Heliogenna is a modern Hellenic Neopagan celebration of the Winter Solstice, created by Hector Lugo. (there is a lot of controversy in the hellenic recon community and modern hellenismos community about whether this should be celebrated at all. Do lots of reading, and make a decision that is meaningful for you) This collection of thoughts and liturgy expands on his original presentation of the celebration. Here is a link to more information and additional liturgy from Hellenion: https://www.hellenion.org/rituals-and-practices/heliogenna-festival/
Continue reading “Celebrating Heliogenna”winter solstice
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”Winter Solstice Spiral Liturgy: Overview
Winter Solstice takes place in the season of many winter holidays. Most of these have some focus on lights in the dark, renewal, or the gifts of the season. After seeing some folks post in the ADF Parents Special Interest Group pictures of their Yule Advent Spirals, I decided I wanted something of my own, but I also wanted to create a liturgy to go along with. Thus, the Winter Solstice Spiral Liturgy was born.
I asked Rev. Michael J Dangler of the Magical Druid to design and make a spiral for me. We settled on a three armed spiral with space for seven candles in each arm and one large candle in the center. The liturgy is likewise divided up into three sets of seven, with a large candle set up for the final day, and our family celebration.
The basic outline for the liturgy is focusing on the ideas of Storm, Water, and Fire. This allows the liturgy to move from dark to light as we progress closer to the solstice. There will be more and more candles lit each day to combat the increasing darkness, up until the Sun is honored on the final day when the nights begin growing shorter again.
The liturgy itself follows a basic template with a very simplified version of the ADF Core Order of Ritual, with only the center portion, the “being of the occasion,” changing between the days. Then the last day has a ritual and tradition all it’s own. This draws from the tradition our family has developed and practiced in past years.
I’m including the outline of spirits honored each day below, and then each day I will post the full liturgy for that day. The liturgy begins on Dec 1st, and moves through December 21st, with an extra piece for the morning of the Solstice. You can purchase a copy of the full liturgy in Kindle or Paperback on Amazon or get a copy of the pdf by supporting me on Patreon.
Day 1: The Destroyer
Day 2: Solitude
Day 3: The Winds of Change
Day 4: Nourishing Rains
Day 5: Clear Skies
Day 6: Justice
Day 7: The Winner of Waters
Day 8: The Waters of Blessing
Day 9: The Waters of Purification
Day 10: The Ferryman
Day 11: Memory & Forgetfulness
Day 12: The Mistweaver
Day 13: The God of the Sea
Day 14: The Mother of Waters
Day 15: The Son of the Waters
Day 16: The Center of Worlds
Day 17: Hearth & Home
Day 18: The Need Fire
Day 19: The Fire of Transformation
Day 20: Inspiration & Vision
Day 21: Sacrifice & Order
Morning following the Solstice: The Sun
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Mist to Open. Mists to Bind. 