We light this chalice, here in the darkness of winter as we wait.

Beneath the crust of earth, seeds and bulbs lay in store.

Darkness is as important as light.

The changes that take place in winter are a kind of alchemy, an enchantment performed by ordinary creatures to survive.

Maybe hope is fleeting. It leaves and returns again; there’s beauty in its impermanence.

Do not be afraid of the darkness. Dark is the rich fertile earth that cradles the seed, nourishing growth. Dark is the soft night that cradles us to rest. Only in darkness can stars shine across the vastness of space. Only in darkness is the moon's dance so clear....

The Celebration begins with making “Brigid Butter,” which will be used on the bread that will be offered during Cakes and Ale. Ritual: Making "Brigid Butter" materials: Small, clean baby food jars Heavy whipping cream Cheesecloth Salt (various flavors) Small knives • Fill jars with heavy cream...

Now has come hard winter, With whip of wind and slash of snow and the diamond-bright stars in the black ice of the heavens. Just as we resist the season with shovel and scraper, wool and windbreaker, we embrace it with sled and snowboard, cocoa and comforter. Winter is here: let us find warmth in...

The winter solstice is a time to look back upon our ancestors, gather our family and friends close, and rejoice in the return of the sun. It is a time of renewed hope and a time of resurrection – for just as Arianrhod’s Wheel turns and the Oak King resumes his rightful place, so must we go on.

The Solstices teach us that darkness comes, that darkness goes. The Solstices teach us that light comes, that light goes. The Solstices teach us, calmly, silently, to be calm, silent. Learning. The Solstices teach us as we circle the sun that everything flies....

December twenty-first, the Winter Solstice. (The point along the Earth’s annual solar orbit when the northern hemisphere is at its furthest point from the sun). The last harvest of the year is celebrated shortly before the Winter Solstice. In ancient times people would feast knowing the months...

For the sound of bow on string, Of breath over reed, Of touch on keyboard; For slants of sunlight through windows, For shimmering shadows on snow, For the whisper of wind on my face; For the smooth skin of an apple, For the caress of a collar on my neck; For the prickling of my skin when I am dee...

Oh spirit of life and love, We pause for a moment on this snowy day to reflect on the changes one week can make in our lives. We celebrate the feast of Imbolc, the pagan holiday that heralds the coming of spring. Our hearts stir with the thought that lambs are being born, that the light is...

May you know fully and deeply the blessings of each of your heart's seasons The inward turning of Winter Springtime's lush renewal The effortless, steady growth of summer And autumn's rich harvest May your passage from season to season be blessed— Eased by hands to hold, and by the light of love...

Come we now out of the darkness of our unknowing and the dusk of our dreaming; Come we now from far places. Come we now into the twilight of our awakening and the reflection of our gathering. Come we now all together. We bring, unilluminated, our dark caves of doubting; We seek, unbedazzled, the...

February is not for the faint hearted, I think.