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?

You've been repinning my pins, Geoff, so I guess you have

Re. Beltane - would be a lovely way to mark his passing and, in your own mind, move from one part of your life to another, Geoff?

Will light a candle for him on our altar xx

Thanks Flamingo!

Yes, I'll be lighting some candles at the very least. I suspect anything with friends will have to wait 'til the weekend.

Found you, Flamingo! Red, if I search Red2011, I find someone but not sure it's you (with a cigar?!)

I'm newish to Pinterest and not sure I quite get it but will play tonight.

We'll light candles for Beltane. We're meant to be going camping at the weekend so would have a campfire but if it's too wet, we'll stay home and just have some candles. I need to make an altar but when I've tried it just looks like a nature table made by a 3 year old

Geoff - we're celebrating at home at the weekend anyway - Lunar Beltane is on Sunday: full moon nearest 1 may.

Grockle - does it matter? As long as it holds meaning to you I pinned our Red Tent altar the other day to my Red Tent board. I think I also pinned our Imbolc and Ostara altars. I just make them up as I go along - a couple of candles, some crystals, meaningful pictures and bits and pieces.

Found them, thank you. It doesn't matter at all, I just feel a bit silly. I'm going to paint an old table and make that my alter in my bedroom, I think.

No, Grockle I have no cigar. There is a picture of a red-haired lady in a cream/beige dress blending into a tree. I have a gap in the name as I see it displayed, and have 13 boards currently. I just created a new one called "just sayin'"

My friend is free for some Beltane celebrations; so we're going to swap some ideas Thursday and do something on Friday. Not sure what yet but it'll be somethign meaningful.

I don't have an altar, just a collection of bits on the mantelpiece. As and when we move, I will aim to create one though.
:)

I found you! Pinterest is yet another way to suck hours from my life. So many pretty things to look at!

Beltane blessings. The sun is shining - it feels like a good day and a good start to the rest of the year.

Beltane blessings all

Today at the Beltane family celebration, my daughters and I:

• lit a Beltane (sacred fire)
• danced and sang a May song, carrying apple blossom branches (or twigs ) as the Hawthorn isn't out yet!
• made garden Goddesses (as per my Pinterest May board)
• heard a story about Beltane
• went back outside to welcome the fairies
• made fairy houses and made them offerings of biscuits
• danced around the maypole with the Green Man
• feasted on delicious food

Now looking forward to our home celebration on Saturday night...now will I finish my crocheted Rhiannon by then or not?

I may have to steal some of your ideas, Flamingo for my little celebration on Friday.

I don't think we'll make goddesses, but we can light the fire, have a little feast, find a story and possibly sprinkle/carry some blossom.

Hopefully this time next year I'll find a maypole to go and dance around.

Look forward to finding some of your pins on pinterest, Grockle

I am off to have some dinner and finish off this college work...currently waiting for a trial design programme to download so I can make a network analysis map (don't ask, it's boring)!

Beltane blessings to all. x

loving these posts.....reminded me to look out for new apple blossom.....lovely!
kid finished with normal timetable at school now [exam leave left]...very poignant,but I said at least May Day is an auspicious date to end on.
Hope you who are, have nice parties at the weekend.

Geoff - they weren't all my ideas. The celebration was held by another Mum. I provided the garden Goddess making, but, apart from bringing some food for the feast, that was my only contribution.

I'm really keen to find a more 'grown up' celebration next year, and do a real dance around the maypole - it looks like so much fun! Will buy a long, white floaty dress and wear a May crown

Have rejuvenated our altar now and it looks beautiful. We have no blossom trees I can nick from easily near us, so my Mum has promised to bring us over branches from her apple tree each time she comes for the moment

We planted a Hawthorn together in our front garden yesterday, so hopefully will see a little blossom on there next year.

I'd love to do that too, Flamingo.

Just a little update; my friend and I had our belated Beltane celebration last night.

Luckily she has a big enough garden to work in, and it's not really overlooked so we were able to be outside.

We cast circle to include one of her garden trees, spontaneously made up invocations for the elements and then carried out a ritual using words from both Scott Cunningham and Gail Duff.
We had a fire in the centre of the circle onto which we threw handfuls of incense and dried herbs, to cover us in smoke. We also 'let go' of negative things (I lit a candle, she burned something written) and shed a tear or two.
After that we made garlands from dried flowers, ribbons, and fresh leaves, and enclosed tokens of gratitude. These were hung on the tree.
We each lit an 'affection' candle to remind us of the love and affection that is around us every day, and when we closed the circle and put those out we took them back with us to place on our own altars.

All in all it was a great experience - the funniest/best bit was when we closed the circle - as we walked round taking it down it was like opening a door - the breeze picked up and flowed into the space we'd been working in.

I really appreciated how much I had missed taking time out to do something structured and celebratory. I'm actually feeling far more grounded and focused on my college work (despite being up from 2-5am with little un) today.
Hoping that we'll be more organised for the Summer Solstice. :)

Oh wow, Geoff! That sounds beautiful. And it's not belated at all...some say Beltane should be celebrated on the full moon closest to the 1st May...and that's today!

My friend and I celebrated last night as well. We included the children at first. We had a fire, and the children all were helped to jump over it (none of whom 'got' the 'leave something behind in the fire' suggestion and all of whom said they'd leave behind a bit of wood ). Then the younger ones went to bed and the older ones and I made May crowns together with ivy.

