Father Yule – The Green Man

I’m doing something special this month for the New Moon in Sagittarius meditation… I didn’t write this one, but rather I’m sharing one written by John Matthews. It’s called The Sun at Midwinter and you can find it in his book titled The Winter Solstice: The Sacred Traditions of Christmas. (Here it is on Amazon.)

Now I know that the Winter Solstice occurs when the Sun moves into Capricorn… but this meditation seems so appropriate to the energy of the New Moon in Sagittarius that I couldn’t resist sharing it tonight. 

I don’t have a written copy of this meditation – so I hope you’ll listen to it as I’ve recorded it. 

You can read the meditation here in a PDF however. 

So, here it is! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. My family listens to this meditation as I recorded it years ago every Winter Solstice… 

Listen to The Sun at Midwinter: A Meditation by John Matthews, as read by Michelle Gregg

Since I wasn’t able to share the written version of the meditation, I thought I’d share the written transcript of the actual New Moon in Sagittarius TeleClass that we shared just a few minutes ago. Enjoy! And know that this is what you can expect if you ever decide to join us for future New Moon calls! Happy Holidays to you!

Hey Everybody!!

I’m Michelle Gregg and I’ve been a Counseling Astrologer for about 18 years. My work is a bit like therapy in that I usually work with folks over a period of time, rather than just in one session. I do that as well, though I most love working with people over time. That’s the way we work through those issues!

I use the teachings of Carl Jung along with astrology, mythological stories, meditation, dialoguing with the Gods, and anything else I can think of to help you get to where you want to be. I love to help people, so this work is very fulfilling!

I’m in Atlanta GA, and I can work with anyone anywhere in the world via phone or Skype. I’d LOVE to work with each and every of you so your gift for being here with me this evening is that you get 20% off any consultation that you schedule with me between now and the Full Moon in Cancer on December 28. I SO hope you’ll take advantage of that! If you want a consultation go to the page on my site (www.michellegregg.com) that says Client Info Form and follow those instructions. Easy Peasy! This offer is only for you folks on the call – so that means you are very special to me and I’m very grateful to you for being here with me now.

Let me just say that at least part of the reason I do these classes and meditations is because I’d love to be able to help you with your individual concerns by seeing you in personal consultation. That’s why I offer my sessions to you at such a great discount. No one has decided to take advantage of that offer yet however, and I’m wondering if any of you have any feedback on the class or have any ideas around that?

So couple things about being on the call.

If you want to mute yourself so that the rest of us can’t hear you or your background noise, then just press 4*. You can unmute yourself by pressing 4* again.

If you want to ask a question or make a comment press 5*. That way I can see that you want to speak and I’ll ask you to go ahead – it’s like raising your hand. I think this evening though, unless something happens, I’m just going to leave all the lines unmuted (though you can mute yourself like I said before if you want to). That way you can just jump in with questions and comments whenever you’d like. I really don’t mind being interrupted and as a matter of fact I’d love your participation.

Another thing is that I’m going to ask you to take your shoes off for the meditation (if it’s not too cold now!) so if you’re comfortable with that, feel free to go ahead and slip them off. And since this really is the Dark of the Moon when no part of the Moon is visible, if it’s possible you might want to turn off your light and close your curtains to get you into the right space in your mind.

OK Let’s Get Started

First, how did last month go? It was the New Moon Solar Eclipse in Scorpio – anything about the last month you’d like to share?

For me: Over the past month in my life, my practice has really started to take on a different feel… it’s more intense and it’s building very quickly now. That’s really been my focus the past 28 days and it’s paying off. Where I felt a little blocked prior the recent eclipses – I feel that now the path has really been opened.  

If you want to see the New Moon chart that I’m using, which is drawn for Dec. 13, 2012 at 3:42 AM, the moment of the New Moon, go to www.michellegregg.com  and click on the very happy winter cartoon that you see at the upper left side. The article says Food for Thought. If you open that and scroll down, you’ll see the key phrases that I sent out earlier today that are relevant to this New Moon and then below those you’ll see the New Moon Chart. If you click the chart it will get bigger and easier to see. It’s drawn for no particular place, an Aries Wheel, so it’s good for where ever you are.

