The weather has cooled!!! Today the high was around 80 degrees and the wind was blowing and there was a hint of Autumn in the air!!
The kids played outside for a long time and I sat outside reading a book. Later we took the kids to Pizza Hut to celebrate the change in the air, and then we rented some movies.
The other night, on the full moon, Dewayne and I took some friends; Uni and Eric, out on the boat fishing. Uni and I went for a swim and the water was a bit cool. The fishing was no good and only 2 fish and 2 wanna be fish were caught.
The real treat for me, since I didn't even bother to fish, was watching Mama moon sending her magical, silver essence to play on the inky black water and feeling her mystical pull and power.
Now that the weather is cooling and we will soon be beginning school, I plan to be more in to my spiritual life. I have felt like I was stagnating lately and I don't like that. I want to have a few minutes each morning after coffe of course, to meditate and perhaps do a tarot card reading for the day. I also want to get the kids into doing some sort of meditation and prayer to the goddess daily.
Blessed Be!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Preparing for the School Year
The kids in our town have gone back to school. They started last Thursday. In fact most schools in the state started last Thursday.
We will not be starting until the first week in September. First of all it is still too HOT to think much less learn. We are STILL having triple digit temps around here and when you add in the humidity, well it just isn't at all pleasant.
Our house was built in the 1930's and we do not have central air. Due to it's position the kitchen just dosen't get as muc of the AC as the rest of the house and it can get really hot in there in the afternoon. Plus to me, it just seems that August is still summer and school should not begin until September. That is one advantage of homeschool, the flexbility of the scheduling.
Since David has decided to homeschool, we are going to have a full table. You can be sure that Allison and Lil Bit will be joining us. Lil Bit will be mostly coloring and scribbling, but Allison (who turned 4 on the 16th) will be doing preschool work this year.
David will be working on the same credits public school kids are because he wants to get his a homeschool diploma instead of a GED and I will have to keep records of what he does and send it in to the state. Math will be the biggest challenge since I am no good at high school math, but with the help of website and friends, hopefully we will survive...if not I will get him a tutor.
Daniel and Hunter will be in 5th and 4th grades and so their stuff will be easy for me to teach. I haven't decided for sure what we are going to do, but usually we decide that together and we will be doing that in the next coupld of weeks.
I have decided that we will start each morning out with a prayer from my book "Pagan Prayers" and then we will have some sort of Pagan idea or short lesson to start the day off. I also think for religious studies this year, we will talk about specific gods and goddesses. Later in the year we may also look into studying the beliefs of other religions. This can also count as Social Studies, especially if we go into the cultures of each religion. I can have all 3 boys do the general studies and then some more advanced stuff for David.
Before we can get the school year under way tho, I am going to have to do some rearranging of furniture in the house. I will need to have my big desk brought in from the shed so I can be more organized.
I also need to go thru my school supplies and see what is still good and what I need more of. And I need to look into signing the boys up for 4H since they have decided that this is going to be something they want to do and it is a good socialization opportunity
We have a busy couple of weeks ahead of us, but it's going to be exciting. I LOVE getting ready for school and planning out the school year.
Blessed Be!
We will not be starting until the first week in September. First of all it is still too HOT to think much less learn. We are STILL having triple digit temps around here and when you add in the humidity, well it just isn't at all pleasant.
Our house was built in the 1930's and we do not have central air. Due to it's position the kitchen just dosen't get as muc of the AC as the rest of the house and it can get really hot in there in the afternoon. Plus to me, it just seems that August is still summer and school should not begin until September. That is one advantage of homeschool, the flexbility of the scheduling.
Since David has decided to homeschool, we are going to have a full table. You can be sure that Allison and Lil Bit will be joining us. Lil Bit will be mostly coloring and scribbling, but Allison (who turned 4 on the 16th) will be doing preschool work this year.
David will be working on the same credits public school kids are because he wants to get his a homeschool diploma instead of a GED and I will have to keep records of what he does and send it in to the state. Math will be the biggest challenge since I am no good at high school math, but with the help of website and friends, hopefully we will survive...if not I will get him a tutor.
Daniel and Hunter will be in 5th and 4th grades and so their stuff will be easy for me to teach. I haven't decided for sure what we are going to do, but usually we decide that together and we will be doing that in the next coupld of weeks.
I have decided that we will start each morning out with a prayer from my book "Pagan Prayers" and then we will have some sort of Pagan idea or short lesson to start the day off. I also think for religious studies this year, we will talk about specific gods and goddesses. Later in the year we may also look into studying the beliefs of other religions. This can also count as Social Studies, especially if we go into the cultures of each religion. I can have all 3 boys do the general studies and then some more advanced stuff for David.
Before we can get the school year under way tho, I am going to have to do some rearranging of furniture in the house. I will need to have my big desk brought in from the shed so I can be more organized.
I also need to go thru my school supplies and see what is still good and what I need more of. And I need to look into signing the boys up for 4H since they have decided that this is going to be something they want to do and it is a good socialization opportunity
We have a busy couple of weeks ahead of us, but it's going to be exciting. I LOVE getting ready for school and planning out the school year.
Blessed Be!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Life; moving along
Summer is winding down....at least the calendar says it is.
And actually the last couple of days have been somewhat cooler. Ok the temps were in the 90's but after 17 straight days of 100+, I am not going to complain.
The stores of full of school supplies and Autumn decorations and halloween goodies.
Public school kids around here will be starting school in 2 days. We sill be starting after the 1st of September. It is still too hot to think, and for some reason to me it just seems like school shouldn't start until September.
I have regestered the boys as homeschool students since the deadline for that was August 15th. David has decided to homeschool after all. His main reason for wanting to go to public school was to socialize and talk to girls. I plan on getting all 3 boys involved in 4H this year and so he wil have plenty of opportunity to socilize and talk to girls. We also have the homeschool group to attend, but they are mostly Christian. They do know we are Pagan and have never treated us differently.
Another project I will begin in September is Brighid's Brigade. That is the children's program at Werfriends, the Pagan study group we attend. The lady who was running it had some personal issues and had to step down. Since I have the most kids I volunteered. So I will be the Pagan equivelent of a Sunday School teacher lol.
After public school kids go back to school, I'd like to go to the lake and get in some swimming before summer's end. The beaches will be less crowded and hopefully the days won't be as blistering hot.
Change is coming...I can feel it in the air and I can't wait.
Blessed Be!
And actually the last couple of days have been somewhat cooler. Ok the temps were in the 90's but after 17 straight days of 100+, I am not going to complain.
The stores of full of school supplies and Autumn decorations and halloween goodies.
