Pagan interest thread

[MoonFaceMama]

Hello,

As a pagan who practices alone i sometimes find it difficult to mark the passing of the wheel of the year in a secular society which largely ignores there things (ie, i sometimes forget special days ) I get the feeling there might be others on here who feel the same, or who do remember, and that maybe we could support each other in reminders and suggestions for celebrations...

Personally i tend to mark the seasons in ways that feel appropriate and are informal, i'm not big into ritual (but willing to discuss this with those who are). Now that i have a ds i think i'm more concious of helping him to have structure to his year (when i was little i had this through the church) and am considering joining a local pagan group so that i have a community of support in this, which might, in time, be available to him should he wish to access it.

So...a place to discuss pagan celebrations, ideas etc... Any takers?

Thoughts and well wishes to your MIL Grockle.
Flmaingo, that sounds stressful but you seem to have the right take on it all, try not to let it upset you.

Oh Flamingo, what complicated things families are. You sound as though you are doing really well. It's hard not to let things like that bother us.

MIL is Anne, thank you both for thinking of her. She's coming home from hospital this afternoon, apparently.

DS has just been sent home from school with a temperature. And he needs plastic surgery, apparently Life is never straightforward, is it?

Just popping in to keep this thread going. Sorry I have been absent but in the last few weeks of college term the workload is snowballing and at the moment I am either drafting stuff, printing stuff, researching stuff or just being mummy!

Blessings and healing to those that are in need at this time. If you can please send some for my Dad I'd be really grateful - he's had a bad shoulder for months and today is off to an orthapedic hospital for (hopefully) a complete diagnosis. Since he gave up smoking 2 years ago his breathing is bad too so he's in a rather poorly and depressed way.

Unfortunately I didn't get to celebrate Ostara as I was in the throes of finishing my dissertation but am hoping to be free by the Summer to do all things pleasantly pagan.

Before I go, not sure if any of you are aware of the Barefoot festival which takes place in the mid-summer (late July). Its two days of dancing, crafts, yoga and general chill-out stuff. Have a google and see what you think. I'll be there!

:)

Sorry your Dad has been unwell, Red. I hope he's on the mend. The Barefoot festival looks lovely.

Hope everyone is ok. Spring is here, at last. I'm working on my garden - hopefully getting it turfed and then planting lots of lovely flowers and veg to make it my little sanctuary. I've been feeling blue and struggling with a lot of things so this is my little 'help me feel better & more connected to the world' project.

Sorry to hear about everyone's families illnesses :( Blessings to them all.
I celebrated Ostara by taking the dc and dh to the woods. It was nice and peaceful :)
I will google the barefoot festival, it sounds good.
My mum moved house yesterday two hours away so have been busy helping her prepare for that.
I am enjoying spring atm, I seem to have a strong urge to get some daffodils as they are making me feel brighter everytime I see them :)

Thanks everyone, unfortunately Dad didn't get better and died on Friday. However, he went without pain, and we saw him a few hours before he passed away, so it feels as though everything worked out 'for the best' if there is such a thing.

Please do google barefoot because we'll still be going!

Spring is now being rather damp and grey but there are plenty of flowers out and the birds around here are busy nest-making and chick-rearing, so the cycle continues. :)

Red2011 - I am sorry to hear about your father Red.

Red2011, sending love and blessings to you and your family, I'll light a candle on my altar for your father.xxx

Oh red, I'm sorry. Am glad it was peaceful. Wishing you strength.

I'll light a candle too.

Thankyou everyone! At the moment still feeling quite dazed but as there is so much to do, keeping busy is helping.
x

Oh Red Will light a candle and say a prayer for your Dad and for you and your family.

We went on holiday last week, on the night of the full moon, and drove out to a Dartmoor tor in the dark to watch her shining through the clouds. DD1 and I gathered some bilberry leaves to weave into her moon wheel as well.

I walked barefoot a lot and drew masses of strength from the earth, as we realised when we woke up on the first morning that we had left my anti-depressants at home. I was on a tiny dose any way, and working on decreasing them, so we took it as a sign that now was the time to come off them completely...except that I was also in my pre-menstrum and, of course, there was also the full moon. Thank goodness I had the support of my husband there, and my parents as well, and plenty of opportunity to connect with Mother Earth and everything Divine.

One of the days we drove out to the Merrivale stone rows - just amazing. Walked in the cold drizzle barefoot all the way along the longest one, on my own, in silence. What energy there was there! A really sacred place. There's also a stone circle and several menhirs. I brought home some sheep's wool and some moss I gathered there to remind me of the strength of that place in the coming weeks. They're now sitting on my altar.

Next weekend I am holding space for my first 'red tent' and I am really enjoying preparing for it and making plans

How are you, Red?

