If you’ve been on a spiritual path for very long, you know that there’s always baggage. There’s childhood trauma, past relationship pain, self-sabotage, the imposter syndrome, trust issues, betrayals, depression, anxiety, fears, and times you genuinely just fucked up. Despite your best efforts, despite the hours and hours of therapy, despite the meditations and forgiveness practices, despite all the pieces of paper aflame in your burning bowl, you still have shit to deal with.
Tag: Pagan
Are You Projective or Receptive?
I believe that everyone has projective and receptive abilities. For some, one will be much stronger than the other, and that’s okay. It just means you will have to work a little harder to develop the other skill. I also don’t believe that being projective and being receptive are mutually exclusive.
What We Label Ourselves
What we decide to call ourselves has immense power. In a spiritual sense, it’s the conscious act of putting yourself out there. Saying “I’m Pagan” has power to it. Saying “I am a witch” has power to it. The Divine is listening and the Earth can hear - you may be surprised what comes your way when you make a spiritual declaration of this sort.
Flames of the Firebird
The winter that I started working with Cerridwyn, I also started to work with the energy of the Phoenix, the Firebird. I had some pretty extraordinary things happen once I started working with the Firebird, and they are some of the stories of how I know my Paganism is real.
Devotions to Aphrodite: Ecstatic Dance
Dance is a regular part of my spiritual practice. I mostly dance to commune with Aphrodite, connecting to the joy and love of movement. I will dance to raise energy. I will even dance to ground myself, which I know sounds counter-intuitive. If I feel angry or off-balance, dancing will help bring me back to center.
Why I Quit Caring About Formal Ritual and How That Made Me Better At It
When I quit caring about formal ritual, it allowed me to see more clearly the purpose of ritual: to connect deeply with the Divine. This completely transformed my personal practice. I rarely go through a full “ritual” with formal invocations for the elements and the Divine when I practice alone. My private devotions are much more conversational - and thus more strongly integrated into my day-to-day life. I believe this helps me to maintain a more powerful connection with Deity.
Making Soup for Cerridwen
While my closest relationship with a deity is with Aphrodite, I also have a close working relationship with Cerridwen. Cerridwyn is the Welsh goddess of transformation and change. She is the keeper of the cauldron of knowledge, and she is frequently viewed as a “dark” goddess.
Why Beltane is My Favorite Holiday
I know I’m a few days late (I was very busy right around Beltane this year, both mundanely and magickally!), but I knew I had to do a post about Beltane. Beltane is the midpoint between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice, and is traditionally celebrated on May 1st. However, the astronomical midpoint is… Continue reading Why Beltane is My Favorite Holiday
My Experience of Aphrodite
Spiritual experiences are, by nature, very difficult to put into words. You’ve just experienced something transcendent - It’s no surprise that it also transcends language. Given that, I’m going to do my best to describe to you how I experience the Goddess Aphrodite.
When Books Aren’t Enough
What do you do when books aren't enough? When you begin to experience things that no one has written about? What if your personal experience of a deity doesn't match the lore? Here are some suggestions for how to navigate your experiences.
Priestess of Aphrodite 