Public school kids around here will be starting school in 2 days. We sill be starting after the 1st of September. It is still too hot to think, and for some reason to me it just seems like school shouldn't start until September.
I have regestered the boys as homeschool students since the deadline for that was August 15th. David has decided to homeschool after all. His main reason for wanting to go to public school was to socialize and talk to girls. I plan on getting all 3 boys involved in 4H this year and so he wil have plenty of opportunity to socilize and talk to girls. We also have the homeschool group to attend, but they are mostly Christian. They do know we are Pagan and have never treated us differently.
Another project I will begin in September is Brighid's Brigade. That is the children's program at Werfriends, the Pagan study group we attend. The lady who was running it had some personal issues and had to step down. Since I have the most kids I volunteered. So I will be the Pagan equivelent of a Sunday School teacher lol.
After public school kids go back to school, I'd like to go to the lake and get in some swimming before summer's end. The beaches will be less crowded and hopefully the days won't be as blistering hot.
Change is coming...I can feel it in the air and I can't wait.
Blessed Be!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Looking towards the Fall
Ok I know it was 100 degrees today with a heat index of 114, but a trip to the store promises things to come...cooler temps and falling leaves.
The local Dollar General has hoodies, flannel pj's and Halloween candy out now.
The kids and I are discussing the upcoming school year. Daniel and Hunter of course will homeschool, but now David is also thinking of homeschooling. And I am thinking of what they will all be learning and what supplies I have and what will be needed.
Seeing the fall items out and the summer items on clearance has in years past brought a sense of sadness to me, but this year, I am feeling a sense of anticipation.
I cannot wait for October, which is my favorite month. I can't wait for warm days, cool nights or even blustery days and frosty nights. I am ready for the leaves to change colors and fall to the Earth. I want to drink hot cocoa and wrap up in a blanket on my front porch.
Also this year in October, the Pagan study group I belong to will be holding a Samhain Carnival Campout. I am seriously looking foward to that.
Summer still has us in it's brutal grip, but the wheel of the year still turns and soon we will be at equinox and then the days will be shorter than the nights. That is my favorite time of year :)
Blessed Be!
The local Dollar General has hoodies, flannel pj's and Halloween candy out now.
The kids and I are discussing the upcoming school year. Daniel and Hunter of course will homeschool, but now David is also thinking of homeschooling. And I am thinking of what they will all be learning and what supplies I have and what will be needed.
Seeing the fall items out and the summer items on clearance has in years past brought a sense of sadness to me, but this year, I am feeling a sense of anticipation.
I cannot wait for October, which is my favorite month. I can't wait for warm days, cool nights or even blustery days and frosty nights. I am ready for the leaves to change colors and fall to the Earth. I want to drink hot cocoa and wrap up in a blanket on my front porch.
Also this year in October, the Pagan study group I belong to will be holding a Samhain Carnival Campout. I am seriously looking foward to that.
Summer still has us in it's brutal grip, but the wheel of the year still turns and soon we will be at equinox and then the days will be shorter than the nights. That is my favorite time of year :)
Blessed Be!
Friday, July 30, 2010
More on Lammas
Before heading off to the lake for a weekend of camping and celebrating, I was cleaning outmy inbox and I had my Old Farmer's Almanac newsletter which I enjoy reading. I opened it and found a nice little article about Lammas, so I am sharing it.
Lammas Day—August 1
Lammas Day marks the beginning of the harvest. In old England, loaves of bread were baked from the first-ripened grain, consecrated in churches, and eaten.
From the Old English hlaf, “loaf,” and maesse, “mass” or “feast,” Lammas is very old indeed.
It derives from the ancient English festival called the Gule of August, which marked the beginning of the harvest, traditionally August 1. The early English church kept this pagan dedication of the first fruit but converted it to Christian usage.
After Lammas Day, corn ripens as much by night as by day. –proverb
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{hhhhmmm yet another holiday the Christians took from the Pagans...Easter and Christmas are 2 others btw}
Oh well, wheather you are Pagan or Christian or of any other path, I hope you all enjoy this weekend and even tho it's hot as can be now, know that the cooler days of Autumn are just around the corner :)
Blessed Be!
Lammas Day—August 1
Lammas Day marks the beginning of the harvest. In old England, loaves of bread were baked from the first-ripened grain, consecrated in churches, and eaten.
From the Old English hlaf, “loaf,” and maesse, “mass” or “feast,” Lammas is very old indeed.
It derives from the ancient English festival called the Gule of August, which marked the beginning of the harvest, traditionally August 1. The early English church kept this pagan dedication of the first fruit but converted it to Christian usage.
After Lammas Day, corn ripens as much by night as by day. –proverb
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{hhhhmmm yet another holiday the Christians took from the Pagans...Easter and Christmas are 2 others btw}
Oh well, wheather you are Pagan or Christian or of any other path, I hope you all enjoy this weekend and even tho it's hot as can be now, know that the cooler days of Autumn are just around the corner :)
Blessed Be!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
LAMMAS celebrating the first harvest
Sunday is August 1st and for Pagans, it is the holiday of Lammas, or first harvest.
We have personally, finished out first harvest and have just now planted the second crop, so it's time to celebrate, and that we will be doing. We are taking off tomorrow to go camping with some of our Pagan friends. So I won't be around on Sunday to post about Lammas and it's meanings so I am going to go ahead and put it out there for all who are interrested to read about.
The following is stuff I have gotten from other sites (links included) because they explain it much better than I can.
Blessed Be!
Lammas is a Neo-Pagan holiday, often called Lughnasadh, celebrating the first harvest and the reaping of grain. It is a cross-quarter holiday halfway between the Summer Solstice (Litha) and the Autumnal Equinox (Mabon). In the northern hemisphere, Lammas takes place around August 1 with the Sun near the midpoint of Leo in the tropical zodiac, while in the southern hemisphere Lammas is celebrated around February 1 with the Sun near the midpoint of Aquarius. On the Wheel of the Year, it is opposite Imbolc, which is celebrated on February 2nd in the northern hemisphere, and late July / early August in the southern hemisphere.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lammas
If anything, the days are hotter now than they were in early Summer. These are the best days for trips to the beach and back yard barbecues. Meat prices are lower now, especially beef. This is the time to enjoy a thick steak. The really good sweet corn, the kind that melts in your mouth, has just begun to arrive in the supermarket. Since the seasonal changes at this time are more subtle, it is even more important that we celebrate the festival. We need to bring the cycles of the Universe into manifestation within our own minds, by demonstrating what we may not see.