A little bit about how the New Moon works

The New Moon, any New Moon, is a time for regenerating and restoring your spirit and seeding new ideas. So all of the things that we talk about in the next hour are places to seed these new ideas. The New Moon is a time to relax and connect with your subconscious self and your creativity. This is the time when we can’t see any moon in the sky at all, leaving us in a very fertile darkness as we prepare for the next cycle of the moon through the sky. It’s a new beginning because it’s the time when the moon and sun are together – the core-self represented by the sun and the instincts and emotions represented by the moon, are feeding each other. They’re communicating – they have much in common because they are in the same sign.

And the New Moon chart sets the stage for the next 28 day cycle – it’s the imprint of what we can expect and how we can best move forward EMOTIONALLY for the next month.

I’m looking at this month’s New Moon chart with a particular eye toward the Sun and Moon in Sagittarius. This Sagittarius energy is pretty pure – the Moon has been void for most of the day, meaning that it doesn’t connect with any other planets. And because the Sun and Moon come right together during the New Moon, the Sun isn’t making any connections to other planets either. Or they weren’t. I think the Moon made its first aspect, which was a sextile to Neptune at about 5:45 this evening. That should lend us a very nice, dreamy quality for the meditation in a little while.

This New Moon in Sagittarius, asks us to meet the coming month with faith! It asks us to open ourselves up to the possibility of a bright future… Sagittarius energy is very future oriented. So my feeling on the idea that the world is ending and everything is all doom and gloom is beautifully off-set and denied by this gorgeous Sag optimism.  

What do you think of when you think of Sagittarius?

I am a Sagittarius, so I might be too close to all of this. Not only do I have the sun in Sag, I have Mercury, Venus and Mars in Sag too!

So what I’m thinking is this is our month not to worry… Sagittarius energy is not a worrier. It doesn’t dwell on possible negative outcomes or what happened in the past. It wants to get on with building the happiest possible future, have as much fun as possible while doing, bring as many people as possible along for the ride, and believe that life is going to support us!!

And I gotta say – that’s pretty much how I have lived most of my life. Sound scary to some of you?

So this month, as far as I can see, which hopefully like that gorgeous Centaur drawing back his bow is pretty far – as far as I can see for the next 28 days we are meant to focus on the happy future that we want to create and start galloping in that direction.

Now there are some common Saggy pitfalls to be aware of:

1. If you’ve got yourself focused on running ahead toward the future, you might miss the hole in the ground that’s right in front of you – you might gracelessly stumble and even fall. Brush off, see what the trouble is, figure out what you can do about it, and then grab hold of your faith and head forward again. Don’t let the pot hole change your course… do let it give you pause and time for a little reflection.

2. You might think that everyone else wants to hear everything that you’ve got to say about your vision of the future and what it should be. Just remember – maybe they do and that’s wonderful. Maybe they don’t… so don’t forget to check that there is in fact some appreciation in response to your vision before you carry on. Sag energy can get a little carried away with its own ideals and its own importance. So smile and move to your next victim if you can tell they don’t want to hear it. Better to expend your energy on those happy to be inspired.

3. Overwhelm and overextension… Sag energy is big and bold and pretty fearless because it has so much faith that everything is going to fine and that failure is not an option. So Sag can be a yes man – and saying yes too many times without consulting your calendar can get you into trouble. So can doing too much or going forward too fast… so be careful.

Basically, what I’m saying by spouting all of this stuff that you probably already know about Sag energy, is that this month it is okay – nay expected – for you to depend on grace and faith and hope and love and set your foot forward with confidence toward a better future – whatever that better future that you envision for yourself might be.

Where this New Moon falls within your birth chart will give you clues as to where this expansion and new growth will take place – and how you’re pre-disposed to optimistic energy in the first place will also go a long way in understanding whether you’ll be able to go whole hog with this – or take baby steps.

It doesn’t matter. Anything that takes you out and away from where you are now toward something that is lighter and brighter is using the energy well.

Do this on purpose this month. Get out of your comfort zone. Listen to the call of the wild. Put your inherent gifts to use and listen to the voice in your head and your heart – they are your intuition and they know what you’re supposed to be doing. They are your vision. They are very WISE. And you know what? Creativity is WISE. It can be scary and dangle us outside our comfort zone – that is true. But real creativity from our intuitive vision is WISE and will not steer us wrong.

