Magic is not only used for big efforts like finding a new job or healing an illness. It’s also incredibly useful as a stabilizing, smoothing force. When the patterns of life shift, it can be useful to look at what we can do magically to make the waves a little calmer. The transition out of…
Tag: winter
The pagan year ends on Oct. 31 at Samhain (pronounced sow-ehn). Samhain is the old Celtic name for this holiday and the one we continue to use today. As a belief system connected to an agrarian calendar, our year reflects natural cycles. All around us, the trees are in the middle of their annual transition…
This blog is a guest post for EarthSpirit Voices Within the pattern of the Wheel of the Year, Winter Work is a specific area of self-work we engage in during the dark months of the year. As the lessons and wisdom of our time together at Twilight Covening settle within us, we turn our attention…
I felt the coming change of season a few nights ago. The usual August heat had given way during an afternoon thunderstorm and a cool, damp breeze touched my skin. The relief from the sweltering temperatures was immediate, joyful, and then contemplative: I know what this means. Summer is winding down. We still have some…
High holidays that are spaced fairly evenly throughout the year seem to appear just when you need them the most. I love all the holidays in the pagan wheel of the year, but Imbolc holds a special place in my heart. Imbolc is celebrated on February first and marks the midpoint between the winter solstice…
I will never forget the first time I heard the music from the Pure Moods album in the early 90s. I was a tweeny and my parents brought home a copy of the CD. I clearly remember dancing around the living room while listening to it. I needed to move my body in order to…
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.’ An interesting…
I got married recently and heard many lovely things from attendees after the celebration. The most consistent feedback was about the ceremony – how it was the most beautiful, authentic, and moving ceremony many friends had witnessed. My spouse and I are ritualists – we both love ceremony and the weaving of the sacred in…
Within the world of agriculture, there is a vital part of crop growing known as letting land “lie fallow.” To fallow a piece of earth is to leave it deliberately unsown – to let it rest. This time of rest allows more fertility to gather in the soil, guaranteeing a better crop later. It is…
When my spouse and I first got together, they hated winter. An early career spent outdoors in the worst of the weather caused a strong aversion to everything related to the months of the inward spiral. Seven years on, they’ve shifted their viewpoint to a grudging tolerance for the season and genuine enjoyment of some…