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Lithuanians tell of
Giltine, the death goddess
Long nose, even longer tongue
dripping deadly venom
Clad in a white sheet
Found in cemeteries
seeking coffins’ contents
her poison’s source
She bites, strangles, suffocates 
a million ways to die
Giltine knows no obstacles
fences mean nothing
doors open themselves
She’s an unseen shadow
but you will hear her whip
cracking thrice in the air
or the clatter of her bone rattle
Feel a sudden shiver
She’s looked you in the face
and moved on…this time
Though a Patroness of healers
do not interfere with her will
tricking her is possible
but all measures are temporary
She will come for you
There is no escaping fate
Look where she stands
to know thy future
foot of the bed, recovery
head of the bed
say your prayers
your life is done.

I have spent two and a half years preparing to move across country. It has not been easy.

When I told my spiritual advisor I wanted to move because I am miserable here, she responded, "I don't want you leaving till you're happy there. I don't want you running from something; I want you running toward something."

The advice was sound, even though I'd already worked hard at being happy here. So I set about finding a new level of happiness. Mind you, I wasn't completely forlorn. I already had immense joy and self-fulfillment. And I'm aware that happiness is an inside job. There's just a lot here I loathe.

I struggle with chronic pain.  Between arthritis and some old injuries, there are days when breathing hurts.  If you go to the doctor and tell them you’re in pain they always ask – on a scale of one to ten what level are you at.  My good days are fives.  

When I have a bad day, when I’ve elevated to an eight or nine, it is difficult to cope but I try to find ways to cope because I still have to go to work and deal with daily life.

For Week 1 of March for The Pagan Experience.

Vanatru is a wholly modern religion.

In today's Fiery Tuesday roundup, we concentrate on activism in today's Pagan movement. Several intersecting articles: black Pagans talk about Black History month; PCon and "Bringing Race to the Table;" #Black Lives Matter; the myth of "making your own reality;" Pagan Environmental Network.

February was Black History month, and Wild Hunt contributor Crystal Blanton offers the perspective of a number of black Pagans its significance.

People are still unpacking the issues of racism at Pantheacon. P Lupus offers a modest evaluation and links to the podcast of the "Bringing Race to the Table" panel discussion from the conference in this post.

In Which Our Intrepid Blogger Speaks with Artist, Herbalist, and Witch-at-Large

 Sarah Anne Lawless Concerning Her Ground-Breaking Print, Lord of the Beasts,

and Sundry Other Matters

Sarah, who is the Horned to you?

The Horned Ones to me are the great spirits of the wild lands and forests. They are not male or female, but both and neither. In the lore of animistic cultures around the world and through time there always seems to be a male or female spirit, or one of each, that is the guardian or protector of a particular forest or land mass and who is Lord or Lady of all the flora and fauna that dwell within it. Their horns are a weapon as much as they are a crown, and symbol of power and otherworldly knowledge.