The Haunted Barrie Meetup Group

01/13/2025

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Tonight will be the first Full Moon of the year. It is called the Wolf Moon because at this time hungry wolves would howl up to the big bright January Moon outside towns and villages. It is also called the Cold Moon, Winter Moon and the Old Moon.

The word January comes from the Roman name for this month. It is named after the God Janus, who is a God with 2 faces. This is the God of the past and future, beginnings and endings. While it is the first Full Moon of the calendar year, in terms of nature it occurs in the middle of the cold winter season, a season of death and desolation. In these respects, the Wolf Moon can be seen as a time of both beginnings and endings. We have said goodbye to the old year and are now looking toward the new year in front of us.

This is not a light and casual Full Moon. It is kicking off 2025 in a big way, with focus on what needs to shift, change, transform, end and be released in our lives. We can use this Full Moon to get clarity on where we are holding on and what we need to let go of. This Full Moon is in the sign of Cancer which will give us great strength and courage to meet any new challenges coming our way.

This can be an erratic Full Moon, stand by for moments of irrationality or lashing out. Your emotions will be on high alert for a while so watch what you say to people in heated moments. Try to find some time to relax and calm down and to soothe frayed nerves. It may feel hard to make decisions at the moment you may feel you're being pulled in all direction and are not sure which way to turn. Try to stay calm and the right decisions will come to you.

The Cancer Full Moon is reminding you to use your feelings to guide your life. What you think and feel matters. Feelings are your indicators in every moment. Feelings don’t lie. Feelings are never right or wrong. your feelings and emotions are the best part of you. Your power lies in what you do with your feelings. Watch out for mental obsessions, when we worry we focus on what we do not want to happen. Wherever your mind goes energy follows. Try to focus on what you want to happen, not on what you do not want to happen.

This Full Moon asks us to make a decision, we will feel at a cross road, to stay with the old familiar or to move into the unknown of something new. Try not to go to extremes, it is all about keeping a balance, the waters of Cancer may seem out of control now but they will calm after washing away what lies in your way and you will feel a clarity and see everything for what it is. This may bring up crisis points but also the potential for major realizations. Breakthrough moments and inner or outer shifts in our personal lives, relationships, home/family situations and career or life purpose. We are looking at big changes coming this year, steer the changes in a positive direction. open yourself up and allow love, support and happiness to enter you life.

Use the water element aspect of Cancer to wash away the old stuck and negative energy and cleanse your spirit, let the waves of energy heal you both physically and emotionally. Sometimes like a phoenix you have to die a little inside in order to be reborn and rise from the ashes a stronger and wiser you.

Have a blessed Full Moon, may the Goddess watch over you.

01/01/2025

Happy New Year Everyone we wish you all the best in 2025.

Januarys Ghostly Talk and Coffee Meetup is coming up fast. If you don't know where to get the details and RSVP send us a DM.

12/30/2024

Tonight is the second New Moon in December making it a Black Moon. Take a deep breath, you’ve made it to the end of a hectic year. The Celts and the Druids seen a Black Moon as a time of great changes and an omen of a big event coming. The Romans and Greeks seen a Black Moon as a symbol of good luck. The last month has been very hard for many of us but things will start to settle down now and fall into place. When a Black Moon happens it amplifies the effects the New Moon usually has over us, our emotions will be heightened, our intuition will be on high alert. It also heightens the magical affects of the Moon which is why this is also known as the Witches Moon, in fact the Black Moon isn't a scientific term at all it is a very ancient term used in witchcraft.

Tonight the New Moon in the sign of Capricorn. This New Moon is one of the most significant as it is the final New Moon of the year and will be starting energies for the year ahead and is going to help blow away the cobwebs of 2024 once and for all. 2024 was a year of endings astrologically, which means that 2025 is going to be a year of new beginnings. This death and rebirth cycle is playing out in all of our lives in some way or another and in the coming weeks you will start to feel the “rebirth” occurring. This rebirth energy won’t fully shift into gear until the Full Moon in about 2 weeks, however this New Moon is definitely going to start setting the wheels in motion.

A new cycle is beginning for you. The Capricorn New Moon can empower you to move in a bold direction. You may break free from bad habits and relationships. You are no longer distracted by fear and doubt. You are ready to be who you were born to be. This is a time of great luck, so go out and try new things, use this lucky time to grow businesses, start new jobs, start new education, learn a new skill, find a new love. Change what isn’t working for you. Often when things don’t feel good in our lives we want to change everything all at once, but just take small steps, just change one small thing at time.

