“Spring’s coming soon,”‘ my father told me the other day, when he saw the first robin on our lawn. According to my dad and all four of my late grandparents, the robin returning is a good sign that winter is ending. So we are less than one month away from the spring equinox. Just what does that mean? Finally, those dreaded dark gloomy, cold days are almost over. We can spend more time outdoors in the warm, bright sun. I... Read more
Tomorrow is Imbolc/Imbolg, St. Bridget’s day for Catholics, or Groundhog Day for the mundane. To Celtic Druids this marks the first light of spring. While we Pagans are celebrating the first signs of spring, the mundane world is watching a groundhog to see if there will be six additional weeks of winter. Groundhog Day started from German settlers in Pennsylvania with hedgehogs and badgers. This was part of early Christianity and the holiday of Candlemas — St. Bridget’’s Day. As... Read more
A New Year’s resolution — a promise made to oneself at the start of the new year. Traditionally, people reflect on the previous year and set self-improvement goals for the coming year. This is all fine and dandy but…without affirmations, you’re basically setting yourself up to fail. That’s right, you need to firmly tell your subconscious what you need to do without hesitation. Writing a list of what goals need to be set is great but don’t stop there. Once... Read more
If you ever wondered how you got to where you are, maybe take an Adult Coming of Age class. Recently, I took this class at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, New Jersey (UUCM). The Rev. Scott Sammler-Michael, senior co-minister, decided to offer this instead of a class on Hinduism. I spoke with my elder, the Rev. Foxxy (Sher) Pullen and a few friends at my congregation. Instead of asking for my money back, I decided “what the heck” and... Read more
The Celtic New Year, the Gaelic festival that marks the end of the harvest season. The light half of the year has ended and we are traveling into the dark part. This makes sense as in the United States we also shift out of daylight savings time. This year it’s on Nov. 3, so by the way don’t forget to fall back. The Celtic New Year is one aspect of Samhain, sometimes forgotten though by many Pagans. Pagans seem to... Read more
On Sunday, Sept. 22, we Pagans celebrated Mabon; autumn was officially here at 8:44 a.m. How quickly this year we went from summer to autumn. At least it feels that way. The leaves seem to have begun changing color and falling faster this year. Lately, I can’t help but think about where I started and how far I’ve come along, especially with my CUUPs chapter. I remember not many years ago when Sacred Wheel CUUPs was starting out and we... Read more
“When the walls come crumblin’ crumblin’, when the walls come tumblin’ tumblin’ down…” Yes, those are lyrics to a John Mellencamp song, however this happens to the best of us Pagans. And yes, this even applies to our non-Pagan friends and family. The world seems against you and you just can’t figure out why this is happening. You lost your keys, your cell phone or maybe even worse, your wallet or you got into a car accident. It could be... Read more
Lughnasadh or Lammas also known as Bread Mass (Loaf Mass Day) to Christians is only a few short days away. As you may know, it is the first of three harvest festivals. The second is Mabon or Alban Elfed in Druidic known to mudanes only as the Autumn Equinox; the last Samhain. Additionally, Lughnasadh is one of the four fire festivals celebrated by the Celts which include Samhain, Imbolc and Bealtaine. Although it is a fire festival, fire or light... Read more
Recently, the delegates at the Unitarian Universalist Association’s General Assembly passed the newly revised Article II of their bylaws. Having attended the General Assembly since before this review began I was watching the process with a close eye. The vote passed with 2025 (80.2 percent) of the delegates approving it. Now this blog is not a discussion on Article II necessarily, but one on changes. Many UUs are not happy with these changes, that the UUA is dropping the seven... Read more
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” said John Lennon, in a very true statement. This happened to me recently. I had no car for the week of Beltaine, so I was unable to lug my ritual tools with me. Additionally, most of my Sacred Wheel CUUPs members had timing issues that week as well. So, holding a ritual at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair or even just virtually, just wasn’t happening. I was... Read more
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