The ceiling of the cafe which hosted the Novices of The Old Ways Yuletide Ritual last night in the city! It was a beautiful 90% vegan cafe on Bleaker and Bowery street in Lower East Side, Manhattan. One of the coolest rituals I’ve ever attended. You know a ritual is fantastic when you can’t stop thinking about it after you’ve left. The Oak King challenged the weary Holly King and battled him to the ground, his sacrifice upon the earth heralding in the new light to come. We lit our candles, and sang many songs, drumming in the energy. A priestess allowed herself to be a vessel ridden by a goddess, and the goddess that came spoke to all who wished to hear her words, one by one. The circle continued the rite for something like two hours. After we’d come back upstairs from the hot, damp cave of a lower-level where the air was so charged with the music and the magic, we participated in the gift drive to children affected by Hurricane Sandy and a magical gift-exchange amongst the witches present. It was an experience to remember. This is definitely a group I plan to work with more. largiénte iterum obviaverunt.