"It's Christmas Eve. It's the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we smile a little easier, we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year we are the people that we always hoped we would be." ~ Frank Cross (Scrooged)
December Dates of Interest:
- Dec. 1 - World AIDS Day/Rosa Parks Day
- Dec. 4 - National Cookie Day
- Dec. 7 - National Cotton Candy Day
- Dec. 7 - Yule Log Crafting w/ Inner Circle Sanctuary @ UUCLV
- Dec. 10 - Human Rights Day
- Dec. 13 - Pagan Movie Night - The Hogfather!**
- Dec. 13/14 - Geminids Meteor Shower**
- Dec. 14 - UUCLV Food Pantry**
- Dec. 15 - Holiday Cookie Exchange @ UUCLV
- Dec. 15 @ 1:01 am - Full Cold Moon in Gemini
- Dec. 20 - Winterfest - Celebrating the Return of the Light (ZOOM)
- Dec. 21 – Yule/Jul/First Day of Winter/Winter Solstice
- Dec. 21 - Winterfest - Celebrating the Return of the Light (@UUCLV)
- Dec. 24 - Christmas Eve / National Eggnog Day
- Dec. 25 – Christmas Day
- Dec. 26 – First Day of Hanukkah/Kwanzaa
- Dec. 30 @ 2:26 pm - New Moon in Capricorn
- Dec. 31 - New Year's Eve
Click on days w/ bold type and ** for more information!
Special mention - Save the date!
Please participate in our blood drive on January 4th to donate the gift of life! The drive will be held in the social hall at UUCLV from noon till 4:00pm. All donors will recieve a raffle ticket and Heretic Cafe will be there serving some delicious coffees and teas.
“Blood is a life, pass it on!”
YULE / WINTER SOLSTICE
The Longest Night when the Goddess gives birth to the Light and the Sun Returns...
From Priestess Novaembre:
Winter Solstice is the longest night and shortest day of the year. It is the time when the hours of darkness are the greatest, and the hours of light are the least. The world “solstice” means “sun stands still.” The word “Yule” means “wheel” as in the Wheel of the Year.
Mythically it is the longest night when the Goddess gives birth to the light and the sun returns. This is the time of the Maiden’s spiritual birth. Having undergone death and separation from the upper world, she has met with the Crone and learned the mysteries of immortality, manifestation and dissolution. She welcomes the spirit of the child within her, even as she herself is reborn through recognition of her own immortality. There is a shift of energy in the heavens. The sun has been growing weaker, with fewer hours of light each day. Now, the longest night is followed by lengthening days. Yule is the last moment of gestation, the time in the womb that is about to end in birth, the nothingness that becomes the universe. It is the moment of the Goddess’ birth, from herself.
Yule rituals reenact the return of the Goddess and the return of warmth and light. They celebrate the birth of the sun (not son). They are rituals of being born and reborn, of the experience of the nothingness of death that is changed to the experience of Be-ing. This is the total stillness of winter, the furthest descent of the sun before winter cold gives away.
“As the winter solstice approaches the chill in the air deepens, and the frosty grip of winter begins to tighten. Days grow ever shorter, and the nights are at their longest and darkest."
December's Lunar Spotlight
December Full Moon in Gemini
Excerpts from The Dark Pixie
The Full Moon in Gemini puts the emotional Full Moon in the sign of the mind and expression, so Gemini Full Moons are usually times where we express what we're feeling more easily, and we can say what we mean and mean what we say. We can be authentic and open, and we want to feel understood. We can connect mentally with others, and we can focus on the ideas and plans that connect with us emotionally. We likely need an outlet for our minds so we don't overthink things, cause stress and anxiety for ourselves, and cause a mental meltdown.
This Full Moon also makes no aspects, but comes on the same day Mercury retrograde ends (the Full Moon is almost 12 hours before), and Mercury is the natural ruler of Gemini. This means we're extra focused on the retrograde energy, and we may struggle with something emotional coming out of the retrograde. There might be upsetting news, or outright bad news. Something might be coming to an end, but it might not feel like it's ending in the right way just yet (likely because it's not really over yet thanks to Mars retrograde until February).
