being of Consciousness. Taken together, all this clearly implies that if we give love (or anything else we may give), we may not necessarily get love (or anything else we may give) in return. Traditional Witches do not act in order to get back what we give. Traditional Witches choose to act with integrity, to take responsibility for any action taken and to pay the coin for any mistakes we may make along the way - ultimately, if we act without integrity and with malice, the coin we may be ultimately charged is to be found an unstable entity of consciousness and without the ability to climb out of Ceridwen's cauldron into a new life WHOLE.

The Watchers and the Sacred King

ט״ז בכסלו תשע"ב
Shamash 18

As written in The Pillars of Tubal Cain - "The leader of the Watchers [known as Irin in Hebrew angelogy] or fallen angels was Shemayaza or Azazel ... Azazal was an early form of the sacrificial or divine king who had to die so that his tribe and the land could be healed and fertilized."

Can it be that the Watchers of ancient Hebrew tradition are indeed carrying the same spirit of Esoteric Tradition like those who walk the Pagan Wheel of the Year "carrying" the cycle of the Sacred King as do heroes like Llew, Math, Osiris and even Jesus?

The answer to that is YES.

Welcome Makenzie!

י״ד בחשון תשע"ב
Phasma Priscus 17

My granddaughter Makenzie was born today 11/11/11, weighing in at 5 lbs 10 oz, 18 inches long! She is my mother's 11th great grandchild. Four elevens!

‎5 lbs 10 oz, 18 inches long = 5 + 10 + 18 = 33 = 11/11/11

Money Spell on Thursday

ט׳ בחשון תשע"ב
Phasma Priscus 12

When is a good time for money spells? Thursday, November 10th, is the Full Treasure Moon in Taurus (3:16PM EST), an auspicious time for any spell involving money matters and business success. The full moon in Taurus "brings a final confrontation with whatever stands between you and your dreams." Thursday is the day!

Join us on Facebook to participate in our online group Money spell!