Our emotions will be heightened for the next few days and can be confusing, we may be feeling happy and overjoyed one minute then sad and crying the next. You may have problems sleeping and you may have weird and vivid dreams. Our nerves may be on edge and arguments and misunderstandings could flare up. But don't worry this will pass soon. This is our body, mind and spirit aligning the transformations happening now.

Don't shy away from hard work or challenges right now they can bring big rewards. If you start to see your challenges from a different perspective, you will see your challenges as opportunities for growth, they keep your life fresh and lively. Your life can be much freer than you may have realized. New opportunities will emerge for you. Believe in your dreams coming true. Believe when you wish upon a star your wish will be granted. The star is shining on you right now. The New Moon is opening up a new pathway for you. Perhaps it was there all along and now your eyes are opened and you can see it.

This New Black Moon will strengthen the impact for change. Don’t allow anything to hold back your dreams and desires. Listen to your intuition, because your intuition is your inner knowledge, allow your higher self to guide you to new starts and goals. Sudden unexpected opportunities can come to you from out of the blue at this time, seize them and make the most of any opportunity that comes your way.

There are new perspectives to be enjoyed now and this New Moon reminds us that no matter how far we may have strayed from where we want to be we can always get back there as long as there is hope and the will to move and grow.

Capricorn is ruled by the element of Earth, use the energy of this New Moon to allow us to plant seeds in the earth and in our minds and spirit to grow over the coming year. 2025 is going to be a challenging but amazing and lucky year, so take this moment to enjoy the new vibration and the fresh start that this New Moon offers.

Have a Blessed New Moon and may the Goddess watch over you.

12/30/2024

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12/30/2024

Still spots open - join meetup for free and rsvp to talk about our favourite subject - GHOSTS!! Tara

12/30/2024

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12/23/2024

Join The Haunted Barrie Meetup Group to RSVP for Ghostly Talk and Coffee - Tara Checkout this Meetup with The Haunted Barrie Meetup Group:

12/23/2024

Our Evening with Spirit With Lynn - Tara

12/21/2024

Happy Birthday to our fearless Leader, Jeff!! Share the first time you met him or an interesting moment at an investigation 🎂🥂👻

12/21/2024

Happy Winter Solstice! It’s the shortest day and the longest night of the year. Enjoy a warm fire, and tell some ghost stories. The days get lighter from here!

12/21/2024

Today is Yule. It is celebrated on the Winter Solstice which is the longest night of the year, but after this night the nights will start to get shorter and days longer. It is a celebration of the rebirth of the Sun.

Ancient people were hunters and farmers and spent most of their time outdoors. The seasons and weather played a very important part in their lives. Because of this many ancient people had a great reverence for and worshiped the Sun. The Norsemen saw the sun as a wheel that changed the seasons. It was from the word for wheel we get the word Yule, houl or Jol.

Every 6 months there is a Solstice. On the Summer Solstice the longest day of the year and shortest night, the Waning Sun takes control of the skies and the days get shorter and nights get longer, the cold starts to set in and vegetation on the earth begins to die. On the Winter Solstice (Yule) the Waxing Sun takes over and the nights start to get shorter and the days longer, it is a sign that Spring is only a few months away where life will begin anew and the earth will start to blossom and bloom.

On Yule we celebrate the return of the Waxing Sun. In Wicca it is birth of the Sun God who has many names, Cernunnos, Pan, The Oak King, Apollo, Sol, Freyr, Horus, Mithras, The Horned God, The Green Man, Lord Of Light and more. The Goddess gives birth to him on this night, by doing this she sacrifices herself to give life to the Lord Of Light to ensure the earths survival.

In ancient tradition Yule was celebrated with a large fire where townsfolk and villagers would dedicate it to the Sun God. They would fill their home with evergreens and an evergreen tree to show that even though the land is barren and dead, life is still flourishing, They would decorate the tree and their home with shiny objects to encourage The Sun God to shine.

We use holly and mistletoe on Yule as the plants flourish in the Winter, we use them as symbols of the fertility of the God and Goddess. The red berries of the holly represent the blood of the Goddess and the white berries of mistletoe represent the semen of the God to ensure a healthy Spring and harvest to come.

Fill your Yule altar with fruit, nuts and winter seasonal fare such as fallen leaves, fallen tree branches, acorns, evergreens and also anything bright and shining. Light yellow, green, red, white or orange candles to ensure a good year and honour the season. make an offering of wine, grapes, juniper berries, apples, nutmeg, cinnamon or cloves to the Gods to honour them and make a wish for a happy New Year.

