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Hello and welcome to The Shaman Podcast.
I am Mark Ashford.
I am a Registered Usui Tibetan Reiki Master Teacher, a Shaman and author of books and online courses on Reiki and Shamanism.
Weekly, I post a video on YouTube and a podcast for the Shamanic Energy of the coming week. The reading is general; please take what resonates with you.
Please take a moment to hit the Subscribe button and Ring the Bell if you are on YouTube or subscribe if you are on a podcast platform. This way you will receive notifications of new Podcasts and videos.
Besides the weekly events, I also produce books, online courses, podcasts and videos on all things Shaman and Reiki. So! Watch out for them!
For legal purposes, all videos and podcasts and other materials are strictly for entertainment purposes. Viewers and listeners have free will and are entirely responsible for any interpretation they place on the readings. I take no responsibility for individual viewer or listeners’ interpretation or actions.
These show notes contain information on the card decks used in the readings and where to get more information on my websites, books, and courses. Please check out the links below.
Mystical Shaman Oracle Cards used in reading. Amazon link. – https://amzn.to/3fRG5Ow
Queen of the Moon Oracle Cards used in reading by Stacey Demarco https://shrtm.nu/uj5f
Sacred Destiny Oracle cards by Denise Linn – https://shrtm.nu/58hG
Gateway Oracle Cards by Denise Linn – https://shrtm.nu/DHkr
Shaman Wisdom cards by Leita Richesson – https://bit.ly/3is9djB
Shamanic Medicine Oracle Cards – Barbara Meiklejohn-Free, Yuri Leitch, Flavia Kate Peters – https://bit.ly/3is9djB
Shaman Tarot Deck – Lo Scarabeo – https://amzn.to/3FbcKwp
The Shaman’s Dream Oracle Card Deck – https://amzn.to/394PCEM
Music from Epidemic sound:
Referral Link: https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/x4pe9m/
Music: Epidemic Sound – Ocean Deep by Rasmus Faber
To learn more about my work, click here https://bit.ly/3h3E6I0
Thank you.
What is the Winter Solstice?
The winter solstice, there is also a Summer Solstice, is also called the hibernal solstice. It occurs when either of Earth’s poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun.
This happens twice each year in each hemisphere, Northern and Southern. The Winter Solstice is the day with the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year, when the Sun is at its lowest daily maximum elevation in the sky.
Either pole experiences continuous darkness or twilight around its winter solstice.
In the North, this is the December solstice, usually 21st or 22nd December. In the South, this is the June solstice, usually 20th or 21st of June.
Although the winter solstice itself lasts astronomically speaking for a moment, the term refers to the day on which it occurs. The day may also be referred to as midwinter.
The winter solstice has great spiritual significance for many ancient cultures and religions which are marked by festivals and rituals. The most famous is the Druid ceremonies at Stone Henge in England, which is shared over the internet today.
The solstice has had special significance since the Neolithic. People in the Neolithic and since then have used Astronomical events such as the Solstice to guide activities they depended on such as the mating of animals, the sowing of crops and the monitoring of winter reserves of food. The winter solstice, in particular, was immensely important to people who economically depended on monitoring the progress of the seasons. It marked the point at which the old year was gone and the New Year was looked on with hope as, from the Solstice; the days grew longer.
Until Humanity could grow an abundance of food year-round and carry the population over the winter months, food shortages and starvation was common in the first months of the winter, January to April northern hemisphere or July to October in southern hemisphere. Most cattle were slaughtered to avoid having to feed them during the winter, so it was almost the only time of year when a plentiful supply of fresh meat was available. Most wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking. The concentration of the observances was not always on the day beginning at midnight or at dawn, but at the beginning of the pagan day, which in many cultures fell on the previous eve.
Shaman would be called on to conduct ceremonies and festivities, but they would be called on to speak to the spirits of the earth, water, and sky to mediate and divine the coming year for the life and prosperity it would bring. The shaman would be called on to ward off evil spirits that may bring famine or at least shortages to the people.
Wailing Tree – Reconciliations
The Wailing tree is an invitation to stop, and stay where you are. For a while, just a while, not for long. It is an invitation to gather your energies, see what and where you are worn down and where you are strong, and concentrate on building yourself up.
By looking at where your energies are going, you can see where you have people, places, things and events in your life that no longer serve you? They take energy and time from your life, but give nothing back.
Now is the moment as you gather your strength to earn from what you are giving up. Learn from what is no longer working and understand why. If it is right to mourn for something or someone leaving your life, do so. If a reconciliation before they leave is right, then reconcile and move on. It does not need a mutual agreement to move on, just communicate that it is right for you.
Place proper closure on what is gone. There is no negativity in this, no mistake, no error. Learn from it and move on.
It is very appropriate that at the Winter Solstice, this card arrives. This is the balance between the old year and life events and the new ones offering promise and advancement that is to come in the New Year.
What next?
Click the link in these notes to find out more about our books, Online Courses, social media, our Patreon Page to support the channel, and more. https://bit.ly/3h3E6I0
