by Melody Lee, co-creator August 1, the ancient Celtic festival of Lughnasa is the cross quarter day between the summer solstice and fall equinox. It is a celebration of the first fruits of the harvest, a time to eat the first meal of the new crop year. Máire MacNeill in The Festival of Lughnasa notes […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
