I know that lots of folks are feeling scared right now with the overturning of Roe v Wade, and the knowledge that more revocation of basic human rights may be on the horizon. And so I offer up these words for those in need. May they bring you comfort. I am here for you.
Continue reading “A Prayer in light of Roe v Wade decision”Walking the Path
Thoughts about the things happening in my life, often with some relation to the Kindreds and how my relationship with them is deepening.
Juggling Roles – Priest at a Moment’s Notice
This month is Pride Month, which means I’ve spent a lot of time at various Pride events. This is my first year where I’ve really felt deeply embedded into the community.
Continue reading “Juggling Roles – Priest at a Moment’s Notice”Honoring Anahita for Pride Month
Each year I come more and more out, in large part because each year I learn more about myself and get more comfortable in my own skin. On this first day of Pride month, I call out to Anahita.
Continue reading “Honoring Anahita for Pride Month”I’ve Been Praying All Along
As my kids have gotten older, it’s gotten more difficult to have a regularly scheduled personal practice. I used to have a very solid devotion/prayer schedule: daily devotion (often at dawn), twice weekly trance work, weekly solitary rite, full moon rite, new moon rite, Druid moon rite, and high day rite. These days I’m lucky if I manage a devotion once a week, trance work really only happens about once a month, and I’m down to just the grove Druid moons and high days. I’ll admit: I was feeling pretty guilty and inferior about it.
Continue reading “I’ve Been Praying All Along”Talking About Winter Holidays in School
It being December, lots of schools are talking about winter holidays with students. I’m pretty open about being pagan and raising my kids pagan, and live in a decently diverse district, with generally really accepting teachers. So each year up to this point I’ve emailed their teachers with some info about Winter Solstice so that they can include it in their “Winter Holiday Unit” and my kids can feel included. I thought it may be useful to share my email so that others can just steal it, modify it to fit their situation, and send it to their kids’ teachers. Obviously make your own decision as to whether this is safe for family and/or wanted by your kids. But, feel free to steal if you want:
Continue reading “Talking About Winter Holidays in School”Revisiting the Dedicant Path
Our grove has started up with a new Dedicant Path study group, and I while advising I thought it would be a good opportunity to revisit my own Dedicant Path work. After all, this is a path, and the Dedicant Path is only a snapshot of where you are on that path at that time.
Continue reading “Revisiting the Dedicant Path”Being Non-Binary in Druidry
One of the things I do each year is present at a local college’s world religions class as part of a panel on paganism. I talk about how ADF Druids practice and believe, while others on the panel talk about other pagan traditions. Following this year’s presentation, which looked a lot different because it was recorded via video call, I got this question from one of the students:
“How do Druids incorporate non-binary people. So much of what we have seen [in our studies during class] is divided into male and female (goddess/god, sacred forces/energies), so how do non-binary people practice?“
I responded and invited the professor to share my response with the class:
Continue reading “Being Non-Binary in Druidry”Five Years a Priest
As of this past weekend I’ve been an ADF Priest for 5 years. It doesn’t seem like it’s been that long. The journey has been wonderful thus far, though definitely with its ups and downs. Sometimes this priesting thing is hard 😉. I like to occasionally reflect on the things that I’m doing, and decided this would be a good time to kind of do a round up of my accomplishments. Continue reading “Five Years a Priest”
Animal Crossing Druid Rite
Y’all, I’m kind of ridiculously excited about this. So, I play Animal Crossing, a really relaxing life simulator game from Nintendo, and you have the ability to decorate your island with all different kinds of furniture and your clothes with custom designs. So, of course I made a Sacred Nemeton on my game, and myself a robe and stole. Continue reading “Animal Crossing Druid Rite”
Tooth Fairy Bargaining Charm
My daughter recently lost her first tooth, and I knew I didn’t want to do the traditional tooth under the pillow thing. We’ve long said in our house that you don’t invite fairies into your home, so trying to figure out how to manage this particular rite of passage without losing the cultural touchstone and the joy was something we had to give some thought.
Initially I had thought about setting up a special little mailbox that she could “mail” her tooth in, and receive money back from the tooth fairy. But then Covid-19 happened and I was left without the ability to acquire the materials and also without the energy to do something that elaborate.
So instead I went back to the drawing board. The main religious thing I cared about was that we weren’t openly inviting fairies into the house. The main parent thing I cared about was that my daughter still got to have a tooth fairy experience to remember and share. So, we needed limited exposure to the tooth fairy. Enough to give my daughter the experience, but not so much that fairies generally would feel welcome. And fairies love bargains, so I wrote up a tooth fairy bargaining charm.
Tooth Fairy come in for only one task.
My tooth has fallen out, so this thing I ask:
In exchange for one tooth some treasure you’ll leave,
Then begone from this place, the bargain achieved.
We put her tooth in a jar and recited the charm, and then wrote it out and put it next to the tooth jar for good measure. Then we set the jar up on a shelf overnight. In the morning my daughter came downstairs to a jar with a coin and some glitter in it, and was overjoyed.
Feel free to put this charm to use for your children.
Mist to Open. Mists to Bind. 