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?

Hey ladies!

Flamingo, my DD is 16.5 months - so very young, but quite wilful!

Friend who does solitary work seems to want to work alone - witchy friend and I have offered her the chance to join us several times, but she always says no.

The friend with anger issues (a different person from the picnic organiser one) is someone with a short fuse anyway, easily frustrated, easily upset. I don't know if she is able to summon up some compassion but I can see why she is angry. Her natural father died recently after being ill for around a year or so. When he was in hospital (on and off for the last 6 months) he asked her not to visit as her appearance would reflect badly on him. A few weeks before he died he married his long-standing partner who managed to persuade him to leave her almost everything in the will - whereas before, everything was going to go to my friend, his only child. She was asked not to visit, even though he was terminally ill, by both him, and by her new stepmother.

When he died, she got a phone call from the stepmother who basically implied that she wouldn't be welcome at the funeral (when it was arranged) unless she toned down her appearance. My friend said she would think about it and said that there were certain days she could not go because she had a work-related course to attend that couldn't be cancelled.

A week later the stepmother said that the funeral was on one of the days my friend had said she couldn't attend.

I will certainly suggest the lavender onto the fire - I found that very therapeutic recently. I was thinking about her writing some of her negative thoughts/feelings on bay leaves and burning those too. Shall put some ideas together and email them to her as I'm not likely to see her for a little while.

I remember seeing your thread, Jux. I hope you found some useful and interesting books for your daughter. Happy to be of any assistance I can, although I am a very disorganised person who doesn't practice as often as I'd like.

I am quite happy to have this thread shared :)

Hi Jux - I have no problem with this thread being shared. I hope you have a great time at the Museum, there are some really interesting exhibits there, especially in the area about modern witchcraft.

Geoff - what a nightmare for your friend

I go to a monthly moon group held by an initiated medicine woman in the red path tradition - I wonder if there's anything near your friend in a similar vein that could be helpful?

I've borne witness to women roaring their rage, grief and pain into the fire and it's incredibly transformative. I would love to do it myself at home some days, but, unlike this medicine women, we don't live in the woods in the middle of nowhere, but in an end-terrace in the middle of a city . Of course the moon group is never running the times I am in big need of roaring!

Where does your friend live?

Flamingo, the friend lives in a mid-terrace in one of the roughest parts of a big city, so I doubt that there is anything like a suitable group near her.

However, it may be that she can do something in her own back garden which is small, but not very overlooked.

Shall keep piling ideas up for her. :)

Hello all, I've been working as part of a group for around three years, however the last 2 haven't been so great, the hps split with her partner 2 years ago and as a result she has been rather flaky in approach to the group, various members have left due to this and a couple have even found other groups to work with, I don't want to be disloyal to my HPS at all but I feel lost, most of the stuff we were doing last year was repeats of things we'd done before and lately we have only been doing major sabbat groups, I've also only been initiated this year as first degree and was hoping to be further on by now, I haven't been to the last couple as I got a sitter for one before and turned up to find that she had cancelled, with no warning or notification. I have no idea what to do next, I've told her how I feel but not said anything about her flakiness just that I feel uninspired with the stuff we do and I feel a bit lost. Any ideas??? I don't think her approach will change any time soon, people have said things before and tbh shes far more interested in her social life than the group :( .

What's HPS, Gossip?

HPS is shorthand for High Priestess.

In some pagan paths everyone is a Priest/ess because they do not believe they need anyone to act as intermediary for the Divine, i.e. take on the role of the priest for others. The person who leads the ceremonies or group is known as the "High" Priest/ess as a term of differentiation and to show that for the duration of the ceremony and within the group, they are in a more senior position.

Within my own path, people who have attained certain grades/levels of initiation are also referred to as "High" Priest/ess to show recognition and respect for the training, learning, commitment etc. they have shown.

Hope that answers your question.

Thank you, worldgonecrazy

Gossip - I hope I don't sound blunt here -just trying to understand a little as you sound so frustrated, and I don't feel I'm on the same path as you are - what is it about the pagan path you're on that means you need initiation for things? I only ask as I just kind of do my own thing, sometimes with friends, and sometimes alone. Just making my own rituals and finding my own way to the Divine. My understanding of Paganism is that it's kind of what feels right to your soul...do you think maybe this path isn't the right one for you if it's causing frustration? Maybe this is the Goddess inviting you to make some sort of shift in your journey?

Hi, I haven't been on here for a while and it's nice to see it's still going.

