At the Lughnasa cross-quarter we celebrate the fruition of the partnership of the Sun and the Earth in the form of Celtic Lugh, the “Shining One” and his foster mother, Tailtiu, the “Great One of the Earth,” the first harvest of the grain, our harvest of delicious corn. Lughnasa is traditionally a time for berry picking, so we also honored the thirteen species of wild blueberries . . .
First we pilgrimaged to the Sacred Spring for visioning, chanting, and giving gratitude to all our waters…After a wonderful ritual honoring the Sacred Feminine, Grandmother Apple Tree, we honored the Sacred Masculine, raising the Maypole. Joining around this World Tree … Continued
We learned the story of Brigid as the Celtic Divine Feminine and her Sacred Landscape. We honored our native Bears, for which we are so thankful, and the Spirit of Bear, which preceded the Groundhog, as symbols of hibernation and … Continued
Confession: I’ve never been into New Year’s as a spiritually potent time, not like I’m into the solstices, equinoxes, and cross-quarters, because it always seems like an arbitrary date, unconnected to the power of season. Yet it is a social … Continued
Ritual weaves the felt strands of connection between earth, spirit, and us humans at sacred places. Perhaps my favorite rituals on this trip to Ireland involved pilgrimaging to four ancient stone circles (c. 2,500 BC) that are aligned to the … Continued
In southwest Ireland there are many beautiful islands in Roaringwater Bay, the homeland of my O’Driscoll ancestors. We took the small red and white ferry to Sherkin Island to make a little pilgrimage to Cow Strand. I had fallen in … Continued
On the wheel of the year Lughnasa is the cross-quarter point between Summer Solstice and Fall Equinox. Lughnasa began at a time when pre-Celtic peoples were very aware of the cycles of the sun. They had to be because they … Continued
At Beltane we make contact with the Inspirited Earth through rituals that embody such archetypes as circle and center, world tree, the dance of masculine sun and feminine water, and the sacred marriage of the King with the Goddess who … Continued
Another theme of the evening was about the archetypal theme of hibernation and re-emergence as metaphor for the life-death-rebirth initiatory process as symbolized by Snake, Groundhog, and Bear. We saw this Black Bear at Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. . … Continued
Ah, the night was perfect for our Samhain Celebration! Clear, cold, and still. It was new moon and the time had just fallen back, so it was very dark. There were a million stars, and the Milky Way, in some … Continued