Winter Blessings and Beauties, Day 65: Winter Wildlife

 

I spotted this beautiful fox along the road ahead of me on Winter walk. I later saw him (her?) running across a field and down into a spinney at the foot of the hill where I lost sight of him - I think he may have disappeared into a hidden den in the thicket.

The cold, harsh weather of Winter sometimes leads to wildlife - like my fox - taking greater risks in order to find food, increasing the chance that we'll spot them as they cross our path. 

Winter also brings visits from migratory species, especially birds such as (in the UK) Barnacle Geese, Brent Geese, Water Pipits, Redwings, Fieldfares,  Whooper Swans and Waxwings. 

Winter Blessings and Beauties: Day 65

Winter Wildlife

Research the species that you are most likely to see in your area. Visit beaches, wetlands and woodlands or just take a walk and see what you can spot. Take binoculars and a pocket guide book. Even if you don't see the animals and birds themselves, keep an eye out for clues to their presence such as tracks in snow or mud, droppings, nibbled nuts or gnawed bark, owl pellets, burrows, nests or tufts of fur snagged on a fence.   

Winter Blessings and Beauties, Day 64: Tarot Year Card

 

The beginning of a new year is an obvious time for divination. If you use the tarot, you have very likely already read your cards for the year ahead. But there's another way the tarot can guide you through the next 12 months: your tarot year card. This method uses a kind of numerology based on your birth date to pick a card which indicates the issues and lessons to be learned during the course of the year. Even if you're not familiar with the tarot and don't own a tarot deck, you can still work out your year card (and it's easy to find the meanings for the card you've picked online).

Winter Blessings and Beauties: Day 64

Tarot Year Card

To work out your Tarot Year Card, add together your birth day and month with the digits of the year ahead to get a 4-digit number. So for example, if you were born on 17th May, your calculation would look like this: 

    17

    05

2021

2043

When you have found your 4-digit number, add the 4 digits together. In our example you would therefore add together 2 + 0 + 4 + 3 = 9

If your answer is a number between 1-21 then that is the number of your Tarot Year Card. If the calculation gives an answer higher than 21 (e.g. 25), add the digits together to get a number within the range 1-21 (e.g. 2 + 5 = 7). 

The number you end up with should correspond with one of the Major Arcana Tarot Cards, as listed below:

1. Magician
2. High Priestess
3. Empress
4. Emperor
5. The Lovers
6. The Hierophant/Pope
7. The Chariot
8. Strength
9. The Hermit
10. The Wheel of Fortune
11. Justice
12. The Hanged Man
13. Death
14. Temperance
15. The Devil
16. The Tower
17. The Star
18. The Moon
19. The Sun
20. Judgement
21. The World

If you're not familiar with the meanings of the cards, there are plenty of online sites (such as this one) which can help you interpret your card.  

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Winter Blessings and Beauties, Day 63: Perihelion

Today the Earth reaches its annual perihelion, which is the point in its orbit when it's closest to the Sun. Each year the perihelion occurs about two weeks after the Winter Solstice. The word comes from the Greek 'peri' meaning close, and 'helios' meaning Sun. At this point in the Earth's elliptical orbit around the Sun, they are a mere 91,399,454 miles apart. In July, when they reach their furthest point from each other - the aphelion - they will be 94,510,886 miles apart, a difference of more than 3 million miles.

It seems strange therefore that most people are unaware of the perihelion and aphelion and that they are imperceptible to the naked eye - not of course that we should be looking directly at the Sun at any time! It's yet another reminder of the immensity of our world and the solar system of which it is a part. It's amazing to think of the vast, intricately choreographed dance of celestial objects which continues ceaselessly - for the most part completely unheeded by us.

Winter Blessings and Beauties: Day 63

Perihelion

As we reach our closest point to the Sun - the closest we will be to it during the whole year - mark the occasion by lighting a candle. Dedicate it to the beautiful, life-giving Sun, and give thanks for all the light, warmth, and energy received by our small planet.   

    

Winter Blessings and Beauties, Day 62: New Year's Day

 

Today a whole New Year lies ahead of us, as clean and unmarked as a fresh fall of snow.  

Winter Blessings and Beauties: Day 61

New Year's Day

A day to look ahead. To imagine possibilities. To make plans. 

What are your hopes for the coming months? It may help to journal about them, to refine your ideas and perhaps begin thinking about the concrete steps you could take to bring them to fruition. If you have a favourite method of divination, you could do a reading for yourself asking about the year ahead. 

Happy New Year!    

Winter Blessings and Beauties, Day 61: Cleansing on New Year's Eve

 

Every year on New Year's Eve, I turn my attentions to tidying up loose ends, cleaning the house physically and cleansing it energetically. I began this tradition almost by accident, but the idea really resonates with me, and so I have continued it each year. New Year's Eve is also the day I conclude my annual Clean Start Soap Spell, so this morning saw me diligently using up the last slivers of soap. Interestingly, this year they seemed reluctant to finally dissolve away, so I'm taking that as an unfortunate omen that the issues and energies of 2020 will be tenaciously hanging on into 2021. Be that as it may, I'm cleaning and cleansing in preparation for a fresh new start tomorrow. Won't you join me?

