The cool air of Samhain is here - yet another turn of the wheel ends and begins anew. The time has come for remembrance, for introspection and for healing.
The Earth is primary, as the Mother exchanges the kiss of power with the God and retreats into the womb to rest and restore. The God dons his antlers and revels in his work of protection and will, for he is our guide through the dark days until the light returns to us.
I remember those we have lost this year, both to the next life and to a different path. Some will return again in time, others in another lifetime.
I think about those who have lost me this year - whom I have pulled away from by choice, or who I have chosen not to fight, but to allow to move on to other journeys that do not include me.
I think of all the new people who have joined my circle this year - the many smiling faces that have come to be known as family.
I give thanks for all those I hold close to my heart, and for all those who hold me close in theirs.
And I give thanks to the God and Goddess for the man who stands beside me - my partner, lover and friend - my soul mate.
This is a time for feasting, for telling stories, for remembering and for honoring. It is a time to slow down, to savor the smells and flavors of the frosty air, to smile as the little ghouls and goblins skip along the sidewalks and pilfer treats from neighboring houses.
Under the moonlight tonight, as the breeze plays on your skin, open your heart to your memories and find a place of peace there - ground yourself in that peace and use it to build your foundation for the coming year ahead.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Learning to Let Go
It's not an easy thing - to trust your gut and just let go....to allow your faith to guide your actions. Even for Pagans, letting go and allowing the universal divine to guide you through rough patches is a difficult exercise. We're so used to taking the lead, taking personal responsibility, being in control.
There are a select few people in my life whom I respect and admire because they have "mastered" the art of letting go. I've seen them remain calm and cool headed, even under extreme pressures. All because they have faith that the divine will see them through, and that the current events had to happen in order for them to learn a lesson and move forward. They somehow manage to really "be" in the moment, to see the lesson at hand, conceptualize it, understand it and learn from it - all the while they're in this maelstrom of things going haywire.
It's something I strive for - this peaceful place of acceptance and learning. I'm a hard headed Aries, and patience, though a virtue, is not one that comes easy to those of us who enjoy butting our heads into walls.
But I'm trying...and I'm learning. Not just about the many lessons I have yet to understand in this lifetime, but I'm also learning about myself, and my capacity for inner peace, and my ability to help others find that place of acceptance and learning, especially when the sky seems to be falling on our heads.
How about you? What's your capacity for inner peace? Is your faith strong enough to just let go?
There are a select few people in my life whom I respect and admire because they have "mastered" the art of letting go. I've seen them remain calm and cool headed, even under extreme pressures. All because they have faith that the divine will see them through, and that the current events had to happen in order for them to learn a lesson and move forward. They somehow manage to really "be" in the moment, to see the lesson at hand, conceptualize it, understand it and learn from it - all the while they're in this maelstrom of things going haywire.
It's something I strive for - this peaceful place of acceptance and learning. I'm a hard headed Aries, and patience, though a virtue, is not one that comes easy to those of us who enjoy butting our heads into walls.
But I'm trying...and I'm learning. Not just about the many lessons I have yet to understand in this lifetime, but I'm also learning about myself, and my capacity for inner peace, and my ability to help others find that place of acceptance and learning, especially when the sky seems to be falling on our heads.
How about you? What's your capacity for inner peace? Is your faith strong enough to just let go?
Monday, October 15, 2007
The Joys of Chosen Family
Home Again, Home Again....
I came home again this past weekend, when my husband and I attended WytcheHaven, a bi-annual gathering of open-minded and loving people in the Ozarks. This place, this sanctuary of Pyrth Annwn, has become my home, and the fellow "Weekenders" have truly become my family, my hearthkin.
Smiles, hugs, shouts of joy, giggles, laughter - all greet you as you drive up the windy road to the check in station and are greeted by the volunteers. More happy shouts and smiles come as you drive the main road, looking for a good camping spot. Even more come as you start to unpack your vehicle, and folks (some whom you know, others whom you are meeting for the first time) come up and offer to help you get settled.
This place has blossomed into a community of like-minded spirits - a chosen family of love and joy. It's been a week now since we left and returned to Mundania, and still my heart is full of happiness, joy, excitement, optimism and levity....how I wish we could meet more than just twice a year.
The sounds of the drums still echo inside of me...I find myself tapping out the beat here at my desk...I can smell the campfires, and in my mind's eye see the dancers as they commune with the flames and salamanders in the revel fire.
Even our young pup, Cenau, wants to go back. Everytime we go out to the cars, he's ready to jump in and head "camping." Ever since we returned, he spends more time outside than in - the pup that used to live stretched out on the floor vent now galavants through our 20 acres like he owns the place.
The freedom of truly being yourself, without fear of judgement or reprisal - to be accepted as you are - how wonderfully liberating that is for the soul, body and mind - how I wish Mundania could instead be like this, so that we could all be one family, one hearthkin.
I came home again this past weekend, when my husband and I attended WytcheHaven, a bi-annual gathering of open-minded and loving people in the Ozarks. This place, this sanctuary of Pyrth Annwn, has become my home, and the fellow "Weekenders" have truly become my family, my hearthkin.
Smiles, hugs, shouts of joy, giggles, laughter - all greet you as you drive up the windy road to the check in station and are greeted by the volunteers. More happy shouts and smiles come as you drive the main road, looking for a good camping spot. Even more come as you start to unpack your vehicle, and folks (some whom you know, others whom you are meeting for the first time) come up and offer to help you get settled.
This place has blossomed into a community of like-minded spirits - a chosen family of love and joy. It's been a week now since we left and returned to Mundania, and still my heart is full of happiness, joy, excitement, optimism and levity....how I wish we could meet more than just twice a year.
The sounds of the drums still echo inside of me...I find myself tapping out the beat here at my desk...I can smell the campfires, and in my mind's eye see the dancers as they commune with the flames and salamanders in the revel fire.
Even our young pup, Cenau, wants to go back. Everytime we go out to the cars, he's ready to jump in and head "camping." Ever since we returned, he spends more time outside than in - the pup that used to live stretched out on the floor vent now galavants through our 20 acres like he owns the place.
The freedom of truly being yourself, without fear of judgement or reprisal - to be accepted as you are - how wonderfully liberating that is for the soul, body and mind - how I wish Mundania could instead be like this, so that we could all be one family, one hearthkin.
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