Walpurgisnacht: Origins and Celebrations

In honor of my German heritage, I did some research in order to better understand the origin of the Teutonic version of the Celtic holiday, Beltane. Not surprisingly, there is some conflicting information on the internet regarding this subject so I kept pursuing it until a clearer vision of Walpurgisnacht emerged. The most helpful site on this subject was http://www.friggasweb.org/walburga.html. Here’s my theory on the origin and development of this May fertility festival.

walpurigsnacht01

According to Llewellyn’s Beltane: Rituals, Recipes and Lore for May Day, “the earliest mention of Walpurgis Night is found in a 1603 edition of a text called Calendarium Perpetuum by Johann Coler, but the holiday likely has earlier origins.” I have no doubt this is true and the best info I can put together is that the night of April 30th was a night when witches (wise women, healers, etc) gathered on the mountaintops in Germany to light sacred bonfires, dance and cast spells in order to drive away the spirits of winter and welcome the arrival of spring. These ancient rituals have their roots in the worship of fertility goddesses such as Nehalennia and also have ties to the theme of the Wild Hunt. I believe these rituals were seen as a positive thing by the villagers who were sick and tired of winter and welcomed the help of the Wise Ones to banish the cold and snowy weather.

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Opinions toward this ancient pagan festival began to shift with the arrival of Christianity in Germany. Walpurga (a.ka. Walburga,  Waluburg, Waelburga, Wealdburg, and Valderburger) was an 8th century abbess who came from England with St. Boniface in order to convert the German “heathens” to Christianity. As is often the case, they tried to Christianize this festival while demonizing some of the old rituals connected to it.  Apparently they succeeded because eventually Walpurgisnacht (Walpurgis’ Night) was viewed as a time when witches meet on the Brocken mountain to cavort with the Devil. (Sigh!) Meanwhile the “good Christians,” believing it was dangerous to be outside on this night, lit fires and danced wildly in order to deter the witches from coming too close to them or their homes. Another beautiful Pagan ritual ruined!

The interesting thing, however, is that some of the attributes of the Pagan goddess became grafted onto Walpurga after she was canonized as a saint on May 1st around the year 870 CE. We see this same pattern with St. Brigid in Ireland (see my posts on Imbolc). Walpurga’s symbols, as shown in the oldest stone carvings in her chapels, are a dog and a bundle of grain. The dog has often accompanied the goddess in early art including the regional incarnation of the goddess, Nehalennia, who is also pictured with a dog on her altars and votive sites. The shock of grain hearkens back to the Grain Mother and all the old fertility rites of spring.

I think the reason why this happened is because some of the Old Ways of celebrating this holy day never went out of fashion among locals.  Attaching these ancient symbols to the St. Walpurga were an attempt to make it easier for them to convert to Christianity. Thankfully, the Old Ways survived and modern Germanic Heathens celebrate Walpurgisnacht with bonfires on mountaintops, feasting, dancing, and a toast to the god Wotan (Odin) and the goddesses of magic. Some modern fireside rituals also include purification rites, thus reincarnating the way this holy day was originally celebrated.

faun

If you haven’t seen it, there is an amazing music video by the German band Faun entitled Walpurgisnacht. You can easily find it on YouTube. The imagery is absolutely stunning in its stylistic portrayal of Walpurgisnacht. There are several English translations of the lyrics online but here’s my attempt at it using the English translations of others, my limited understanding of the German language, and my heart as a poet:

Walpurgisnacht by Faun

In the evening sky tonight climb the enchanted ones,
Wild folk and Lilith’s kind lurking, secretly riding the winds.

Let us wander to the bonfires, whispering, reaching for the stars.
Both the good and bad news we carry today will fly away.

In the meadows our dreams will ring and the wind will sing our songs.
Let us jump with the sparks over the fire on Walpurgis Night!

Hear the fiddles, hear the fiddles, the fires are kindled!
Follow the circle dance, follow the circle dance on Walpurgis Night.

