
So how will you be celebrating? There are less than three weeks left before Yule (the Winter Solstice)! This is going out a week early because for many of us, this is a Sabbat that takes a little more preparation…
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This will be Dark Sun circle’s 27th annual gathering for Samhain. Our ritual includes a hushed circle of remembrance around the unlit fire, a silent walk into the woods to visit the Land of the Dead, and, once there, we speak their names, tell them what we would have liked them to have known about our feelings, our memories, our wishes and our love. Upon return from the Land of the Dead, we light the fire and the candles and jack o’lanterns on the Focus and celebrate, singing “We Are Alive!”, sharing goblets of blood-red wine and chocolate. And then, when it is time, we go indoors and break our fast with a sumptuous meal.
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First, several weeks prior to Samhain, we change our dinner grace from our usual set of graces to the Samhain Grace. For the Samhain Grace, we name, thank, and appreciate a specific Ancestor before dinner.
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A trail following the creek leads to an Aboriginal sweat lodge. In addition, I found a “living” shelter woven from willow, hidden in a copse. Inside was a log pew for the weary spiritual seeker. Posted throughout the property are small signs bearing quotations from ecologists, First Nations leaders, and theologians such as Thomas Berry. There is much for a Pagan to explore.
Read MoreFor many contemporary Pagans, Paganism takes the form of a nature religion or earth-centered spirituality. According to Religious Studies scholar, Michael York, a nature religion is one that has “a this-worldly focus and deep reverence for the earth as something sacred and something to be cherished.” Not surprisingly then, Earth Day (April 22 this year) is a holy day for many Pagans. Here are some ways that we Pagans can celebrate Earth Day.
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