August 2018 for Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times Bright Blessings! It has been unusually hot this year, and me, the cats, and my husband are melting! We are thankful for our air conditioner, and we venture out early in the morning or later at night. The dog is not thrilled, as she likes longer walks, and is immune to extreme weather. Maybe I will come back as a dog in the next life! The garden, however, is absolutely thriving. The new rose I planted has tiny red sprouts on it, the cherry tomato is producing abundantly, the marigolds are showing their golden manes proudly, and the zinnias, dear…

July 2018 for Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times Bright Blessings. I write this on the Summer Solstice, and Summer Seems to have hit early, with record breaking highs for the month of May here in my hometown, and all the sudden this week, the rain has cooled things to the high 70’s and low 80’s temperature-wise. I am sure you know that the plants are loving it! June and July are not only amazing months for us gardeners, but June, itself is LGBT Pride month. We had the Stonewall Columbus (Ohio) Pride Parade in downtown this past weekend, and for the first year in nine years, I had…

  Bright Blessings, movie lovers! This time, I reviewed a film that is considered by some to be one of the top films of all time, and is celebrated as a story of women’s empowerment in a time when women’s rights were still being fought for. It is also a story of love, the ties of family, and the power of women’s magic. The Color Purple. Here is a trailer: The story follows the life of Celie, from her tragic beginnings to her personal triumphs after reclaiming the strength that was beaten out of her. Her sexuality was robbed of her until she took it back. Her belief she was…

June 2018 for Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times Bright Blessings. I had a delightful conversation today with a neighbor. This neighbor is one of my buddies. You can find us out front, giggling, gabbing, venting, chatting with other neighbors, and going gaga for the neighborhood dogs together. We became unexpected teammates in gardening four years ago. I had ran out of gardening space on my back patio, and had planted everything I could in my front space, so I begged neighbors at my building to allow me to plant things in their spaces. He was the last one I asked, and he turned out to be the most…

May 2018 for Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times Bright Blessings! Here in Central Ohio, the Cailleach continues to rule, reminding Brigid she is still queen for now. Many of my non-Pagan friends are complaining up and down, saying winter needs to go. I say give the Cailleach her time, we will all be whining we are too hot soon enough! Soon, Beltaine will be upon us. If you have read my past articles, you know I love to plan a gathering for Beltaine. It’s been a year, or has it been two, or has it been three???? Since I have hosted a Beltaine gathering? I will be honest.…

Bright Blessings! We have “sprung forward”, and are rejoicing that the daylight hours are longer. Some of us are STILL adjusting to the time change, however happy we are about it. Spring officially starts in four days from the time I am writing this, and many have already had their Sabbat celebrations for it. Like many others, I am coming out of hibernating with the warmer, longer days. My energy levels have increased, and my mood is more enthusiastic. I have been a LOT more busy, and that means that I have forgotten to pace myself. As a result, I have had a couple days when absolutely nothing got done,…

Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times for March 2018 Bright Blessings, I write this on February 19, and it is a pleasant fifty-seven degrees Fahrenheit outside, with a soft, misty rain. My crocus, hyacinth, and daffodils are pushing their green fingers out of the earth, and I have the sliding glass door open to allow some of the nice, fresh air into the house. My husband was saying it “feels like” Spring yesterday. I corrected him, “It IS Spring, and it started the first week of February.” I explained Spring is not something that starts all in one day, but is a season that unfolds gradually, and people miss…

Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times January 2018 Bright Blessings, and Happy 2018! Time flies when you are an old adult, doesn’t it? It seems like just yesterday, I was looking forward to Summer Solstice! I write this on Winter Solstice 2017, and my Yule gathering is two days away. We are rearranging the menu and scheduling rides for everybody. As it is in between Sabbats, I get to pick a topic! I decided to write about Winter itself. Specifically, I’d like to write some Winter survival tips. Unlike some people like my husband- who LIVE for winter (psychos!), the rest of us suffer various issues due to cold…

Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times December 2017 Bright Blessings! With Yule just around the corner, you are likely planning festivities, gatherings, and family nights! Growing up, of course, my family celebrated Christmas, and large scale was the rule. Everybody sent cards, bought gifts, planned dinners and lunches, and I can say Christmas for many of my family members was one of the biggest events of the year. After I moved out, and started my own traditions, I scaled back the complicated Christmas festivities, and after converting to Paganism, reduced it further to just a single day for Sabbat. The Winter Solstice is a big deal for me, because…

Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times November 2017 Bright Blessings! Many of you have already had your Sabbat celebrations, but some will wait until the weekend after the 31st of October to do so. I tend to lean that way, myself, and I will use it to do a second Samhain article this year! Last month’s article focused on the topic of fear, and this month will focus on the less mundane topics. On Medicine and Healing Before I get into the Pagany Sabbat aspect. I would like to say a small word about one of the biggest reason our ancient Pre Christian Pagan ancestors did seasonal celebrations. That…