Chocolate-Almond Yule Log

(8 to 10 servings)

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 6 eggs, separated
• 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2/3 cup sugar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• Confectioner’s sugar
• 1 tablespoon almond- or cherry-flavored liqueur, optional
• Chocolate frosting (about 2 cups)
• Sliced blanched almonds, optional
• Cinnamon candies, optional
• Sliced green glace cherries, optional

Lightly grease 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1-inch jelly roll pan.
Line bottom with waxed paper.
Grease again.
Set aside.

In small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup sugar and water to boiling.
Reduce heat.
Simmer 1 minute. Set aside to cool.

In large mixing bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar at high speed until foamy.
Add 1/3 cup of the sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating constantly until sugar is dissolved (rub just a bit of meringue between thumb and forefinger to feel if sugar has dissolved) and whites are glossy and stand in soft peaks.

In small mixing bowl, beat egg yolks at high speed until thick and
lemon-colored, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Gradually beat in remaining 1/3 cup of the sugar until blended.
Beat in vanilla, almond extract and salt.
In small bowl, stir together ground almonds and flour.
Sprinkle over whites.
Add beaten yolk mixture.
Gently, but thoroughly, fold yolk mixture and almond mixture into whites. Pour into prepared  pan.
Gently spread evenly.

Bake in preheated 400° F oven until top springs back when lightly
touched with finger, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Dust clean tea towel with confectioner’s sugar.
With spatula, loosen cake from sides of pan and invert onto prepared towel. Carefully pull waxed paper off bottom of cake.
Trim all edges with serrated knife.

Stir liqueur, if desired, into cooled, reserved sugar syrup.
Spoon evenly over inside surface of hot cake.
Starting from short edge, roll up cake, rolling towel with cake.
Place wrapped roll seam-side down on wire rack until cool, about 30 minutes.

Carefully unroll cake. Spread with about 1 cup chocolate frosting.
Reroll.
Place seam-side down on serving platter.
Spread with about 1 cup additional frosting, using small spatula to create tree-bark effect.
Garnish with sliced almonds, candies and cherries, if desired.

Note: If prepared in advance, baked and cooled cake may be frozen without
filling.
Wrap well with aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
To thaw, let wrapped cake stand at room temperature about 1 hour.

http://tinyurl.com/24hyzj

Simple, delicious cookie recipes for your Solstice celebration
by Mary Scott

Melting Moments

2 sticks (½ pound) butter
¾ cup cornstarch
½ cup sifted powdered sugar
1 ¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix all ingredients together well then roll into balls and press down each ball with your thumb.
Chill overnight.
Brush tops of cookies with beaten egg white and top with M&M, spearmint leaf or candied ginger.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Alternatively, bake first, cool and frost with frosting of your choice.

Wreaths aka Hard Boiled Egg Cookies

4 sticks (1 pound) butter
½ cup sugar
6 hard boiled egg yolks, pushed through a sieve
1 raw egg yolk
4 cups flour
4 ounces brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cream butter & sugar together until fluffy and pale yellow, about 4 minutes using a stand mixer or 6 minutes with a hand-held mixer.
Add hard boiled egg yolks, flour, brandy and raw egg yolk.
Chill for 30 minutes.
Put dough in a in cookie press or pastry bag using star pattern and press out cookies.
Brush with beaten egg white and top with red and green decorative
sugar.
Bake for 25 minutes.

Chocolate Meltaways

2 sticks (½ pound) butter
4 ounces milk chocolate
¾ cup powdered sugar
1 cup ground walnuts
¼ teaspoon salt 2 cup flour
4 ounces German Sweet chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a heavy saucepan, melt one stick of butter with the chocolate
until smooth.
Add remaining ingredients.
Roll into balls and chill overnight.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and bake 30 minutes.

Chinese Almond Cookies

2 sticks (½ pound) butter
½ cup sugar
2 oz almond extract
pinch salt
½ cup cornstarch
½ pound raw almond for garnish.

Cream butter & sugar together until fluffy and pale yellow, about
4 minutes using a stand mixer or 6 minutes with a hand-held mixer.
Stir in almond extract.
Sift together dry ingredients and add to butter and sugar mixture.
Mix well then roll dough into tubes 2 inches wide and 5 inches long.
Chill overnight.
Slice into ¼ inch rounds, brush with beaten egg white and press whole raw almond into top of each.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bake for 20 minutes.

Mexican Wedding Cakes

2 sticks (½ pound) butter
½ cup powdered sugar plus additional for garnish
2 cups flour
pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ pound whole pecans or hazelnuts

Preheat oven 300 degrees.
Mix all ingredients together then pinch off teaspoon size pieces.
Hide one nut inside each one.
Bake 15 minutes and cool.
Top with powdered sugar.

Bourbon Balls

1 cup ground walnuts or pecans
1 cup vanilla wafer crumbs
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons sifted cocoa
1 ½ Tablespoon corn syrup
¼ cup bourbon
Sifted powdered sugar for garnish

Mix dry ingredients well and set aside.
Mix corn syrup and Jack Daniels then add to dry ingredients.
Mix well and roll into balls, roughly the size of walnuts.
Roll in sifted powdered sugar and chill for 2-3 hours.

