There are several lunar observances in Ár nDraíocht Féin which have grown organically through different subgroups in the last few years. As an orthopraxic organization embracing many hearth cultures, and straddling the oft-confusing line between administrative organization and church, to my knowledge there has been no attempt to view these practices holistically. Here is mine,... Continue Reading →
I awoke the other morning with the phrase "The perfect is the enemy of the good" arising in my mind. It is a phrase that I have long tried to remember, but over and over again, the quest for perfection centres itself in my mind. Perfection is a lofty goal, and I approach it poorly.... Continue Reading →
A dear friend asked me, "How should we strive to live?" He wanted to know what makes a good life in accordance with my faith, what influences me in my decision-making, what are my virtues, values, and visions that direct my every day. It's impossible, of course, to speak for all pagans, or even all... Continue Reading →
I am sitting in a field of dandelions, a field of resilience, and I am cautiously hopeful. I have my planner on my lap, and I realize that I have completed all but three things on my 2020 homesteading projects list. How was this possible? How was it possible when I had been so ill... Continue Reading →
Part of my exploration of Beauty has been embodiment, that is, living a deliberately pagan life through immersion in the every day. For me (and please forgive any incorrect usage of polythealogical terms, I'm about three years behind the pagan blog world), embodiment has been becoming comfortable in my own body, on the land, and... Continue Reading →
It has been a challenge for me this year to stay true to my vocation -- indeed, at some times I hardly could hear it at all. Life with a toddler is chaotic, loving, and busy. ("Watch, Mommy, watch!" he says to me from under the lilac tree, emptying a load of dirt from his... Continue Reading →
I am drinking my coffee and listening to acoustic music, in blissful silence. My son is with his grandparents, and my husband is sleeping in upstairs. I've slept in also (thanks to the time change) so it's just 8AM now. My hearthfire is lit, prayers have been said, and the smiling faces of the Ancestors... Continue Reading →
At our hearth, we use a lunisolar calendar to observe tides, holy days, and the intersection of sun and moon. These calendars begin at the Winter Solstice and proceed around the Wheel to Samhain, where we enter a dark period to await the coming new year. The lunar calendar is calculated by the first full... Continue Reading →
When the Hearth Keepers Way was being created, one of our questions was whether or not a Gatekeeper was necessary for the Hearth Order of Ritual. There are quite a number of people who, when working at their own hearths, do not feel that asking the assistance of this (type of) spirit is a necessity.... Continue Reading →
star & stone 