Ushering in the New Year with a Little Help from the Wee Folk

Earth's Nuptials

Twelve days and thirteen nights in all the year

Most holy! Earth is shrouded in a sleep;

Trees sentinel above her, vigil keep.

Their fallen leaves gold tinted once, new sere

With times decaying, wrap her round a'near

To shield her in a covering warm and deep.

And living things within the woodland creep

All silently, that none may see or hear,

Yet through the very breath of life may seem

Suspended in the days and nights of dream --

High festival adorns this hallowed tide,

The starry sphere bends to embrace the Bride,

So greet we now the Harbinger of Birth,

The cosmic marriage of the Heavens and Earth.

~ Ann Ellerton

At dusk today, on the Eve of the New Year, we thought about our blessings of the year past and of what we strive for in the year to come. We set up a special space to honor this night with the help of all things unseen.

We wrote our wishes on tiny pieces of paper, one for each member of our family and placed them upon some small stumps. On top we placed a votive candle and Tony lit them while we watched in silent reverence.

Once the candles were lit, we formed a circle and held hands. We prayed together, asking for blessings in the New Year as we offered up our wishes.

The girls then placed some treats for the woodland folk that we made today (vegan cup cakes with some sprinkles). We set up three sets of tables with little stools for them.

And then we waited for the sun to set.

The girls thought this was a marvelous door (or portal) to the world of the wee-folk, imagining the little fairies and elves who might come through tonight to retrieve our wishes and enjoy the treats we left for them on New Year's Eve.

As the sun set for the last time in 2009, we enjoyed watching the dancing candles.

The girls then blew out the votives and replaced them with small rocks so that our wishes wouldn't blow away before the woodland folk had a chance to retrieve them to help us meet our goals for the coming year.

Wishing you many blessings in 2010, including health, happiness, miracles, and much love...