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My international folk dance group is not a heathen or pagan group. In fact, I’m the only Asatruar in it. Most folk dance groups, festivals, workshops, and cruises are secular and intercultural, except for the ones specifically associated with a particular ethnic group or church / temple. Our group’s mission is to preserve the world heritage of dance. And of course, also to have fun. But my dance group isn’t just a place to do an activity; it’s also a community.

      "Olé, Olé" my grandmother Antonia whispered at the TV as we watched a flamenco movie.  Summer in Puerto Rico was extremely hot.  I was eight years old and did not understand how Abuela could iron clothes and watch TV amidst the infernal heat.   I was scared that she would burn herself.

So, at our coven meeting last night, we were out in the backyard, dancing the dance for the New Moon and...

Well, let me just stop right there.

We were dancing the dance for the New Moon.

You know the one that I mean: the one with the arms held up like the horns of the Moon. The one with the great wheelings and the little wheelings, and the ebb and flow of the tides?

You know that one, don't you?

Of course witches have a dance that they dance for the New Moon. Once you hear it, you know that it's so.

Now, when you hear this, you may think: Yes, I love that dance. Or you may think: That's not the New Moon dance that I know. Or you may even think: Why don't I know that one? My coven doesn't even have a New Moon Dance.

What's more, having said “a dance for the New Moon,” you've implied much, much more.

I was telling a friend about our Yule when she stopped me.

“Wait a minute,” she said. “Do you seriously mean to tell me that you guys actually have a special dance that you do in honor of the plum pudding?”

“Sure,” I said. “There's a song, too; they go together.”

She laughed.

“I swear,” she said. “You guys are the only real pagans in America.”

Why am I a Pagan?

Because pagans dance.

Lots of people dance, sure. But when we dance, it's part of our religion.

“Do witches pray?” asks the reporter.

The witch smiles.

“We dance,” she says.

Folk dance is ritual. Dances are performed for holidays, weddings, the agricultural cycle, and to bring people together. I’m going to teach folk dance at an upcoming heathen gathering.

At the dawn of agricultural, newly settled villagers who needed to work together on farm tasks danced together to learn how to move as a unit and co-ordinate with each other, and to build team spirit. Those are also some reasons for military marching. There are folk dances that actually are forms of military drill, such as the vari hasapikos, a Greek men’s dance for a four man team, that teaches how to read a leader’s hand signals and follow them in unison.

We all have our ups and downs in life, and these can certainly vary dependent upon many factors: genetics, environment, disposition, culture, upbringing and more. The Druid faces the same challenges as many others do in their journey through life; being a Druid is no different in what the world throws at you.

What is different is how you deal with what comes your way. That doesn't mean as a Druid you won't suffer from depression, or heartbreak, grief or anxiety. But the methods that we use to face these challenges helps us to understand ourselves, and each other, a little better, and learn where we fit in the holistic scheme of things.

I've faced many challenges in my life, and still continue to do so on a daily basis. One challenge that I faced over this winter was my love and enthusiasm for dance had gone. For the last six months, I was seriously considering quitting dancing altogether. For over a year the question of my love for it had been rolling around in my brain. Over the winter holiday period, I was this close to giving it up completely. In fact, I had made up my mind that upon my return to England, I would inform my dance class.