Category: Opinions, Discussions & Rants

  • Last Month Embodied Radical Change, Good & Bad.

    Last Month Embodied Radical Change, Good & Bad.

    Hello, Everyone!

    It’s been a while since my last post due to some unexpected changes and some mental overwhelm. I missed writing, but I’m back.

    Talk About Radical Change

    As I talked about in my previous post, A Reason To Celebrate, I successfully completed my legal name change, had been trying to settle into the area I live, and tried to make friends. However, my roommate had given me a sudden 30-day notice with little to know warning or communication. Well, fast-forward a month. I have my own income based apartment! Yay! The necessary documents are changed to match my legal name. Also, Some promising friends or at least good aquaintances and community opportunities have presented themselves.

    However, this change did not come easy. I was probably had my last dash of sanity and hope was slipping away. One thing after another kept going wrong until, miraculously, the day before my thirty days was up… I received the news. I had an apartment. Not a board and lodge, not a room, not a roommate in a room, but my own apartment. It might not be the fanciest apartment but it is mine. Ever since, it seems like all the things I wanted are slowly starting to line up in both expected and unexpected ways. Talk about radical change.

    Like The Tower in Tarot, everything came toppling down at once. My body and mind became overwhelmed and shut down until the seeds of change started to grow where it once stood. All that’s left is to nourish those seeds and grow. I want to focus on self care, self love, and self-growth.

    Super Snow Moon Energy

    Also, all of this occured right around the Super Snow Moon that was Leo Moon Sign, which I discussed in Channel the Radical Energy of the Snow Moon. I mentioned the Tower. I had invoked this energy with a focus on the above deities and this is how it turned out. Fitting.

    My three main deities are Loki, Morrigan, and Freya. Loki is very much about radical change, freedom, and transformation. Morrigan is about finding strength through determination, sovreignty, and hard won battles, Freya is much like Morrigan, but is also about Love. Not just intimacy with others, but loving yourself and finding yourself. Therefore, it makes sense that this would be how I would find change.

    I kept getting readings saying to embrace change, trust intuition and my spirituality, trust that the universe or gods have me in mind. However, even if I see the value in radical change and embracing those moments of uncertainty and liminality is hard for me. I kept telling myself that without a bit of chaos there would be no opportunities for change and maybe it was for the best, but I still felt that fear of trusting the universe.

    Spot On Tarot Draw

    Also, if you look at my Tarot Reading on January 28th, here, I talk about burning out and reaching a point of exhaustion before perservering. However, while what I put as an interpretation of the first card was true, I’m noticing it has a completely different meaning as well in terms of becoming ungrounded financially and in terms of housing. It could be about how my roommate and I have conflicting communication styles, needs, and triggers so there was a lot of social anxiety, and perseved selfishness involved as well.

    Introspection

    This time of dealing with burnout also involved a lot of introspection. I was actually officially diagnosed with Autism officially not long before this happened. I was doing more reading into Autism and realized I had been falling in and out of Autistic Burnout for months now. Also, I wasn’t having normal panic attacks, anxiety, and depression. It was meltdowns or shutdowns. Overwhelm and overstimulization would build up until I shut down or lashed out. I also started to look at my past and realize how many of the thinks I had trouble putting into words that weren’t “normal” were my Autism. I also have ADHD so I’m extra spicy and all of those symptoms compound with my Autism. Even with my roommate situation, it boiled down to communication issues and overwhelm.

    The burnout got much worse as I got more overwhelmed and I lost the ability to take care of myself or leave my room. Everything felt impossible. It’s like my Stamina Bar was at zero and all the things I could normally do I couldn’t anymore. I also became much more obviously autistic with lower distress tolerance. I was ready to give up and felt abandoned by society and people who don’t understand, but I’m here now.

    Moving out is probably for the best. Living there wasn’t the right foundation for success for me. It allowed me to build the right foundation for me to heal, grow and change. It took every ounce of strength for me to get here, but I am. Focusing on myself and finding peace in the universe till I have enough stamina to grow into who I want to be.

