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Archive for May, 2007

Celebrating the Sabbats

Posted in Archives #4 Pagan Thoughts and Writings, Magick, Paganism, Sabbats, Spirituality on Thursday May 31 2007 | 6 Comments »

In my earlier post, “I Am a Pagan,” I talked about some of the beliefs of the Pagan Path, as explained by Selena Fox. In this post, we explore the Pagan Wheel of the Year and the Eight Sabbats (holy days) which are celebrated by many Pagans – particularly those who follow the Wiccan or Witchcraft traditions.

I am a Pagan. I celebrate the changing seasons; the turning of the Wheel of the Year. I celebrate with music, feasting, rituals, and celebrations.

weeldealyear.jpg

samhain.jpg~ Samhain, or Halloween (October 31st) is a time for gazing into the future and for paying homage to my ancestors and other loved ones in the spirit world. I work magick for greater religious freedom for practitioners of earth-based faiths, and for humankind as a whole.

yule.jpg~ Yule, the Winter Solstice (December 21st) is a festival of peace, light, and celebration of the new Sun Child, the Great Mother Goddess, and the Gnome God. I decorate my home with lights and with holly, ivy, mistletone, evergreens, and other herbs sacred to this season.

imbolc.jpg~ At the beginning of February (February 2nd), I celebrate Candlemas, also known as Imbolc and Groundhog’s Day. During this festival of Brigid, I light candles and focus on spiritual purification and clearing away of blockages to prepare for the coming of Spring and new growth.

ostara-rabbit.jpg~ At the time of the Spring Equinox (March 21st), I welcome the renewal of Spring and celebrate the greening of the Earth by dressing in green myself. I honor the goddess Ostara and Her consort, the rabbit…and I share colored eggs with my friends.

beltane.jpg~ Beltane (May 1st) at the beginning of May is a festival of fertility and creativity, and I decorate myself with bright colors and flowers. I dance around the maypole to bless the gardens and creative projects.

summer-solstice.jpg~ Summer Solstice (June 21st), also known as Midsummer and Litha, is a grand gathering time when I greet old friends and meet new ones. I dance with them around a sacred bonfire to the magic rhythms of drums.

lughnasadh.jpg~ As August arrives (August 1st), I celebrate Lughnassad, also known as Lammas. At this festival, I honor the height of growth and prosperity, and I not only give thanks for the wild and cultivated herbs and other blessings that are starting to come to fruition, but I also pray for continued abundance.

apple.jpg ~ Fall Equinox (September 21st), also called Mabon, is the time of thanksgiving for all the harvests I have reaped during the growing time. I return to the earth offerings of the best of the fruit, vegetables, herbs, nuts, and other food stuffs I have gathered.

And at Samhain, this Pagan Yearly Cycle begins again.

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I Am a Pagan

Posted in Archives #2 On Being Deaf and Pagan, Magick, Nature, Paganism, Spirituality on Tuesday May 29 2007 | 28 Comments »

I am a Pagan. I am a part of the whole of Nature. The rocks, the animals, the plants, the elements, and the stars are my relatives. Other humans are my sisters and brothers, whatever their races, colors, genders, ages, nationalities, religions, or lifestyles might be. The Earth is my mother, and the Sun is my father. I am a part of this large family of nature, not the master of it. I have my own special part to play and I seek to play that part to the best of my ability. I seek to live in harmony with others in the family of Nature, treating others with respect, not abuse.

woman-in-nature.jpg

I am a Pagan. I honor the seasons of life within myself – of beginnings, growth, fruition, harvest, endings, rest, and beginnings again. Life is a circle with many cycles. With every ending comes a new beginning. Within death there is the promise of rebirth.

cemetary.jpg

I am a Pagan. Magick is a part of my spirituality. For every problem there is a solution, and an opportunity for growth. I create my own reality with my thoughts, feelings, and actions. Whatever I send out always returns. I seek to abide by the Wiccan Rede: “and ye harm none, do what ye will.” When I do magick, before I raise and direct energy, I seek always to look at the larger picture of which my needs are just a part. When problems come my way, I seek to understand their cause and messages as a part of my finding a solution. In doing healing work, I seek to correct the underlying cause, rather than just treat the symptoms.

magick-star.jpg

I am a Pagan. I acknowledge that the Divine is everywhere in the energy of Life. I honor Divinity in the oak tree on the hill, in the herbs in my garden, in the wild birds singing in the trees, in the boulders on the hill, in myself, and yes…even in “things” such as my car and my computer. I understand that everything with a physical body has a spiritual body also. The physical and the spiritual are deeply intertwined, not separate, in this world.

