The Gold at Rainbow’s End: St. Patrick, Paganism, and Celebrating Irish Heritage

We observed the holiday as many do today: by celebrating all things Irish. As far back as I can remember we marked the day with the wearing of green (so as to avoid getting pinched!), eating corned beef and cabbage, and (for the adults) drinking copious amounts of beer. We might even go to McDonald’s and get one of the Shamrock Shakes. (Disgusting, but we still wanted them.)

Pagan Community Notes: BLM Down Under, Donald H. Frew, Pagan Dawn and more!

MELBOURNE — The Black Lives Matter movement has reached Australia. So far, there have been rallies in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and Brisbane. The ABC, Australia’s state-owned and funded national public broadcaster, reported that 3,500 people attended the Melbourne rally on Sunday, July 17. The movement, which began in the U.S., has a struck a chord with Australia’s aboriginal people. Although aboriginal people make up only about 3% of the Australian population, they reportedly make up 26% of the prison population.

A Blessed Spring Equinox

This weekend marks the celebration of the vernal (spring) equinox and the astronomical beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere. The actual equinox occurred Mar. 19 at 11:30 p.m. CT (4:30 UTC). Many Pagans, Heathens, Polytheists celebrate the day as Ostara, Lady Day, Shubun-sai, or simply the spring equinox. Within their own varied and diverse traditions, they find ways to honor or recognize the coming of warmer weather and renewed growth, as winter makes its slow departure.

Saint Patrick, Druids, Snakes, and Popular Myths: Revisited

In 2012, Wild Hunt founder Jason Pitzl-Waters published an article called, “Saint Patrick, Druids, Snakes, and Popular Myths.”* To this day, it remains one of our most popular posts. Every year as March approaches, and even as March leaves, the article is read and re-read and read again. So today, we revisit that popular article with updated links, information and quotes. “Today is St. Patrick’s Day, a yearly holiday celebrating Ireland’s favorite patron saint. While it’s a big event in Ireland (and used to be a very solemn occasion), in America it’s a green-dyed bacchanal where everyone is ‘Irish for a day’ (let’s not even start on the horridly stupid ‘unofficial’ St.