This time last year, my grove celebrated the Summer Solstice together. We gave gratitude to the Kindred, to the sun, and to the network of rivers that connect us all in the North Country. We gave an offering of yellow flowers to Manannán mac Lir. This year, I missed my people, my grovemates. We willContinue reading “Socially Distant Summer Solstice”
Tag Archives: rituals
Three Things Thursday: Virtual Vernal Equinox, Devotionals with my Daughter, and a Writing Update
Welcome to Three Things Thursday – your weekly dose of three mini posts in a larger post. Virtual Vernal Equinox: Life changed quickly due to Covid-19, and my grove adapted with an online ritual. Unlike other instances when we did virtual rites, I did all the parts. I wanted to make it as stress-free asContinue reading “Three Things Thursday: Virtual Vernal Equinox, Devotionals with my Daughter, and a Writing Update”
Turning on the Heat
Last weekend, my husband and I performed an annual ritual: cleaning the heaters and turning on the heat. We were extra thorough this year. He dismantled and even removed them from the wall to perform additional maintenance. I cleaned the inside, wiping the metallic vertebrae that distributes heat. I used this time to reflect onContinue reading “Turning on the Heat”
A Pre-Ritual Prayer
Ah, that crazy time leading up to a ritual. As Senior Druid of Northern Rivers Grove, organizing the celebrations is often my responsibility. I embrace it, though it is quite an offering of time and energy. There was recently a conversation on one of the ADF groups about how ritual leaders feel following ceremonies. ManyContinue reading “A Pre-Ritual Prayer”
The Ebb and Flow of Summer Solstice and the New Moon
For me, the Summer Solstice is a time of endings and beginnings. Vacation begins for me and many others in my field. Students go home. Several of my students moved on and I may never see or hear from them again. That was a hard pill to swallow as I had grown especially fond ofContinue reading “The Ebb and Flow of Summer Solstice and the New Moon”
In Which I Gush Over My Beloved Pagan Community
In my last post, I briefly mentioned that the ADF group I founded a few years ago grew into an official Grove. I’m so proud of my grovies. We have all worked so hard to get to this point. I definitely could not have done this by myself. Whenever I lead rituals, I make aContinue reading “In Which I Gush Over My Beloved Pagan Community”
The Nine Virtues of Creating Family-Friendly Group Rituals
There’s been some discussion on ADF’s Facebook page about how to include children in public rituals. Many people with more experience have already offered some excellent advice. I absolutely have to point you towards Rev. Melissa Hill’s article on the topic. My daughter is now a toddler, and Northern Rivers is only a little olderContinue reading “The Nine Virtues of Creating Family-Friendly Group Rituals”
Bealtaine with my Grovies
Here are some highlights from Northern Rivers Protogrove’s recent Bealtaine celebration. It was magical!
A Quiet Bealtaine at Home
Bealtaine is one of my favorite holidays. One reason is simply because, unlike the Spring Equinox, Bealtaine truly brings the warmer weather to Northern NY. Another reason for my fondness is that it’s basically my unofficial Pagan anniversary. I don’t know exactly when I started the conversion process, but my first experiences with two Pagan groupsContinue reading “A Quiet Bealtaine at Home”
On Performing My First Baby Blessing
About six months ago, I performed my first Mother Blessing for my friend and grovemate Cassandra. During my protogrove’s Spring Equinox rite, I had the honor and pleasure of leading a baby blessing, or saining, for the bundle of joy who arrived around Imbolc. I performed the blessing as one of our magical workings. ItContinue reading “On Performing My First Baby Blessing”
Author M. A. Phillips 