Ostara, Spring Begins

Imbolc Dreams

Candlemas, or Imbolc, is here, once again. It is time to respectfully burn all of last year's magic and plan new magic. The Earth begins to awaken.

Solstice Greetings To All

Happy Winter Solstice, everyone! Today gives us sunlight for the shortest amount of time all year. Our ancestors were very grateful for more light each day, and celebrated the solstices and the equinoxes.

Wishing All A Happy Saturnalia

 

Here's wishing everyone a happy Saturnalia! From December 17 to December 23, festive role reversals, merriment, and gift giving were the practice in prechristian Rome. Io Saturnalia!

Beltane Greetings

 

Beltane Greetings, everyone!

Ostara

 

Spring begins today!

Return Of Persephone

It is Beltane once again in the northern hemisphere, time for fertility rituals and celebrations of the return of the growing season. In Pagan life, this is the time of year that belongs to the Goddess; late Autumn and Winter are the seasons of the God. On Halloween, Persephone disappears into the Underworld and to her consort, Hades, and on Beltane, she returns to the surface. Her mother, Demeter, graces the earth with plants and crops for another growing season. Fertility was celebrated at this time, and entire villages ran their herds through ceremonial fires, called bale fires, for fertility and luck. Dancing around the Maypole, during which every dancer "weaves" ribbons around a maypole while dancing, is also a very old custom. It has always been a time for parties and joy. Have a wonderful Beltane!

Spring Equinox

Alban Eiler, otherwise known as the Vernal Equinox, is here. This is the traditional Easter, or Ostara, which takes its name from the Germanic Goddess, Eostre. She represents the Maiden, and Spring. Easter eggs are symbols of fertility, and hiding them for children to hunt for them was a traditional Pagan pastime for this Sabbat. In agrarian communities, it was a time to plant.

Whatever you intend to harvest later in the year, now is the time to plant and invest energy and effort. Blessed Be!

Winter Solstice, 2015

 

Today is the shortest day of the year, and every day until Summer Solstice will be longer. The Ancients in almost every European and Asian culture celebrated light in some way, at this time of year. In legends, this is when the Goddess gave birth to the Sun God, or the God of Light. Gifts, holiday trees, parties, and food all date back to our pre-christian roots. Happy Winter Solstice, everyone!

Halloween Sabbat

Happy Halloween, everyone! This is also called Samhain, and on the Pagan calendar, it is the end of the year. This is the third harvest, at which time,our ancestors' tradition held that all agricultural harvesting should be complete. Some Pagan traditions celebrate this day on October 31; others celebrate it on the first full moon of Scorpio. This day is set aside as a day to honor deceased Ancestors. It is a bit like Memorial Day, and gifts of flowers, whiskey, chocolate, food, and tobacco were often left at graves, as gifts for the Dead.  Gourds and turnips were carved into scary candle holders called "jack-o-lanterns" to scare away any malevolent spirits, and the custom of dressing up in costumes, as fairies or spirits, was seen as a means of protection, as well.

Halloween is also reminiscent of the Greek legend of Hades and his capture of Persephone, the daughter of Demeter, Goddess of agriculture, plants, and harvest. When Persephone disappeared, Demeter let the earth become barren. When Zeus intervened, and determined that Persephone should be in the Underworld with her new consort for six months, then with Demeter for six months, the seasons as we know them began, so the story goes. This is how Persephone became Queen of the Dead, and when she rushes out of the Underworld in the Spring, life begins anew.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Feast Of Lugh

Lughnasadh is generally celebrated on August 1, or during the first full moon of Leo, depending upon the Pagan tradition involved. In prehistoric times, it was a Gaelic festival that marked the beginning of harvest season. Lammas is another name for it, and it is also referred to as the "first harvest", the second harvest is the autumnal equinox and the third is Halloween. Our ancestors had festivals and carnivals back in the day, to celebrate a great harvest and to trade. The practice of holding fairs and carnivals late in the summer came from Lammas festivals. The celebrated God is Lugh, whose name literally means "light", and friendly competitions and mock battles symbolized Lugh, or light, triumphing over barrenness and darkness.

Hope you had a very happy Feast of Lugh!

Summer Solstice 2015

Happy Summer Solstice. Today is not only Fathers Day, but also the longest day of the year. Because of the earth's axial tilt, which gives us our seasons, the sun shines directly on the northern hemisphere, and it is summer above the Equator. This day is also a Pagan Sabbat, the time of the mystical marriage between the Holly King, who rules from now until Winter Solstice, and Mother Earth. This holy day is not only about the upcoming harvests, it is about balance. Blessed Be!

Celebration Of Beltane

Beltane is celebrated either on the first of May, or on the first full moon of Taurus. It is the Pagan celebration of fertility, the time of blessing fields, herds, and of announcing engagements and marriages. The Goddess is celebrated by sensuality
and beauty, and in some ancient Northern European villages, all fires were extinguished, in order to be ceremoniously re-lit from the ritual balefire. It was a festival that involved everyone.

This is the celebration of Persephone's return from the realm of the underworld. On Halloween, she has become the consort of Hades, Lord of the underworld, and in this capacity, Persephone is the Queen of the Dead. During the six months between Halloween and Beltane, the earth is at rest, and growing season is dormant. It begins again, full swing, at her return.

In Case Your Pastor Was Retarded In Church This Sunday

At least stop mocking your own traditions! I don't really judge you guys, but as long as I know what you Frankfort christian types are really all about, I don't think I have anything in common with most of you, and I certainly don't want to spend any time around you or make the mistake of trusting you. It's more a matter of protecting my children and myself than it is a matter of passing judgement. One thing that someone should really point out to you folks, though, is this: most Pagans, along with ardent believers in other religions, show more respect for their holy writings and traditions than I've seen among Christians who attend any of the churches in Frankfort, Kansas.

Happy Winter Solstice

A Happy Winter Solstice to everyone!

In Case You Missed Church On Sunday

If you missed church on Sunday, it really isn't a big deal.

In Case You Missed Church On Sunday

In Case You Missed Church This Sunday

Have a wonderful Mabon, everyone, Blessed Be!

In Case You Skipped Church On Sunday

 

In Case You Missed Church This Sunday

How very interesting. A pastor in Beebe, Arkansas got a permit to open his church, and then is told to close it because his god is not the god of his alderman, whose help the church has sought. As long as the city thought the church would be Christian, no one had a problem, but the minute the city discovered the church is Pagan, the unlawful discrimination and bigotry as usual started. The battle cry is that the church is not "zoned properly". But then, the church was "zoned properly" for Christianity....just not for any other religion. That's okay; now that the story has aired on KARK, there may be assistance from other Pagans who can help Beebe in it's quest for the Old Religion.

As for the alderman's "god" being the same as a Pagan god or goddess, of course it isn't.