A Night Of Remembrance

Since starting this blog, the night of October 31st has become much more meaningful to me than it had been before. Sure, I knew about the secular meaning (from being an avid trick-or-treater back in the day) and some of the religious connotations (from my interest in various religions), and I have also learned a lot from what other Pagan bloggers have had to say regarding what the day means to them in both a personal and religious sense.

But even though I understood what had been written about and discussed, I now realize that I didn't have a full grasp on the feeling behind the day.

This year is different.

I will now know have an understanding of Samhain as a night of remembrance. There are three people that have been heavy on my mind this year. Within two weeks of returning from England and Germany, three people within my circles of family and friends passed away.

• One, a friend's child, a long awaited pregnancy. While we had not met the child yet to come, we felt the loss within my circle of friends. We all grieved with the parents and tried to support them in their time of need.

• Another, a second friend's child, who had been struggling with health issues since birth. It was both a day of sadness and of relief (as we kept in mind that the child would no longer be suffering).

• The last, a close relative, who had lived a long life and was the only one left of her generation within our family. Her smiling face and sassy quips will be missed as the holiday season comes closer.
  

These are the three people that I will keep in mind this coming Samhain night. These are the three people to whom candles will be lit in remembrance. These are three people who will serve as reminders of what is important to me.

Solstice Sunset

Happy Summer Solstice to all who celebrate the day!

As I sat on the shores of one of Minnesota's lakes tonight watching the sunset at the end of a wonderful summer's day, I thought about some of the past Midsummer's Day that I could remember. I also found myself thinking about the traditions of summer solstice (due to my recent post regarding tradition and innovation), whether they are religious, personal, or regional.

When we think about traditions associated with this day, the longest in the northern hemisphere,* we may think about the first harvest, the height of a god's power, dancing, and watching the sunrise. What do I think about? Naked hiking.

Wait......... Naked hiking?

Yep. You read that correctly. Now let me tell you a little about it. Naked Hiking Day is a little tradition that is rumored to have started by thru-hikers on the Appalachian Trail to break up the boredom of the third month of hiking (with another three months to go). It is not uncommon to pass people on the AT on June 21st only to realize that they have nothing on but a pack, some boots and a smile.

When hiking the last few miles of the state of Virginia on this day five years ago, I came across a huge group of fellow thru-hikers that were hiking one behind the other. Because I was walking behind them, I didn't realize that they were all naked. It was only when I started to pass them that I realized that they had not a stitch on their bodies. As I started laughing, I was invited to join them.

So, to all those hikers out on the AT today who followed the tradition of hiking naked today, I hope yours was a great day (and I hope that you didn't get too sunburned). For those of you that are just learning about this tradition, there's always next year to join in on the fun.

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* In case you are wondering, you can go to timeanddate.com to find out how many hours/minutes/seconds of daylight you got in your location today. St. Paul, Minnesota had 15 hours 37 minutes and 8 seconds of daylight.

The Rabbits Are Hoppin'

A few days ago, I was reminded that it was spring time - by the rabbits (or hares) in my yard, of all things. It seems that they really like my backyard. I'm guessing they have settled here because it surrounded by a high privacy fence in which other animals are not able to get in to bother them. The rabbits, however, can get through two small holes in the fence. Quick like a bunny is taking on a whole new meaning. Fertility is the name of the game in the natural world this time of year, after all.

I may just have to turn off the security lights in the side and backyards as the rabbits are setting off the motion detectors.

Whether you celebrated Ostara yesterday or you celebrate today (depending on your time zone), I wish you a blessed day.

Celebrating The Day

As Pagans celebrate the day, their writing about the holiday takes over their bogs. Here are a few posts from around the blogosphere.

Jason, from Wild Hunt, tells us a little about Brigid and gives us a collection of quotes about the day.

In honor of the day, Deborah Lipp posts a poem for Brigid.

Sarah Sutterfield Winn also posts several poems for the day.

Anne over at The Gods Are Bored has me laughing as usual when she mentions playing a game of Monopoly with Brighid.

While not specifically about the day, Colorado Celt reminisces about how he would like to see "[his] experience of Celtic paganism to be a little more earthy."

On Deaf Pagan Crossroads, Ocean wishes everyone new beginnings and posts a song from a Imbolc ritual from a few years ago.

Elle at Domesticated Bloggage mentions a few things that you can do to celebrate the day.

Angela-Eloise over at Blogickal has given her site a new look and goes into some of the history of the day.

I wish you all a wonderful day!

Winter Solstice

Yesterday, Angela-Eloise over at Blogickal mentioned the Winter Solstice and it reminded me that the day is coming up quickly. As I have been bogged down with end of classes, papers, and finals I never stopped to check what day Yule falls on.

I was quite pleased to find out that I would still be near Duluth, MN and would be able to celebrate the day by getting up early and greeting the sun as it rises up above Lake Superior. Have you ever seen the sun come up over Lake Superior? It's gorgeous.

So next Friday, I will be somewhere along the lake shore watching the sun come up, celebrating the day. But that's not the only meaning that day holds for me. While I will spend a few hours exploring the area that I will watch the sun come up, I will soon be driving to my new home about three and half hours away.

Autumn Equinox

Although I decided to celebrate Mabon on Thursday because of my obligations this weekend, I want to acknowledge the day. I also want to highlight what others have to say about the day:

Angela-Eloise talks about the myths of Mabon.

Arachne from Textual Arachne talks about how he/she celebrates the day.

Grian from Panthea talks about her tradition and the time of the Crone.

Nio from Solidly Average mentions that this day has brought rain and asks why.

Jason from the Wild Hunt has a wonderful post about the day.

Steph from The Witch Within wishes everyone a blessed Harvest Home.