Greek Cookies

2 sticks (½ pound) butter
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon cognac
2 cup flour
sugar as needed
whole cloves as needed

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cream butter & sugar together until fluffy and pale yellow, about 4 minutes using a stand mixer or 6 minutes with a hand-held mixer.
Beat in egg & cognac and mix well.
Gradually mix in flour.
Chill 3-4 hours.
Form 1inch balls, roll
in sugar & insert whole clove.
Bake 20 minutes.

http://tinyurl.com/263873

And lastly, there’s always the…

Ladyfinger Stonehenge!

Winter is the season of turning inward, and – with the lengthening
nights – one’s attention can be drawn toward spiritual
and psychic exploration of and experimentation with techniques
such as Astral Projection. This is something we do every night
when we sleep, but there is a lot to be said for developing the
ability to do it “consciously”, and learning to control
where we go and what we do when we are freed from the limitations
of the body…

I have read extensively on this subject and tried many different
methods of astral projection, with varying degrees of success.
The hardest part for me is the shutting off of internal dialogue
when trying to focus on the “void”. Sometimes I am able
to do so quite easily, but most of the time – and especially if
it’s been a stressful day – it is nearly impossible for me to
achieve…unless I do a specific breathing and relaxation exercise.

This can take the form of a grounding visualization, or tensing and
releasing each muscle of the body, starting with the feet and
moving upward…but my favourite technique is a chakra balancing
visualization, as follows:

After taking 3 particularly deep breaths – the first to relax the body,
the second to calm the emotions, and the third to still the mind
– I begin by visualizing the colour RED entering in through the
soles of my feet, and feel it rising up into my knees and thighs,
slowly up into my hips, waist, chest and shoulders, feel its warmth
spreading down into my arms and hands and fingers, then feeling
its energy rising up into my neck and head and face…I breathe
in the colour RED and feel it’s energy permeate my entire body…then
I release the colour RED out of the top of my head and dismiss
it…

Next I visualize and feel the colour ORANGE entering in through the
soles of my feet and upward through my body as described above,
ending with breathing in the colour ORANGE and feeling its energy
permeate my entire body, then releasing it through the top of
my head and dismissing it…

The other colours follow in succession: YELLOW, GREEN, LIGHT BLUE,
INDIGO, and VIOLET…and once all the colours of the chakras have
washed through me, I surround my body with a silver light and
protective aura and ask my Higher Self for guidance and aid in
leaving my body safely. By this time, I am quite relaxed and ready
to proceed…

I also use this technique as a prerequisite to exploring my other
lives – it’s a good basic grounding and balancing technique that
is easy to do and very effective!

Sometimes I imagine myself in another room of the house…in fact, I recall
one time that I ended up in the bathroom, standing in front of
the mirror, trying to see my reflection – which was quite wavery,
like ripples in a pond. I would try to focus in on, say, one eye,
and that would become clear, but the outline of the head remained
out of focus, and I remember thinking that I needed more light
and tried to flick the light switch, which my hand promptly right
through…but as I was thinking of more light, the moonlight from
the window brightened in intensity and gave me more light! I then
started talking to my reflection and began to feel all emotional…and
all of a sudden, whoosh! I was back in my physical body, opening
my eyes and being VERY surprised to find myself back in bed!

I conducted other experiments with going to other rooms in the house, and eventually I decided to try something harder – going outside
into the yard…and then into other parts of the property, and eventually – after much practice – to other places on the planet!
I’ve had many past lives across the pond in Britain, especially Wales and Scotland, and – since I am obsessed with studying and mapping out all the “power spots” over there – I decided
to visit them astrally. It’s definitely the cheap way to travel!
I’ve had varying degrees of success with certain spots, and seem
to have the most success with Northwest Wales – the Snowdon Mountain
area – where I have some particularly strong memories…

Another interesting phenomena I’ve experienced is the 360º vision.
It can be a bit unsettling the first time it happens, but one
quickly discovers how handy it becomes! It started when I was
experimenting one evening, lying on my right side, facing the
wall. All of a sudden I found myself able to see – behind my head
– my door slowly open (due to one of the cats pushing it open)
and a ray of light entering the room…yet my physical body was
still facing the wall! This eventually developed into being able
to see all directions at once in my travels…

Other times I’ve experienced a complete flipping of the astal body from
the physical position: I’d be facing one way and then find that
my astral head was where the physical feet were, and vice versa,
and the astral was facing the opposite direction – not sure why
this happens, but it’s interesting to note…

Oh, and I should mention here that it is never completely “dark”
on the astral plane – there usually seems to be a bluish glow
to everything – like a phosphorescence of sorts…

As with any form of psychic work, though, I highly recommend knowing
how to invoke a protective aura around yourself before experimenting.
Not that there is anything particular to be afraid of (especially
since we don’t always do this before going to sleep at night),
but it seems that – when one is trying to leave the body consciously
– one’s mind can sometimes feel a little skittish about venturing
out into the “unknown”, and it’s more to comfort the
mind than any real need for protection. That being said, my experience
has been that if I ever did run into anything or anyone that didn’t
feel good to me, my astral form would automatically snap right
back into my body before I even had a chance to think about it
– and I imagine it would work in a similar way for most people…

The following is an excerpt from Leaving The Body: A Complete
Guide to Astral Projection, D. Scott Rogo, Prentice Hall
Press – who draws heavily from Robert Monroe’s Journeys
Out of the Body:

One of the chief barriers people learning to project face is fear.
Many are afraid that they may die, or be harmed in some way as
a result of their projection. Nothing could be farther from the
truth. The Canterbury Institute, renowned for its occult studies,
executed an experiment in projection involving over 2,000 people.
None of them were hurt in any way by this, and now, three years
later, none have complained of any newly arising problems.

