Recently in Pagan Rituals and Festivals Category

Our Mabon and Samhain discussions have prompted this post.  Wicca's roots are in northwestern Europe, a land of strong seasons like those in much of the US.  It was easy to integrate the agricultural cycle in the British Isles, and the solar cycle with the symbolism of birth, growth, adulthood, old age, death, and rebirth, that characterizes our own existence.  Further, they all harmonized with the phases of the moon.     

Wonderful.
 

Lammas, or Lughnasadh,  is one of the most important Pagan Sabbats, midway between Beltane and Samhain.  Here are some ideas for two Lammas rituals you might want to try if you have no other gathering to attend.  Even if you do, perhaps they'll give you some ideas.

This weekend marks Midsummer, the Summer Solstice celebration.  Pagans of many different types will be celebrating Summer Solstice 2009 in small and large groups across our country.  Because we focus on the Sacred as immanent in our world, everything that exists can be understood as a better or worse manifestation of the Ultimate.  And those things that are most central to life and existence are the most foundational.  Among those foundational things are life and death, duality (without raising one as intrinsically better than the other), sex, and nature.  

Beliefnet has just published their first 'Pagan gallery' - 12 Magic Spells

Some are more workings than spells in the narrower sense, and bring in several traditions of folk magick.  I have not used any of these particular spells or workings myself, but  some are similar to ones I do use, and several look worth looking into.  Go take a look see. (The site still is a little buggy, I've noticed.)

Done right, spells shift the odds in our favor.  No guarantees - but over time if you are good at it, the occurrence of magick in my definition of the term does become pretty clear: "The non-coincidental occurrence of meaningful coincidences."

The spells I use most often are for finding parking places and another for opening stuck locks and the like.  They work . . . like magick!

Last Saturday we raised a Maypole in drizzling rain on a hill top in Sonoma County.  The day was soggy, still, a  heavy mist turning often to light drizzle putting the dampers on some traditional revelry.  But our setting was wonderful: the top of a grassy knoll surrounded by giant gnarly old oak trees.  

As soon as we had raised the pole, the wind came up from out of nowhere, and played the ribbons, sort of like a harp.  I have never seen anything like it.  After a few minutes the wind died down into the stillness that had preceded and we completed our dance.  

Nor did even a breeze ever come back while we were there.

And we felt blessed.

Up at 4:30 to celebrate the May and 'bring in' the sun.  I learned (on my blog!) that Sebastopol has Morris dancers as well: Apple Tree Morris.  So I got to sleep later, saved a lot of driving, supported my...

Tonight is Beltane, and tomorrow is May Day.  Two good discussions of this time are by Circle Sanctuary and Witchvox.  Beltane and tomorrow is May Day.  Beltane and May Day comprise one of our two most important Sabbats, the other...

Beltane is approaching, and though I'm on the road right now to Southern California, I will be back to celebrate the dawn on May 1, arriving well before dawn at Berkeley's Inspiration Point in Tilden Park .  There, every year,...

Ostara, the Spring Equinox, is always especially beautiful here in Sonoma County, California.  This year seems especially nice.  Winter's rains have been lighter than we would like, but they have been gentle and well timed.  My farmer friends with whom...

I have been traveling all day.  Flying from the West Coast to the East to a conference is a drag because I have to get up so early - 2 am - to catch the Airporter down to San Francisco...