On Sunday, December 23rd, one of the strongest, most intense, women I have ever known passed from this world to the next after a hard fight against cancer. In the past four years she had fought and beat cancer four times, but this fifth round proved(…)
Author Archives: Lairbhan
Modern Altars
It seems that most modern pagans have or use altars of some type. Sometimes permanent, sometimes transitory, the altar is often the focal point of worship, a place we can connect to our Gods in an active way. A place to go when we need something to focus(…)
Yule 2012
Happy Yule and a merry solstice to all!
Yule is always one of the busiest times of year for me; as I mentioned last year I have usually approached Yule form a strictly Germanic/Norse perspective but have recently started trying to incorporate more Irish and Druidic aspects. Since the heathen Yule celebration lasts for 12 nights its been hard to work in anything else – which is complicated by the very limited Irish folklore and practices. This year I am going to attempt to juggle four different types of celebration.
Grian, Goddess of the Sun
I blogged back in June about Aine and mentioned there her sister Grian; I also discussed Aine’s connection to the summer solstice. As we quickly approach the winter(…)
The Rosc – Spoken Spells in Druidic Magic
In studying the Druids and wider Celtic folk magic one particular type of magic is commonly found – the rosc. Rosc is defined as a rhetorical composition or chant, although the electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language (eDIL) suggests that the(…)
Prayer for Sandy Hook Victims
Yesterday my state was rocked by one of the most horrific school shootings this country has ever seen. As I followed the developing news story I found myself trying to comprehend the horror that the victims and their families were dealing with.(…)
Sacred Symbols
In my experience many pagans have a sacred symbol that represents their belief, if only to them. These symbols may be somewhat mainstream, like the pentacle, or less well known, like the irminsul, but they all serve as a touchstone of the religion(…)
Reflections on Life and Legacy
I awoke this past Tuesday morning from a very strange dream, most likely rooted in seeing too many previews for the new movie the Hobbit. In the dream I was traveling with a group of dwarves and an elf – picture the ones from the movie and you’ll(…)
Thoughts on the Holidays
My first blog is up on the Hartford FAVS site. http://hartfordfavs.com/faith/doctrine-and-practice/tis-the-season It’s basically me ruminating on holiday traditions in 500 words, and my opinion on the idea that any tradition belongs to any one group (…)
Pregnancy and Birth in Norse Tradition
As with my earlier post in August on Irish pregnancy traditions there is not a lot of information to be found on traditional pregnancy(…)