Ready or Not, Here Comes Samhain!

Samhain is my favorite holiday.  I love the Winter Solstice as well, but there's something about the magic of this liminal time...  Perhaps it's the vague boundaries, whimsical to ridiculous costumes, celebrations, harvest food, or simply the visible changes all around.  It's a great time of year and, for many, it's when magic and "energy" are most noticeable.  In my opinion, it's because Samhain and Halloween seem to officially usher in the holiday season.  There's a thick anticipation in the air mixed with stress and joy.

Samhain snuck up on me this year.  I felt more prepared for it last year after planning my wedding.  I haven't even carved pumpkins yet, and I realized this morning that I forgot to buy turnips.  Since finding a home in Druidism, I've made the effort each year to make a traditional Irish jack-o-lantern with a turnip.  It's a small thing but I feel connected to my ancient ancestors when I do it.  Perhaps I still have time, but the fact that I've forgotten this long makes me sad.

In my defense, I have been very busy. I'm dressing as a woodland fairy this year and I made most of my costume from scratch.  I've also been working on the new Artist Trading Card project that the ADF Artisan Guild is starting!  I will be sending my contribution tomorrow and I hope the recipient likes what  I made.  I promise to post photos after it's been received.

I've also been working on other crafty projects in anticipation for an upcoming craft show in my home city.  Check out the latest tree spirit.

( For My LJ Friends: http://adfcatprints.blogspot.com/ )

4th of July

The latest post on The Wild Hunt inspired me.  Today I did a formal ritual to honor, well, the spirit of America*.  Most people who know me realize I'm not the most patriotic person in the world.  I'm proud of my country, but not blind to its offenses.  I also don't fly a million little flags around my yard like some of my neighbors **.  That said, I'm not afraid to say that I feel lucky to live where I live.  I read a lot of environmental and human rights news and, frankly, so many people have it way worse than us.  We have our faults, that's for sure, but at least most of us are relatively comfortable and, well, safe!  It's a shame that we have corporations who exploit developing nations and our own environment, and it's a shame that some of our ancestors did unspeakable things to the indigenous people who lived here first, but there's also a lot of good in America and I can think of that and celebrate it today.

Just as in my ritual, let me post it to my blog:

Hail to the spirits of America!
Hail to its Nature Spirits!  Hail to the high-flying, majestic bald eagle!  Hail to the forest turkey!  Hail to the river otters, moose, white tailed deer, squirrels, chipmunks, black bears, mountain lions, wolves, and bobcats!  Hail to the kangaroo rats, the coyotes, the scorpions, and roadrunners.  Hail to the great blue herons, the salmon, the monarch butterflies, the black widow spiders, and the alligators.  Hail to the sea turtles, the dolphins, the tuna, and the pelicans.  Hail to the ants, the bees, and the bats!  Hail to the unseen spirits who were here first and who came over with our ancestors!  Hail to you all and may we live in better harmony with you!

Hail to America's ancestors!  Hail to the Native American ancestors!  May we grow in friendship.  Hail to our immigrant ancestors!  May we remember where we came from.  Hail to the friends and family we knew in America, and hail to those who fought for our country - especially those whose intentions  and actions were honorable.  May we learn from your triumphs and mistakes.

Hail to the Gods of America!  Hail to the Gods of the Native Americans, and hail to the Gods of our ancestors!  Hail to Lady Liberty!  May we bring honor to you in all we say and do.

May we admit to our faults and work to improve them.  May we help the less fortunate, and welcome them to our country.  May we celebrate our diversity and learn to live together in peace.  May we develop better technologies so that we can live in harmony with nature.

So be it!


* As you may recall, I've been doing one formal ADF ritual a week.  I was cutting it close by leaving it until today, but I made it!

** Ahh...military towns...


( For My LJ Friends: http://adfcatprints.blogspot.com/ )

Visiting for Easter

My parents want to visit next weekend!  I'm very happy and excited to see them, but the situation makes me laugh.  They were talking about going out to eat somewhere but I suggested making dinner.

