March 20 :  Spring Equinox - March 20, 2026 The Sun is strong enough to carry itself higher into the sky! Reindeer Mother has calved and shed Her antlers!  She's reunited with Her herd! Now it is time for Rabbit and Serpent to take Their places as Gatekeeper in my ADF Druidry! Also it's the Epopteia, Persephone has returned from the Underworld, walking with Life in every step! Happy First Day of Spring here in the northern hemisphere and Fall in the southern.  I don't know if I have any southern hemi readers, but all the same. I don't have a big ritual planned for today or tomorrow.  On Tuesday or Wednesday, my online grove did a Good Luck ritual round robin, where we used dice, and Loki, Crows, and Raven gave advice about turning bad luck into good luck via practical means. My kids haven't said anything about this High Day...plus today, Midkid's coming back from a 2 day school camping trip.  Normally, I'd be reading equinox stories to them leading up, but I...

On the 17th, I performed the Reindeer Ritual with my virtual grove, which overall went really well.  On the 20th, my family and I did our Yule Eve stuff, and gave offerings to our Winter, Solar, and Hearth deities.  We thanked and said goodbye to Krampus and gave carrots and oatmeal to the Yule Goat and Tomte. Come Solstice morning, the kids tore through their stockings to see what the Yule Goat and Tomte brought them, and then we did our gift exchanges.  After a nap, I attended the Three Cranes Grove's Heliogenna, which honored the Hellenic Sun, Helios.   Rev. Dangler fire scrying for the omen.   Which was a message about rekindling our fires so we can help others do the same within our communities. In the evening, after a feast of hearty beef stew and chicken nuggets (for the picky eaters), it was time for the family's favorite ritual--Reindeer Mother.  Usually we make sun masks and dance with our jingle wands to raise energy, and even make rein...

  Happy Midwinter, yall! This evening, with my family, we'll be honoring our family's Hearth and Home Entities, as well as some Winter ones, too. Hestia - Greek Goddess of Hearth and Home. First and the Last. Fire Keeper. Key Bearer. I have been a Daughter since I was at least 8-years-old, and a Hearth Keeper since 2015. Vesta - Roman Goddess of Hearth, Home, and City. The Living Flame. She's been in my life since I was a child, too. Sometimes you may see me hyphenate Their names, because sometimes They appear as one Goddess and sometimes two. I am one of Her Daughters and a Vestal. Hekate - Titaness, Goddess, Key Bearer, Torch Bearer of Land, Sea, and Sky; of Witchcraft and Spirits; and yes, even a Hearth Deity. Kind of like the Celtic Brigid, Hekate governs over many areas. I am one Her Children, as well as a Torch Bearer and Priestess. Frigg - Norse Goddess. Key Bearer. Wife of Odin, mother of Baldur. Practitioner of magik and prophecy; sees much, shares none. Loki - Nor...

Did you know that some believe that the Yule Goat is connected to Thor's goats, Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjostr? Thor sacrifices his goats to feed his family. In the morning, He resurrects them with His mighty hammer. In our family, on Yule Eve, after our Mother Reindeer Ritual and the Yule Pumpkin hunt, we leave out offerings of sun cookies for Reindeer Mother and Elen of the Ways, mead or whiskey for Odin and Sleipnir, and oatmeal and carrots for the Yule Goat and Tomte. In the morning, the kids find their stockings filled with treats, something to wear, and a gift wrapped in plain brown paper and twine. Some people also burn their straw or wooden goats, then make a new one each year, a similar tradition to burning a Yule Log/candles or a stick bundle, stuffed with bay leaves and slips of paper with hopes and wishes. If you have Gift Givers this holiday season, who are they? What are your holiday traditions? Or perhaps you have more information about the Yule Goat or any other winter...