Winter Blessings and Beauties: Day 61

Cleansing on New Year's Eve

There are many ways you can clean and cleanse in preparation for the New Year. Clean your home, bathe yourself, do an energetic cleansing of yourself and your surroundings. Here are some ideas.

• Tidy your home, putting things away in their proper places and throwing away/giving away/donating to charity anything which is no longer required. 
• Clean your home - wipe down surfaces, sweep the floor, scrub the sink.
• Put fresh bedlinen on your bed, clean towels in the bathroom and clean tea-towels in the kitchen.
• Wash, dry and put away the dishes after your meal.
• Wash and valet your car.
• Open all the windows for at least 10 minutes to allow fresh air to circulate.
• Do an energetic space cleansing by sprinkling a little salt water around the perimeter of each room and at each door and window.
• Use a singing bowl or a smudge stick to cleanse your home and yourself of any negative energy.

For more inspiration on cleansing your space (including recipes for making your own magical cleaning products) see my post on Magical Spring Cleaning.

Winter Blessings and Beauties, Day 60: Year End Review

 

The year 2020 is drawing to a close. Is that a sigh of relief I can hear? 

For many - most? - of us this has been a year like no other. The entire world has collectively had to navigate these strange, challenging, stressful, tedious, frightening times.

Most years I find the last few days of the year a good time to look back over the preceding twelve months - both good and bad. This year I think it's more important than ever to reflect on the events of the last year. It has been a time of such momentous change for everyone that there must be a serious need to process it all. In fact, I suspect we'll be processing 2020 for a good long time to come. 

Despite the dramas of 2020 though, I believe when looking back we'll be able to find happy memories as well as difficult ones. Life is never all good or all bad. For example, Coronavirus has had a devastating impact on my work and income, we've had major maintenance issues with the house and several of my loved ones have been battling serious illness. Yet I've loved having more free time on my hands to spend on gardening and writing again; I've had my faith in human nature restored by so many acts of love, kindness and generosity; and I've had space to stand back, reassess my life and realise what is really important - and what isn't.  

Winter Blessings and Beauties - Day 60

Year End Review

In your notebook or journal, make some notes reviewing 2020. Probably there will be some major events that stand out in your memory so make a brief note of these first. Then cast your mind back, month by month and try to remember what other things occurred. If you need to jog your memory, look back through your journal, diary, calendar, blog, social media accounts or even the photos on your phone. Make brief notes of everything you remember.

Now start to flesh things out and ask yourself some questions about the year. What were the best things that happened? What were the worst? What did you learn? What did you lose? What things would you like to leave behind in 2020? What will you gladly take forward with you into 2021? What unfinished business do you have to deal with?  What did you achieve? What are you hoping for? What would you differently next time? 

Try to find a sentence - or two - that sums up 2020, good and bad.  

Winter Blessings and Beauties, Day 59: Recipe - Curried Parsnip Soup

 

I love making soup - as I may have mentioned before. It's such a versatile dish - and a great way of using up leftovers or gluts of homegrown veggies**. One of my favourite soup recipes for this time of year is Curried Parsnip Soup. Creamy, spicy, warming, soothing - it's everything you could want from a Winter recipe. Root vegetables are grounding, connected to the deep slow pulse of the Earth. In this recipe they compliment and contrast with the subtle fire energy of the spices.

Winter Blessings and Beauties: Day 59

Recipe - Curried Parsnip Soup

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil

knob of butter

1 onion

1 tsp turmeric*

pinch of asafoetida*

1 tsp medium curry powder*

2-3 parsnips, peeled and chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 medium, potato peeled and chopped

vegetable stock

½ tsp garam masala*

single cream

fresh coriander leaves

Method

Heat the vegetable oil and butter in a saucepan, add the chopped onion and fry gently for a few minutes until softened and translucent. 

Stir in the turmeric, asafoetida and curry powder, then add the chopped parsnip, carrot and potato. 

Pour over enough vegetable stock to cover the vegetables, and bring to the boil. 

Stir well and reduce to a simmer until the vegetables are soft. 

Blend until smooth with a stick blender or in a food processor. 

Return to the heat and stir in the garam masala and single cream. Check seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve, sprinkled with a garnish of chopped coriander leaves.

 * Make this soup as mild or spicy as you like by adjusting the amount of spices to suit your own tastes. 

** My other soup recipes can be found via these links:

• Pumpkin Soup
• Nettle Soup
• Sunshine Soup 
• Tomato Soup (adaptation of the Fresh Tomato Sauce recipe)