This is a special, New Year's edition of mayryanna's editorial series that is available to all readers, regardless of Onesce Insider status. Click here for more information about the membership. For me, the New Year did not arrive quietly. It arrived in motion—crowded, vibrant, and loud—at Disney World, of all places. Yet, while moving through the parks with my niece (who's just completed the Disney College Program), the easily overwhelming experience felt surprisingly light.

This is a special Sabbat edition of mayryanna's editorial series, available to all readers, regardless of Onesce Insider status. Click here for more information about the membership. The crispness of this time of year isn’t always measured in temperature or snow. Sometimes it’s felt more subtly—as a hush in the air, a compression of energy, or a quiet sense that life itself is drawing inward.

The longest night arrives quietly. Across mountains, cities, forests, and open plains, darkness settles in a way that feels both deep and deliberate, as though Earth itself is asking us to slow down and listen. This season of darkness is not marked by spectacle, but by stillness—a shared pause in which light rests before its inevitable return. Astronomically, the Winter Solstice occurs when Earth reaches a precise turning point in its orbit, tilting farthest from the Sun and giving rise to the shortest day of the year.

Natural cycles shape the world in quiet yet powerful ways, guiding tides, seasons, migrations, and the subtle rhythms of our own inner lives. We feel these patterns instinctively: in the deep restfulness of winter, the renewal of early spring, the peak vitality of summer, and the reflective release of autumn. The Wheel of the Year offers a simple nature-based map for understanding these shifts, helping us see that life is not linear but cyclical, always turning, always inviting us into deeper awareness.

Holidays shape the rhythm of our lives, even if we never fully understand them. Like markers placed along a winding path, they call us to pause, gather our breath, and reconnect with what matters most. Whether rooted in ancient seasonal traditions or born from cultural memory, every holiday ritual reminds us that time is not just something we move through, but something we can honor, shape, and celebrate…

There are moments in the turning of the year when the horizon seems to stretch wider, as if inviting us to step beyond what we know. Sagittarius season brings that feeling into sharp focus with a subtle pull toward truth, exploration, and the expansive fire of discovery. At this threshold between autumn’s descent and winter’s stillness, the energy of Odin becomes palpable.

Approaching this Gemini Full Moon, I've felt a shifting beneath the surface of things. It isn’t loud or dramatic, but it holds so much potential; like the soft click of a lock releasing, or the first sip of air after realizing you’ve been holding your breath. Clarity is rising, but it isn’t the kind that demands anything, it itself its own inevitability…

Gratitude is a universal language, spoken through rituals, festivals, and ceremonies worldwide. Across time and cultures, communities have come together to give thanks for life’s blessings, celebrate the abundance of harvest, and honor the cycles of nature. These practices are not just celebrations, serving as powerful expressions of thanksgiving, intended to attract favor, prosperity, and connection. From ancient European festivals to Indigenous ceremonies, shared gratitude has long existed as sacred, global tradition.

Gratitude moves through life in exchange, often in ways that expand connection and wellbeing. When we give thanks with sincerity, we participate in a natural rhythm of giving and receiving that nourishes both the personal and the collective. As Thanksgiving approaches here in the United States, I'm reminded that appreciation is more than a polite gesture or sentimental tradition. It is…

Sagittarius, the ninth sign of the zodiac, is characterized by its association with exploration, truth-seeking, and an insatiable quest for knowledge. Represented by the mutable fire element, Sagittarius governs the period from approximately November 22nd to December 21st—a time when the days grow shortest and the nights longest—leading us directly into the Winter Solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere. In the natural solar cycle, this season is one of quiet reflection, inner searching, and yearning…

It’s early on a Tuesday morning. My house is quiet, except for the sound of the dryer running. The sun is beginning to peak over the mountains and through the trees outside, but with their bellies now full of breakfast, the puppy and kitties have all settled back in for morning naps. There are mass internet malfunctions right now because of Cloudfare’s server error, my site included, but I’m finding ways to to work around it. It’s too easy, so I’ll say it: good ol’ Mercury retrograde! To be fair though, our planetary messenger friend has been the least of the slowdown I’ve felt lately.

Life often refines us through challenge. Truly, the moments that test our resolve and stretch our limits also hold the raw material for our greatest growth. Gratitude acts as the fire that transforms this raw material (our fear, pain, and struggle) into wisdom, strength, and peace. Like the ancient art of alchemy, which sought to turn lead into gold, the practice of gratitude turns hardship into abundance by revealing the hidden potential within every experience…

Gratitude is a concept woven through many spiritual and personal growth traditions; commonly celebrated for its ability to foster peace, joy, and appreciation for life. Beyond these immediate benefits, gratitude plays a profound role in shaping our reality: serving as a bridge between our desires and our experiences. It’s more than a pleasant emotion or polite response, serving as an active practice that changes how we think, feel, and experience the world.