Turtleheart from Turtleheart Cove speaks of balance and gives us some information from her BOS.

Mabon

With Autumn comes changes. This is a time when the temperature gets colder and the leaves change color. It is also the time of the fall harvest which gives us foods like squash, apples, potatoes and onions. This is my favorite time of the year because of the fresh fruits and vegetables that I now get to add to my table.

I love good food and find that it is a great way with which to celebrate a holiday. So, to celebrate the day, my plans are to make butternut squash soup, fresh homemade wheat bread, baked apples and maybe one more dish that will be decided on later. And wine and/or cider. What's a good meal without a good compliment?

This time of year is also supposed to be about balance. So today, as I celebrate Mabon I will be thinking about how to bring that aspect into my life. For sake of my own sanity, I know I need to find a better balance in my life in respect to time spent in school, work, clubs, and time for myself.


Some associations with Mabon:

• Colors:Red, Deep Gold, Orange, Brown, Maroon, Russet, Yellow
• Food: Wheat, Squash, Onions, Apples, Grapes, Indian Corn, Carrots, Potatoes, Beans, Nuts
• Other: Thanksgiving, Balance, Second Harvest, Wine Moon

Celebrations and festivals being held this week (one is from this past weekend):

Festival of the Mabon
Mabon Festival
Small Gathering in Minnesota
Circle Sanctuary


This weekend will also be a special time as I have been invited by members of the Jewish Student Organization on my campus to attend their some of their activities surrounding the celebration of Rosh HaShanah. I am going to try to make time this weekend to attend, as it is very important to me to learn about other religions.

Lughnasadh

Happy Lughnasadh!

Today is Lughnasadh, or Lammas, in the Pagan yearly cycle. This is a time to honor the corn god, Lugh and celebrate the first harvest.

Here are some other Pagan blogs to illustrate what Lughnasadh is and what it means to that individual.

The Gods are Bored
Property of a Lady
Solidly Average
Turtleheart Cove

Wiccan Holidays

Since I mentioned the holiday yesterday, I thought that this would be a good time to talk about the rest of them as well. There are 8 major holidays in Wicca, 4 “Greater” Sabbats and 4 “Lesser” Sabbats. The Lesser Sabbats occur on the days most people know as the Solstices and the Equinoxes. The Greater Sabbats are seasonal. Here a list of the holidays. I have put them in this order based on where Wiccans think their New Year’s falls. Some Wiccans say that the start of their year is at Samhain. Again, it depends on your tradition.

At first I wasn’t going to include the mention of colors as corresponding to the holidays, but then I was thinking about how holidays in other religions often have a color or colors associated with them. I have also included a link to writings about each of the holidays so you can read more about them. The link is the holiday name at the beginning of the paragraph.

While I am depending on the web and books for the source of my information, some of the holidays may have different dates or associations depending on the tradition.

Yule - Dec 21; Also called the Winter Solstice and Sun Return; Colors are red, gold and green. Some symbols are evergreen trees, the Yule log, holly and spinning wheels. This is a time of renewal and rebirth (especially associated with the Sun God) and the return of the sun.

Imbolc - Feb 2; Called The Festival of Lights and Candlemas; Colors are white, green, and/or blue, and sometimes pink (in different combinations depending on the tradition). Symbols are candles, a sun wheel, and grain dollies. This holiday is about encouraging the sun’s return and honoring the virgin Goddess.

Ostara - March 21; Also known as Spring/Vernal Equinox; The start of spring; Color is White and all pastel colors. Some symbols are the new moon and butterflies.

Beltane - May 1; Also called May Day; Colors are white, dark yellow and green. Some symbols of this holiday are eggs, flowers, rabbits and the may pole. This holiday is also associated with fertility. From a website I found - “Weaving and plaiting are traditional arts at this time of year, for the joining together of two substances to form a third is in the spirit of Beltane.”

Midsummer - June 21; Also called Litha; Colors are blue, green, gold and tan. Some symbols of this holiday are fire, the sun, summer birds, horses and the oak tree. This holiday is for honoring the sun/God at the peak of his power in the yearly cycle. It is tradition to leap over a fire for purification and renewed energy.

Lammas- August 1; Also called Lughnasadh. Colors are red, gold, yellow, and orange. Some symbols of this holiday are grains and the full moon. This is a time to honor parenting deities and celebrate the first harvest. Visits to fields or orchards are traditional on this holiday.

Mabon - September 21; Also called Fall Equinox and Second Harvest; Colors are brown, gold and maroon. Symbols are grapes, wine, horn of plenty, and garland. This is a time to celebrate the harvest and balance in life and death.

Samhain - October 31; Also called Halloween, Hallowmas and Day of the Dead. Colors are black, orange and red. Symbols are jack-o-lanterns, fires, masks, and the waning moon. This is the time to celebrate reincarnation and reflect on the year. It is also a time to honor our ancestors.

Holiday - Litha

Today is a Holiday on the Pagan/Wiccan cycle. Today, June 21st, marks the Summer Solstice which is also known as Litha in Pagan/Wiccan religions. As you probably know, it is the day with the most hours of sunlight. According to Scott Cunningham, “The Earth is awash in the fertility of the Goddess and God” at this time of the year. This holiday is considered a lesser holiday of Pagan religions.

Mid-Summer is a time to perform magicks of all kinds including healings, love magic and protections, among others. I have seen some sources state that no magick is to be performed during holiday rituals and others that say it is okay. I would think that tying a magickal ritual to a holiday would take away from the special-ness of the day, but many see magicks as part of their practice. What do you think?

Typical foods you might see at a Mid-Summer celebration would include fresh fruits and vegetables.

Here are some links with more information about today’s Holiday.

Midsummer

Litha