Honoring the Sacred Earth
Tonight is the last Full Moon of the year 2025.
We open to the light of the mirror that is the moon and celebrate the beauty of the night.
Oidhche Mhaith Leibh – MotherTongue
Wilde winds sing
Through empty branches
A symphony for
Black star blessed skies
All photos in this calendar by Kim Hopkins, Grace Faye, Heather Pankl, Burdock Broughton, Sarah Eaton, Moira Ashleigh
Music in this calendar by MotherTongue, Lynn & Will Rowan, Windborne
In this liminal space after Samhain and before Yule
There is the beauty of the structure
which remains after the season of growth.
In the darkness edges are softer
There is less separation between ourselves and the night.
We move in the shadows hidden yet powerful.
We move through a time that can allow us to remember
Not what we have lost, but what we have gained.
What we have done to make change
As we walk our path every day.
Find those of good will and join with them
To dream and create a better world for all beings.
We Are One – MotherTongue
All photos in this calendar by Kim Hopkins, Grace Faye, Heather Pankl, Burdock Broughton, Sarah Eaton, Moira Ashleigh
Music in this calendar by MotherTongue, Lynn & Will Rowan, Windborne
Shadows lengthen
Days pass faster
Through barren trees
Hold to the Earth
Overhead wings fly south
Storms tumble
North to East
Ocean bound
Cold winds toss
The last fallen leaves
We wait
Soon….
Darkest Time of Winter – MotherTongue
All photos in this calendar by Kim Hopkins, Grace Faye, Heather Pankl, Burdock Broughton, Sarah Eaton, Moira Ashleigh
Music in this calendar by MotherTongue, Lynn & Will Rowan, Windborne
The forest waits in silence
Pooling so deep That shadows take forms
in the corners of our eyes we see them
Shadows running, flying, rustling
The Winter breathes a cold icy breath through barren branches
Arms rub together
Roots sunk deep in the cold hard ground
where each molecule of earth is connected to another by particles of ice
In this forest, In this silence, In this darkness
There is life
All photos in this calendar by Kim Hopkins, Grace Faye, Heather Pankl, Burdock Broughton, Sarah Eaton, Moira Ashleigh
Music in this calendar by MotherTongue, Lynn & Will Rowan, Windborne
To balance the dark
We bring lights
Within our homes
And still the mystery calls
What is in the dark?
How can we embrace the cold?
Shadows call
Under the moonlight
With their mystery
And ability to shift and change
All photos in this calendar by Kim Hopkins, Grace Faye, Heather Pankl, Burdock Broughton, Sarah Eaton, Moira Ashleigh
Music in this calendar by MotherTongue, Lynn & Will Rowan, Windborne
Come celebrate the longest night and the rebirth of the Sun at the coming Winter Solstice
This welcoming ritual is appropriate for all ages. We will sing and dance together, and make gifts for one another while we celebrate the power of darkness and share joy in the returning light, even as the cold deepens all around us.
Families are welcome; and in fact, there is a special Procession of Light for attending children to be a part of. Please arrive right at 5:30 to find out more and prepare.
Location: Western MA – The Williamsburg Grange Hall on Rte 9 (Main St.) in the center of Williamsburg. Available by PVTA bus #42 (“The Burgy Bullet”)
Doors open at 5:30 PM and close promptly at 6:00 PM for an hour during the Ritual. Please do a home covid test before attending if at all possible, and do not attend if you have covid symptoms of any kind or have been recently exposed.
What to wear: Seasonal or ritual clothing.
Important: Children who wish to be part of the Procession of Light should wear light-colored clothing like white, silver or gold!
Masks for covid protection are optional and respected.
What to bring: A book wrapped in plain brown or white paper!
We are introducing the Jolabokaflod (Yule Book Flood) at our Yule Ritual this year!
From Katie LaFond: This tradition was started in Iceland during World War II. Paper was one of the few things that wasn’t rationed, so people gave each other books. Today, the tradition, as I understand it, is that people give each other gift-wrapped books and the night before their holiday they stay up long into the night reading them and eating chocolate. My family has enjoyed this tradition for years, and I shared it with The EarthSpirit Community in 2020. If you’d like to participate this year, please join us for our Yule Ritual. Bring a book that you’re ready to pass on. Wrap it in plain brown or white paper, and write on it what genre the book is, what age range it’s appropriate for, and maybe a fun tidbit about it. Put it under the tree, and at the end of the ritual, if you’ve brought a book, please pick a book to take home with you. Then, on the longest night of the year, tuck in with a cozy blanket, a cup of hot chocolate, and enjoy your books!
An informal finger-food pot-luck (no utensils needed) will follow the ritual in the downstairs hall
Savory appetizers, cookies, snacks, beverages, and other food to share are welcome. We will have cups and napkins.
Contributions for admission $5 to $10 on a sliding scale will be collected at the door to cover our expenses. Children 10 and under will be admitted free, and no one will be turned away for lack of resources.
If you would like to volunteer to help with set up or breakdown, or to contribute to the celebration, please contact us in advance asap by email (earthspirit@earthspirit.com).
For your Yule gift list, EarthSpirit offers: MotherTongue CDs on-line at CD Baby Weaving the Web of Life, This Winter’s Night
This annual ritual celebrates the coming winter, those who have gone before us, our own mortality and the unseen ones.
We honor the change of season and our ancestors at this ritual of harvest and remembrance. In the fullness of Autumn, in the growing darkness, come take part in a celebration of this time when the veil between the worlds is thin. Take time for yourself to reflect on our mortality and honor those who have passed. Find a quiet place in the darkness, and feel gratitude as you reap your harvest between now and winter.
You are invited to bring a small photograph of a departed loved one to add to the ancestor altar (be sure to write your name on the back and pick them up again before you leave). There will also be an opportunity to share some precious memories in their honor.
Seasonal or ritual clothing is encouraged. Please, no “halloween costumes”.
Safety masking is optional and respected.
Donations for admission $7 to $10 on a sliding scale will be collected at the door to cover our rental expenses. Any amount collected beyond expenses will be sent to support the work of the Mother Grove Temple in Ashville, NC.
No one will be turned away for lack of resources.
Children under 15 will be admitted without cost.
Doors open at 6:30 PM and close promptly at 7:00 PM for the duration of the Ritual.
If you are able, please also bring a donation of new and warm winter clothing items, like new insulated socks, gloves, long underwear, or coats to send down to our friends at the Mother Grove Temple in Ashville, NC as well, showing as one of the ways we can support one another through the dark cold times.
An informal finger-food pot-luck and social time will follow the ritual. Cookies, beverages, savory snacks or other food to share are welcome. Please bring nothing that needs utensils or plates. We will have cups and napkins.