  • Channel the Radical Transformative Energy of the Snow Moon

    Channel the Radical Transformative Energy of the Snow Moon

    Super Snow Moon in Leo

    Yesterday, February 1st at 4:09 PM CST, the Super Snow Moon filled the night sky. It reached it’s peak Sunday, but will appear full for about 3 days.

    A Call To Action

    Falling under the sign Leo, many of us will be embracing authenticity, creativity, courage, and confidence. Since Mars is in Aquarius, people will be driven to act and confidently manifest social change, intellectual ideas, personal freedom, radical change and self-growth. We could all use a bit of this energy in our own lives. To be willing to stand firm in your beliefs and live authentically without fear, is important. This could also be channeled as a call to action against the unstable and oppressing systems of power we face in the world today. So I will light a candle and channel the energy of the full moon. I light this candle for all of us fighting for what we believe in and for those we have lost in the process. May we channel the energy of this full moon so that we as a society may change and evolve until we manifest our dream shared of a better future. 

    The Tower

    In Tarot Readings, we often talk about The Tower when we discuss radical change, both good and bad. The Tower is an unstable structure built on old systems and beliefs that no longer serve us. Resisting change will cause the foundation will inevitably crumble and take The Tower down with it. Sudden upheaval often feared, but sometimes The Tower needs to fall, and radical change is necessary in order to lay the foundation for the future. Remember, after The Tower comes The Star bringing hope and rejuvenation while we build new foundations for the future. This card is relevant in what is happening right now. People are resisting change and holding onto values that no longer serve us and this unstable system collapsing under the pressure. 

  • Exploring the New Year & Its Meaning to You | Pagan’s POV

    Exploring the New Year & Its Meaning to You | Pagan’s POV

    When you think of the New Year what comes to mind?

    I think of the New Year I think of going out with friends and drinking, watching a parade or watching the ball drop on TV at Times Square. I think of all the people writing New Year’s resolutions and working towards positive change for the year ahead. No, I’m just talking about all the marketing ploys to get you to buy a new you and make impossible and expensive goals that people can’t follow through with. Sometimes it’s hard to see the positive themes hidden beneath the capitalistic agenda.

    Deeper Meaning of New Year’s Celebrations

    There are some deeper themes I think of in regards to the New Year. One is celebrating the end of one annual cycle and the start of a new one. Another meaning of New Year’s celebrations is the idea of new hope, new opportunities, new beginnings, self-growth, and transformation. I don’t mean in terms of purchasing happiness, but as a time to look inward and focus on inner transformation and manifesting dreams. It’s also a great time to do shadow work or chakra work. Transforming into the healthiest and most authentic version of yourself and embracing new beginnings in the New Year.


    Why Celebrate on January 1st?

    Many of you completed your New Year’s celebrations already. but why do we celebrate it on January 1st? In America and many western countries, we celebrate January 1st as the beginning of the New Year. This is because we follow the Roman calendar. Julius Caesar reformed the Roman Calendar to start on January 1st many, many years ago. It’s a date and celebration that has been modified by forces in power in order to assimilate certain cultural populations into their own celebrations. Yule, Christmas as we know it, Easter, and all the other Marketing holidays we know were created by assimilating various belief systems into one celebration. However, they all have very interesting origins in their respective cultures.


    Exploring Modern Pagan Alternatives for New Year’s Celebrations

    Because Paganism is an umbrella term for many diverse belief systems, there is no specific Pagan New Year that is the right choice. it depends on your personal beliefs and what resonates with you or what is historically associated with your belief system. It could also be what the people close to you and your personal community celebrates in order to appreciate the community during this time. However, for those curious about learning about more options, there are some sabbats, pagan traditions, and observances that could be what you are looking for.

    While many Pagan calendar’s followed similar cycles, they may choose to celebrate the turning of the year at different points of time on the calendar. I mean, it’s a Wheel or Cycle so where does it truly start and end? It would vary based on what values were important to that specific culture and what their seasons were like historically.

    If you are an eclectic Pagan or Spiritual without a specific pathway, you may be looking for a time of year that resonates with you that isn’t the modern marketing holiday.