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I am a Pagan. I attune myself to the four elements of Nature – Air, Fire, Water, and Earth – and to the fifth element, Spirit, which is the force that connects all. I see these elements as parts of myself…my physical body is my Earth, my intellect is my Air, my will is my Fire, my emotions is my Water, and my inner self is my Spirit. I endeavor to keep myself healthy and in balance in all these parts of Self.

elemental-artwork.jpg

I am a Pagan. I hear the cries of Mother Earth who is upset with the harm being done to the planet’s environment by humankind. I am upset too, by the pollution of air, soil, and water…and by the domination games being played by various nations and their weapons of mass destruction.

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I am a Pagan. I am also concerned about spiritual pollution on the planet – selfishness, hatred, greed for money and power, addiction, violence, despair.

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Yet, as I perceive these problems, I also perceive a cleansing and healing energy manifesting on planet Earth at this time. I know that I can help bring this planet into greater balance by seeking balance in my own life. I know that my attitudes and my way of living can help endeavor others to also be a channel for healing and balance. I make the practice of spiritual and mental responsibility a personal part of my daily life. I endeavor to live in harmony with the other members of the family of Nature.

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This is the essence of Paganism… and I am a Pagan.

 

 

With special recognition to Selena Fox,

High Priestess of Circle Sanctuary,

author of the original “I Am a Pagan” article upon which this post is based

 

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A Woman’s Song for Memorial Day

Posted in Archives #3 A Deaf Pagan Shares, Archives #4 Pagan Thoughts and Writings, Music, Poetry/Prose, Women on Sunday May 27 2007 | 10 Comments »

 

soldier-and-wife.jpg

Portrait from the time of World War I

from the collection of Sherlock77 (James)

 

 

“Mothers, Daughters, Wives”

 

by Judy Small

 

The first time it was fathers,
The last time it was sons
And in between our husbands
Marched away with drums and guns.
And we never thought to question.
We just went on with our lives.
Cause all they taught us who to be,
Was mothers, daughters, wives.

I can only just remember
The tears my mother shed
As we sat and read our papers
Through the lists and lists of dead.
And the gold frames held the photographs
That mothers kissed each night.
And the door frames held the shocked
And silent strangers from the fight.

Then it was twenty-one years later,
With children of my own.
The trumpets sounded once again,
And the soldier boys were gone.
And we drove their trucks and made their guns
And tended to their wounds.
And at night we kissed their photographs
And prayed for safe returns.

And after it was over
You had to learn again
To be just wives and mothers,
When you’d done the work of men.
So you worked to help the needy
And you never trod on toes.
And the photos on the pianos
Struck a happy family pose.

Then your daughters grew to women
And your little boys to men.
And you prayed that you were dreaming
When the call came up again.
But you proudly smiled and held your tears
As they bravely waved goodbye.
And the photos on the mantel pieces
Always made you cry.

And now you’re getting older
And in time the photos fade.
And in widowhood you sit back
And reflect on the parade.
Of the passing of your memories
As your daughters change their lives.
Seeing more to our existence
Than just mothers, daughters, wives.

For my daddy fought in World War II
and my husband was killed in ‘Nam
and now I watch that baby boy
marching off with drums and guns.
And I never thought to question
just went on with my life
for all that I was taught to be
was mother, daughter, wife.

 

 

But…times are changing!!!

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Mother Nature’s Medicine

Posted in Archives #3 A Deaf Pagan Shares, Art & Literature, Healing, Nature, Photography on Friday May 25 2007 | 12 Comments »

Some time ago I contacted my “phriendly photographer” Robin to see if she had any good pictures to share. Having checked out both of her blogs recently, I could clearly see that she was taking advantage of the recent beautiful weather in Pennsylvania to take a number of photographs – many of which were taken at Longwood Gardens. For those who are not familiar with this place, Longwood Gardens is one of the premier botanical gardens in the United States, located in Kennett Square in the Brandywine Valley area of Pennsylvania. It’s thirty miles southwest of Philadelphia, and about a two-hour drive from the Washington DC area, so if you get the chance I encourage you to go visit, as it’s a truly beautiful place with over a thousand acres of gardens, woodlands, and meadows.

Robin shared with me a number of beautiful pictures that she had taken at the gardens, and they proved to be a welcomed respite from all the words I have been reading and typing over the past few weeks. As the saying goes:

When the world wearies and ceases to satisfy, there’s always the garden!

I don’t know about you, dear reader… but lately it does seem to me as if the world has indeed become unsatisfying. I feel that sense of weariness, a frustration with life, a longing to somehow lay down my burdens and rest… to find peace of mind and rejuvenation of the soul.

But when I look at these pictures, I am reminded that Mother Nature can indeed be our best healer.

I think I need to find me a garden.

pink-and-green-plant.jpg

the-tower.jpg

yellow-and-white-flowers.jpg

path-thru-the-trees.jpg

 

To see more of Robin’s gorgeous photography

and get a further dose of Mother Nature’s healing powers,

I encourage you to check out her blog sites at

Bountiful Healing

Life in the Bogs

 

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