Diana's Bow Newsletter 11/30/08

DIANA'S BOW NEWSLETTER 11/30/08

The Diana's Bow phase is in the sign of Capricorn tonight. I am always fond of the night sky at winter, the weather is cool, no bugs, and a lot of clarity. There are amazing things happening in the sky tonight, but unfortunately from where I am, I cannot view Jupiter and Venus hanging very close in the southwestern sky at dusk, along with the Diana's Bow phase of the Moon as we are having lots of cloud cover and rain right now. Tomorrow night, December 1st, the Crescent Moon will almost "occlude" or pass right over Venus, a great and karmic time for new love matches! Check out the SkyMap at the following:
http://www.earthsky.org/skywatching/

Capricorn speaks of I USE and I BUILD UP. It is a Cardinal sign of Earth, starting anew, but in a calculated and grounded way. Capricorn tells us of the need to organize, straighten everything, make plans, write things down, itemize, drag and drop our online files into some kind of order. Analyzing, taking it all in and rearranging into different thought patterns...some would say "anal retentive" but that is OK, because someone needs to do it! Think of ALL of this while taking note of the Diana's Bow phase, so this would all be associated with NEW HAPPENINGS and BEGINNING TRENDS.

Some words for Moon in Capricorn: Yin, Feminine, Lunar, Negative, Nocturnal, Earthy, Cardinal, Semi-fruitful, Horary Southern, Wintery, Austral, Obeying, Solsitial, Tropical, Dry, Cold, Changeable, Hoarse.

Enjoy the wonderful Lunar and Planetary Show in the night sky tonight and for the next few nights...

the Tarotlaydee )0(
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She Is Present

I sat there on the bench
placed in the fake cemetery
with polystyrene tombstones
keeping vigil over the empty caskets
made of plywood.

As darkness fell
the shadows of the lanterns increased the ambience.

I was wearing a beautiful black dress
and had the opaque veil of a sari
draped over my head and face
to distort my appearance.

As often I do,
I sat there, praying.

I prayed appreciation and gratitude
for the life I live,
for the Path I have been given.

I layered on the dedications
that I make of my life.

(It is Sacred, it is Theirs)

In this season of Death and Renewal,
this blessed, sacred holiday of Samhain,
I prayed to Her.

And, She came to me.

She answered me
in the forms of goddesses
sent as children.

To me appeared the queen, Cleopatra,
and an eastern genie.

I was blessed with a visit from a farming girl,
a First Nation indian,
and a haloed angel.

She portrayed Herself as a healing nurse
and a warrior queen,
an artist, and a teacher.

She showed Her face in that of a wee witch
and I saw Her radiating from the newly arrived infant.

As I silently made offerings (of candy and prayer)
to each of them/to Her,
I bowed my head after looking upon them
in honor of Her work,
with respect for Her vessels.

Each of these small goddess representatives
were respectful to me/Her.

Some spoke to me/Her.

Some were silent, but polite.

In others I saw wonder, and even awe.

A few times I could see how they would serve
indeed, have served,
the Lady of their eternal prayers.

The only words I spoke in this role
were to those of Truth
who asked my name.

I told them "I am
She Who Bears Witness.

Several perceived me to be Death,
and for a while, I held a small sickle
to embrace this role as well.

So doing, I sensed deep fear from some,
not of a veiled person,
but of the Dark Lady.

Several of them would not approach.

If their adults tried to collect the candy,
I often held it fast,
requiring the child come take it,
if, indeed, they wanted it.

(one must greet Death themselves,
there is no other who will or can do it for them)

Innately, I knew
who among them will try to outrun Her,
to outdistance Her.

Some, I witnessed, will live with reverence to Her,
and upon them, I saw Her blessing.

She (I) smiled at them, though they could not detect it.

She (I) whispered, "beautiful children."

Pregnant goddesses wound through
and their ripe bellies spoke of the Power.

The Goddess lives,
not in spite of the door of Death,
but woven with it, dancing through it.

For it is through this avenue of such passing
which opens to Life.

Sometimes in the night
I crouched low upon a path in the dark.

People didn't even see me
(they thought me a rock)
until I was whooshing by them
and, as my veil floated past, they were startled.
Some even laughed.

And for some of them, it will be so,
as they die too.

Some will always assume
that they know when She will appear to them.

Some will laugh in Her face, with pleasant and welcome joy.

All will submit though,
with or without their certainty.

