Practicing Joy at Mabon

The topic this week at the on-line Spiral Steps meeting this week is Step 7, and the moderator has asked us to focus on the latter part of that step: "We let go of dysfunctional thoughts and behaviors and we consciously welcome joy, love and peace into our lives."

Here in our home, we are getting ready to celebrate the return of the autumnal equinox and the harvest moon. I haven't written much since the oil spill began as the terrible threat posed to wildlife in the gulf took up so much of my time. Like so many others, I'm feeling tired and worn as the wheel turns but I am also full of gratitude for those first responders and wildlife rescue volunteers who did so much against such great odds, who faced (ongoing) deceit on the part of BP and such (ongoing) ineptitude on the part our government. The threat to residents and wildlife in the gulf is still very great (1) and there is still much work to do, but the well is capped, at last, and for that, I'm grateful.

I can't speak for any of the gulf residents or volunteers, or indeed, any of you, but I think that, like the wetlands, we all need restoration. I know that I, who have only served on the sidelines and then only in very small ways, need joy. So I am grateful for this topic at Spiral Steps and I'm giving it some thought. Here is where I find myself at Mabon:

I am working today to welcome creativity and peace into my life. For me, peace means time and silence, gifts I must give to myself. As I said, I need joy. Not delirious, short-lived, over-the-top joy, just the simply, daily, ongoing, quiet joy I used to have, joy I created for myself over time. Small threads make a tapestry and small actions make for a life filled with joy. I can have that joy again if I am willing to claim it.

I take joy in walking my dog. She's a pound puppy but it's anyone guess who really rescued who. I take joy in living in the glorious Pacific Northwest, near a town so unique and charming that the bumper stickers read "Keep Portland Weird". I take joy in working with animals, in making new friends and cherishing old ones and in making a difference where and how I can. I take joy in good books, in music, and good meals. I take joy in listening to my heart, in speaking my truth with kindness and in making connections to people and to this green-minded, tolerant, polite place that supports my path in healthy ways. I take joy in what I've learned and in knowing that I'm brave enough and strong enough to learn more, and that the learning doesn't always have to be done the hard way. I take joy in laughing with my loved ones every day. I take joy in the foster kittens currently turning our guest room into a circus tent.

I also take joy in the fact that my mother is still with us and that she is glad to be so. She has suffered a year full of accidents, health problems, surgeries and visits to the ER; a year we all now refer to as the Annus Horribilis, but she is once again independent and active. (2)

I am reminded by those who love me, that I have my own health to think of, now, and I have promised to move my body more, spend less time on the computer and more time out in the woods. I will be quiet more often and let the silence speak to me. I have promised myself that I will write every day and take better care of myself physically. Tomorrow, I get a massage. I can't wait. I have an more of a reason to get one now since I read how much it can support my physical and mental health. (3)

I'm also using this time to get in touch with some joys I have lost. I don't know why I let these wonderful (and often simple, inexpensive) joys slip away but it is time now to reclaim them.



When I listen and look, ask for help, and remain open to the teaching that comes my way, I get what I need. This season, this year, I believe we are all asked to love ourselves a bit better, and to love Mamma Gaia much, much better than we've been doing. There exists for me, for others, and for unique, natural places like the gulf wetlands, an urgent need for conscious care, support and renewal. This is the wisdom I encounter more and more as I get older, and my practice makes that possible - what a joy that is.

Wishing the blessings of the season for you and yours,

Sia

Art is from a t-shirt offered by the International Bird Rescue Research Center. Please support the work they do rescuing wildlife in the gulf and elsewhere.

Photo: Gulf Oil Spill: Spoonbill release courtesy of IBRRC

Endnotes:

(1) While the well is finally capped, most of the oil is still on the bottom of the ocean, the wetlands are still a mess and millions of migrating birds are on their way to the gulf while many people in that area still face horrific job losses as well as health problems from breathing oil fumes and from the dangerous (and in many places, banned) chemicals used to disperse the oil.

(2) Recently we spoke about the fact that when she was my age, both her parents and her in-laws had all passed on. My generation is perhaps the first to care, en mass, for their elderly parents living into their 70's, 80's and 90's, while our parents struggle to keep their cherished independence and to navigate our dysfunctional health care system as they watch their retirement savings melt away. Legally speaking, I am her primary caregiver, but really, I'm a member of Team Mom and she's the captain. This is a respectful and sometimes difficult dance we do, and I could not do it alone. I have my spouse and my friends (many of whom share the same experiences) as well as her friends, and some very good doctors and nurses to help us all through this. My thoughts today are with all those who acting as caregivers to young and old alike, and with elders like my mother who face the challenges of aging with grace, humor and courage.