The mental/emotional indications of the changing seasons are more obvious now than the physical ones. The air is filled with anticipation of the coming fall, of the approaching return to school and of the cooler weather to come. It is also a time of sadness, as the knowledge sets in that the good times of Summer will soon be over. There is a bit of "haste to have fun" before it comes to an end.
http://www.cyberwitch.com/wychwood/Temple/lammas.htm
We will return on Sunday, tired, and probably sun burned, but we will have had fun in the sun and we will know that the wheel of the year is about to turn again and before we know it, we will be celebrating Autumn!
We have personally, finished out first harvest and have just now planted the second crop, so it's time to celebrate, and that we will be doing. We are taking off tomorrow to go camping with some of our Pagan friends. So I won't be around on Sunday to post about Lammas and it's meanings so I am going to go ahead and put it out there for all who are interrested to read about.
The following is stuff I have gotten from other sites (links included) because they explain it much better than I can.
Blessed Be!
Lammas is a Neo-Pagan holiday, often called Lughnasadh, celebrating the first harvest and the reaping of grain. It is a cross-quarter holiday halfway between the Summer Solstice (Litha) and the Autumnal Equinox (Mabon). In the northern hemisphere, Lammas takes place around August 1 with the Sun near the midpoint of Leo in the tropical zodiac, while in the southern hemisphere Lammas is celebrated around February 1 with the Sun near the midpoint of Aquarius. On the Wheel of the Year, it is opposite Imbolc, which is celebrated on February 2nd in the northern hemisphere, and late July / early August in the southern hemisphere.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lammas
If anything, the days are hotter now than they were in early Summer. These are the best days for trips to the beach and back yard barbecues. Meat prices are lower now, especially beef. This is the time to enjoy a thick steak. The really good sweet corn, the kind that melts in your mouth, has just begun to arrive in the supermarket. Since the seasonal changes at this time are more subtle, it is even more important that we celebrate the festival. We need to bring the cycles of the Universe into manifestation within our own minds, by demonstrating what we may not see.
The mental/emotional indications of the changing seasons are more obvious now than the physical ones. The air is filled with anticipation of the coming fall, of the approaching return to school and of the cooler weather to come. It is also a time of sadness, as the knowledge sets in that the good times of Summer will soon be over. There is a bit of "haste to have fun" before it comes to an end.
http://www.cyberwitch.com/wychwood/Temple/lammas.htm
We will return on Sunday, tired, and probably sun burned, but we will have had fun in the sun and we will know that the wheel of the year is about to turn again and before we know it, we will be celebrating Autumn!
Monday, July 26, 2010
I've been MIA yet again
I know I haven't posted anything for a long time. No excuses really, except that it's summer and I'm lazy.
It has been so hot here lately that the heat has got me drained of energy. Tonight was the full moon and I had meant to do a ritual with the family and the kids were looking foward to a ritual, but it is too hot to breathe outside. Seriously at midnight it was still 80 degrees outside. Maybe tomorrow night???
Dewayne and David and Daniel went down to the river a week or so ago and got a bunch of new rocks to redo the family fire pit. The old was was over 2 years old and in bad need of replacing. It was hard for me to replace it tho because my sister Concetta helped to build it for our midsummer ritual 2 years ago. I miss having her here and hearing her drum and sing around our fire.
We let the boys build the pit and this one is much larger than the last one. I told them we would need trees not logs to fill it lol. Of course it has been so hot we haven't even dedicated it yet *sigh*
I am looking foward to the new school year. Since we homeschool, I am always preparing for new learning adventures. I found a GREAT bargin at a yard sale. For $3 I got a big boxful of teacher's books that came from a public school. It has something for all grades as well as both special needs kids (Allison) and gifted kids (David and Daniel)
I also lucked into some encyclopedias and science encyclpedias for free at a library. The first set in on Daniel and Hunter's level and the Science books will be for David.
Also at this library, I got as many National Geographic magazines as I wanted for free, the ones I got date back to the 70's. I even found the one for the month and year I was born!!! And these things are in excellent shape!! (ok I know I'm a geek for getting all excited over old magazines but I don't care)
Oh on a Magickal note, Dewayne and I did a money spell about a week ago. Since the ex isn't paying child support, money is very tight. Two days later he got a call from his lawyer and a lawsuit he got a judgement for is about to pay up and the other day a check came in the mail that was owed to him for an insurance premium he overpaid. Much thanks to the Lord and Lady for blessing us.
In the upcoming weeks, we have a camping trip planned with some Pagan friends. It is always fun to get together with like minded people. Also our Pagan study group will be holding Lammas Ritual (albeit a week late) in a couple of weeks. After ritual we always have a potluck and socialize. I am greatly looking foward to that. (more on Lammas and it's meaning later)
I am also going to try to do a Lammas ritual with the family after the camping trip. I think we will still be campe dout on the actual day of Lammas, but since we will be with other Pagans, perhaps we will do a lil something then?
So that's a quick rundown of life in this Pagan family.
Blessed Be!
It has been so hot here lately that the heat has got me drained of energy. Tonight was the full moon and I had meant to do a ritual with the family and the kids were looking foward to a ritual, but it is too hot to breathe outside. Seriously at midnight it was still 80 degrees outside. Maybe tomorrow night???
Dewayne and David and Daniel went down to the river a week or so ago and got a bunch of new rocks to redo the family fire pit. The old was was over 2 years old and in bad need of replacing. It was hard for me to replace it tho because my sister Concetta helped to build it for our midsummer ritual 2 years ago. I miss having her here and hearing her drum and sing around our fire.
We let the boys build the pit and this one is much larger than the last one. I told them we would need trees not logs to fill it lol. Of course it has been so hot we haven't even dedicated it yet *sigh*
I am looking foward to the new school year. Since we homeschool, I am always preparing for new learning adventures. I found a GREAT bargin at a yard sale. For $3 I got a big boxful of teacher's books that came from a public school. It has something for all grades as well as both special needs kids (Allison) and gifted kids (David and Daniel)
I also lucked into some encyclopedias and science encyclpedias for free at a library. The first set in on Daniel and Hunter's level and the Science books will be for David.
Also at this library, I got as many National Geographic magazines as I wanted for free, the ones I got date back to the 70's. I even found the one for the month and year I was born!!! And these things are in excellent shape!! (ok I know I'm a geek for getting all excited over old magazines but I don't care)
Oh on a Magickal note, Dewayne and I did a money spell about a week ago. Since the ex isn't paying child support, money is very tight. Two days later he got a call from his lawyer and a lawsuit he got a judgement for is about to pay up and the other day a check came in the mail that was owed to him for an insurance premium he overpaid. Much thanks to the Lord and Lady for blessing us.
