Living

Column: Kronia – Sweetness, Sacrifice, Healing

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During the blissful heat of summer, we pause to celebrate the sabbat which falls during the lull that starts August. In my tradition, Kronia celebrates the first harvest, abundance, and the balancing sacrifice. Kronos: time, who cuts with a scythe the richness around us, reminds us what we give up for what we receive. The days are not always hot and steamy, and the nights grow slightly longer as we inch further away from the daylight zenith of the year. I bite into the sweetness of a strawberry and watch the juice run down my fingers.

Paganism

Column: Summer, Freedom, Family, Fulfillment

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In the United States, our Independence Day on July fourth is a time to enjoy parades, fireworks, and picnics with family in celebration as we create new memories to enjoy when the days are not so long, nor so warm. Summer solstice has marked the height of energy and the start of the dark half of the year. Energy spills forth in the Northern Hemisphere, urging on our frenetic pace with children and loved ones on vacation, at outdoor festivals, and grilling in the backyard. We can still enjoy the last wisp of light past nine at night and greet the dawn at five in the morning. Summer fun is pure freedom.

Paganism

Column: Healing the body, mind, spirit during retrograde

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“Release the past to rest as deeply as possible.”
The last tweet from Charlie Murphy the night before he died. For many Pagans, Mercury Retrograde carries the reputation of being a time to expect communication, traffic snarls, computer problems, and overall worry about saying or doing the wrong thing. How many times do you wonder why everything seems to be going wrong, only to relax when someone says, “Mercury’s in retrograde”? Pagans in general learn early about the stars, astrology, and the impact that times of delay can have in general. Venus in Retrograde asks us to think hard about who and what we value: who do we let into our lives, what or who do we treasure and how, what means the most to us overall?

Paganism

Column: Aging, Access, and Paganism

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Spring brings Pagan festivals, picnics, and other gatherings. It also brings a reminder of how a certain aspect of being a part of the community can be overlooked: Aging Pagans. At Paganicon this year, I was delighted to see more individuals enjoying the conference in walkers, wheelchairs, using canes, or simply walking slowly while holding on to the arm of a friend. The needs of our aging population are accommodated through the hotel to a point; the community response to aging has been a bit slower at times. At a time when the very fabric of the health care system in the United States is being unwoven and re-woven, the issues of age, health, and viability in the Pagan community are particularly relevant.