Perfect balance returns, light and dark in harmony again for the final harvest. As we wheel in the last-lit days of seasonal symmetry, face the coming darkness together with gratitude for what we've learned about light. Autumn's grain is spring's seed; paradox surrounds us with ripening wisdom. If we lose hope, remember that Hope has two daughters to support our balancing acts: Anger and Courage. Instead of passive hope, embrace radical willingness. The good news is that an organism under attach creates blooming antibodies, devoted to restoring original health to the world's immune system. Activists are that devotion.
The season of barrenness mists her breath on our window panes—a foreshadowing—yet we're full of our gathering visions. What holds you back? Every minus is a plus that just needs a stroke of vertical awareness. Awake, ask what you do want to harvest into your life? Find the courage to move forward into action. Science and love, the two most powerful poles of humanity have been fiercely separated. The truth is, we're all connected; the greatest disability is, we don't believe this. Believe it. Practice powerful participation in the great circus of life. Find balance on the wild trapeze.
The major sabbat of Lammas Day denotes the high point of the year; all crops are in their peak of fullness, the weather is sunny and warm and all the land is bursting forth with the beauty of life. For centuries, Pagans have known we have the heavens above to thank for this bounty and the gods of nature must always be recognized for their munificence with a gathering of the tribe and a feast, ideally in the great outdoors.Ask attendees to bring harvest offerings for the altar: fresh-picked flowers, apples, pumpkins, gourds, corn, wheat stalks bundles fresh pickings from their garden and food to share in thanksgiving made from the crops: berry pies, watermelon, tomato salads, pickles, green beans, corn pudding, lemon cakes, cucumbers, apple cider and beer brewed from wheat, hops and barley. This celebration of the reapings from the summer season should reflect what you grown with your own hands. Fill your cauldron or a big beautiful colored glass bowl half-full with freshly-drawn water. Get packets of tiny votive candles for floating in the water. At the feast table, make sure to have a place-setting for the godly guest Lugh who watched over the plantings to ensure this bounty. Place loaves of fresh-baked Lammas bread by his plate.
Hindus around the world celebrate the divine feminine. Vietnamese activists work to improve religious freedom in their country. And what happens to mainstream Christianity when American culture shifts? It's Faithful Friday, our weekly discussion of faiths and religious communities from around the world. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
Thesseli
You should post on Substack too, where you won't have to worry about being deplatformed or kicked off the site for your views. (Also, I've archived th...
David Dashifen Kees
I feel it necessary to state, unequivocally, that anti-trans points of view are not an essential part of Paganism. As a trans Pagan myself who helps ...