“Beginnings and endings are so very sacred, to give honor to all that has transpired, every experience, every joy, every pain, is a doorway to the magical. Hold your entire year between your hands, every day, every thought, every breath. Now bless it with gratitude, love and humility. You have done more to transform this new year than a thousand resolutions.” 

I'm not sure if it's realistic or not, but the New Year always fills me with hopes for peace. The Winter Solstice starts that process, and the cathartic idea of the new year follows up with an "out with the old, in with the new" type of energy. But sometimes, a voice that is "old" brings us "new" insights. 

With all the hub-ub about diversity, immigration, refugees, and religious dialogue, I thought it would be nice to share a poem from a very renowned, very ancient Syrian poet. His name was Abu 'L'Ala Ahmad ibn 'Abdallah al-Ma'arri. Not surprisingly, he is most often referred to only as al-Ma'arri. He was born in Aleppo, and lived from about 973-1057 CE.

Card images used in this article are from the exciting new Midcenturian Tarot by Madam Clara. Visit her Etsy shop here to snag your very own copy.

Tarot can be used for so much more than just divination. In fact, my favorite use of the cards is for focused intention and manifestation. Want to expand a particular energy in your life? Enhance an area? Invite more? Then consciously choose the card/s that represent whatever it is you want to attract; don’t rely on randomness or blind “Card of the Day” pulls to guess what it is you really want. (That’s a bit like wanting to make a specific recipe, going into a grocery store blindfolded and then pulling things off the shelves for your order!).

 We at We'Moon are so excited for this new year!
After the tribulations and changes the leap year held for us, we enter into a dazzling display of STARDUST!
This year's art is the magnificent Cosmic Whispers by Emily Kell.

Cosmic Whispers is part of a female empowerment series that honors women in
their many unique manifestations of beauty. The message written throughout
the painting reads:

Every once in awhile I look at you and remember
that you are me, and we are god
And our souls are little embers burning endlessly
In the vacuous heartbeat of eternity
You are one tiny torn thread in the tapestry
And You are exactly as you should be.
Cosmic Whispers © Emily Kell 2014

We'Moon 2017 sparkles with StarDust! Our recent thematic travels through
Tarot's Major Arcana cards have carried us through challenging realms: The
Devil XV (We'Moon 2015: Wild Card) and The Tower XVI (We'Moon 2016: Quantum
Leap Year).

Here we are with The Star XVII—and we are delighted! The Star
card opens us to the vast comforts of a benevolent universe, the
heart-stirrings of personal and global healing, the astonishing
possibilities of vibrant imagination.

The StarDust theme does not deny angst; creative encounter with negative energy is still imperative. Life on
Earth is truly imperiled by climate catastrophe and human violence.Frightening gravities indeed!...We invited praise for Stars as "Brilliant cosmic wonders blazing across space/time, all cultures, all dimensions;
beacons of inspiration shining toward creative magic, expanded awareness,
visionary action."
Bethroot Gwynn © Mother Tongue Ink 2016

Emily Kell (Savannah, GA) I am a visionary artist whose work takes root in ideals of divine feminine and a return to the energy of the primordial goddess. I created a language to write secret poems and messages that I include in my female empowerment series that honors women in their many unique manifestations of beauty.

Bethroot Gwynn (Myrtle Creek, OR) marks her 21st year as WeMoon's Special Editor and her 41st at Fly Away Home women's land, where she grows food, theater and ritual. For more info about spiritual gatherings or working visits send a SASE to POB 593, Myrtle Creek, OR 97457). 

Before I began my Priestess walk in this lifetime I was an avid student of mysticism, so avid that I have named the brand of spirituality that I practice Feminine Mysticism.

Gather your soul at the hearthfire of winter

Hold the embers of last year’s dreams