The Winter Solstice has been celebrated by many ancient cultures one of the most famous being Saturnalia. The ancient Romans held a festival to celebrate the rebirth of the year. Saturnalia ran for seven days from the 17th - 23rd of December. It was a time when the ordinary rules were turned upside down. Men dressed as women and masters dressed as servants, the servants were given lavish gifts and their masters made them a big feast. The festival also involved decorating houses with greenery, lighting candles, holding processions and giving presents. A Saturnalia Tree would be the centre piece of every home.

Yule is a celebration of light and of the Sun and it's life giving properties upon the earth. It is a time to rejoice and to be thankful for all we have and to gather strength for the New Year. It is a time to contemplate on the year that has gone and look to the future.

The Winter Solstice falls on the longest night of the year (this can fall from between (20th - 23rd December) and was celebrated in Britain over 10,000 years before the arrival of Christianity. The Druids (Celtic priests) would cut the mistletoe that grew on the oak tree and give it as a blessing. Oaks were seen as sacred and the winter fruit of the mistletoe was a symbol of life in the dark winter months. The Pagan celebration of Winter Solstice (also known as Yule) is one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world.

It was also the Druids who began the tradition of the yule log. The Celts thought that the sun stood still for twelve days in the middle of winter and during this time a log was lit to conquer the darkness, banish evil spirits and bring luck for the coming year. To make a Yule log, cut a log into 12 pieces (each piece represents the 12 months of the year to come) and burn a piece every day for 12 days, with each piece burned make a wish for the coming new year. This is where we get the term 12 days of Christmas.

Many of the Yule customs are still followed today by Pagan and non-Pagans. They have been incorporated into the Christian and secular celebrations of Christmas.

Today we welcome back the Lord of Light. Blessed Yule to all.

12/15/2024

Tonight is The Full Cold Moon, it is called the Cold Moon because after tonight the temperature will start to drop rapidly. It is also known as The Oak Moon and Yule Moon. This is an especially special Full Moon because it is the final Full Moon of 2024. This will also be one of the biggest and brightest Moons of the year.

Tonight's Full Moon is in the sign of Gemini, it will be an intense highly charged Moon filled with strong emotions coming to the surface, don't hold them back let them out, this is a time of release, of letting go and being our own true authentic selves, let the world see the real you. Something has been building inside of us and now is the time when the energy of the cosmos demands that we let it out.

This is a particularly lucky Full Moon, so don't be afraid to go for the things you want, lady luck is shining on you right now so be ready for all that the universe is ready to gift you, open your hands and your heart and take your universal gifts. Don't be scared to dream big and ask for more. Be positive and open yourself up to allow the good to come in to your life. Be ambitious, go for what you want or put plans into place to get what you want in the future. You will have an inner strength now that will pull you through anything that comes up against you.

This is a time to look back on the year passed and reflect on all the lessons we have learned and the people who have come and gone in our lives. As we come to the end of this year we should use the energy of this Full Moon to energize ourselves for the coming New Year. All the inner work you have focused on this year will now be the foundation for bringing more power, love and energy into your life in this creative, forward-moving period. On this Full Moon we can truly bring in change and transform ourselves to be who we want to be, we will feel braver and more confident than usual. Good fortune will be on your side. Let your thoughts and desires manifest into something real.

This Full Moon brings light to whatever was hidden in the darkness or buried within the subconscious such as emotional pain or our deepest desires, but once awareness happens you are able to make realistic changes. Our emotional levels move like strong turbulent waves in the ocean during high tide for some on this Full Moon in Gemini, we may feel at a cross roads in our lives and are unsure of which path to take, trust your instincts and let them guide you. Emotional reactions may be strong, energies may feel irritable or uptight, but don't worry this will soon pass.

We are amidst great times of transformation which are heralding major new beginnings. Change isn't always easy or comfortable and it’s constant, so we must strive to keep our balance during these changing tides. Embrace the changes coming and steer them in a positive direction.

Let the Gemini air element blow away any negativity, let the energy of this Full Moon sweep over you and heal your spirit, use it to heal you both emotionally and physically. Let the moonlight bathe and sooth you, body and soul. Seek a balance of light and dark and see the truth in your life however much it may hurt, only then can we do something about it. Now is a time of reaping the rewards of all the hard work we have put in this year and try and relax a little and let the current take you to a new and exciting New Year.

Have a blessed Full Moon, may the Goddess watch over you.

12/14/2024

Only one week until the Winter Solstice 🎄

12/06/2024

2 weeks until Winter Solstice 🎄