(3) I also have two doctors appointments next week for routine tests. I will get my mammogram on time this year and take joy in the fact that I have access to health care and that I get to live a healthier, enriched life if I'm willing to do the work. My sister who died of breast cancer at 47 did not get that choice. I owe it to her to take care of myself and to cherish the gift of health.

Letting Go at Imbolc

Today is Old Imbolc, the actual cross quarter day in the Wheel of the Year. Today in honor of Imbolc, I am cleaning house, both inside and out. Today I am mediating and letting go of some old hurts and some disruptive/negative attachments. I am also working on my gratitude list and writing letters to people I cherish (and who cherish me) or catching up with these loved ones by phone.

Today I am thinking and writing and talking to others about what it means to let go of old hurts and to forgive someone as a Pagan. Today, in my rituals, I put some of those hurts on the bonfire or let them flow into ground for earth to break down and renew as only Gaia can. Today I bless and release some pain I've been carrying around for a while because it no longer belongs to me. In fact, it never did.

This brings me back full circle to what I learned when I first entered ACA (Adult Children of Alcoholics) meetings over 25 years ago. It's this: letting go of hurts and forgiving someone who hurt me is not something I do for them. It is something I do for myself. I do it so I can move forward without the burden of pain, resentment and anger that I've been carrying. It is about my freedom, my healing and my survival. For me, it is a critical component in my recovery. Dislodging that harmful, pain-filled energy inside my chest allows light and air into my life and supports my joy, my creativity, and my physical health (for this burden adds to my stress which weakens me, and keeps the weight on, as well). Letting go, as we call, it also enhances my capacity to love and be loved.

I've been doing this work for over 25 years, and it has always been worth the struggle it takes to let go. To quote my old sponsor, a woman who had crawled through the emotional equivalent of ground glass to get to a place of peace and compassion and who, all gods bless her, had a wicked sense of humor, "Why should those $#*@ers get to live rent-free my head?".

Today, I also forgive myself for those times I missed the mark; when I failed myself or my loved ones in word or deed (or simply by not paying enough conscious attention) or when my lack of wise judgment or compassion caused pain. I cannot move forward without this blessing and release. I accept that fact without any need for further shame or guilt, without wallowing in received shame or guilt from any religion, culture or family and without needing anyone, a priest or a god, to do it for me. I am all the priestess I need and my connection to the sacred well is for me to tend, and me alone. I accept that gift and the responsibility that comes with it.

So it is that my Imboc rituals this week are done to restore balance, whether it be balance between me and another person, former me and me today or me and that which is greater than me of which I am a part. In in all these cases, I now know that I can make a mistake without being a mistake, a lesson that took me years to learn, and my rituals are loving and warm hearted as a result. Yes, they can be bittersweet, but their focus makes them more sweet than bitter, and there, right there, we come to the very soul and center of my practice.

Life gives us the test first and the lesson afterwards

I accept the lessons (even when they are brought to me by difficult people, even when I bring them on myself). I accept the understanding each lesson brings because I don't wish to repeat dysfunctional behavior or let others engage in behavior that brings pain to me. That is what it means to me to forgive and let go, to bless and release, as a Pagan. I do not forget, forgetting simply means I haven't learned, but I don't obsess or dwell on it any more, either. I do learn the greater lesson which is how this event fits into my life story, and what tools it brings me that I can use today, and how my understanding can help and support others on the path. In other words, because I am a practicing Pagan, I know how to let go and learn in ways that are useful, creative, healing and full of meaning.

With all that in mind, I would like to share this quote today. Take what you need and leave the rest:

"The purity of the Imbolc symbolism is very much part of the newness of the year. Life is refreshed by cleansing, by letting go. This is a time to release attachment to past pain, to let go of whatever out-dated stories about yourself and your life you are hanging onto, to allow the healing of forgiveness and acceptance to soothe old injuries of heart and soul.

It is an excellent time to review what has and has not already been achieved, and to assess which of your dreams you still want to pursue and which ones you might as well let go of.

