It’s the month of Yule and Winter Solstice Time! Read on to learn about the crystal Apophyllite, take a look at new stock that arrived during May, and discover our Winter Spirit Prompts to add a little magick to your month x
Estimated reading time: 17 minutes
In This Edition:
STONE OF THE MONTH: Apophyllite
GEOLOGICAL
Apophyllite is actually the name for a group of minerals that vary chemically. But it is rarely sub-classified since the differences are often very slight to non-existent visually. Also, the names of the individual species don’t really roll off the tongue.
The most common is Fluorapophyllite-(K), and it’s usually this species that’s labelled Apophyllite. The other group members are:
- Fluorapophyllite-(Cs)
- Fluorapophyllite-(Na)
- Fluorapophyllite-(NH₄)
- Hydroxyapophyllite-(K) and
- Hydroxymcglassonite-(K)
Apophyllites are found in volcanic Zeolite environments as well as traprock quarries. Its name is from the Greek “apo” – to be off, and “phyllos” – leaf, referencing the mineral’s flaking habit when exposed to heat. (One of the ways minerals are identified and classified is a blowtorch test)
METAPHYSICAL
KEYWORDS:
Interdimensional Awareness, Anxiety, Enlightenment, Fear, Peace, Spirituality
Apophyllite is a powerful energy transmitter. It can help you access the Akashic records, while also enhancing your natural psychic abilities and stimulating your intuition. It is an excellent stone for scrying.
Apophyllite is a stone of truth. It helps you recognize your true self, by stimulating introspection and honest self-reflection. This helps you to recognize and let go of your perceived imbalances and flaws, release buried emotions and overcome anxiety. Mentally, this stone is very calming and helps reduce stress.
An excellent stone for your sacred space, meditation and journalling.
BOOK OF THE MONTH: Journey Tarot
Zenned Out Journey Tarot Kit
A Tarot Card Deck and Guidebook for Personal Growth.
Embark on a path of self-discovery with this vibrant, uplifting, and inclusive tarot deck and guide created by Zenned Out founder Cassie Uhl.
NEW ARRIVALS DURING MAY
Some highlights of the awesome new goodies added to the shop this month…
CRYSTALS
- New beautiful & rare individual crystal specimens for collectors including ultra rare Ephesite, Carrollite, Hemimorphite, Rhodochrosite, Sugilite and more
- Awesome peachy Inesite clusters
- Golden A Grade Libyan Desert Glass
- Phenomenal natural blue Tanzanite crystal points
- More rare Libethenite crystals on Dolomite
- AMETHYST! Uruguay Amethyst points restock, and new release – super stunning deepest dark purple Zambian Amethyst points & clusters from a new find
- More colourful Shashe River Agate – this batch has polished faces with the rest of the nodule left natural, very cool.
- Prehnite, Calcite and Quartz plate clusters from Namibia
- Small polished fossil pansy Echinoids
- A few new Aegirine specimens
- Beautiful “Galaxy” Clear Quartz crystal flames
OTHER
- NEW KITS & BUNDLES including Ganesh Blessings, Goddess of Wealth, Moon Magick, Triple Protection Pocket Pack, Archangel Michael Protection (SOLD OUT), Full Power Protection Kit, Chakra Necklace Kit & more
- Gorgeous Agate Slice lightcatchers – each one is so pretty!
- A new natural hemp dreamcatcher range (only 2 left!)
BOOKSHOP
- New oracle card decks including Moon Magick Inspiration, beautiful African Goddess Rising, Dragon Path Oracle Cards, and the super gorgeous The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit Deck
- Restock of Druid Animal Oracle Deck, Green Witch Oracle (SOLD OUT again lol), Magickal Herb Oracle (SOLD OUT again), Modern Witch Tarot (SOLD OUT again) (let me know if you’re still waiting for one of these and we’ll put in another order now)
- New books including Discover Your Power Animal, How To Live With Dragons, Kitchen Witch’s Spell Book, Moon Spells for Witchcraft and Nature Spirits: Wyrd Lore & Wild Fey Magic
JEWELLERY
- Stunning rare Pietersite necklaces
- Ajoite in Quartz, Angel Aura Geodes, Clear Quartz and more…
WHEEL OF THE YEAR
The Wheel of the Year is an ancient calendar that marks and celebrates the season changes and the equinoxes, the movement of our Earth in its relationship to the sun, warmth and cold, light and dark. LEARN MORE.
Following the change in seasons and tapping back into the rhythms of the natural world can help give your life more meaning, and help you be more present in the natural world and in your body.
YULE
This month is Yule, also called Yuletide, or simply the Midwinter Solstice – one of my favourite festivals on the ancient Celtic calendar, the Wheel of the Year.
