Hawthorne's Blog (130)

This week we celebrate the sabbat of Samhain, when the veil between this world and the afterlife is at its thinnest point of the whole year.

Samhain is the end of the harvest season and the new solar year.

A festival of darkness and we live softly by candle light. We light special bonfires that have protective and cleansing powers.

We celebrate the lives of our Beloved Dead.

"Now is the Night of November Eve, as the Samhain rites…

This week we look at the so-called Holy Grail.

What is this thing that people are so enamoured of? Did it even exist? People have been searching for it for hundreds of years, and it seems whenever they decide they can't find it, they create stories about it.

So, let's travel back the the 12th century, where the myth of the Holy Grail seems to have it's beginnings. And we'll take a look at some of the embellishments that have been attached to it over…

We continue our celebration of Autumn as we look at some of the season's important associations.

Water is one of the elements in ancient Greek philosophy, and in Occult circles it's associated with the Western Quarter of the Circle, and with the season of Autumn. So we'll look at how and why Water got associated with the Autumn as we tie in some of their similar Magickal Properties.

Then we'll take a walk into an Autumn Garden with Ellen Dugan, well known herbalist and…

Let's create Magick through Masking!

If you're going a Halloween party, what will you GO AS? We all wear masks, although the extent to which we layer ourselves or are aware of them varies greatly.

Masks are a familiar and vivid element in many folk and traditional pageants, ceremonies, rituals and festivals, and are often of an ancient origin.

One reason for wearing a mask is to pretend to be someone or something else. The mask can be a kind of…

This week here on The Spiral Dance, let's look skyward and see what's up there.

Every season brings different views of the Heavens, and Autumn is no different. And, the Stars of Autumn bring their own stories and myths. So to start this week, I have a poem written back in 1819 by the English Romantic poet, John Keats. In his poem, "To Autumn" he captures the feeling and spirit of this season.

Then we'll talk a bit about Astronomy itself, and one view of how…

This week here on The Spiral Dance, let's look skyward and see what's up there.

Every season brings different views of the Heavens, and Autumn is no different. And, the Stars of Autumn bring their own stories and myths. So to start this week, I have a poem written back in 1819 by the English Romantic poet, John Keats. In his poem, "To Autumn" he captures the feeling and spirit of this season.

Then we'll talk a bit about Astronomy itself, and one view of how…

This week is our annual Celebration of the Autumn Equinox - what many of us know as Mabon. So we'll look at some of the well-known myths, legends and traditions surrounding Mabon.

And we'll honor The Dark Mother, plus we'll bring a little Balance and Gratitude into our lives.

And finally - An Apple Harvest Ritual!

Be well. Do good. Enjoy the show

Some of the music you'll hear on this weeks show include Urban…

If you're the creative type, you probably spend way too much time beating yourself up about how UNCREATIVE you are.  Well, your friend Hawthorne is here to help.  Many people think they have a clear idea of what it means to be creative, and a whole lot of myths have been built up around that notion. It may be too much to say that  Everything You Thought You Knew About Creativity is Wrong, but this week we'll bust some creativity myths that, hopefully, once you see past them, will unleash…

.This week on The Spiral Dance, let's give a welcome to the month of September!  It was once the seventh month, but has long been the ninth.  Ask me why!   Of course the main feature of September is the Equinox, which is coming up in a couple of weeks.  And we'll have our Mabon show at that time.



Meanwhile, let's talk about the Roman festival which was known as the Ludi Romani, which occured in September.



And I also want to talk about the Roman Goddess, Pomona.  Pomona was …

I haven't touched on the subject of Fire Magick per se for a while, so, with it being, what - the hottest summer on record - thought maybe now's the time!



Today, when we start a fire -even if just to light a candle, we are responding to an ancient instinct.   There is an enduring need to tend that legendary flame; to come home to the Hearth; to look within the dancing flames, remember our past - and maybe to glimps into the future.



