12 Days of Yule Retreat

A Sanctuary for Reflection and Renewal. With Poetry, Tarot, Ritual and more.

Welcome to this edition of Liminal Walker Musings!

Today, An Invitation…

I want to invite all of you to join me in the “12 Days of Yule” Retreat!

No place you need to go to, simply be here, either on Substack or through your e-mail.

This is a FREE offering, in gratitude for you, my subscribers!

This retreat will take place from December 20th through December 31st.

Yule is a traditional winter festival, having roots in Celtic, Norse and Germanic cultures. Celebrations that focused around the winter solstice, marking the longest night of the year and the resulting return of the sun. A time for honoring the natural world, the cycles of the seasons, the darkness and the light. A time of transition, renewal and hope.

My invitation for us is to embrace this sacred time of year together by contemplating and practicing as a community. Let’s release the hustle and bustle that can so often accompany this modern season and instead connect with its foundational symbols and meanings.

My invitation for us is to dive deeper into both the traditional and non-traditional aspects of this time. Letting a key word, a theme, an inspiration guide our journey.

My invitation for us is to write. Create poetry! Share our insights and creativity as we reflect on this mystical season.

My invitation for us is to simply be present and authentic with whatever is unfolding in our current lives. Let’s intentionally honor this time of transition, while having fun and celebrating along the way!

What will this look like?

Each day, for the 12 days of Yule, you will receive a new devotion, an archetype to embody, an opportunity to step into reflection through writing. These offerings are thoughtfully designed to support and guide you on this journey. A new post will arrive as an e-mail or here in substack. It will include:

• A settling in ritual & lighting a candle.

• A theme word, an inspiration.

• An exploration into the aspects of that particular day.

• A tarot/oracle card reading.

• Questions for your own divinational reading OR to use as journal prompts.

• A poem reflecting the theme.

• Space to share your poetry! And your insights and feelings.

During this retreat, if you feel called to share your writing, you’re welcome to do so in the comment section for each post. Or via e-mail, in notes, or on your own stack. There’s no pressure, this is a personal journey, you can simply write for yourself. But know, this is a safe and supportive community where sharing is welcomed.

Again, this space is created just for you, as a token of gratitude for being a subscriber! You may engage in whatever way feels comfortable.

Hope you join me

If you have any questions about this retreat, please feel free to ask in the comment section, you can also email or send me a direct message.

You may invite others to join you. Feel free to like and restack this post as you wish.

The Invitation

When I started focusing on the word ‘invitation’ for this post, I was reminded of the poem by Oriah Mountain Dreamer. In closing…

It doesn't interest me
what you do for a living.
I want to know
what you ache for
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me
how old you are.
I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me
what planets are
squaring your moon...
I want to know
if you have touched
the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened
by life's betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know
if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know
if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations
of being human.

It doesn't interest me
if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear
the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know
if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
"Yes."

It doesn't interest me
to know where you live
or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me
who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me
where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know
if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like
the company you keep
in the empty moments.

---

For more information about the liminal and my offerings:

Please go to: my website

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