Beltane 2015

Welcome long-awaited Spring! We hope you found a way to celebrate her arrival on May Day. Even if you were unable to attend a celebratory bonfire this year, there is still plenty of time to embrace the season’s inherent opportunities for growth, and to use your spiritual fire to light yourself from within and shine […]

Vernal Equinox 2015

After what has seemed at times to be an interminable winter, we welcome the coming of spring and the vernal equinox. Everything in the natural world is revived after a long winter of hibernation. Vernal Equinox translates literally from Latin as Spring Equal Night.  As light and dark come into in balance, we recognize this […]

Winter Solstice 2014

Ancient people lived in close relationship with nature. In their seasonal rituals, they aligned their energy with natural forces and together turned the Wheel of the Seasons, moving it from one to another. To turn the Wheel – to go on to the next season, we must first let go of where we are. But […]

Samhainn 2014

In Irish and Scots Gaelic, Samhain is the name for the month of November. It is a Celtic tradition to honor one’s ancestors during this time. A few years ago I began placing pictures of deceased family members on my altar around Halloween. Now I leave their pictures up until I am ready to decorate […]

Autumn Equinox 2014

The 2014 September equinox is upon us, occurring on the 22nd or 23rd, depending on where you are located on the globe. The Universal Coordinated Time comes on September 23, at 2:29 p.m. EDT. We experience a day and night of equal duration; a unique moment of balance in nature. In the Northern Hemisphere, it […]

Lammas 2014

Lammas celebrates the beginning of the grain harvest in northern Europe and parts of North America. It is a Christianized holiday with deep pagan roots. It is a time to show gratitude for the fertility and abundance of the earth on which our lives depend. The first farmers in Britain constructed Silbury Hill at Avebury […]

Summer Solstice 2014

At summer solstice, the earth is fully alive in a riot of abundant growth as the sun’s fires peak. At the solstices, both summer and winter, the sun seems to stand still for several days rising and setting at about the same place in the sky.  In his book, To the Summer Solstice, John Matthews […]

Beltane 2014

Get ready to celebrate the bright half of the year. This is the time to make merry! Beltane is a Celtic festival celebrating the abundance and fertility of life and the imagination.  It is a glorious time when everything bursts into life, and we celebrate the joining of male and female energies. Maypoles and bonfires […]

Vernal Equinox 2014

After a winter that has been especially difficult for most of us in the northern hemisphere, the coming of the vernal equinox brings welcome relief and renewed hope. Equinox times, when light and dark are in balance, are ideal for reflection on the balance in your own life. Find a quiet place and time and […]

Imbolc 2014

Once again it is the time of year of Imbolc, the Old Irish name for the halfway point between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox, usually celebrated around February 2. In some Christian cultures, this day is celebrated as Candlemas, and in America it is known as Groundhog Day. Imbolc is an ideal time to look […]