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The Winter Soul, Gothic and Gloaming

What is the Winter Soul? The Winter1 Soul is mysterious. The Winter Soul is somewhat forbidden and foreboding. The Winter Soul is cold, ominous, and travels alone. The Winter Soul is romantic. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that some souls are drawn to a “winter” sensibility—to the dark, cool, and seemingly gloomy place inside of us—a place into which most mundanes don’t dare venture. I advise you to delve fearlessly into the Winter Soul and explore it fully. Still not sure about the Winter Soul? There are plenty of examples in popular literature and culture. Think of Heathcliff tromping across the freezing moors, his heart tormented by a dark, intense passion. Think of the short-lived but never-to-be-forgotten sci-fi television show Lexx, whose star, Kai, was actually dead yet somehow more beautiful, brilliant, capable, and alive than anyone else on the show. And think of Mary Shelley’s Dr. Frankenstein and his monstrous creation trudging over the frozen plain of the Arctic in this dramatic and oh-so-tragic tale of life, death, love, and pain, the first Gothic novel ever written.

These are all dreams, creations, and expressions of the Winter Soul. From Poe, to Siouxsie Sioux, to the lone witch on the moonlit hill, these are incredibly imaginative beings with a will to go it alone, dare to take risks, and explore a lonesome path to gain the great riches of their own souls at the end of the journey.

If you were drawn to this book, then you too are a Winter Soul. You picked up this book to explore a different kind of magic. And as you do so, you will experience a liberation of your spirit unlike any you have ever known before. With the freedom of a Winter Soul, you will come to “know thyself” very well, and in this deepened self-knowledge, you will gain personal power. Winter Souls are strong, and in that strength comes a calm, potent centeredness and an intuitive brilliance that can lead, help, and command. As you continue along your spiritual path, always pursue the depths of your Winter Soul to the fullest and nurture your spirit to the truest expression of your self. When you see a pagan standing out in the crowd, you know this person is unafraid to convey an uncompromising individuality and developed sense of self. Dark Moon magicians are engaged with their inner nature and with outer nature all around us.

SHADOWS AND LIGHT—ARRANGING A WINTER ALTAR

There are many ways to nurture your truest nature and Winter Soul; perhaps the most obvious is creating a winter altar. This altar should be unlike any you have ever created before—because you are now recognizing a previously unexplored aspect of yourself and of spirituality and focusing this in your altar, your “power center,” in the words of Carl Jung, and I concur. Only in accomplishing this can you fully integrate and become whole. Thus, this altar is a tribute to and exploration of your unseen self and should be drawn from your deepest intuition. Select offerings and objects you are drawn to without quite knowing why. The answers will come. Spend as long as possible contemplating the qualities of this side of yourself and collect representations of these qualities carefully. What articulates these unique qualities?

You can go with the obvious symbols of winter—white, icicles, clear crystals, and so on—but do not limit yourself. These types of symbols only skim the surface of the possibilities. What of a fossil that is frozen in the amber of time? Perhaps a birch branch with delicate lichen barely clinging to the surface. Think of how a frozen lake glistens with many colors and the mystery that lies beneath the surface, both of which can be represented by an iridescent and glittery chunk of labradorite crystal for your altar. As you take a walk in the darkening days in the countdown to the winter solstice, collect a fallen leaf, which is a perfect dried emblem of the changing of the season. In your own backyard, you see one tiny acorn, tucked in the roots of the old oak tree. Place it on your altar as a symbol of all potentiality. As you pass by a yard sale, you spy a bit of beautiful carved ivory, an antique whale-tooth scrimshaw depicting an Inuit ritual, and you instantly know it is perfect for your sacred space. In the back of your closet, you find a snow globe you prized as a child; it has swirling snowy flakes inside a perfect circle. Suddenly, you remember your favorite Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, The Snow Queen. You place the book on your altar and open to its gorgeously pre-Raphaelite depiction of this royal embodiment of the Winter Soul.

Encouraged and feeling more open and adventurous, you try your hand at art. You paint on your altar a triptych—the hoary sky, palest sun struggling to shine, a low-hung harvest moon, all beautiful blues with a sapphire night sky and silver stars. As you think about the heavens above and the firmament in which hang the stars, moon, sun, and all the planets, you are struck by a sense of the sacred. You feel how very special it is to be alive on this planet, maybe an accident and most definitely a miracle. As you think about it, you can almost feel the swing of Earth on its axis as it spins around the sun. Now more than ever, you feel so very alive.

Altar Consecration

Once you have arranged your altar to your liking, it is time to consecrate it. You can use a ritual of your own or follow these simple instructions.

Timing:

The best time to perform this ritual is at dusk.

Supplies:

•1 violet candle

•1 silver candle

•Incense

•1 goose feather