As a Brighid kid, Imbolc tends to be a big deal for me. It's the most important day of the year tied only with Samhain. When planning for Imbolc, we started with the most important aspect of any festival: the food. I call my at-home practice Devotional Hearthcraft and it very much is informed by … Continue reading A Menu for Imbolc 2024
Rituals and Holidays
Week 9: Winter Solstice explained
The Winter Solstice is a difficult holiday for me. My own experiences with growing up Christian and my more recent experiences of religious decorations in the workplace for "the holidays" have made the time of year (in the Northern Hemisphere at least) difficult for me to feel very festive. I am still struggling with how … Continue reading Week 9: Winter Solstice explained
Week 4: Samhain Writeup
Even though we're three weeks and some change out from Samhain, I've always felt that the Fire Festivals lend themselves to an entire season. These three months are the time of Samhain, a space for the Ancestors to take prominence again in our lives. We continue descending into the dark and cold in the months … Continue reading Week 4: Samhain Writeup
The End of Summer
I usually find myself missing holidays and getting into the season’s festivities too late. Blame my chronic procrastination, or my easily distracted mind, or the lovely mix of anxiety and depression that means I’m hyperaware of deadlines and can’t quite summon the spoons necessary to deal with them before they go flying by. I also … Continue reading The End of Summer
My Lughnasadh DP Essay
I bet y'all are tired of me talking about Lughnasadh at this point, huh? 🙂 I'm preparing for my Better Know a Celt series tomorrow by writing on Lugh, and I discovered that I never posted my Dedicant Path essay for Lughnasadh. The DP requires short (min. 125 words) essays on each of the eight High … Continue reading My Lughnasadh DP Essay
Lughnasadh 2012: The Omen
One of the most important concepts in ADF's ritual theology is that of reciprocation, hospitality, and gift-giving. The Core Order of Ritual splits nicely down the middle so the first half is all about our hospitality - making the space pure and sanctified, honoring the Kindreds, calling forth the Gatekeeper to make ritual possible, and finally giving … Continue reading Lughnasadh 2012: The Omen
Lughnasadh 2012: Tailtiu’s Sacrifice
[This is the first in a short series of essays about my Lughnasadh celebration this year. You can read my unedited ritual outline here.] Following in the grand tradition of me celebrating the High Days nearly a week after the actual date in question, this past Tuesday I finally sat down and observed the … Continue reading Lughnasadh 2012: Tailtiu’s Sacrifice
Lughnasadh 2012 Write-Up
Right after the Midsummer Writeup! Sounds about right. Below is the unedited and un-annotated version of yesterday's ritual. Some of this was copied from another ADF ritual, and at the moment I can't find the original source. Later I'll edit this with proper links and suck. A real, actual post is coming soon. I promise. … Continue reading Lughnasadh 2012 Write-Up
Midsummer 2012 Write-Up
Yes, I know it's late. Yes, I know Lammas is almost upon us. But I'm having a bit of an off day - old wounds from the past that ache every so often - and I thought that offering my ritual for my readers' consumption would be a better post than lamenting over past hurts … Continue reading Midsummer 2012 Write-Up
Dedicant Path: Re-Oathing Myself
As part of my catch-up with my Dedicant Path work, I repeated my First Oath. This is an optional ritual to be completed at or near the beginning of your DP work which serves as a clear starting point for those who need it. Rather than oathing "I will finish the DP in a year" … Continue reading Dedicant Path: Re-Oathing Myself
Sage and Starshine 