We may need to work on improving your communications with others, expressing ourselves in new ways, and doing a better job at listening. There might be a lot of information flowing with this Full Moon, but it's in one ear and out the other, so we have to work on really listening.
~ The Full 'Cold' Moon ~
Excerpts from The Farmer's Almanac
The full Moon December 2024 arrives when the chill of winter settles over the land, casting a brilliant light over the frozen landscape and emphasizing the quiet stillness of the season. This particular full Moon is commonly referred to as the “Cold Moon” due to its association with low temperatures, however, its significance extends far beyond low temperatures.
December’s full Moon rises around sunset for several nights in a row: December 14, 15, and 16. The winter solstice Moon also takes the highest, longest path along the sky. Learn why the full Cold Moon (also called the Long Night Moon) is special.
When to see the Full Moon in December 2024:
The full Moon for December is 100% illuminated on December 15, 1:01 A.M. (PST). To our eyes, the Moon’s disk will appear fully illuminated the night before the full Moon, and the night after, so start looking on December 14 towards the east after sunset as it peaks over the horizon.
If you look up during the December full Moon, notice how it’s nearly at the top of the sky, tracing a long path through the night, akin to Santa’s sleigh! It’s above the horizon longer than any Moon—hence, it’s the longest night! Conversely, near the summer solstice in June, the Sun is highest in the sky while the Moon has the lowest arc—hence, it’s the longest day!
Why is it called the Cold Moon?
The name “Cold Moon” is a descriptive label for the December full Moon, used by various native North American tribes and Celtic culture. In the Northern Hemisphere, December often marks the coldest day of the year, although temperatures can significantly vary, and record lows can happen at any point during the winter months. Since December signifies the official start of winter, it is often associated with the coldest temperatures, as the season settles and intensifies. This is also reflected in the Chinese name for this month’s Moon, “Bitter Moon,” which likely alludes to the bitter cold that arrives in December.
Another reason for the name “Cold Moon” is because of the long winter nights, when the cold lasts the longest before the Sun rises again to warm the Earth. This is why December’s Full Moon is also called “Full Long Nights Moon” or “Long Night Moon” by the Mahican, Oneida tribes, and neo-pagan cultures. The full Moon appears exceptionally long in December when nights are at their longest, allowing the Moon’s light to shine for a longer duration than any other time of the year. In contrast, the Sun’s presence is much shorter during December, leading to the Zuni tribe referring to it as the “Sun Has Traveled Home to Rest” Moon in the southwest.
Because of the emphasis of winter in this month, the simple name “Winter Moon” is often used, especially by the Shoshone tribe of the Great Basin. “Dead of Winter Moon” is a slightly more descriptive name used by the Alaskan Inupiat peoples, reflecting the greater severity of the season so far north. “Snow Moon” is another relatively common term with the Cherokee and Haida tribes, highlighting that the first snow generally falls in December in many areas.
In further relating to quirks of the beginning of winter, “Popping Trees Moon” is a name used by the Arapaho and Oglala tribes, noting that this is the time of year when sap can freeze and rupture the tree’s bark, causing popping or snapping noises from what seems to be an empty, silent forest.
ALTERNATIVE DECEMBER MOON NAMES:
- Drift Clearing Moon (Cree)
- Frost Exploding Trees Moon (Cree)
- Moon of the Popping Trees (Oglala)
- Hoar Frost Moon (Cree)
- Snow Moon (Haida, Cherokee)
- Winter Maker Moon (Western Abenaki)
- Long Night Moon (Mohican)
- Mid-Winter Moon (Lakota and Northern Ojibwe)
- Moon When the Deer Shed Their [Antlers] (Dakota)
- Little Spirit Moon (Anishinaabe)
In Europe, ancient pagans called the December full Moon the “Moon Before Yule,” in honor of the Yuletide festival celebrating the return of the sun heralded by winter solstice.
MOON FOLKLORE
- If a snowstorm begins when the Moon is young, it will cease at moonrise.
- December changeable and mild, the whole winter will remain a child.
- Thunder in December presages fine weather.
- Frost on the shortest day is said to indicate a severe winter.
