I sat where I always do, the thready mists of Helheim swirling before me. The crowd had gathered again, an indistinct circle of hundreds around me. More an impression of a gathering of people than anything solid. I could smell apple blossom on the breeze. My heart hammered in my chest and I could feel…
Tag: gods
The Wheel of the Year has turned once more. Samhain is past and the days grow shorter and darker till Yuletide reaches us. This is the season of shadow and quiet, of the inward spiral. I think of the time from mid-October till Yule as Veil Season. Although many people focus their Ancestral work specifically…
One of the best and most beautiful aspects of modern witchcraft is that it is an evolving path. Although we base a good deal of our philosophy and practice on ancient religions, paganism and witchcraft as we know them today are new. Born of the 60s counterculture and the equal rights movements for women and…
In what should be a surprise to absolutely no one, I was a theater kid. My life in high school revolved around two big productions every year: a drama in the fall and a musical in the spring. My theater classmates and I sacrificed blood, sweat, tears and countless hours for each of our shows. …
“Prayer can cut through our intellectual barriers and touch our hearts, enabling us to feel truly held and embraced… The most meaningful prayers are not cleverly written but sincerely delivered. Cerebral prayers can leave us cold. The purpose of prayer is not to outline one’s systematic theology; it is to put the mind and the…
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…
This blog is by guest writer Annie Lynsen @heyluckyannie I don’t know about you, but I’m finding right now to be a deeply challenging time in which to live. As someone who is passionate about expanding social justice, equality, and equity for all, it sure feels like every attempt to make the world a better…
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…
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,…