Once you are aware that you cannot be harmed by projecting, you should
begin Monroe’s techniques, step by step.

Step one: Relax the body.

According to Monroe, “the ability to relax is the first prerequisite,
perhaps even the first step itself to having an OBE. (out of body
experience)”. This includes both physical and mental relaxation.
Monroe does not suggest a method of attaining this relaxation,
although Progressive Muscle relaxation, coupled with deep breathing
exercises (inhale 1, exhale 2, inhale 3…. until 50 or 100) are
known to work well.

Step two: Enter the state bordering sleep.

This is known as the hypnagogic state. Once again, Monroe doesn’t recommend any method of doing this. One way is to hold your forearm up,
while keeping your upper arm on the bed, or ground. As you start
to fall asleep, your arm will fall, and you will awaken again.
With practice, you can learn to control the Hypnagogic state without
using your arm. Another method is to concentrate on an object.
When other images start to enter your thoughts, you have entered
the Hypnagogic state. Passively watch these images. This will
also help you maintain this state of near-sleep. Monroe calls
this Condition A.

Step three: Deepen this state.

Begin to clear your mind. Observe your field of vision through your
closed eyes. Do nothing more for a while. Simply look through
your closed eyelids at the blackness in front of you. After a
while, you may notice light patterns. These are simply neural
discharges. They have no specific effect. Ignore them. When they
cease, one has entered what Monroe calls Condition B. From here,
one must enter an even deeper state of relaxation that Monroe
calls Condition C – a state of such relaxation that you
lose all awareness of the body and sensory stimulation. You are
almost in a void in which your only source of stimulation will
be your own thoughts. The ideal state for leaving your body is
Condition D. This is Condition C when it is voluntarily induced
from a rested and refreshed condition and is not the effect of
normal fatigue. To achieve Condition D, Monroe suggests that you
practice entering it in the morning or after a short nap.

Step Four: Enter a state of Vibration.

This is the most important part of the technique, and also the most
vague. Many projectors have noted these vibrations at the onset
of projection. They can be experienced as a mild tingling, or
as if electricity is being shot through the body. Their cause
is a mystery. It may actually be the astral body trying to leave
the physical one.

For entering into the vibrational state, he offers the following directions:

1. 1. Remove all jewelry or other items that might be touching your
   skin.
   2. Darken the room so that no light can be seen through your eyelids,
   but do not shut out all light.
   3. Lie down with your body along a north-south axis, with your
   head pointed toward magnetic north.
   4. Loosen all clothing, but keep covered so that you are slightly
   warmer than might normally be comfortable.
   5. Be sure you are in a location where, and at a time when, there
   will be absolutely no noise to disturb you.
   6. Enter a state of relaxation
   7. Give yourself the mental suggestion that you will remember
   all that occurs during the upcoming session that will be beneficial
   to your well-being. Repeat this five times.
   8. Proceed to breath through your half-open mouth.
   9. As you breathe, concentrate on the void in front of you.
   10. Select a point a foot away from your forehead, then change
   your point of mental reference to six feet.
   11. Turn the point 90 degrees upward by drawing an imaginary line
   parallel to your body axis up and above your head. Focus there
   and reach out for the vibrations at that point and bring them
   back into your body.

Even if you don’t know what these vibrations are, you will know when
you have achieved contact with them.

Step five: Learn to control the vibrational state.

Practice controlling them by mentally pushing them into your head, down
to your toes, making them surge throughout your entire body, and
producing vibrational waves from head to foot. To produce this
wave effect, concentrate on the vibrations and mentally push a
wave out of your head and guide it down your body. Practice this
until you can induce these waves on command.

Once you have control of the vibrational state, you are ready to leave
the body.

Step six: Begin with a partial separation.

The key here is thought control. Keep your mind firmly focused on the idea of leaving the body. Do not let it wander. Stray thought might cause you to lose control of the state. Now, having entered the vibrational state, begin exploring the OBE by releasing a hand or a foot of the “second body”. Monroe suggests that you extend a limb until it comes in contact with a familiar object, such as a wall near your bed. Then push it through the object. Return the limb by placing it back into coincidence with the physical one, decrease the vibrational rate, and then terminate the experiment. Lie quietly until you have fully returned to normal. This exercise will prepare you for full separation.

Step seven: Dissociate yourself from the body.

Monroe suggests two methods for this:

One method is to lift out of the body. To do this, think about getting lighter and lighter after entering this vibrational state. Think about how nice it would be to float upward. Keep this thought in mind at all costs and let no extraneous thoughts interrupt it. An OBE will occur naturally at this point.

Another method is the “Rotation method” or “roll-out” technique. When you have achieved the vibrational state, try to roll over as if you were turning over in bed. Do not attempt to roll over physically. Try to twist your body from the top and virtually roll over into your second body right out of your physical self. At this point, you will be out of the body but next to it. Think of floating upward, and you should find yourself floating above the body. Monroe suggests you begin with the lift-out method, but argues that both are equally efficacious.

The above should give you a foundation from which to try your own
experiments with astral projection. The main thing to keep in
mind is that – for most of us – it takes PRACTICE! Do not get
discouraged if your efforts don’t produce results the first time
– or the first 50 times. It mostly depends on how successful you
are at being able to relax and trust the process, and how patient
you are with yourself.

