B is for Books (for kids!)

Being the bibliophile that I am, it is no surprise that for me, B unquestionably stands for Books!  I'm currently sitting (metaphorically!) on a huge pile of esoteric literature while I work on another Tarot reproduction; but given the subject of this blog, I'd like to speak out and give some suggestions on Pagan books, fiction and non-fiction, that my children have enjoyed.

The first, and my eldest daughter's favorite, is Aisha's Moonlit Walk by Anika Stafford.  My daughter is just about to turn five, but we've been enjoying this book for a couple of years now.  It has a chapter for each holiday of the Wiccan Wheel of the Year, telling a story about Aisha and her family.  There are also lots of discussion questions that give lots of room to talk about your own family traditions and beliefs - so if you follow a season-inspired calendar of celebrations, even if they're not the typical Wheel of the Year, this book is really informative for kids.  For my daughter, it's helped to teach her that there are other kids out there like her.  We live in an isolated part of the Midwest, and the few groups that I do know of and attend occasionally don't have any other young members; and she is unfortunately already a bit hesitant to mention her holidays to friends or at school.  This book has really made her feel a lot less alone in her religion.

Some favorites for the 5 year old and the 2 year old are this series of books by Ellen Jackson: there is one for the Spring Equinox, Autumn Equinox, Winter Solstice and Summer Solstice.  Each book not only goes into the changing weather and plant and animal life of each season, but also talks about several ancient peoples and how they would have celebrated this time of year.  For me as a Druid, this series is perfect because it covers many of the basics of our modern practice (seasons and their change) as well as how the ancient druidic peoples might have celebrated.

One more recommendation for the Pagan pre-parent - Pagan Parenting: Spiritual, Magical, and Emotional Development of the Child by Kristin Madden.  I absolutely adore this book.  I didn't find it until I was pregnant with my third child, but it was such an uplifting and helpful read while I was struggling with some difficult emotions.  There are some great rituals, and very lovely meditations - some to prepare for childbirth, and many to connect with the unborn child which I found incredibly helpful.  I really feel this book is a must for anyone who is going to become a Pagan parent.

Winter

Well, I fell off the bandwagon!  The Pagan Blog Project and my hopes of completing the Dedicant's Path this year both fell by the wayside when faced when the encroaching cold.  Here's to a fresh start and a successful year as Spring once again starts to show its face!

High Holy Day Essay - Mabon

Mabon is done and past, and my oldest daughter and I had a lovely ritual to celebrate.  Now, this essay is for my ADF Dedicant's Path requirements, and it's recommended that you keep it around 100 words; so I'll have to try not to be too wordy.

On Monday, September 24th, I began setting up for what I thought would be a solitary Autumnal Equinox ritual in the Proto Indo-European hearth culture; but my oldest daughter (age 4) decided to join me as well!  We followed the ADF Core Order of Ritual, ringing a bell to initiate the rite, then taking nine deep and cleansing breaths to purify and center ourselves.  We offered oats and a cherry tomato from the garden to the Earth Mother, and stated that our purpose was a celebration of our wonderful harvest.  We offered to the Fire, Well, and Tree, opened the Gates, and invited the Kindred while giving them offerings of incense and libations of water.  We did not invite any Deities of the Occasion, as my path is centered around the Earth Mother and this seemed very much one of Her holidays.  We offered more offerings to Her, and took the Omen with Tarot cards: first was the Nine of Swords, and so we went back and offered more incense to each of the Kindreds.  The second card pulled was the Sun, so we moved on to calling the blessings.  We called the blessings into a chalice of water and each drank deep.  We then thanked the Kindreds and closed the Gates, and finally thanked the Earth Mother and closed the rite.

It was a very nice ritual, though peppered with questions from my daughter since she's never attended a formal ADF-style ritual.  We both felt it was a very sacred time, and felt the Earth's energy as we went outside to pour out the libations and other offerings in the garden.  I did feel a bit strange working out the 'Deities of the Occasion' portion; as I said, the Earth Mother is sort of my patron deity, and so I choose to honor Her during the agricultural festivals.  It's hard to capture the beauty and sacredness of such a ritual with  a word limit and need to describe in detail, but it was a very beautiful occasion.