In the upcoming weeks, we have a camping trip planned with some Pagan friends. It is always fun to get together with like minded people. Also our Pagan study group will be holding Lammas Ritual (albeit a week late) in a couple of weeks. After ritual we always have a potluck and socialize. I am greatly looking foward to that. (more on Lammas and it's meaning later)
I am also going to try to do a Lammas ritual with the family after the camping trip. I think we will still be campe dout on the actual day of Lammas, but since we will be with other Pagans, perhaps we will do a lil something then?
So that's a quick rundown of life in this Pagan family.
Blessed Be!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Tomato canning time
When my mother and grandmother were my age, and raising a family, having a big garden and canning and freezing the produce was comon place. It is just what you did to feed your family.
Now adays, most ppl get all of their produce from the grocery store or perhaps a farmer's market. Growing and canning your own food is fast becomming a lost art in America today.
This is the 2nd year we have had a garden. Dewayne and the boys have worked their butts off. We planted it on March's full moon and had a full moon ritual that night asking the goddess for her blessing and to provide us with a bountiful harvest.
Now we have just passed June's full moon and we have been harvesting for some time. We have been enjoying as well as freezing green beans, purple hull peas, corn radishes, onions, yellow squash, banana pepers, bell pepers, okra and best of all TOMATOES.
We have had fried green tomatoes, sliced tomatoes, tomatoes sandwiches and today we canned tomatoes. We still have LOTS of tomatoes left to harvest. Next week we plan to make and can spiced tomato juice.
It is very cool to sit down to dinner and know that you raised all of the vegetables on your plate. The kids are LOVING the fresh veggies. Lil Bit has almost made himeself sick on green beans lol
So we will continue this tradition, passed down from our grandmothers and hope someday our kids will do the same.
Blessed Be!
Now adays, most ppl get all of their produce from the grocery store or perhaps a farmer's market. Growing and canning your own food is fast becomming a lost art in America today.
This is the 2nd year we have had a garden. Dewayne and the boys have worked their butts off. We planted it on March's full moon and had a full moon ritual that night asking the goddess for her blessing and to provide us with a bountiful harvest.
Now we have just passed June's full moon and we have been harvesting for some time. We have been enjoying as well as freezing green beans, purple hull peas, corn radishes, onions, yellow squash, banana pepers, bell pepers, okra and best of all TOMATOES.
We have had fried green tomatoes, sliced tomatoes, tomatoes sandwiches and today we canned tomatoes. We still have LOTS of tomatoes left to harvest. Next week we plan to make and can spiced tomato juice.
It is very cool to sit down to dinner and know that you raised all of the vegetables on your plate. The kids are LOVING the fresh veggies. Lil Bit has almost made himeself sick on green beans lol
So we will continue this tradition, passed down from our grandmothers and hope someday our kids will do the same.
Blessed Be!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
The Solstice; Celebrating Summer (June 21, 2010)
Summer Solstice, also known as Litha, Sun Blessing, Gathering Day and Vestalia is the longest day and shortest night of the year.
Litha, June 21, is the official first day of summer now a days....But in the ancient times, Summer began on Beltane (May 1st) and ended on Lammas (August 1st). So the solstice on June 21st was mid way between the two, hence it was called Midsumer.
I always wondered why the first day of summer was called Midsummer and why Summer officially began on the day when the sun's light begins to wane. It makes more sense doing it the old way.
For this Pagan family, Litha is a big deal. It is a night when the fairies are out and magick abounds. I have to admit it is one of my favorite Pagan holidays.
We try to celebrate in the old ways. For us, this means we have a bonfire. Yes I know it is as hot these days, but the old ones believed that the Litha fires possesed great power and prosperity and protection, so we had ourselves a fire.
We started celebrating at dinner, by having Solstice Salad. This is a salad we make with all kids of fresh veggies, smoked chicken brest, craisins and mandrian oranges.
After dinner, but before the fire was ritual. I sent David, Daniel and Hunter to find wild flowers, and we covered a circular table with flowers instead of an altar cloth. I filled my big cast iron cauldron with water and floated some flowers as well.
We then did a simple ritual that I adapted from one I found online. {ok here is where I confess that I have spent a miserable week suffering from sunburn from last week's boat trip and did not feel like writing one myself as I usually do}
Here is the ritual we did
(I can't remember where I found the original, but most of it is not mine, I only adapted. If someone knows the original author, I will gladly give credit as it is a beautiful ritual)
We all stand around the altar at sunset and I begin saying:
"Today is Litha, called Midsummer by the old ones
A time for celebration
Tomorrow the light will begin to fade
As the Wheel of the Year turns on and on"
Then we all face the East and I say:
"From the East comes the Wind
Cool and clear
It brings new seeds to our garden
Bees to the Pollen
And birds to the trees"
We now turn to the South and I say:
"The Sun rises high in the summer sky
And lights our way, even into the night
Today the sun casts 3 rays
The light of Fire upon the land, sea and heavens"
We now turn to face the West and I say:
"From the West the mist rolls in
Bringing rain and fog
The life giving water
Without which we would cease to be"
And finally we face the North and I say:
"Beneath our feet is the Earth
Soil dark and fertile
The womb in which life begins
And will later die, then return anew"
At this point we do what is commonly called cakes and ale. It is similar to Christian communion, except that it dosen't represent someone's body or blood
For cakes this year, I made rice crispy treats with chocolate chips. This was to represent the seeds of the dark winter (the chocolate chips) even in the bright summer (the light colored rice crispies.) And for ale, we of course, had Dewayne's home made wine.
I take the plate with 5 bites sized pieces of the cakes (the lil ones were already in bed) and I turn to the person on my left and pass him the plate and say "May you never hunger" He says "Blessed Be" takes his piece of cake and passes it to the person on the left and says "May you never hunger"
The cakes go around the circle ending with me, and then I take the chalise of wine and to say to the person on my left "May you never thirst", his responce is of course "Blessed Be" and like the cakes the wine makes its way around the circle ending with me.
*footnote, yes we use real wine, and yes the kids get a sip the same as catholic kids get a sip of wine in communtion*
We also have a fairy altar for Litha and we leave a bit of cakes and ale for the fae. Trust me you never want to piss off the fairies. They can be devious lil buggers if they feel they have been disrespected :)
After closing the circle, the formal part of ritual is over.
We proceede to the fire pit and consecrate the fire. As a throwback to our Native American ancestors we consecrate it with white sage and cedar.
Here is the prayer I recited as the fire was consecrated (again not mine)
"Today to celebrate Midsummer, we honnor the Earth. We are surrounded by tall trees. There is clear sky above us,and cool dirt beneath us and we are connected to all three. We consecrate this fire as the ancient ones did so long ago"
And then Dewayne, adds the cedar and sage to the fire. It is now a sacred and nothing but wood can be added to it.