One thing I CAN say, though, is that it is an extremely rewarding
and stimulating experience, and once you are able to astrally
travel, there are no limits to the places you can explore – as
fast as thought. It’s also a very handy vehicle for checking in
on a loved one far away. And once you are freed from the limitations
of the physical form (yet still connected to it), it can have
another result: the negating of any kind of fear of death. Once
you see that YOU are so much more than your body, it is not only
comforting, but extremely enlightening and a tool for much personal
growth and freedom!

Toast to the Old Year

Kick off Solstice with a morning apple juice toast to the Old Year, saying something like:

Winter day of longest night
Step aside now for the light
Thank you for the things you’ve brought
That only darkness could have wrought

Then name off the gifts of darkness – regeneration, peace, dreams,
organization, quietude, healing, and so on – and drink the juice.

That  evening, set the Yule log ablaze, preferably starting it from
a bit of last year’s log; settle in front of the fire, sip hot
buttered rum, and toast the Sun by saying something like:

Old King, we thank You for all You’ve done
For lessons learned, and victories won
We must, however, bid You adieu
For Your reign is finished – ’tis over and through
Come forth, Young King of newest light
Be born with ease; grow strong and bright
Gain strength and stature in the sky
Shed Your warmth on us now from on high

Afterward, make silent wishs for the coming year and exchange gifts…

Toast to the New Year

The next morning, toast the Sun with orange juice, saying something like:

O Newborn Sun of love and light
Rise quickly now, rise high and bright
Gain power in the sky above
We grant you our support and love

It is the Winter Solstice. You step outside. Tendrils of fog slither around the waning moon, gradually obscuring it.
Gradually the fog forms a blanket though which you can hardly make out your surroundings. The cold seeps into your bones.

You step back in, light a candle, and curl up in your favorite chair.
The darkness looms just outside the candle flame. You feel lonely
and the room, usually so familiar and comforting, seems to cry
out for familiar faces that are not there. Your soul echoes the cry.

You are adrift, cut off from warmth and love. Why? One of the faces
begins to speak. It is not a face you want to see; someone you
have not loved as you should.

“I am the past,” it says mournfully. “I am the things
you wanted to say but held back, the tears you wanted to cry but
held back, the hugs you wanted to give but held back. Oh, how
you could have lightened my burden!” The face steps into
the candlelight, eerie, a study of line and shadow. Your visitor
is wrapped in heavy chains.

Your tortured soul cries,” I am so sorry I put those there!”

Your visitor steps closer and its voice softens tenderly. “The
Universe has heard your cries, and I offer hope. I love you and
that alone can transform you. Journey with me.”

A slim hand reaches out. You hesitate at first but, in a leap
of faith, you grasp it. Instantly you find yourself in a time
and place where you felt loved and secure. Maybe it was just a
fleeting moment, but you are there again, feeling what you felt
again.

“Linger here. You can return to this place any time,” your visitor
says. “As long as you can return, there is hope, there is
light.”

You linger. You awake, finding the candle burning brighter. You look for your visitor, but the visitor is gone. But the warmth and love begin to banish the loneliness and cold.

You start as the door creaks open. Beyond it is a dimly lit figure. Who is it? Someone who needs you, whose heart cries out for the love you have to give. You take a moment and observe the barely visible second visitor.

“You have so much to give, so much love. Will you be my soul-friend,
my anamchara, and share your light?” the figure asks.

You want so much to share, but don’t know how. You pick up the
candle and hand it to your second visitor.

“I don’t see anything I have that’s worth sharing. This candle is all I have.” Your hand shakes but your heart is full as you reach out with the small flame.

The figure smiles and begins to glow. “That is all I need, the simple offering of your whole heart. Thank you; it is more than enough!”

Bright beams of light soon enter the room.

“Thank you. Remember, nothing is too small as long as you offer it with
your whole being!” the figure says. You look for the source of the voice, but the bright light has enveloped it and it is gone.

Soon the light fades and the room is again lit by a single candle. But it is enough now, the flame now sends love and warmth throughoutthe room.

You grow sleepy and doze for a few moments. You wake up and a hooded figure stands before you.

“Can you reveal yourself?” you ask. “Why do you not speak?”

The figure does not answer.

Realization dawns. This figure is the future, yet unformed. You realize you
will shape it; it will look as you desire it. Each line, each feature, will be shaped as you open your soul to each day’s opportunity to love, to listen, to care.

You look up to thank your third visitor, but the visitor is gone.

You open the window. A clear, crisp day is dawning. The sun’s
rays burst forth over the horizon.

It is your beginning, as it is the sun’s beginning.

Some of my best friends are trees.

I felt a strong affinity toward grandfather tree, the first time we met. Battered, scarred, burnt by lightning; we both have had rough pasts. I don’t know how old grandfather was, but when I reached my arms around to
hug him, they barely made it around the sides. His trunk bulged where long ago a farmer had nailed barbed wire. The wire still stuck out from under the scar. No longer attached to a fence, it was a reminder that one could break free from boundaries, and grow beyond the pain of the past.

I knew one day grandfather would cross over. He had been through a lot. His large sturdy roots could be seen clinging tightly to the cliff he precariously stood at the very edge of. One evening we had storms, the kind with large hail and strong tornado-spawning winds. We huddled
together under the stairs that night. The next morning I stepped outside, looking forward to breathing in the freshly cleaned air, and soaking up the sun in the cleared blue sky. There was a hole in the horizon, where grandfather tree had stood.

