We are approaching the winter solstice.
We have moved away from the strong energies of endings and beginnings of Samhain, which can often be powerful, confusing, deep and transformational. That time of year brings us face to face with our shadow self and can also bring up old fears. Fears of letting go, and fears of moving forwards.

Now we are leaving that behind, and moving into the stillness of Yule. This time of year it is like nature is holding its breath. We are not at the peak yet, that comes on December 21st, but we are moving towards it and the energies are growing stronger.
This is a time to consciously slow down. I know, everything around us in our society is telling us that we have to speed up to have time to do everything, to BUY everything, to fix everything so that we can have a PERFECT Christmas!
But you know, let it go.
Peace is what we need.
This is a time to tell ourselves to do it our own way. Nature is slowing down and if you are like me and want to attune to nature and follow her cycles, then do it. Slow down.
This is a perfect time to start a meditation practice! Just one minute a day to start with. Or three. Then five.
Don't make it such a challenge that it becomes overwhelming. Just sit and breathe for one minute and feel your own body and your own breath.
It is also a time to allow your brain to slow down so that you can start to allow new ideas and dreams to form. Just allow them to be. Write them down. Journal around them and see what comes.
There is no need to act on them right now. Wait for the spark of Imbolc to start growing.
So friend, my message to you is
Be kind to yourself
Be gentle.
Give yourself space to breathe.
Give yourself space to take a long, slow walks in nature.
Warm baths with oils, candles and crystals.
Say a gentle NO to the speed of society´s demands.

Say YES to your soul, your heart and your own inner peace.
​

With love and blessings, Elin

PS.
In my course Awakening to the elements I guide you back into a magical practice but allowing you to spend one week at a time with each of the elements. If you make the decision that you want to stop living so much in your head and come back to the cycles of nature and Mama Earth, then this is something I recommend with all my heart.
If you are ready to see the magic all around you and within you, then find out more here.

I want to share a meditation journey I did earlier this week. Because I want to share my LOVE of meditation, and the excitement of knowing that we never know what will happen when we allow ourselves to be taken on inner journeys!



​On Thursday evening, the evening before the full moon I sat down at my altar to tune in and meditate. I wanted to just sit in silence and see what messages came to me.
As usual I lit some candles, cleansed myself and the space with sage and then focused on my breathing.
This time I also held my gorgeous black moonstone that I bought in Glastonbury earlier this year.
I then called Goddess into my sacred space. I called on She, the great Mother.
I called on the Lady of Avalon and Lady Moon.
I sat for a few minutes, but was not able to ground and centre. And of course that meant I was not able to be present.
Then, suddenly, in my mind´s eye, I found myself back in an ancient Goddess Temple. I just knew I was there. I sat in front of an altar, by an open window, looking out at the full moon.
I felt at home. I felt in control. I felt at peace.
I felt connected to the moon outside the window and just sat there tuning into Her presence.

I knew that there were other Priestesses behind me. And suddenly I laid down on my back and let the Priestesses paint me with red symbols. All over my body.

When they were finished we stood up. We danced together. Some movements we did together. Other times we followed our own bodies. We danced with veils. We danced without veils. We danced.

After a while I sat down by the altar again. Present. Filled with love. Feeling strong in my own power as a Priestess.

Two other Priestesses came up on either side of the altar. One of them carrying a cup of water from the red spring, and the other carrying water from the white spring. They then poured into a chalice, the two energies of the red and white, the feminine and the masculine mixing.

And then I returned to where I was. At home. By my own altar.
I stayed there. Holding my moonstone.  Giving thanks for the magic of meditation.

I just find it so magical. That we can be transported in our mind to other places and other times.  In meditation journeys we can find strength, healing, empowerment and answers.

I wish you many magical trips!

​Love, Elin xx

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You might also be interested in reading my posts about creating sacred ceremony!
​What´s in a ceremony?

Samhain is the time when we go down into the darkness and meet Kerridwen, Hecate and Sheela Na Gig, if we are willing.
They are the Wise Ones. Ancient Goddesses. The Crones.