Boisterously the fiddles play. Our nocturnal circle dance is spinning,
And we step wildly and freely with this old magic.

Only once in this great circle will we dance in this way,
Until the early morning light breaks through our web of dreams.

In the meadows our dreams will ring and the wind will sing our songs.
Let us jump with the sparks over the fire on Walpurgis Night!

Copyright ©2023 by David Taliesin, http://www.sabbatsandsabbaths.com

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Walpurgisnacht Fire Ritual

Here is the ritual we did at this month’s Welcoming Circle. Feel free to use/adapt for your own celebration of Walpurgisnacht on April 30.

FIRE EMPOWERMENT RITUAL FOR WALPURGISNACHT

CASTING THE CIRCLE—David Taliesin

On Walpurgisnacht, bonfires burn brightly,
their flames kindle our imagination
and remind us of the creative spark each of us possesses.

Like it’s calendar opposite Samhain,
Walpurgisnacht is a time
when the veil between the worlds is thin.

This allows us easy access
to the voices of our ancestors
who have much wisdom to share
as we face the tumultuous times we live in.

May our ritual tonight fan the embers of creativity
as we shake off the slumber of winter
and enter into a time of growth and rebirth.

May the Ancestors whisper into our ears
all we need to know in order to prosper
and bring about positive change
in our lives and in our world.
So mote it be!

With this incense, we form a protective circle
that will shield us from any negative forces
who seek to hinder the sacred work
we are about to begin.

[Leader goes around the circle, fanning a protective incense such as frankincense or other solar/fire related incense. If you are doing this ritual outside around a bonfire, make sure the smoke reaches everyone in the circle.]

CALLING THE QUARTERS—David Taliesin

Guardians and Ancestors of the East, Spirits of Air,
May our ears be attuned to any messages
You have to give us tonight.
May Heidh, the mistress of magic, weave a web
of creative energy all around us!
Hail and welcome!

Guardians and Ancestors of the South, Spirits of Fire,
Light the way for us in these uncertain times.
May Wodan, the master of magic,
light a fire in our hearts
that will move us from apathy to action.
Hail and welcome!

Guardians and Ancestors of the West, Spirits of Water,
Revive our weary souls with your hope,
peace, compassion and empathy.
Wash away any feelings of pessimism and despair
we carry with us tonight.
Hail and welcome!

Guardians and Ancestors of the North, Spirits of Earth,
may the greening of spring rub off on us,
helping us to grow in ways that enable us
to reach our fullest potential!
Hail and welcome!

Great Spirit, who works in our midst
in ways both seen and unseen,
we ask you to bless our ritual tonight.
We are honored by your presence,
And treasure your wisdom.
Hail and welcome!

FIRE EMPOWERMENT SPELL—David Taliesin

Strips of paper, pen
Caudron
Red or white candle
Yarrow
Dragon’s Blood or Rue Oil

Light the candle and anoint it with the Dragon’s Blood or Rue Oil. Place it in the cauldron. Sprinkle a pinch of yarrow in its flames as a symbol of courage. Write on strips of paper the things that are currently keeping you from reaching your fullest potential. Then, one by one, place each strip in the flame and let it burn as you verbally state the opposite of what’s on the paper, i.e. what you would like to see come into your life. Let it burn out in the cauldron. Ex. If you write “feeling overwhelmed” on the paper, say something like “I will be calm and peaceful.”

[If you are doing this outside with a bonfire, sprinkle the yarrow into its flames and, one by one, throw your pieces of paper into the bonfire.]

BLESSING FOR SETTING INTENTIONS—David Taliesin

Heidh and Wodan, mistress and master of magic,
we’ve set fire to the roadblocks
that are preventing us from moving forward,
and stated our intentions for the future.
Bless and empower our work tonight.
Guide us in the days ahead that we might
change the world for the better!
So mote it be!

