celebrations & passages
Lexicon mini-indexes
Thursday, 25Jul2019
Unexpected goddesses
Sunday, 07Jul2019
❝The Wheel turns…❞
Saturday, 27Oct2018
❝The Wheel turns, bringing Bright and Dark Blessings to us all.❞— NeoWayland, Good Journey Isaac
Sunday - October 7, 2018
Sunday, 07Oct2018
Six new pages
Friday, 17Aug2018
❝I learned a long time ago that it's worth the trouble to make sure she's got at least two climaxes for every one of mine.
Keeps her smiling too.❞
First day of Harvestpoint
Monday, 06Aug2018
Growing season
Friday, 18May2018
“A piece of advice if I may be allowed to give it, is that no philosophy, no creed, no God is worth more than the love that one human being may give and receive in their lifetime – this is what is meant by being ‘involved’.”
Journal 15May2018
Tuesday, 15May2018
This is both my Tuesday entry and a journal entry.
I've had three deaths in the past month. One a friend, one an uncle, and one person who I did not get along with.
I really don't think these "poor little me" bits are healthy, but my blogging took a hit and I wanted people to know why. Since my companion passed last fall, I'm not dealing well with people I know passing.
The friend wasn't a close friend, just someone I had known for a long time.
My uncle was my mother's older brother. You know that old story about the oldest son being allowed to get away with anything because he was the older son? That was my uncle. He was the troublemaker. Still, he did things mostly right. He gave the world two sons and laid the groundwork for many grandchildren. He was a party guy, but he'd bend over backwards and jump for family and his friends. This was the guy who'd take you fishing and hunting and then help you bury bodies.
And then there was the other person. We kept bumping into each other over the years. There were a few epic arguments. I can't blame it all on her. She did win in the end though. She left special instructions that I be invited to the funeral. What was I supposed to do with that? Say no? Tell her family that I couldn't be bothered?
People passing makes me think of mortality. I'm my mother's caregiver and I worry about her. But I worry about me too. I can't hike and walk like I used to, my feet don't like me and I don't like them. I can hear my joints rubbing against each other, especially in my neck. My handwriting has gotten worse. There are days it hurts too much to type. I spend more time than I should coughing up phlegm. I don't sleep particularly well and that makes me even more paranoid. I'm getting older and I don't think it will end well. My family is long lived but I'm not sure.
These toxic politics have made things worse. I see pagans more interested in making their mark than in nurturing the Earth. I see devotion to the gods replaced by tribal identity. I see the endless oneupmanship and "gotcha" attacks. I see us concentrating on our differences rather than what we share. And I think I have been too big a part of that.
The sun still rose this morning. It was particularly gorgeous, but I only noticed after I took the trash out. I stopped to think then, I had not greeted the sun in more than a month. Thoughts of death pushed thoughts of dawn out of my head. Only happenstance made me notice. That's not who I want to be. That's not what I want to share.
I still have time. I do not know how much. But some.
I've had three deaths in the past month. One a friend, one an uncle, and one person who I did not get along with.
I really don't think these "poor little me" bits are healthy, but my blogging took a hit and I wanted people to know why. Since my companion passed last fall, I'm not dealing well with people I know passing.
The friend wasn't a close friend, just someone I had known for a long time.
My uncle was my mother's older brother. You know that old story about the oldest son being allowed to get away with anything because he was the older son? That was my uncle. He was the troublemaker. Still, he did things mostly right. He gave the world two sons and laid the groundwork for many grandchildren. He was a party guy, but he'd bend over backwards and jump for family and his friends. This was the guy who'd take you fishing and hunting and then help you bury bodies.
And then there was the other person. We kept bumping into each other over the years. There were a few epic arguments. I can't blame it all on her. She did win in the end though. She left special instructions that I be invited to the funeral. What was I supposed to do with that? Say no? Tell her family that I couldn't be bothered?