After they went to bed, my friend and I created an altar, decorated sticks with green ribbons and bells, created a labyrinth by pouring flour onto the ground, walked the labyrinth barefoot with our decorated sticks, tied ribbons into our tree, then threw lavender into the fire, with our negative things to leave behind, and jumped the fire to make it manifest! Then we made intentions by throwing lavender into the fire as well.

Was truly beautiful, and, like you, Geoff, have woken feeling tired but energised and renewed. We'll be camping for the summer solstice...wondering whether to try staying up all night!

(lit a candle for your Dad, Geoff, last night x)

What really lovely celebrations. I wish I had someone to share with.

Hope everyone is ok.

How is everyone?

Hello, Flamingo. How are you? And everyone else?

I've not been well - I collapsed and have been signed off work. I think it's a combination of my Menieres Disease, extreme tiredness (due to chronic insomnia), stress (work, DP) and general life stuff but they're doing lots of tests. I feel rubbish

Still, it's nice that it's warmer now - we've been planting our garden and it looks lovely. Lots to be thankful for.

Glad to see you on here Grockle,
Sounds as though you've been "running on empty" for a while, so hopefully being signed off work will give you some space to try to recharge.

The friend I work with when we do pagan stuff is likely to be moving away at some point in the near future so I am not sure I'll have anyone to celebrate with in the future. DH thinks it is all a load of rubbish! [hmmm]

We could always online some ideas and work out what to do in a solitary manner for the next pagan festival?

That sounds like a very good idea, Geoff.

How is everybody?

Hot! Stuck at home working on final assignments for college (I got an extension because of the circumstances), but finding motivation hard.

Going to go out shortly though to do a little high street shopping (good charity shops locally), and get me and DD some fresh air. The last few days have been hellish as she's teething (again; she is ALWAYS teething), still has a cough (but two lots of antibiotics has been harsh, and I'm hoping it'll go), keeps taking her clothes off, and is tired and won't sleep because of the heat.

Litha on 20th June, so we could sort out something here that we'll all do as solitaries.
How you doing, Grockle? How's you, Flamingo?

I' good thanks, Geoff. Was my oldest daughter's birthday yesterday - nine! Eek! She's my little sceptic when it comes to spiritual stuff - loves to say 'you know I don't believe in all your stuff, mummy' . However, she loved the birthday altar we made her, sleeps with crystals under her pillow among other things.

When she was a baby, she was terrified of having her bare feet on the earth, grass or sand. We now believe that she is really connected to the energy of the universe and got freaked out by how she sensed it and now she resists it at every turn. My husband is also very in tune with the universal energy so...

I'll be camping for summer solstice with my friend, so we'll celebrate it together on the campsite I hope :)

Just popping back to keep this thread going. Sorry I've been off some of the boards lately - been trying to help someone out.

Interesting what you say about your daughter, Flamingo - I shall be interested to see how my DD feels about all these things when she's a bit older. At the moment, her main focus is food, cuddles, 'stroking' the cats, looking at dogs, trying to eat her books, and turning round and round in circles!

Your summer solstice plans sound great. Usually I get together with a group of people, and we have a picnic. Then my witchy friend and I go off and do our 'thang', whatever it may be that we have planed. The person that organises the picnic is a pagan but is a solitary practitioner (if that's the right way to put it), and the remainder of guests are just friends with no particular interest.
It's a good way to mark the occasion though.

Last year when we did our celebration, we used a copper-lined cauldron to get green flames (there was a reason, but I can't remember) - but we had forgotten to bring a few things along, and got the most dreadful fit of the giggles; so much so that we almost wet ourselves! However, it was fun, and we did get a ritual done to mark the occasion. Not sure what we'll be doing this year.
At the moment I am trying to find some info to help a friend work through some anger issues arising from the way she has been treated over a bereavement (family member died, but remainder of family have a dislike of her for various reasons: appearance, sexuality etc - and have excluded her from many arrangements). Any suggestions welcome for something she can easily do at home/in the back garden. :)

Hope everyone on this thread is well! x

Hi Geoff. How old is your DD?

And does your friend want to celebrate alone? I wonder what her anger is telling her? Is she able to summon up some compassion for people who are so disconnected from their souls that they are unable to accept her for who she is, and who are so ego-driven that they think the way to become happy is to make others unhappy?

Would some reiki help? My DH has found great peace from reiki when it comes to other people being negative and unpleasant. And maybe some work on unconditional self-love? Usually our emotions, and what we see in others, is a reflection of what's truly going on within us, as painful and uncomfortable as that is to realise sometimes?

No idea if that's any help - don't know enough about the situation. I always find peace with a fire in the back garden, and throwing lavender on with what I want to leave behind from that day/period of time. Staring at flames is so meditative.

x

My daughter is a pagan, and practices alone (she's 12). I started a thread here about it once - not that long ago, in fact. She found it helpful, though she hasn't contacted the very kind woman who offered to give her a bit of guidance if she needed it. Not yet, anyway.

We are taking her to the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle on Wednesday.

I am interested in what you said about your dd, Flamingo. My dd was just the same, when she was a toddler. Hated walking in bare feet on grass or sand. I hadn't thought of it in the way you've described. We're not pagan, dh and I, so we interpreted it very differently!

I wonder if any of you would mind if I showed this thread to dd?

I don't mind at all, Jux. Btw, we interpreted it differently too for years. I don't think you have to be pagan to understand about how energy works though - what first bout me to spirituality was reading books about quantum physics by Lynne mctaggart. They made me think 'well, if some of what ancient spiritual traditions have been saying has been proven, then maybe it's all true and we should have more faith in it all'.