bears
Column: Spring Rising
|
Sheri Barker writes about the energy of bears, the call of Hecate, and the coming of spring.
Living
Column: The Dark of the Year
|
In the long nights of winter, Sheri Barker recalls her encounters with darkness made manifest.
Paganism
Column: a Fruitful Darkness
|
Beloved American poet Mary Oliver once wrote, “Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.”[1]
Darkness has prevailed in the Western hemisphere; autumn mourns the loss the sun whom no doubt returns triumphant in spring. Where once temples illumined, now there may only enough oil for one night of eight. Others too have readied themselves for a long journey at the mid hour of night. That story goes: wise men saw a star in the east and followed.
Paganism
Guest Post: Mabon’s Prelude to Darkness
|
[Today, guest writer Erick DuPree concludes his three-part seasonal celebration series here at The Wild Hunt. DuPree is the author of Alone in Her Presence: Meditations on the Goddess and editor of Finding the Masculine in Goddess’ Spiral. He teaches heart-centered practices that unite breath to heart, inviting a holistic relationship with the Goddess. His writing can be found on his own website as well as on his new blog at Patheos Pagan Channel called “Alone in her Presence.”]
Why is the dark so scary? I’m serious, many of us might love a good horror movie, some might be enchanted by the mysterious and macabre. But are any of us going into that dark unknown crawl space without a flash light?
Culture
Confronting the Darkness with Kari Tauring
|
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA –The time around the winter solstice is, in the far northern parts of the northern hemisphere, a period of deep darkness. Many northern-based spiritual traditions, including forms of modern Heathenry and similar paths, have rich traditions, which involve dealing with this darkness in the physical world, as well as on emotional and spiritual levels. Artist Kari Tauring, who has been exploring these concepts for some time, created a show called Winter Solstice in the Northlands, which she had been staging annually from 1999 to 2006. This December, after an eight year hiatus, she brought the show back to life. We were able to catch up with Tauring in between her performances to ask her about the production and her background.