It's a potent time to clear away past disappointments, to let go of old ideas about yourself, and step fully into the present. And on the mundane and physical level, it's a great time to clear out and give away all that stuff you no longer need."

- Elsa P

Go well stay well,

Sia

Related Links:

Spiral Steps On-line Support Group - All Are Welcome
anonymous, non-cross talk, meeting

Connecting With Folks in Recovery at PantheaCon and Other Events

Folks at that Spiral Steps online support group are discussing how to hook up with others who want to stay clean & sober, keep on their food plan, handle the energy or just otherwise deal with some things (mental, emotional, physical and spiritual) that might come up at PantheaCon this year. Similar discussions are also going on at the PantheaCon communities at Facebook and Live Journal

Update 1/31/01 I am now told that there will be meetings among a group called Pagans In Sobriety but that these are not on the schedule (and why not?) I will post contact info when available.

Meanwhile, over at Spiral Steps, This announcement was made at the Spiral Steps online board (and I post it here with permission).

Hi folks

I'd like to address the issue of finding support at conventions and other events. All sorts of issues can come up in such places, including eating issues and encounters with our shadow sides (and the shadow sides of other people). Many of us will also run into Exs (or ex circle members or former friends) and this can be tough.

Some backstory: Over the years, I've offered workshops on starting Spiral Steps meetings at PantheaCon, and often met with our group members and other attendees trying to stay clean, sober and sane at such high energy events. (1) Please Note: I will not be attending PCon this year but others from our group will be there.

As always, I encourage people to be self empowered in these cases. In other words, if we want something done, then we have to be the ones who step up and make it happen. I am delighted to see some folks doing that and I'm happy to give support and advice to others who want to do that same thing at other events.

So, if someone cares to arrange a Spiral Steps meet at any event, regardless of focus, tradition or path then I will give them any help and advice I can. All are welcome. I can be reached at info@spiralsteps.org

Dj
Spiral Steps

(1) ..I recently did this kind of networking at the North American Discworld convention and met a lot of great folks that way.

Related Articles:

Making a Sea Change: The Spiral Steps Support Groups

Everything Has A Song: Staying Present & Sober in Recovery

Pagans in Recovery - Wikipedia

Art: Butterfly Woman by Lisa Hunt
To view more of her work, click on the link above.

The Lurkers Among Us OR Someone's Soul Is Listening

Today I am posting (with permission) a share on the silent lurkers among us at the Spiral Steps on-line support group. This is a non-cross talk meeting, not a chat group; something rare in cyberspace. This means that members do not comment directly on each other's shares or give any kind of advice. In this way they avoid what makes other boards so unsafe: favoritism, cliques, unwanted advice, bullying and trolls. The post speaks to the ways in which people read what we write and how it may impact their lives in ways we'll never know. As a result, I think it's relevant to earthwise bloggers and teachers, as well as to those in recovery.

I just wrote this note to a friend today:

Our teachers are sometimes not what we expect them to be, but the lessons are always there for us if we are brave enough to accept them as given.

As someone once said, the test comes first, the lesson afterwards. Survive the test, and you're well on the path...

Here's to all those willing to learn the lesson.

Sia

The Lurkers Among Us

Someone pointed out the other day that a lot of people lurk at this board. ...Why shouldn't people lurk? They do it in real world meetings all the time. A meeting needs to be a safe place where people who need to share can, and those who need to listen, can. The point is acceptance, yes? and respecting that people here will work this program as best they can.

Or not...Some people may very well come to this board and expect others here share their experience, strength and hope without ever giving back. Maybe they don't want to take the trouble to learn how we do things here. Maybe they don't take any of this seriously at all. Maybe they haven't yet worked up the courage to tell their truth here. But do we know that?

What do we know? ...In a real world meeting, I can see heads nodding in wry agreement. I can see people smiling or focusing on me with empathy. I can hear laughter, too, and get a hug after meeting. Here it's often silence. We've poured out our hearts to a circle of relative strangers, we've told secrets, shared things our best friends don't know, and sometimes all we get is a sense of release and respectful silence. Which is what bothered one of our members who recently said that they sometimes felt like they were sharing into a void. Ah...but are they?

A lurking member may read our share and light a candle or say a prayer for us. They may include us in their meditations that evening or simply keep us tucked in their hearts for a time. They may choose to send a private email to someone they relate to here or who they feel has a need and say "Thank you for sharing. I got a lot of that." or just, "Hang in there". None of this will ever come to light at the meeting itself.

