The gift of the light
We thankfully take,
But nothing may be
Just alone for our sake.
The more we give light
The one to the other
It shines and spreads life
Growing still further;
Till every spark is set aflame.
Till every heart Joy shall proclaim
~ M. Tittman

~*~

My Solstice weekend was a lot of things: sublime, diaphanous, grounded, magical, beautiful, cold, dark, lovely, light, as I hope was yours. This time of the year is a stretch of magic filled days, if we dare to look for it. I live in Buffalo, after all...I'm used to having my showered hair become icicles (literally) as I dig our car out of the driveway...looking for magic might be low on a priority list unless I made it higher (you know, right below Other Drivers Not Killing Us Because of Snow Stupidity XD).

And so we must make magic~

We had the delight of taking part in the first annual Spiral Dance: A Winter Solstice Concert and Ritual last Friday, held in the beautiful Asbury Hall, in the heart of Buffalo~ Kellianna and the Dragon Ritual Drummers were there on hand to lead in the concert and then create the ritual space and sing us down to the spiral dance. The entire event was created and facilitated by Stephanie Hamberger, an amazing Goddess-filled woman that I had the privilege to meet and sing with during the Goddess Chant Choir, a few years ago. She's also the creative force behind the Enchanted Mountain Goddess conferences, so I knew this event was going to be truly special--I wasn't disappointed~

Before the actual concert and ritual, we were invited into this sacred (and profane!) space to do a bit of holiday shopping at several local vendor tables (It was sort of like a Witchy Etsy ;D). There were blessed soaps and crystals, sage sprays and hand woven blankets, faerie gardens and wands and all manner of magical things, and each of the vendors was kind and excited about the festival itself.

Afterwards, we grabbed seats and sat--spellbound--as Kellianna began to sing. I had heard her sing at the Spoutwood Fairie Festival before, and she was lovely, then, but what followed here was even more magical. She stood on the stage, voice alone, head tilted back and eyes filled with fire as harmonies and melodies transcended the air, the wood, the vibrant stained glass windows of this place. Her voice came, jubilant, morose, powerful beyond measure as she wove stories and blessings and promises for the coming year and the returning of the light. There were so many moments during her set where I realized I was crying...it was too much for me, at times, too beautiful, too ethereal and Goddess filled, I could hardly contain it all. When she was done, when the last note faded away and our roaring applause was silenced, I realized that more magic had been contained in those handfuls of time than most any other. It was a sacred experience, through and through.

We pulled all of our seats off then floor, then, preparing for the Dragon Ritual Drummers to come on stage. I'm an old fan of them, having danced to their music several times at our beloved Fairie Festival, but I'd never heard them indoors. They always ask everyone to dance--no one can simply stand and listen, and you probably couldn't if you wanted to! The primal rhythms and deep, booming god energies pulse through you and around you and carry you through the dance, as much as you are dancing. We danced, we curved and whirled and tossed our feet and heads like wild women and men, and we moved together, a giant heartbeat. There was so much magic and sheer exaltation to the sun, to the earth, to each other, that we were filled and consumed by it.

Afterward, exhausted, we gathered together in a gigantic circle, composed of hundreds of our sisters and brothers. We linked hands and began to move slowly, chanting our love to the world and each other. We moved in a spiral, that old dance of light that moves us all. I have experienced many group rituals--large ones, small ones, have created so much magic myself...but out of all of these treasured memories and moments in my past, none were as powerful or beautiful as this one. Together, together, together, entwined and one, we danced for love and light and healing and peace, and in the darkness of one of the darkest nights of the year, we kept the flame alive...in our hearts and minds and feet, as we called out to the very lightness of being: please stay with us. Come back.

I could swear the stars kept time.


by Raffledoocious