People passing makes me think of mortality. I'm my mother's caregiver and I worry about her. But I worry about me too. I can't hike and walk like I used to, my feet don't like me and I don't like them. I can hear my joints rubbing against each other, especially in my neck. My handwriting has gotten worse. There are days it hurts too much to type. I spend more time than I should coughing up phlegm. I don't sleep particularly well and that makes me even more paranoid. I'm getting older and I don't think it will end well. My family is long lived but I'm not sure.
These toxic politics have made things worse. I see pagans more interested in making their mark than in nurturing the Earth. I see devotion to the gods replaced by tribal identity. I see the endless oneupmanship and "gotcha" attacks. I see us concentrating on our differences rather than what we share. And I think I have been too big a part of that.
The sun still rose this morning. It was particularly gorgeous, but I only noticed after I took the trash out. I stopped to think then, I had not greeted the sun in more than a month. Thoughts of death pushed thoughts of dawn out of my head. Only happenstance made me notice. That's not who I want to be. That's not what I want to share.
I still have time. I do not know how much. But some.
John McConnell & Earth Day
Saturday, 28Apr2018
❝Much of the justification for "establishing" a Greater Pagan Community® is so that certain individuals can get the adoration and deference they believe they deserve.❞— NeoWayland, Greater Pagan Community®
In the spirt of the season
Wednesday, 21Mar2018
“I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It's just that the translations have gone wrong.”
Everything has a price
Thursday, 01Mar2018
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
Grand Canyon officially 99
Monday, 26Feb2018
“Sound and color can be used to 'play' the human body like a musical instrument and put it in a healthier state of being.”
Blue Moon Eclipse
Tuesday, 23Jan2018
Today
Friday, 22Dec2017
❝Every moral absolute I’ve ever encountered depends on cultural or religious assumptions that probably aren’t shared by all people present.❞— NeoWayland, as a rule, absolutes don’t
Journal 19Nov2017
Sunday, 19Nov2017
Moore put a Decalogue monument in court. At night. With very few people knowing until the next day. Moore is on record as saying that man's law is under God's law. That is not something you want to hear a judge say, especially when you don't share his religion.
Read More...Jounal 13Nov2017
Monday, 13Nov2017
“Personal’s not the same as important. People just think it is.”— Terry Pratchett, Lords and Ladies
“Speak To The Sky” (pagan version)
Thursday, 02Nov2017
She died
Thursday, 19Oct2017
When Goya painted this around 1800, the Catholic Church had banned the display of artistic nudes.
Read More...☥ ✰ ❝Sincerity does not equal competence.❞
Saturday, 12Aug2017
“If you're sure I love you, you can raise your hand to me & I'll roll over for petting. But if not, expect that hand to be bitten off.”
Journal 11Aug2017
Friday, 11Aug2017
Jounal 04Aug2017
Friday, 04Aug2017
My companion pointed out to me last night that I've never shown a a picture of my raven pendant on the site.
Read More...☥ ✰ ❝The spiritual world is not unlike the natural world …❞
Friday, 28Jul2017
Margot Adler • Before passing day
Lived 16Apr1946 to 28July2014 (68)
American author, journalist, lecturer, Wiccan priestess and radio journalist
“The spiritual world is not unlike the natural world: only diversity will save it.”
☥ ▽ ❝…without being bound by them.❞
Thursday, 20Jul2017
Alex Sanders • deceased birthday
Lived 06Jun1926 to 30Apr1988 (58)
Self-proclaimed "King of Witches," founder of the Alexanderian tradition of witchcraft. Plagiarist and publicity addict.
Special harvest
Tuesday, 11Jul2017
“There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.”— George Carlin
≠ ✰ Farrar Day
Wednesday, 28Jun2017
Stewart Farrar * deceased birthday
Lived 28Jun1916 to 07Feb2000 (83)
Witch, author, novelist. May have encouraged the sexual initiation of minor girls.
≠ ✰ Gardner Day
Tuesday, 13Jun2017
≠ ✰ Sanders Day
Tuesday, 06Jun2017
Alex Sanders • deceased birthday
Lived 06Jun1926 to 30Apr1988 (58)
Self-proclaimed "King of Witches," founder of the Alexanderian tradition of witchcraft. Plagiarist and publicity addict.