A silent member may write about what we've said that day in their journal or inscribe it directly on their hearts. They may share our insights with a sponsor, group, friend or loved one (1) or they may take it and use it in their own life to great effect. What we say today may give them the courage to make needed changes tomorrow. We'll never know unless they choose to tell us.

This is, perhaps, the one article of faith we have here, we who are non-denominational as a group, and require no faith at all. It is this: we choose to believe that what we do here matters. It matters to us personally and it matters to people we will never meet, people who may be doing more along with us and for us then we will ever know.

We do what we do here for ourselves. We hold the mirror up to our life experience and look into that mirror as honestly as we can, trusting that fearless examination will free us from our delusions, guilt, pain and suffering. We share here to focus both our concentration and our consciousness on healing and empowerment. No one ever said it was easy; we said it was worth doing. It may help to keep in mind that what we do here helps other people, as well.

So today I am thinking about the silent ones among us. May they share or not, depending on their need. We will trust that they read this board with attention, respect, compassion, and open hearts. We will trust they recognize the gifts they are given from those who do share here and that they accept these gifts with gratitude and honor.

Regards to all here,

A Moderator for the Spiral Steps board

Endnotes:

(1) Spiral Steps is an anonymous group so that everyone's privacy is protected.

Art: Cat by Serso found here.

Related Articles:

Elders Revisited

A College of Priestesses

Everything Has A Song: Staying Present and Sober

Major Strasser: What is your nationality?
Rick: I'm a drunkard.
Captain Renault: That makes Rick a citizen of the world.
- Casablanca

When I read other blogs, I look for those small moments when the writer tells me what living their life is really like. Sometimes their posts illuminate spirit, sometimes mind and body. My favorite writers take note of the bond between all these. I found one such writing gem today at Meadowsweet & Myrrh:

Being a Druid is like searching for the presence not just of one God, but of all things--everything has Spirit, everything has a song. When I pray or meditate, I'm not just listening for that one Someone, I'm listening for the Song of the Whole World, and how we all fit into it. I quiet myself down and connect, and then I reach out to sing my own soul's song, the best way I know how. In Druidry, we can feel the whole world living and breathing around us, pulsing with sacredness and inspiration. We sing, we tell stories, we study old myths and new myths, we decorate our homes with pieces of art and expressions of nature--but mostly, we spend a lot of time trying to learn how to be fully present to the world.

Thank you, Ali, that's a lovely picture you've given me, one that mirrors my own experience. Funny enough, I find it to be a very good definition of recovery, as well.

I sit here today, a 50+ recovering addict and alcoholic and a child of same, feeling happy, grateful and peaceful. Ali's essay reminds me how lucky I am to get the chance to sing my own song.

Every very day, in meetings, in circles, from friends and strangers I hear the brave, conflicted, elegiac songs of others who are on their path. Listening well and being listened to with an open heart were not modeled in my family, these were things I had to learn. I'm still learning.

The song I tried to sing before was powerful but warped; so much so it almost killed me and I find nothing romantic now about writers or artists who drink too much; I've see too many who drank their talent away. Today my song is different. Today I will not wallow in regrets and I no longer love or write or live in pain. That's worth a song all on it's own.

Today I will take a hike, see friends, share a joke with my partner and plan (I love this) actually plan my day. I will not be desperate flotsam on the brutal tide. I will make my sunny plans, and head for the beach, and then I will laugh to see the ways in which my good plans are changed by wind and water. Even so, I will grab my board and ride the waves that are sent to me. Those waves were always there before, but now I can ride them with all my skills and talents in play. They'll help me stay balanced...more or less, depending on the day.

"In play" is such a lovely phrase. So much of my day is done "in play" even when it bears the title "work". However my life plays out, it is nothing like before. Again, I am grateful.

In the old days, riding those waves was, as a former teacher liked to say, like trying to surf with a bowling bowl tied to one ankle. Whenever I was drowning and someone sane would come by and point out that this emotional weight just might have something to do with it, I would reject their help. As the teacher said, we reply this way: "I can't loose this! This is my bowling bowl. This was my mother's bowling bowl. This is the only bowling bowl I've ever had!" What can I say? It seemed sane at the time.

