Mistress Ventress decided that we were done!
One of my favorite New Year traditions...or perhaps chores...is filling out the new calendar. 2023 was foxes. 2024's calendar theme was deer. 2025 was baby goats. This year, I was able to get a Witches Calendar--a favorite of mine that I usually go for.
This year's chore had me re-evaluating my Sacred Year--my holy days.
Paganism is a very DIY path, and being eclectic, very DIY. Lots of trials, errors, adopting, tossing, tweaking, and self evolution. My spiritual path is very different than it was 10 years ago, 5 years ago, and even a year ago. Which is good. We're supposed to heal, question, and change. We're supposed to evolve. My Sacred Year has gone through many changes since I was a witchling.
Wiccan to eclectic to spirit work to moon heavy to hearth focused to Hellenic to Norse to a mixture of Druidry and everything else listed and not. Over the last few years, as I've left Hellenic Polytheism and been leaning more into Norse Paganism, there's been a shift. Now looking at the Norse moons and holidays, they don't quite sync up with my more consistent beliefs and practices regarding the moon and seasons, so I don't know that I'll ever fully be a Norse Pagan.
My Sacred Year used to be jam-packed with holy days, from the three main moon phases to wanting to honor my kindreds on specific days of the year to the clusterfucks of October and December. I did this for years.
Then Covid happened.
Things were stressful and scary.
Then Michael was killed.
Things started slowing down.
Then my mom committed suicide.
Death and grief have ways of putting things into perspective.
In 2023 when my mom died, A Christmas Story Christmas came out. Ralphie's dad died and he got too focused on having the biggest and best Christmas--like his dad used to do. In the end, he learned that less is best--keep it simple, stupid. I watched that movie everyday, several times a day from November to January 1st.
December of 2023, I don't really remember, to be honest. I did take a lot of photos, though!
December of 2024, I learned. I still watched that movie a bit, but I also listened to my body more. I think we still did a lot.
December 2025, I made changes. I was really missing my mom, who loved Christmas more than anything. I honored that grief and I stayed grounded. I focused on the rituals and traditions that are more important to us. I remembered that less is more sometimes. I remembered past Christmas' and the simple traditions and activities that we had. What stuck, what didn't. What was fun, but we didn't repeat. Too much of something can become a blur and not a fun cherished memory. I don't have too many good memories from my childhood, but I have a couple from Christmas.
I forgot to do somethings like our Odin Advent Calendar, but I didn't get down on myself for it, and the kids weren't upset either. There's always next year. But then maybe we'll try something different? Or not at all?
December 2025 was considerably less and yet so much more! (Last year was also the Year of the Hermit--a time of reflection.)
When I was working on 2026's calendar, I thought about how my Sacred Year has been going through changes. Like how the Vestalia used to be my most important holy festival and how its shifted to Reindeer Mother's Solstice Ritual. How I used to do a lot for the Vestalia and how last year, I think I just wore white veils and clothes, had an ADF-style ritual, and performed my annual divination with the Vestals. That's all that I did. I was tired and stressed and just didn't have the energy for more.
I have weekly rituals with my online grove, which is causing me to not jam-pack my other holy days. It's really been having a positive effect on the main 8 High Days--possibly because of community? At the time, doing too much was what I needed. Now I'm getting older, my kids are getting older--our home life is changing. When I teach the kids, less is definitely more--I have to be careful with info-dumping--what's actually important? What's more in line with their lives, learning styles, and views? What's beneficial, and what's too much?
Learned from my past failures of teaching others. Life lessons, practice maybe instead of failures?
I talked to Vestia about the Vestalia, and She wasn't offended. She reminded me that this is natural and healthy. It's not like I don't honor Her--my Hearth Mothers and Spirits are front-and-center in my daily/weekly devotionals and in my rituals--First and Last. Plus, there's Midwinter, when I honor all of our Hearth Entities. And just the actions of self-care, caring for my family and home honor Her and the other Hearth Entities are more important than specific days. She's not going to be hurt by me tailoring my Sacred Year for something healthy. I'm learning patience, presence, and to listen to my body more than ever.
These are expectations and impossibly high standards that I'm putting on myself. None of my Kindred are demanding these things from me.
Tweak and trim. Make it make sense to me. Make it work for me. Otherwise what's the point? Holy days are meant to be joyful and fulfilling, not painful obligations. There's no need to punish myself, to stress myself out, to burn myself out.
I'm supposed to be focusing on what brings me joy and keeps me present and grounded. Stress ain't it.
Thank yall for the support!
Face to the Sun.
Trust in Joy.
Follow the Foxes and the Bees...
- Priestess Foxlyn
