Midwinter Altar with Altered Playing Cards, Welcoming Circle, Photo by David Taliesin, ©2019.

This past Sunday night I taught the folks at The Welcoming Circle how to make altered playing cards [mini-collages] as a way of helping us to set our magical intentions and personal goals. We then closed with a ritual to empower of newly created cards:

EMPOWERMENT RITUAL

ANOINTING WITH BRIGID OIL—David Taliesin
[Recipe for Brigid Oil is found in Cunningham’s Incense, Oils and Brews]

May your magical intentions be strong and true
To bring healing and transformation
To the world around you.

CASTING THE CIRCLE

Elements of the east,
place of air, the breath of life,
that which we cannot see
but which fills us with inspiration,
be with us now.

Elements of the south,
place of fire, heat of heart’s blood,
that which courses through us,
filling us with passion
and infusing us with life-giving heat,
be with us now.

Elements of the west,
place of water, shape-shifting,
that which constantly moves and transforms,
nurturing creativity
and gifting us with fresh vision,
be with us now.

Elements of the north,
place of grounding, place of birth,
fierce winter land of ice and cold,
endings and beginnings,
always calling us home,
be with us now.

Ancient Mother of Midwinter,
Watcher over life and death,
The one who rebirths the world,
Be with us on this night!
See us through the dark hours
And stand with us
As dawn births the promise of new life.
So mote it be!

EMPOWERMENT RITUAL—David Taliesin

Close your eyes.

Visualize pulling the energy from the earth up though the souls of your feet and into your body until the souls of your feet tingle. Go with whatever color comes to mind.

Then pull the energy of the moon and stars down from the sky and into your body and let these two energies intertwine. Again, go with whatever color coms to mind.

Let them grow and expand until they fill your body with energetic light which you may picture as a sphere or a double helix or any other image that comes to mind.

When you’re ready, open your eyes and reach our your hands toward the center altar and the playing cards we’ve created. Let that healing energy flow into them.

As you are doing this think about the card you’ve reader and the magical intention it represents.

Remember, this is not your energy. You are just a vessel through with it flows. In order to keep it flowing, join me in the following Druidic chant…Oh-ee-ah.

Now, we are going to release this energy toward the cards on the center altar. Think of what you want to accomplish this coming month. One two, three, release! (Pause)

DISMISSING THE CIRCLE—David Taliesin

Elements of the North, Powers of Earth, Stone and Oak, thank you for your presence and grounding energy in our circle tonight. Stay if you will. Go if you must. We bid you farewell!

Elements of the West, Powers of Water, Snow and Ice, thank you for your presence and healing energy in our circle tonight. Stay if you will. Go if you must. We bid you farewell!

Elements of the South, powers of Fire, Lightning, and Sun thank you for your presence and courageous energy in our circle tonight. Stay if you will. Go if you must. We bid you farewell!

Elements of the East, powers of Air, Smoke, and Moon, thank you for your presence and inspirational energy in our circle tonight. Stay if you will. Go if you must. We bid you farewell!

Ancient Mother of Midwinter,
You bless us with your presence in our circle tonight.
Keep our intentions as strong as winter ice.
May your winds of inspiration blow mightily through our lives,
And help our magic to blanket the world
Like snow upon the ground.
Stay if you will, go if you must. We bid you farewell!

And now the circle is open but never unbroken
Because it is a circle woven in love.
Whatever energy is left in this space
We return to the earth and to the animals around us
Who need its strength this winter.
Merry meet and merry part, and merry meet again.