I struggled for years to keep afloat carrying all that weight because I thought I couldn't live without it. Now, I can't understand how I managed to survive with it dragging me down. Today, even if I get knocked over by a wave, I can swim back to shore. The trick I find in recovery is being willing to brave the waves every day.

If you are on a path of healing, I offer you the hope that the pain you are feeling now will lead to a freedom and joy you've never known before. It gets worse before it gets better, but it does get better, I promise. Hang in there. My choices are my own now. That are not my mother's choices, they are not my fathers choices and they are not the choices of history. My choices (be they wise or no) are not filtered through any substance and I do not make them to sustain the false glamour of a sick relationship. As I write this I am 25 years clean and sober and happier then I've ever been before. I still make mistakes but any mistakes I make today are mine and mine alone and the choices I make are ones I am happy to own. They test me to the limit, these choices, but they do not break me down. Best of all, I find that I have triumphs and small, daily joys and these, too, I get to share. I can't tell you what that means to me, not entirely, but I can tell you that I rejoice in this the way a prisoner stuck in a dark cell for years rejoices every day that they live again in the light. Today, I am simply my Self, trying on a daily basis to sing that song. Whether I screech like a Banshee, croak like a tree frog or warble like a nightingale, it's my song, finally and eternally mine to sing whenever I want.

Go well, stay well,

Sia

Link:

Spiral Steps Support Groups
This is an on-line, anonymous meeting and all are welcome.

Posted in honor of Pagan values month

Loving

The topic for this week at the Spiral Steps on-line support group is loving. One member shared in a way I found so moving that I asked if I could reprint her share here. So, with her permission, I offer this essay by guest Blogger, Herself.

Loving

Today my thoughts on loving are a mix of events in my life.

Yesterday my mother called to say she will being seeing an Oncologist in two weeks because they believe she has uterine cancer, "don't tell your brothers, daughters or aunts yet". Loving is making the five hour drive to go to the appointment with her. Facing my fears of losing my last parent to cancer, of going through all that it entails again and this time not drinking my way through it. Loving is knowing that I can respect her wishes for secrecy and still be able to call friends in the program and tell them I am afraid. Taking care of my spirit and sobriety by reaching out. Feeling their support and knowing I can count on it.

Yesterday the postman brought a footlocker to my door, sent from a young man in Iraq. He loves my daughter and has invented a game to pass the time they must be separated. She must wait for his call to get the combination to the lock, inside their are clues that she must follow and at the end there will be some sort of silly irreverent thing that will make her (and the rest of the family) laugh. This is loving.

Today he called, we thought to give her the code but he had forgotten it and we had to cut the lock off anyway! LOL. We all will tease him about that for weeks. This is loving.

Today I watched as she took out his uniform shirts and buried her face in them because they smelled of him. My heart is so afraid for them both, I have to work hard at surrounding them in loving light to keep the darkness of fears out. Still I cry as I watch her take the shirt to bed with her, tears in her eyes, soft smile on her lips. I call to her as she passes my door, "enjoy your dreams Lovey". This is loving.

Not always sweet, not always romance or sexual attraction. Sometimes requiring all the strength we have to give or acceptance we do not wish to practice. Sometimes requiring us to reach out and ask for help, when our ego would have us isolate and live in the fears. Sometimes requiring a goodbye and grief.

The intent that created a place to share what I don't understand, is loving.

Loving is all these things for me.

Namaste and Thank you.

Herself

*******

May you have such loving in your own life.

Sia

Related Articles:

Making a Sea Change: The Spiral Steps Support Groups

Painting: Day by Robert Edward Hughes

Happy Anniversary to Spiral Steps

It's a little bit late in coming, but I'd like to say Happy Anniversary to all those in the Spiral Steps Support Group. These meetings are now 6 years old.

You can read how and why they started at the new blog.

Homepage

Online Support Group - all are welcome

All good things,

Sia

Sacred Snakes & Lizard Brain or What Helps You Hope?

I have always felt that laughter in the face of reality is probably the finest sound there is and will last until the day when the game is called on account of darkness. In this world, a good time to laugh is any time you can.

- Linda Ellerbee

I was doing a bit of research on why it is that we seem to remember the bad things in our lives better than we remember the good stuff, and discovering in the process that older people actually do a better job of regulating positive emotions and memories, which greatly aids their mental health. So, there is some hope for achieving my goal of a Pagan version of the Buddha mind. More on that another time.