Now for the part the kids like best. We turn on some Pagan music and sing and dance around the fire. This year we listened to a really cool Pagan artist I have recently been turned on to called Kelliana. (I recommend her music to anyone pagan or not) and we also had one of our favorite Solstice songs "Solstice Call" by Gaia Consort.*see lyrics below*
Dewayne and I continued to drink wine, and sing along as the kids danced and frolicked. The kids got to stay up late, which of course the loved.
Lyrics to Solstice Call be Gaia Consort {one of my favorite solstice songs)
Come all ye young maidens, come all ye old sods
Bring your pimply faced boyfriends and glowering Dads
Bring your brothers and sisters and grandparents too
Your lunatic Aunty and drunk Uncle Lou
There'll be bonfires from Kalaloch to Portland tonight
To celebrate summer and sing out the light
All come all come - all come along
We'll strike up a quick tune to call out the boys
One to hike up your skirts to and make lots of noise
We'll play out a waltz to encourage romance
And we'll make it a slow one so the old folks can dance
All come all come - all come along
Starch up your linens or come without clothes
For no matter what covers we'll dance in our bones
Come, timid young virgins and old libertines
For it's mid-summers eve and we've come here to dream
All come all come - all come along
Leave off your prayin' and leave off your hate
For there are none of us sinners and none of saints
We'll feast and we'll dance and we'll stay up too late
And if the Reaper comes knockin' he'll just have to wait!
All come all come - all come along
There'll be bonfires from Kalaloch to Portland tonight
Litha, June 21, is the official first day of summer now a days....But in the ancient times, Summer began on Beltane (May 1st) and ended on Lammas (August 1st). So the solstice on June 21st was mid way between the two, hence it was called Midsumer.
I always wondered why the first day of summer was called Midsummer and why Summer officially began on the day when the sun's light begins to wane. It makes more sense doing it the old way.
For this Pagan family, Litha is a big deal. It is a night when the fairies are out and magick abounds. I have to admit it is one of my favorite Pagan holidays.
We try to celebrate in the old ways. For us, this means we have a bonfire. Yes I know it is as hot these days, but the old ones believed that the Litha fires possesed great power and prosperity and protection, so we had ourselves a fire.
We started celebrating at dinner, by having Solstice Salad. This is a salad we make with all kids of fresh veggies, smoked chicken brest, craisins and mandrian oranges.
After dinner, but before the fire was ritual. I sent David, Daniel and Hunter to find wild flowers, and we covered a circular table with flowers instead of an altar cloth. I filled my big cast iron cauldron with water and floated some flowers as well.
We then did a simple ritual that I adapted from one I found online. {ok here is where I confess that I have spent a miserable week suffering from sunburn from last week's boat trip and did not feel like writing one myself as I usually do}
Here is the ritual we did
(I can't remember where I found the original, but most of it is not mine, I only adapted. If someone knows the original author, I will gladly give credit as it is a beautiful ritual)
We all stand around the altar at sunset and I begin saying:
"Today is Litha, called Midsummer by the old ones
A time for celebration
Tomorrow the light will begin to fade
As the Wheel of the Year turns on and on"
Then we all face the East and I say:
"From the East comes the Wind
Cool and clear
It brings new seeds to our garden
Bees to the Pollen
And birds to the trees"
We now turn to the South and I say:
"The Sun rises high in the summer sky
And lights our way, even into the night
Today the sun casts 3 rays
The light of Fire upon the land, sea and heavens"
We now turn to face the West and I say:
"From the West the mist rolls in
Bringing rain and fog
The life giving water
Without which we would cease to be"
And finally we face the North and I say:
"Beneath our feet is the Earth
Soil dark and fertile
The womb in which life begins
And will later die, then return anew"
At this point we do what is commonly called cakes and ale. It is similar to Christian communion, except that it dosen't represent someone's body or blood
For cakes this year, I made rice crispy treats with chocolate chips. This was to represent the seeds of the dark winter (the chocolate chips) even in the bright summer (the light colored rice crispies.) And for ale, we of course, had Dewayne's home made wine.
I take the plate with 5 bites sized pieces of the cakes (the lil ones were already in bed) and I turn to the person on my left and pass him the plate and say "May you never hunger" He says "Blessed Be" takes his piece of cake and passes it to the person on the left and says "May you never hunger"
The cakes go around the circle ending with me, and then I take the chalise of wine and to say to the person on my left "May you never thirst", his responce is of course "Blessed Be" and like the cakes the wine makes its way around the circle ending with me.
*footnote, yes we use real wine, and yes the kids get a sip the same as catholic kids get a sip of wine in communtion*
We also have a fairy altar for Litha and we leave a bit of cakes and ale for the fae. Trust me you never want to piss off the fairies. They can be devious lil buggers if they feel they have been disrespected :)
After closing the circle, the formal part of ritual is over.
We proceede to the fire pit and consecrate the fire. As a throwback to our Native American ancestors we consecrate it with white sage and cedar.
Here is the prayer I recited as the fire was consecrated (again not mine)
"Today to celebrate Midsummer, we honnor the Earth. We are surrounded by tall trees. There is clear sky above us,and cool dirt beneath us and we are connected to all three. We consecrate this fire as the ancient ones did so long ago"
And then Dewayne, adds the cedar and sage to the fire. It is now a sacred and nothing but wood can be added to it.
Now for the part the kids like best. We turn on some Pagan music and sing and dance around the fire. This year we listened to a really cool Pagan artist I have recently been turned on to called Kelliana. (I recommend her music to anyone pagan or not) and we also had one of our favorite Solstice songs "Solstice Call" by Gaia Consort.*see lyrics below*
Dewayne and I continued to drink wine, and sing along as the kids danced and frolicked. The kids got to stay up late, which of course the loved.
Lyrics to Solstice Call be Gaia Consort {one of my favorite solstice songs)
Come all ye young maidens, come all ye old sods
Bring your pimply faced boyfriends and glowering Dads
Bring your brothers and sisters and grandparents too
Your lunatic Aunty and drunk Uncle Lou
There'll be bonfires from Kalaloch to Portland tonight
To celebrate summer and sing out the light
All come all come - all come along
We'll strike up a quick tune to call out the boys
One to hike up your skirts to and make lots of noise
We'll play out a waltz to encourage romance
And we'll make it a slow one so the old folks can dance
All come all come - all come along
Starch up your linens or come without clothes
For no matter what covers we'll dance in our bones
Come, timid young virgins and old libertines
For it's mid-summers eve and we've come here to dream
All come all come - all come along
Leave off your prayin' and leave off your hate
For there are none of us sinners and none of saints
We'll feast and we'll dance and we'll stay up too late
And if the Reaper comes knockin' he'll just have to wait!