Grandfather taught me to see the aura of the forest. At least once a week, I would stand with him, to ground myself and to connect with the universe. After greeting him and asking permission, I would stand with my back against his trunk. I would close my eyes and feel myself merge with him. I would feel my feet as though they were roots, going down into the earth. I would feel the earth’s energy rise up, nourishing me, up through my feet, legs, body, and out the top of my head. My upper body felt as if it were extending up into the sky, bathing in the light. I would feel this light energy come down through me, exiting deep into the earth. I could feel the energy flowing through me, confirming that I am connected with everything around me; we are part of one. In and through, the energy buzzed as it flowed. When I would open my eyes I would feel all tingly and renewed. One day, I opened my eyes, and I could actually see the auras of the forest, undulating around and between all the trees and plants.

Today I leave offerings, where his twisted and sun-grayed stump remains. I call him ‘spirit tree’. The upper part of his trunk stretches across a ravine.
Animals, insects, and mushrooms are making him a home, as he slowly
crumbles into earth. Where now light reaches the forest floor,
new plants begin to grow. The sweet perfume of wild roses flirts
with the spicy masculine scent of sassafras. After grandfather crossed over, I started looking for a new ‘special’ tree.

Until I found the ‘right’ tree, I decided to visit the largest tree in the woods, the tree who appeared to stand guardian over the rest. I went up to the tree and asked permission to lean against it, but felt a distance, as if it said ‘No. That is not my purpose’. This tree was clearly not a tree to assist me, neither in healing nor in exchanging and building energies. Each day I pass around it, and give it my respect.

Then I began visiting a grand old maple, I call ‘grandmother’ tree. Grandmother is so welcoming! If I quiet my mind, she will speak to me in a soft whisper.

“Stay still my child”, she says this morning, as I am about to move on, continuing my daily early morning hike through the woods. I lay my head against her massive trunk, and close my eyes. I find comfort in the scent of the decaying leaves at her feet. “Listen” she whispers. I hear the wind rustle the leaves. In the distance I hear the rapid low rat-a-tat-tat of woodpeckers,
the haunting call of a hawk. Above, in her branches smaller birds are fluttering. Two squirrels chatter with each other. “Now” she says. I open my eyes, and just twenty feet away are two white-tailed deer. I am invisible to them! Had I gone on as planned, I would have missed watching them as they grazed up and down the hills and back again to nuzzle each other. A movement near my face, ants! Lots and lots of tiny ants, but they are walking right by, like I’m not there. Grandmother is home to all. “Now you
may go” she gently nudges. I turn to leave, feeling as though I had been in a trance where time had stopped completely. I look down so as not to step on a branch that might crack, signaling a warning to the deer. There at my feet lies a large black feather. A sign to me which says, of course this was a real conversation! Grandmother has much to teach.

I did eventually discover the ‘healing tree’ that was meant for me. I never would have chosen this unassuming and relatively young tree. I have
walked by it, time and time again, but never paid it much notice… until I saw the faint scar, which that day jumped out at me – a scar in the same shape as my totem animal. I asked permission to stand with the tree, and felt the same ‘buzzing’ feeling I used to feel with grandfather. As I looked up, I saw how very alive and vigorous it is. Thousands of new branches sprout, all
up and down the trunk. The tree seems so radiant, I must have been sleepwalking right by it all this time!

After visiting my friends I feel alive, renewed, and vibrating with energy. What a beautiful way to start the day!

Victoria Betson has been a student of ‘all things metaphysical’ since her childhood, in the 60’s. She lives, creates, and gardens, in her home in the woods, with her husband of almost 20 years, and their two children.

Toria began as an artist, tarot reader, and psychic. Through the process of healing her self, and with the help of her spirit guides and the universe, she found her life taking an unexpected path, that of a spiritual “healer”. Word of mouth has allowed her to distantly assist others from around the world, through shamanic journeys, energy healings, and tarot readings. http://www.geocities.com/toriastarot/.

Toria also writes blogs for www.HealthyNewAge.com and some of her other articles may be found at www.saskworld.com.

I have this theory that people become empaths as a way to stay safe
in their world. If you know what those around you are feeling,
then you know how to adjust what you say and do to make them comfortable so that they are safer people to be around, both emotionally and physically. An empath can be a real chameleon, shifting tone of
voice, conversation styles, body posture, and choice of tactics
and actions to help the people that are around them to feel more
at ease. The problem with this is that they often lose track of
what is actually authentic and true for themselves. They tend
to care take their environment as a way to care take themselves.
This is a pretty roundabout way of doing self-care. Doing or saying
something that will make someone else angry or sad is uncomfortable
for an empath, so that they often avoid confrontation in order
to avoid feeling other people’s uncomfortable emotions. It is
easy for them to lose track of the fact that they themselves are
feeling uncomfortable.

I know first hand, because I am an empath. It has been both a gift
and has exacted many painful lessons from me. I could never be
the healer I am today without having been an empath. When I lay
my hands on a person, I can tell almost right away what emotions
are lodged in that person’s body, what issues they are dealing
with, and sometimes, even what they are thinking. On the other
side of the coin, there have been times in my life where I was
not true to myself because of the needs and the emotions of others,
often greatly to my detriment.

So what are we to do about this quandary?

There are several things that I have found essential practices in my
path to take advantage of the psychic gifts, and lessen the problems
of being an empath.

