The Blessing and the Banishing Candle

The wise solitary witch draws upon her lifetimes of experience. She knows when to bless and when to banish, and each is done with balanced, compassionate energy. She knows she needs to remove some aspects from her life, and when she does this, the winnowing is never unkind. She takes herself to her magickal place, amidst snow or in summer’s fullness, and is welcomed by the wild ones who know her name.

She warms herself by the light of the candle that will leave something in the past and help another find their true way. She also lights the candle to bring in blessings. Just as often as she banishes, she blesses. She brings in the light in the time of darkness. She brings in the warmth at the time of cold. She has serenity within all circumstances, for she has seen the wheel turn again and again, and she has found a balance within her own self that exists beyond the fluctuations of the worldly turning of the seasons. She has moved beyond regret, the desire to remain young, or to hold on too tightly to what cannot ever be recaptured, for it is transient. And she moves into the blessings of her years — the wisdom, the compassion, the seeing of patterns.

As you grow older, solitary wise one, you too would do well to find the balance in this inevitable turning of the wheel. You are becoming a wise one, and in time, your older self will welcome you and share with you so much. Until then, banish what cannot bring balance, bless what can help you rise, and find the lightness of being available to you at all ages. Do not remove your wise old self from the world. You are a blessed, wise being, and all points on the wheel are sacred.

Finding balance. Seeking harmony in life and within your own self. Finding a way to embrace the changes life can bring. A sense that your wisdom is shifting, changing, yet becoming more truly your very own. A calm energy that accompanies you, drawing other beings who can trust in your energy — wise, yet wild. Lighting the dark, warming the cold, inside and outside of you.

Fearful of the changes time will bring, and unable to come to balance with them. A sense of regret at time’s passing. Buying into pressures to look and feel in ways that may not come so naturally to you. Unbending resistance to growing older. Finding balance and calmness dull. Seeking excitement at the expense of peace.