There’s one more crucial step that needs to happen to integrate the ritual you just performed with the rest of your life, and that’s: Follow-Through. The essence of Follow-Through is to integrate and enact - We take the “spiritual” ritual experience and apply it to our “mundane” life (all while knowing there is no true distinction between these two categories).
Tag: Spirituality
Connecting with Aphrodite: A Ritual Template – Returning to the Here and Now
I use the phrase “Returning to the Here and Now” to encompass a few different ideas, but most fall under the large umbrella of Grounding. Why specifically do we want to ground after a ritual? Depending on what your ritual purpose was, you may feel fairly grounded by the end or you could be soaring up in the clouds or anywhere in between! Grounding connects you back to the Earth, to yourself, and back to this time and place.
Beltane Ritual 2024 – You Deserve Joy!
I led the following Beltane ritual on calling more joy into your life for my Pagan group last Sunday. Today (May 1st) is traditional Beltane. Astronomical Beltane (the official calendar midpoint between the spring equinox and the summer solstice) falls on May 4th this year. To me, Beltane is a season - I celebrate for about a fortnight centered around the beginning of May.
Connecting with Aphrodite: A Ritual Template – Gratitude
Gratitude is an essential part of any spiritual practice, whether it is in the context of a ritual or not. It is a part of a reciprocal relationship with the Divine - an energetic exchange with the universe that can cultivate deeper connection.
Beltane 2023 – Embodiment and The New Normal
This post is part of the Beltane ritual I led for my Pagan group last Sunday, but it is also a reflection on tides of energy and the practice of embodiment, and is applicable well beyond this particular Beltane season.
Connecting with Aphrodite: A Ritual Template – Creating Sacred Space
I like to begin each of my rituals by creating sacred space. What exactly makes a space sacred? It can be many things, but the primary attribute of a sacred space is that it brings us closer to the Divine. Some spaces may have an environmental sacred element to them, like beautiful places in nature. Some sacred spaces have been established and maintained by people, such as ancient temples or even the altar area in your home. And other sacred spaces we create specifically for the purpose of ritual.
A Burntout Witch
(Me. The burntout witch is me.)
A Very Angry Aphrodite
Aphrodite is pissed. Enraged. Irate. Furious. Incensed. Indignant. Livid. Appalled. Disgusted. Riled up. She is doing the Divine equivalent of flipping tables and burning shit. She is MAD.
A Hymn to Isis and Dreaming of What Paganism Could Be
As I mentioned in my last post of Priestess in a Pandemic, Isis came into my life this past year. Her arrival was unexpected but welcome. She showed up when there was need, though I wouldn’t have been able to articulate it then. Our relationship has been transformational and healing.
Priestess in a Pandemic – Part Three
The pandemic brought changes to every aspect of my life, including my spiritual practice. I talked a little bit about this in my Adaptive Spiritual Practice for Pagans posts, and a smattering of other posts I’ve written throughout the pandemic, but there are some things that I haven’t had the chance to really synthesize into writing yet. Here are a few of them.
Priestess of Aphrodite 