Develop Your Shield Body

Around your physical body, there is a layer of your aura that is devoted
to your interface with your environment. Its shape and condition
indicate your relationship to your world. People who are empaths
often have a “thin skin” in relation to their shield
body. When it has holes in it, we are more easily influenced by
our environment. Visualize a shield of energy around your physical
body. See is as radiant and complete. You may see it as a particular
color. Some people like to see it as white or gold. Decide what
color would work well for you, and see it that way. Imagine the
shield body as flowing and moving, not static; we are developing
a shield here – not armor. It is good for it to be flexible,
so you can let in what serves you, and keep out what doesn’t.

Another thing that I have found exceptionally helpful, it to carry around
a boji stone. This remarkable stone has been proven by Kirlian
photography to seal the auric field if kept on the person for
3 days or more.

Center of Being

Once you have the shield body in place, imagine that there is a spark
in the center of your being that is your pure essence. Focus your
attention on the spark, being all your senses to bear. Also be
aware of your sensations, emotions and thoughts. First try this
when you are alone, and then, after a time, practice it around
others. See if you can switch your awareness from your environment
to your self, and back again. Notice the difference between the
two.

Don’t Take On Responsibilities That Aren’t Yours

A person can get so used to care taking that they can feel as though
they are supposed to do it. You are not. It is good to be as compassionate
as possible without going beyond the limits of what you need to
do to maintain your health and sanity. You are responsible up
to that line, and not beyond it. If you are an empath, your idea
of where the line is might be a bit fuzzy. Once you get to know
where the line is, try to stick to it. It will make all your relationships
clearer and cleaner.

Get Used To Being The Bad Guy

Empaths are often outwardly kind and caring. They usually get the benefit
of everyone thinking that they are almost saintly sometimes. It
is easy to get attached to being the “nice guy.” It
is not easy dealing with people’s negative emotions, but care
taking others does not ultimately serve them or you. It does not
help them to protect them from their feelings. It keeps them from
growing up; besides, it’s not real. Must better to live
in reality than a padded reality. Yes, they may get angry or sad
at you or with you if you don’t do what they want you to do, but
it is important to remember that their feelings are not your feelings,
and your well-being is not dependent on their well being.

Develop Your Throat Chakra

Sometimes an empath will know what they need to say or do to make good boundaries,  but have a hard time following through in expressing it. The throat chakra is the center for the expression of personal truth. Through
the opening of the throat chakra, we open ourselves to expressing
our true needs and feelings, as well as expressing the creative
force as it moves through us. Some good exercises for opening
the throat chakra are singing and chanting, sharing your feelings
and thoughts with friends, and meditating on the throat chakra.
Some healing stones that help with the throat chakra are chrysacolla,
turquoise, lapis lazuli, amazonite, and blue lace agate. You can
meditate with them, put them in a medicine bag, or wear jewelry
(particularly necklaces).

Develop Your Root Chakra

The root chakra helps us to deal with being fully in the world. When
the root chakra is open, we are fully grounded and present with
whatever is coming our way. When it is not open, we can be disassociative,
fearful, and have difficulty staying present with what is going
on. Opening and healing the root chakra helps us to release the
fears that keep us from our highest manifestation within form.
Some exercises that help to open the root chakra are:

Imagine you are sending roots down into the earth from your base. Imagine
you can breathe in and out of you root. On the inhale, breath
in energy from he earth. On the exhale, release any thing that
is within you that does not serve you.

Some healing stones that might be helpful are obsidian, boji stones,
hematite, and red jasper.

Smudging And Clearing Regularly

Whether you are having difficulty with your empathic abilities or not,
it is a good idea to smudge yourself regularly to release other
people’s energy and influence from your energy body. Other good
clearing methods are showering, bathing and spending time in solitude.
Can you feel what others around you are feeling? Are you sensitive
to your surroundings? When you lay your hands on someone, do your
hands know right where to go to help that person? Perhaps you
are an empath.

How To Become More Empathetic

If you would like to become more empathetic it might be helpful for
you to try these things:

Cultivate Compassion

In order to begin to develop empathic ability, it is essential to
care how someone feels. When we have compassion, we attune to
the needs and feelings of the person we want to help. When we
resist the energies, need and feelings of another, it is pretty
hard to really open your self to them enough to know what is going
on.

Put Yourself In Someone Else’s Shoes

One for the best ways to develop compassion is to put your self in
their shoes. What would it feel like to be them – to have
had their experiences, to live their lifestyle, etc? There is
a practice of entrainment that can help you come into a simpatico
with them.

When you are working directly with a person, breathe with them –
at the same rate. Imagine you can feel what they feel. It works
the best if you can be in some form of physical contact with them,
like holding their hand, or placing your hand on their heart chakra.
Imagine your awareness sinks into their body. Notice what you
see in your mind’s eye, feel physically, and hear. Bring all of
your senses to bear.

Develop Your Heart Chakra

When our heart chakra is truly open, we have the experience of the
woven-ness of reality. We are not as separate as we seem. When
another person is in pain, we have the knowledge of their need,
and may respond to it appropriately. Breathe in and out of your
heart chakra. Imagine it opening like a lovely flower. Feel all
the love that has ever been given to you, and feel and see all
those who have ever loved. Be sure to include animals, who are
great teachers of unconditional love. Allow your heart to grow
several sizes. Some gemstones that are helpful for opening the
heart chakra are rose quartz, malachite, emerald and ruby.