- December cold, with snow, brings rye everywhere.
December Full Moon Magic:
Wigington, Patti. "Long Nights Moon." Learn Religions, Aug. 28, 2020
The last moon phase of the year is the Long Nights Moon in December, also called the Cold Moon or Big Winter Moon, depending on where you live. This is often a time of introspection and self discovery, as you evaluate the trials and tribulations that you've endured over the past year. However, this self analysis has a definite benefit — it gives you a chance to re-evaluate where you want to go and who you want to be in the coming twelve months. This is a season of adaptation and change. In many magical traditions, and certainly owing to its proximity to Yule and Christmas, this is also a time of sharing one's blessings with those less fortunate.
Correspondences:
- Colors: White, red, and black are associated with December's full moon, in part due to the darkness of the season
- Gemstones: Obsidian, ruby, and serpentine
- Trees: Pine, holly, and fir are connected to the winter solstice, and also to the full moon this month
- Gods: Minerva, Osiris, Athena, Persephone, and Hades are tied to the darker half of the year and the season of long nights
- Herbs: Ivy, mistletoe, holly and berries, and cinnamon
- Element: Even though this is a season of darkness, with Yule, the winter solstice, comes the return of the light, so this full moon is often connected to the element of fire
As the days get shorter and Yule approaches with the longest night of the year, we force ourselves to get through the darkness, because eventually we will see the sunlight and warmth again. Think about the things in your life that you've had to endure. Sometimes, a part of us must die in order to be reborn. Now is the perfect time for spiritual alchemy — time to evaluate your life, and know that you'll survive the dark times. Get rid of that excess baggage you've been toting around.
If you've already put the darkness behind you, take your good fortune and share it with others. When it's cold outside, open your heart and home to friends and family. Reach out to people who might be suffering from the chill of winter, either spiritually or physically.
Long Nights Moon Magic:
Because this is, for many of us, a fallow time of year, often the magic of December focuses on self-discovery and change. As we evaluate who and what we have become — and wish to be — we allow ourselves to share our blessings with those around us, and spread our good fortune and well wishes.
- Take some time to examine the relationships you've had in your life over the past year — and not just romantic ones. Are you doing everything in your power to maintain healthy, happy connections? If not, what can you do differently?
- If there's something you need to let go of — something that's been dragging you down for the past year — now's the chance to release your baggage. Write your problem on a piece of paper, sit outside under the full moon, and burn the paper, scattering the ashes into the breeze. Alternatively, tear it up and throw it into a moving body of water. Either way, once it's gone, you can start thinking about how to move forward with your life.
- Set up an outdoor altar with seasonal items like holly branches and pinecones and burn some cinnamon or winter solstice incense. Go outdoors at night with a bowl or cauldron full of water and do some moonlight scrying. This is particularly helpful if you know you need to make some changes but aren't sure how to get started.
- Go through all of your old stuff that you don't use anymore. Some people take an approach in which anything that (a) doesn't fit, (b) hasn't been used in six months, or (c) no longer brings you happiness should be eliminated from your life. Clear out the physical clutter, donate it to an organization or individual that will repurpose it, and help someone else out in the process. You may want to include a blessing of donations ritual as well.
As the calendar year draws to a close, this is also a good time to start planning ahead. Think about what changes you're going to want to make in the coming months. You know all those New Year's resolutions you always make? Put some planning and forethought into them this time around, and you'll be far more likely to keep them. Get ready to break your bad habits, and start forming some good ones, to become a new and improved version of yourself in the new year.
Excerpt from: The Outdoor Apothecary
As December’s Full Moon rises, casting a silvery glow across the quiet winter landscape, take a moment to settle into a comfortable space where the moonlight can touch you, or imagine its presence if you are indoors.
Close your eyes and take three deep breaths, inhaling, and exhaling any tension or worries. Visualize the moon’s rays as a gentle, cleansing light, bathing you in a silvery glow.
With each breath in, draw in the moon’s energy, feeling it fill you with calm and peace. As you breathe out, release thoughts and feelings that no longer serve you, letting them dissipate into the night.