So – get out there and move forward with your gifts. They are only gifts if you GIVE THEM.

Okay – so here are some Sagittarius keywords and words phrases – and you guys feel free to throw some out there too as you think of them:

Freedom, adventure, don’t fence me in, preacher, teacher, mentor, quest, journey, search for meaning, search for truth, honesty, philosophy, wisdom, ideals, the student, the citizen of the world, fiery, optimistic, joyful, Pollyanna, the higher mind, higher education, world travel, traveler, instincts, intuition, the hypocrite, the high priest, the missionary, the zealot, the evangelist, belief in faith, hope and love, expanding the horizons, expanding knowledge, higher purpose, religion, morality, law and legal issues, justice, prejudices, self-righteousness

Some of these are positive and some are challenging… meaning that Sagittarius energy, like all other energies, has a high vibration and a low vibration and everything in between. And, as I always say, you get to choose which way you want to vibrate with it.

I do want to say a little bit about the fact that the Sun and Moon this morning at the New Moon were conjunct to the asteroid we call Juno.

Juno/Hera was the wife of Jupiter/Zeus… so we have the marriage of Sagittarius energy, which is ruled by Jupiter, involved in a committed relationship with his wife in mythology.

Juno represents our ability to commit to something… so I’m thinking that with the Sun and Moon closely connected to her in Sagittarius, this truly is a time when we can make a commitment to our vision for the future – and have it pan out. Whenever we are committed to something, and I mean truly committed, things begin to happen to us and around us that supports us in that commitment.

I know you’re familiar with this quote, but both in terms of Sagittarius energy which begs us to boldly go for our dreams, and in terms of Juno which begs us to make a commitment, I thought it appropriate to bring it up. It is actually one of my favorite quotes of all time. And while it has been attributed to Goethe, I’ve come to understand that it was probably actually said by a great adventurer named W. H. Murray in The Scottish Himalaya Expedition back in the 1950’s as a sort of paraphrase to a verse found in Geothe’s Faust.  And how appropriate is it that we’re quoting a great adventurer during a New Moon in Sagittarius? This great adventurer, mountain climber said:

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, the providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets: 

          Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. 
          Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!'”

So that’s the flavor of the month kids… dream big, use your intuition and trust it! And then boldly go forth with faith and commitment and make those dreams happen.

I posted a list of key phrases that are relevant to today’s New Moon energy earlier in the day, so let’s touch on those for a few minutes. They are:

faith and hope in the future
optimistically opening to your heart’s desires
expanding your belief system
finding meaning in your life
discovering a talent for happiness (yay!)
holy, happy, noble, rich feeling

I think most of what I’ve talked about already covers them, but please share your thoughts on these phrases with us… anyone?

We’re doing something different tonight. Because it’s the holiday season, I wanted to do something holiday-y so I hope you won’t mind my digression from form. Normally I write the meditation that we use, but this evening I want to use a meditation that is very special to me. I really just felt like I have to share it – it’s not necessarily about the New Moon or Sagittarius energy per se – but I think you’ll understand that it is appropriate as you experience it. It’s called The Sun at Midwinter: A Meditation and it was written by John Matthews and is published in his book called The Winter Solstice – The Sacred Traditions of Christmas. And we’ll get to that in just a minute.

First, here’s another twist for tonight that I’ve never done before – before we do this amazing meditation I want to read you yet a different piece. I have no idea who wrote this one. I found it earlier today on-line and whoever posted it said they found it on a website called magickalenchantments.blogspot.com – But I went to that website and didn’t see it there. So I have no one to attribute this to.

I get a little choked up at the end, so hopefully I can get through this without embarrassing myself.

It’s called Twas the Night Before Yuletide.

Here goes:

Twas the night before Yuletide and all through the glen
Not a creature was stirring, not a fox, not a hen.
A mantle of snow shone brightly that night
As it lay on the ground, reflecting moonlight.

The faeries were nestled all snug in their trees,
Unmindful of flurries and a chilly north breeze.
The elves and the gnomes were down in their burrows,
Sleeping like babes in their soft earthen furrows.

When low! the earth moved with a thunderous quake,
Causing chairs to fall over and dishes to break.
The Little Folk scrambled to get on their feet
Then raced to the river where they usually meet.