CLOSING THE CIRCLE—David Taliesin

Guardians and Ancestors of the North, Spirits of Earth,
We thank you for your presence in our circle tonight.
May your stability and strength travel with us
As we leave this place.
Stay if you will. go if you must!
We bid you farewell!

Guardians and Ancestors of the West, Spirits of Water,
We thank you for your presence in our circle tonight.
May your compassion and peace travel with us
As we leave this place.
Stay if you will, go if you must.
We bid you farewell!

Guardians and Ancestors of the South, Spirits of Fire,
We thank you for your presence in our circle tonight.
May your guidance and clarity travel with us
As we leave this place.
Stay if you will, go if you must.
We bid you farewell!

Guardians and Ancestors of the East, Spirits of Air,
We thank you for your presence in our circle tonight.
May your wisdom and insight travel with us
As we leave this place.
Stay if you will, go if you must.
We bid you farewell!

Great Spirit, who is known to us by many names.
We thank you for your presence in our circle tonight.
Stay if you will, go if you must.
We bid you farewell!

The circle is open but never unbroken
Because it is a circle woven in love.
Whatever energy is left in this space
We return to the earth with a spirit of gratitude.
Merry meet and merry part, and merry meet again.

Copyright ©2023 by David Taliesin, http://www.sabbatsandsabbaths.com

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Stories of Giants: Jöntar and Nephilim

Perhaps the most well-known giants, thanks to Marvel’s Thor movies, are those mentioned in Norse Mythology. The Jöntar inhabit one of the Nine Worlds known as Jötunheimr. There are numerous stories about them that are easy to find. But did you know that there are giants mentioned in the Torah? Yep, that’s what I said. These giants are known as Nephilim. The first place we encounter them is Genesis 6:1-4:

“When people began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that they were fair, and they took wives for themselves of all that they chose. Then the Lord said, ‘My spirit shall not abide in mortals forever, for they are flesh; their days shall be one hundred twenty years.’ The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went in to the daughters of humans, who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown. [NRSVUE]

You can also find references to them in Numbers 13:33 and Ezekiel 32 as well as the Deuterocanonical books Judith 16:6, Sirach 16: I 7, Baruch 3:26-28 and Wisdom 14:6.

The fascinating thing to me regarding the Nephilim is that they are the offspring of the “sons of God” (i.e. gods, divine beings) and human women. So much for monotheism in the Torah! (But that’s a subject for another time!) Perhaps these stories have more in common with their Norse counterparts than we might think they do. They are some of the oldest stories in the Bible, and commentators will do back flips and triple summersaults in order to explain them away!

Since this subject matter is definitely not my area of expertise I often rely on Rabbi Richard Elliott Freidman’s Commentary on the Torah. His scholarship is impeccable and I have turned to him on more than one occasion when preparing sermons based on the Torah texts.

Here are some of his thoughts on the Nephilim: “The issue is that there are giants: uncommonly big, powerful persons, who are frightening. The first question is: from where did they come? Answer: bene elohim have relations with human women, and they give birth to giants, Nephilim. Whatever the biblical author thought bene elohim were, we can say at a minimum that it refers here to some sort of (male) creatures from the divine realm. As in an extremely common mythological theme, such mixed divine-human breeding produces beings who are bigger and stronger than regular humans.”

Later he writes, “This does not come up again in the story until thousands of years later. When Moses sends men to scout the promise land, they see giants: the Nephilim (Num 13:33). This is what scares the south, and their fear infects the Israelites, changing the destiny of the wilderness generation. A generation later, Joshua eliminates all the giants except from the Philistine cities, particularly the city of Gath (Josh 11:21-22). and later still, the most famous Philistine giant, Goliath, comes from Gath (1 Sam 17:4). and David defeats him.”

I share this information with you because I thought it was an interesting connection between spiritual paths that we might not think share anything in common. But as readers of my blog know, I see these connections all the time which reminds us of our spiritual ties to one another. Maybe it will help us to be a little less hostile toward one another.