Now, picture yourself standing in a snow-covered landscape, the Full Cold Moon bright above you. Reflect on the cycle of the year gone by – the growth, the harvest, and now the quiet and rest of winter. Contemplate the lessons you’ve learned and the wisdom you’ve gained.
As you stand under December’s Full Moon, think about your hopes and dreams for the coming year. What intentions would you like to set? What do you wish to bring into your life? Imagine these desires as seeds, planting them in the fertile ground beneath the moonlight.
Spend a few moments basking in the moon’s glow, feeling its strength and stability. Know that just like the moon, you have phases and cycles, and each has its own beauty and purpose.
When you are ready, take three deep breaths, bringing your awareness back to the present. Open your eyes, carrying the peace and clarity of the moon’s light with you into the days ahead.
New Moon in Capricorn
The final New Moon of 2024...
The year comes to a close with a New Moon in Capricorn, the sign of goals and direction, which is kind of perfect as we move into 2025. We can set goals, we can focus on what we want to achieve in the new year, and we want to feel like we're setting ourselves up on the right path for success. We can be disciplined, practical, realistic, and hard-working in smart ways.
This is helped by Mercury retrograde now over for this New Moon, however Mars is still retrograde (starts December 6th, lasts until February 23rd). Mars retrograde can inhibit our ability to take the initiative with what we want, so we may put together lots of plans and set new goals for the new year, but we may not take action right away. It might feel like the first few months of 2025 are stalled out thanks to retrogrades, so we have to be patient and make the most of opportunities when we have them as they may not last long.
Retrogrades are times for second chances, so many of you might focus on goals that are for second chances and do overs instead of something brand new. This might tie into the energy with the Sagittarius New Moon and carries over into the Capricorn New Moon and for the first 4 months or so of 2025. It's actually great energy for a second chance, so if there's something you want to give another shot, this can be a time to do just that.
“Love is like a snowflake, it can come to you in any shape or size, and from any direction” ― Jennifer LeBlanc
The Legend of
The Christmas Spider
Article By Lex Leigh
If you celebrate Christmas, you likely have annual traditions when it comes to decorating your Christmas tree. There are many accessories we like to decorate our trees with, but one of the most common decorations is tinsel. Long, shiny, and fun, tinsel is a great way to add a flash of color and sparkle to any Christmas tree. But do you know why tinsel is such a common Christmas tree decoration in the first place? Believe it or not, you can actually thank the Christmas spider for this festive decor.
The Christmas What?
While most of us only associate spiders with Halloween and other spooky events, spiders were actually once associated with Christmas. The Legend of the Christmas Spider is a famous folktale that originated in Europe somewhere around Germany and Ukraine. Although there isn’t a clear time of origin, it is believed that the celebration of the Christmas spider started sometime in the last few hundred years. After the legend spread, it is said that Europeans started to decorate their trees with fake spider webs before turning to tinsel.
The word tinsel actually has origins in the 16th century, where it arose from the Anglo-French verb tenceler. Tenceler, in its original form, means ‘to sparkle.’ Early forms of tinsel were actually quite dangerous for people, although they didn’t know it at the time. Lots of early tinsel was made of lead, though this eventually stopped due to safety concerns. Instead, plastic started being used to produce the shiny tinsel we know and love today.
The Legend of the Christmas Spider:
According to the legend, there was once a poor widow who lived with her children in a small hut. The widow was hardworking, but barely made enough to provide for her children’s needs. One year, a pine cone fell on the floor of their hut and started to grow into a pine tree. The children cared for the tree all year, hoping that it would grow large enough in time for Christmas.
Although the tree did grow large enough by Christmas, the widow was too poor to afford decorations for the tree. The children went to bed disappointed, wishing they had enough money to get some decorations this Christmas. The spiders living in the home, witnessing this sad scene, decide to help the widow and her children by decorating the tree with long, shiny spider webs.
When the children woke up in the morning, they were overjoyed to see the tree decorated with shiny webs. The sun shone through the window onto the webs, making them shimmer in the light until they turned into silver and gold. The widow used the silver and gold to provide for her children, and they were never impoverished again.