All will die.

All will return to the Sacred
which is the Womb of the Holy,
to nurture and incubate Her future.

She is not all serious,
for I heard Her voice in my giggles too.

I also felt her agitation
at those foolish enough to taunt Her.

They will live, but difficult lives.

Her eventual embrace of them will not be gentle.

It is wise to be respectful of Her, but
do not fear Death.

She is a blessing,
however difficult it appears from where you are standing.

If you need help navigating Her passage,
or if you'd like to better understand Her harvesting,
please make an appointment and step up.

Fear only blinds you
to those Truths of your prayer.

Blessings of the Dark Season
are abundant.

I am so pleased to feel and see them
in my own life, daily.

Spellbinding Sherry
http://www.myspace.com/spellbindingsherry
http://www.myspace.com/spellbindingartwork

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Rite Of Our Thanksgiving

Hail Mother Earth
Whose bounty we did harvest by pale moonlight
Your blessings we seek in this rite of Thanksgiving

Hail Winters breeze, that smells of snow
Soon the quite blanket of white we will know
Your blessings we seek in this rite of Thanksgiving

Hail Wane Winter Suns Fire
Who lights the Way to home and hearth of our desire
Your blessings we seek in this rite of Thanksgiving

Hail Waters flow, soon to become Ice
The frost on my window, an endless delight
Your blessings we seek in this rite of Thanksgiving

Cerelia we hold, Great Mother of Grain
All thanks to thee Ceres, whose abundance we claimed

Round and round the horn of plenty goes
A Cornucopia Filled with our labor shows

Hail Demeter, Great Mother of old
First Breads we offer in thanks,
Of your Harvest of Gold

Hail Amaterasu, the suns shining eyes
Even in winters darkness, your light of life abides
We thank you that we see the sun rise

The Earth draws quite, for her winters sleep
A time for deep thoughts , while the cold light keeps
A time for creation of Magical things
A time for reflections without number
A time for the growing of the self,
During the deep winters slumber
A time of seeking, a time to know
A time to learn what we need to grow

We call upon the Great Mother of old
To hear now our needs, may we be so bold
Our thanks we give for all your blessings
May our eyes be open to all that needs redressing

We seek your wisdom, we seek to know
To walk the ways of light, we would grow
In your service are we
During the long winters night
Help us to see the way that is right

Soon the Yule tide rebirth of the year
Let us too be reborn, in your light so dear

The harvest is done, the grain stored away
The winds blow cold with pale nights rays
Yet Up and blaze does life's Fire burn
While we wait in this quite space, for the year to turn

We thank thee Mother Earth
Whose bounty we did harvest by pale moonlight
You honor us in this rite of Thanksgiving

We thank thee Winters breeze
Who does the dance of the snow
You honor us in this rite of Thanksgiving

We thank thee Winter Suns Fire
Who lights the Way to home and hearth of our desire
You honor us in this rite of Thanksgiving

We thank thee Waters flow, white maiden of Ice
The frost on my window, of endless delight
You honor us in this rite of Thanksgiving

by Lorelei

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In the Witch's Kitchen: Yule
by Lady Aquarius

Yule--the Winter Solstice--is an old solar ritual that has been preserved in the Christian observance of Christmas. Its origins lie deep in the past, in the Mediterranean
region. The birthday of Mithras, an ancient Sun god, was celebrated on the Winter Solstice. Later, this holiday was brought to Europe, and an astonishing collection of
folk rituals became linked to it.

Yule occurs in the depth of winter. This holiday astronomically marks the waning of winter with the Sun's entry into the astrological sign of Capricorn. After the solstice,
the hours of light increase each day. Therefore, Yule is associated with the returning warmth of the Sun.

Before the worldwide shipment of food, this precious substance was usually meager and hard to come by at Yule. Most of it was preserved, dried in the Sun; salted; put
up in crocks; submerged in honey; buried in the earth; kept covered in baskets; or laid in the snow for natural refrigeration. Because of its scarcity, food was given a high
degree of sacralness.

Over the centuries and in various countries, a wide variety of foods have been associated with Yule. Here is a few...

Apples are sacred foods, associated with numerous ancient deities. Earlier peoples hung apples on Yule trees (the forerunners of the modern Christmas tree) to symbolize
the continuing fertility of the earth. Mulled apple cider is a fine drink to sip on Yule as is any dishes containing apples--such as wassail.

