How to Honor the Season of Winter
This is the time of year wihin the Green Witch Medicine Wheel that is represented by both the element of Earth and the North Direction, which correlates with the season of winter and the dark hour of night. It is also the time to honor the Elders, our beloved Ancestors, especially the Grandmothers and Grandfathers who came before us.
Wintertime was traditionally enjoyed by many by gathering around the hearth for shared stories, and tales of old. For many of us, our familial stories, legacies and earth medicines have been lost over time and this is a valuable time of year to remember, reclaim, reweave and relearn it. After all, it was not that long ago that ALL of our ancestors were still closely connected to the Earth and the centuries of healing practices, ritual and ceremonies of the land were alive and well.
It is important to remember that these practices were past down via the oral tradition, especially during this season of Winter. The Earth Element and the Winter energies are all about Talk, Taste, Nourishment and Grounding. It is an invitational time to connect deeper within our own Relationship to the Divine Mother, develop a greater sense of inner Peace and deepen our connections. It is a time to honor, nourish and allow deep rest for the Physical body, this can be done so with warm healing foods, spiced herbal teas and ritual or spiritual bathing.
Here are a few additional ways to Honor the Season of Winter
Healing Herbs
Herbs that are helpful to work with during this season are earthy-smelling herbs such as patchouli, ashwagandha, cedar and pine. It is a good time to go inwards and root down, using herbs with long tap roots such as burdock and dandelion, as well as eating root vegetables such as beets carrots, and parsnips help us to ground into and honor this energy. I particularly love the mosses/lichens that you can find standing out, upon the branches on forest floor during this time of year, including Usnea which is a great herb to work with both magically and medicinally.
Honor Your Winter Alter
Include earthly objects such as stones, bark, wood, crystals, including Herkimer diamonds, moss agate and coal. Also, salt or clay dish of fresh soil, as well as wheat, acorns and seeds also represent and honor the winter season.
Ceremonial Practices
There are many ceremonial practices that coincide with the winter season and the time of honoring Earth element and the North direction. These may include a burying ritual to rid that what no longer serves or planting spiritual seeds of intention. Working with soil or sand is a great way to connect, as is tending to any indoor plants, starting seeds of intention or making plans for future gardens. It is also a potent time to do ritual work with stones, crystals, trees or knot work.
Give Thanks
Create a daily practice of prayer, ritual or ceremony for yourself. This can be as short as just a five minutes or done so while making a cup of warm tea. Recite positive daily mantras that work best for you, or use the following simple prayer below, if it speaks to you. Until next time, as we navigate the winter season may you all continue to be well and warm.
“To the Ancestors of the North Direction, We greet the Elders and the dark hour of night and give thanks for the opportunity to rest and repose! We are humbled to have the opportunity to sit in quiet gratitude.”
Let's walk the seasons of the year together in our Journey Through the Wheel of the Witch course. Each online journey will be filled with history, ceremony and rituals as well as traditional prayers and songs meant to be shared in celebration of the quarterly and cross quarterly holy-days. You will learn how to deepen your connection with the Earth and Spirit and take aways skills, tools, ceremony and rituals that you can utilize in the years to come. Together, we will honor the ancestors, ancient rites of passages, elementals and healing herbs associated with each each of the Sabbats. Registration is currently open at an introductory price until January 11th.
