I live in the mid-Atlantic, a region blessed with a long growing season. It is high summer here. Hot days and abundant sunlight drew the first round of life from the dark earth. Afternoon thunderstorms watered tender, twining greens. The spring seeds grew and flourished, and the first harvest has now been gathered: radishes, peas,…
Category: Nature
This sermon was for the July 19th, 2020, service for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick. Text below. I can always tell when a writer doesn’t actually spend much time outside. I’ve read so many stories where the forest is described as quiet. Even in the middle of winter, quiet is not a thing that…
Think about the friendships you value the most. Maybe you are thinking about your best friend or the sibling who just ‘gets’ you. Maybe you are thinking about that friend who makes you feel better every time you are together – the one that somehow helps you see the brightness in life. Friendships take many…
There is great power in spiritual practice. One of the truest things I know about magick and life is that which is fed increases. Repetition matters. We form deeper friendships with people we interact with regularly, we become more skilled at the work we do frequently and the paths we often tread become easier to…
Take it to the Earth/Take it to the Stone/Take it to the Deep to the Dark to the Bone/Take it to the Mountains take it to the Caves/Take it to the Dark of the old ones’ Graves * For a large part of human history travel was not common. Although trading and raiding were a…
This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of leading the service at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick. Below, you will find the video and text of my sermon. My name is Irene. I teach the weekly yoga classes here, facilitate the monthly labyrinth walks, and I’m the squirrel herder in chief for the Frederick…
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…
One of the things I’ve observed about the witches, seers and neoshamans I admire most is their focus on cultivating relationships. They seem to have a visceral understanding of being part of our planet’s tapestry of life (physical, spiritual and energetic) in a way that most of us do not. Their Work, magickal and otherwise,…
It’s finally here – the days are longer than shorter, and the world around us is beginning to look a little more lifelike. There’s more birdsong in the air, the sunlight is warmer, and the first flowers are opening. Spring has arrived in all her changeable, temperamental glory. Take it easy, Persephone! There’s a…
I’ve never found much resonance with traditional forms of prayer. It may just be my somewhat rebellious nature, but kneeling, hands pressed together in the gesture of pleading, feels wrong to me. It may also be that my most transcendental moments, those times I’ve felt the closest to the forces we think of as Divine,…