New Year

 

    While the New Year is not inherently pagan or witchcraft related, you can use it to your advantage! Most people already view it as a time to turn over a new leaf, start a new habit, hobby, job, etc. 

    Something I learned while doing some research is that for those who are Wiccan (& some who aren't) view Samhain as the new year while others use the winter solstice as such. Even so, 'traditional' New Years is widely celebrated on January 1st. 

    Regardless of when you celebrate, there is a lot you can do to do so! Something super simple most people already do is to set goals for the new year. Setting goals, putting them into action & believing you can make them come true is a good example of manifesting. Keep in mind that you can have a mantra you say every day but if you don't have any action behind it, there won't be as much energy towards it. 

    Cleaning your space is another good one! Both physically & energy wise, get rid of stuff you don't use or need anymore. Donate or sell old clothes & shoes and cleanse your space. It doesn't have to be a deep clean, just organize a desk even. Don't forget that when you cleanse to have a door or window open so negative or stagnate energy can leave. 

Feel free to & comment and ask questions! Check out my Instagram too @ jocylen_jay Have a blessed day! 

Christmas or Paganism? pt. 2

 

    Since the last post was more focused on Christmas, this one will be more focused on Yule & its traditions. For example, Yule is often compared to Saturnalia, an ancient Roman holiday celebrated around the solstice. Saturnalia was a jovial time of merrymaking where many social norms were inverted, such as gambling but not for money but nuts to recreate the golden age of Saturn. 

    Other traditions were to appoint a mock king or "Lord of Misrule" to reign over the household & give silly orders to shout embarrassing insults, dance naked & chase people around the house, & give gifts. Drinking parties were also rather big around this time of year, usually with wine that had honey & or spices in a bowl to be served in cups to those attending.

Candles & oil lamps were popular Saturnalia gifts because during the dark days around the solstice they were reminders of the return of the sun after winter. This particular fact I personally found extremely interesting because candles are still a very popular gift to give around this time!

In doing research for this time of year I enjoyed learning that certain aspects of it are pulled from different times, people, & reasonings. The colors of the season, the drinking, the gift giving, all come from different places and its extremely interesting to look into. 

This is a very in-depth topic so I doubt I will be done delving into it for quite some time. Even so for now I will bring it to a close & look forward to the upcoming year & the celebrations to come. 

Feel free to & comment and ask questions! Check out my Instagram too @ jocylen_jay Have a blessed day! 

Is it Christmas or Paganism?

Christmas 'vs' Paganism

For what seems like forever when December rolls around this debate pops up year after year! Let's dive in and see what's different, the same, & where it all stems from. 

According to the dictionary Christmas is "the annual Christian festival celebrating Christ's birth, held on December 25 in the Western Church". As someone who was raised in a holiday only Christian church going family, I know that even within that definition every family's Christmas looks slightly different. Obviously, people have family traditions, personal preferences, etc. that all factor into it all. But for the sake of brevity, we'll focus on the general components on both sides. 

The etymology of Christmas is 'Christian Mass' which is shortened from "Christ's Mass". It is considered a time of spiritual reflection for those within the faith & is fundamental to most. In modern times, a lot goes into what people consider Christmas. Colors seen around this time are commonly red, green, gold & sometimes even silver. Red is to represent the blood of Jesus, green is eternal life, gold is royalty which was gifted by one of the three magi. 

The Christmas tree was first popularized in Germany in the 16th century, the star on top representing the star of Bethlehem.  

According to Wikipedia, "The Christmas tree is considered by some as Christianization of pagan tradition and ritual surrounding the Winter Solstice, which included the use of evergreen boughs, and an adaptation of pagan tree worship; according to eighth-century biographer Æddi Stephanus, Saint Boniface (634–709), who was a missionary in Germany, took an ax to an oak tree dedicated to Thor and pointed out a fir tree, which he stated was a more fitting object of reverence because it pointed to heaven and it had a triangular shape, which he said was symbolic of the Trinity. The English language phrase 'Christmas tree' is first recorded in 1835 and represents an importation from the German language."

So, what does Yule mean? Unfortunately, it is oversimplified by some & describe as "archaic term for Christmas". Others know it was the Winter Solstice which is the longest night of the year & represents the return of the light. From that date onward, the days get longer until the Summer Solstice. Yule is also known as a time to reflect & turn inward but is also about focusing on hearth & home. 

Some traditions that come along with Yule are a Yule tree, Yule log, making wassail (a form of ale), hanging mistletoe (which represents fertility of the goddess & the seed of the Oak King), and many others. 

As there is so much that both holidays entail, I'll be making a couple posts comparing them both. This is just the tip of the iceberg, so I look forward to more research & sharing my findings with you all. 

Feel free to & comment and ask questions! Check out my Instagram too @ jocylen_jay Have a blessed day!

Witchcraft & Guilt

 The Struggle is Real!

There's a stigma in the witchcraft community about routine, consistency, and progression. Some believe that a consistent routine & constantly doing spells, research, etc. are a must or 'you're doing it wrong'. Which is absolutely untrue everyone's practice is different, from those is closed practices, open, even region to region in a country, state, province, etc. Even people's schedules can get in the way whether its school, work, family, or all of the above it can interfere with their practice. And sometimes people just forget or don't have the energy to do anything craft related after a long day. 

This can lead to those us of who struggle to keep up with their craft guilt & shame. Such feelings can make us want to push off continuing our practices even more. It's a catch 22 & a vicious cycle that is extremely hard to break. 

A whole other aspect of all of this is those of us who are neurodivergent & or disabled. Such things can make it seem impossible to keep up with our practices. This is something that a lot of people tend to forget especially those in the community that aren't neurodivergent or disabled. Which is common for this world no matter what we're discussing of course, but all we can do as a community is do our best, acknowledge our mistakes, correct them, learn & move on to do better than before! 

Ok, so how do we overcome this guilt/shame? Well of course there is no one blanket fix all because everyone is different. One thing I can say that will speak to everyone is to be kind to yourself, be patient, and find what works & makes you happy! It may take some time, but that's ok everyone's path is different. Also don't be afraid to reach out to others if you find someone within the community you connect & feel comfortable with. 

This is something that I've wanted to talk on for quite some time now & thought that now after my unintentional hiatus would be a perfect time. Feel free to & comment and ask questions! I intend to be more active on here and on my Instagram @ jocylen_jay Have a blessed day!

Unintentional Hiatus

 

I have been extremely busy with life, family, school, relationships, etc. since I last posted. I am proud to say that I finally in a position to get back into a routine of not only working on this blog but my craft once again. I look forward to growing my craft and in turn this, as well as my other platforms. I hope to get more interactions on here from my Instagram following. Thank you for your patience and understanding.