Cycle Of Life
By Foxglove

The Cycle of Life is one of the most important things in Paganism and Wicca, both ancient and modern.  Most people view this cycle with the same concept just a different way.
I have tried to understand and work with many of these cycle stories, but I just cannot get them to work for me (especially since these are Northern Hemisphere).  So I had to develop a cycle story for myself, one which fits into the Australian seasons, which keeps to the same concept of other stories.  Please remember, that this is only a story which for me, tells of how our God/s and Goddess/es  create our lives and seasons, which allow us to live.

As I said before, these stories are all very valid and I do not argue their substance, but I wanted something more realistic for Australia (Sydney more so).  You will find it is very similar to the traditional Wiccan Myth cycle, but with my own flavouring.

Like most Wiccan cycle myths or Mysteries we have the God and Goddess whom change the persona as they grow older and wiser, but I have added a few other characters such as the Winter Lord, most people would refer to him as the Holly King, but here in Sydney, our winters are cold but not freezing with snow, we have many plants that are evergreen during winter.  I have also added the Dark aspect of the Goddess and God.  This is not the Crone aspect, this is the aspect we never see except when we are in the underworld.

My story tells of the birth of the divine twins (sun and moon) which is the light born of the dark and later the light gives birth to the dark (Winter Lord).  But without confusing anyone too much more here is the story.

Like always we will start with Samhain,

With the Winter Lord now in power of the Earth, darkness now rules, the Earth begins to get colder and life withers from every corner, The Crone, feeling saddened by the Death of The King, sits by a river, knowing her life too must come to an end.

She remembers all of the Mysteries, revealed to her, by her Mother.  Her wisdom is so powerful, that she in a quick moment, jumps from her spot of earth and cries out so that all can hear, a scream of such power, but not of fright, so loud it was that she ripped a hole in the sky, leaving only a thin veil between the worlds.  
Through the veil she could see many souls wandering in a place which was no place but was something of a marvel.  Then she heard her name being called, as we all do when it is our time to pass over,  she looked up with tears streaming down her withered and wrinkled face, it was her Lover, her brother now he is the Dark Lord of Death.  He calls her to join with him, to pass through the veil which separated that land from this.  She knows it is her time and so she walks through the veil.  Now hidden in the underworld she becomes the Dark Mother.

Once again they joined as lovers they are as one, just as they once were.  The Dark Mother is impregnated by the Dark Lord.

Meanwhile the Earth becomes Barron with the absence of the Lord and Lady and the Earth is under the reign of the Winter Lord, it is he whom protects us through this time of harsh cold.

Soon after, the Dark mother goes into labour and gives birth to the divine twins (sun and moon, light being born of the darkness), The dark Lord takes his son to the upper world and shows the earth his heir.  The young child is thrown into the sky, and he wanders off to explore this strange land, which will soon be his.
The dark Mother on the other hand, holds her little girl tight, know she must teach her daughter all the mysteries of life, which her mother taught her.

Soon the Dark Mother realises it is time to let her daughter go, so that she may now experience the mysteries of life for herself.  She leads her daughter to the boundary of the worlds and the girl walks through the veil.
She is now the maiden.  As she entered this world, the earth started to open its eyes to her, for where she trod there can be no barrenness.
The Winter Lord too sees here and instantly falls in love.  He approaches her and asks her name, she replies “forgive me dark stranger, but I cannot tell you my name” “who may I ask are you?”. “I am the Winter King” was his reply.  “Tell me sweet maiden, why is it that you cannot tell me thy name, for my heart is longing to know it?”.  She replied “ you may call me Artemis, My celestial name”.  Now kind sir if you will let me pass, I am in a hurry to find my brother.  Winter replied “leave not, fair maiden, stay with me and show me your true self”.  “I cannot” she replied, my brother is the youth I seek, for soon he will be king, but he cannot reign the summer, lest I be his queen.”.  Winter did not like what he heard, for he did not want his reign to end, he said “Be my queen and we shall rule the whole year, together”.  “NO” she shouted, it is destined. “Destined or no, I shall rule”, he then picked her up and carried her away, he sent cold wind blowing, trying to recapture the winter, but to no avail, for whilst the maiden still breathed there can be no barrenness.  He had not the heart to kill her and so he sent torrent after torrent, keeping the air cold.

The young lord heard his sisters cries for help and went searching to aid her, he found Winters castle and broke through the door, his light and glory shone throughout as it had never done before.  Still he heard her screams and ran in there direction, he came to a tower and opened the door to find his sister crying, looking out the window as she had done for the preceding weeks, he went to her and beheld her, just then Winter came into the chamber where they were and said “release the fair maiden for she is mine”, the young Lord looked up at him and said “who are you to keep this maiden, my sister locked away from the world which needs her beauty, so that all may live”.  “I am Winters ruler and I want her for myself so that I may rule the summer, for without her as my queen I cannot be king”.  “This is true” said the young Lord.  “if she does not give you her love then you can never be king, be watchful now for I am wanting to take her with or without your consent”, Winter said “ then be prepared to die young stranger, fore I give not thee my consent”.
The young lord and Winter fought and fought, until the young lord struck winters heart with his spear and killed him without another stroke.

“light overcomes darkness” said the Maiden “let us rejoice”.  Now with the maiden free and winter dead, the Lord and Lady wandered the land.  The Lord had gathered flowers and had woven them into a cloak, so fine, none could better it and he had given it to the maiden.
The maiden takes the floral cloak and wears it with pride, she inturn gave him a  loving caress.

Now at summers threshold the Lord and Lady make their solemn vows to each other, in the presence of all the world, for now the earth is blooming with beauty and vigour.  The natural urges of their sexes can no longer be ignored and they are united in the land marriage, making the sacred vows to each other, this allows them to rule the lands, they have watched grow.
Holding her in his arms, and caressing her breast, the Lord makes one final effort and the seed is spilled forth, this is a time of great fertility and all life celebrates.  The Lord and Lady are now king and queen, the queen is impregnated with the royal seed she is also now the Mother and he, the father.

Soon the Mother Gives Birth to a child (the dark Winter Child, Dark being born of the light).  The King is at the height of his powers and he sees his son, knowing what must soon come.  The earth celebrates the power of the sun and the new birth (this can also be seen by Australian bushfires regenerating the bush with new shoots just after a fire).  

Soon the King finds himself overshadowed by his young sons power, once it would have equalled his own; but his power now wanes, he calls his men to bring in the harvest.  The Mother teaches her son what she had learned of life and love, but she too, knows what soon must come. The Lady now becomes Crone and the King The Wise man. 

The Winter Child now becomes a young man and desires to take what his father has, he approaches his parents and demands the kingdom for his own, the Wise man and the crone look upon him with anger, “how dare you demand my kingdom and my throne.  If you want it you must take it, but only when I am dead” said the wise man. For he new this time would come as too did the Crone.  Taking up his sword, the king (Wise man) and his son (winter Lord) fight but the younger mans power and strength out match the old mans and the old man is slain.  The Crone shouts in horror at the sight of the blood shed and cries to her son “You have taken from life, and now you rule, darkness has overcome the light”.  The crone walks to her dead lover, her brother her husband, kneels over his body and cries.  “what pain is it I feel, for now I know death”.  She looks to her son and says “take now the throne you have killed for and allow me leave, for my rule too has ended, lest you wish to take my life also”.
“Mother, rule by my side and guide my heart” he said.  She replied, “I knew this time would come, but you must rule alone, care for the children of the Earth for they are my children also, I will watch them in this time of darkness, but you must protect them if you are to be a good King”. Then she left.

And our story returns to Samhain again where the wheel of life continues.