Nin, the Ash

 I'm attempting to embark on a study of the Ogham to have a more historical-feeling divination tool within ritual.  Unfortunately, having my tarot cards nearby imparts an entirely different feel than I'd like to have for my Druid work.  Each day I'll be picking an Ogham at random to study, and then setting it aside so I'll have a smaller pile to choose from the next day.




Today I chose Nin, the Ash.  In Erynn Rowan Laurie's book Ogam, Weaving Word Wisdom she states that this symbol is also associated with the nettle and a weaving loom, which was often constructed from ash wood.  This symbol primarily represents connections, both physical and metaphysical.  When we work to make connections with those in our community, or become closer with those we don't know as well, we are doing the work of this Ogham.  In John Matthews' Green Man Tree Oracle, which focuses more on the trees of the Ogham, we learn that the ash tree is incredibly sturdy; and manages to survive winds that may fell other trees with its deep roots.  Thus, we see that the strength of a person depends just as much on the unseen as what we can see.

Perfect Fall Day

It's beautiful outside today - a lovely 60 degrees with a clear blue sky as far as the eye can see.  The eggplants are all ready for harvesting, and the tomatoes are beginning to ripen - the branches are hanging down almost to the ground, covered with fruit!  It's the time of year for long walks, raking leaves, and finishing up all the yardwork summer left undone.  Mabon is right around the corner!  It's September 22nd this year, so we'll have a nice open Saturday for celebrations.

Quiet now, as we gather to conjure the rain down..

Autumn has come to the prairie, and with it we're finally getting a bit of rain!  There was a beautiful storm last night that hung over the area through the evening, and gave us more than 1 1/2 inches.  I must admit that autumn has never been my favorite season, and I have a difficult time appreciating it.  I don't like the cold, and I love to be outside, so the end of summer is always sad for me.

And so my spirituality now naturally turns away from the wild gods of tree and stream, and focuses more on hearth and home; just as my family's outside activities are also driven indoors.  I've been re-exploring my love for tarot cards this past month or so, and thankfully it has given me a creative outlet to stave off the seasonal mood dip that's so common this time of year.

Preparing for Mabon

The nights are becoming a bit longer, the days a bit shorter.  Here on the prairie, we've been watching the canadian geese and many other birds pass us by on their way south.  My extremely late-planted garden is finally yielding a harvest, and even some of the trees are yellowing a bit.  There's no denying it: Fall is upon us.

Maybe it's because fall is not my favorite season - I have trouble seeing the good in cold weather, and no matter how hot it's been I miss summer already!  Maybe it's because this is my first year really gardening and providing part of my own subsistence.  Whatever it is, I have a really hard time distinguishing between the holidays of Lughnasadh and Mabon.  Sure, Lughnasadh is the bread feast while Mabon is more about fruits and veggies, but to me it's never been enough of a difference to really set the two holidays apart.  So this Mabon will be my attempt to really appreciate the holiday in a way that is separate and distinct from the first of the Harvest holidays.


First of all, and most importantly, this year my feast will have fruits and veggies from my own garden.  There's nothing better than homegrown tomatoes, and I plan to make good use of them.  Homemade veggie pizza is on the menu, and hopefully my bell peppers will start fruiting in time to be included!  All this feasting is very similar to Lughnasadh, and honestly if I'd have gotten my plants in the ground earlier, they'd probably be ready for a first harvest closer to the first of August than September.

I recently was reminded of the liminal between-ness of the equinoxes, and I'm hoping to really recognize that this year.  Samhain is traditionally the feast of the ancestors, spoken of as the festival where the veil between our world and theirs is the thinnest; but perhaps Mabon can be thought of as sort of the twilight before Samhain's full darkness.  The light thins and comes through only in slanting rays, as all the colors mix together and the world goes in to a soft-focus of sorts.  Whereas Samhain is for the ancestors, and Lughnasadh seems uniquely fitted to celebrating the nature spirits, perhaps Mabon is the perfect holiday for really getting in touch with the gods and goddesses.  In my tradition, before the sun or moon were placed in the sky light came from another source, one that never really rose or set but instead faded in and out between silver and gold.  The world was bathed in the same half-light that I imagine Mabon represents.  So for me, I want to establish this holiday as reminiscent of that same time, when the gods and goddesses walked under the trees and helped to shape the world.