The Dreamers Moon: A Seasonal Invitation
“Wolves and stars and snow. Those things made sense.”
So long as we decide it will be, the year's first full moon is a spell. It's a spell that doesn't require fancy tools or heaps of practice, nor do we need to follow a strict set of rules or memorize unfamiliar scripts and sigils. January's moon is a spell that summons magick from our dreams. So, while it's often called the Old Moon, Quiet Moon, Moon After Yule, or Wolf Moon, we've crowned it the Dreamer's Moon.
January's full moon is a cosmic seed. It's a vehicle for our imaginations, the soul, for our inner Underworld travelers - the same ones who navigate the tangible winter wilds.
In her book, Seasons of Moon & Flame, Danielle Dulsky writes that “The first moon of any season provides the sustenance we need, the necessary tastes and psychic nutrition, in order to move on to the challenge offered up by the second moon of the solar season.”
Seasons can be literal, earthly thresholds, but they're also symbolic. Malleable and fluid, our seasons may not align with what the calendar says or what our neighbors are doing. Seasons can be spiritual and surprising, preferring spiral paths to traditional straight lines.
So if we feel called to rest right now, let's rest. If you're itching to buy a new planner and map goals for spring, summer, and beyond, do exactly that. Remind yourself that Mother Moon is a faithful compass, dancing between cycles of expansion and retraction, hiding and being seen, revelry and reflection. However, during the dark months, with less sunlight and longer nights, our lunar compass often gravitates towards stillness. And in a capitalistic society, we speak about rest in hushed tones, as if our desire for stillness is a sign of weakness.
But if we never rested, would we ever dream?
And if we never dreamed, would fairy tales exist?
Some mythologists suggest that the first fairy tales originated in Dreamland. According to this theory, the soul leaves the body during sleep to explore magical, whimsical worlds. In Dreamland, people adventure to their heart's desire, collect stories, and scatter those seeds throughout the waking world. It would appear that after many years of planting our dreamscapes within nature, our hearts, and between the lines of a blank page, we've forged a bridge between worlds. You know what they say, as Above, so Below.
In our upcoming book Telling the Bees, dream divination plays a crucial role in Little Witch's magickal education. Click here to read a sample of our latest fairy tale, and keep an eye on this space for updates - our campaign launches in mere weeks!
In the spirit of this dreamy moon, our first moon of the year, and the upcoming, sleepy sabbat known as Imbolc, our author Kristin Lisenby arrives with an invitation for her fellow writers, poets, and all creatives with a story to tell:
The Winter Crossroads is calling…
Under the Dark Moon in the days around Imbolc, the storytellers gathered…at the Winter Crossroads magic is made.
During this five-week series and program, Kristin Lisenby and fellow word witch Kate Belew hold space with you at the creative cauldron of winter. Gathering by the fire, the lit candle, and the winter altar, together you'll explore and tell the tales of the Winter Witches, potent and poisonous plants, folklore, and myth.
These stories are fodder for your creative work; they are rituals to hold you in the darkest night of winter and seeds to hold in your hands before the coming spring. The Winter Crossroads is about gathering from our corners of the world, together to hold coven around these stories and in support of the telling of your own.
To the winter cocoon, to the creative path, to the Winter Witches, here in the final days of darkness, we remember and honor these stories.
Here is the schedule:
Week #1: The Quickening: Brigid, the Cailleach, & Snowdrops
The Cailleach is the mountain crone, storm sorceress, and keening Winter Witch. During the dark months, when the winds howl and humans seek refuge indoors, the one-eyed giantess hops from mountain to mountain. Her footsteps create canyons, and each time she pounds her magickal hammer, the earth quakes within its icy cocoon. This week, we'll contemplate the folklore of The Cailleach, Brigid, and their annual battle for the seasonal throne. Alongside Brigid, our fearless springtime maiden, we'll face the winter winds, follow the Snowdrops to the Green Isle, and drink from the Well of Immortality.
