Merry Meet

A long time ago, in a decade past, I used to be all about peace and nonviolence. It was then I became interested in the pagan universalist path. This path is accepting of diverse cultures and beliefs and viewpoints. While I would no longer self-identify as nonviolent, I could hardly see myself serving in a war I consider unjust or punching someone just because I’m pissed. I guess now I just feel like sometimes it has to go to violence, even though I would rather it not.

Part of this journey has been spiritual on my own personal path as a human; this is formulated over my own years and my own experiences. The other piece to it is an outwardly spiritual reflection. Some of this reflection is on my ancestors and how they lived–something I always try to consider in my spiritual beliefs and personal practices. How would they act? What would they think of where I am now? Continue Reading »

One of the most well-known and controversial pagan holidays is Samhain. Some people don’t know a great deal about Samhain except for its pagan origins and connection to the widely-celebrated Halloween, making them reticent or fearful to learn more about it. Samhain is celebrated on either October 31st or November 1st, depending on one’s belief structure or calendar.

Samhain (pronounced sow-ehn, rhymes with ‘how then‘) was celebrated as a pagan holiday in ancient times. Elements of this celebration as well as the meaning of Samhain has been retained in both popular culture, but more specifically in neopagan paths including Wicca and Celtic Reconstructionism.

Samhain can be seen as the end of the harvest and/or the beginning of the new year. It is often signified and celebrated with bonfires.

What’s the Halloween Connection? Should I Worry?

Samhain marks the lowering of the veils between the worlds of the living and the dead. While this might sound odd to some, it will also sound familiar–this is very standard Halloween lore and history.

Samhain was and is a day for participants to remember the dead. To remember the dead on Samhain, you can: Continue Reading »

I’ve been calling it Irish luck. It all started more than two years ago. I started having a string of very bad luck. Accidents, failures, income loss, and a lot of other minor things negatively impacted me. I kept reminding myself, though, that I had Irish luck–meaning all these stupidly bad things would happen to me and then my luck started to turn around.

While a lot of people tend to think the term ‘Irish luck’ just refers to good luck, it may actually refer to having good fortune in spite of a ridiculous amount of adversity.

In his article “Myths of St. Patrick’s Day,” Edward T. O’Donnell said: “What sort of luck is it that brings about 1,000 years of invasion, colonization, exploitation, starvation and mass emigration?” O’Donnell goes on to explain that the term was actually coined in America due to the success many Irish were having in the gold mines.

Either way, it suddenly started applying to me.

Aside from feeling that this change of luck would happen, I didn’t do anything or even really change my attitude. My attitude, unfortunately, got worse when my now-husband had a great deal of trouble finding work for months on end.

I started winning contests (even though I was entering less of them). I’ve been winning everything from small lottery winnings to show tickets to my dream wedding.

Continue Reading »

What is the winter solstice?

The winter solstice has been celebrated for thousands of years by many ancient and modern cultures. Many modern holidays also take place near the time of the winter solstice.

The winter solstice marks the longest night and shortest day of the year–opposite of the summer solstice.

Check out Wikipedia for a brief scientific explanation.

For complete current and future winter solstice and equinox dates, check out this comprehensive timetable. This year’s winter solstice will take place on December 21st, 2009 (in the evening for most of our readers). Continue Reading »

Expectant parents wishing to choose something different, ethnic, or spiritual in nature may want to consider naming their daughter after a goddess or other such entity. Many common names, such as Bridget, have ancient and pagan origins. A girl can have such a name without being made fun of, as others perceive it as “normal,” yet it still conveys its own ancient meaning and power.

As I have discussed before in this blog, I do believe in the paranormal, but consider myself a bit more skeptic about matters of the otherworld, magic, and other related topics. Sometimes when I think about my own birth and name (Tara),  I realize that my mother selected the perfect name to describe me, including my spiritual beliefs and my American Irish heritage. Sure, it could be coincidence, but this Pisces feels as though it was meant to be.

Here is a short list to get you started on your baby-naming adventure. (This list may also prove useful to writers looking to find a female name with meaning.)

Continue Reading »

As you may have read on here before, I am a big fan of author Paulo Coelho. I particularly enjoy his stories because he reflects upon gender and spirituality in a way that really makes sense to me. Coelho also takes a very universalist approach, which I find appealing; I believe he has the potential to reach a wide audience (and has done so).

When I found out about Coelho’s recent publication, I felt a warm light inside. He wrote Brida, the tale of an Irish witch and her spiritual journey. I certainly related to Brida’s spiritual searching and contemplation of fulfillment in love, life, and in her studies and career.

The mystical qualities of the Irish landscape and the contrast of Dublin and the country certainly added to my affinity for this book. Continue Reading »

On March 17th, many Irish and people of Irish descent celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Like anything both religious and Irish, there’s bound to be controversy surrounding the holiday, and talk about St. Patrick’s day in pagan communities is no exception.

In my opinion, Irish heritage is rich for several reasons. Primary among those reasons is that Irish culture is a true blend of politics, religion, the arts, history, spirituality, and mythology all blended together. I believe it’s a fact that religions in Ireland have blended together, and that Irish Catholicism is very distinct. Continue Reading »

I’ve always considered meditation to be key in centering myself. As mentioned before, I’m a very empathetic individual, and I pick up easily on other energies around me (natural, supernatural).

When most people hear the word ‘meditation,’ they think about Eastern religions, specifically Buddhism. However, other religions and spiritualities meditate as well. If you think about it, a “moment of silence” which is nondenominational, is essentially a brief meditation.