☥ ❝You saw a hurting you could help…❞
Thursday, 11May2017
Last night I wrapped myself in the blanket and spent a long time watching the flames in my small fire.
Read More...Solitary
Wednesday, 10May2017
❝Do I think I can change the universe? I already have. Can I make it better? Maybe.❞
— NeoWayland
☥ ▽ ❝I never learned from a man who agreed with me.❞
Monday, 08May2017
🚀 Seven
Friday, 05May2017
Gateway to summer
Thursday, 04May2017
While these won't be necessarily pagan, they help show that life doesn't need clothing.
Read More...Moment in the morning
Monday, 01May2017
Merry meet on this fine May Day. Before the dawn and the kiss of the sun, I've just come in from talking to the night and the stars.I was worried that it might be too windy for my Welcome to Summer bash, but it was perfect. Good thing too, it doesn't make much sense to welcome summer from the inside.
The food was great, the company was better, but the highlight was my hair of the bear. I'm exhibitionist enough to enjoy stripping off my shirt. And I really groove on the female attention and fingers in my hair. They didn't cut off as much as I thought they would this year.
Mind, body, and spirit. I love the sensation and knowing that in this time, in this place, what I feel touches all aspects of me.
It is the connections that bring us to life.
I think I will go see if my companion is awake.
Then I want to greet the summer sun.
Today's really twenty-nine
Friday, 28Apr2017
★ Arbor Day (Arizona observance)
Friday, 28Apr2017
❝We have to laugh at ourselves. No one else would take us seriously enough.❞— NeoWayland, How to be Pagan for a day
Home
Tuesday, 25Apr2017
“The first law of ecology is that everything is related to everything else.”— Barry Commoner, first law of ecology
NeoNotes — 10th anniversary of “Pentacle Quest”
Sunday, 23Apr2017
If you don't like gambling or shows, there's not much that sets Las Vegas apart.
Read More...≠ Earth Day - customary
Saturday, 22Apr2017
This is not the Earth Day I celebrate.
My entry on Earth Day and politics.
☥ ✰ Adler Day
Sunday, 16Apr2017
Margot Adler • Before birthday
Lived 16Apr1946 to 28July2014 (68)
American author, journalist, lecturer, Wiccan priestess and radio journalist
Dating obsessively
Wednesday, 12Apr2017
Donald Michael Kraig • deceased birthday
Lived 28March1951 to 07March2014
American occult author and practitioner of ceremonial magic
Author, lecturer, hypnotherapist, Magician, Tantric
🚀 Rocketman
Wednesday, 12Apr2017
Clean
Sunday, 09Apr2017
It's the last bright moon before Summergate, the Lady Moon is entering the Court of Stars and I am ready.
For what I am not sure.
Read More...≠ ✰ Kraig Day
Tuesday, 28Mar2017
Donald Michael Kraig • deceased birthday
Lived 28March1951 to 07March2014
American occult author and practitioner of ceremonial magic
Author, lecturer, hypnotherapist, Magician, Tantric
≠ ✰ ❝Any and all religions are real…❞
Tuesday, 28Mar2017
I've been up all night with the sound of the night in my ears. Also aroused. And no companion around.
Read More...★ Earth Day (original) as “the first day of spring”
Tuesday, 21Mar2017
21Mar1970 San Francisco
My entry on Earth Day and politics.
≠ ✰ ❝Magick is not something you do…❞
Tuesday, 07Mar2017
Solstice snow
Thursday, 22Dec2016
The first snowfall of the year in my high desert was about a half hour and melted as soon as it fell.
Last night I was keeping vigil, well, sort of. My knees don't like me these days, so I can't kneel in front of the fireplace for extended times anymore. But I was still feeding the fire and still meditating. About 22:30 or so I noticed that the streets were wet and I thought that was the rain we were expecting. Then I noticed that the car had snow on the top. So it was a very wet snow. Somewhere about 4 it started sticking, and as I write this at 8:22 it is coming down slowly but steadily.
Today marks the last day of Starwell, my version of the solstice. I'll need to go check on my mother later. Obviously I don't want her going outside in the snow.
