My weekly piece is up at A Sense of Place. It’s a modified piece you might have seen here at the beginning of the year. Over the next few weeks I’ll be tidying up older pieces. Once the new year begins, there will be more fresh content everywhere from me. Read more
Today I started my official Friday blog at Patheos! First post is about the solstice and the play of light and dark. Enjoy! Read more
The calendar year is winding down. Does anyone ever feel restful at this time? In the United States we seem to have a full six weeks of holidays, events, family gatherings, and shopping madness. While I go light on the last two (my family of origin are in Alaska and Australia), I’ve got more than my fair share of Other Stuff going on right now. Much of it is really exciting, so let me share some news with you! Firstly,... Read more
Because you just might get it. I’ve been quiet. There’s been a lot going on in my house since Adam’s grandmother died two weeks ago. As soon as he returned from the funeral, my in-laws arrived and then it was Thanksgiving. Then my daughter came down with a double infection and a bronchial thingamajig. Oh yeah, and I’ve been not so successfully fighting the cold and….. And dealing with so much stuff that I cannot talk about publicly. On top... Read more
Diwali is like Christmas. It’s a festival of lights, a celebration of light over darkness, of ushering in the new, and giving gifts to loved ones. There are many traditions, some vary according to community, but some of them are: new clothes for everyone, new jewelry for women, a new kitchen utensil for the house, closing up the year’s account book and starting a new one, leaving all the lights on, and creating colorful mandalas, decorations and footprints leading up... Read more
Diwali decorations are up. Candles are lit. Lights are on. Wine is poured. Gifts given. I’m wearing new earrings and I’m about to cook one of my husband’s favorite meals. Tonight, after the kids are asleep, I’ll make puja to Lakshmi, honoring her for the abundance and beauty in my life, and asking for her blessings upon my life, my family, and all who dwell in this house. Pictures (and more explanation) to come tomorrow. May we all find light... Read more
Diwali begins today. Well, in some communities. The major Lakshmi puja is observed the day after the dark moon, on Tuesday. What’s hard for me about observing Hindu holidays is that so many of the details depend on cultural traditions of the Indian subcontinent. Tamils observe slightly differently than Nepalese than the myriad other ethnic and cultural groups. The gods even have different names and sometimes slightly different mythology! While this is really confusing, it’s also liberating. There is no... Read more
Every morning I escape from the family routine of breakfast, showers, dishes, getting dressed, stop hitting your sister, and escape into my back room to sit. I used to get up before the kids and do this, but my son typically is wide awake at 6.30 ready to snuggle and be read to. Getting up at 5.30 would be wise, but just isn’t going to happen, if I’m being honest. Sitting in my bathrobe (sometimes I’m dressed first, not usually)... Read more
I didn’t double-check, but I’m pretty sure this isn’t a Delphic Maxim. Democracy comes from the Greeks, even if only the non-slave males were given the opportunity to vote. The Unites States doesn’t have a direct democracy, which really only functions best among thousands of people. But we do have democracy, and I’m a fan of it. I don’t use this blog for my political thoughts (although you can be certain I have many). Doing our civic duty is an... Read more
I don’t know the much about history and tradition of the dumb supper. I’ve been to a few communal suppers and really enjoyed them. A few years ago I decided I’d like to add this to my own family’s traditions. Finding some balance to the commercialized candy-fest of mainstream Halloween and creating a container to discuss death and ancestors with the kids is important to me. This was our third dumb supper – and it certainly wasn’t all that dumb... Read more
A Witch's Ashram
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