My Own Pagan Seasons

Many of us in the Pagan community seek our relationship with the Divine through a connection with the seasons. Living on Saint Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands this process takes on a unique manifestation. Close to the equator, the generally recognized seasons that mark the turning to the wheel are in many ways absent and as a Witch I needed to develop a calendar to honor all the divine manifestations of the Goddess in this place. As I move on from Saint Croix I have spent many hours contemplating how I have connected with the Divine while calling this place home.

The seasons.

As November creeps to a close each year the “Christmas winds” commence, blowing strong and from the east they harold a time of sailors delight, the coming together of family and preparation for the coming to the tourists who provide the economic activity that drives the island.

As December passes the “dry” season begins on Saint Croix. This is a time of planting for farmers and gardeners. Thoughts of the plantation history of the island always enter my mind. Included in these remembrances are the recognition of the sacrifices and misery caused by slavery on this island. Indeed, I have a special connection to this past as a person of Danish decent. Denmark held these islands in servitude for many years. As the season progresses smoke from brush fires can often be seen in the distance.

As May gives way to June the Hurricane season begins in Saint Croix, but even more significant is the beginning of the “turtle season” Green, Hawksbill and Leatherback turtles come ashore to nest. This is a magical time when the timelessness of the island is front and center. Some months later as the possibility of storms increase these turtles hatch in the dark of night in what my partner has termed a “tumble of turtles” This is the most magical of seasons when the power of Gaia is manifest via storms and the cycle of rebirth and renewal represented by the turtles.

As October wanes residents of the island begin to breath a sigh of relief as they give thanks for surviving another hurricane season. This is a time of quite reflection, the storms have gone, the tourists have vanished and the island takes stock in another successful year.

Yes I will miss the seasons of this place; I have become connected to the Goddess through the rhythms of the island. It is time to move on, yet I will always treasure the opportunity I had here to recognize new and different seasons, develop a system for honoring Gaia as the wheel turned and becoming grounded in Saint Croix.