Follow the Moon: Astrology of intention and mindfulness

by Teri Parsley Starnes

Teri’s interest with astrology lies with helping people see how following a practice of intention and self-awareness leads to a fuller relationship with Mystery. Astrology is a wonderful tool for this. Her weekly column orients readers to the seasonal energy of
each month’s Sun sign in order to set magical/mindful intention for the lunar month beginning at the New Moon.

Each week Teri will write about the unfolding energies that support and challenge our intentions. The ebb and flow of the lunar cycle resides deep in our souls. Through following the phases of the Moon, we remember the natural cycles that guide us.

Continue reading →

Follow the Moon: Astrology of intention and mindfulness

by Teri Parsley Starnes

Teri’s interest with astrology lies with helping people see how following a practice of intention and self-awareness leads to a fuller relationship with Mystery. Astrology is a wonderful tool for this. Her weekly column orients readers to the seasonal energy of
each month’s Sun sign in order to set magical/mindful intention for the lunar month beginning at the New Moon.

Each week Teri will write about the unfolding energies that support and challenge our intentions. The ebb and flow of the lunar cycle resides deep in our souls. Through following the phases of the Moon, we remember the natural cycles that guide us.

Continue reading →

Pagan Thanksgiving Thoughts

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Tomorrow is November 22, 2012, Thanksgiving Day.  Per tradition, it is considered a time to gather, feast, and to express gratitude. For those who watch television or receive store emails, it is the start of the mega-shopping fest season: Black Friday and now Black Thursday.  It seemed appropriate to ask some local pagans how they plan to celebrate and how they feel about the holiday in general. Is it just a shopping holiday, a time to over-consume food or is it the end of a harvest season, a time of family, and a mulit-cultural, multi-religious holiday?
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What do you plan to do for this Thanksgiving?  How do you think of Thanksgiving?

Jill: I think of it as kind of a family holiday, even though one half of my family prays and one half doesn’t.  One half is Christian and one-half is Atheist; I’m pagan and it’s awkward.  I enjoy it we get together as a family. I hardly ever see my family because they work so much. I’m very thankful. Because it’s Thanksgiving, I like to think of it as a moment to reflect upon how  how I am thankful. Even though I have had  a lot of tough times in my life, I still have my family. I’m thankful for them.  Even though my family fights sometimes, it’s still nice being able to get together with them and we all work it out eventually.

Liz at Magus Books: “We have a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving in our household: jelly beans, toast, straight pretzels, popcorn, and a sundae. I’m not kidding. Given that as an American holiday, folks sit down, Thanksgiving is truly multi-cultural.

Thracie at Eye of Horus:  I spend time at my mother’s with turkey and mashed potatoes.

Tamara: I come from a nice sized family that still gets together every holiday. Before my Grandmother passed away, holidays were reorganized so that every adult with a house large enough to squeeze in our extended family took a turn hosting a holiday. This ensured that many of us learned how to carry on the traditions that wove us together and the future of our family was therefore invested broadly rather than around one central matriarch. I think this has helped us maintain a cohesive family. Our gatherings are therefore decentralized, still have firm structure and we maintain a rhythm that keeps us visiting each others homes. It makes for a good weave.
Every other Thanksgiving is at our house and has been for 16 years now. This Thanksgiving we are expecting about 20 people and are looking forward to it!

Helga Hedgewalker:
I think a time to reflect on gratitude is a beautiful and spiritual thing. The Thanksgiving Holiday itself is a time for my husband and me to visit our parents without religious differences coming into the conversation, and there’s no hurt feelings about whether or not to attend their church.

Beth: I always happily spend Thanksgiving with my family of origin. For as long as I can remember, my mother has hosted a huge Thanksgiving meal in her home for about 20 members of our extended family, replete with turkey, stuffing, my grandmother’s mashed potatoes and gravy, and plenty of pies. We take time out for our routines to eat, catch up on recent events, watch football (well, people who are bigger sports fans than me watch football, anyway), and just enjoy each others’ company. I look forward to it all year, and I am definitely also going to enjoy introducing my 9-month-old child to it for the first time this year.
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Local Pagan stores host Small Business Saturday deals

Major retailers aren’t the only places looking to attract early holiday shoppers, local Pagan retailers are also offering bargains and specials on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.
Black Friday:  Eye of Horus is having a Sunrise Sale on Black Friday 7am to 11pm with hot tea, nibbles and deals for Sunrise Shoppers. The Smitten Kitten, next door,  is also opening early.    At the actual moment of sunrise, 7:21 am, Thraicie will do a Sun Salutation.
7:00am-11:00am ONLY
Spend $20 and get a FREE mojo bag (valued at $10)
Spend $50 and get 10% off your entire purchase

Small Business Saturday:

All day, Spend $20 or more and get a FREE mojo bag (valued at $10), while supplies last.
(On Sunday Eye of Horus is hosting their last, and biggest Psychic Fair of the year.
Small Business Saturday:  Keys of Paradise is celebrating Small Business Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM at our St Paul location.  The following items are on sale:

20% off Fair Maiden Fusions Skin Care and Cosmetics

40% off all cast iron products in the store, including our 15 gal and 55 gal jambalaya pots
50% off all Mystical/Ritual oils
50% off all essential oils
50% off all herbs and resins
All cone or stick incense – Buy 5, get 2 free
Sacred Blends Loose incense – Buy 1, get 1 free
Free Bath Salts with a $25.00 purchase
Marshmallow Leaf – $5 per pound
Coltsfoot Leaf – $5 per pound
Mention PNC and this ad and get 20% off our new Florida Water!
All sales, while supplies last.
Black Friday:  We are open from 10am to 9pm for Black Friday and are offering 20% off all books, statues, jewelry, and incense.
Small Business Saturday:  We are open from 10am to 6pm for Small Business Saturday and are offering 20% off all books, statues, jewelry, and incense.

 

New Modified Traditional Sweat Lodge for Twin Cities area

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Among the new additions to the Twin Cities community is a sweat lodge. Last week, call went out for supplies to help complete the sweat lodge, which will be housed in the north suburbs.  Coyote Hawk is organizing the effort. He took time to discuss what this sweat lodge means for the Twin Cities community.
Is this the first sweat lodge in the Twin Cities area?

Actually, this is not new. There have been other sweat lodges. One of the first was built in 1994 in the Corcoran neighborhood in Minneapolis.  We had the [Corcoran area sweat] lodge for 8 years.

Coyote Hawk noted that as a result of the sweat lodge success, he knew of at least two sweat lodges that were formed: one at  31st and Bloomington, in a church and another set up by a native-based family.  So we did see an increase in activity for a period of time.

What do you want people to know about exactly why you are doing this again, at this time?

We’re experiencing fairly intense changes at all levels: the earth, levels of consciousness. The web of life is changing.  To prepare ourselves for this next age, we need to gather and do ritual.  This is a larger response from the society and earth.  We are honoring the greater need and call for ritual in community.

People are going back and understanding that we need ritual. They were squatting on sacred ground. Some of the sacred ground is ritual. The ground is not just the building on the hill; the function of the community is  to gather, to heal, and to connect through ritual.  We are giving space for other viewpoints to be expressed (e.g. alternative medicine, yoga, anyone who is working outside the dominant paradigm).

It is important to remember that we are all indigenous people struggling to remember a life that works in relationship to earth and to other beings. This is something that works at a deep level and fulfills us physically and spiritually.

This sweat lodge will help to import consciousness to the sacred masculine and feminine,and harmonizing the two. This is not just about couples, but the individual. Teachings on masculine and feminine polarity are a part of it. Continue reading →