We desire to know, to sort into boxes labeled “house sparrow,” “creeping bellflower,” “altocumulus.” This desire is ancient within us, hearkening back to when we owed our wellbeing to knowing whether an animal was friend or foe, whether a plant was food or poison, whether a cloud signaled drought or flood. Even without that necessity, sometimes it’s just cool to know what other lives I share my space with: what bird makes that mournful cry in the evenings? what’s that plant suddenly thriving in the shaded corner where nothing else would grow?
Read moreSpring Equinox 2021: Accountability
Accountability also fits well with my personal view of Spring Equinox. I’ve always experienced the equinoxes as times of pause, moments where everything balances and we hang, almost suspended, in the fulcrum. At Fall Equinox, we make sure we have the resources to get through the cold, dark stillness of Autumn and Winter ahead. At Spring Equinox, we make sure we have the resources to get through the hot, bright frenzy of Spring and Summer ahead.
Read moreImbolc 2021: Creativity
Imbolc is, for me, also a Sabbat about keeping promises. After Winter Solstice, we know, both scientifically and from past experience, that the days are getting longer. But around here, it takes a while for that to be apparent to our senses. Based on my schedule, around Imbolc is when I really start to see that increase in light. Imbolc keeps the promise that Winter Solstice made. So I want my Imbolc celebrations to be about keeping promises that past me made and my executively dysfunctional ass then promptly forgot.
Read moreWinter Solstice 2020: Interdependence
The Solstice happens, of course, whether we have an incredible ritual experience or a crummy one. Whether we take part in any ritual experience at all. That is a humbling reminder of the immensity of the forces we honor, and the glorious insignificance of our individual lives.
Read moreSamhain 2020: Wholeness
As a Pagan in Minnesota, one of the first lessons I learned—and continue to relearn—is how to adapt rituals on the fly, especially those planned for outside. Spending an hour toasting the Ancestors in the cemetery where Leora’s grandmother is buried seemed like a great idea as I planned these rituals in August when it was humid and in the upper 80s (F). It seemed like a crummy idea when the actual day arrived with a predicted high of 31 (0 C) and a windchill of 24 (-4 C).
Read moreFall Equinox 2020: Balance
My lovely spouse Leora and I generated the list pictured here as part of our Fall Equinox ritual. The list begins: Furnace check-up appointment Window plastic Boots It might not seem particularly witchy, but making it made me feel so profoundly connected to my spirituality. Like it has for many folks, the current COVID-19 pandemic… Continue reading Fall Equinox 2020: Balance
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Creation Stories @ Winter Solstice by Glenys Livingstone Ph.D.
In PaGaian Cosmology, and sometimes explicitly expressed in other traditions, Winter Solstice/Yule essentially celebrates the Birth of All, Origins (capitalized because it needs to be noted as a sacred and ultimate event). Winter Solstice is a good time to contemplate…
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MoonCourt: Goddess Ceremonial Space by Glenys Livingstone Ph.D.
MoonCourt is dedicated ceremonial space created for the celebration of Her Creativity, as this manifests in the Seasonal Moments, which are holy days of Earth, points of transition marking Earth’s orbit around our mother Sun. MoonCourt as it has been…
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10 Signs You’re Half-Assing Your Pagan Ritual
I have been fortunate to have attended some great Pagan rituals. But, gods know, I have suffered through a lot more rituals that were just terrible. A lot of you probably know what I’m talking about. I know fellow-Patheos blogger,…
The Wild Hunt for Justice: At the Intersection of Ritual and Protest
I was recently invited to the New Orleans Pagan Pride Day this year to lead the opening ritual. This was my attempt to bring together elements of Pagan ritual with elements of political protest. 