Flamingo - As you know paganism is a very wide umbrella term that covers many paths. Each of us find our own way of worshipping the Divine. Like Gossip I have been initiated into the Craft and although you don't need to be initiated to be a good pagan it was important to me. I studied hard and after a lot of work both written and ritual I made 1st degree so can now proudly say I'm a witch. Now I'm close to 2nd degree and will then be able to teach others. I work alone and in a group and we work with different elemental beings, different deities and do planetary workings as well as the Sabbats and Esbats. I have found that for me ,having lessons and being initiated has been really beneficial because I can do more in depth workings and so get more out of it now than I did before. I'm lucky enough to have a best friend that is a High Priestess and she's been a witch for 40 years, she's also my teacher. Some people work better as solitary witches and others work better in a group, maybe Gossip just hasn't found the right group yet or perhaps needs to work alone for a while (meditate on it maybe) to see which way her path is leading. As you say the Goddess could be inviting her on a new journey. In a group I think you need balance and if the HPS isn't giving her best the group is bound to fail.
Sorry waffled on a bit there!
Bright Blessings to all.xxx

moonwitch - not suggesting at all that her path was the 'wrong' one, just that maybe this is a point where it changes a little...? Not necessarily away from initiation etc., but maybe to let go of this particular part of her journey? Hope I'm coming across as I am hoping to!

Hello all thank you for your input, in recent days I've been talking to my HPS and she isn't very well at the minute, and hasn't been for a while, unfortunately I didn't see this and now I feel very guilty thinking what I was about her and having found out her recent situation, so I think for now I will be trying to support her through this tough time and making sure that she understands that I'm here as a friend for her, (we have a good friendship). And when shes better hopefully we can find a way of her dealing with the group but I cant see it happening for a long while yet, I think I may just work on my own for a bit as I do enjoy being in the group and as I have learned so much from her and the group, I think I'll just be patient and wait for her to be able to do it again :).

Hi Gossip, I'm glad you've found out what the problem is with your HPS and that she knows you're there for her. I hope everything works out ok for her.
Flamingo - I know you weren't suggesting that and I'm sorry if it came across that way. You asked Gossip what it is about her path that means she needs initiation and I was trying to explain why I felt the need to take the initiation route. That's what I love about being Pagan the fact that there is no right or wrong, what works for one person doesn't have to work for someone else. One path can take many twists and turns and each one a new experience to learn from. I love hearing how other people practice and often try out their ideas as there's always something to learn.
Bright Blessings.xx

Moonwitch - It's what I love about Paganism too

Gossip - I'm glad you've worked things out and can at least feel less antagonism towards your HPS now, and maybe send her some healing in your lone rituals in the meantime

Just popping back on the thread to keep it going. Glad to hear things are worked out more now, Gossip.

:)

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a wonderful Solstice.
Bright Blessings.xx

Yes, Solstice blessings to everyone on here :)

We were camping so my friend and I took an hour or so away from everyone else, in the woods, and made suns with sticks and yellow and orange yarn and fabric.

flamingo I think you need to work on your sun sticks. Perhaps we should all do some weather mojo to bring summer back.

We're celebrating the sun's height this weekend, hopefully somewhere warm and indoors, and not in a cold muddy field. My joints are getting too old for all this damp and cold.

I have done NOTHING to celebrate summer solstice :(
At this rate all I'll get to do is light a few candles around my sun mask and ask for some better weather...

I've not read the whole thread but thought I'd say hi!

I don't really "do" the festivals (except Halloween/Samhein of course!) and I'm not a Wiccan but I am very interested in witchy / magick stuff. I like my tarot and runes, and have a big thing about trees, especially yews and silver birches.

Ooh, Silver Birches are one of my favourites too, Can'tthink :)

Hello everyone! May anyone join in?

I'm reading a page of this thread a day and so I will hopefully be able to start contributing (if I've anything sensible to say) in about a month! :)

Looks interesting so far! Thanks!

Feel free, Geo - we're a friendly bunch. :)

Hello all,
I'm new to this site and paganism - can I join in please?

Thanks.

Hi and welcome Geo and Chelc!
Has anyone got any plans for Lughnasadh? I'm looking for some inspiration and any suggestions would be great.
Bright blessings.x

Oh hello - you've been so busy. Welcome to new people and hello to the oldies

Things have been really rough here, with lots going on and my health problems spiralling. I'm back though and will catch up on the thread later.