Holidays Part 3

I had a flurry of witchy activities at the end of October and the beginning of November, and I am looking forward to the holidays and activities to come.  Inspired by Allec's holiday post, I decided to write about my own practices, upcoming and past, true and hypothetical.  See the January-March post and the April-June post for more information,

 

July.  I try to travel in July.  This year I went to San Juan, Puerto Rico for a week, and next year I am going to Cuernavaca, Mexico for a month. When I travel, I like to live in a home-stay and immerse myself as fully as I can in my experience.  My spirituality takes simple forms like chants on the beach, saltwater collection, and quiet moments of reflection at the tops of pyramids.  I don't typically do ritual or even meditate much.  I say simple prayers and try to open myself to the energy of the people and place I find myself in.

 

If I am in town, I do something small for US Independence Day.  I am somehow both a radical and a patriot, so Independence Day is a mixed bag for me, but I do something.  This year, my parents came over for dinner.  We had chana masala and horchata and then sat on my roof and watched other people's fireworks.

August.  August brings Lammas and back-to-school preparations.  This is a time of endings (summer) and the new year (school year).  Last year, I made giant batches of tamales around Lammas time, but this year I didn't because there were so many meetings around that time.  I went to a Lughnasadh ritual with the UU group in which we reflected on this year's harvest so far.  I like to buy myself a small gift for the upcoming school year, like a gem to carry or a necklace to wear.  Catching up with co-workers, meeting my new students, and setting up the classroom is very exciting, and I am ready for school to begin, even though I miss the summertime freedom to sleep in, stay up late, and have lunch dates with friends.

September.  This year I ran a race as an offering to Inanna around equinox time, and I plan to make that an annual occurrence.  I decided to focus on one goddess a year, from Samhain to the autumn equinox, and then have a time of discernment for the next year's goddess between the equinox and Samhain.  For the upcoming year, I am working with Brigid by tending her flame every 20 days, though I still honor Inanna in my prayers and offerings and have immense gratitude for her ongoing blessings in my life.

 

The main deity I experience is the Earth Mother; I am essentially a pantheist with an earth-centered mindset, but I value the gods and goddesses of many cultures for what they can teach us as well.  My experience of honoring Inanna for only three months was life-altering, as I wrote about in an article for the promotional fall 2013 issue of Cross Quarterly.  Working with deities with names, faces, and myths is very useful.