As part of my spiritual practice each year I choose an area of study or devotion to which I will dedicate myself for the course of that turning of the wheel. I call this system "The Great Work," and it begins in the still darkness following Yule when we rest, cease striving, and "hold the space." Read more
The answer is love. I'm going to make space for love, for connection, for people who are working to build bridges. I'm going to work to help people find that ocean of love, that divine that is already present within us if we just open up to it. Read more
The spiritual importance of Star Wars, at least for me, is that it showed us a world in which everything was interrelated. It’s a world where we draw our strength from that connectedness. Read more
Those of us who choose to follow that spiritual "different drummer" give up a lot. We set ourselves apart from most of the things by which most people define themselves. Our life's rhythm alters, so that we no longer live Sunday-to-Sunday, like those around us, but Moon-to-Moon and Sabbat-to-Sabbat. Our sense of what is important changes even more drastically, with the coven and the community ― and the Gods ― becoming our primary focus. Read more
It's easy to get caught up in the the wild cycle of holiday hosting. Take a break with these meditations and prayers to the comforting darkness. Read more
It's not a major religious holiday for us, but its the children's favorite and probably one of the most fun. As we move into the coldest, harshest time of year in my area we do so in good spirits and with good cheer, knowing that the light is returning, a little each day. Read more
O-Books offered up several titles for columnists to review this month and I selected Living with Honor: On Pagan Ethics by Emma Restall Orr. I was excited about reading this text because of the focus on animism and ethics--topics important to my spirituality. Read more
In my experience, the dark stillness of this time is an invitation to engage with spiritual and magical forces by listening more intently. Sometimes in the great stampeding rush of life, I forget to listen well. Anyone can hear other people or the spirits, but listening well, meaning listening actively, requires focused effort. Read more
Open yourself to the natural world energies of this longest night of the year and the new light that will soon be birthed from this deep darkness. Imagine taking these energies into your body and sense them calling forth your inner darkness and emerging light. Read more
Clergy work comes in all forms. Sometimes it entails emotional one-on-one work with a member of one's congregation; sometimes it involves ecstatic trancework with one's deity; sometimes it just means physically tidying up after an event. Here’s an example of a time when clergy work turned in to me asking, “Can I take a message?” Read more
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