2019 was a busy year for Ariadne's Tribe. We had our first public ritual, put on by the talented folks of Puget Sound Minoan Pagans at a park in their local area. We made our first official appearance at a Pagan conference, the very awesome Mystic South (we'll be there again this year, hopefully putting on a ritual as well as a workshop). We drew up By-Laws, installed a Board of Directors, and began officially accepting members and chapters (the Puget Sound Minoan Pagans are our first official chapter!). We've topped 1400 members in our Facebook group, which is the Tribe's official public forum, and we're still growing.
So yeah, busy year. I expect 2020 isn't going to let us slow down much, either. When I started the Facebook group back in 2014, I was just looking for other folks who shared an interest in Minoan religion and culture. I had no idea we were going to end up with a practicing Pagan tradition. But here we are, and I thank the Mothers every day that I'm surrounded by so many marvelous people whose enthusiasm and skill has helped us move forward in a way that (I hope) serves our members and respects the gods and goddesses with whom we have a formal relationship.
As the (Gregorian calendar) new year approached a few days ago, a lot of bloggers shared their most popular blog posts for 2019. I'm a little late on the bandwagon, but here are my top five posts from last year:
The Minoan Sacred Year: A Modern Pagan Calendar - Our calendar isn't based on the eight-fold Wiccan wheel of the year, but on the Mediterranean seasonal cycle, archaeological information including building alignments, and dance ethnography, an underappreciated source of insight into threads of ancient belief that survive in modern folk dance. As our understanding of ancient Minoan religion grows, we continue to add new festivals to our sacred calendar, though I don't expect it will ever be as full as, say, the ancient Roman calendar.
Minoan Goddesses: Who is Potnia? - Like many of my blog posts, this one was a response to a question I got repeatedly, often enough that I realized it was a major source of confusion for many people. Potnia isn't who you think she is. ;-)
The Equinoxes in Ariadne's Tribe: A problem of location - The Minoans lived on the island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean has its own unique climate, and that influences the MMP sacred calendar in ways you might not expect.
There's more than one Minoan goddess! - Another post I wrote in response to questions and comments. Most people are familiar with the famous Snake Goddess figurines from Knossos, but the Serpent-Mother isn't the only goddess in the Minoan pantheon; far from it!
Myth-information: Minoan facts, rumors, and wild tales - Some helpful bits of information about Minoan writing, culture, and mythology to counter the surprising amount of misinformation that still hangs around online. Just because someone put it up on a website, doesn't mean it's true!
May 2020 bring you insight, abundance, and peace.