I start my days in the garden right now. I like to hand water my plants – it means that I get a good sense of what’s going on with them from day to day. There’s a feeling in the air that I’ve come to associate with the change of seasons. It’s very subtle –…
Tag: community
Along with writing, teaching witchcraft, and offering readings, I am a minister. This September marks 20 years since my ordination – I have spent nearly two decades in service to the Pagan (and sometimes wider) community. This means death and grief are familiar companions of mine. I have sat with the dying and held their…
This Sermon was offered on Sunday, July 16th, at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick. I see articles regularly on how to make friends over age 40. The Surgeon General recently released an advisory that points to the loneliness epidemic and the very real, dangerous impact that isolation can have on people. Obviously, we have…
I don’t remember where I first heard the phrase “in order to create a new reality, we must first be able to imagine it.” That phrase is especially true when the reality around us is challenging. As I am writing this, we’re in a Code Red air day due to smoke from the fires in…
This short sermon was offered to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick on Sunday, April 23rd. When I’m in emotional pain, I seek the outdoors. I grew up here in Frederick, which means that throughout the region I have special places I go to find solace – certain boulders at Cunningham Falls, the far edge…
This past Thursday through Sunday was the Sacred Space and Between the Worlds Conference. This particular gathering was a joint venture between two merged events. The Sacred Space Conference is the premier conference for intermediate to advanced practitioners on the East Coast. The Between The Worlds Conference serves a similar audience but is offered at…
I’m old enough to remember a time before the internet, when being Pagan was more isolating than it is now. These magical devices we carry around with us, and our laptops and computers at home, enable us to connect to a world of other practitioners. One of the interesting upshots of this connection is that…
Many years ago, I was introduced to the idea of selecting a single word for each calendar year to act as an intention, touchstone, and big-picture goal. The beauty of a single word intention is that the simplicity means multiple ways of connecting are possible. For example, my word for 2020 was “Manifest.” One of…
One of the ritual forms I practice is Hrafnar-style Seidr. This type of ritual is a modern liturgy that traces its roots to the form practiced by our ancient kin of faith in Iceland, Scandinavia, and Norway. Hrafnar-style Seidr is oracular divination: a seer goes into trance and is then able to ask questions of…
This week’s offering is my rotating contribution to the The Frederick News-Post‘s “On Faith” column. As is true of my other columns there, this article is written for a broader audience. Today’s offering is all about Midsummer, and ways to connect to the rhythm of this season. As always, I am so grateful to the…