All come all come - all come along
There'll be bonfires from Kalaloch to Portland tonight
Father's Day 2010
This year we spent Father's Day on our boat, and out on the lake. We took some time to swim at a small beach we found.
We motored across the lake to get to Heber just to say we did it, even tho with a 30 horse power motor it took over an hour. It looked like we might be headed into a storm for a bit and we battened down the hatches and prepared for a storm on the lake, but the goddess was with us and we didn't get so much as a sprinkle. Altho we did get into some wind and a little bit of choppy waves.
But as we got back to port, the clouds parted and the sun came out...
Blessed Be!
Pre Father's Day Ritual (June 19)
We have a ritual that we do every year on the day before Father's Day.
No, it isn't a religious ritual. It is something that Dewayne's family does every year and has since he was a kid. They go out to the cemetery to clean and redecorate the family graves.
Dewayne has done this since he was a boy. His father passed away when he was 11 and since then it has had even more meaning to him.
I remember the first time I went with him, thinking that I was going to the end of the world.
This is not just some drive to a cemetery. It is a LONG treck down one side of a step mountain road, across a rickety one lane bridge (that Im convinced will fall into the water at anytime) and then up the other side of the steep mountain road, all of which is dirt.
We try to get to the cemetery early because the heat is so bad. We arrive around 9 a.m. and meet a cousin of his. She used to babysit Dewayne when he was a baby and she gets a kick out of seeing how much like him Lil Bit looks.
Dewayne gets out the hoe and remounds his father's grave, and the graves of his father's parents who died before he was born. Then we put the new flowers on the graves. This year both Allison and Lil Bit joined in.
We all pose for pictures that his cousin Lisa wants to take and we small talk for a bit. But the heat drives us all back to our air conditioned vehicles.
On the way home, Dewayne drives us passed the house he grew up in, and passed the land his family used to own. He shows us the field his uncle used to work with just a mule, a plow and a whole lot of determination. He also shows us the rock building that used to be a one room school house where his father whent to school. And he shares with the kids and I stories of his father's family and of growing up on the mountain.
This is the 4th year I have gone with him and the 4th time I have been passed these places and heard these stories, but I know that this is something very important to Dewayne and so we will go every year and in this way, the kids will get to know family that lived before them and hopefully learn some respect for family rituals such as this.
Blessed Be!
No, it isn't a religious ritual. It is something that Dewayne's family does every year and has since he was a kid. They go out to the cemetery to clean and redecorate the family graves.
Dewayne has done this since he was a boy. His father passed away when he was 11 and since then it has had even more meaning to him.
I remember the first time I went with him, thinking that I was going to the end of the world.
This is not just some drive to a cemetery. It is a LONG treck down one side of a step mountain road, across a rickety one lane bridge (that Im convinced will fall into the water at anytime) and then up the other side of the steep mountain road, all of which is dirt.
We try to get to the cemetery early because the heat is so bad. We arrive around 9 a.m. and meet a cousin of his. She used to babysit Dewayne when he was a baby and she gets a kick out of seeing how much like him Lil Bit looks.
Dewayne gets out the hoe and remounds his father's grave, and the graves of his father's parents who died before he was born. Then we put the new flowers on the graves. This year both Allison and Lil Bit joined in.
We all pose for pictures that his cousin Lisa wants to take and we small talk for a bit. But the heat drives us all back to our air conditioned vehicles.
On the way home, Dewayne drives us passed the house he grew up in, and passed the land his family used to own. He shows us the field his uncle used to work with just a mule, a plow and a whole lot of determination. He also shows us the rock building that used to be a one room school house where his father whent to school. And he shares with the kids and I stories of his father's family and of growing up on the mountain.
This is the 4th year I have gone with him and the 4th time I have been passed these places and heard these stories, but I know that this is something very important to Dewayne and so we will go every year and in this way, the kids will get to know family that lived before them and hopefully learn some respect for family rituals such as this.
Blessed Be!
Been MIA
I have been MIA for a while. I went out of town for a bit, then have been busy...but will catch up on the blog...I wil do one for each day I thought of blogging but didn't and put the date in the title...
BTW, to my one follower...it means alot that ya missed me...perhaps someday I will have many followers but you, dear Kel, will always be my first follower.
Blessed Be!
BTW, to my one follower...it means alot that ya missed me...perhaps someday I will have many followers but you, dear Kel, will always be my first follower.
Blessed Be!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Getting Organized... and a tale of two frogs
I did it!! Yesterday, despite being tired, I did something that has been a goal of mine for a long time. I sat down and planned an entire week of meals, wrote out the shopping list and got all of the ingriedents for said meals!
I have been trying to get things more organized around here. Somedays I feel like I am just treading water and making no progress. But yesterday was definitely a BIG step in the right direction.
When I feel like all I am doing is treading water, I will remember a story I once heard somewhere. Two frogs fell into a bowl of cream and could not get out. They tried and tried to jump out but we unable to. One frog said to the other "It's useless, we are never going to get out of here." And he gave up, stopped trying and sank to the bottom and drowned in the cream.
The second frog kept trying and trying, and he tread in the cream all night long. By the morning, he had tread so much that he had made himself a blob of butter and sitting on his butter, was able to jump out of the cream.
So just for today, I am trying to be like the second frog....
I have been trying to get things more organized around here. Somedays I feel like I am just treading water and making no progress. But yesterday was definitely a BIG step in the right direction.
When I feel like all I am doing is treading water, I will remember a story I once heard somewhere. Two frogs fell into a bowl of cream and could not get out. They tried and tried to jump out but we unable to. One frog said to the other "It's useless, we are never going to get out of here." And he gave up, stopped trying and sank to the bottom and drowned in the cream.
The second frog kept trying and trying, and he tread in the cream all night long. By the morning, he had tread so much that he had made himself a blob of butter and sitting on his butter, was able to jump out of the cream.
So just for today, I am trying to be like the second frog....
Sunday, June 6, 2010
A night of Fishing
This will be a short post. I am SO tired. Dewayne and I took Daniel out on the boat fishing last night. We didn't go to the backwater place I described yesterday, but under a bridge in the main part of the lake.
We got there a little early so we could get a good spot and Daniel took a swim. Then about sunset, we got our poles ready and the fun began. We had a busy night. We caught a toal of 16 fish. We had 9 crappie, 5 white bass and 1 hybrid bass.
