The Serpent, the Witch and the Winter Solstice

The Serpent, The Witch and The Winter Solstice - by Mother Ren. A not-so-secret Santa gift to the divine vagabonds who cross my path. A special deep gratitude for the spiritual guidance of Tatiana and Paul from The Gypsy and The Witch and all the incredible ladies I shared a rebirth with at The Winter Solstice Gathering in Pitsford.

“I am what I am,

And, what I will become.”

A quote resonating around my brain that I cannot figure out where I have heard it before to credit the author.

Well my festive vagabonds, it’s the first in fifteen that we will be celebrating this winter season apart. Wow, this is much harder to write than I was anticipating. I have tried my hardest to keep things light and breezy in these letters, to share with you my courage so you too can know you can weather any storm you face. So you can grow in to the fearless vagabond I know resides within you. and, this letter will be no different but I want us, this time, to embrace the darkness, and death, that winter brings and, the new life that can be birthed from it.

I am what I am and, what I will become. I am pretty sure this is from a Netflix series where God repeats this phrase to Moses on multiple meetings. It’s clearly poignant to my subconscious I think for two reasons. Moses was the only human God was supposed to have revealed himself to and talked to marking these words as profoundly significant. For the second reason, this was said by a God to a mortal.

It therefore may be an actual theological quote but DuckDuckGo didn’t seem to recognise anyone ever saying this but something similar;

I am not what has happened to me but what I will become.

This statement is from Carl Jung. It means, I believe, that you are not a victim to events external to the self but what you make of yourself in spite of those circumstances. I do of course agree with Jung, I just feel this doesn’t really explain enough of who I am, just who I am not. I may not be what has happened to me but who I am now to become who I will be?

Well, yes, it’s become rather complicated now hasn’t it? But, that’s what I love about the simplicity of I am what I am and, what I will become. It’s complete. It talks of the past, the present and the future of one individual and can be voiced by Man and God alike. It is cyclical, ever progressing. It means, again I believe, that we are who we have been in the past, who we are currently, and we hold our future selves encased within all of that.

Michelangelo’s David lay hidden in a block of marble that once was hidden further within the Earth herself. The soulful sculptor could only reveal the divine David if he recognised what was and what was to become. A block of marble becomes like flesh, it becomes Man.

We are like that block of marble, waiting for our sculptor to unleash who we are inside without realising we have the tools and the hands ourselves, and we are already there, blueprint not needed. We just need to have faith that our hands know what to carve and what to leave. After all, even Gods must carve themselves.

Michaelangelo was only demonstrating that life was about revelation. Shedding the old and unnecessary to reveal the beauty of what’s hidden. If he were to be alive to this day somehow who’s to say after all this time that he wouldn’t have sculpted David further to reveal even more awe.

So, that is what I have decided to explore further this Yule tide season. The christmases I was fortunate enough to share with you were the most special I had experienced. Our last Christmas when we went to The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe event I feel was the perfect way to wrap up our old traditions and beckon in anew. It is a story, that although I haven’t read in a very long time, about a family of children who become separated after falling in to a winter wonderland rife with war between good and evil. It’s about their journey back to each other and towards their true selves. To be the heroes they were always written to be.

Do you remember my dear friend Sonya? I have reconnected with her and she has been of tremendous support during this life change. I am so grateful for her warm and generous friendship. She has also been sharing the wisdom she has been gathering on her spiritual journey with Tatiana and Paul at The Gypsy and The Witch, which has had me more than intrigued. So, Sonya being the legend she is took me to a Winter Solstice Gathering run by Tatiana and Paul as a Christmas present. Thank you Sonya, deeply.

I didn’t know what to expect. I knew very little about solstices, scientifically or spiritually. I knew they were significant, thinking of Stonehenge and all the other ancient sites I am fascinated by (looking at you Gobleki Tepe . . . One day!) and, that they were either the longest day, summer solstice, or longest night, winter solstice. But, as I sat and let the day wash over me and Tatiana and Paul’s words sink in I realised I was a part of a cycle I was only just beginning to acknowledge. A cycle, to borrow from Women Who Run With Wolves, of “Life/Death/Life. That the winter is about letting what needs to die die. To rest our land and let it absorb the nutrients from the decay of the life before it ready to sow a healthier crop. Spending our time in the stillness of the dark, more in dream than in daylight, letting creativity fan our flames. Sharing our gratitude, fire and warmth from deep within with others as we see each other through the long nights. It is a time for endings, where one can pause and reflect, before the new day dawns.

This is exactly what the Winter Solstice and this workshop delivered to me and more. Just like the serpent who has ruled this year we are shedding our skin before we start a new year as the majestic horse. In order to do this we must reflect on what we should no longer carry, we must journey inwards. We must acknowledge both who we are now and the David we will become. When we can do this our path will be far clearer when the light returns.

I read somewhere that our ancient ancestors celebrated the winter solstice as they believed that the sun dies on the 21st December, the longest night, and would be reborn anew 3 full days later on the 25th December. Of course, we also know of another different type of Son to be “born” on this date, but it is clear us humans see this day as a rebirth. Today you are given the best gift of them all. You have been reborn. Who are you and, who will you become?

I love you my vagabonds all the way to 3i/Atlas and back, and although our atoms are apart I am always with you in spirit. Have a blessed Christmas, this is a time to make your dreams come to life xxx