The labyrinth: that winding, twisting, single-path maze that takes you surely into the center and out again. Ariadne, the Lady of the Labyrinth, leads us onward and inward, to our own shadow self where the Minotaur helps us face our inner darkness. The labyrinth is a place of exploration and discovery, full of shadows and strange turnings. Let's see where the labyrinth of mythos takes us today.
As we approach the Winter Solstice here in the northern hemisphere, darkness is very much on my mind, as is the labyrinth. In a sense, the labyrinth is a kind of cave. Caves were important sacred sites to the ancient Minoans, and they're important symbols in Modern Minoan Paganism.
Merry Yule! Yule, also known as Yuletide or Jól, is one of the ways in which the Winter Solstice (Midwinter) is celebrated throughout the world. Corresponding closely (though not precisely) to the date of Christmas, Yule has been celebrated by German cultures for centuries and become blended with Christmas traditions along the way. Of course, down south today is actually Litha, the Summer Solstice.
As we always do for these public occasions of festivity we’ve gathered all our related content here for you to enjoy. We hope you have a happy holiday!
Australian Pagans in Tasmania plan for a midwinter festival (yes, it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere). A prominent Pagan critiques her spiritual brethren's misuse of science. And a Shinto-Pagan writer considers the nationalistic associations of her religion. It's Watery Wednesday, our weekly segment on news about the Pagan community around the world! All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
At long last, we’ve come to the valley of the year: the longest night, the middle of winter, and the apex of darkness. But as they so often say “it’s often darkest before the light” and cultures around the world have long celebrated midwinter with merry revelry, well aware that the Sun will soon return.
In our annual megapost for Yuletide, we’ve gathered as many stories as we could find about winter, seasonal merriment, and gift-giving for the holiday season. Many of the linked posts are from our own PaganSquare, but you’ll find plenty more if you feel inclined to look. We hope you and enjoy and wish you a very Merry Yule (and a Happy New Year’s)!
An art contest opens to celebrate Midwinter. We're reminded of all we have to be thankful for. And we take a look at Paganism in South Africa. It's Watery Wednesday, our weekly segment on news about the Pagan community from around the world. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
The solstice season is upon us, and it’s only a couple of weeks before the longest night of the year here in the northern hemisphere. It’s a season of darkness and cold, where we are given the opportunity to find the gifts that darkness brings. It can be hard, when the rest of the world seems to be doing their best to stave off their fear with bright lights, noise and extended shopping hours, but if we are able to push beyond that we can see the sacredness of this holy time, and the exquisite power that it brings.
I am mostly a diurnal creature myself. I prefer to go to bed early and rise early, rather than staying up late. However, at this time of year the darkness catches up with me, and by 4pm it is pitch black out there. My usual sunshine nature turns inwards, and time for reflection and contemplation kick in. But that is not all there is to the darkness that pervades my life at this time of year.The sweet relief of darkness beckons me to release into its embrace, when edges are abandoned and we are allowed to float free in space and time.
Kile Martz
As it happens, the house I grew up in sits atop one of the highest points in the county on the farm my elders bought when they moved to Missouri. In m...
Anthony Gresham
About a month ago I got on Reddit. In one of the subreddits someone asked if there was a male counterpart to the Maiden, Mother, Crone thing. I reme...
Steven Posch
I once read an article by an anthropologist who was interested in why Americans--of all people--should have invented deodorant.
Her theory was that, i...
Kile Martz
Certainly referring to another as a taboo body part is one of the oldest forms of insult. Even today when you call a man a "dick," or a woman a "cunt,...
Anthony Gresham
Salads just taste better if you chop up a slice on onion. Most dishes are improved with a couple of slices of onion and a couple of cloves of garlic....
Anthony Gresham
This reminds me of the Bucca in Gemma Gary's "Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish book of Ways" described as a goat headed hermaphrodite half black and ...
