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Megan Cook reflects on the seasonal 'death' of winter, a tradition long embraced by witches in Australia and across the world, and what this means for tending the soul of one's home. Cook's reflection is based on her work for Macabre Dreams which celebrated beautiful, strange and dark arts with readings, music and the launch of Lost Souls Issue 1 at Gang Gang cafe.
MEGAN COOK, Mon 23 June 2025
Our homes hold us through every season, but there is a special magic in the way they nurture us through Winter. The bitter chill outside is softened by the sweet gentle warmth within, as our homes embrace us, protecting us from the elements and offering a sanctuary where the soul can settle and rest.
On Saturday 21st June, 2025, in the Southern Hemisphere, we honoured the Winter Solstice - the shortest day and longest night of the year. It's as though the earth takes a long exhale, retreating into deep slumber. While we honour the darkness, we also celebrate the promise of returning light and warmth.
Witches have long embraced this seasonal “death” — the falling of leaves, the skeleton branches, the dimming sun. Yet, we know that within death lies renewal. This pause is temporary; the energy of life, fertility, and light slowly begins to stir again after the Winter Solstice. We are reminded that through the darkness, the brightest light is born.
In Canberra, we are blessed to experience the fullness of all four seasons, and Winter calls us inward — to nest, nurture, and restore. Our contributions to the home during this season feel slower, more intentional. Ordinary tasks become rituals when infused with care: the simple warmth of a teacup in hand, the comfort of a book beneath a blanket, the sweeping of leaves from Autumn’s passing, the crackle of a fire. Gentle movements, turning the mundane into the magical and transforming habit into ritual. After all, when life is moved through with ritual instead of habit, everything you do becomes sacred.
Each daily ritual weaves itself into the energy of the home — carrying our intentions through the very air that flows through each room. When we consciously connect with the spirit of the home, threads of harmony form, creating a quiet, sacred partnership.
Magic dwells in the quiet rituals of home — where mundane becomes meaningful, and ordinary moments hold sacred power.
Our homes become sanctuaries, especially during this season — living canvases shaped by every person who inhabits them. Whether rented or owned, we are merely custodians, lovingly tending to the space while it is entrusted to us. Each home carries echoes of those who have come before, with every moment absorbed into the very walls and floors. To live within a home is to honour its history and tend to its soul with care and respect.
We may arrive at a home that needs extra care — perhaps neglected by those before us — while others have been lovingly tended to for years. But ultimately, we are each contributing to a masterpiece that is never truly ours to keep, adding brushstrokes of energy that will linger long after we’ve moved on. What a beautiful thought to know that the love we infuse into a home will be felt by those who live there next.
Our homes are not just structures; they possess spirit, character, and essence. To believe in the guardian of the home is to believe each space carries its own living soul. The home is where we greet each morning and return to each night; it offers shelter, protection, and sanctuary — holding us steady through every season of life.
To believe the home is a sentient being is to know you are never truly alone. So, next time you feel like a ‘lost soul’ in your space, or the season of Winter feels long and hard, place your hand gently on the wall, take a deep breath, and remember, you are held by a quiet guardian whose embrace is felt, even when unseen. Often, it’s the unseen that holds the deepest magic.
Perspective: Held by Home: Winter, Ritual & Quiet Magic
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Lost Souls Magazine in print and online is proudly independent.
We are based in Melbourne and Canberra.
The design and development of this website was based on a scoping of best practice and relevant examples. Work included websites for Heat Magazine, Meanjin, Overland, The New Yorker, Rue Morgue, Dark Mountain, The Dark and Weird Studies.
We acknowledge, recognize and pay our respect to the Ancestors, Elders and families of the Bunurong/Boonwurrung, Wadawurrung and Wurundjeri/Woiwurrung of the Kulin who are the traditional owners of lands where we work and live in Victoria, and the Ngunnawal who are the traditional custodians of land in the Australian Capital Territory.
