WINTER SOLSTICE GREETINGS AND SAVINGS

News Flash!

Witches&Pagans #24 — dedicated to the Heathen and Northern Traditions — is at press, and is scheduled to mail to all subscribers the first week of January. Pre-order a single copy today or subscribe to ensure the fastest possible delivery.

MEDITATION FOR DECEMBER:
In Honor of the Lady

In the hustle of preparing for the Solstice holidays it can be easy to forget “the reason for the season.” This winter meditation -- by reader Lisa Wersal -- reminds us all that no matter what name we use to salute the Light, it will return to us just the same.

One recent chilly November day,

I made an impromptu visit to White Bear Lake to commune with the energies there. I felt drawn to the water’s edge, and I strolled along the shoreline, enjoying the serenity of the deserted beach, and studying the remnants of fall: the brown, decaying vegetation, and broken bits of snail shells and bird feathers scattered about.

As I gazed into the water, I felt the urge to bless myself with the crystal clear water. Already chilled to the bone, I searched my pockets for a container. All I found was a straw, so that would have to do. Pinching one end shut, I dipped the straw into the water, and then sprinkled myself; twice more I scooped the straw into the water, tossing blessings in the direction of my home and partner. It was a simple ritual, but I felt peacefulness rise up within me as I connected to this place and time.

Grateful for the gifts I had received, I stepped back from the water, unwittingly walking through a message left in the sand by a previous visitor. As I retreated further, I read these words, drawn in large, round letters: “Jesus really loves you!”

I laughed out loud: here I was exchanging thoughts and feelings with the Divine Feminine, and all the while someone else was eager to avail me of her theology. From the delicate, artistic shape of the letters, I imagined the writer to be a young teenage girl, someone who dotted her i’s with smiley faces. I sensed her enthusiasm… and I, too, had been raised in the Christian tradition, so her message was not entirely foreign to my experience, but I was a bit non-plussed by its appearance.

One gentle and non-judgemental figure seemed to bridge the gap between my unseen friend and I: Mary, the Divine Mother, the One to whom I had confided my teenage troubles. “Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy. Hail, our life, our sweetness, and our hope,” I had whispered, and these words still feel like poetry to me, embodying the essence of beauty.

Even now when I am no longer a practicing Christian, I still occasionally steal into Catholic churches to meditate in quiet candlelit alcoves dedicated to Our Lady. Several other feminine divinities also now capture my attention, and their representations grace my home mantle: Tibet’s compassionate Kwan Yin, the Hindu goddess Sarasvati, who inspires creative endeavors, and Yemaya, Brazil’s “Mother of Pearls.” I invoke their guidance, their blessings, their healing.

For me, Spirit is not rigid, nor narrowly-defined, and certainly not static. Spirit is experiential, paradoxical, subtle, expanding, and evolving. In my perspective, spiritual understandings are not etched in bold letters in the sand, but in the winds and the waves and the footprints that shift the sand, gradually obscuring any writing, but leaving an indelible mark on our heart.

Lisa Wersal hails from the prairie of southwestern Minnesota, and is a writer, musician, and quilter. Her previous published work includes essays, poetry, articles, and opinion pieces for publications in the arts, spirituality, personal growth, news, and academia.

Artwork “Listening to Wisdom’s Voice” by Shiloh Sophia Mcloud c.2007, used with permission. For more of Shiloh’s artwork, see her website at www.shilohsophiastudios.com.

SAGEWOMAN REBOUND CAMPAIGN A SUCCESS!

We are overjoyed to report the successful conclusion of our SageWoman Rebound Campaign, ensuring a solid foundation for SageWoman’s continued future in 2012 and beyond. Thanks to the almost 300 readers whose generous support enabled us to overcome this challenge!

P.S. If you'd still like to help, the donation page will be kept open till the end of the year. Any extra $ raised will go to support our low-income subscription and public library funds.)

HOW DO I GET THE BONUS ARTICLES?
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SAVE BIG ON GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS
Gifts for Under $20!

A gift subscription keeps coming all year long!

Order gift subscriptions — to Crone, SageWoman, or Witches&Pagans and use the Discount Coupon code GIFT at checkout to save $3 per order. One coupon per order, use the coupon as may times as you like!

