Beltane activities 2013

I’m loving this beautiful spring weather. Taking my dog on regular walks along the river offers ample opportunity to be around nature and enjoy the scent, sights, and sounds of Life.

The meetup group gathers at my house tomorrow (or rather tonight being its so late with typing this up), and we’re celebrating Beltane. Technically, the date is May 1st, but some members couldn’t join at that time. I’m pretty flexible, and I think its more important to accommodate a group than to recognize a specific date.

Beltane, which means Brilliant Fire, celebrates when the herds are moved to their summer pastures. It also marks the season of fertility where sex is prominent, when the god and goddess form a union to bring Life into the world.

Some prominent activities include dancing a May Pole (which represents the phallus), and jumping over or between fires to make wishes and be purified/protected.

I like this idea from cyberwitch.com;

Cakes played a major role in many Beltane customs. A popular one was called the ‘knobby cake’. A cake was baked with nine lumps or ‘knobs’ on it, each one dedicated to a Deity, or Supernatural Being, or to an animal which threatened livestock. Each participant broke off a knob and threw it over the left shoulder, into the fire, saying, for example: "This is for you, gnomes, don’t steal my milk," or "This is for you, fox, spare thou my lambs."

This is fun to do even now. Since we (most of us) don’t live in an agrarian society, we might say something like: "This is for you, (name of employer), spare me my job!" Just remember, when you re-create an old custom, it should have valid meaning today.

Other activities to consider;

Feasting- I love potlucks with friends. Its fun to be surprised with meal choices, and eating food with others provokes its own kind of magick. Mead, sparkling cider or juices, fruit, dairy foods and Irish dishes (being Beltane is an Irish holiday), and anything that makes the day special.

Crafts- Popular crafts for Beltane include May baskets, floral head wreaths, masks, build fairy houses, ribbon wands, dance ribbons, make an altar sized maypole (video), and other May activities (video.

Frolicking- This is a whimsical, magical holiday. Dance in the woods, be playful, join in games, a hike, a picnic, but most important- have fun.

What fun traditions do you enjoy at Beltane? Post in comments

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Wednesday Witch: Phyllis Curott

For the Wednesday witch, I wanted to cover Phyllis Curott, an attorney and Wiccan priestess, as well as author.

I’ve read Witch Crafting: A Spiritual Guide to Making Magic , and found she touches upon the heart of magic, the spirituality of the Wiccan belief system. She covers more in the way of true spirituality rather than practice.

Her site, unfortunately, doesn’t offer much other than a list of her works and some back history, but I still felt she was well worth mentioning.

Here is a video on some of her thoughts-

Her views on forgiving someone who hurts us…

WordPress Tags: Phyllis Curott, wicca, priestess, pagan, witch, goddess, forgivness, magic, spells, ritual, healing

Some recipes for pagan cookies

Ok, so maybe they’re not specifically pagan cookies, but I use them for esbat rites, and everyone really enjoyed them.

I also learned yesterday that the word ‘esbat’ comes from an Old French word, s’esbattre or ébat, meaning ‘frolic’.

Moon Cookies by Patti Wigington of About.com pagan page. I cut the recipe in half and still had cookie batter left over. They are very rich, great for adding icing, but just wonderful all by itself. We also found that adding Nutella was also very good.

Two Ingredient Vegan Banana Oat cookies- I didn’t have quick oats on hand, but I did have a few packages of Raisin and Spice oatmeal, so I used that. It was a hit.

WordPress Tags: esbat, cookiesm, cakes and ale, full moon, recipes, wicca, witch, pagan

 

Wednesday Witch: Bringing Up Salamanders

Bringing Up Salamanders is a delightful blog from a pagan parent’s point of view. The author, Nydia from Brazil,  shares her hopes and fears raising her son, using very honest language in her posts on pagan-related topics.

She writes topics from how she celebrates the holidays, to the more personal posts on her son. Those type of posts, I think, are the best. They offer wonderful insight in how we, as parents, care and nurture our children.

Some posts I enjoyed;

Ostara and a new phase- where she’s ‘busted’ by her son, being the one who puts out the eggs on his altar.

Belated Yule 2012 post- Lovely post sharing her Yule with her son.

Samhain on our corner- I think the posts where she shares how she celebrates, and adds the pictures of the altar, and her family, are my favorite posts.

There’s many posts up. She’s been writing for some time, and I hope she continues.

Technorati Tags: witch,wicca,salamanders,moon and shadow,witch wednesday,blog,pagan

 

The Wednesday Witch- LokiB101010

Today’s Wednesday witch is LokiB101010, a vlogger on Youtube that has a number of interesting videos on the topic of witchcraft.

She’s from New Zealand with a lovely accent, and she shares ‘how to’ type videos as well as sharing/talking videos.

Clearing incense- This video includes a basic recipe for clearing/cleansing.

Portable Altar- This video covers her portable altar

Pagan tag- This video is an ‘about her’ type video, where she shares her beliefs and practices.

She speaks plainly and to the point, and I enjoyed her series of video where she gives up chocolate. (I feel her pain…being I’m quitting sugar this month).

Post in comments, and remember to ‘like’ her videos, and subscribe. I feel it’s a worthwhile share.

Technorati Tags: pagan,wiccan,ritual,altar,lokib101010,vlogger,goddess,witch,wednesday witch

 

Adding youtube videos…

One of the things I’ve set for myself as a goal was a 30day vlog challenge for the month of April. today’s video included some answer to five basic questions about Wicca, paganism, and witches.