"But it's Easter!  We don't want you to have to work."

Oh, my silly if well-meaning parents.  I explained, for the millionth time, that I don't celebrate Easter and that I wouldn't mind making them a nice dinner so that they don't have to work or spend lots of money on their special holiday.  They deserve it and I've been meaning to make them a nice dinner since moving up here!  We have a Cracker Barrel in Watertown and, ever since discovering it, my mum has been addicted to visiting us and going there for dinner.

As some of you know I've recently given up dairy, making me an ovo vegetarian.  I'm trying to eat more local when it's available, so I'm only eating eggs from local farmers I trust.  In other words, when eating out, I'll be a vegan.  My mother is concerned I won't get enough protein so I'm excited to show her what I can do.  My father is surprisingly more supportive.  Although not a vegetarian, he's been trying to give up/limit his dairy for various reasons.

One of my new favorite things to make is shepherds pie.  I make it just about every week using a haul of root veggies from Doxtater's Farners Market and a mix of peas, mushrooms and, occasionally, tofu.  Recently I've been favoring the mushrooms in this recipe.  I think that will be the main dish, along with some homemade bread and some sort of green.  Maybe a few deviled eggs to celebrate the spring.  I'm not sure about dessert yet...  I have some frozen strawberries so maybe I could do something with them.  Hmmm...maybe pound cake with strawberries?

Where would we be without our freezers?  Seriously, I feel so dependent on that and my refrigerator.  This summer, I really want to do more canning and, maybe, get a dehydrator.  My soon-to-be brother-in-law has one and it works amazingly well.  When I think about how my ancestors kept their food, it's really amazing to me, and I can understand why spring and summer were so celebrated.

So what about you, dear readers?  Do you have Christian family members celebrating Easter?  Are they including you in their celebration?

It's that time of year again!

When I was a jaded high schooler, newly converted from Catholicism to "Wicca,"*  I didn't have a good understanding of ancient or medieval history.  I knew quite a bit about American history thanks to years and years of emphasis in school, but otherwise...  I knew a bit about feudalism, I knew that the Egyptians were some sort of polytheists who built the pyramids and believed in an afterlife, and I had a vague idea that the Druids were from Ireland.  For years after, even into my earliest Druidic studies, I was convinced that St. Patrick's Day was a crappy holiday because it celebrated how mean old St. Patrick kicked the Druids (aka The Snakes) out of Ireland.

Fast forward to the last ... oh, year and a half.  My interest in Druidism has grown so that it's an incredibly important part of my life.  I read about it a lot.  Inspired by Celtic Reconstructionist methodologies, I read history book after history book, even the dry ones, to obtain a greater understanding of my ancestors and the culture I feel most inspired by.  It is impossible for me to wag my finger at St. Patrick after reading as much as I have.  I'm not alone in this revelation.  Several Pagan bloggers have been discussing their feelings and understandings of the holiday.  To make a long story short, St. Patrick has been framed.  He's a scapegoat among the Pagan community - a largely innocent Christian victim to our community's "Waaaa, you stole my toy!" attitude.**

In other words, I have less of a "bah humbug" attitude about St. Patrick's Day.  A couple years ago, a friend of mine (I swear, I think it was one of my sister-in-laws), who is neither Pagan nor Christian, told me that she prefers to celebrate St. Patrick's day in the spirit of her Irish ancestry.  I've come to feel similarly, especially when considering what my immigrant ancestors went through.  I come from a proud, strong, spiritual, creative, and tenacious people.  I am honored to have Irish blood flowing through my veins.