Copyright ©2023 by David Taliesin, http://www.sabbatsandsabbaths.com

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The Easter Witch?

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The Easter Witch? Yes, that’s what I said! There was an interesting AP article by Matti Huuhtanen that I found a few years back entitled “Little Witches in Finland Cast Good Spells Before Easter.” Needless to say, it got my attention.

I did a little digging in cyberspace and this is what I found. Apparently there is an unique and unusual tradition in Finland that involves little girls dressing up as witches and going door to door on either Palm Sunday (by children from Orthodox families in Southeast Finland), or Holy Saturday (by kids from the Lutheran families of Western Finland).

Children’s culture expert Reeli Karimäki of the Pessi Children’s Art Centre in Vantaa, had this to say abut the tradition: “In the most popular family tradition, young children (especially girls) dress up as Easter witches, donning colorful old clothes and painting freckles on their faces. “The little witches then go from door to door, bringing willow twigs decorated with colorful feathers and crepe paper as blessings to drive away evil spirits, in return for treats.”

Later, she adds “This Finnish children’s custom interestingly mixes two older traditions – a Russian Orthodox ritual where birch twigs originally represented the palms laid down when Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday; and a Swedish and Western Finnish tradition in which children made fun of earlier fears that evil witches could be about on Easter Saturday.”

In the AP article, Matti Huuhtanen wrote “Ethnologists say Finland’s Easter practices came from the eastern region of Karelia, where Russian traditions were strong even when it was a part of Finland. Farmers in Karelia for centuries have taken pussy willows in lieu of palm leaves to their neighbors on Palm Sunday as a gesture of blessing.”

The candy of choice is chocolate foil wrapped Easter eggs which are placed in a copper pot the “little witches” carry with them. They also sometimes receive money, in the form of coins, as the treat. Those who make a donation are given a blessed willow branch in return.

I find this activity delightful and quite unique. The Pagan and Christian elements of this tradition live happily side by side and no one in Finland seems to bat an eye. It gives me hope that we can appreciate one another’s spring equinox celebrations, no matter what they may be!

Copyright ©2023 by David Taliesin, http://www.sabbatsandsabbaths.com

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Eostre/Easter Explored and Explained

I’ve rarely provided a link to a YouTube video but this one is fascinating for those who are interested in the connection, or non-connection, between the goddess Eostre and the Christian celebration of Easter. I’ve never found a more thorough analysis of this and found his arguments compelling. If you’re a history nerd like me, you definitely want to give this video a watch!

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Ostara: Balance and Growth

This coming Monday, March 20, is the Pagan Sabbat of Ostara which is always celebrated on the vernal equinox. Since we have equal hours of sunlight and moonlight on Ostara, it’s an opportunity to celebrate the balance of all things: male and female, physical and spiritual, life and death, thought and action, etc. It’s also an opportunity to take a critical look at ourselves and ask the question “What in my life is out of balance?” If you can’t think of something, you’re not thinking hard enough! Everyone has something in their lives that’s “not quite right.” Ostara is the perfect opportunity to plant “seeds of intention” that will help us to grow and draw closer to the Divine.

I think Jesus had this in mind when he said, “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.” (Mt 7:7, Lk 11:9) Many Christians misunderstand the intention of this saying. It’s often interpreted as “God will give me what I want…if I pray hard enough and believe it will happen,” That’s ridiculous! It makes us sound like whiny children who throw a temper tantrum until we get what we want. It also make the Divine look like an over-indulgent Santa Claus who will do anything for us, as long as we stop crying! Talk about being out of balance!

Thankfully, if we read a little farther, Jesus clarifies the meaning of this saying, “Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake?” (Mt 7:9-10, Lk 11:11-13) In other words, the Divine desires to give us what we “need,” not what we “want.” The Holy One wants to place in our hands the tools we need to help us to mature and be more in harmony with nature, others and the Sacred. If we ask and search for this kind of Truth and Knowledge, it will be given to us. Guaranteed!