I love this time of year. It is so beautiful and feels so powerful. I love this opportunity to let go and go within. I love sharing what I know with others.
I love knowing that this day is special, and today I put on lipstick to celebrate.
Just little things like that.
Things that are just for me!
​
I am going to go into ceremony tonight and look at what I have achieved. The five months in the She Power Coven with Lisa Lister was transformational. It was like I allowed myself to be taken to a new depth. It is that magical spiral.
Taking us down and over the same things again, in different ways.
Round and round. More learning. More wisdom.

We are invited to enter the dreamtime tonight.
The place between the future and the past.
The stillness of now.

​Here we can receive Her gifts.
Here we can hear Her voice.

Tonight, light candles for yourself, for SHE and for your foremothers and forefathers.
Light candles for the wisewomen who were burned.
Take time to ask for guidance and pull some cards from an oracle deck.

Write down what you are ready to leave behind you as we move forwards into the darkness.

Cut an apple open so that you see the pentagram star in the centre. Speak your prayers of what you want to take with you into the new year into the apple, and then eat one half and leave one on your altar. You can then take it with you and leave it in the forest tomorrow or another day.

The transformative energy of Goddess is not always easy or straightforward. It can be confusing. It can be painful. It can be surprising. It can be beautiful.
Always know that She guides us.
She never gives up.
She guides us back to the light.
Always.

Wishing you a magical evening.

With love and blessings, Elin xx

Water. Flow. Emotions.
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On the Wheel of Ana it is in the south. The time of the Summer Solstice.

A time of beauty. Of abundance in nature. Of being almost overwhelmed with it all.
Imagine walking into a calm lake under the full moon.
Running into the waves of a wild sea.
Drinking tea wrapped in a blanket under the stars on a summer night.

Breathe it all in. 

Allow Her to enter you and let it all go.
She is not stuck. She is forever in flow.
When a rock is in the way She moves around it.
She gently carves Her own way. 
She forcefully pushes through mud, trash and sand.
She holds us when we let go. 
She is in our tears and in our blood.
Move your body with Her.
Feel Her rocking you like a wave rolling in on the beach.

Sink into a warm bath. Add sea salt and some oils. Let Her hold you, and as you let go of what you no longer need She transforms it.

Send love and healing into a glass of cold water and drink it.

Living close to the elements adds such beauty to our lives. 
It is essential for us as pagans and witches. And it is essential for everyone!

If you need help to find your way back. 
If you need a push in order to make spirituality a priority, then have a look at my course Awakening to the elements.

Any questions? Send me a message of Facebook!

Love and blessings

Standing with both feet on the ground.
The ground that is Her body.
Sitting down and putting your fingers in the wet moss, in the soil. 
Grounding and centering.
Digging deep, deep into the earth. 
Deep into Mama. 
Feeling Her energy ground you as you breathe in Her scent.
You feel Her energy stir and rise, up up into your heart.
Becoming a part of you.
As you are a part of Her.

On the Wheel of Ana, Earth is situated in the west. It is the time of the Autumn Equinox. A time of balance. Or of realising that everything is not in balance, and taking the time to listen in and see how you want to move forwards.
The element of earth brings grounding and stability. It helps us slow down when we need to. 

We call on Her as Gaia, Banbha, Mother Earth.

We can feel Her beneath us and within us. If we close our eyes and focus on the soles of our feet we can sense Her energy flowing into us, mingling with our own.
This is a great daily practice to do as it grounds us and brings us back to the present moment.

Working with the elements like this on a daily basis is what can make our lives truly magical. An appreciation for what is around us brings us more joy. It can help us return to the sense of awe of being alive. Sometimes we forget. Sometimes we get stuck in the grind of daily life.

Stop.
Take a breath.
Feel the Earth beneath your feet.
And you are home.

With love, Elin xx
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If you want to learn more about working with the elements on a daily basis and making your life more magical, check out my online courses.