Ariadne's Tribe: Minoan Spirituality for the Modern World

Walk the sacred labyrinth with Ariadne, the Minotaur, the Great Mothers, Dionysus, and the rest of the Minoan family of deities. Ariadne's Tribe is an independent spiritual tradition that brings the deities of the ancient Minoans alive in the modern world. We're a revivalist tradition, not a reconstructionist one. We rely heavily on shared gnosis and the practical realities of Paganism in the modern world. Ariadne's thread reaches across the millennia to connect us with the divine. Will you follow where it leads?

Find out all about Ariadne's Tribe at ariadnestribe.com. We're an inclusive, welcoming tradition, open to all who share our love for the Minoan deities and respect for our fellow human beings.

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Summer Solstice: Celebrating Modern Minoan Paganism

Here in the northern hemisphere, we're coming up to Summer Solstice, the height of the Sun's power over the yearly solar cycle, a time to celebrate the Minoan Sun goddess Therasia and the solar year-king Dionysus. In the Mediterranean, where the ancient Minoans lived on the island of Crete, this was (and still is) an incredibly hot, dry time of year - the Sun's power is overwhelming.

As modern Pagans, we have multiple options for what to focus on and how to celebrate this special point in the year. Most of us probably don't have the resources to put on a huge Midsummer mystery play the way the ancient Minoans probably did at their big temples. But we can celebrate with modern-style ritual that focuses on the Minoan deities who are associated with this time of year.

Like Egyptian civilization, Minoan society lasted for centuries. And like the Egyptians, the Minoans added layer upon layer to their religious practices. They didn't so much substitute new deities and rituals for old ones, as simply add them to an ever-more-complicated sacred calendar that was eventually probably really full. So we have options from within all those layers, in terms of what to focus on for Summer Solstice (or any other time of year, really). Choose what speaks to you and has meaning in your life.

The Minoan god Dionysus holds a special place in the pantheon. He's the solar year-king, the son of the Earth mother goddess Rhea and the embodiment of the turning cycle of the year, as well as the Vine God, a shamanic/ecstatic vegetation deity associated with the grape harvest. He's the highest-ranking male deity from ancient Crete, which is why the Greeks ended up calling him "Cretan Zeus" - they equated him with their highest god. At Midsummer, he takes part in the sacred marriage with Ariadne, his partner and equal. June is for weddings, right?

If you want to peer back a little further into the past, you can focus instead (or also) on the Minoan Sun goddess Therasia. She rides through the sky at the height of her power, heating up the world and showing off her glory. She is Fire of Heaven, and all fires on Earth are also hers. So if you want to make a hot day even hotter, light a bonfire in her honor, and wear her sacred color: red.

Merry Midsummer to you all!

In the name of the bee,

And of the butterfly,

And of the breeze, amen.

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Laura Perry is a priestess and creator who works magic with words, paint, ink, music, textiles, and herbs. She's the founder and Temple Mom of Ariadne's Tribe, an inclusive Minoan spiritual tradition. When she's not busy drawing and writing, you can find her in the garden or giving living history demonstrations at local historic sites.

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