So Happy Ostara!. May the seeds of intention we plant this Holy Season, sprout from the earth of our lives, and grow into beautiful spiritual herbs, gorgeous emotional flowers, and a more balanced life. So mote it be!

Copyright ©2023 by David Taliesin, http://www.sabbatsandsabbaths.com

Posted in Creation Spirituality, Ostara | 2 Comments

Happy Eostre…Or Is That Easter? Or Ostara?

Here comes Peter Cottontail,
hopping down the bunny trail.
Hippy, hoppity, Eostre’s on its way! 

eastereggs

Or is that Easter? Or Ostara? To be honest, it’s really hard to tell the difference. Nearly every Christian tradition associated with the celebration of Easter can be traced back to its Pagan roots. The connections are many and not particularly veiled.

Ostara is celebrated on the spring equinox, when day and night are equal. Ostara is Latin for the ancient German spring goddess Eostre. The ancient Greeks called her Eos or Aurora. Ostara celebrates the balance of all things male and female, physical and spiritual, etc.

Here’s a list of common Easter traditions and their Pagan connections:

Eggs—They are a symbol of fertility and new life which were decorated to honor the Goddess. Almost all Pagan cultures gave brightly colored eggs to each other as gifts during this time. Eggs were also used in a number of rituals as well.

Easter Lilies—Most Christian churches are decorated with white lilies on Easter Sunday to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. This tradition goes back to ancient Greece and Rome where they decorated Ostara altars and temples with lilies to honor the Goddess.

Easter Bunny—Yep, even the Easter bunny goes way back! There is an Eostre legend of a rabbit who wanted to please the Goddess, laid sacred eggs in her honor (pretty impressive for a rabbit!), decorated them, and presented them to her.

Easter Clothes—German Pagans believed it was bad luck to wear spiring clothes before the celebration of Eostre. They worked on a new spring outfit in secret all winter long and unveiled it during this holy-day.

Lamb—Lamb is sacred to almost all virgin Goddesses of ancient Europe and beyond. It was first adopted by the Jews as a part of the Passover story, and then Christians piggy backed on this tradition as well. While ham in now the popular choice for Easter dinner, lamb was the meat of choice in earlier times. (Eating ham to honor a resurrected Jew makes no sense to me, anyway!)

Hot Cross Buns—Yes, even the hot cross bun was first created by Pagans as a representation of the Sun Wheel/Wheel of the Year.

Resurrection and New Life—In Edain McCoy’s excellent book Sabbats: A Witch’s Approach to Living the Old Ways, she says the following about the celebration of Ostara: “In Slavic Pagan traditions this was believed to be a day when death had no power over the living.”
The ancient Greeks told the story of Persephone who went to he underworld to guide the spirits of the dead to their eternal rest. Meanwhile, her mother, Demeter, put her life on hold and waited for her daughter to return. During this time, grain and other plants did not grow and the weather was cold. When Persephone returned, the earth came alive again.
In addition to the Persephone legend, most spring equinox myths are about Deities who visit the Underworld, where they struggled to return back to earth. When they emerged triumphant, new life appeared.

I believe the reason why there are some many connections is because these ancient celebrations were so much a part of the cultures they came from that Christians had to join the party. Therefore, they set their own story of resurrection and new life at the same time as these other spring celebrations. It only makes sense and is the pattern of the early Church as they wrestled with Pagan culture and traditions. I like to think that Christians adapted instead of stole these rituals because they were rich with meaning and easily fit the theology of the Christian church with a few little tweaks.

Here’s an article that counters much of what I’ve written here. It’s hard to know who to believe which means more academic research needs to be done on this subject. Here’s the link from the Association of Polytheist Traditions: http://www.manygods.org.uk/articles/essays/Eostre.shtml

Copyright ©2023 by David Taliesin, http://www.sabbatsandsabbaths.com

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St. Patrick’s Day: The Great Snake Controversy

st-patrick

For most people, St. Patrick’s Day is simply a day where we celebrate all things Irish, including the color green, shamrocks and drinking LOTS of Guinness. Americans go crazy for this secularized holiday and, according to an Irish friend of mine, make a bigger deal out of this holiday than they do in Ireland.