We will send a gift card and first issue directly to your gift receipient; order by December 15 to ensure delivery by December 25.)

DIGITAL EDITION SPECIALS

These specially-priced eZine back issues work on all desktop/laptop computers as well as major e-readers including the iPad, Kindle Fire and Nook. Instant download.

newWitch #08
Exclusive interviews with Feri Priestess, author, and activist T. Thorn Coyle and magical Mystery writer M.R. Sellars start out this issue. Then there’s a Beginner’s Guide to Pagan Reconstructionism, Calling the Gods (Evocation 101), 10 Tips for Great Rituals, Simple Spellwork with Collage, Pagan Yuletide, Santa Lucia and much more. 80 illustrated pages, published in Winter 2005. eZine-only special through December 31, only $4.96 with instant download.

SageWoman #79: Connecting to Gaia
Experience Diana Paxson’s invocation of the Germanic Lady of Life, “Nerthus: Strength of the Earth.” We also feature Luisah Teish’s ritual for connecting with our ancestors; DeAnna Alba’s ritual to connect with Gaia; Z Budapest’s surprising meeting with the spirit of Susan B. Anthony; essays on labyrinth-walking, predator-love, embracing our sensual natures, and Susun Weed on the magic of mint. A cornucopia of Goddess delights, 96 pages, published Fall of 2010. eZine-only special through December 31, $4.96 with instant download.

PAPER EDITION SPECIALS

These classic paper editions make wonderful reading wherever you are, no gizmos required. (Give yourself a break from the shopping with a nice cuppa tea and one of these classic issues.) Most issues include FREE domestic delivery.

PanGaia 26: the Magic of Yuletide
This issue jam-packed full of Pagan holiday goodies, including: In Search of Father Yuletide · St. Lucia and the Holly King: Magical Giftbringer of Yule · Humbug or Hope? What Scrooge and the Grinch Teach Us · Chants and Enchantment: The Magic of Vocal Spellcasting · The Earth as a Sacred Place · Magick in the Third Dimension: How to Make a Stone Oracle · The Last Word: Unwrapping Christmas and much more. 80 illustrated pages. Winter 2001. Paper only, reprint, on sale through December 31 for $7.96.

SageWoman #8 Looking Within
This issue’s cover shows a woman looking in a mirror, and seeing the magic and power of the Goddess in herself. This issue reflects that vision perfectly, and every article displays both compassion and empowerment. Includes an interview with womanspirit musicians Diane Mariechild and Shuli Goodman, a photo spread of women’s altars, three articles on journal writing, a meditation to meet the Crone of Winter, Solstice Carols, and much more. 56 illustrated pages, published by Lunaea Weatherstone in Winter 1988. Paper only, reprint, on sale through Dec. 31 for $7.96.

Crone Chronicles #41:Surrender
Winter Solstice is a time for examining deep ideas and we this issue by looking at radical transformation through social collapse. Next is an interview with Jerri Lyons who discusses how caring for our dead dissolves fear, grief, and reinforces family connections. Plus Z Budapest on her vision of becoming a Crone, and much more. 84 pages, paper only, published in Winter 1999. Paper on sale through Dec. 31 for only $5.56.

SageWoman #25 Healing
This issue is devoted entirely to the healing we need, the healing we do for others, and the healing we find for ourselves. In this issue, an everyday trip to the coast blooms into a revelatory dream journey; a woman finds her spirit in “Healing Myself from Fundamentalism;” Erynn Dark-star profiles a little-known Celtic goddess in “Airmid of Ireland” and loremistress Diana Paxson reveals one of the greatest of all Native Goddesses in “Nora de Guadaupe: Great Mother of the Americas.” DeAnna Alba offers a contrary opinion about why witches don’t always heal; Jan Williams shares recipes for a herbal home spa, Laura Janesdaughter and Judith Tolley share pages from their Crone’s Book of Shadows, Lunaea Weatherstone reveals her legendary recipe for chicken soup (with vegan options) and we end the issue with the hard-hitting, yet transformative “Breaking the Chains: A Ritual for Survivors of Abuse.” If you need healing (and who doesn’t!) you’ll surely find it in this 64-page issue, published in 1994. Paper only, reprint, on sale through Dec. 31 for $7.96.