It was about 2am when we got home. After a shower it was after 3 before I got to bed. We put the the fish on ice and Dewayne cleaned them this morning. We plan on having a fishfry sometime this week.
Thanks to the Goddess for giving us a bountiful catch!!
As for the rest of the day, I am gonna veg out on the couch and read.
Blessed Be!
We got there a little early so we could get a good spot and Daniel took a swim. Then about sunset, we got our poles ready and the fun began. We had a busy night. We caught a toal of 16 fish. We had 9 crappie, 5 white bass and 1 hybrid bass.
It was about 2am when we got home. After a shower it was after 3 before I got to bed. We put the the fish on ice and Dewayne cleaned them this morning. We plan on having a fishfry sometime this week.
Thanks to the Goddess for giving us a bountiful catch!!
As for the rest of the day, I am gonna veg out on the couch and read.
Blessed Be!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
The Mockingbird Family in the Rose Bush
We have 4 new arrivals! Four baby mockingbirds have hatched in our rose bush!!!
The mother is a cherry little mockingbird that has been around here for some time now. Many mornings I have sat on my front porch drinking coffee listening to her sing a selection of songs.
Her favorite place to sing is atop the remanents of a small tree that use to stick up from my rose bush. From these heights she would trill and sing til her heart was content.
Not long ago, I noticed that she made frequesnt trip INSIDE the rose bush. So with my curiosity piqued, I gently looked inside the rose bush and found the beginnings of a nest.
I did not tell the kids where, but did tell them our little friend was making a nest. I did not want them disturbing her. I promised them I would keep tabs on her as long as she let me, but the first time it seemed to bother her, then I would stop.
Every few days I would check her progress without being invasive. She did not seem to mind that I was occasionally checking up on her.
Then one day, I discovered that she had laid 4 blue eggs speckled with brown spots.
I kept watch when she wasn't around, but I would not go every day. I was afraid that if I checked everyday, the scent would scare her and she would abandon the nest.
Today I noticed that she was making more frequent trips to the nest. I kept watching until she was away, and went for a look-see. Sure enough there were 4 newly hatched babies!. I went inside to announce to everyone that the eggs have hatched.
I took my camera, but when I went back out Mama Mockingbird was on her perch, so I snapped a couple of shots of her and watched and waited. When she had gone to look for more food, I quickly went and snapped a few shots of the babies, so the kids could see.
I won't be going out as much since I know she will be busy bringing lots of food to 4 growing babies, and I do not want to disturb her. I will on occasion check up on them and hopefully get some pix of them growing up; unless Mama Mockingbird let's me know she does not want me there. {a friend of mine told me once of a moching bird that had a nest in a tree in her yard and would dive bomb anyone near the tree}
Blessed Be!
On the Lake at Night
Things have been rather stressful around the house lately. We have been dealing with teenaged drama with David, and Lil Bit is firmly entrenched in the terrible 2's. Add to that 3 other kids and the return of summer heat indexes near 100, and you can imagine the chaos that has been building around the house.
So last night Dewayne and I decided to take our pontoon boat and go out on the lake. Officially we were fishing. In reality, for me at least, it was about getting out into a world that has recently been opened for me.
We got the pontoon boat last November. Dewayne cuts firewood to help support the family and last fall he traded 4 rick of firewood for a pick up tuck that needed work. Before he could bring the truck home, a guy offered to trade the boat for the truck.
The boat needed a lot of work and needless to say, he did some more trading and got the work done on the boat. He tweaked it some himself and bought old school bus seats at $10 a pop and installed them on the boat and we are now ready for adventures on the high seas...er the lake that we live near.
The family has a blast on the boat on hot days. The kids get a kick out of riding around seeing natre and of course swimming!
But for me, an incredible new world, the lake at night, has been opened up. Sometimes Dewayne and I go out at night and I am amazed at the tansformation.
Last night, we were cruising along the inky black water and the fog was swirling and dancing on the surface. The night creatures called from the banks in a chorus of crirps, croaks, and other unidentified song.
As Dewayne drove the boat, I stood at the front watching the water, which had become a mirror made of onyx, pass by. The cool, damp wind was blowing my hair wildly and smelled fresh and clean yet somehow exotic and mysterious.
With the stars flying past me overhead and the water flying past below me and the wind in my face, I felt like I was flying.
When we stopped to fish, we baited our poles, cast them out and waited. Not that I cared much if we caught anything. I sat back in my seat, looking out into the the night sky, wondering if the stars had ever been so close and so bright.
I sat like this, with the night creatures still singing, and meditated on things. I thought of serious issues and mundane things. I re-energized myself in the dark beauty of our Mother at night.
I told Dewayne that we need to bring the kids out like this, one at a time. All together, they would be too noisy and so wrapped up in who was doing what that they would miss most of the beauty. But one at a time, they could be still and open their eyes, ears, minds and hearts to this mysteriously beautiful world.
Blessed Be!
So last night Dewayne and I decided to take our pontoon boat and go out on the lake. Officially we were fishing. In reality, for me at least, it was about getting out into a world that has recently been opened for me.
We got the pontoon boat last November. Dewayne cuts firewood to help support the family and last fall he traded 4 rick of firewood for a pick up tuck that needed work. Before he could bring the truck home, a guy offered to trade the boat for the truck.
The boat needed a lot of work and needless to say, he did some more trading and got the work done on the boat. He tweaked it some himself and bought old school bus seats at $10 a pop and installed them on the boat and we are now ready for adventures on the high seas...er the lake that we live near.
The family has a blast on the boat on hot days. The kids get a kick out of riding around seeing natre and of course swimming!
But for me, an incredible new world, the lake at night, has been opened up. Sometimes Dewayne and I go out at night and I am amazed at the tansformation.
Last night, we were cruising along the inky black water and the fog was swirling and dancing on the surface. The night creatures called from the banks in a chorus of crirps, croaks, and other unidentified song.
As Dewayne drove the boat, I stood at the front watching the water, which had become a mirror made of onyx, pass by. The cool, damp wind was blowing my hair wildly and smelled fresh and clean yet somehow exotic and mysterious.
With the stars flying past me overhead and the water flying past below me and the wind in my face, I felt like I was flying.
When we stopped to fish, we baited our poles, cast them out and waited. Not that I cared much if we caught anything. I sat back in my seat, looking out into the the night sky, wondering if the stars had ever been so close and so bright.
I sat like this, with the night creatures still singing, and meditated on things. I thought of serious issues and mundane things. I re-energized myself in the dark beauty of our Mother at night.
