Today is World Habitat Day which I admit I thought was about wild habitats until I looked it up. The United Nations actually intended World Habitat Day to bring attention to the inequality and challenges faced by humans in cities and other settlements. I was going to write something about squirrels instead but especially considering discussions around the rebuilding of…
To create the ritual for my upcoming Ostara ceremony, I revisited my research looking for themes. The vernal equinox marks the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere, which is associated with rebirth, revitalization, growth, and fertility. The equinox is also the time of balance when the daylight and dark are approximately equal. And there is spring cleaning to be…
Each New and Full Moon I dig into lunar astrology to write my newsletter and to set the theme for the associated Turtle Journey. I am not an astrologer, but I have enjoyed learning about this one aspect of astrology. I share some of what I am discovering here, along with a bit of magic. I have been lax in…
I have been thinking about ecology, which is the study of how beings interact with each other and their environment, to better understand what terms like “eco-spirituality” and “spiritual ecology” mean. Ecology seems pretty science-y, and science and spirituality are often thought of as opposites. Both spirituality and ecology are about relationships, however, and there is crossover in the way…
Each New and Full Moon I dig into lunar astrology to write my newsletter and to set the theme for the associated Turtle Journey. I am not an astrologer, but I have enjoyed learning about this one aspect of astrology. I share some of what I am discovering here, along with a bit of magic. When the Moon is full,…
When I began my research into St. Francis for an interfaith seminary essay, I knew little of him beyond his designation as patron saint of ecology and the animals. I was curious how he became associated with animals and found a story about a wolf that intrigued me, especially in the context of wolf conservation challenges in the United States….
Each New and Full Moon I dig into lunar astrology to write my newsletter and to set the theme for the associated Turtle Journey. I have recently begun to look at the Quarter Moons as well. I am not an astrologer, but I have enjoyed learning about this one aspect of astrology. I share some of what I am discovering…
Last October I was asked to perform an informal blessing of the animals at my local community church on the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. I knew little about St. Francis beyond his designation as patron saint of ecology and the animals, so when he showed up as a choice for a research project for my interfaith seminary…
After a warmer-than-average December melted the little snow we received and early January froze that into a dangerous coating of ice, I appreciate the blanket of snow I see now. Even very cold days are brightened by the sunlight reflecting off the ice crystals. Perhaps it is due to pursuing interfaith seminary, Druidic studies, wildlife rehabilitation, and conservation at the…
It was an abundance of tiny pinecones dangling below the branches that brought my attention to the tree this winter. I had not paid much attention to this tree in the past, mostly because it was one of the many evergreens that grow here, and I had not spent time getting to know them individually. It is probably no coincidence…