Flamingo, that sounds wonderful. I'd love to hear more about your red tent.

Thankyou Grockle, Flamingo, and everyone else.

I am strangely okay, and holding up well. Not sure if this is because I am older (and possibly wiser) than when my mum died (12 years ago), or because my dad was a very practical and straightforward person. Dealing with everything that has had to be done so far has been theraputic.

The big problem will come when college has finished and I have some 'free' time as I have to arrange (with my sibling) to get to the family home, where Dad was living, and clear 30 years worth of accumulated stuff...furniture, fittings, photos, clothes, appliances.... and then get the place valued and sold. I don't have anywhere to store furniture or anything large, so I can see that will be a bit of a toughie.

Flamingo - you seem to do so many things that I would love to; all of them sound very spiritually fulflling. I do hope that later in the year I will have time to review my use of time, and to fit in ritual/meditation/worship far better than I do now (which is quite often a muttered 'hello how are you' and a lit candle!).
I am also hoping to get back to my dance class soon - I find tribal bellydance to be something which attracts people who are similarly minded to many on this thread (though we have had some hissy drama queens in the past, who have subsequently moved on), so I want to get back to the sense of community and sisterhood that prevails there.

Just to revisit the barefoot festival thing - if anyone is going, let me know! We can meet up under our MN names :)

Red - I find if I don't prioritise connecting with the Divine in some way, my day goes downhill and, consequently, so do I! I am so much more productive when I force myself to do yoga instead of washing up, for example, but it's hard to trust that when the washing up is staring you in the face

Just going and standing on the earth in your barefeet for two minutes each morning would help, don't you think? That connection has become so important to me...vital, actually, I would say!

Is anyone planning anything for Beltane? I'm going to another family gathering as I did for Ostara, and I'm helping with some of the activities this time - making garden Gods and Goddesses. And they're getting a maypole! I'm also planning to make fairy wands with crystals at the tips with my children at home, and hopefully a fire and an altar in the garden with my friend.

Grockle - the red tent was everything I envisioned it being. Red fabric draped on the walls, a beautiful altar, candles all around, and lots of delicious cakes and chocolate to eat. There were 6 of us in total. We soaked our feet in a basin of warm sea-salted water with jasmine oil, then massaged each others feet, or our own if we didn't feel comfortable with that. Then we drew mehndi patterns on each other's feet, then sang a Goddess chant (which I now can't remember ). It was so incredibly relaxing and warm and loving. I'm going to be holding one close to every new moon now I think.

I don't know any RL pagans so we'll celebrate Beltane at home. A small fire in the garden and a camping trip the following week.

The red tent sounds wonderful. I want to come

Sorry, Red, half my post disappeared. I hope you are ok. The dancing sounds great.

:)

Am fiddling about on here, facebook and pinterest instead of writing an essay. In fact, I am still sitting in a bath towel (having showered 20 minutes ago)

I think I'll get dressed, make some lunch, give DD her medicine (she's got a horrible cold and is on antibiotics), and then try again.

Grockle - whereabouts do you live?

Red - how can I find you on pinterest?

Flamingo, Red 2011 on pinterest. :)

I'm itching to know where Grockle is too - sounds quite rural. I'd love to be rural - got fecking police cars zooming up the road at the moment, and annoying street lamps right outside.

I want a wood!

#justsayin'

Oh, I'm not anywhere idyllic. I'm in Dorset but an urban area- 5 mins walk from the beach and 15 minute drive to the Forest. My mum lives in a tiny village in the middle of nowhere. You get woken up at night by the noise of deer and sheep. It's wonderful. I'd never consider living in any other county but would rather move west and live somewhere more peaceful.

I want a wood too!

Hope everyone's ok. I'm on Pinterest too - might try to find you on there but I think I'm on with my real name.

Yes I was on under my real name and decided that was TMI. Probably will confuse some folks who know me, but hey, they'll cope.

If I get some new followers I'll know who they are then! :)

Just to let those who were chatting to me about the barefoot festival that I've now namechanged. Was Red2011. Still Red2011 on pinterest. :)

I'm on with my real name, will PM you NotGeoffVader/Red2011 to let you know who I am as I followed you yesterday, and will PM you too, Grockle.

We brought in loads of wood today to dry so we can have a fire on Saturday night for Beltane - hope the rain has stopped by then, or will be very miffed! Will have to jump over a candle instead!

On Tuesday we're going to a family Beltane celebration - really looking forward to it (prob said that already, actually!)

Found you, Flamingo - at least I think so.

Grockle, are you coming to join us?

Might have to chat to a couple of friends to see if they want to do Beltane something. Ironically Tuesday is the day my Dad is being cremated. :/