Due to a rather strange set of circumstances, Wheel of the Year criticisms are now part and parcel of the Autumn Equinox tradition. And I’m all for it.
Author: gmfpq
Lammas is not Lughnasadh
Preparing for a semi-public Lughnasadh ritual that I’m leading motivated me to dive deeper into the holiday and its origins. I wanted to ensure that I accurately portrayed the tradition. In doing so, I found something much deeper, richer, and more robust than the generic versions of Lughnasadh/Lammas that Internet content farms often promote on…
Celebrating the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere
The day that gives the Earth the longest daytime in the Northern Hemisphere and the longest nighttime in the Southern Hemisphere goes by many names. In the Northern Hemisphere, it’s referred to as the Summer Solstice, and in the Southern Hemisphere, it is considered the Winter Solstice. I often like to refer to the holiday…
Celtic erasure and how my fellow Pagans often unwittingly contribute to it
Up until recently, I wouldn’t have considered using the phrase “Celtic erasure.” Certainly, growing up in Chicago, “Celtic” was everywhere. St. Patrick’s Day—at least the Chicago-several-generations-removed-from-Ireland version—was characterized by green beer, the Chicago River being dyed green, and people dressing in green. It was everywhere. People of Irish descent with the last name of “Daley”…
Bealtainn calling January: How my Celtic heritage charmed me back to Paganism
I hit a wall on January 8, 2020, but maybe that was the best thing to happen to me in a long time. I was burned out for much of 2019. That spring, I had to suddenly find a new apartment and move after the building I lived in became a drug dealing den. I…
Personal Imbolc experiences
It might seem excessive for me to post more than one article about Imbolc in a single week. But Imbolc has intersected with my life in many interesting ways.
Imbolc in Wisconsin
Imbolc is a Celtic holiday and therefore not native to Wisconsin, but Imbolc in Wisconsin arrives in an interesting way.
The end of our civilization and a new beginning
I’ve started following the Substack column OK Doomer by Jessica Wildfire. She pulls no punches–especially in this article. She says that we are facing the end of our civilization, and that we’d better start acting like it. She’s absolutely right.
Happy…um…New Year’s Day?
It’s worth asking why New Year’s Day is January 1st. Caesar did set up the his calendar that way. The actual history is more complicated.
Thoughts for this Yule and Winter Solstice…
11.723 Southlight 44. First of all, a most festive Yule and Winter Solstice. And a festive Litha and Summer Solstice to those south of the Equator. As I write this, my area faces a winter storm and blizzard warning spanning the next two days. Temperatures are supposed to plunge to -20 C and wind chills…