Monday kicks off a new year, and that means new year’s resolutions are on people’s minds. Even if you don’t make new year’s resolutions, you are still seeing them mentioned on social media and TV commercials. One of my favorite social media memes about new years resolutions talks about making fun ones, instead of always trying to make serious ones such as trying new foods or being silly. I like this sentiment because setting deep, often difficult goals puts a... Read more
Mother’s Night, or Mōdraniht in Old English, is sacred to Frigg, Freya, and the Disir in Norse Paganism. The disir are our holy ancestral mothers, both those people we knew in life as well as older ancestors long before our time. Mother’s Night is typically celebrated on December 20, or the night before the Winter Solstice/Yule, and kicks off the 12 Days of Yule. I consider December 20 (last night) to be Mother’s Night since today is the Winter Solstice.... Read more
The Yuletide season is here, which means social media is full of memes about the Icelandic Yule Cat and Krampus. The Yule and Christmas season has always been a favorite for me, but my fascination with the Yuletide season has greatly expanded since I began learning about the different Yule beings from across the world. Krampus Many people are familiar with Krampus. He has taken over the internet as the darker, edgier side of Yule. There is a lot of... Read more
I love having a relationship with my local land spirits, but I understand they are not perceived as being as exciting to work with as deities. They are, however, amazing beings who make great allies or terrible enemies. Land spirits are spirits or beings who live in the land or specific features of a land – such as a much-famed hill or pond or mountain. There are land spirits everywhere, multiple ones most likely. It is possible to have spirits... Read more
Learning the Wheel of the Year and the cycle of the year is one of the core teachings in many Wiccan and Witchcraft traditions. As a person learns and practices their path, they may find themselves becoming more and more attuned to nature. They may notice they behave differently during certain seasons, or are more affected by things at other times of the year. When I was newer to my path, I began to notice these changes happening in myself.... Read more
Although Halloween and Samhain are behind us, we are still in the season of remembrance. November 1st was All Saints Day and November 2nd was All Souls Day. We are also well into Scorpio season on the astrological wheel, which is appropriate given Scorpios’ association with the occult, death, and taboos. The Evolution of Scorpio Death is the tarot card associated with Scorpios, for good reason, but there is a lot to unpack with the Death card. Scorpios are a... Read more
Samhain is one of the eight sabbats celebrated by Wiccans and other Pagan religious groups. Wiccans and many other American Pagans recognize a seasonal calendar known as the wheel of the year. It is typically based on the agricultural cycle of the UK. The wheel of the year honors the blessings and changes of each season and acknowledges that the year has two halves – a light half and a dark half. Many Pagan cultures held the idea of a... Read more
This past Sunday I presented the Sunday sermon at a local Unitarian Universalist (UU) church. The minister there does a fun thing each October and picks a Halloween theme to focus the sermons around for the month. This year he chose monsters. I wanted to keep with his theme and decided I would focus my sermon on zombies. When I wrote the sermon, there was only one major war going on in the world and that was in Ukraine. Since... Read more
The Wheel of the Year is constantly turning. Each day rolls into the next and before you know it, it is a new season. The changing of the seasons or the turning of the wheel may be more noticeable at certain times of the year, depending on where you live. The seasons are not the only things that can change with the turning of the wheel. I have found that there are deities who seem to ride the Wheel, coming... Read more
In a couple of weeks, I will be in the woods at a local Pagan festival, enjoying the lack of cell phone service and not stressing about work. During the festival, I will be leading a ritual to Loki. The origin of my Loki blót (Norse style ritual) is somewhat of a funny story and one I think worth sharing. I practice various Pagan traditions, with Norse Paganism or Heathenry being one of those. I am dedicated to Odin and... Read more
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