For us in the Southern Hemisphere, it falls on 21 June, just 2 days before my Birthday.
The Midwinter Solstice is the shortest day and longest night of the year. On this day the sun “stops” (literal meaning of ‘solstice’) seeming to move northwards in the sky, and begins to journey back to us. We cross the halfway point, and days begin to grow longer again. Yippee!
In the mythological cycle, the Goddess, seen now in her form of Mother, gives birth to the Son (the solstice sun).
Traditionally, evergreen wreaths, holly and mistletoe were hung around the home, and pine trees were festively decorated.
A Yule log would be burned on the hearth, a special feast marked the day, and gifts were exchanged.
A LITTLE HISTORY…
Does this all sound familiar? In the Northern Hemisphere, the midwinter solstice falls on 21 December.
The elements of Yule were actually adopted to become ‘Christmastide’ and later, Christmas, in a fascinating, documented process that was called ‘Christianised Reformulation’ during the rise and spread of the Catholic church.
The then-new Christian church was struggling to convert the ‘heathens’ (i.e. country dwellers) to the Christian faith. So they began to include some of the more popular elements of pagan village festivals into the Christian faith to make it seem more familiar / appealing / inclusive. In Latin, they called this process ‘Interpretatio Christiana‘ which translates roughly into ‘Christian re-interpretation’, defined as ‘the adaptation of non-Christian elements of culture or historical facts to the worldview of Christianity’.
HOW YOU CAN CELEBRATE YULE
Celebrate the season by bringing some lively greens and reds into your home. You can use candles, a fern and foliage ‘flower’ arrangement, or make a traditional wreath.
We love making an annual wreath to hang on our front gate. It’s such a fun activity, from collecting the elements in nature, like pinecones, moss and evergreen tree branches in the forest, to creating and hanging them
I also love making a big pot of creamy chai tea with lots of cinnamon to share with visiting friends and neighbours. And of course, some good spicy warm wine called mulled wine, or Glühwein in German.
Invite your friends and loved ones over for a feast – ask each person to bring their favourite winter meal to share.
JUNE ASTROLOGY
Astrology looks at the movements of the planets in our solar system in relation to Earth, and how these heavenly bodies can affect the energies we experience here. Just like the moon creates the tides of the oceans on Earth, so too can these energies have effects on the energy, emotions and desires of the lifeforms on Earth. You can use this knowledge to your advantage by planning around them and taking cues from them.
– June 3: Full moon in Sagittarius
– June 5: Venus in Leo, until October 8 (includes a retrograde, July 22-September 3)
– June 11: Pluto Retrograde begins in Capricorn (until October 10)
– June 17: Saturn Retrograde begins in Pisces (until November 4)
– June 18: New Moon in Gemini
– June 21: The Sun moves into Cancer
– June 26: Mars-Uranus square
– June 30: Neptune Retrograde in Pisces (until December 4)
The Astro Twins highlight the main events on the left that will shape our June. They give this advice for making the best of all the Retrograde energy coming at us:
“Just remember these periods of time, when planets “go backward” in a sign, are opportunities to turn our attention to the past. Think of them as cosmic “grace periods” during which we finish the things we’ve started or strengthen plans to ensure we move forward on a more stable foundation. The prefix re- means to go back. So, review, renew–you get the idea!“
You can read their full report HERE.
| If you prefer to listen to a forecast, try out The Astrology Podcast’s June episode featuring astrologers Chris Brennan, Austin Coppock, and Kirah Tabourn. |
JUNE SPIRIT PROMPTS
Our Spirit Prompts section gives you suggestions for the month of things to do to help you connect to and enrich your spiritual world. They tie into the Wheel of the Year and astrology forecast, to help you make the most of the energies around you.
Take just half an hour each week to do one of the activities.
By doing just one, or all of these prompts, you can feel more aligned with your spiritual nature, feel a deeper richness of life and a sense of belonging to something bigger than yourself.
GRATITUDE JOURNAL PROMPT
Tapping into gratitude is one of the most powerful transformative energies you can bring into your life – we highly recommend this practice!
Studies have shown that by training your brain to think of things to be grateful for regularly, you can foster a more positive outlook on life in general, as well as become stronger and more resilient to stress and life’s pressures. If you don’t have a journal, then just use a piece of paper.
5 SENSES
In Winter, the world around us can become a bit brown and grey – stark and cold. This is a good time to remind yourself of the richness of the world to re-energize you.
Write down your five senses on a blank piece of paper. Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, Touch. Spread the words out so that you can write around them.
Think about the following questions:
- What is your favourite thing to look at?