I told Dewayne that we need to bring the kids out like this, one at a time. All together, they would be too noisy and so wrapped up in who was doing what that they would miss most of the beauty. But one at a time, they could be still and open their eyes, ears, minds and hearts to this mysteriously beautiful world.
Blessed Be!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
So, what is a Pagan anyway?
I have been asked what a Pagan is or what it means to be a Pagan. There are as many answers for that as there are Pagans. Since there are so many misconceptions about Pagans, I will start by telling you what we are NOT.
Pagans are NOT
*Devil Worshipers
Pagans do not even believe in the devil. The "devil" or "satan" is a concept of the Christian religion. Hell is also a concept of some Christian religions which Pagans also do not believe in. So it's pretty hard to worship something you do not believe in.
*Atheists
Atheists do not believe in any god. We believe in many gods and goddesses.
*Sacraficers of Animals (or babies)
Pagans believe all life is sacred, so sacraficing animals (or babies, or whatever you have heard we may sacrafice) for any reason goes against our belief system.
*Evil
As Pagan, we try to live in balance. Most of us believe in Karma, meaning that whatever we do, will come back to us 3 (some believe 10) times over. So if we do evil, we believe that evil will come back to us. No one wants evil things happening to them right?
What Pagans ARE
*Polytheistic
That means we believe in more than one god/ess. Most of us believe in both god and goddess. Pagans follow different pantheons. This means some Pagans woship Greek or Roman or Norse or Egyptian gods and goddess. Some Pagans just pray to the Lord and Lady (god and goddess)
*Earth Based
We believe that the Earth is our Mother. She is sacred. We celebrate the seasons and life cycles.
*Believers in reincarnation
All of life is a cycle, including birth, death and re-birth. I, personally, believe that we are on Earth to learn, then we die and pass into the spirit realm for a while and then are re-born to learn more. It's kind of like being away at college. You go home to the Summerland (afterlife) for a while, then come back to school to learn more.
This is a VERY basic rundown of Paganism. I hope that it will clear up any misconception some may have about what it means to be a Pagan. If anyone has questions, I will ty to answer them. Also other Pagans, feel free to add anything you think I forgot.
Blessed Be!
Pagans are NOT
*Devil Worshipers
Pagans do not even believe in the devil. The "devil" or "satan" is a concept of the Christian religion. Hell is also a concept of some Christian religions which Pagans also do not believe in. So it's pretty hard to worship something you do not believe in.
*Atheists
Atheists do not believe in any god. We believe in many gods and goddesses.
*Sacraficers of Animals (or babies)
Pagans believe all life is sacred, so sacraficing animals (or babies, or whatever you have heard we may sacrafice) for any reason goes against our belief system.
*Evil
As Pagan, we try to live in balance. Most of us believe in Karma, meaning that whatever we do, will come back to us 3 (some believe 10) times over. So if we do evil, we believe that evil will come back to us. No one wants evil things happening to them right?
What Pagans ARE
*Polytheistic
That means we believe in more than one god/ess. Most of us believe in both god and goddess. Pagans follow different pantheons. This means some Pagans woship Greek or Roman or Norse or Egyptian gods and goddess. Some Pagans just pray to the Lord and Lady (god and goddess)
*Earth Based
We believe that the Earth is our Mother. She is sacred. We celebrate the seasons and life cycles.
*Believers in reincarnation
All of life is a cycle, including birth, death and re-birth. I, personally, believe that we are on Earth to learn, then we die and pass into the spirit realm for a while and then are re-born to learn more. It's kind of like being away at college. You go home to the Summerland (afterlife) for a while, then come back to school to learn more.
This is a VERY basic rundown of Paganism. I hope that it will clear up any misconception some may have about what it means to be a Pagan. If anyone has questions, I will ty to answer them. Also other Pagans, feel free to add anything you think I forgot.
Blessed Be!
Introduction : My first post
So, I'm a witch. Yeah really. If you passed me on the street you would probably never know. I look like your typical every day wife and mother. If you look a bit more closely, you will see my Goddess pentacle necklace, and if I am in shorts, you may notice the triple goddess/pentacle tatoo on my right ankle.
My name is Mindi and I live in a small town in Cental Arkansas. My husband is Dewayne and our kids (at home)David 16, Daniel 10, Hunter 9, Allison 3 and Dewayne III (aka Lil Bit)2.
I homeschool Daniel and Hunter and do home preschool with Allison and Lil Bit. David is in high school and we may decide to homeschool him next year.
We attend meetings with a family oriented Pagan study group. We are active in the Pagan community and attend Pagan Pride Day and various Pagan festivals.
Raising my kids Pagan means that we have respect for the Earth. We take responsibility for our own actions. We believe that whatever we do, will come back to us 3 times over.
We celebrate life, and the seasons and cyles of life and the Earth. We dance, we sing, we drum by the fire at night. We explore the world around us with love and respect. We pray to the God and the Goddess.
We are a typical family. We love each other, we argue with each other, we protect each other. As parents, Dewayne and I feel that it is our responsibility to raise our kids to be happy, productive members of society.
I invite all open minded people to read this blog and comment as you like; however for those who wish to leave negative comments or preach to me, stop reading and find a blog more to your liking.
I attended Christian school for five years and I have read the Bible, so I do not need to be witnessed to. Christians are welcome to read and comment as long as they can do so with an open mind and a positive attitude (we can agree to disagree as long as it isn't insulting)
Blessed Be!
My name is Mindi and I live in a small town in Cental Arkansas. My husband is Dewayne and our kids (at home)David 16, Daniel 10, Hunter 9, Allison 3 and Dewayne III (aka Lil Bit)2.
I homeschool Daniel and Hunter and do home preschool with Allison and Lil Bit. David is in high school and we may decide to homeschool him next year.
We attend meetings with a family oriented Pagan study group. We are active in the Pagan community and attend Pagan Pride Day and various Pagan festivals.
Raising my kids Pagan means that we have respect for the Earth. We take responsibility for our own actions. We believe that whatever we do, will come back to us 3 times over.
We celebrate life, and the seasons and cyles of life and the Earth. We dance, we sing, we drum by the fire at night. We explore the world around us with love and respect. We pray to the God and the Goddess.
We are a typical family. We love each other, we argue with each other, we protect each other. As parents, Dewayne and I feel that it is our responsibility to raise our kids to be happy, productive members of society.
I invite all open minded people to read this blog and comment as you like; however for those who wish to leave negative comments or preach to me, stop reading and find a blog more to your liking.
I attended Christian school for five years and I have read the Bible, so I do not need to be witnessed to. Christians are welcome to read and comment as long as they can do so with an open mind and a positive attitude (we can agree to disagree as long as it isn't insulting)
Blessed Be!
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