“What happened?” they wondered, they questioned, they probed,
As they shivered in night clothes, some bare-armed, some robed.
“What caused the earth’s shudder? What caused her to shiver?”
They all spoke at once as they stood by the river.

Then what to their wondering eyes should appear
But a shining gold light in the shape of a sphere.
It blinked and it twinkled, it winked like an eye,
Then it flew straight up and was lost in the sky.

Before they could murmur, before they could bustle,
There emerged from the crowd, with a swish and a rustle,
A stately old crone with her hand on a cane,
Resplendent in green with a flowing white mane.

As she passed by them the old crone’s perfume,
Smelling of meadows and flowers abloom,
Made each of the fey folk think of the spring
When the earth wakes from slumber and the birds start to sing.

“My name is Gaia,” the old crone proclaimed
in a voice that at once was both wild and tamed,
“I’ve come to remind you, for you seem to forget,
that Yule is the time of re-birth, and yet…”
“I see no hearth fires, hear no music, no bells,
The air isn’t filled with fragrant smells
Of baking and roasting, and simmering stews,
Of cider that’s mulled or other hot brews.”

“There aren’t any children at play in the snow,
Or houses lit up by candles’ glow.
Have you forgotten, my children, the fun
Of celebrating the rebirth of the sun?”

She looked at the fey folk, her eyes going round,
As they shuffled their feet and stared at the ground.
Then she smiled the smile that brings light to the day,
“Come, my children,” she said, “Let’s play.”

They gathered the mistletoe, gathered the holly,
Threw off the drab and drew on the jolly.
They lit a big bonfire, and they danced and they sang.
They brought out the bells and clapped when they rang.

They strung lights on the trees, and bows, oh so merry,
In colors of cranberry, bayberry, cherry.
They built giant snowmen and adorned them with hats,
Then surrounded them with snow birds, and snow cats and bats.

Then just before dawn, at the end of their fest,
Before they went homeward to seek out their rest,
The fey folk they gathered ‘round their favorite oak tree
And welcomed the sun ‘neath the tree’s finery.

They were just reaching home when suddenly it came,
The gold light returned like an arrow-shot flame.
It lit on the tree top where they could see from afar
The golden-like sphere turned into a star.

The old crone just smiled at the beautiful sight,
“Happy Yuletide, my children,” she whispered. “Good night.”

Don’t you love that?? 

Ok. Now on with the meditation!

Listen to The Sun at Midwinter: A Meditation by John Matthews, as read by Michelle Gregg

The Sun at Midwinter: A Meditation by John Matthews

This is a guided imagery meditation.

The best way to engage in this experience is to sit comfortably upright with your bare feet on the ground or the floor, with closed eyes and an open heart and an open mind.

Relax your face. Smile and release any tension there. Relax your shoulders. Gently lift them and let them fall into a comfortable place. Shake your arms and hands lightly and then allow them to become comfortable and loose, resting your hands in your lap. Breathe deeply into your torso and as you breathe out twist easily and gently from side to side, then come to center and settle into an easy position. Now gently shake your legs and move them from side to side for a couple of breaths, then bring them to stillness, releasing any tension in them… just let them relax and become heavy. Now lift your feet a little and wiggle your toes and circle your ankles and let them come to rest, planting them firmly on the floor again, knees bent and wide, easily supporting your relaxed legs. Breathe very deeply, in and out, at a natural and comfortable rate.

Even gentle breaths – getting deeper and deeper as you relax.

Breathing slowly, slowing your heart rate. In. Out. In. Out.

Now the darkness behind your eyelids is growing even darker. Darker with every breath.

Open your mind to suggestion. Free yourself into a blissful conscious darkness.  Breathe there, relaxing in pleasure.

(I READ THE MEDITATION FROM THE BOOK) 

Mmmmmm. Ok. Very nice. How do you feel?

Ok! That’s it then. I hope you’ll take this meditation with you into your daily lives this month and please come back to it on my website again and again – whenever you feel like you need a Soul boost.

And I’d love to help you with a consultation this month – so please be in touch about that. Remember that you get 20% for being here on the call with me tonight.

Thanks all! Happy Holidays to you and I’ll see you next New Moon!