Power to the People! Use It or Lose It. The Fourth of July is when America celebrates its Independence Day. Although the Bill of Rights came after the Declaration of Independence, it is truly the essence of what our new nation was created for. Amendment I – Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment … Read more
Glory of the Day-Star, hail! Lifter of the Light, Burnisher of the Sky. Gifts of love to earth are bringing, Summer’s shimmer, dew’s delight. Dancing be the heart within us, Open be our souls to bliss, Courage vanquish every shadow, Greet Midsummer with a kiss. – Greeting to the Summer Solstice from Celtic Devotional – … Read more
I rise in silence, steadfast in the elements with thought a smoke-blue veil drawn round me. Seasons clothe me in laurel and bittersweet, in ice but my heart is constant… — from Smoky Mountain Woman © Marilou Awiakta, from her collection, *Abiding Appalachia: Where Mountain and Atom Meet As the magic of Summer Solstice approaches, … Read more
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day. Tell me, what else should … Read more
A Great Urgency: To All World Religious and Spiritual Leaders May 12, 2010 My Relatives, Time has come to speak to the hearts of our Nations and their Leaders. I ask you this from the bottom of my heart, to come together from the Spirit of your Nations in prayer. We, from the heart of … Read more
On this most magical day in the Celtic calendar, we bid farewell to the Spring season of Imbolc. In her gorgeous book of prayers and blessings, Celtic Devotional (with eternal thanks to my friend, Laurel, for the beautiful gift of this book), author Caitlin Matthews suggests that we stand at our back window or doorway … Read more
Rejoice! Beltane’s magic is calling! The mummer’s play does not attempt the detailed imitation of reality; it is an imagistic theatre whose effect lies in holding real and unreal worlds in a precarious balance. — Antrobus We are now upon the threshold of the Great Sabbat of Beltane. This is an ancient celebration of flowering, … Read more
Zen…does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes. — Alan W. Watts from The Way of Zen One way to become more conscious of the sacredness of your kitchen is to have a kitchen altar. This is an honored tradition in many … Read more
Welcome Spring! Awake, thou wintry earth — Fling off thy sadness! Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth Your ancient gladness! — Thomas Blackburn Today is the Vernal Equinox in the northern hemisphere, and Autumn Equinox in lands below the equator. We are all experiencing the same phenomenon: the daylight and the darkness are in balance. The … Read more
May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow, And may trouble avoid you wherever you go. Today is Trefuilnid Treochair (Truh-FWEEL-nid Tray-oh-CARE) in the Celtic traditions. This is considered the premier national feast day of Éire (Ireland). The name of the holiday means “the triple bearer of the triple key,” and it refers to the … Read more