In Australia, and
the Southern Hemisphere in general, we have passed through the Winter
Solstice, the shortest day of the year. In the leadup to this time,
there has been a period of shedding, a letting go of what no longer
serves me in my life. This particular shedding has been a long time
coming, ,and has brought with it some cost. The worst part has been to
be without my family nearby, like they were for more than 20 years since
I first became a mother. The kids have all grown and carving out their
own lives, as it should be. I have been in Jervis Bay now for going on
six weeks now, and although the timeframe itself isn't terribly long,
the reality of being an empty nester in a new area, a new house, and a
complete change of existence, has sunk in. The weather gods haven't
always been kind, either, as there have been some torrential rainfall
and gale force winds which have effectively made me feel even more cut
off. Luckily, I do know people in the local area and I'm not completely
alone, but this darkest period before the onset of winter is always
hard.
The shedding had already begun when the house in Helensburgh was sold and I eventually found the house that I now call home. This was a precursor to a divorce settlement - something else which has weighed heavily upon me for some years, because I lived in the marital home with the kids while they were growing up. Once my youngest child turned 18, it was time to get the ball rolling in my bid for freedom. I have no real personal issue against the ex, and the split was amicable. Having said that, the time for moral obligations were over. The house was sold, I bought the new place, moved away, and filed my divorce papers recently. Last Saturday, I went to a women's circle honouring the cycles and seasons. I must say, there was a lot more shedding involved than I had expected. It took quite a bit out of me, although at the same time, it was a blessed relief to finally own up about how I was feeling to other people. After that, I received an invite to dinner from a friend who lives nearby and a great night was had. I spent the following day at home wanting to hibernate, despite being invited to another event. It was as well that I did stay home, because the weather had once again turned for the worse.
Monday was moving into the full moon phase of Gemini/Sagittarius and I set about making a roast pork feast to honour the Norse God Freyr, along with the other Gods and Goddesses, and my ancestors. The full moon came out long enough for me to serve my feast and raise the horn in honour before the rains came again. So, despite the bad weather, I had been blessed with timing so that I would uphold my midwinter ritual. Tuesday was Yule proper and the whales are currently migrating north. I had hoped to see them by the water but there was no sighting at that moment. What I did, instead, was walk along Huskisson beach and found one particularly pleasant surprise. The photo below reminds me of what I would call a water henge, rocks by the water's edge, and while not forming a full circle, it certainly resembles that of a henge.
The shedding had already begun when the house in Helensburgh was sold and I eventually found the house that I now call home. This was a precursor to a divorce settlement - something else which has weighed heavily upon me for some years, because I lived in the marital home with the kids while they were growing up. Once my youngest child turned 18, it was time to get the ball rolling in my bid for freedom. I have no real personal issue against the ex, and the split was amicable. Having said that, the time for moral obligations were over. The house was sold, I bought the new place, moved away, and filed my divorce papers recently. Last Saturday, I went to a women's circle honouring the cycles and seasons. I must say, there was a lot more shedding involved than I had expected. It took quite a bit out of me, although at the same time, it was a blessed relief to finally own up about how I was feeling to other people. After that, I received an invite to dinner from a friend who lives nearby and a great night was had. I spent the following day at home wanting to hibernate, despite being invited to another event. It was as well that I did stay home, because the weather had once again turned for the worse.
Monday was moving into the full moon phase of Gemini/Sagittarius and I set about making a roast pork feast to honour the Norse God Freyr, along with the other Gods and Goddesses, and my ancestors. The full moon came out long enough for me to serve my feast and raise the horn in honour before the rains came again. So, despite the bad weather, I had been blessed with timing so that I would uphold my midwinter ritual. Tuesday was Yule proper and the whales are currently migrating north. I had hoped to see them by the water but there was no sighting at that moment. What I did, instead, was walk along Huskisson beach and found one particularly pleasant surprise. The photo below reminds me of what I would call a water henge, rocks by the water's edge, and while not forming a full circle, it certainly resembles that of a henge.
I
found some shells, and while I'm not able to collect from that part of
the bay, I put them in the henge as an offering, and gave one of my own
crystals to the local water spirit. Huskisson is my happy place,
somewhere I go when the chips are down, and I always feel a sense of
peace afterwards. That's when I remember the reason for moving down
here. I wasn't getting a lot of work back at the old place, the kids
have grown, my life had become stagnant and there was this need to move
on.
Last night saw me use up the rest of my mead in an offering to the Norns, the Wyrd sisters to whom I converse now and then about my lot in life and where I go to next. I also had some memories that I wrote on a piece of paper and burned afterwards. Cold and windy as last night was, it was nonetheless achieved, especially since the normal yule fire I would burn wasn't viable. Burning the papers in some sage was as close as I could get to lighting a fire.
The final bit of shedding in relation to my former home life was destroying old papers today. What a relief it was to finally be able to do that! For me, it was another step to moving on towards the next phase of my life. While shredding paper may not seem like much, it was significant for me, allowing me to finally remove that excess baggage I no longer need, the gorilla which rode on my back for so long can finally be gone! I'm finally on my way to achieving the independent lifestyle I had craved for so long. And that's a good thing! Till next time, Wassail!
Last night saw me use up the rest of my mead in an offering to the Norns, the Wyrd sisters to whom I converse now and then about my lot in life and where I go to next. I also had some memories that I wrote on a piece of paper and burned afterwards. Cold and windy as last night was, it was nonetheless achieved, especially since the normal yule fire I would burn wasn't viable. Burning the papers in some sage was as close as I could get to lighting a fire.
The final bit of shedding in relation to my former home life was destroying old papers today. What a relief it was to finally be able to do that! For me, it was another step to moving on towards the next phase of my life. While shredding paper may not seem like much, it was significant for me, allowing me to finally remove that excess baggage I no longer need, the gorilla which rode on my back for so long can finally be gone! I'm finally on my way to achieving the independent lifestyle I had craved for so long. And that's a good thing! Till next time, Wassail!
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