Many of you may be wondering where I’ve disappeared to recently.
I’m really sorry for my silence and absence, both on the Stonewylde
Community site and my blog. It’s been a very busy time indeed for
me in November, and I’d been hoping to catch up with everything in
early December, before all the preparations for Yule. Sadly we’ve
had a family bereavement which has thrown everything. I really am
very sorry indeed to everyone who’s been waiting for a reply to an
e-mail or wondered why I’ve been so rude in not replying. I don’t
think there’s any chance of me catching up until early 2010. As they
say on the awful customer service lines, “Just bear with me ...”
November saw a lovely visit to the Big Green Bookshop in Wood
Green, London. Mr B and I spent a great evening there meeting
readers and customers. I enjoyed doing my talk in candlelight and
meeting the famous bookseller Simon Key. Many thanks to all who
turned out on a cold and wet evening to come along.
I spent a wonderful day with Chris Salisbury of Wildwise in Devon.
Chris runs bushcraft and other nature programmes, and is also an
accomplished story-teller. Our group had a lovely time doing an
Earth Walk and learning more about helping folk engage with the
natural world. I attended this course as a refresher for when I run
my own Green Man course next Beltane at Monkton Wyld. I really
recommend Wildwise - do take a look at their website.
In between Wildwise and travelling down to the depths of Cornwall,
I popped in to visit Judi Spiers again on BBC Radio Devon. Judi and
I chatted on air about Stonewylde (she was disappointed that Book
4 isn’t out yet) and I read an extract from Magus of Stonewylde. It
was lovely to see her again, and she was very pleased with the
Green Labryrinth T-shirt I’d brought her.
Kernowkopia, a big festival held in Newquay at the Sands Hotel,
Porth, was an amazing event. Bo and Carolyn had given us a
wonderful spot and we had a fantastic weekend there. I really
enjoyed giving my talks and meeting so many fans, and Cornmother
and her Other Half did us proud. So many lovely Stonewylders
turned up and we kind of took over the foyer bit of the hotel, with
fans wearing all the different T-shirts. It was lovely to see everyone
there, and especially Carp and Crystal who are two of the originals
on the forum. Thanks to everyone for coming, and to Bo and
Carolyn for a brilliant event. The staff at the Sands Hotel were
wonderful too and Mr B and I really enjoyed ourselves.
After this I returned to Devon for another course - at my favourite
place, the Schumacher College on the Dartington Estate near
Totnes. This was run by the famous labyrinth builder Tchenka, and
was a four day course called “Darkness and Transformation”. It
was truly wonderful, and completely recharged my batteries. The
other course participants were all lovely, and we were also
honoured to meet Jules Cashford who spent a morning with us.
.
I now blog regularly so you can read more extensive write-ups and
see more pics on my Moongazygirl blog - click here.
Breaking Stonewylde news
The Stonewylde Green Labyrinth T-shirts have
been on sale since our trip to the Netherlands
and we’ve sold well over half of them! They’re
pretty cool (even my son Will wears one so
they must be!) and the labyrinth is a very
striking design. On sale in four sizes at £9.99
plus P&P - click here.
Our extra special offer of free copies of Magus
of Stonewylde was incredibly popular and has
now finished. But we’re still running the
special offer in the Stonewylde Store where
you can buy the trilogy of Stonewylde books,
personally dedicated and signed by me, and
also a beautiful Stonewylde Wheel of the Year
greetings card (blank for you to write in) for
I’m delighted to have been invited by the
people of Monkton Wyld to lead a course there
next May at Beltane. It will be a three night
event - Friday April 30th to Monday May 3rd.
This is not another Gathering but maybe the
next best thing, for Monkton Wyld is the most
beautiful place and especially so in May. I will
be leading the course (with Mr B to help me),
entitled “The Green Man at Beltane”, and it will
be brilliant fun. We’re doing lots of creative
things - art, poetry, making masks, wands,
models, guided meditations and journeying,
tree energy, walks, a bit of green magic but
most of all - seeking the green spirit within and
without. Do book early if you’re interested in
coming as places are limited to only 25, and
open to the public. Click here for full details.
