tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17806290134284445722025-12-19T16:16:16.631+00:00thoughts on life as a Pagan FriendUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger640125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-2590408678054339822025-10-17T16:47:00.001+01:002025-10-17T16:47:32.752+01:00

Hello, everybody!  Exciting news: There's a new, updated website for A Winter Solstice Singing Ritual: http://www.awssr.co.uk/(You can also find redirects from http://awintersolsticesingingritual.co.uk/ and http://awintersolsticesingingritual.com/)The previous bottleneck towards re-publishing is finally resolved -- such a relief! -- so this is the next step in my project

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-15627782189299774812025-09-23T17:38:00.004+01:002025-09-23T17:38:55.920+01:00

QUIP (Quakers Uniting in Publications) is having our autumn meeting in early October.  This year I'll be on the blogging panel!  But there's lots of other neat stuff happening too.  Registration at https://www.quakerquip.com/.  [There's Still Time to Register!QUIP Fall Hybrid Meeting 2025Residential at Pendle Hill, PA, andonline via ZoomThursday October 2

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-19778137754106798392025-09-16T13:49:00.003+01:002025-09-16T13:49:41.563+01:00

 Hello, friends,This post is an update about getting copies in the US of A Winter Solstice Singing Ritual book and CD, which Julie Forest Middleton and I co-authored:  There are exactly ZERO completely new copies of A Winter Solstice Singing Ritual that are available legally and ethically in the US.  Julie has none left.  Emerald Earth Publishing ceased trading

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-44422315458407055332025-09-10T17:54:00.003+01:002025-09-10T17:54:34.544+01:00

Hello, readers!  Yes, it's been a long time since I've actually written-written. I had a really interesting conversation recently about writing, and not-writing, with another member of QUIP (Quakers Uniting in Publications).  She's on the planning committee for our conference / program / annual meeting in early October, and we were talking about me maybe being on a panel there

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-19339259680926239432022-02-01T15:55:00.004+00:002022-02-01T15:55:30.888+00:00

Blessed Brigid / Candlemas / Imbolc!It's still winter, it's still cold and dark, but the days are definitely longer.  In some locales, the sap is starting to rise.  Brigid is a Triple Goddess of Smithcraft, Healing, and Poetry.  What creative sap is starting to rise in you?  

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-13889015489983822092021-12-06T21:16:00.005+00:002021-12-06T21:20:04.539+00:00

bread and roses spiritual nurture invites you tothe 25th AnnualWinter Solstice CelebrationA Celebration of the Darkness and the Lightwith Songs and StoriesSaturday, 18th December, 2021On-line7-9 pm GMTPlease note: the Celebration lasts one hour and fifteen minutes; we are allowing time for technical issues as well as for fellowship after!* A time of quiet reflection in the midst of the hectic

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-86574255950390965552021-10-31T11:40:00.002+00:002021-10-31T11:40:44.507+00:00

 Blessed Samhain to you.This is the Witches' New Year, and the Sabbat where we honor those who have gone before and welcome those who have been newly born.  Some possible queries for you to think about: Who are your ancestors, literal, but also spiritual and cultural? Are there people you've been taught are your ancestors, in any of those senses, who really aren't? 

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-42091142210605294222021-09-23T11:42:00.006+01:002021-09-23T11:42:58.225+01:00

[image: candles in the dark]On-line Winter Solstice Singing starts in early October!  Sign up here: https://forms.gle/pi7i1GephusuArJh8  Starting on the first Sunday in October, I'll be hosting on-line song-learning sessions / rehearsals for an on-line Winter Solstice Celebration (a presentation of A Winter Solstice Singing Ritual).There will be regular sessions from October

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-25910689181267063152021-09-16T17:18:00.001+01:002021-09-16T17:18:10.491+01:00

I am excited to share a few bits of news!Winter Solstice Celebration (on-line): Save the date!Winter Solstice Singing (on-line song-learning sessions)Winter Solstice Celebration (on-line): Save the date!  This year I am hosting a presentation of A Winter Solstice Singing Ritual on-line again.  Saturday, December 18th11 am Pacific / 2 pm Eastern / 7 pm UT / 8 pm Central

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-44439976490355061752021-07-27T09:35:00.002+01:002021-07-27T09:35:54.205+01:00

At our recent special called Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business, South Edinburgh Quakers expressed our support for making conversion therapy for gender and/or sexual orientation illegal in Scotland.  Attached below please find an email from Rici Marshall-Cross, Clerk of South Edinburgh Local Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), about our recent Meeting for

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-78541919568829871962021-01-25T15:23:00.002+00:002021-01-25T15:23:47.812+00:00

[image: a tree on a plain against a night sky bright with stars and light. source*:]The Sabbat mid-way between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox is called by various names in different traditions: Brigid.  Candlemas.  Imbolc or Imbolg.Brigid is a triple Goddess of smithcraft, healing, and poetry.In this song-learning workshop on 30th January, we'll learn a song inspired by two poems by

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-20730483587066113912020-12-20T22:41:00.001+00:002020-12-20T22:41:36.163+00:00

 Hello, folks,If you missed the Winter Solstice Celebration I led, it turns out there are three more communities, all in the US, who are presenting A Winter Solstice Singing Ritual this year.  Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church had their Celebration over Zoom on Saturday night, but will have a recording available for about a week on YouTube.  More here: https://

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-7827343444826217112020-08-27T12:18:00.001+01:002020-08-27T12:18:01.857+01:00