    Popular Times of Year to Celebrate Turning of the Year

    Samhain

    • It is one of four fire festivals that marked the changing of the seasons and the changing of the 2 seasons in the Celtic Tradition and was adopted by Wicca as a Sabbat and The Pagan New Year.
    • Associated with the thinning of the veil allowing fairies and the dead to walk among the living. It is a time to honor the dead.

    Yule (Modern Winter Solstice Celebration)

    • Takes place as a Solstice Celebration for Modern Pagans. It is timed in a way that blends Christmas, Yule & The Winter Solstice into a Yuletide Celebration in the end of December.
    • Represents the Longest Night & Return of the Sun. It’s a key shift in the year towards renewal and growth. This is a great time for reflection, self-growth, enlightenment and renewal now that the darkest days are behind us. This is when we nurture self growth and reflect in order to be ready to plant the seeds for change in Ostara.

    Yule (Norse Reconstructionist Midwinter Festival Blót)

    • They celebrated their turning of the year on the full moon after the new moon following winter solstice instead on the Winter solstice itself and many Reconstructionists choose to celebrate it on that date.
    • It typically took places during the coldest time of year before the days start warming.
    • Symbolized the end of a period of ice and welcoming transformation & change.

    Chinese New Year (Spring Festival)

    • Spring Festival & Lunar New Year
    • Symbolizes usher out the old year and bringing forth the luck and prosperity of the new one. It is also about honoring ancestors and family.
    • It exists as a reflection and preservation of traditional Chinese Philosophy & Culture as the Spring Festival once January 1st was adopted as the official New Year.

    Other Options for New Year’s Celebrations:

    Imbolc

    • Also known as Brigid’s Day. Spring Fire Festival. 1/2 way point between the Winter Solstice & Spring Equinox.
    • Would be a Spring Festival Turning of the Year similar to Chinese New Year and on the opposite end of Samhain on the Wheel.
    • Themes of hope, growth, nourishing new beginnings.

    Ostara

    • Spring Equinox. Solar Holiday.
    • Represents start of Spring & beginnings of the brightest and warmest days so could be a great time to celebrate if you are partial to Spring as your Turning of the Year
    • Symbolizes Balance, Planting the Seeds for the Future & New Beginnings

    Hags Day

    • Pagan Observance, January 1st.
    • On this day, we can observe Hag’s Day to honor the goddess as She Who Transforms. An older woman such as the Crone aspect of the Triple Goddess or a stand-alone goddess that represents wisdom, power & transformation. Some examples are Cailleach, The Morrigan, or Hecate.
    • Celebrate & honor the aspect of the goddess many people hesitate to connect to simply because powerful wise women are feared in our historically patriarchal society.
    • Focuses on shadow work, self-reflection & transformation.

    Mix & Match: Extended Yuletide Season

    • Some practice Yule for 3 days and other’s lengthen it to 12 days or more.
    • Honor more aspects of their life and have a focus for each day. Many start it around the Winter Solstice until the New Year,
    • Take a more eclectic approach to Yule. but you could also place it whenever you’d like and add or remove days as you wish based on your own personal beliefs.
    • Have a day for the Yule cat or Yule lads. Celebrate Saturnalia in your own way. Have an Ancestor’s Day. You could even put Hag’s Day on there.

    I’m sure there are many other potential holidays from the many belief systems that encompass Paganism that could be great alternatives or additions, but I won’t list all of them here. I highly suggest exploring reliable sources online to find what works best for you.


    What Resonates With Me

    Both Norse Paganism and Celtic Paganism, which I connect to most, follow the two part/season year. So, I will celebrate the beginning of the yearly cycle in Samhain with my friends. However, as a Minnesotan, I feel drawn to celebrating surviving another round of Ice and frigid Winter. Use Midwinter Festival as a way embrace new beginnings and hope for the upcoming spring. Winter Solstice through to Norse Midwinter Festival can be my turning of the year. Thank the Dark and the Ice for what they teach me during my period of reflection and gain enlightenment from my reflections with the coming of the new light and renewal.

    I’m also a huge fan of shadow work so Hag’s Day speaks out to me. The Cailleach, The Morrigan, and all the other crones or hags are great examples of wisdom, power and transformation. Celebrating Hag’s day to honor both shadow work and mature wise and powerful women seems like a win-win.