We have entered a season of reflection, reorientation, connection, and preparation. An aligned movement across many cultures, traditions, and the natural rhythms of energy in the world.
This week we have seen a rare alignment across various different perspectives of this movement. The start of Ramadan for the Islamic community. Maha Shivaratri for the Hindu. The Chinese new year – heading into the Fire Horse. The Maya new year of Kej (the deer) and the beginning of a new 13 year cycle. Season of Lent for the Catholics, Black Lent for some witches, and White Lent for some Pagans… And the Season of Illumination with the Divine Mother.
Different Pathways – Similar Movement
Between all of these varied traditions and beliefs there is a similar theme and movement – a time for reflection, reorientation, connection, and preparation that ends with renewal and celebration.
Some of these you may already know, some may be new to you. So before we get into the weeds, let’s look at a few to get a better understanding of their flow.
Ramadan – It begins with the 9th month of the Islamic calendar, marked by the moon cycles. It is a month of fasting, reflection, prayer, and centering around community. They are remembering and celebrating the time when their prophet received and revealed their sacred texts.
Maha Shivarati – This celebration as well is calculated and marked by the lunar cycle, celebrating the marriage between Shiva and Parvati. A festival and celebration, marking a remembrance of “overcoming darkness and ignorance” in life and the world.
As the Catholics have Lent, remembering the 40 days of reflection and sacrifice of Jesus – In recent years I have also seen some Witches and Pagans centering their own practice around the idea but in a new perspective of it. I am not going to focus on the details of these, as I have posted their links above if you want to explore them further… but I did want to express a thought about them. Both the Black and White take a different approach, they both seem to be still working within the christian mythos by focusing on the 7 Deadly Sins. Some are going to vibe with that, but I don’t participate in that religion or believe in “sin” the way they do, so it does not resonate with my practice. Do as thou wilt, and go with what flows for you, but for me it just doesn’t fit.
Then there are New Years and Preparing for Spring, a more naturist/animistic perspective of this time, ranging from the beginning of Feb up to the Spring Equinox, which is where I see more Pagans and Witches focused. Where many are dreaming of the new beginning, making plans of what to plant (in the ground or in their lives). Celebrating what was and shaping the vision of what could come next.
Through all of these the theme of reflection, reorientation, connection, and preparation. The actions of what that looks like is different. The reasons that brought them to the space is rooted in their personal beliefs and connections. But the underlying energy is aligned.
The reason this year is unique, is because they are all falling in the same narrow physical time frame. They are all starting or happening in the same week. As an energy person, this peaks my interest – because you have people across a wide spectrum, focusing their actions and energy on the same type of task. That many people shifting their energy towards this type of movement, shift and affects the collective energy of the world, which can lead to some interesting changes.
Season of Illuminations
For me, and others like me, we are celebrating the Season of Illumination with the Divine Mother – the Lady of the Bones . The same energy of reflection, reorientation, connection, and preparation is present, just in a different way. We are reflecting on Her Mysteries and how they are active within us, how we are aligning ourselves with them, how they are showing up in our lives, and what we want to actively change or transform within ourselves.
The Mother has two seasons of Illuminations in a year’s time span. The first, what we are in now, is focused on the Self, our inner world and who we are. The second time comes around the fall, focused on our living lives, our outer world, our actions and movements within the world and in community. Although there is a standard season of time for each of these Illumination times, we are also not limited to them. For many traditions, sacred times are set by a certain moon, month, or fixed time – these are not. The times set are to remind us, give us a structure and rhythm that helps remind us, but they can also be done at any time during the year. The only “rule” (which is more of a cohesive suggestion) is that you do the inner journey first and the outer journey second, and I am sure you can understand the reasoning for that.
For us, we move through each of Her Mysteries with the same structure of reflection, reorientation, connection, preparation, and celebration. It is a journey of depth, transformation, renewal, and celebration. We follow the same pattern of movement, but the work, what emerges, and how we shape it, is deeply personal and individual. The rituals, tools, and added magic we combine with it comes from our own practices, traditions, and our own connection to the Mother. It definitely makes for a rich and interactive sharing environment – seeing how we all perceive and move with each one in our own way. Witnessing what people discover and create during the season is always exciting and inspiring.
Shared Structure – Different Intentions
One big difference that stands out to me between Abrahamic and Nature Based traditions in these sacred seasons is the undercurrent “why.”
For example, the Catholic Lent is always framed in the aspect of repentance, focused on the negative aspects of the self, their need for change, and sacrifice of self to align with their Deity. Yes, there is connection and celebration within that, but the approach starts from a negative frame of mind, which changes the movement. They approach from a Black Tower perspective, a need to deconstruct because of an imbalance or negative aspect of themselves.
In more Nature based traditions such as Paganism and some traditions of witchcraft – and definitely in the Mother’s Illumination Season – the focus and approach is coming from the White Tower. It is an exploration of the energies, the bonds, and their meanings as they are actively playing a role in our lives. Seeing them, exploring them, and transforming through that experience naturally. Deconstruction still happens but it is not the first step, not the mindset of “this is wrong and needs to change” but it evolves as we grow and learn through the process.
Our Sovereignty isn’t diminished or erased by “surrendering to the Will of our God” – It is strengthened through better alignments within ourselves allowing us to walk in unison and harmony with our Deities/Divine/Nature/Guides – whatever it is you are connecting to and building bonds with.
We embrace that we are flawed, we will make mistakes, we will get things wrong – not because we need to be saved but because we are learning. Each mistake is an opportunity to learn something new, something we did not know before, and to change through that. Each flaw is an opportunity to explore and adjust ourselves to turn a weakness into a strength. We are human, living in a human world with other humans – life is about learning and growing from the learning – it is not to be perfect or even reach for perfection because perfection is an illusion. We only know what we know, and there is so much we still have yet to discover and know.
For You
This is an interesting season of time and energy. So many, in their own ways, are focused on this movement of reflection, reorientation, connection, and preparation – giving added energy to the movement overall. So even if you do not connect with or vibe with any of these systems – you can still plug into the energetic movement itself and use it in your own way.
- Start simply by reflecting – on the last year or where you want to take this year.
- What do you want to change within yourself – or what do you want to explore and experiment with right now? Re-orienting yourself or your life.
- What is something you want to connect with right now? This can be a bond you already have or a new one you want to build – with a Deity, a spirit, an element, an animal, a practice?
- The most important part to not forget though – Celebration. Celebrate where you are right now. Celebrate where you have been – even the mistakes if you learned or grew from them. Celebrate every win, even the small steps to it. Celebrate.
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