That said, St. Patrick's Day cannot escape my criticism entirely.  Although I don't get very "into" St. Patrick's Day,***  I'm not against celebrating my culture.  I also recognize that many minority groups join in because the Irish are, more or less, a success story in America.  Although they were persecuted and abused, they climbed the social ladder and many of us are successful and happy today thanks to their efforts****.  However, the celebration is just way, way too commercial.  There are too many crappy, plastic trinkets that end up in garbage limbo, too many styrofoam shamrocks, too many greasy attempts at Irish food, and too much ignorant debauchery.  I use such language because it's true!  I love a good drink and a reason to party, but on St. Patrick's Day, at least I know what the hell I'm celebrating.  It's unfortunate how many Irish wannabes and, even worse, Irish descendants haven't a clue what their ancestors went through.  Worse yet, most don't care.  They just like the excuse to drink.  The only reason St. Patrick's Day continues to thrive is, in my opinion, because of its association to booze.  Why do you think St. Joseph's Day isn't a big deal in the States?  Why is Cinco de Mayo a hit  but Chinese New Year isn't?  It's the booze.  The ignorant masses just want to drink.  Any excuse.  If you asked them what they were celebrating and why, I bet they wouldn't be able to explain.  Bah humbug to that!

So roll on my Irish loving friends!  Have a fun (responsible) time but remember what the day is about.  Sláinte!





*I put Wicca in quotations because I'm coming to the conclusion that, while I read about it and attempted to practice Wiccan liturgy, I wasn't really a Wiccan.  This has nothing to do with initiation or anything.  I simply wasn't living a Wiccan life.  I called myself one, but I was more akin to a Catholic who rarely prays and only goes to church on Easter.  I should expand on this in a future entry...

**It's obviously more complicated than this.  There are other stories the Patrick myth has grown out of, and people do love to perpetuate falsities or hyperboles.

*** It's still a Catholic holiday and has a history of solemnity in Ireland.  I'm not Catholic, don't care to celebrate the St. much, and prefer to let Catholics do their thing in peace.

**** Before anyone points this out, yes I'm aware this was facilitated by skin color.

Valentine's Day

The "writer's block" topic on Live Journal today is about Valentine's Day and I decided to add my two cents.

Given that we're less than a week out from Valentines, how do you feel about the approaching holiday? Will you participate or abstain? If you're not in a relationship, how will you celebrate your single status?

You know... I just don't do V-day anymore. It used to be a big deal to me, in part because a majority of my life was spent in public education where, every year, we spent tons of money on candy and crappy, mass-produced cards that my classmates inevitably threw away shortly after receiving. As someone trying to live a more sustainable life, I can't help but see this highly commercialized holiday as environmentally disgusting. Ok, I'll admit a detail about my personal life - I work with children. Despite my feelings, I don't want to disappoint their wee little hearts. Try to discuss sustainability with an X-Box and toy-obsessed youngster. I dare you. 9 times out of 10, it doesn't change much because, in the end, it's really the attitude of the parents that matter. All the same, I'm not giving cards or plastic bags of candy. They are getting pencils bedecked in hearts because they are useful. Yes, I am that sort of adult.

"But Grey Catsidhe! You're newly married! Aren't you going to have a romantic evening with your hubby?"

Our first date several years ago was on Valentine's Day. A year after that, we started to think about why we were celebrating. We knew we loved each other. But...was that really a good reason to go out and spend money? Especially after the winter holiday season? We were in college and we were broke. When we really thought about it, we realized that Valentine's Day just didn't matter to us. If we were going to spend money on gifts, then let that be on our birthdays and the Solstice. Otherwise... Neither of us are Catholic so St. Valentine doesn't matter to us. I'm a Celtic Recon/Druid, so Lupercalia isn't for me either. And I'm no longer a fan of celebrating religious holidays claimed by secular America just because it's socially traditional. Bah. I'll stick to traditions that I actually find enjoyable!

If you celebrate Valentine's Day, that's fine. Go out and have fun! Maybe even take some advice and see how sustainable you can be while you celebrate. My husband and I? We'll use a holiday as an excuse to get jiggy with it on the 1st of May. Beltaine baby! Sex in the forest! Show the plants how it's done! February is too cold for that anyway... So why even bother? ;)