Develop Your Third Eye Chakra

When the third eye is open, we can experience strong clairvoyance.
Through it, we can perceive more clearly what is going on in the
minds and hearts of those around us. When the third eye is closed,
we tend to be more mental in our approach, and spend way too much
time trying to figure things out instead of just “knowing.”
To open the third eye, sit quietly focusing on the third eye.
While you attention is there, chant the mantra, “aum.”
envision light filling your skull, and emanating out of your third
eye. After a time, if you like, you may ask a question, and allow
a vision that represents the answer to appear in your mind. When
you are finished meditating on the third eye, be sure to spend
a little time focusing on your root chakra to help ground your
energy.

About this contributor: Sylvia Brallier, author and Master Healer, is the Director of The Tantric Shamanism Institute. http://healing.about.com/od/empathic/a/empathessential_2.htm 

To pray you open your whole self
To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon
To one whole voice that is you.
And know there is more
That you can’t see, can’t hear
Can’t know except in moments
Steadily growing, and in languages
That aren’t always sound but other
Circles of motion.

Like eagle that Sunday morning
Over Salt River. Circles in blue sky
In wind, swept our hearts clean
With sacred wings.
We see you, see ourselves and know
That we must take the utmost care
And kindness in all things.
Breathe in, knowing we are made of
All this, and breathe, knowing
We are truly blessed because we
Were born, and die soon, within a
True circle of motion,
Like eagle rounding out the morning
Inside us.
We pray that it will be done
In beauty.
In beauty.

~ Joy Harjo ~

A guid New Year to ane an` a` and mony may ye see!

Hogmanay, pronounced “hog-muh-NAY – with the main stress on the last
syllable – there are many theories about the derivation of the
word “Hogmanay”. The Scandinavian word for the feast
preceding Yule was “Hoggo-nott” while the Flemish words
(many have come into Scots) “hoog min dag” means “great
love day”. Hogmanay could also be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon,
Haleg monath, Holy Month, or the Gaelic, oge maidne, new morning.
But the most likely source seems to be the French. “Homme
est né” or “Man is born” while in France
the last day of the year when gifts were exchanged was “aguillaneuf”
while in Normandy presents given at that time were “hoguignetes”.
Take your pick!

Traditionally, the Scots were a superstitious race at the best of times and for
an event as significant as the dawning of a new year, customs,
rituals and traditions inevitably arose around the country. Many
of these have now disappeared but others have carried on down
through the years and some have even become essential ingredients
of today’s celebrations.

What are the origins of Hogmanay?

Hogmanay’s roots reach back to the animistic practice of sun and
fire worship in the deep mid-Winter. This evolved into the ancient
Saturnalia, a great Roman Winter festival, where people celebrated
completely free of restraint and inhibition. The Vikings celebrated
Yule, which became the twelve days of Christmas, or the “Daft
Days” as they became known in Scotland. The Winter festival
went underground with the Reformation and ensuing years, but re-emerged at the end of the 17th Century. Since then the customs have continued to evolve to the modern day. It is only in recent years that Hogmanay has been celebrated on such a large scale: the first event of its kind was at “Summit in the City” in 1992 when Edinburgh hosted the European Union Heads of State conference. Edinburgh’s Hogmanay festival was so successful that it spawned similar events throughout Scotland for the millennium Hogmanay festivities. Generally, the big three Scottish Ne’er celebrations are  Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, Glasgow’s Hogmanay and Stirling’s Hogmanay.

What is the symbolism of fire at Hogmanay?

The flame and fire at Hogmanay symbolizes many things. The bringing of the light of knowledge from one year to the next, lighting the way into the next uncharted century, putting behind you the darkness past, but carrying forward its sacred flame of hope and enlightenment, and in this day, a new fresh year – burning away of the old to make space for the new.

Cleaning the House

The last day of the year was traditionally regarded as a time of preparation: business would concluded to let the new year start afresh and houses were thoroughly cleaned (known as ‘redding’). Fireplaces in particular had to be swept out and in a variation on reading tea-leaves, the ashes of the last fire of the old year were believed to show what lay ahead in the new year.

Many also take a new broom and “sweep out the old and sweep in the new year”.

Pieces from a Rowan tree would be placed above a door to bring luck. In the house would be placed a piece of mistletoe, not for kissing under like at Christmas, but to prevent illness to the householders. Pieces of holly would be placed to keep out mischievous fairies and pieces of hazel and yew, which were thought to have magical powers and would protect the house and the people who lived in it. Juniper would be burnt throughout the house, then all the doors of the home would be opened to bring in fresh air. The house was then considered ready to bring in the New Year.

Debts would be paid by New Year’s Eve because it was considered bad luck to see in a new year with a debt.

What is First Footing?

Traditionally, it has been held that your new year will be a prosperous one if,
at the strike of midnight, a “tall, dark stranger” appears
at your door with a lump of coal for the fire (to ensure that the house would be warm and safe), shortbread or black bun (a type of fruit cake) to symbolize that the household would never go hungry, or a coin (symbolizing a blessing of prosperity in the coming year). These were symbolic gifts to ‘handsel’ the house. In exchange, you offered him food, wine or a wee dram of whisky, or the traditional Het Pint, which is a combination of ale, nutmeg and whisky. It’s been suggested that the fear associated with blond strangers arose from the memory of blond-haired Viking’s raping and pillaging Scotland circa 4th to 12th centuries. Redheads are also considered
very unlucky.

What’s more likely to happen these days is that groups of friends or family get together and do a tour of each other’s houses. Each year, a household takes it in turn to provide a meal for the group. In many parts of Scotland gifts are exchanged after
the turn of midnight.