Gingerbread is the modern day version of ancient cakes made of grain and honey, which were offered as sacrifices to the goddesses and gods at Yule. These cakes were
also buried with the dead to ensure the passage of their souls into the Otherworld.

When ginger was introduced into Europe from Asia, it was soon incorporated into the ritual Yule cake. This was the origin of gingerbread. Though ginger was once more
expensive than diamonds, this spice is now easily afforded and able to obtain by everyone.

You may wish to create a gingerbread house at Yule. If so, make it in the image of your own home. If this isn't possible, visualize your home while mixing, baking,
forming, and decorating the house. See your home filled with warmth, love, and happiness--all gifts of ginger and the Sun. Eat the house on Yule, sharing it with others
who live under your roof, and invite its loving energies into yourself.

Cookies are standard food fare at Yule. If you wish to make sugar cookies, cut them into shapes associated with the season: circles (symbolic of the Sun), bells
(originally used to drive away evil in pre-Christian times), stars (for protection against negativity), and of course, trees (representing the continuing fertility of the earth
during Winter).

The idea of creating and eating specially shaped desserts on Yule is not new. Prehistoric graves in northern Europe contain cakes modeled in the rough shapes of deities,
animals, suns, stars, and moons, and these cakes may have been consumed at the Winter Solstice in those frigid areas.

Have a truly wonderful Sabbat, and a most blessed Yuletide my fellow witches!

Blessings of Light and Dark,

~Lady Aquarius~

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Recipes:

Gingerbread

1 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup honey
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 1/2 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar. Add syrup, honey, lemon rind and vanilla, spices, salt and soda. Add enough flour to make soft dough. Chill until firm enough to roll. Set oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour baking sheets. On floured cloth roll dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut shapes with cookie cutters. Bake 8 min or until puffed and dry. Cool on a rack and decorate with colored icing.

Icing:
1 1/2 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
1 egg white
1 tsp. lemon juice
a few drops of vanilla extract
various food colorings

(Collect flavored extracts and food colorings and get creative!)

Beat everything but the colors and extracts until the icing peaks. If necessary add more sugar and egg white. Divide into separate bowls for each of the different colors
and extracts...have fun!

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Wassail

4 litres apple cider or juice (fresh milled organic is excellent!)
1 orange, chopped
1 lime, chopped
1 lemon, chopped
4 cinnamon sticks or 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 inch-square piece of fresh ginger or 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cloves, allspice and/or star anise

Heat all and simmer in an enamel pot (aluminum can impart a metallic flavor) on low for an hour, then serve to cold, caroling folks.

Note: brandy or rum for adults, optional

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Yule Moon Cookies

1 cup butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/3 cup flour
1 1/2 cup grated almonds (blanched)
1 tsp. vanilla

Icing:
2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 Tbsp. water

Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy and light. Add grated lemon peel, salt, flour, grated almonds, and 1 tsp. vanilla; mix thoroughly. Place dough in bowl. Cover
and chill thoroughly. When the dough is well chilled; or the next day, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness and cut with Moon/crescent cookie cutter. Place 1/2 inch apart
on ungreased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes.

Icing: While cookies bake, combine confectioner's sugar, vanilla and water. Spread over the tops of cookies while still warm, but not too hot, as icing will melt. Thin with
additional drops of water if glaze is too thick. Allow cookies to cool.

Yield: About 10 dozen cookies

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Yule Log Cookies

1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
red and green decorator icing

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, beat the brown sugar and margarine until blended. Add the egg; beat until well blended. Lightly spoon flour, baking
powder, baking soda, and spices; mix well. Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll each half of dough with your hands to make two 10 1/2 inch logs;
flatten slightly to 1 1/4 inches in diameter. With a spatula, place the logs 2 to 3 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Dip a non-serrated knife in water; score each
log diagonally at 3/4 inch intervals. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, or until set and no longer moist. Cool for 5 minutes. With a serrated knife, cut the logs at the scored lines.
Cool completely. Decorate each cookie with decorator icing to resemble a holly leaf and berries.

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Brooksville/Spring Hill/Community Drum Circle

Saturday at 7pm, every week through out the winter.

Bring a chair, something to make noise with and a warm heart
(preferably beating).

Call for directions 352.584.1966 Chris aka Glyndwer

The circle is located near Central High School for those familiar
with the area.

Come On Out and Drum!

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9545 E. Fowler Ave,
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813-986-3212

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