Mighty Brighid, keeper of the flame,
blazing in the darkness of winter.
O goddess, we honor you, bringer of light,
healer, exalted one.
Bless us now, hearth mother,
that we may be as fruitful as the soil itself,
and our lives abundant and fertile.
Prayer to Brighid, Keeper of the Flame. ( Source )
“Magic, madam, is like wine and, if you are not used to it, it will make you drunk.”
~ Susanna Clarke, The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories
I’m someone who was raised as a Pagan throughout my childhood; The flavor may have changed over the years as my parents experimented and searched for their right path, but all in all, my childhood memories are filled with the rather interesting activities that come with being Pagan.
I was absolutely blessed in the Pagan parents department because my mom and dad both worked hard to make sure my siblings and learned about different parts of Paganism in ways we could understand. They taught us about the holidays and showed us ways to celebrate them, taught us the “rules”, answered our questions, helped us learn from books, but most importantly they included us in rituals and acts of magic. On top of that, everything was done in a way that really made everything normal for the three of us: it wasn’t weird, it just was.
Continue reading “Growing Up Pagan: Why the Pagan Community Needs to Embrace Their Youth”“O! Mighty goddess, in silvery ice,
watching over us as we sleep,
a layer of shining white,
covering the earth each night,
frost on the world and in the soul,
we thank you for visiting us.
Because of you, we seek warmth
in the comfort of our homes and hearths.”
“It only takes a few minutes in the morning to use gratitude to Have A Magical Day by giving thanks for the events in your day ahead of time, but this one practice alone will change the way your entire day unfolds.”
~The Magic
“Magic is a matter of focusing the disciplined will. But sometimes the will must be abandoned. The secret lies in knowing when to exercise control, and when to let go.”
― Marion Zimmer Bradley, Lady of Avalon
“As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don’t expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses…. I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death — if you aren’t as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach.”
— J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
“There are some things, after all, that Sally Owens knows for certain: Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder. Keep rosemary by your garden gate. Add pepper to your mashed potatoes. Plant roses and lavender, for luck. Fall in love whenever you can.”
~ Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic
“Of course you don’t believe in fairies. You’re fifteen. You think I believed in fairies at fifteen? Took me until I was at least a hundred and forty. Hundred and fifty, maybe. Anyway, he wasn’t a fairy. He was a librarian. All right?”
~Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 6: Fables and Reflections
For the most part, Pagans are readers. We have no one path and no one text – so we rely on a variety of sources for inspiration. Building your own Pagan bookshelf can be confusing – so here are a few titles to get you started. Many, if not most, are available as Kindle books as well. Continue reading “Building your Pagan Bookshelf!”
“Someone needs to tell those tales. When the battles are fought and won and lost, when the pirates find their treasures and the dragons eat their foes for breakfast with a nice cup of Lapsang souchong, someone needs to tell their bits of overlapping narrative. There’s magic in that. It’s in the listener, and for each and every ear it will be different, and it will affect them in ways they can never predict. From the mundane to the profound. You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone’s soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows what they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift. Your sister may be able to see the future, but you yourself can shape it, boy. Do not forget that… there are many kinds of magic, after all.”
~ Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus
“Real magic is not about gaining power over others: it is about gaining power over yourself.”
Magic is not a practice. It is a living, breathing web of energy that, with our permission, can encase our every action.
“Love and compassion are not tender but rather invincible powers of our being that channel tremendous cosmic waves. They do not need a secure environment to be revealed; they can be expressed proudly and openly even in the most strident and noisy marketplace and in the face of strong opposing forces.”
~ Unlocking the 7 Secret Powers of the Heart: A Practical Guide to Living in Trust and Love
“Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.”
―
I want to be magic. I want to touch the heart of the world and make it smile. I want to be a friend of elves and live in a tree. Or under a hill. I want to marry a moonbeam and hear the stars sing. I don’t want to pretend at magic anymore. I want to be magic.
~ CHARLES DE LINT, attributed, Creatureton High
Join us Wednesday, December 18, 2019,
at Rockford Unitarian Universalist
for a family-friendly ritual to celebrate the arrival of the shortest day and longest night!
This Yule Ritual will be led by Allen and begins at 6 PM. Snacks and desserts served after the ritual.
“Magic is a method of talking to the universe in words that it cannot ignore.”
~ NEIL GAIMAN, The Books of Magic: The Invisible Labyrinth
Sandra’s seen a leprechaun,
Eddie touched a troll,
Laurie danced with witches once,
Charlie found some goblins gold.
Donald heard a mermaid sing,
Susy spied an elf,
But all the magic I have known
I’ve had to make myself.
~ SHEL SILVERSTEIN, “Magic”
When you’re touched by magic, nothing’s ever quite the same again. What really makes me sad is all those people who never have the chance to know that touch. They’re too busy, or they just don’t hold with make-believe, so they shut the door without really knowing it was there to be opened in the first place.
~ CHARLES DE LINT, What the Mouse Found and Other Stories