Anyway, I'm out there surfing, trying to avoid the litter as best I can, and I find Alecto's Blog. She may well be be one of the most emotionally honest bloggers I've encountered and she writes like a gonzo dream. (Please let her be kidding about the squirrels).

Here is an excerpt from her post titled Attack of the Lizard Brain:

My old brain, that ancient lizard thing sitting silent on its rock, tongue flicking out to taste the air, claws scrapping slowly across damp granite as movement is slow and deliberate right up until it's not and then that beast moves like lightening and I am left damp and quivering, wondering what the devil just happened...

My old brain is convinced that if someone I consider an authority figure (and apparently that might be anybody with a halfway righteous tone of writing or voice) tells me that something is so, why then it is. And that I, the small field mouse standing exposed shaking her little mousey fist into the sky as the chicken hawk swoops in for the crunchings, am completely and perpetually wrong and bad and most assuredly going to be punished within an inch of my life or for sure my life and my deepest fear is that I will go down sniveling like some beaten thing left out soggy and fitful in the rain.

So. It's feedback. That's all. They are only words and thoughts and feelings and I do not have to choose from those places. And I note that sometimes in the talking or writing or acknowledging that the palpitations begin to subside.

*************

This is the line I love: They are only words and thoughts and feelings and I do not have to choose from those places.

That's our place of empowerment, knowing we have a choice. Acting, not reacting. Doing more than just surviving. This requires perspective. As an old teacher of mine put it, We must realize that things are not the way there are, things are the way we are.

and if you don't believe me, go and see A Mighty Heart.

Hope; practical, real, solid hope, even in the worst of times, is the topic of discussion for the Spiral Steps on-line meeting this week. Here is the topic intro (1):

It's easy to focus on what's bad. That is how our lizard brain works. And that is also how the evening news gets our attention. If it bleeds, it leads. And now for a word from our sponsor....

Some of the people who promote this world view just want to sell us stuff. Some of them want us to live in fear, because it's much more easy to control us that way. But that's not how the world really is. And we can't live happily or usefully in fear - our power lies in hope.

Every day, people do things that are kind, useful and good. If we look for that, we will see it. And maybe it will inspire us.

I'm not suggesting a Pollyannaish approach to life. I'm suggesting we use our recovery practice to secure a realistic sense of perspective. So, in that vein:

What helps us feel hopeful?

On a personal level?
On a family level?
On a community level?
On a global level?
On a spiritual or philosophical level?
Or, in some other way that feeds our precious spirit and reminds us that life is full of possibilities.

********

Notice the very Pagan snake at the top of this post. The snake has been associated with the Goddess from earliest times. In my tradition, Snake stands for wisdom, transmutation, creation, and rebirth. And snakes eat lizards for breakfast.

As Linda Ellerbee says, everywhere in the world that you see terrible things happening, you also see good people trying to help.

Here's to hope, and the power behind it.

Sia

(1) The topic note is posted with permission. The posts are, of course, private, annonymous and only open to members of that support group.

Art: Snaked from Wren Walker over at Wren's Nest. Artist unknown

Beltane: Old Style & New Style

I sent out Beltane greetings to friends today.

Our own celebrations will begin at sunset on April 30th, and continue on through the time of Old Beltane (1) and a bit beyond. These celebrations include parties, dancing the sun up, rituals, feasts, decorating springs and wells, Morris Dancers, rituals and May Poles. That's Beltane Old Style. Our celebrations also include habitat restoration work, native gardening efforts, raising funds for local charities, food drives, supporting animal rescue groups, and other meaningful work for Mama Gaia and her creatures. That's Beltane New Style.

It is a busy and beautiful time.

Old Style or New Style it's a time for flirting, fun and frolic. Being uppity women, Snakemoon and I both own quote buttons that say Hi, I'm Pagan. Ask Me About My Sex Holiday.

Beltane is also a time to celebrate the Green Man. If you have not already seen it, you may like this old essay of mine titled In Praise Of Pagan Men

This is a time to cherish the earth while we celebrate spring. For example, our Gaia's Guardian's project helps recruit volunteers from among our earthwise friends to work with mainstream, locally based non-profit groups that help both animals and the planet. It's always been important to me to build these kind of links between Pagan volunteers, and their neighborhood community service organizations. It's something I think needs doing. I find it rewarding, as well. (2)

The timing of this Cross Quarter Holiday can be confusing. Here's why:

* Astrological Beltane: Occurs when the sun is at 15 degrees Taurus. (Usually around May 5th).

