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Psssst… Guess What?
Hey, you! Yeah, you… guess what? I’ll be sharing an exciting announcement next week, so be sure to stay tuned and keep an eye out. Something really good is coming, and I can’t wait to tell you about it! Watch for a big update on Tuesday!
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The Magic of Burdock
When I moved into my little cottage in the woods last summer, one of the things I fell in love with was the abundance of plant life on the property that was ready for me to forage. While derping around on my hillside, I noticed a lot of prickly little balls (get your minds outta the gutter, you filthy heathens) attaching themselves to my socks, shorts, and the dog. Naturally, I thought to myself, “Self, we gotta figure this one out.” They looked like thistles… sort of… but weren’t. Turns out I’ve got a bumper crop of burdock growing right in my back yard. It’s one of those cool herbs…
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Self-Care Sundays: The Joy of Purging
Y’all, I gotta tell ya – I *love* to throw things away. I think part of that is because I was raised by parents who have always been minimalists, and it’s partly because the older I get, the less stuff I need in my life. If I have fewer physical items in my space, it makes it easier to value the things that I actually do possess. Not only that, it means fewer decisions I have to make about stuff – and since I managed to develop myself a nice new anxiety disorder in 2020, fewer decisions are really great for sense of well-being. I’d rather pick my battles and…
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Where the Hell Am I Going This Year?
It’s only January, but with the C-numbers beginning to drop, people are cautiously, tentatively beginning to schedule more stuff. Although I’ve scaled back a bit over the past couple of years, I’m still trying to get out there and Do the Things, which means I might be somewhere near you in 2022! You can keep an eye on upcoming stuff, events, and happenings over here: Upcoming Events I’ll be adding more events as they get confirmed, so check back if you don’t see anything in your neck of the woods. Also, if you own a shop or organize an event that I can get to (and home from again) in…
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January 24: The Festival of Sementivae
January 24 is the festival of Sementivae, which is a planting festival that honors Ceres and Tellus. Ceres, of course, is the Roman grain goddess, and Tellus is the earth itself. This festival was held in two parts — the first part was held from January 24 to January 26, honoring Tellus, and was a season of sowing the fields. The second part, which began a week later on February 2, honored Ceres as the goddess of agriculture. Ceres is the Roman variant of Demeter, who is strongly tied with the changing of the seasons. This whole celebration centered around praying for a good harvest in the coming seasons — after…
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Tumbleweed Magic
So, I recently found myself in possession of a pair of large tumbleweeds, plucked from a roadside in the middle of Montana. Now, keep in mind that I don’t live anywhere near Montana at all, so it was a neat surprise and quite a novelty to get them, and it stemmed from a long-running joke in my family’s group text. Regardless, now I’ve got these two big-ass tumbleweeds sitting on my front porch because honestly, it seems like a shame to just ignore them but also WHAT THE HELL CAN I DO WITH THEM?? Naturally, the first thing I did was google “what can I do with tumbleweeds?” which led…
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Plan a Goddess Garden
Last summer I bought a little cottage in the woods that has a decent sized yard. After three years of renting a house, and two years of apartment living before that, I am SO ready to plant a permanent, long-term garden. I’m already mapping out my raised beds along the fence, with a few nice arches for trellised plants like squashes, cucumbers, and the like. I’ve got cattle wire along my fence to keep the dog contained, but it seems like it might be a good place to add a few grapevines as well. There will be a spot for all the kitchen herbs – and of course, the magical…
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Magical Birds in Your Garden
OK, I know it’s really early to start talking about gardening — where I live, we don’t plant until Mother’s Day because frost — but still, it’s been sunny and not totally frigid, and the birds were doing bird things this morning outside my window. Birds do good things for your garden, like snacking on pests and insects, so why not invite them into your yard? During the spring, birds are busily building their nests. Many species have returned from wintering somewhere else, and eggs are getting ready to hatch. If you’d like to attract wild birds to your yard, provide them with places to nest that are safe and…
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Honoring the Ancestors When You’re Adopted
A reader asks, “I have a question about the “honoring ancestors” tenet. I am adopted, and don’t know my biological parents. When I envision my ancestors do I just think generally? For example, I am African American, do I just think of (for lack of a better term) random black people?” Answer: Well, first of all, keep in mind that not ALL Pagan traditions include ancestor veneration as part of their belief or practice. There’s no hard and fast rule that says you have to do this, or that if you don’t, you’re not a Real Pagan™. However, many Pagans do include honoring their ancestors as part of their practice…
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The 2022 Pagan Calendar
So, back when I was writing for About.com/ThoughtCo/LearnReligions, one of my most popular pages was the annual calendar, which featured things like full moon dates, Sabbats, and other items I thought might be of interest. Since I’m no longer writing for them, and have no way to edit or update the calendar on LearnReligions — and because people keep asking me for the annual calendar — I’m going to go ahead and post it here. Please note that some of the links will take you back to LearnReligions for more detail — also, I’ll be updating this periodically to reflect festivals, conferences, and other events as I become aware of…
