Jan 28, 2025: The High Days are 8 days on the Wheel of the Year that pagans in general tend to celebrate throughout the year. They are made up of four quarters and four cross quarters. The four quarter days are set on the Solstices and Equinoxes, and the four cross quarter days are set in between them. When exactly they are depends entirely on whether or not you follow the modern solar Gregorian calendar or the more traditional lunar calendars, like our ancient ancestors did. Each High Day celebrates different things, from seasons to entities. Let's take a little look into each of these High Days. Unlike most pagan and druid Wheels of the Year, I start mine with February 1st, instead of November 1st because I follow the Gregorian New Years instead of the various new years of our ancient ancestors. Imbolc - February 1 Imbolc is a time of renewal and is associated with the arrival of spring in Ireland, when the sheep began to calve and produce milk, which was ...

  Aug 27, 2025: I’ve been reading a book called Where the Spirits Ride the Wind: Trance Journeys and Other Ecstatic Experiences by Felicitas D. Goodman. The author and her group explored trance through postures. I’ve been experimenting with ecstatic postures since 2020, I think? I believe during that year, a local group starting having online sessions on Facebook Live—I think they were called the Mud Lotus Project? Although I could have that confused with my favorite Thich Nhat Hanh book No Mud, No Lotus (before 2020 I also had a wordpress called From the Mud—between the similarities and a bad memory, I can’t remember). Anyway, not the point! In that group, a elderly woman would talk about a pose and deity, teach us how to do it, and then start a simple ritual and rattle us into our trances. After reading this book, I wonder if the lady from that group has read it, or perhaps even worked with Goodman? Goodman lived in Columbus, Ohio (the group was also in Columbus). In th...

 On September 16, 2025, I’ve volunteered to perform a Fall Equinox ritual for Virtual Fire Proto-Grove, ADF. I’m going to do a ritual that I’ve been doing for several years called Persephone’s Descent—Her return to the Underworld, back to her Beloved Hades. On this ritual, I go/take attendees into Gaia’s Womb—a cave system that leads down to the Underworld. Either we following a stream of blood down or we’re taken by Bee/Melissae into a hive built into the entrance of the cave. From the entrance, we’re guided by Bee to wherever the Withering Persephone is waiting for us. She’s usually sitting by a fire, although there are times when She’s standing and we slowly walk and talk with Her. In the spring, Persephone Ascends to earth as Kore, with flowers and life in every step, usually taking the form of a fawn or a Doe. Sometimes as an anthropomorphic White-Tailed Doe. In the Fall, Kore Descends to the Underworld as the Withering Persephone, with decay and death in every step. Sh...

June 1, 2024: When I read these virtues, I was reminded of the 7 Pillars that I still follow from the days that I was a Hellenic Pagan. Even though I'm leaning more to Norse Paganism than Hellenic, I still follow these Pillars. They are: Arete - Be your best self. Metriotes - Everything in Moderation. Hagneia - Avoid Miasma. Sophia - Pursuit of Wisdom. Sophrosune - Self Discipline. Xenia - Hospitality. Eusebeia - Revere and Be Loyal to the Gods. Wisdom " Good judgement, the ability to perceive people and situations correctly, deliberate about and decide on the correct response " (1). This virtue relates to Hagneia and Sophia: avoid miasma (spiritual pollution) and pursue wisdom. When it comes to a problem, avoid drama and fighting by listening and observing. Ask questions if you're able to. Formulate the best way to work through the issue, even if the answer is to be quiet and/or walk away. Sophrosune is also a good one for Wisdom. Self-Discipline is required ...

 Last night, I performed my first ritual with Virtual Fire Proto-Grove, ADF: Honeysweet, a ritual that honors Bee and Agricultural entities, as well as the sweetness in our lives.  What a perfect ritual to be my first, since it was my first personal ADF-style ritual that I performed when I joined ADF in July of 2023. For this ritual, a new-to-me Deity named Austeja--a Baltic Bee Goddess--offered to come through to give the omen.  "Coming through" meaning consensual possession.  To what level of that possession I didn't know, but I gave attendees a heads up.  Sometimes it's light, like a channeling, and other times it's full on heavy, like a complete take over. My rituals are unpredictable.  Sometimes the Gods come through and change the entire thing, because Their messages are more important than my plans.  And my rituals are fair game--I am Their Servant, Their Priestess, Their Conduit.  For the rite, instead of doing the Omen before the The Work...

  On July 16th , I attended an ADF ritual honoring Cernunnos. Rev. Vic guided us into the liminal space to meet with the wild God. This was my experience. A meditation with Cernunnos, during which, my third eye kept tingling. Which is and isn’t unusual for me. Lately’s it’s been tingling during my seiðr studies, which makes sense. But also whenever I watch Sinners and doesn’t make sense. There’s weird spiritual connections going on there that I haven’t figured out yet. Back to the guided meditation. I became my Winged Reindeer self in my backyard, at the fence line. On the other side is my neighbors yard with a little pond that I often visit when I astral travel. As the Winged Reindeer Cow, I just stood them in the dusky evening, smelling the air. My back twitching from the bugs. I stretched my wings and settled them back. The fence disappeared and I walked to the little pond. The fountain was bubbling. Frogs stopped singing as I got to the water’s edge. I could see ...

  Last night, I performed the omen for Virtual Fire Proto-Grove's ritual. It was a tad disjointed, because my cat thought the rune bag (that Loki picked btw) was cat treats.  Then she realized that I had a cup of water and she wanted my water.  When she wasn't in my face, she was zoomie-ing all around me.  Cat chaos.  A lesson from Loki, other than " What? I didn't give you that cat, Freyja did! " was put the cat outside of the room during the ritual.  😆  Two entities came through last night: the Spirit of the Scythe and Manannán mac Lir (whom I call Mac). The Scythe Spirit picked the Elder Futhark runes and Manannán mac Lir picked the Fairy Tale Fortune cards . As I shuffled the runes, I had a vision (and a cat butt) of a deer buck head that quickly decayed and became the Witch King (buck skull head on top of humanoid body).  Then shifted into a feminine form, and I saw the word "Queen".  A Goddess lifted the buck skull from her head,...