* Astronomical Beltane: The time when the constellation Pleiades can be seen on the dawn horizon. Our ancestors would have been well aware of changes to the stars that heralded a change in seasons; something most moderns now miss.

* Calendar Beltane - (AKA May Day): This is commonly celebrated on May 1st. However, it is important to note that calender changes made by the Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 moved the date backwards by 11 days in most European countries. Overnight, May 12th became May 1st. (Note: England and American did not adopt the Gregorian calendar until 1752). Thus, the Calendar puts the well known May Day celebrations such as Morris Dancing, May Poles and Fire Festivals, et al, at at a time far earlier than they were previously held. In Medieval and Renaissance times these celebrations took place 11 - 15 days later in the season; at a time when the weather was noticeably warmer and dryer, travel (both by sea and over land) was easier and safer, many more spring flowers bloomed, a larger number of young animals were about and thriving, and it was far more pleasant to be outside.

* Lunar Beltane: Occurs during the first full moon in May.

Many ancient and modern calendars are based on either lunar or lunisolar calendars. Such calenders were/are used by people in Native American, Hebrew, Islamic, Asian, Hindu and Pagan cultures. Many ancients peoples, including the ancient Celts, Egyptians, Africans, Mayans, Hawaiians, and Babylonians, used lunar calendars.

* Solar Beltane - (AKA Cross Quarter Beltane): Beltane is a Cross Quarter Holiday, one that stands halfway between a solstice and an equinox in the Wheel of the Year. It's exact date and time is calculated in relation to the other seasonal holidays ocuring in a 365 day-long solar year. You can check this on sites such as the Archaeoastronomy site.

Here are Actual dates and times for the Cross Quarter holidays through 2012

* Tribal - (AKA Festive Beltane): Our ancestors often held feasts, faires, and festivals that lasted for many days. (This makes sense when you consider that travel to and from these gatherings could take days. Why travel all that way for a brief event?) Today, Pagans and others celebrate this holiday over a period of several days, often gathering to meet or do rituals at a time most convenient for their families and/or group.

The Wheel of the Year:

The Wheel of the Year is celebrated by Pagans, Druids, Wiccans and others as a way to honor the past, and be in touch with nature. Please Note: The number of holidays on the Wheel remains constant, but their names and focus may vary according to one's culture and tradition.

More information and links can be found in the footnote #1.

Happy Spring to all here.

Sia


(1) Doug and Sandy Knopf write that our ancestors knew the time of Beltane was near when they saw the rising of the constellation Pleiades on the dawn horizon. The Pleiades are also known as the Seven Sisters and the first born and most beautiful of the Sisters is named Maia. The month of May is named for Maia.

As Mike Nichols notes:

Due to various calendrical changes down through the centuries, the traditional date of Beltane is not the same as its astrological date. This date, like all astronomically determined dates, may vary by a day or two depending on the year. However, it may be calculated easily enough by determining the date on which the sun is at 15 degrees Taurus (usually around May 5th). British Witches often refer to this date as Old Beltane, and folklorists call it Beltane O.S. ('Old Style'). Some Covens prefer to celebrate on the old date and, at the very least, it gives one options.... This may also be a consideration for Covens that need to organize activities around the week-end.

Lunar Beltane occurs on the first full moon in May. Mark McNutt notes that

Pagans speak of Lunar Beltane, which is the time of the Full Moon in the middle of Spring, always a Moon in Scorpio which implies the mood of sexual fertility and balanced with the sensuality of Taurus. This is why it is such a Bel -time. The ritual of Beltane celebrates life coming into full fertility in the garden and in our own beings. Life, death, and sexuality are transformative partners in the walk of life.

Druid Richard Eaton believes that Beltane is not so much a sexual time in the Wheel of the Year but a sacred fertility festival celebrating birth.

(2) While living in Northern California, my husband and I developed an online Earthwise Community calendar for that state that was, I believe, unique, in part because it supported the view that Pagans are people who walk between worlds. We list social and cultural events on our calendar as well as arts and crafts postings, gardening, musical and family-friendly events, as well as nature hikes and camp outs. These are listed right alongside rituals, Pagan classes and drumming circles. After all, we Pagans have lives. I enjoyed doing that (as time consuming as it was) but it is something I had to give up when we moved to a new state. I notice with a great deal of quiet pride that other people in the earthwise community are doing this sort of broad-focused networking in their communities and using the new media to great effect. Good on you, folks.

