Crossing the Samhain Threshold

Drop the last year into the silent limbo of the past. Let it go, for it was imperfect, and thank God that it can go. — Brooks AtkinsonTomorrow is the New Moon, occurring just before noon, Eastern Standard Time. The lunation period that surrounds Samhain can be thought of as the Samhain season, during which … Read more

War, Terror, and the Wild Hunt

A bolt of fear went through himAs they thundered through the skyFor he saw the Riders coming hardAnd he heard their mournful cryYippie yi Ohhhhh… Yippie yi yaaaaay …Ghost Riders in the Sky— Stan Jones (1948) As the month of November winds down, our exploration of the complex and rich history of the multicultural Wild … Read more

It’s Not Too Late …

… to join us in our Solstice Sun Wheel magic. If you missed last evening’s lighting of the first candle, no worries! You can start any time, and then get in synch with the rest of the working in our subsequent Sundays. You can review the instructions and information in the post below this one … Read more

The Solstice Sun Wheel Ritual: First Sunday

Love is the vital essence that pervades and permeates, from the center to the circumference, the graduating circles of all thought and action. Love is the talisman of human weal and woe — the open sesame to every soul.— Elizabeth Cady StantonIf you have been a regular reader here in past years, you know that … Read more

Gods and Heroes

On winter nights, when the moon is high, wait by the track at Camelot.Though nothing catches your eye except shade and moon shadows, you may hear them ride by:Arthur and his men, hoofbeats clattering, with their horns and their hounds on their way to hunt. — Exploring King Arthur’s Britain by Denise Stobie Except for … Read more

Happy Birthday, Sagittarius!

The Sun enters the astrological sign of Sagittarius today. Sagittarius is a fire sign and is ruled by the expansive planet Jupiter. Persons born under the sign of the Centaur-Archer are said to be optimistic, enthusiastic, and seekers of knowledge. They insist upon their freedom, and can be outspoken and prone to exaggeration. Yet they … Read more

Goddesses of the Wild Hunt

Diana Hunting, by Hans Makart Through the Jungle very softly flits a shadow and a sigh –He is Fear, O Little Hunter, he is Fear! — Rudyard Kipling The Wild Hunt has been an apparition that has been observed by countless generations, from one end of Europe to the other, and even brought over to … Read more

Witnesses to the Hunt

Then the hunters were black and large and terrifying, and their hounds were all black and broad-eyed and terrifying, and they rode on black horses and black goats… — Anonymous monk of Peterborough Abbey,from the Peterborough Chronicles,circa 1132 (translated from the early Middle English) Across Europe, the Wild Hunt appears at various times of the … Read more