I'm winter-born, so a good snow always touches my soul in a quiet joyful way. I could watch it for hours. I did watch it for hours.
Mostly my high Arizona desert gets mild weather. Not too hot in the summer, not too much rain, and not too much snow.
I'm thankful that I have snow, a fireplace, and a big set of windows to watch it this day.
Take joy in the day as the light returns.
Last night I was keeping vigil, well, sort of. My knees don't like me these days, so I can't kneel in front of the fireplace for extended times anymore. But I was still feeding the fire and still meditating. About 22:30 or so I noticed that the streets were wet and I thought that was the rain we were expecting. Then I noticed that the car had snow on the top. So it was a very wet snow. Somewhere about 4 it started sticking, and as I write this at 8:22 it is coming down slowly but steadily.
Today marks the last day of Starwell, my version of the solstice. I'll need to go check on my mother later. Obviously I don't want her going outside in the snow.
I'm winter-born, so a good snow always touches my soul in a quiet joyful way. I could watch it for hours. I did watch it for hours.
Mostly my high Arizona desert gets mild weather. Not too hot in the summer, not too much rain, and not too much snow.
I'm thankful that I have snow, a fireplace, and a big set of windows to watch it this day.
Take joy in the day as the light returns.
Winter begins
Sunday, 06Nov2016
I've not been handling people very well this season. I'm glad that winter is finally beginning.
Wintergate is my three day WebTree High Holiday that marks the gateway between autumn and winter. The middle day (tomorrow) of the holiday is the cross quarter day or midpoint between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice.
Wintergate also marks my semi-annual Hair ot the Bear. I did it myself yesterday this year. This autumn made me prickly, I've been trying not to take it out on the people around me that I care about. That includes my companions, bless their hearts. Well, my mood should start improving in a couple of days. Then I owe them both big time.
So it's with shorter hair and hot chocolate that I anticipate this High Holiday. Solar Festivals last from dawn to dawn, but High Holidays last from sunset to sunset. I still have a few hours to prepare.
And that means I need to put this entry up.
Bright & Dark Blessings, everyone.
Wintergate is my three day WebTree High Holiday that marks the gateway between autumn and winter. The middle day (tomorrow) of the holiday is the cross quarter day or midpoint between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice.
Wintergate also marks my semi-annual Hair ot the Bear. I did it myself yesterday this year. This autumn made me prickly, I've been trying not to take it out on the people around me that I care about. That includes my companions, bless their hearts. Well, my mood should start improving in a couple of days. Then I owe them both big time.
So it's with shorter hair and hot chocolate that I anticipate this High Holiday. Solar Festivals last from dawn to dawn, but High Holidays last from sunset to sunset. I still have a few hours to prepare.
And that means I need to put this entry up.
Bright & Dark Blessings, everyone.
Before this Year ends
Tuesday, 25Oct2016
❝The simple answer is that moral responsibility is always a personal choice. You can't compel virtue or it ceases to be virtue.❞
— NeoWayland
NeoNotes — The name thing
Sunday, 02Oct2016
Because this post discusses child sexuality, the entry text has been removed from the front page and the category pages. Click the post title above or the link below to load.
Read More...A brief update
Wednesday, 14Sep2016
No significance
Sunday, 19Jun2016
Daily
Friday, 03Jun2016
Since I don't have much time this week, I thought talk about the daily things we sometimes overlook.
Read More...Welcome to summer
Monday, 02May2016
As my regular readers know, I don't celebrate Baltaine as such. I celebrate Summergate, a three day High Holiday that starts on sunset Tuesday. The cross-quarter day is on May 4th this year.
However, at the end of April and the end of October every year, I host small dinner parties. The highlight of these parties is the Hair of the Bear, my semi-annual haircut. I'm reserved in public, and this is one of my chances to let loose a little bit.
This year it's a bit cooler than I like. And we had scattered rainstorms, so the party was inside. Then the heat pump blower quit (on a Saturday), I built a fire in the fireplace (fire GOOD grunts Neo).
I wasn't in charge of the menu, it was a potluck of everyone's favorite summer dishes. Somebody brought catfish grilled in cornmeal. When it's done right, that's one of the most delicious things ever.