- What sight are you grateful for right now?
- What’s the most beautiful thing you have ever seen in your life?
Jot these down around “Sight”
Now repeat the questions with each of the senses: What is your favourite thing to smell, taste, touch, and so on.
RITUAL
Rituals are not linked to any one religion or religious belief. Rather, ritual and ceremony are acts that can enrich your life and spiritual world. These practices help you to connect to your spiritual self, stepping outside of the ‘daily grind’ and into a space of magic.
SPIRAL LABYRINTH
The Mid-Winter Solstice is when we welcome back the sun. We have gone to the darkest and coldest part of the year. From the Solstice onwards the Sun begins to return to us and days begin to grow longer again. A spiral is a beautiful representation of this timeless dance. A labyrinth is a walking meditation.
STEPS:
- Use ribbon, string, fairy lights, flowers, leaves, sticks, tealight candles or anything you choose to make a spiral on the ground.
- The centre of the spiral represents Yule – the MidWinter point. Place a red, yellow or gold candle here. Place crystals that represent the return of warmth and sunshine – such as Citrine, Tiger’s Eye, Carnelian and/or Pyrite (You can choose one special crystal, or arrange several together).
- Start at the outside of the spiral. Read out the intention (you can use this one or write your own):
“As the Wheel of the Year turns once more,
I honour the eternal cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth.“ - Slowly and gently walk the spiral inwards to the centre.
- When you reach the centre, light the candle. Read out the intention (use this or customize your own):
“I celebrate this Winter Solstice,
the rebirth of the Sun, and the return of light to the Earth.“
Spend a few moments watching the dancing flame. Visualise your crystals getting filled with the light and warmth of the candle. - Give thanks to your guides, guardians and ancestors for their guidance and support. Give thanks to the Universe / Creatrix for your blessings.
- When you are ready, walk out of the spiral from the centre. Imagine as you walk, the world around you getting warmer and brighter until you finally exit the spiral.
- Let the candle burn and continue to charge your crystals with its light and warmth, symbolic of the returning sun.
- When you feel it is time, walk into the spiral and extinguish the flame if the candle is still burning. Alternatively, let the candle burn out completely. Remember to never leave a burning candle unattended. Be smart and practice common sense.
- Place your charged crystals on your altar, or on your desk, where they can warm your spirit and cheer you up during the rest of Winter.
NOTE: If you can’t make a physical spiral for whatever reason, you can use a spiral on a piece of paper. Use your finger to trace the “walking” into the centre, and out again.
EARTH TIME
Our Earth Time segment invites you to engage with our beautiful and precious earth by providing an Earth Healing or Earth Connection activity each month, in line with the energy of the month.
A FESTIVE GIFTING
Winter is a hard time for many little and large creatures to find enough food to survive, and less time in the day to do so.
Create an offering altar under a tree in the wild with food gifts. Think cut fruit slices, seeds, nuts, berries, corn, peas and so on.
Birds, squirrels, and all the wild winged, four-legged and crawler creatures will find a wonderful surprise Yuletide feast on their doorstep!
MEDITATION
Meditation helps to calm the mind, lessen anxiety, improve focus and concentration, lower blood pressure – and thousands of other benefits. A regular meditation practice is essential to whole body health.
Our meditation segment gives you inspiration for a meditation tied into the energies and main themes of the month. Use our basic meditation structure to prepare and enter into your meditative state.
YULE SHAMANIC DRUM JOURNEY
A Tribal Ambient Meditation by Tim Norton.
“Listening deep within. Feeling the darkness and solitude of the season. Enjoy this Yule Meditative Shamanic Drum Journey.
A time to slow down, ground our energies. Honour the darkness and the return of the light.”
| Tim Writes: |
| “I climb tall mountains and hike deep into pristine forests. I forage for sounds. Flowing creeks and brooks, powerful waterfalls, singing birds, soothing winds, and fresh alpine lakes, is some of the magic that is gifted.I connect to my environment. I feel into the raw, primal, and ancestral energies.I bring the sounds back, and combine primitive, ritual, and traditional sounds tools and instruments from around the world, in an intentional space. Some of the instruments utilized are: frame drum, ududrums, flute, didgeridoo, mouth harp, singing bowls, gong, vocal toning, throat singing, and more. Fused with technology to enhance the listening experience. Perfect for calming the nervous system, deep peaceful sleep, meditation, ceremony, ritual, journey work, yoga, movement, breathwork, cacao ceremony, and dance.No matter your somatic practice, or just chilling out I hope these sounds help guide you back to your center.” |
May your month be filled with many merry moments of magick x
Crystal Love,
Shaz, Russell and the Mystic Cat team.