Various religious services, including those I have witnessed in some Christian churches, involve moments of reflection on meditation; in fact, many leaders of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam continually assert the importance of reflecting on one’s holy text.

While I’ve never thought of meditation as separate from my pagan or spiritual identity, I certainly haven’t thought of it as connected, and now I am finding that to be disconcerting. Both my spirituality and the act of meditation focus on the universality of everything around me, so why should there be a disconnect?

Further research turned up a meditation on Amergin, which fits in well with my Celtic path. While I have committed myself to the world as a woman and a warrior (at least in some sense), I consider my vow as a bard to be even more sacred. Following this vow, I attempt to receive, interperet, and re-tell information to others. In our modern day, I do this as a writer by profession, this blog being one of my many outlets.

After all, John Keats once wrote: “All writing is a form of prayer.”

What do you think about meditation? Do you also feel that it is universal among all religions and spiritualities?

It’s easy to see that Stevie Nicks is a powerful woman. I’ve seen her in concert both as a solo act and with Fleetwood Mac. Her stage presence is extremely different than that of her band mates; she exudes a sense of mystery, but still comes across as approachable. Nicks is a rare, confessional soul: her lyrics tell her story in a clear and reminiscent way. Her costumes catch the wind in a witch-gypsy dance.

Her voice is far from typically feminine–it’s rough and bold. She expressive and open, exploring the vicissitudes of her own life and her career choices right before the hearts of her audience.

Inspired by a novel which included elements of Welsh mythology, Nicks wrote Rhiannon, a haunting and immensely popular tune inspired by a Welsh goddess bearing many similarities to Epona, including an association with horses. Possibly due to a negative perception of paganism, Rhiannon is often thought to be a witch or nymph, though in fact she is a far more regal deity, her name more likely translated as “queen.”

Nicks wrote the song in ten minutes. Just as soothing and spiritual author Paulo Coelho draws parallels to the Greek goddess Athena in The Witch of Portobello, Nicks creates a strong connection between a pagan deity and her own identity by masterfully creating and performing this song.

Fleetwood Mac just announced some Unleashed tour dates, including an April tour date in Philadelphia. Check out their official website for more information.

The dear Saint Bridget known and loved by Catholics today (especially in Ireland and in Irish America) has very ancient and extremely pagan origins. Imbolc celebrates the beginning of spring, hope, renewal, regrowth, and fertility.

This is embodied by the pagan goddess Brighid, who is forever tied to this holiday. Today in the contemporary Republic of Ireland, people still celebrate Imbolc or at least lift a glass to the day, and still devote the holiday to Brighid in Christianized form–as a Catholic saint.

Many pagans in general celebrate Imbolc, though it is specifically important to those following a Celtic path and/or calendar. Most people celebrate Imbolc on the date of February 2nd, but some pagans, particularly Celtic Reconstructionists, may opt to celebrate on the 1st instead as it was the original date of Imbolc before Christianity.

Many choose to celebrate renewal and welcome spring by using symbols associated with Brighid, such as fire (she was a blacksmith). Irish fishermen traditionally see Imbolc (or St. Bridget’s Day) as a sign to resume fishing after a harsh winter. Because Brighid is also the goddess of poetry and healing, one may consider honor her by writing or reciting poetry or volunteering time in a hospital.

One of my very favorite goddesses is from the Celtic pantheon. Her name is Epona, which comes from a Gaulish word meaning “horse.” Much of what we know of Epona has actually trickled through Roman writings and histories. Technically speaking, various groups of ancient people actually worshiped or recognized Epona, but in present use and cultural acceptance, she remains associated with a Celtic tradition and its culture.

Always a protector in the eyes of her people, Epona was eventually embraced by the Romans as overseer of the Roman cavalry. In various ancient cultures, fertility was associated with horses, so this is a somewhat organic role for Epona. Epona is usually depicted with fair skin and dark hair, often presenting the harvest. She is usually somewhat voluptuous, further representing fertility. Like many female deities, she was at some point in history associated with devil or demon-like creatures, and worship of her was frowned upon.

In modern Ireland and the neo-pagan world, Epona is frequently represented in the below Celtic design, incorporating three horses in a female trinity fertility symbol.

Recently, someone left a blog comment (hoping to be funny I suppose) asking if pagans were “still around.” This actually warrants an explanation, I think, because the term pagan is intentionally general and does confuse a lot of people. Paganism is now used to describe pre-Christian religions in Europe as well as neo-paganism, or the incorporation of originally pagan elements and ideals into modern day incarnations of paganism. To add to the meaning of the word, paganism describes nontraditional non-Christian religions in terms of Christianity, including shamanistic traditions and the native traditions of people from around the globe.

Each pagan has his or her own beliefs about the origin and practice of their own spirituality. Reconstructionists generally attempt to follow original pagan beliefs as accurately as possible, but not all pagans attempt to do this. This is often discussed in Wicca, which certainly has very ancient elements, but seems to have been put together only as early as the 1920s.

Because so little is known about Druids historically, modern day Druids or neo-Druids are excellent examples of this debate. A lot of what we do know about Druids comes passed down from legend, which to many people is perfectly acceptable. I tend to study a lot of Irish literature and history, and if I do not consider the validity or importance of Irish mythology, there truthfully isn’t much to work with. I feel that if mythology is such a large aspect of the present, living culture as it is in Ireland, it does have a historical and sociological validity, whether it is true to the letter or not.

That said, there are historical writings from the Romans and the time of Saint Patrick regarding Druids and their practices. The source of the below video about Druids has a fine description about them.

What do you think about this debate?