Spiders - Misunderstood Good Luck Charms
Though the true origin of the Christmas spider legend is not proven, some historians believe it likely stemmed from an old European belief that spiders bring good luck. The only region that did not follow this superstition was Germany, though they considered only black spiders not to be bringers of good luck.
Europeans also had a superstition that destroying a spider’s web before the spider is out of the way brings bad luck, so this correlation between spiders and luck is not new. This could have been the cause of the webs being turned to silver and gold, rather than being torn down. However, it is unclear which came first: did the superstitions arise from the legend, or did the legend arise from the superstitions?
Regardless of the order they arose in, some Europeans (predominantly Ukrainians) still decorate their trees with spider ornaments. Usually, these ornaments are made of glass beads and are considered beautiful art pieces representing the legend of the Christmas spider. It is believed that the spider ornament will bring you good luck, just like the spiders brought luck to the widow and her children. Just like Christmas tree toppers, all spider ornaments are unique, so you can pick the one you think is the luckiest for your tree.
If you’re looking for some new Christmas decorations this year, consider getting yourself some tinsel and a spider ornament. You never know - perhaps they really will bring you good luck!
“At the darkest time of year, Lord Yule laid down his beard of snow and cloak of frost and ice to illuminate the gloom.” ― Stewart Stafford
Ye Ol' Crafty Corner...
Herbal Winter Solstice Yule Wreaths
As published on MoodyMoons.com
These simple, graceful Yule wreaths breathe life into any small space or Winter Solstice altar. Easy enough to make on your own or with older kids! Or get your moon circle together and turn your Solstice celebration into a crafting day. It’s a great way to bring a little of the outdoors inside this winter and create something beautiful.
Gathering Evergreens:
If you maintain a witchy garden, you probably already grow some herbal evergreens. Rosemary in particular is both common and dries very well into a wreath. However, any evergreen will work. Try:
- Pine Needles
- Juniper
- Cedar
- White fur
Or whatever happens to grow ubiquitously in your area.
Ingredients:
- Fresh evergreen clippings
- matching green thread
- red ribbon (or color of your choice)
- scissors
- embroidery hoop of varying sizes
- hot glue gun
- optional: essential oils
Directions:
1. Take a sprig of your chosen evergreen. Holding it firmly with the thumb of your non-dominant hand against the embroidery hoop, wrap the thread tightly around the hoop and the evergreen. Pull the thread tightly as you go to secure it, but not so hard as to break it. Work your way all the way around it until the front of the hoop is covered with the evergreens.
2. Flip the hoop over so that the back is facing up. Cut a piece of ribbon the length you want the yule wreaths to drop down from where it’s going to hang. (I just kind of eyeballed it according to the space I knew the wreaths would be in).
3. Cut two pieces of ribbon of equal length (mine were about 11″ long). Starting with the first piece of ribbon, fold it in half and find the middle. Mark it with a pen if you need to, then lay the full length flat with the back of the ribbon facing up.
4. Cross the two pieces of ribbon at the middle. Hot glue them at the point of intersection. Cut a 3″ piece of ribbon. Face the back of the ribbon up, and lay the crossed pieces (back sides facing up) on the short piece. Fold the ends of the short piece over so that they meet at the intersection point.
5. Flip the finished bow over and secure it to the ribbon on the wreath at whatever level you liked. I put mine several inches about the wreath, which I thought gave it an elegant look.
You’re done! Mine were light enough that I just hung them up with thumb tacks, but use whatever method of hanging you prefer.
Tips and Tricks:
These Yule wreaths look great if you use varying sizes of embroidery hoops and hang them at slightly different levels.
