-
·
Born to the Bee: A Samhain Ritual to Connect to Your Ancestors
Bees in Folklore and Myth Long ago and still today, many cultures believe that bees can travel to the Underworld and will deliver your message to a deceased loved one. If that loved one has a message for you, the bees will deliver that, too. Several years ago, I created a Samhain ritual around that…
-
·
Croning: A Ritual for a Woman of a Certain Age
She’s a woman of “a certain age.” Our culture thinks those words are better than saying “she’s old.” Well, I am a woman of a certain age. I am certain of who I am, certain of what I want, and certain of what I have to offer. I’ll be 78 in a few days and…
-
·
Yemaya, Part 2: The Middle Passage ~ Aug 25, the Day of Healing
In Part 1 of this article, I explored the connection between seashells and the Yemana, the Yoruba Orisha known as the Mother of All. I shared rituals inspired by cowrie shells, murex shells in general, and in particular, the Venus Comb Murex. With Yemaya in mind, I designed those rituals to help women discover and…
-
·
Lammas, the First Harvest Festival: Pay Debts? Forgive Debts?
In the Old World of my Celtic ancestors, August marked the beginning of the harvest season. Country fairs called people from the fields where they grew crops and from the open lands where they grazed herds. August heralded a time to acknowledge hard work and enjoy its rewards. Lughnasadh, Lammas, and the Highland Games The…
-
·
A Valentine’s Day Ritual for One
My local gift shop, grocery store, pharmacy, and post office all sell greeting cards. Annual holidays transform the rotating racks according to the seasonal emblems – witches, turkeys, evergreen trees, hearts, and shamrocks. For Valentine’s Day there are options for a person’s husband, wife, son, son-in-law, grandson, daughter, daughter-in-law, granddaughter, brother, sister, mother, father,…
-
·
A Summer Solstice Ritual Inspired by My Dying Husband
My husband died in the summer of 2022. He had Alzheimer’s. We had been married for 41 years. I cared for him at home until the end. Ours was what family and friends called a fairy tale marriage. Odd as it might sound at first, his dementia journey and my experience as his caregiver…
