Cailleach Bheur came by and I almost didn’t hear her..but when I stepped outside she messed up my hair,and scurried me to the car in a wind of furry… but I laughed as I went and my inner 5 yr. old was loving every moment… the clouds were a tempest of greys and deep blue sky as I drove and thoughts turned to warm wraps and a fireplace…. and I liked it !

Winter solstice is an astronomical phenomenon marking the shortest day and the longest night of the year. Winter is here.

There are many darker and witchy deities of this time of year….

La Befana-Italian, like St. Nicholas but a witch bringing gifts and candy

Dark Mother-Greek

Krampus-Germany, Bavaria

Bona Dea-Roman

Frau Holle-Norse

but my favorite is Celtic- Cailleach Bheur, or Blue Hag

In Gaelic mythology the Cailleach is a divine hag, a creator deity and weather deity, and an ancestor deity. She is also commonly known as the Cailleach Bhéara or Bheur. The word cailleach means “hag” in modern Scottish Gaelic, and has been applied to numerous mythological figures in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man.

The Cailleach is a widespread form of Celtic hag Goddess tied to the land and the weather, who has many variants in the British Isles. She’s the”Old Woman of the Spells” and her themes are balance, cycles, rebirth, overcoming and winter. A blue faced crone Goddess who blusters with power throughout the winter month, she brings the snow and cold until the wheel of time turns toward spring on Beltane (May Day). Also known as The Storm Hag, she is seen as the personification of the elemental powers of nature.

She is a Crone, a Grandmother, a SageWoman. She is the keeper of Occult Knowledge, the Mysteries of the Dark. It is through the Crone that knowledge of magick, the Dark, and other secrets of the ages are passed down.

Peer into the darkness to find the old and ancient bones. What do they cage? What new thing can they support? This Goddess is one of cold honesty.

Mornings I can almost see the Blue Hag as she scurries about

changing the tapestry of the air

and the floor of my world ….. misty windows

melt by noon and I’m sad…

so I look forward to the new day’s visit with her…….💨

I share some magic for this time of year….

Blue Hag/Crone meditation

Light some incense and inhale the scent.

Close your eyes. Visualize yourself walking from the East to a Crossroads at sunset and stopping to face North. From this direction, a dark figure approaches, this is the Crone. When she stops she will beckon you to follow her. She will lead you to a gateway, do not pass through this time, but note what it looks like and any symbols that are written on it. This is the gateway through which you must pass before you can walk between the worlds–and you will need to look out for it, or its symbols in lucid dreams during this winter.

Keep careful note of your dreams between now and Imbolc (Feb.1). If you have a problem or want an idea on something you can even contemplate it before sleep and ask that you receive the information you need. Be ready upon waking to jot down anything pertinent from the dream. Some amazing things can occur this way.

Working toward the full moon now……

light candles

burn favorite incense

say

“Oh mighty air, that rushes its force through the trees and plants on a windy night, I call to thee”

“Oh mighty fire, that warms us and helps provide us with many comforts, I call to thee”

“Oh mighty water, that overtakes low land with great force and is essential to all life, I call to thee”

“Oh mighty earth, that we walk upon and must treat as we would our own kin, I call to thee”

“Oh mighty spirit, that rages through all of us, keeping us strong and healthy, in the name of Night I call to thee”

Burn a wish or goal written on paper.

After the full moon write down what is bothering you and Cailleach may offer ideas to help you fix it, ask her to send her wisdom and protection.

Winter solstice is a wonderfully magical time and for this last spell you don’t need any ingredients.

A spell is a journey; a communication with the all-there-is, and that is always magical.A heartfelt wish at the right moment, in the right place, is worth a thousand complicated traditional spells.

Prepare to go outside on the Winter Solstice and commune with the infinite velvet space and the stars.

Take some time to breathe deeply and raise your eyes to the sky. See, feel,know the wonderful space of cool, clear darkness that lies between them, an open space of freedom that doesn’t end.

Give the night both your hopes and your fears; let it flow freely and take as long as you need until all the hopes and fears have taken wing and have gone to the night, and you feel light, free, expansive and easy. Your Winter Solstice Spell is complete.

Taking walks in the evening and feeling the winter air, no thoughts just letting nature take place, has helped me understand “be in the now.” Be still and enjoy this moment, because according to the news crazy on a daily basis, that is all we have and it can all change at any time. I still believe in Santa and some of these evening walks have been my magic!