As the seasons swirl around us, we are entering into the transition from light into darkness and back into light again. We have gone from the wild abandon of summer into the time when the Green Man’s colors begin to change and death overtakes him to make way for his transition into the Holly King. Our lives seem to always be centered around transition. Those things that we wish we could control…we have no control over at all.
As we move into this Yule season and cold overtakes the Earth (even in Atlanta, we live in anticipation of the shift in weather). The briskness that comes with the Northern winds jolts us into a state of expectation. As we celebrate the different manifestations of our own holiday with others who celebrate in their own ways, we set our eyes on the approach of the longest night of the year….knowing that the light of spring is not far off.
Over the past few years, I have become intimately acquainted with the green man through visits from an unexpected stranger. Someone I have introduced to you as simply, the Green Wizard. I have learned first hand what a kind, gentle spirit can accomplish through him. I have learned to listen more intently to what the earth teaches…all through him. I have learned to trust the heart of faithful friends more. I have learned to love someone who could do absolutely nothing for me other than be a friend and a magickal confidante…someone who represented purity of heart and selfless abandon.
I found out yesterday that the Green Wizard has journeyed into the summerlands. I received more information this afternoon. He apparently collapsed on the sidewalk of a small town close to the Tennessee border. They took him to the hospital where it was found that his heart was giving out. Boomer, his dog, was put in holding in the local animal shelter. He quietly slipped from this plane in his sleep. They found my name and Atlanta, Georgia written on a sheet of paper in his pocket. The authorities assumed that I might be the next of kin. I explained that I was a friend and asked what happened to his dog. I was also told where his pup, Boomer was located.
I engaged my cousin who does animal rescue and she arranged for someone who works with her to go and get Boomer and set up a fostering situation. There are many more things that have transpired due to his homelessness…especially since there was no identification of any kind associated with him and no direction as far as family or even a name…the one thing that was told to me by the contacting authorities was that at least he knew friendship…there were many who passed on knowing nothing but rejection and hatred.
In my mind, though, I will always see him dancing on the wind. I can close my eyes and see his ruddy face, his eyes twinkling with hopes and dreams and always that sparkle of magick. He enjoyed the freedom of being who he was…an extension of the wild God. I can hear his hearty laugh echoing through the branches of the trees in the woods. He will forever be Peter Pan to me….always dancing with the moon.
Am I sad? Yes…but I can never forget that wonderful spirit. He always looked for that bit of magick in all things…whether it be an old pair of sneakers…a dog that was considered a throw-away…or a weathered old wizard who seemed to be a little out of sorts himself.
Especially, in this season, I know that so much of the world seems to slumber…waiting patiently for rebirth. It will be the same for my Green Wizard. He only sleeps now….we have known each other before in other lives and other magickal places. It is only a matter of time before we see each other again.
I am excited for him. This is a new adventure….a fresh beginning coming with the new moon. This is his chance to be reunited with his beloved Calliope…a chance to dance and finally fly among the stars. I am privileged to have been able to be a part of his magick.
His energy will always soar around me….sneaking up behind me when I least expect it…laughing heartily at the unexpected. He was a child of the moon and sun…the earth was his bed and the grass, his pillow. He was friend to the winged, and four-legged. He loved completely and wildly and unconditionally.
As the Green man sleeps, the blood of the Holly King courses through his veins…anticipating his awakening beneath a shield of ice and snow. With magick, nothing ever completely dies.
And so he goes…with the heart of a true witch.
Blessed Be!
weatheredwiseman 
I am so sorry to hear of his passing. I loved the stories of him and he will be missed by your readers! Hugs to you at this sad time…you were both blessed to have known each other.
Your wonderful words about him made me feel as if he was my friend to. I sit here with tears streaming down my face. I know he is in the Summerlands, but his wisdom will be missed on this plane. So glad he had your name and location with him so that his furry friend will have a chance to live on.
Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. In a way, through you, he was a friend to us all.
Sometimes we are put in the position of being “what remains”.
What remains still standing after a powerful storm has blown through.What remains on the beach after the tide has receded. What remains visible as the fog rolls in, or when the light fades. Sometimes we are what remains after we are caught by something, staring intently at it. When we finally remember to close our eyes we see an alternate version of it. It doesn`t disappear, it transitions. Even though the eyes we normally see with are closed we still see what remains, the spirit or ghost of what we were focused on. This is the image we are left with.
We many times focus on what we have lost during the storm, that feeling we are drowning while waiting for the tide to turn. We are sure we are lost in the fog, or in serious danger as the light wanes and night closes in.
Instead of giving in to all that we can focus again on what captured our attention and held our gaze. We can focus on what it might have become if we were never there to serve as witness.
Sometimes what remains is what is required for us to find strength enough to carry on, move forward, and hold our focus regardless of what others may have seen.
Much love and finest Magick,
Daedalus
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