I don't think the ladies quite got the full three inches, but I can live with it. My hair is short for summer.
However, at the end of April and the end of October every year, I host small dinner parties. The highlight of these parties is the Hair of the Bear, my semi-annual haircut. I'm reserved in public, and this is one of my chances to let loose a little bit.
This year it's a bit cooler than I like. And we had scattered rainstorms, so the party was inside. Then the heat pump blower quit (on a Saturday), I built a fire in the fireplace (fire GOOD grunts Neo).
I wasn't in charge of the menu, it was a potluck of everyone's favorite summer dishes. Somebody brought catfish grilled in cornmeal. When it's done right, that's one of the most delicious things ever.
I don't think the ladies quite got the full three inches, but I can live with it. My hair is short for summer.
Taproot: Through the Woods
Thursday, 10Mar2016
☯ Lady in the Court of…
Tuesday, 09Feb2016
It made my childhood interesting, some of my “imaginary” friends were really there.
Read More...Fireplace
Tuesday, 22Dec2015
I joke about it, but that is the heart of it. Or maybe the hearth. It’s the center.
Read More...Midwinter
Monday, 21Dec2015
More and more I think I was wise to separate my pagan blogging from my political blogging.
Read More...Starwell - Solar Festival
Sunday, 20Dec2015
❝I think that a Greater Pagan Community™ for the sake of the institution is a extraordinarily Bad Idea®.❞Read More...
One less candle on the mantel
Saturday, 14Nov2015
This is not the first controversy with Mr. Day. I do not expect it to be the last. Frankly I don’t care if he is innocent or not. He disrupts.
Read More...Winter
Saturday, 07Nov2015
Bone, Heart, Thought, Deed, and Spirit, I choose to honor these people this season
Read More...Before the Gate of Winter
Tuesday, 27Oct2015
But kids (especially BRIGHT teens) know when you’re different. They like different, they’re attracted to it.
Read More...Flexing your calendar
Tuesday, 30Jun2015
Today is the first day of The Lady in the Court of Stars.
One of these days I really should tell that story. But not today.
No, today I’m going to talk about calendars.
This is a partial list of dates from my Lore and Wyrd calendars. The exact dates don’t matter in this example.
Pay attention to the symbols before the title in each listing.
The ☥ ankh symbol is my shorthand for a Before. Before are those who’ve inspired me and those who I choose to honor by living their example.
The ✰ shadowed star is my shorthand for a pagan.
The ▽ inverted triangle is a symbol for philosophy, I use this to designate philosophers.
The ≠ not equals sign means that I acknowledge but do not celebrate (ABNC). Just because the day is important to other people doesn’t mean that I have to celebrate it. And if you think I have a lot of these days in my Lore and Wyrd calendars, you should see the birthdays and anniversaries in my Kinship calendar.
The ★ solid star shows that this day that while not distinctively pagan is still important to my practice.
Okay, the ⊗ circled times symbol. I don’t want to use the circled cross because of it’s association with the KKK (and yes, my feelings on that go back years). This is a good alternative that maintains the same elemental associations. Of course someone who takes a title based on Wayland is going to celebrate The Firing of the Anvil. Especially someone with strong ties to the American South.
Let’s see how that actually works. As you can see, this is an event from 1971.
The ankh and the inverted triangle tell us that this man is one of my Befores and he’s a philosopher. I’ve used the location field to give more expand the information a bit. This field will also show in the day list view of the iOS calendar or in my preferred option Fantastical.
I’ve included a quick URL so I can call up in-depth information.
I’ve unchecked the “Busy” box so I still show available.
My notes show his lifespan and how old he was when he died.
And I’ve listed some of the things he was known for WITHOUT giving specific works. Otherwise the entry would be way too long and clunky.
The whole purpose of this exercise is that I have a calendar in the palm of my hand that will quickly show me what I need to know for that day.
I haven’t even mentioned my Sky calendar with the astronomical events and symbols.
Have I mentioned that I have a calendar obsession?
Here’s the most important bit.
