I don’t feel this is expressed as well as I would like it to be, but I’m publishing it anyway. Thank you to every cherished reader and commenter that stops by for a visit with me, as I write my way through the wilderness of c-ptsd. Love is all…MW 🙏
The snowfall of the night was heavy and unrelenting, the countryside blanketed in layers of white. As the evening sky filled with stars, the Winter Moon rises, her presence seemingly impersonal and indifferent.
The sleepy town below, quietly illuminated by her presence, had forgotten that the Winter Moon held a secret. The silver orb was in fact an elemental entity of immense power and potential. Each night, as it passed across the sky, it lent its power and blessing to those adventurous enough to seek it out.
On this night, one such person was the Woman. Her grayish-green eyes held a knowledge of the world, for she had been drawn to the Winter Moon since girlhood. According to the ancient myths of her people, it was said that one who sanctified the Winter Moon would be blessed with the powers of Winter.
Donning her black winter cloak with the snow white trim and crimson red collar, the Woman walked the snowy path to a clearing, while the Winter Moon watched over her. In the deep pockets of her thick, warm cloak she carried with her four clarifying, protective, balancing and edifying stones of selenite, onyx, peridot and jacinth.
While the earth slept and dreamed, the Woman listened to the silence and the hush of Winter speak to her. As soon as the silver rays of the Winter Moon danced across her face, and the night sky glowed a pale shade of silvery-blue, the woman began her blessing of the Winter Moon.
The Woman could feel the concealed presence of the snow faeries, storm faeries, and winter tree faeries around her and she blessed them too, praying for their grace and approval. Mice, deer, rooks, robins, and a snowy owl watched from the snow-laden ground and branches of the trees overhead.
When the blessing was complete, the Woman pushed back the hood of her cloak, allowing the Winter Moonlight to blend with the random streaks of silver in her hair that marked her passage through the Shadow realm and her encounters with the grim reaper. Even with her head momentarily uncovered and glistening with snowflakes, the Woman felt a sense of warmth rising from within and a surge of strength flowing through her veins. She had been granted the powers of Winter.
The knowledge of night, endurance, life, death, rebirth, roots, dualism, transformation, dreams, and ancient prophets would stay with her forever. She could feel the pull of the earth’s tides turning. The personal alchemy of the Winter Moon transformed her connection to Father Sky and Mother Earth.
Even her Spiritual Mentors from the celestial realms occasionally sought out her embrace, for to her surprise, there were times when they too needed a Motherly Figure. Despite, or perhaps because of, all their Knowledge of the Multiverse, they sometimes felt lost and lonely.
When the Winter Moon revealed the Woman’s Soul Name bestowed upon her by the Eternal Creator, she felt a rush of freedom. Never again would she be confined to one identity or one pathway. She understood the significance of a Soul Name and always honored it with complete immersion in its essence.
She never forgot that night, or the tangible presence of the Winter Moon. Every Winter night thereafter, as the Winter Moon rose majestic, she would take a few moments to say a blessing of gratitude for the Winter Moon’s gifts, both revealed and secret. It was her special bond with the Winter Moon which kept bright, clear, crystalline hope alive.
My dear friend, what does a blessing over a winter moon look like to you? What words do you imagine being said? If you’d like to write a blessing to say over the winter moon, please do leave your blessing in the comments.
Although she was only eight winters old, she already understood the importance of the Winter Moon and felt drawn to the chilled air of Winter. It was a hushed time of healing and rebirth. With it came the promise of a new beginning.
She was so enthralled by the Winter Moon shining through the window panes, that she failed to notice her family had gathered around the fireplace, whispering secrets in an ancient tongue and debating the messages within “the riddles.” She had always wanted to join in, but her father had explained that she wasn’t yet old enough to receive the knowledge or attempt discernment of “the riddles.”
Feeling left out, she begged him to take her outdoors to see the Winter Moon. Surprisingly, her father agreed despite the late hour, but only if she promised to hold onto his hand and stay close. She eagerly agreed and grabbed her knitted scarf and hooded woolen cloak with the fuzzy wool-lined pockets off the carved wooden hooks by the doorway. Her mother called the color of her cloak, “blueberry,” and it was her favorite item of clothing. They didn’t have much, but what they had was cherished.
As soon as she stepped out into the winter night wearing the tall winter boots and hand-knitted gloves that were gifts from her grandmother, she felt the magic. She didn’t know what she had been expecting, but she wasn’t disappointed. The sky was alive with stars, the air was laced with crystalline frost and the cold was so intense she could feel it in her very bones.
But the most amazing thing was the Winter Moon, shining with a ghostly light and glimmering like an ice crystal, both beautiful and powerful in equal measure. She wanted to stay outdoors just to keep its light upon her face, but her father insisted upon going inside after only a few minutes.
The entire evening she felt she was wearing a cloak of peace and tranquility. Intuitively she knew that despite any difficulties, the Winter Moon would bring her comfort and healing.
Maiden Wintermoon
When the girl grew to be a maiden, she was memorized by the Winter Moon illuminating the night sky with its pale light, casting its long shadows over the quiet town as it slept.
She had always loved the winter for its quiet beauty, as if the entire world was submerged in a silent and mysterious dream.
She wanted to go out into the shadowy cover of night, to feel the light of the Winter Moon on her skin. She threw on her heavy slate gray cloak, the color of storm clouds, and stepped into the frosty gloam. For as far as she could see, the snow silently carpeted the earth in a stillness she could read with all of her senses. In the chatty hush, she heard stories woven and told over centuries.
She looked up to the sky, her breath forming a white cloud in the cold air. She felt as if she could touch the Winter Moon, as if its light was wrapping her in a safe embrace.
She was pulled to the silvery circle, feeling that same magical pull that guided her ancient ancestors.
She stayed outside until the chill of the night told her she must return home. The snow crunched under her boots as the Winter Moon illuminated her steps homeward. Even indoors by the wood burning stove, a piece of the Winter Moon resided with her in her heart.
Every child has known God, Not the God of names, Not the God of don’ts, Not the God who ever does Anything weird, But the God who knows only 4 words. And keeps repeating them, saying: “Come Dance with Me, come dance.”
A sacred space A place to be An escape from the summer heat Our souls sit among the clouds As leaves of the color of sunset Drift down from branches That will soon be as stark As winter’s sleep Brightly they sparkle in the sunlight As we call upon the elements To grant us a season of wholeness After a year of broken things
In their dreams the leaves recall When they were once green Lifeless they fall Returning to the earth Decaying to nurture their mother tree Instead of wishing upon a star today I will wish upon a leaf 🍃🍁🍂