“Handselling” was the custom of gift giving on the first Monday of the New Year but this has died out.

Immediately after midnight it is traditional to sing Robert Burns’ “For
Auld Lang Syne”. It was written in old Scots, the language
commonly spoken in Scotland until 1707 when Scotland’s Parliament
dissolved itself and was merged with England. Burns claimed it
was based on an earlier fragment, and certainly the tune was in
print over 80 years before he published his version in 1788…

Should
auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We’ll tak a cup o’kindness yet
For auld lang syne!

Torch and Bonfire Ceremonies

The magical firework display and torchlight procession in Edinburgh – and throughout many cities in Scotland – is reminiscent of the ancient custom at Scottish Hogmanay Pagan parties hundreds of years ago.

The traditional New Year ceremony of yesteryear would involve people dressing up in the hides of cattle and running around the village being hit by sticks. The festivities would also include the lighting of bonfires, rolling blazing tar barrels down the hill and tossing torches. Animal hide was also wrapped around sticks and ignited which produced a smoke that was believed to be very effective to ward off evil spirits. The smoking stick
was also known as a Hogmanay.

In addition to national observance, many local areas have their own customs when it comes to celebrating Hogmanay. Some of these customs do continue, especially in the small, older communities in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland where tradition, along with language and dialect are kept alive and well. On the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, the young boys form themselves into opposing bands; the leader of each wears a sheepskin, while a member carries a sack. The bands move through the village from house to house reciting a Gaelic rhyme. On being invited inside, the leader walks clockwise around the fire, while everyone hits
the skin with sticks. The boys would be given some bannocks – fruit buns – for their sack before moving on to the next house.

In the town of Burghead, Moray, an ancient tradition called “burning the clavie” takes place each year on January 11. The clavie is a big bonfire, fueled primarily by split casks. One of these is joined back together with a big nail, filled with flammable material, and lit on fire. Flaming, it’s carried around the village and up to a Roman altar known to residents as the Douro. The bonfire is built around the clavie. When the burnt clavie crumbles, the locals each grab a lit piece to kindle a fire in their own hearth.

In Stonehaven, Kincardineshire, the locals make giant balls of tar, paper and chicken wire. These are attached to several feet of chain or wire, and then set on fire. A designated “swinger” whirls the ball around his head and walks through the village streets to the local harbor. At the end of the festival, any balls still on fire are cast into the water. This is quite an impressive sight in the dark!

One of the most spectacular Fire ceremonies takes place in Stonehaven,
just south of Aberdeen on the North East coast. Giant fireballs,
weighing up to 20 pounds are lit and swung around on five feet
long metal poles, requiring 60 men to carry them as they march
up and down the High Street. The origin of the pre-Christian custom
is believed to be linked to the Winter Solstice of late December
with the fireballs signifying the power of the sun, to purify the world by consuming evil spirits.

And it is worth remembering that January 2nd is a holiday in Scotland
as well as the first day of the year – to give us all time to
recover from a week of merry-making and celebration, all part
of Scotland’s fascinating cultural legacy of ancient customs and
traditions surrounding the pagan festival of Hogmanay.

New year resolutions hark bark to the notion at the core of many Hogmanay traditions of old: making a new start. After a particularly heavy night’s partying, a common resolution made by many is ‘never again’. But of course, if there one Hogmanay tradition that’s never likely to fade it’s that most resolutions rarely last beyond the end of January so don’t feel too bad if you fall by the wayside.

In conclusion…

An integral part of the Hogmanay partying, which continues very much
today, is to welcome friends and strangers, with warm hospitality
and of course a kiss to wish everyone a Guid New Year. The underlying
belief is to clear out the vestiges of the old year, have a clean
break and welcome in a young, New Year on a happy note.

Sources:

http://www.hogmanay.net/

http://www.rampantscotland.com/know/blknow12.htm

http://www.visitscotland.com/library/hogmanaytraditions

http://www.aboutaberdeen.com/hogmanaycustoms.php

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/yulethelongestnight/p/Hogmanay.htm

You take a final step and, look, suddenly
You’re there. You’ve arrived
At the one place all your drudgery was aimed for:
This common ground
Where you stretch out, pressing your cheek to sandstone.

What did you want To be? You’ll remember soon. You feel like tinder Under a burning glass, A luminous point of change. The sky is pulsing Against the cracked horizon, Holding it firm till the arrival of stars In time with your heartbeats. Like wind etching rock, you’ve made a lasting impression On the self you were By having come all this way through all this welter Under your own power, Though your traces on a map would make an unpromising
Meandering lifeline.

What have you learned so far? You’ll find out later, Telling it haltingly Like a dream, that lost traveler’s dream
Under the last hill Where through the night you’ll take your time out of mind To unburden yourself
Of elements along elementary paths By the break of morning. You’ve earned this worn-down, hard, incredible sight Called Here and Now. Now, what you make of it means everything, Means starting over:
The life in your hands is neither here nor there But getting there, So you’re standing again and breathing, beginning another Journey without regret Forever, being your own unpeaceable kingdom, The end of endings.

~ David Wagoner ~
(In Broken Country)

As of today 364 Druids have registered with the RDG:

27 members are initiated Second Order Druids
3 members are eligible for ordination into the Third Order
15 members are ordained Third Order Druids (Clergy)

During YGR 01, we experienced a net membership gain of 70

Total Groves chartered: 9
Total North American Members: 344
Total Members in CELTIC Lands: 8
Total International Members: 19
Total Countries represented: 11