Go the extra mile and add a few drops of essential oil to the wreaths to make them smell amazing. For Yule, I love any of these:
- rosemary essential oil
- cinnamon essential oil
- cedar essential oil
- orange essential oil
“Deep in the secret world of winter's darkness, deep in the heart of the Earth, the scattered seed dreams of what it will accomplish, some warm day when its wild beauty has grown strong and wise.” ― Solstice
WINTER SOLSTICE PRAYER
by: Mary Saracino
Deep night, Dark night
Night of the longest sigh
Soulful night, Sacred night
Night of the longest dreams
Cold night, Holy night
Night of unfurling desires
Womb of the world, Birther of hope
Bringer of peace and good will
Pray, pray for all good things
That suffering for all will end
That life will thrive and generosity reign
In the hearts of all humankind
That joy will rise, and children will fly
On wings of prosperity
Oh, hear our plea, this silent night
When the moon is round in the sky
When hopes are high, and eyes are wide
With delight and audacity
May love prevail tonight, and always
Leading us back to our Source
May we dance with the dark, without hesitation or fear
And savor her promise of plenty
Deep night, Dark night
Night of the longest sigh
May our weary hearts stay vigilant and receptive
To all that is loving and dear.
Art image by: @selchauni
“The dark and cold of winter pressed its snowy blanket down. It stilled the land and bid it rest, to dream beneath its frosty gown.” ― Solstice
The Kitchen Witch's Cauldron
~ Lutzelfrau’s Dark Chocolate Chesnut Tarts ~
Honouring the Witch's of Winter....
According to folklore the Lutzelfrau, like many winter witches, punished those who broke the sacred traditions of the Christmas season. Those too miserly to partake sufficiently in collective feasting (endangering future plenty) would be rewarded with the proverbial lumps of coal or worse. I find it interesting that the old German Hexenhäusl or Hexenhäuschen (“witch’s house”) known today as the gingerbread house has become such a popular emblem of Christmas.
So, in honor of the upcoming Winter Solstice, and the Goddesses of old, I invite you to join me in celebrating the darkness that precedes the light with these velvety and luscious Lutzelfrau Dark Chocolate Tarts! Made with dark chocolate, cocoa, and a splash of dark coffee mixed with chestnut puree, (found in most upscale grocers this time of the year) and topped with an optional dollop of chocolate pudding, they are as dark and rich as the night.
Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat, Please put a penny in the old man's hat; If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do, If you haven't got a ha'penny, Goddess bless you! —Beggar's rhyme.
Magical music for your Winter Solstice! 'Yule' by Sowulo
December Book Review
Winter Tales:
Stories and Folktales from Around the World
by: Dawn Casey (Author) & Zanna Goldhawk (Illustrator)
Synopsis:
Winter Tales is a fully illustrated treasury of stories celebrating the wonders of the season throughout the world. This stunning book brings together a selection of wintery tales from all over the globe—from North America to Siberia, Scotland, France, Russia, and Norway. Written by award-winning author Dawn Casey and with beautifully detailed artwork by illustrator Zanna Goldhawk, this is a magical book to be treasured for generations to come.
Contents:
- The White Bear King (from Norway)
- Tanuki's Gold (from Japan)
- The Mitten (from Ukraine)
- A Cloak for the Moon (from Poland)
- The Nutcracker / by E.T.A. Hoffman
- The Poinsettia (from Mexico)
- Wee Robin Red Breast (from Scotland)
- The Little Black Cat (from France)
- The Snow Maiden (from Russia)
- The Silver Pine Cones (from Germany)
- The Apple Tree Man (from England)
- Sister and Brother (from Siberia)
- The Mother of the Sea (from Greenland)
- The Snow Queen / by Hans Christian Andersen
- Rabbit's Gift (from China)
- The Children and the Sun (from Kalahari Desert, Southern Africa)
- The Twelve Months (from Greece)
- Brigit and the Cailleach (from Scottish and Irish Folklore)
About the Author:
Dawn Casey is a children’s book author with a love of nature and the wonders of the world. She lives with her family in South Downs of Sussex.
Zanna Goldhawk is a bestselling illustrator working from a beautiful seaside studio in Cornwall. She has worked for such clients as Penguin Random House, Frances Lincoln, Michael O’Mara Books, and more.
December Laughs:
Write for Goddess Speak!
Goddess Speak accepts submissions for articles, stories, poetry, recipes, guided meditations, creative fiction, chants, artwork, photography and more. Please send submissions to Laurelinn, in care of goddessspeakeditor@gmail.com. If your submission is selected you will be notified by email.
Credits:
Photos and articles credited as noted.