After the initial setup (and the once a year update on my Sky calendar), I don’t have to worry about it. It’s there. If I absolutely have to I can print it up (and I still do for some events and rituals).
A little bit of work, a little bit of planning, and I’m ready.
One of these days I really should tell that story. But not today.
No, today I’m going to talk about calendars.This is a partial list of dates from my Lore and Wyrd calendars. The exact dates don’t matter in this example.
Pay attention to the symbols before the title in each listing.
The ☥ ankh symbol is my shorthand for a Before. Before are those who’ve inspired me and those who I choose to honor by living their example.
The ✰ shadowed star is my shorthand for a pagan.
The ▽ inverted triangle is a symbol for philosophy, I use this to designate philosophers.
The ≠ not equals sign means that I acknowledge but do not celebrate (ABNC). Just because the day is important to other people doesn’t mean that I have to celebrate it. And if you think I have a lot of these days in my Lore and Wyrd calendars, you should see the birthdays and anniversaries in my Kinship calendar.
The ★ solid star shows that this day that while not distinctively pagan is still important to my practice.
Okay, the ⊗ circled times symbol. I don’t want to use the circled cross because of it’s association with the KKK (and yes, my feelings on that go back years). This is a good alternative that maintains the same elemental associations. Of course someone who takes a title based on Wayland is going to celebrate The Firing of the Anvil. Especially someone with strong ties to the American South.
Let’s see how that actually works. As you can see, this is an event from 1971. The ankh and the inverted triangle tell us that this man is one of my Befores and he’s a philosopher. I’ve used the location field to give more expand the information a bit. This field will also show in the day list view of the iOS calendar or in my preferred option Fantastical.
I’ve included a quick URL so I can call up in-depth information.
I’ve unchecked the “Busy” box so I still show available.
My notes show his lifespan and how old he was when he died.
And I’ve listed some of the things he was known for WITHOUT giving specific works. Otherwise the entry would be way too long and clunky.
The whole purpose of this exercise is that I have a calendar in the palm of my hand that will quickly show me what I need to know for that day.
I haven’t even mentioned my Sky calendar with the astronomical events and symbols.
Have I mentioned that I have a calendar obsession?
Here’s the most important bit.
After the initial setup (and the once a year update on my Sky calendar), I don’t have to worry about it. It’s there. If I absolutely have to I can print it up (and I still do for some events and rituals).
A little bit of work, a little bit of planning, and I’m ready.
Suncrest
Friday, 19Jun2015
You take a plot of land. Now you can grow flowers or vegetables or both. You choose.
Read More...Greet the dawn
Tuesday, 16Jun2015
Twenty-seven
Tuesday, 02Jun2015
Shapes in the Moon
Thursday, 07May2015
Unbearable fun
Thursday, 30Apr2015
Earth Day & politics
Tuesday, 21Apr2015
☯ Lady in the Court of Stars
Tuesday, 04Nov2014
Before the Deepest Night - updated
Tuesday, 28Oct2014
Bone, Heart, Thought, Deed, and Spirit, I choose to honor these people this season
Read More...Good Journey Isaac
Thursday, 12Aug2010
A sun worshiper welcomes summer
Tuesday, 04May2010
"all of that sunshine,
all of that sweet golden sunshine,
that thrills me and fills me and…"
My Earth Day
Thursday, 22Apr2010
❝Individuals have rights. Groups have power plays.❞— NeoWayland, On Pagan Rights
How to be Pagan for a day
Thursday, 30Apr2009
Bone, Heart, Thought, Deed, and Spirit, I choose to honor these people this season
Read More...Greenwood Beltaine - updated
Wednesday, 02May2007
Mistress Moon
Thursday, 13Apr2006
Horizons
Thursday, 30Mar2006
“ZAPHOD BEEBLEBROX IV: I mean what exactly are you doing with your life?Read More...
ZAPHOD BEEBLEBROX: I'm being attacked by a Vogon Fleet.
ZB IV: Doesn't surprise me in the least.”—The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy radio series, Fit the Ninth
Reflections in a laptop screen
Monday, 06Mar2006
Wheel
Wednesday, 18Jan2006