But not all is fun and games. According to some Pagans, St Patrick’s Day has a dark side. One of the most popular legends about St Patrick is that he drove out all the snakes from Ireland. However, according to The National Museum of Ireland in Dublin, there is no evidence that snakes ever lived in Ireland. This has led some Pagans to believe that “snakes” are a metaphor for Pagans, and view St. Patrick as the one who committed cultural genocide on the Celtic people.

One of the most interesting articles I read that questions this connection is a piece by
Jason Pitzl-Waters on his blog The Wild Hunt: A Modern Pagan Perspective. It can be found on the excellent site patheos.com. Here’s a link to the original article: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wildhunt/2012/03/saint-patrick-druids-snakes-and-popular-myths.html

Pitzl-Waters says “The simple fact is that paganism thrived in Ireland for generations after Patrick lived and died, and, as Lupus puts it, ‘the final Christianization of the culture didn’t take place until the fourteenth century CE’, there was no Irish pagan genocide, no proof of any great violent Druid purge in Ireland. It simply doesn’t exist outside hagiography. By the time hagiographers started speaking of snakes and Druids, Irish paganism was already a remnant, and Irish Christianity the dominant religious force on the island.”

I have also read that the Church designated St. Patrick’s feast day as February 17th to provide an alternative Christian holiday to the Pagan celebration of Ostara. I’m not sure this connection can be made either. history.com sets St. Patrick’s death date as February 17th. It may simply be a coincidence that the two holidays fall so close together.

As a final thought history.com offers the following positive info about St. Patrick and his relationship to Pagan culture. “Familiar with the Irish language and culture, Patrick chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish.”

Perhaps St. Patrick was not the geneocidal maniac some make him out to be, but he might not be 100% saint either. The jury is out on this one. You’ll have to draw your own conclusions regarding the origins of this Irish saint.

Copyright ©2023 by David Taliesin, http://www.sabbatsandsabbaths.com

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Declaration of Deeds/Declaration 127

Recently, in the midst of my study of Norse Paganism, I came across two very important statements that have been signed by a number of pagan/heathen groups and individuals: the Declaration of Deeds and Declaration 127 (version 2.0). I wanted my readers to know that I support both of these statements whole-heartedly. My blog is a safe space that honors all people and all spiritual paths as long as they don’t seek to oppress or demean others. If you ever see me use a source that does not align with these values, notify me immediate and I will remove it from my site. I’ve posted both statements below for your consideration. I also facilitate The Welcoming Circle with these values in mind.

Declaration of Deeds

We heathens, pagans, followers of the old ways, we are more than the choices that brought us into being; we are more than our orlay (i.e. fate, destiny). Instead, we are our deeds, we are the choices we make and not those chosen for us. In acknowledgement of this we declare the following points:

I. We endeavor to be better than our forebears. Their society was a product of its time and was often deeply flawed, but their religious belief in the gods we hold to be timeless. We endeavor to reconstruct their religion, not the flaws in their society.

II. Our religion gives no basis for discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or origin; the gods have nothing to say on the matter of race. We maintain that a person’s race, ethnicity, or origin does not impede their ability to participate in our religion or our group.

III. Our religion gives no basis for discrimination based on gender, including gender identity, or discrimination based on sex; our religion has divine and powerful goddesses and gods who are themselves complex at best. We maintain that a person’s gender or sex does not impede their ability to participate in our religion or our group.

IV. Our religion gives no basis for discrimination based on sexual orientation; the gods we worship do not always conform to one orientation or another and still hold their positions and importance regardless of their sexuality. We maintain that a person’s sexual orientation does not impede their ability to participate in our religion or our group.

