Dark Sitting on a Winter Moon

The eclipse makes this a special “Long Night Moon.” For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere the December Full Moon heralds the coming of Winter Solstice, which is always a good time for sitting alone in the dark. Dark Sitting is a simple yet profound practice. You can do it with or without lighting a candle. I recommend trying both ways. I like closing the practice with a prayer of gratitude to the guardian angels. I rarely think of them but I know they’re with me, especially when I’m in the dark. You have yours too of course. Say something heartfelt and spontaneous. Or recite this traditional Catholic prayer (scroll midpage to “Christian Prayer”). The advantage of using traditional prayers is that the “mana” or power in the words has been nourished by centuries of repetition, particularly when they’re recited in Latin. Or light a small birthday candle and say these words from Draja Mickaharic’s Practice of Magic: “You who are with me in this life as my guide and protector, I express my gratitude to you with this candle which I light for you. I thank you for your loving care and guidance.” Let the candle safely burn until it extinguishes itself.

This eclipse is visible in west and central North America, the islands in the Pacific, Asia, eastern Africa, Iceland and most of Europe. If you’re not able to view it (the time is listed on our home page), you might enjoy “The Moon is My Mistress” from a blogger who watched last year’s winter lunar eclipse with his wife.