Hawthorne's Blog – August 2012 Archive (4)

Labor Day is a good time to think about how we as Pagans relate to work.   



But, to do that, we first need to understand how the larger society relates to work, and we have to understand how all of this has come about over the ages.



So, let's examine that Sacred Cow known as the Protestant Work Ethic.  Has every society always thought that Work was all that great?  Or was it actually something to be avoided?



And then, what about Ethics in general.  Since the Work…

This week, we speak of Fate - Your fate, and my fate. WHAT IS TO BECOME OF US?? Do the stars know? Would they tell if they did? Just what do we mean by "Fate"? Do we mean a belief that there is a fixed natural order to the cosmos? Or does it have something to do with Destiny? And, who are all those old women, and what are they weaving? And, if you think you could rely on that old Rule of Three, think again! Finally, I want to share a poem from the 19th century that continues to be quoted…

This week on The Spiral Dance is Bread. Bread is important to the sabbat of Lammas because Lammas is a time of the first Harvest, and it's associations with Grain, and thus Bread. In fact Bread, and the cultivation of wheat is believed to be at the foundation of Human Settlements, and thus, society and our beleif systems.

So, how do you like your bread? Freshly baked with some melting butter? Maybe toasted with your favorite jam? Is there a particular kind of bread you favor? This…

This week on The Spiral Dance is our annual celebration of Lammas! Also called Loughnasaud, it's one of the major cross-quarter sabbats. Lammas is a time of the first Harvest, and is sacred to the God Lough. We'll talk about the traditions and myths associated with Lammas from over the centuries and around the world right up until Now.

One tradition is it's associations with Grain. From the European Corn Dolly to the Rice Mother, honoring staple products like grain and corn is a…