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It's Faithful Friday and we've gathered stories on spirituality and religion from around the world. A tribute to Margot Adler, how do we pass along Paganism to the next generation, Lammas, modern atheism and much more. Happy Lammas and enjoy the weekend!
Peg Aloi suggests a fitting memorial for Margot Adler in Central Park, New York City.
Religious News Service reports on the question of passing along Paganism to the next generation.
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The problem with being a creature of habit is that it takes SO much effort to change my habits.
Way back in April I made a decision to break my bad habit of distracting myself from my own life by re-reading my favorite books for hours every day. I had no idea it would be so difficult.
I've changed my habits before. I went from a processed crap diet to a home-cooked vegan diet a few years ago, completely changing a lifetime's worth of habits relating to how and what I ate over the course of a single month. Why was that easier to accomplish than breaking my too-much-reading habit?
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For those of you who are new to the Tarot Blog hop, the idea behind this is that the Tarot community joins together every six weeks to blog on a specific topic. That topic is proposed by whomever is wrangling the hop. We began in 2012 with an Imbolc hop that asked, "How can I be a better candle." This is our third year. The bloggers change and we are always happy for more to join us. You can learn more here. All those who work to promote camaraderie and community within the Tarot world are welcome.
This time I'm publishing my post here at my SageWoman blog, Tarot Templates. I wanted to loop this community in because there are some amazing blogs here as well. I hope some of the Tarot and Divination bloggers here will consider joining us for the Mabon Tarot Blog Hop.
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Merry meet! Welcome to The Burning Cauldron. I’ll be writing about how to make potions, elixirs, condensers, ritual incense and oils. From time to time I may post information about other items you can create for use in your practice and worship. For today I thought I’d start with how to make potions.
“That’s great,” you say, “but what is a potion? What does it do?” Glad you asked.
As my family prepares for Lughnasadh by building a fire pit -- digging the area, laying a foundation of bricks and gravel -- I'm reminded in these tasks of returning to the foundation of my practice. I mentioned in my last post how I reconnect when it's been a while since I honored the sacred: at times of reconnection or high stress, I go "back to basics," which for me involves simple steps in grounding and meditation. Whether these tools are foreign or familiar to you, I'd like to walk you through my process, using tools from a variety of traditions.
Step 1: Breathe
This is also my Rule #1 for all the challenges I meet in life, and I teach my children this as well. Sit or lay in a comfortable position, and take a deep breath. Let it fill your chest and abdomen, causing both to rise. Inhale to a slow count of six, hold the breath to the count of two, and exhale to the count of eight. Repeat two more times, and then breathe normally, but remaining focused on the process. This mindful breathing has been scientifically verified to alter brain chemistry, which can ease stress, reduce cortisol, affect the heart, and improve certain medical conditions (see research by Herbert Benson for supportive studies).
Step 2: Ground
Sometimes I feel I could float away, at other times I feel disconnected from Source and Spirit. If you have that head-in-the-clouds feeling either from distraction or stress, and need to focus, moving from the deep breathing exercise to this will help. Imagine your legs and coccyx (tailbone) are the roots of a great tree. Inch them down into the soil, reaching for the bedrock below. Do this until you feel fully connected to earth energy (if you feel daring, you can even reach your tailbone root all the way to the core of the earth, drawing from the center and the molten rock between). Draw energy up from the roots and feel it filling you from your toes up to your head. While doing this, I combine grounding with ...
Today, we've got seven stories about Earth, her people, and our spiritual paths. Enjoy!
An underground greenhouse promises year-round veggies. Have you heard of this? Would you try it?
In Britain, the couple who built the "hobbit house" are still fighting to keep their dream alive.
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Lughnasadh is all about the corn, and I am not referring to the effectively creepy Stephen King short story. You simply cannot celebrate without featuring this sweet juicy veggie in some way, shape, or form. Instead of reserving it as an afterthought or side dish, place it front and center and celebrate it! There are many local and small-town corn festivals that you can attend. That way everything is ready-made and ready-to-go. One of the oldest in Wisconsin makes its home in Sun Prairie. According to their Chamber of Commerce website, its humble origins date all the way back to 1953. I do have fond memories of munching the delectable cobs as a youngster there. You could douse them to your heart's content from salt shakers hanging from the tops of tents. The Sun Prairie Sweet Corn Festival has now extended to four days and serves some 100,000 corn enthusiasts. There is a craft fair, parade, tractor pull, music, contests, and all the corn your can eat. Make a road trip of it with your favorite corny companions, and spend the day in farm country. Even if you don't plan to attend them all, it's fun to peruse the different websites. You can view pictures of people dressed as scarecrows and enjoying the harvest activities offered in each locale.
The Corn/Grain Moon will be making an appearance on Sunday the 10th, and this is indeed an ancient food honored by Aztec and American Indians. To get you in the mood, I have a healthy recipe to sample, since it is a Lammas classic combo of bread and corn:
PARMESAN-CORN BREAD MUFFINS
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