Week #2: The Liminal Crossroads: Hecate & Henbane
Hecate is known as the Greek Goddess of Witchcraft, the crossroads, hell hounds, skeleton keys, and the potent and poisonous plant path. This archetypal figure is both a guide and a reckoning, a seer, and the underworld magic from whence Witchcraft came. This week, we'll discuss the mythology surrounding Hecate and her poisonous plant garden, a place where serpents play, priestesses are initiated, and where you may face an initiation. Gather around the lit candle, and listen to Hecate tell the stories of the crossroads, mandrake, and henbane, while her hell hounds curl at her feet.
Week #3: The Seeking Arrow: Artemis & Cypress
The Huntress of the forest, the keeper of the wild wood, Artemis, arrives this week with her seeking arrow to teach us about the moon, wildness, cypress, and the hunt. This independent archetype, teacher of fiercess, this winter witch reminds us that the wildness that grows deep within our rib cages is longing to unfurl into the world and our work. This week, Artemis strings her bow, and aims for the heavens, teaching us that we ever need exists already within us. Wherever Artemis walks, her hunting dogs by her side, Cypress spring up behind her, teachers of wildness and magic at the edge of the forest. Gather around this bonfire, and listen to the tales of her potent and powerful path.
Week #4: The Garden of Lilith: Lilith & Belladonna
Lilith is the Hand of Inanna turned Mother of Demons. In Hebraic myth, she is the Witch, Whore, Serpent Woman, Baby Snatcher, and Hag that feeds on a person's life force when they are most vulnerable. Whether highlighted through humiliation, rage, or our deepest desires, Lilith is only dangerous when supressed. This week, we will discuss Lilith as an embodiment of the Great Mother and the former wife of Adam. We'll explore the Garden of Eden, the Red Sea, and visit the Belladonna fields. We'll collect “witch berries' for the Goddess-turned-Femme Fatal and contemplate the Dark Moon mysteries.
Week #5: The Magick Mirror: Athena, Medusa, & Olive
Deep within the Gorgons' lair, the memory of Medusa is alive and well. A monster who revels in turning men to stone, this snake-haired maiden is best known for her feud with Athena, Greek goddess of war and justice. But in an earlier life, Medusa stitched herself into the heavens under the guise of the dark moon. Beneath the cover of night, she was a Serpent Queen, an oracle, and a healer. This week, using Medusa as a mirror, we will gaze into our inner sanctums. We will don the Gorgon mask and draw down the moon. We will try on Athena's armor, Hermes' winged sandals, and pluck seeds of wisdom from the Olive tree. Medusa will introduce us to the sea spirits, serpents, and a way of existing before the solar gods arrived.
This five-week program includes five 90 minutes class, with recordings downloadable, five downloadable PDFs with rituals and prompts for extended study, a Slack Community & Coven to connect with other Winter Witches around the tales, potent plants, magic, astrology, ritual, and storytelling (including Kristin & Kate!).
This program is intended to support any schedule. If you can't attend live gatherings, the workshops can be listened to via recording and the prompts, exercises, and PDFs from workshops are yours to keep forever! No experience is needed to join, just a love of stories and plant magic.
Some testimonials from last year's gathering…
The Winter Crossroads was a unique container unlike any other I've experienced. Weaving together their magical talents and energies, Kate and Kristin crafted a welcoming, informative, and deeply connective space. It's clear that they put intentionality into every element of the class, and the stories they told alone would have been so worth the time and expense. A balance of those new to the winter goddesses, and those who have had relationships with them for many years, the community that gathered was such a breath of fresh air. The writing component was a perfect way to encourage engagement and bring folks closer together through sharing. I actually met up in real life with one of the folks from this class and have made a lasting connection that I would never have otherwise. Overall, I highly recommend folks to attend any of The Crossroads programs, and hope to see you there again myself! - R.
Kate and Kristin, each incredible in their own right, come together and make some kind of extra magic. They created a sacred container where we could gather and share the most authentic selves and be vulnerable if we chose. The material provided was accessible but also rich, enabling me to get much deeper in my studies of goddesses and plants. It was empowering, supportive, and so so lovely. - T.
To learn more about the Winter Crossroads and join this seasonal, creative coven, click here.
See you there, witches.