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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The Minoan Autumn Holiday Season

Posted by on in Paths Blogs

The Ariadne's Tribe sacred calendar doesn't look like the eightfold Wheel of the Year that many modern Pagans are familiar with. Instead, we based our calendar specifically on Mediterranean seasonal cycles (the Minoans came from the island of Crete in the Mediterranean) as well as archaeological and ethnological evidence about the Minoans' religious practices.

So instead of a neatly balanced eight-spoke wheel, our calendar has some festivals that are spread out across the months and others that cluster together. One of those clusters - the biggest one - is my focus today.

The Mysteries are the centerpiece of what we think may have been a multi-week Minoan holiday season in the autumn, similar to our modern western winter holiday season.

In the Tribe calendar, this holiday season begins with the Feast of Grapes (August 31), and continues with the Mysteries (September 1-10) and the agricultural New Year (Autumn Equinox, September 22 or so).

We originally considered that cluster to be our full "holiday season," but then we began exploring the "sailing side" of Minoan culture, we realized that the sailors and overseas traders also had a seasonal calendar based on the natural cycles of the winds and the sea.

In the Mediterranean, the sailing season begins in the spring when the winds turn friendly. In MMP, we celebrate it with the Blessing of the Ships.

And in the autumn, the season ends when the winds shift again and it's no longer safe to put to sea. We call the end of the season Harbor Home, and we celebrate it on the third Monday in October. 

So you can enjoy the holiday season that ends today on the equinox. Or you can extend it to Harbor Home, the time when the sailing families' loved ones finally returned and everyone was safely home again. Because there's nothing better than having everyone home for the holidays.

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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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