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CHAPTER 1
January
THE MONTH OF NEW BEGINNINGS
The pressure has been building since Samhain, since the fall equinox even. You have wanted to envision, imagine, and create since harvest season, but you have also honored the call to rest, the invitation to slumber that is the winter season in the northern hemisphere. Now you are in the thick of your dormancy, yet the fire within you still burns. This is the time to indulge your creative senses and set a powerful course for the year ahead. You get few clear shots at your dreams each year. This is one of them. Aim well, spirit traveler. But let your arrow go, eventually. If you spend your whole life aiming, you might as well not even engage the bow.
Trust in yourself is what makes January a dual blessing and challenge. When you released the fruits from your vines last September, you were rich with inspiration and gratitude. But now as you gaze across the vista of life, it is a darker and more barren place you see. In winter, hope must come from within. Relying on others, expecting outside reward or motivation, is risky now. Everything you will build in the year ahead already resides within you today. Now is the time to create, but in a passive way — for example, visualizing and setting intentions. Intentions are best set at the new year and the new moon, so you have multiple opportunities this month.
Take a moment now to be with the beginning of this new calendar year, present to both its possibilities and its challenges. Imagine yourself celebrating twelve months from now the desires, successes, and experiences you most seek. What do you need to allow, surrender, or invite right now to achieve your goals for the rest of the year? Ask your spirit guides, higher self, and all light beings to surround you, support you, and sustain you. May you receive all that you long for, in perfect time and full alignment with your intended path.
Y a'ho
-Prayer-
Smudging
To clear and cleanse your sacred spaces, including temples, sanctuaries, homes,
and classrooms
Guardians of the Plant and Tree Kingdoms, sacred medicines of the jungle floor,
the outback, the desert, and the
river's edge.
We call upon all of our plant teachers to share your wisdom,
blessings, and
healing now.
As we burn your herbs, resins, leaves,
and limbs,
we invite you to come into our space and release energies that are stuck or slow,
freeing us to move and grow in alignment with our path, purpose,
and vision.
We thank you, plant teachers Maestros de la Selva Oscura for your wisdom and love.
Amen, A'ho, So it is
- Invocation -
Four Directional
The original Sage Goddess invocation to the Guardians of the Four Directions
Between day and night, we gather
and seek the wisdom of the elders, the ancients,
the guides,
the ancestors, and humbly in their
presence, we seek the knowledge we
are ready to integrate.
For this is the hour of magic,
and now is the moment of possibility.
Gatekeepers of the Four Directions,
thank you for turning your gaze
toward us this evening.
We honor your sacred presence and thank you for your guidance. For you are welcome here.
I call first to the guardians and
gatekeepers of the East,
and to you, Libra, Aquarius, Gemini. I call to Air,
to the white clouds wandering across a
pale blue-violet sky and to the air that lifts them.
To the breeze that blows across
my face,
to warm summer currents that bring
scents of sea and sand.
To the whispers of dawn,
ancient voices speaking in familiar
tongues.
To the chilly blast of winter's breath, to the hurricanes that destroy so we
can re-create,
and to the currents that support the
wings of the seagull.
To the winds of my dreams, carrying my
hopes for tomorrow,
and to the storms of my heart, violent
and tempestuous.
To desert gusts, where lightning strikes
and thunder rumbles.
Be here with us tonight, element
of air, and let the power of your
gentle force fill our lungs, open
our minds,
and lift our spirits.
I call to the guardians and gatekeepers
of the South,
and to you, Aries, Leo,
Sagittarius. I call to Fire,
to the dry heat of the desert that burns under a flaming orange sun.
To the courage of the lion whose red
mane dances in golden majesty about
his face,
and to the energy that burns within me
and within you.
To the sparkles of fairy magic and the golden glow of citrine stones.
To the flickering of the candle as it burns,
and to the lava flowing from wild and
untamed volcanoes,
native and free.
To the bonfire around which we all gather and vision quest together.
To the warmth of unconditional love we
offer in this space, and to the sage we
burn to clear, clean, and consecrate.
Be here with us tonight, element
of fire, and let the power of your
mighty force warm our hearts, release
our fears,
and destroy our resistance to growth.
I call to the guardians and gatekeepers
of the West,
and to you, Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio.
I call to Water,
to the deep blue-green waves that rush
the shore.
To the dolphin who weaves in and out
of the purple sea,
daring to explore the deepest waters,
and to the mermaid who is bound to
the depths,
personifying flow and grace.
To the awesome power of currents that
carry me forward, spiraling and
gasping, into a future I dare to meet.
To the raging river running wild like
my heart,
and to the azure lake where my children
run at the water's edge.
To the rain in which we dance, together,
fearless, letting go,
and to destiny as we gaze out over
endless seas that divide and connect us.
Be here with us tonight, element
of water, and let the power of your
graceful force wash us clean and
teach us to swim with the tide rather than resist its pull.
Last, but never least,
I call to the guardians and gatekeepers
of the North,
and to you, Virgo, Capricorn, Taurus.
I call to Earth,
to the fields of winter grasses and the
deep woods,
blanketed in moss.
To the dry leaves of summers past that signal autumn and colder nights.
To the many mysteries and secrets
held aloft by the jeweled tapestry of black tree
limbs in the night sky.
To the silent trail of the stag as it weaves
its way through the dark of the forest,
and to Gaia, our great Mother,
who holds us all in her bountiful
embrace.
To the fruit on your trees, Gaia,
the nourishment of your plants,
the blessing of your sacred herbs.
To sand, soil, salt, and spice.
