Table of Contents

Divination with Miss Em

The Thirteen Moons of Yule Meditation
By Silverstar

This divination is derived from the many Twelve Days of Christmas meditations that can be found on the Web, some with a Christian flavor, and others by as diverse sources as Rudolph Steiner’s Calendar of the Soul. The purpose of all these meditations is to provide an augury for the coming year. This has always represented a fallow time, similar to the dark of the moon. The Twelve Days of Christmas are, of course, the days between Christmas and the feast of the Epiphany on January 6th. Joanna Colbert Powell, in her article “The Gift-Bringers of Yule” posits that the 12 days of Christmas were originally the thirteen nights of the Solstice, beginning at the dark of the moon closest to the solstice, and continuing to the next full moon, a period of about 13 days. This year, the time period would start with the dark of the moon on the eighth, and the last day would be on the 20th, near to the Solstice. The Thirteen Moons meditation, of course, can be started at any time of the year, as long as you know what moon it is and when the phases of the moon are.
Basically the idea is to meditate on the moon and its significance before bedtime and to write down your dreams when you awaken. Each moon predicts something for the month it corresponds with, and the last meditation, at the full moon is for the year overall. A prayer or meditation is said before sleep to bring into your consciousness dreams of the future. When you awake, record any dreams you remember.
I like to make a little ritual of getting ready to do the meditation. It’s nice to have a special book to write it in, and perhaps a special pen or pens, different colors for different moons, moods or etc. Light a candle, do some deep breathing, and put yourself into the frame of mind to be receptive to the information you may receive.
A formula for your bedtime prayer or meditation could take a form such as the following:
As I drift off to sleep, I call upon my guides to give me the information in dreamtime that I need for the coming year. Tonight I dream of the ______moon, corresponding to the month of __________. May my guides lead me through the time of this moon, and may I awake refreshed, and with the memory of the information my guides have given me to help me through this period.
Questions you could ask to have answered in your dreams may include “What is my gift for this month? What goals do I need to meet? What symbol or totem guides me? What do I need to give away to improve my life?” Your give-away may either be a physical object or a bad habit or some emotion you feel is holding you back. It helps to write your questions in your book before going to sleep, and then write your dreams immediately when you awaken.
Every month at the dark of the moon, you should review what you have written for that month, and perhaps add some thoughts on the month just past. Midyear, you can look at the overall year you wrote at the Solstice full moon to see if you are on track to meet your goals.
There are many different names for the full moons, and you can use these names as a focus for meditation too. Here is a list of a few from many different cultures.
I hope you will enjoy this meditation, and it will bring you the blessings of the New Year.