Bright blessings to everyone for 2010 and
apologies again for my absence from
Stonewylde.
I’m now on Twitter so please follow me!
Stonewylde Newsletter 25
December 21st 2009
Bright blessings at
Winter
Solstice
to all Stonewylders
What’s been going on ...
Winter Solstice
So many cultures celebrate a
mid-winter festival, in both
ancient and modern times. The
Winter Solstice is one of the four
fire festivals, the time when in the
Northern Hemisphere, the night is at
its longest and the day at its shortest.
To our ancestors it was a crucial time,
when the sun reached the point in the
calendar where it apparently "stood still" in
the sky (the literal meaning of the word solstice) before
beginning the return to longer days and shorter nights -
something very significant for people whose survival
centred on growing enough food and keeping warm.
If you watch the sunrise and sunset from the same spot
you'll be able to mentally mark your own solstice
alignments - the point where the sun rises and sets on its
shortest day. Stand in the same place on June 21st and
compare these winter points to where it appears and
disappears at the Summer Solstice. You'll realise the
huge difference the Earth's tilt and orbit makes, although
to our ancestors of course it was the sun which appeared
to move.
So many of our modern Christmas customs date from
pagan times. Evergreens have always been part of the
decorations for this festival – holly, ivy and fir. Mistletoe
was sacred to the Druids and a venerated plant. Light,
candles and wreaths have always been important for
Yule, and the word yule comes from Old Nore “jul”.
Christingles, St Lucia, St Stephen – all have their roots in
ancient customs celebrated at this mid-winter festival.
Even Father Christmas is said to perhaps have morphed
from the shaman who would play a vital role in the
proceedings in the Northern Hemisphere. Some early
art depicting this mid-winter benefactor portrays him in
green robes – maybe a version of the Green Man?
Herne the Hunter was a horned deity sacred to this
time of year – a man with antlers sprouting from his
head. Wassailing, when the orchards would be visited
by bands of singers performing rituals around the
trees, singing and drinking from a Wassail Cup to
toast the trees and ensure their well-being for the year
ahead – perhaps a forerunner of the bands of carol-
singers who once traipsed around the village. What a
mixture of cultures, beliefs and customs!
At Stonewylde, the festival
of the Winter Solstice and
Yule is celebrated with fire
and light. Candles are lit
everywhere, a massive Yule
log is decorated and lit in
the Great Barn, which
smoulders throughout the
twelve days of the festival.
The ashes of this are
ploughed into the fields at
Imbolc, along with the
remains of Lammas’ corn
dollies, to ensure fertility for
the coming year.
Evergreens are brought into the cottages and the
Barn, particularly holly to represent the Holly King,
who traditionally dies at this time to be replaced by the
Oak King. Mistletoe is the sacred symbol, full of
ancient and mystical significance.
As a traditional, non-commercial community
Stonewylde doesn't indulge in a shopping frenzy and
no gifts are exchanged. But children hang a green
woollen sock by the hearth and the Yule elves come
out of the woodlands at midnight to fill the stockings
with nuts, fudge and little hand-made gifts. Every
cottage hangs an evergreen wreath made from woven
holly, ivy and mistletoe on the front door to symbolise
the never-ending wheel of the calendar. A candle in a
lantern shines from every cottage parlour window to
welcome back the sun and the Oak King.
In the Great Barn there's feasting, dancing and party
games every night during the Yule festival, which
begins with a huge bonfire ceremony at the Solstice in
the Stone Circle. All celebrations at Stonewylde begin
here - the heart of the community.
Kit’s diary for 2010
I shall not be attending so many events in 2010. This year has been very hectic indeed and I need to
concentrate on writing. However I’ve already agreed to speak at the following events:
Sat March 6th - Cornwall & Devon Pagan Federation Annual Conference, Bude
Sat March 20th - East Midlands Pagan Federation Annual Conference
April 24th - 25th - Elf Fantasy Fair, Netherlands
April 30th - May 3rd - Green Man at Beltane, Monkton Wyld, Dorset
July 10th - 11th - Quest at Newton Abbott, Devon
© Cornmother