To rock and mountain where
we climb to remind ourselves of our own potential,
and to vistas far and wide, landscapes
green and brown,
arid and tropic beauty.
Be here with us tonight, element
of earth, and let the power of
your grounding force call us into
present time,
reminding us of the gift of silence and our connection to land,
to each other,
to all forms of life.
May the delicate and precious
balance of these four elements
make itself known to you, now
and always.
Amen, A'ho, So it is
- Blessing ?
New Year Intention-Setting
To summon in new energy streams for the year ahead
As you meditate on the year ahead, speak these words at the first new moon of the new year.
As you inhale, visualize your dreams and goals for the upcoming year, and on your exhale, let go of the past year as you repeat the following blessing:
I seek to align myself ever more deeply in
the year ahead with my Creator's plan for my life,
accessing my deepest wisdom and most authentic power.
Great Spirit, I ask for your blessing upon
my intentions.
Please offer me the strength, courage, and
resolve to pursue my dreams, even when
I am afraid or unsure of my steps.
May my efforts support the Highest Good
of all and may I be in divine service to all
my kind.
I come to you, Great Spirit, for wisdom
about my path.
I seek information, insight, and vision
as I move in the world,
helping to align my efforts and actions with my soul's purpose for incarnating in
this lifetime.
Help me correctly interpret the signs
you reveal,
and guide my hand as I aim my arrows
of hope and beauty.
I ask for the strength to move
gracefully and purposefully toward my becoming.
May the year ahead be blessed in every way.
And may I effortlessly attract the
resources I need to do your will.
Amen, A'ho, So it is
- Invocation -
Universal Support
A calling for support from the four directions to guide your journey in the year ahead
As you read these words aloud, imagine energy gathering from all directions,
bringing with it resources you need to support you on your path this year. Know that you are always guided, seen, held,
and nurtured by forces near and far.
I set my vision for this new year,
focusing my will and intention on the
dreams within my heart.
I open my mind and spirit to receive and allow energies to flow that will co-create my intention in full
alignment with my Highest Good and
the Highest Good of all beings.
I receive support from the North,
and the elder spirits who bring me wisdom.
I receive flow from the West,
and the grandmothers who encourage
my trust.
I receive strength from the South,
and elements of courage to empower me. I receive inspiration from the East,
and fuel for the long journeys ahead. I receive wisdom from my Creator,
the essence of all life, and I allow that
knowing to flow and move freely through me.
I root deeply into Pachamama,
trusting that she can hold me steady
during the storms of life.
And I connect powerfully with Source,
attuning to universal frequencies of love.
As above, so below.
As within, so without.
I welcome universal support from
all directions,
and give thanks for spirit guidance.
Amen, Aho, So it is
- Affirmation -
and Activation
Chakra
To open, balance, and align the human energy centers for a year of vibrant health
Speak these affirmations aloud while you touch the space of each chakra with your dominant (or writing) hand.
Begin 12 inches (30.5 cm) above your head, at the Soul Star or Angelic Gateway.
At the Soul Star chakra, I activate my
connection to the Star Systems, Star Beings, and
angelic frequencies.
"I am vast, I am expansive, and I am timeless."
As I repeat this mantra, I activate the
Soul Star chakra for healing, peace, and bliss.
At the Crown chakra, I activate my
connection to my spirit guides and to
Source frequencies.
"I am guided, I am loved, and I am held."
As I repeat this mantra, I activate the
Crown chakra for soulful connection and union with God.
At the Third Eye, I activate wisdom across
time and am initiated as a seer of all things.
"I scry and seek the knowledge of my
ancestors, channeling this wisdom to
heal others and myself."
As I repeat this mantra, I activate the
Third Eye chakra for inner knowing, Source guidance,
and precognition.
At the Throat, I activate my truth with
conviction and clarity and I speak my truth with conviction.
"I hear and honor my voice as I speak
my words but I also wield the power of conscious
silence."
As I repeat this mantra, I activate the
Throat chakra and my authentic truth, embodied fully
and freely.
At the Heart, I love and accept myself as
I am today and extend that gracious acceptance
to others.
"I grow and expand every day, a model of love for others,
radiating compassion for all beings."
As I repeat this mantra, I activate the
Heart chakra for compassion, abiding love, and soulful
connection.
At the Solar Plexus, I am a person of
power,
stronger and more energized every day.
"I am the author of my life, writing the
words of the sacred texts of my
existence in flowing inks of love and
gratitude."
As I repeat this mantra, I activate the
Solar Plexus chakra,
and I forgive the past, for my power is in
this moment only.
At the Sacral, I am a fountain of
creative potential,
and desire flows to and from me in all
directions.
"I create life, I deliver life, I am
life itself.
I glow from within, a reflection of the
Divine."
As I repeat this mantra, I activate the
Sacral chakra for passion, creativity, and physical
connection.
At the Root, I am safe and secure,
and I have learned that wherever I am
is home.
"I take up my space with pride and
unapologetic wisdom.
I have enough. I am enough. I know
enough."
As I repeat this mantra, I activate the
Root chakra for stability, protection, and safety.
At the Earth Star, I am anchored in Gaia's
crystalline matrix, and I gather my
strength from the stone people.
"I receive wisdom and energy from the
crystals around me,
and through them, I attune to the cosmic
frequency of truth."
As I repeat this mantra, I activate the
Earth Star chakra,
and in doing so I align my energy to the
energy of all life.
Amen, A'ho, So it is
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "The Book of Blessings and Rituals"
by .
Copyright © 2019 Athena Perrakis, Ph.D..
Excerpted by permission of The Quarto Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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