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Off the Shelf:

Beltane: Springtime Rituals, Lore and Celebration by Raven Grimassi

Wheel Of The Year: Living the Magical Life by Paulene Campenelli

The Witches' Sabbats by Mike Nichols.

Green Man: Tales of the Mythic Forest: Terri Windling (Editor) A book of stories about the Green Man and the Green Woman.

The Green Man: Spirit of Nature by John Mathews.

Green Magic: The Sacred Connections to Nature by Ann Moura

Lord of Light and Shadow: The Many Faces of the God by Dj Conway

King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine by Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette

Save Our Planet: 750 Everyday Ways You Can Help Clean Up the Earth/25th Anniversary Edition by Diane Maceachern

For Parents:

Circle Round and Sing by Anne Hill

50 Things Kids Can Do To Save the Earth by The Earthworks Group

Artwork: This image is by the brillent Mr. Brian Froud. Brian was kind enough to let us use several of his images for our Fairy-themed Witches Ball in 2001. He also donated several prints for our silent auction. This ball was a charity fundraiser for our local Humane Society and over 600 people attended that year. Brian lives in the UK, and he was scheduled to tour the U.S. and to attend our event as Guest of Honor but 9/11 forced he and his wife to cancel their plans.

Seasonal Silliness: Can We Find Harmony in Difference?

Tis the season to be silly....

They are fighting over Christmas Trees at the Seattle airport. A Rabbi saw their 14 decorated trees and asked for a Hanukkah menorah to be added to the display. In the spirit of peace and goodwill, airport officials said "Nope" and took down all the trees in the middle of the night. The Rabbi, horrified, said that this was not what he wanted. People complained, and now the trees are back up. A menorah may be added next year. Somewhere during the Christmas Wars, the dominant culture forgot that these trees are actually Pagan symbols.

This quote at Tolerance.org sums up the way I feel about this issue.

"Tolerance is respect, acceptance, and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world's cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human. Tolerance is harmony in difference." (UNESCO)

"We view tolerance as a way of thinking and feeling — but most importantly, of acting — that gives us peace in our individuality, respect for those unlike us, the wisdom to discern humane values and the courage to act upon them."

I love the idea of “harmony in difference”. For those of us who are Sci-Fi geeks, it's very Star Trek. I also love the concept of "peace in our individuality" and the note about courage and wisdom is very much like the work we do in the Spiral Steps Support Groups.

This is why I wrote The Christians and the Pagans. It is also why Spiral Steps is open to all who respect earthwise ethics. We could have made Spiral Steps a Pagan only group (1) but recovery is so much wider and deeper than that. If I had made our groups into a Pagan ghetto then I would be cutting us all off from the lessons we could learn from people with a different life experience or worldview. So I made it about ethics and values, instead, which is something that people on different paths can share. I, for one, have a lot to learn, and I need as much life wisdom and as many examples of right action as I can find.

So, since I believe in holding the mirror up to my own soul, I have to ask this question: What are my own challenges with tolerance these days? Well, for example, I have my arguments with Islam. The fundamentalist version of this belief system is as dysfunctional and toxic as the fundamentalist (read authoritarian) versions of Christianity, Judism, and Paganism. (Plus that "abhore the infidel" thing has a frighteningly familiar ring to it). And yet they do attempt to focus on charity and justice. So, I've ordered some books about the history of this religion, and I'm looking at the ways in which women in these regions stand up for their rights, both within this religion and outside of it. My question is this: What are the values that we share? and How can we live in peace with our differences?

I'm also looking into pre-Islamic culture. There is some fasinating stuff there. The crescent and the star symbols seem to have originally belonged to a goddess very much like Diana. (Well, well.). There was a fasinating period of semi-tolerance, high culture, and scientific exploration in Spain when it was controlled by Islamic rulers in the middle ages. Christians, Jews and other religions all had rights. Women did OK, many owned businesses, and in some cases women and Jews fared better then they did when the Christians took over the region. It's interesting reading thus far.

Sia

Regarding art: Is she a saint, a goddess, a priestess or something else entirely? You decide.