All land has history – many millions of years of it – all natural places have living beings who reside there or pass through; all places have a landscape, an altitude, weather and seasons as well as a relationship to the four elements and all buildings have, as well as history, an intention or purpose informing them. Places can hold great resonances of emotion and just by being there we participate in it. Some locations gather layer upon layer of meaning, for example churches are often built on land, or on top of sites that were always considered sacred, as a method of colonising local religions. These places are often high points in the landscape with significant features of water, geography and relationship to the local spirits. Churches themselves are often majestic structures, containing art work of great beauty, reverence for the divine, interred bodies, memorials and the thousands of rituals that have occurred within them. Perhaps they also retain the whispers or cries of those who lived and worshipped here before this current building was constructed, from lineages that might stretch back untold generations.
If you are gathered with friends or family for New Year’s Eve, here is a light ritual you can do that isn’t interruptive of festivities but can add some meaningful heft to the launch of the new calendar year.
Place a dollar coin, for luck and prosperity, into the bottom of an iron cauldron or Dutch oven. Pour in 2″ of fresh water (rainwater if you have it). Add a handful of kosher salt or sea salt, for strength and patience, and stir until as much salt as possible has dissolved into the water.
I stand rooted here on the earth and offer my gratitude. I turn to the East and offer gratitude for the air I breathe. I turn to the South and offer gratitude for the fire of my spirit. I turn to the West and offer gratitude for river, lake, stream, and ocean. I turn to the North and offer gratitude for stone, tree, and bone. I touch the earth and offer gratitude for this land I call home. I reach towards the sky and offer gratitude for sun and stars. I place my hand on my heart and breathe deep, offering gratitude for all that I am and all that I have and for the many blessings of my life.
Thank you.
You are enough.
Our updated Gratitude Ritual Kit is available for youhere. And, our Winter Magic class has begun and is free too!
I spent some time with the new Three Cauldrons layout that is included in the ritual kit and my results were so perfect. I DO need freedom, hearth-tending, and making sacred/blessing as the core components of keeping my cauldrons tended. I actually laughed aloud when I saw the Wand show up in my “Contribution” cauldron.
The Three Cauldrons are those of Vitality, Connection, and Contribution.
The second advent candle is lit. The theme is Peace. The element is Fire. Passion. Warmth. Nourishment. Light. Creativity. May we stoke our passions mindfully and keep the fires of our spirits burning.
Our writer Laura Tempest Zakroff discuses the magic of genderbending. Australian Pagans meet for a conference this autumn. And the Poetic Edda, one of the most commonly cited sources for knowledge on Norse mythology, is examined. It's Watery Wednesday, our weekly segment on news about and commentary from the Pagan community! All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
The New York Times takes a look at the collection of Doreen Valiente. The way in which gods have "evolved" over time is considered. And the debate over politics within polytheism continues. It's Watery Wednesday, our weekly segment on new about the Pagan community. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
Anthony Gresham
There is a site called Neopets.com. Every year they have a Winter Starlight Festival during the month of December. I've been going to the site for s...
Jamie
Mr. Czukor,Thanks for sharing! So much truth in what you've written.Sometimes the spirit world really does personally touch our lives. It's always nic...
Anthony Gresham
I like the extended family view of the gods. I might be influenced by Gonzalez-Wippler's works on Santeria. My view might also be colored by the Ter...
john stitely
Martha Stewarts recipe for Unbaptised Dutch BabyINGREDIENTS
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Pinch of freshly...
Jamie
Mr. Posch,I follow the Divine Iamblichus' beliefs on the nature of Godhood. Mother Earth governs the physical matter of the surface world. She is not ...
Anthony Gresham
I tend to view Spirit as quintessence the fifth element. Along with Earth, Air, Fire, and Water I see it as part of the matrix of reality.Because of ...