V. Deeds matter to our communities and to our gods, deeds are the foundations of our reputations. We maintain that the basis we are to be judged on is through our actions and our deeds and not merely through circumstances beyond our control.

We are charged in the Hávamál to speak out against evil when we see evil; bigotry and discrimination based on the chances of our birth is just such an evil. We heathens, pagans, followers of the old ways; we join our voices in unison with this our Declaration of Deeds, that we may declare that the chances of our birth that are beyond our control have no bearing on our ability to participate in this religion nor to lead full spiritual lives, but rather that in all cases it is our actions and deeds that truly matter.

Declaration 127 2.0 

As in the past, today we are confronted with challenges and choices. Among the most difficult of these is how to respond to those who intentionally cause harm. As Heathens, our religion gives no basis for discrimination of any kind. Unfortunately, that has not stopped certain actors from trying to do so. Their actions force the wider Heathen community to adopt the qualifying word “inclusive” to define ourselves, and to stand against bigoted people who continuously twist the ancient Germanic religions towards exclusionary, hateful, and violent ends. It is illogical to place exclusionary limits on Heathenry.

We decry the damage the Nazi Party, their allies, and those of similar ideologies have caused historically. We also recognize the damage their ilk continues to inflict. They continually weaponize ancient Norse and Germanic symbols for use in campaigns of exclusion and terror against anyone who does not fit their fantasy. They dishonor our deities.

We hold that the deities themselves created and celebrate diversity. We hold that respect is an inherent right of all human beings. To violate those rights is to forfeit the community’s good graces. There is no greater dishonor.

The signatories listed below represent a diverse set of voices within modern Heathenry. They are national organizations, resource centers, authors, community leaders, local kindreds, and individuals. They come from every branch of our religion and walk of life.
These signatories have signed this Declaration to state their complete denunciation of, and disassociation from, any and all organizations that include any form of discrimination as described below as part of their policies and practice.

Declaration 127 signatories shall not promote, associate, or do business with any organization or entity so long as they practice discriminatory policies and exclusionary ideologies. Discriminatory organizations do not represent our communities. We do not condone hatred or discrimination carried out in the name of our religion and will no longer associate with those who do. 

We hereby declare that we will not maintain silence just to keep the peace, especially with those who would use our traditions to justify prejudice on the basis of: age, ability, health status, race, color, ethnicity, national origin (including ancestry), veteran status, gender, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, or any other form of bigotry.

We stand together in defiance of unjust discrimination. Oppressive and exclusionary institutions shall receive no support from us. We will actively work against them in favor of a more welcoming faith community and society which embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion.

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March Full Moon: Worm Moon

The-Worm-Moon

“Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold…Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” [Mark 4:8-9, NRSV]

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, March’s full moon “is traditionally called the Full Worm Moon by the Native Americans who used the Moons to track the seasons. Colonial Americans adopted these names, especially those named by the local Algonquin tribes who lived in the areas from New England to Lake Superior. At the time of this spring Moon, the ground begins to soften and earthworm casts reappear, inviting the return of robins. In some regions, this is also known as the Sap Moon, as it marks the time when maple sap begins to flow and the annual tapping of maple trees begins.”

On the evening of March 6th, we might want to use this time to think about the soil of our lives. Where is it “hard” and needs to be softened up so that green things can grow in it? In nature, worms provide this service! They increase the amount of air and water that gets into the soil. They also break down organic matter into nutrients that plants can utilize. Finally, their “castings” or poop is excellent fertilizer for the soil.

With this in mind, we can use this Worm Moon as a time to think about what we need to bring into our lives that will nurture us and provide an excellent environment for growth. In Jesus’ parable of the Good Soil, he reminds us that even the tiniest patch of fertile ground can yield amazing things; even a hundred times more than what we thought was possible. Let’s claim this promise for ourselves this spring and ask the Divine Presence to enrich the soil of our lives so that we may harvest beautiful and wonderful things when the time is right. Blessed be!

Copyright © 2023 by David Taliesin, sabbatsandsabbaths.com

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