Dearest moonbeams, the Wheel of the Year is turning once again and this week we welcome in the festival of Beltain. Beltain, also called Beltane, Bealtaine and Beltine is one of the cross quarter festivals of the wheel of the year along with Imbolc, Lammas and Samhain. Beltain is celebrated on the eve of the 30th […]
Sacred Rites
The Divine Mother Durga by Laura Amazzone
As we face the many ecological, political, social, and religious crises of these shifting times, a 1500 year old myth, the Devi Mahatmya and the millennia-old ritual worship of the Great Goddess Durga provide philosophical and spiritual insight into the powers that can aid us in the deep process of transformation which we face both […]
The Art of Pilgrimage and Durga Puja by Laura Amazzone
Pilgrimage has been an enduring expression of reverence and devotion within spiritual and religious traditions since earliest times. Within the Hindu tradition, it is called tīrtha-yātrā, which literally means “undertaking a journey to river fords.”[1] Rivers and fords are considered natural places imbued with much power. Groves, caves, hilltops and mountain peaks are other equally important […]
Ceremony, Ritual and Sacred Space by Renee Starr
One of the ways that I have found to deepen my relationship with The Goddess, Priestess and Witch is to create ceremony, and ritual as a way to invoke their power, and wisdom, and to bring their living essence into my life. A ceremony is an occasion, or event that has special significance and often involves ritual, […]
The Descent of Inanna – Understanding the Dark Goddess Ereshkigal by Brandi Auset
Ereshkigal, Great Goddess of the Underworld, was worshiped throughout the Mesopotamian region , dating back to 3000 BCE. Her main following in Sumer and Babylon was complete with temples dedicated to her throughout the region, the main site found in Kutha. Myths of Ereshkigal are found in the remnants of various Mesopotamian tablets and texts, including […]
I Am Isis – The Goddess and Her Aretalogies by M. Isidora Forrest
Let’s talk a bit about the Isis aretalogies. The aretalogies are those first-person statements in which the Goddess details Her many accomplishments and gifts to humankind. Here’s an except from one in case you need a little reminder: I am She that riseth in the Dog Star. I am She that is called Goddess by […]
Goddess Isis Rite for the New Year {M. Isidora Forrest}
The ancient Egyptian New Year came in late summer and marked the beginning of the fertilizing Nile Inundation. Here in Portland, January is certainly part of our own inundating rainy season, but it is hardly in tune with the ancient late-summer New Year. Yet for devotees of Isis, there is a New Year’s treat to […]
How to Create a Sacred Water Altar {Kathryn Ravenwood}
In 2012 my book, How to Create Sacred Water: A Guide to Rituals and Practices (Inner Traditions/Bear & Company) was published. It was the story of my becoming a priestess for the waters, how I created a sacred water altar at the guidance of Spirit, and how my relationship with water, Spirit, Gaia, and myself […]
The Key to Egyptian Magic – Part 1 {M Isidora Forrest}
Yep. I’ve said it. Balls out. If I had balls. So ovaries out, I guess. I’m certain that the technique I’m going to talk about today is one of—if not the—key to Egyptian magic. It has no known Egyptian name, but you find it everywhere throughout Egyptian sacred written materials. It freaked out the Greeks […]
Dionysian Rites {Carol P. Christ}
In today’s blog, I offer an excerpt from my soon to be re-published memoir, A Serpentine Path: Mysteries of the Goddess. The setting is Zaros, Crete, the time of year is mid-October. We had a scrumptious dinner of fresh fish, salad, fried potatoes, local amber-colored wine, and tiny olives. Later the two waiters, Themis and […]