 You're invited tothe 24th AnnualWinter Solstice CelebrationA Celebration of the Darkness and the Lightwith Songs and Stories-------Saturday, 19th December, 2020On-line7-9 pm GMTEurope: 7-9 pm UK; 8-10 pm Central European TimeNorth America: 2-4 pm Eastern Time; 11 am-1 pm Pacific TimeEverywhere: Click here to confirm time in your location-------A time of quiet reflection in the midst of the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-28100225021911779172020-08-27T12:14:00.004+01:002020-08-27T12:50:39.090+01:00

 I am going to be hosting a Winter Solstice Celebration (A Winter Solstice Singing Ritual) on-line, on Saturday, 19th December.   From September through December, I am hosting on-line song-learning sessions / rehearsals for those who would like to learn the songs ahead of time, to sing along during the Celebration.   Everyone is welcome, regardless of experience singing

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-87441748102486682302020-07-24T20:56:00.002+01:002020-07-25T13:29:46.000+01:00

Hello, all!  Starting in August, I am hosting on-line song-learning sessions for an on-line Winter Solstice Celebration (a presentation of A Winter Solstice Singing Ritual). There will be: * two taster sessions in August; * regular sessions from September to December that build on each other, leading up to the Celebration on 20th December. You are invited to

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-13216567282746209522020-05-01T11:18:00.001+01:002020-05-01T11:18:42.238+01:00

Happy Beltane!  When we gather in person for Beltane, we often weave ribbons around a May Pole as we weave intentions into our lives, and bless each other's creativity and pay specific attention to what we're experiencing with our senses, this sensuous time of year.  Some queries for reflection this stay-at-home Beltane: What are you weaving into your life?  What are you

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-17573462430381340682020-04-11T23:46:00.002+01:002020-04-11T23:46:33.344+01:00

So... at the end of week four of stay-at-home for our family (end of week three for the UK), six weeks after the first covid-19 case in Scotland, part-way through Passover... here's my first pandemic-related post.  (My Beloved Partner, inspired by Ada Palmer's #SomethingBeautiful hashtag on Twitter, has been blogging about being Present in Challenging Times for 23 days now: https://

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-38020008896372419072020-02-01T16:03:00.000+00:002020-02-01T16:03:32.392+00:00

Today is Brigid, the day on the Wheel of the Year half-way between Winter Solstice, the longest night and shortest day, and Spring Equinox, when night and day are nearly equal. Brigid is the triple Goddess of smithcraft, healing, and poetry. Many years, right about now, I feel Her in my life woven/weaving through my creativity. This year... This year, may I know Her in Her aspects as

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-7179508836389890162019-02-13T18:50:00.000+00:002019-02-13T18:50:37.739+00:00

I am so excited to announce that Katherine Spinner and I are co-leading a week-long workshop on handwork and spirituality this summer at Friends General Conference Gathering (annual Gathering of North American Quakers). This has been years in the coming for both of us, and I am SO PLEASED we finally get to do this and that I get to work with Katherine this way.Check it out!https://

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-31682706919425040712018-10-30T12:40:00.000+00:002018-10-30T12:40:02.078+00:00

I loathe the phrase "Fear drives hate." Fear is a normal human emotion. There is nothing wrong with being afraid. Fear is a completely appropriate response to oppression and to danger. And since most oppressed people spend an awful lot of our lives afraid, and coping with danger from the dominant majority and society, "Fear leads to hate" sounds, and has always sounded,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-67702963094545632012018-01-07T11:16:00.000+00:002018-01-07T11:16:06.038+00:00

On Winter Solstice -- at the moment of the Solstice, too! -- I had the pleasure and privilege of spending an hour in the on-line living room of the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Larger Fellowship, as a guest on The VUU. It was a lovely experience -- gift after gift during that hour. Many thanks to everyone involved for our lovely conversation and experiential celebration of the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-39497007408438100172017-12-21T10:33:00.000+00:002017-12-21T10:33:35.253+00:00

Deep in the dark of the longest night We keep our vigil by candlelight Waiting to sing to the newborn Sun The Goddess will birth when the night is done Raise your voices, sing on high! Let all the Earth hear your joyful cry! On this night we sing to Light And the Goddess of all pleasure and delight Raise your voices, sing your praise! O'er all the Earth til the Darkness fades On this night we

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-71281959461074558282017-10-21T15:09:00.002+01:002017-10-21T15:20:18.099+01:00

 I have been making this crocheted blanket: http://www.feltedbutton.com/2014/03/spring-into-summer-with-free-crochet.html ...a lot for baby blankets over the last... (checks Ravelry) year and some. I've also been modifying it for scarves, a rectangular blanket, and, most recently, a shawl. For the shawl, it was a mash-up of this pattern with another pattern I'd developed myself,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-24706232506945254122017-10-21T14:42:00.001+01:002017-10-21T15:12:33.330+01:00

(c) Julie Passanante Elman; re-printed with permission.  I have done a few things with success. On the first day of class, I talk about shyness and other communication differences in my discussion of accessibility. I talk about how gender, race, sexuality, age, etc. affect our capacities and confidence in entering a conversation, and then we talk about how discussion classes often

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780629013428444572.post-1518030910654715222017-07-30T14:19:00.000+01:002017-07-30T14:19:45.002+01:00

NPYM Minute Welcoming Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People North Pacific Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, an organization of unprogrammed Quaker meetings and worship groups in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana, seeks to be an open and affirming faith community. We welcome all to share in worship and the activities of our common life. North Pacific Yearly

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0