The change of seasons can bring in more than a shift in temperatures and sunlight. Over the years, I’ve noticed a pattern around the spring and fall equinox: people also make changes in their lives. Sometimes these are small things – they choose to get healthier, they clean (or purge) their houses, they finally boot…
Category: Lifestyle
This past Sunday, I had the privilege of speaking to the Sugarloaf Congregation of Unitarian Universalists. The video recording and text of my sermon is below. As always, if you have any thoughts to share, I’d be happy to hear from you. Hit me up in the comments. My name is Irene, and I am…
Sometimes when I write an article, it’s based on something I’ve been asked a lot, or something that keeps coming up. Sometimes it’s when I notice a pattern, or realize I’m holding a piece of knowledge that isn’t commonplace. But on days like today? It’s when I recognize that I’m struggling, and have been having…
Festival drop is real, and it really and truly sucks. If you haven’t heard the term before, festival drop refers to the depression and malaise that can set in after spending time in a festival environment. People experience varying levels of drop, and those levels tend to change from festival to festival. For example, a…
A friend recently asked me what it takes to be a witch these days. The question was in response to my post on modern virtues for witchcraft. I’ve been turning that question over in my mind since and contemplating all the different skill sets, perspectives and ways of being in the world that contemporary witches…
This week I was the guest writer on the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans Patheos Blog. I think we’ve all had the fantasy about the big, elaborate shrine in a wild-ish place somewhere. We can see it in our mind’s eye – the natural stone, the altar, some vines creeping in a decorative-but-not-annoying way. Maybe…
My practice changes over time. Every turning of the Wheel, I find that my understanding of my own Path has again transformed, and the shining bits of information I’ve added to my hoard are working their way into my magick. I like to joke that I started off as a Grand High Episcopagan – big…
Can you hear it? That super-high-pitched whining sound just above our range of hearing? It’s the collective stress cycles of our friends and family kicking into overdrive. The holidays are here, and we all have to somehow make it to January 2nd without body bags, divorces or involuntary commitment to a room with soft walls…
“Revelation comes to those who are radically hospitable to what they do not know. The choice to take the next step is an act of holy curiosity. It could also be called an act of faith. To those who act on faith, to those who move in the midst of mystery and silence, even when…
I spent this morning making All The Desserts for my family’s Thanksgiving get-together later today. As I was cooking, I was thinking about you. About the different ways we’ll all spend today, the different challenges we’ll face. The way that a holiday can change its shape and impact so dramatically from year to year and…