Side Notes
by BB Soto
The thoughts that don’t make the main text—but matter anyway ♥️
All Side Notes
Winter Solstice: Traditions and Tarot Spread
A group of spectral riders led by Odin—known as the "Yule King" in Germanic-Norse versions—conducts a supernatural hunt during the Winter Solstice. This event was seen as an ominous sign that foretold wars, plagues, or death.
Witnesses weren't merely spectators, either. Legend has it that the ghostly riders might snatch them away, never to be seen again.
The spread is based on the concept of these ghostly riders—who I believe symbolically represent the past coming in to haunt us, possibly taking us if we don’t protect ourselves from their force, or leaving us to begin anew.
Mabon Tarot Spread: Harvesting Insight and Gratitude
Mabon, or the Autumn Equinox, celebrates the second harvest and the balance of day and night. This year, on September 22, Mabon is a time to honor balance, reflection, and gratitude for the year's abundance.
Historically, this sabbat didn’t have a specific name—it was simply the harvest celebration held in September. In the 1970s, Aidan Kelly, founder of the Wiccan group Covenant of the Goddess, coined the term Mabon. Though Mabon ap Modron, a Welsh deity, isn’t directly connected to the fall equinox or harvest, Kelly chose the name for its symbolic resonance with the season. The name has since become widely accepted.