So, where gonna talk all about Firegazing,…

..The belief that "God" created the universe according to a geometric plan has ancient origins.  Personally, I'm not so sure that ANYTHING created the universe - or more accurately.  It may just as well have created itself.  Or, maybe it simply Always Was.  



But, whatever the case may be I think it's fair-enough to say that there is an intelligence - perhaps an intelligence WE would consider to be Devine - that seems to be, shall we say, in the Director's Chair.



And if…

...This week we continue our celelbration of Lammas, the Sabbat where we celebrate the first harvest.  And central to the first harvest is Wheat, Corn and, of course, Beer.



Many different civilizations and peoples down the ages and around the world had deities dedicated to beer or brewing, or some related endeavor.  There are over 100 different deities to drink a toast to, and we'll take a look at just a few.

Deities dedicated to wheat are, for the most part, goddesses, although…

This week, we celebrate Lammas.   Lammas, or Lughnasadh, is the Sabbat where many Wiccans and Pagans celebrate the beginnings of the harvest. This Sabbat is about the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth -- the grain god dies, but will be reborn again in the spring.



Depending on your tradition, you may also observe this Sabbat as the day of the Celtic craftsman god, Lugh.   Lugh was known to the Celts as a god of craftsmanship and skill -- in fact, he was known as the…

.Here we are, in the middle of summer; it's time to go out and see the world!  



As the song says, "A week in Paris will ease the bite of it", but the Sacred Traveler tries to go a bit deeper.  The Sacred Traveler looks for the transcendental, the numinous, making time off from his day gig a life learning process or even an excercise in self-realization.



Well, what is it that attracts people to places on this level?   We'll take a look at the connection between Earth…

This week, the Spiral Dance is just a Day at the Beach, as we delve into Beach Magick!  We'll start with the Charge of the Sea Goddess and we'll explore the role that Water has always had in religion.



From there we'll look at a few Sea Gods and Goddesses.  Then I want to share a story.  This is a spoken word peice presented by Mara Freeman.  It's called, The Selkie!



Finally, we'll get right down to the shore and do some actual beach magick!



Hope you enjoy the…

This week we celebrate our nation's Independence from Mother Britain by recognising our very own Goddess, the Lady Columbia!  



Columbia is a historical and poetic name used for the United States of America and is also the name of its female personification.



What would the Goddess Columbia's attributes be? Democracy for one - you know; I don't think the Greeks had a Goddess of Democracy- so this is an original!  Certainly, Liberty and Justice.  The Romans had the Goddess…

Happy Midsummer, everyone here on the northern half! The sun is high in the sky, the air is all warm and friendly. Let's stay up real late, then we can build some fires and roll them down the hills!. It's been done forever, it's still being done now and it will always be done.

We in the Pagan community know the summer solstice by many different names. Probably the most popular is the Wiccan name of Litha. We'll talk about where the word Litha comes from and what the holiday means for…

..................................June continues to be the most popular month for getting married. So, my theme is for this week is  The June Bride.



Political conservatives in this country insist that marriage can only mean the union of one woman to one man, under the witness of their Abrahamic so-called "God".  We Pagans know better than that. But there's still alot of assumptions about marriage that we've inherited from mainstream society and we don't much question.



So,…

I've been thinking a lot about the power of music lately. Well, I always think about the power of music; but it's been tapping me on the shoulders quite a bit of late. So this week, let's talk about the role that music plays in ritual!

Music was important to the Chinese philosopher, Confucious, as it has been for shamans around the world and down the ages. In fact I have a little story that tell us just exactly how music came to the earth way back when.

And central to music is…

..This week let's go way back in time to talk about Mystery Cults!  Mystery religions were religious cults in Ancient Greece and Rome.  Participation was reserved to initiates and secrecy was kept as to the particulars of the initiation and the cult practice in general.   But how did these sects function within their societies?  Were they accepted?  Were there conflicts?  Talking just about this one aspect of life in Ancient Greece and Rome can give great insight into how people back then…