Basically, I’m doing this to challenge myself, to set a goal and do it, and to see how things work out by vlogging for a month.

Want to see?

I’m still trying to get the hang of things. Doing vlogging takes more time than I anticipated, but organizing my thoughts proves even more challenging. Hopefully, I’ll get better over time.

Post in comments suggestions for questions or ideas for videos.

WordPress Tags: video, youtube, vlog, witch, pagan

Wednesday Witch: PaganByDesign- online BOS

PaganByDesign offers so many links and tons of information.  You can finds so much stuff here; from free printables (including a pagan daybook), to fiction, links to more blogs, history, recipes, and the list goes on and on.

Some links from the site:

The Kindness Jar

Depression and Magic: 13 steps

Writing and Conducting Rituals

As you can see, there’s some sound advice, great ideas, and a hefty resource to bookmark for later reading.

WordPress Tags: paganbydesign, wednesday witch, wicca, pagan, witch, ritual, blog, depression

 

Some Easter/Ostara Basket Ideas

  Someone once asked me which holiday I celebrate; Easter or Ostara? My answer? Both. Why choose? Being pagan doesn’t mean we can’t recognize, celebrate, and even respect another spiritual path, and if there’s fun activities, I’m all for it!

Here are some of my tips for Easter basket traditions;

- You don’t necessarily need a basket. I’ve used a sand bucket and even a big dump truck to put stuff in. My son loved it. Girls might appreciate something like a pretty box, purse, or even tote. Personally, I don’t discriminate gender and would’ve loved a dump truck filled with stuff.

- I prefer the paper grass rather than the plastic. I had a cat that liked to eat the stuff, so I gave up buying the plastic. Now I make my own grass out of shredded paper.  You can also buy paper Easter grass , or find even Edible Easter Grass.

- Add breakfast food. I added one of those small cereal boxes or fresh baked muffins for my son to eat for Easter breakfast. Sometimes fruit like oranges or grapes also balanced the junk food.

- Add the special candy. The thing that’s best about any holiday, in my humble opinion, is the special flavors and candy that comes out then. I love Peeps, Reese peanut butter eggs, and the Cadbury Crème eggs. You might also want to find a candy bulk section in a store to find weird flavors or unique candy. Last Christmas, I found this nut and raisin candy coated stuff that had a weird Nutmeg and Cinnamon flavor. It was awesome.

- Add toys!  My son generally got action figures, Hot Wheel cars and some sort of art or craft item. I would also add some books for him (since we read every single night). I would also get him a new stuffed toy. Remember, it doesn’t need to be rabbit-related.

- Add blessings. This could be a fun idea for kids to do the night before; have them write out all the blessings they appreciate in life, to leave for the Easter bunny, and they get the stuff in their baskets in return.

What basket ideas do you traditionally do for the holiday? Post in comments.

WordPress Tags: easter, ostara, basket, eggs, bunny, toys, holiday, wicca, witch, pagan, wheel of the year

A Suggested Reading List

Lately, I happen upon blogs and vloggers who mentions their favorite pagan authors, so I figured, I’d post some of my own. As an added note, I think its important to read many books, even if they suck, so you understand the difference, and to see the different views out there.

Drawing Down the Moon , by Margot Adler was the first pagan book I read when I was 14 years old.  I remember feeling as though all the beliefs and practices she mentioned made perfect sense; that I found ‘my people’.

Margot Adler is a NPR correspondent, a priestess of the Covenant of the Goddess, and a Unitarian.

Starhawk, born Miriam Simos, wears many hats as a pagan author. She is a columnist for Wicca on Beliefnet.com, and works with the Reclaiming Tradition. A pro-active feminist and environmentalist, she includes action with ritual and words. The Spiral Dance was the first book I’ve read, but I’ve also read (and recommend) Truth or Dare , and Dreaming the Dark .

Doreen Valiente was an influential English Wiccan who worked with Gerald Gardner. She expanded The Wiccan Rede and helped shape the Wiccan belief systems we know today. She’s known as the “Mother of Modern Witchcraft’ for her input and influences.

And more:

A Witches’ Bible by Janet and Stewart Farrar. You can find many books written on paganism/Wicca by them as well, but I think this is a good starter book.

Merlin Stone’s book, When God Was a Woman , covers history of ancient cultures and their worship of goddesses. She is a professor of art history, a sculpture, and author.

Do you have favorite authors? Add in comments. I’ll add more when I find them.

WordPress Tags: pagan authors, reading list, merlin stone, farrar, starhawk, margot adler, wicca, witch, pagan, reclaiming, ritual, resources

Pagan bling and pride

One of the handy things about pagans who wear their jewelry openly, is that it advertises who they are. I can’t tell you how often I’ve met someone who said they liked my necklace (no, not the one in the picture) and we hit it off as pagan friends.

The down side is that it can also add conflicts, such as in the workplace, or family gatherings you know your pentacle or other jewelry might offend someone. Generally I wear my pentacle and other ‘bling’ under my clothes if I deal with a customer (I’m self employed). Not that I am ashamed, but I don’t want others to assume things of me without the benefit of a conversation.

This is not to say I think its healthy to be ‘in your face’ with your religion either. You wouldn’t want someone doing that to you, and taking any form of aggressive stance serves only to add to conflict, not open a person up for discussion, debate, let alone acceptance.

I can honestly say that by taking the approach of respectful distance earned me respect from others. It offered opportunities to state my beliefs, without argument, and in some cases, coworkers and strangers were more intrigued than turned off.

What are your thoughts? Wear it proud, or do you have certain rules for yourself in wearing jewelry? Post in comments.

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