Pagan Children's Books Yule Newsletter

Check out the Pagan Children's Books Yule Newsletter! You can sign up for the newsletter HERE. Yule is just around the corner! Check out the activities for Yule - tell us how you like it on our FB page! Blessed be! Yule is a time of embracing the comforts of home - hot chocolate, the heat turned on, family running around crashing into things. At Badgerheim (the house of the Badgers), we love the crazy-messy aspects of home life. We cook, we play games, we have fun. It can be frustrating when my inner-50s housewife kicks in, looks around, and sees... what is that on the floor?!?!? Is that a dead mouse?!? But all in all, we are pretty laid back about life and living. We don't have much, but we have each other. We share what we have as much as we can, doing for others when opportunity presents itself. Isn't that all we could ask for? We have a Yule tree. We decorate it each year with Jólnir, the Yule Lord persona of Odin - a one-eyed Santa figure, and Freyja, the winged beauty, motherly goddess and wife of Odin. ABC Book of Goddesses is a great choice for holiday gifts, or bedtime reading! Every time you turn around, during this time of year, someone's got the "perfect craft" for making the "perfect card/place setting/gift/decoration". And they are all lovely. Instead of focusing on what we can do for ourselves at this time, I'd like to make some suggestions for what you can do for someone else. Now, don't get me wrong, these things are great, but they take time and/or money, which not everyone has. It's just as important to talk about why we do things as doing them. Visiting someone elderly, since many elderly don't get visits from family often. Drop off some extra food, clothing or gifts for the family down the street who you know is struggling. Write a letter to soldiers who can't come home for the holiday season (Pagan soldiers serve too). Sign up to support LGBTQ+ youth who struggle with family issues during the holiday season because of their self-identity. Learn about the charities that pop up like mushrooms at this time of year. Talk about them as a family, and make a family decision which to support. Talk to kids about different religious beliefs that have holidays during this time. If you can, reach out to a group that can tell you more about Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and more! Talk to the kids about why it is important to respect other people's beliefs as much as they should respect ours. Consider getting Yule gifts through Pagan artists' websites and etsy, rather than chain stores. Talk about the energy of economics and supporting small businesses. Don't forget to spend time with those you love and who support you! Take care of yourself and make that a Yule ritual tradition!

Pagan Children's Books Samhain Newsletter

Check out the Pagan Children's Books Samhain Newsletter! You can sign up for the newsletter HERE. Samhain is just around the corner! Check out the trick-or-treating alternatives - tell us how you like it on our FB page!

Blessed be! Samhain is the beginning of the Dark of the Year, the time when the veil thins. We have settled in for the school year schedule of drop-offs, pick-ups, parent-teacher conferences, concerts, etc. (Shout out to the home-schoolers, where conferences involve muttering to yourself after bedtime...lol !) The weather is noticeably changing now, with chill winds and cooler weather. My kids got pumpkins, and an interesting lesson. The squirrels, looking for bonus calories before winter, ATE the kids' pumpkins! Talk about a teaching moment! Squirrels like pumpkins a lot. Who knew? There are some tricks to keeping the squirrels away from the pumpkins, but it can also be a good way to teach kids about life cycles and the needs of local animals. ABC Book of Goddesses is a great choice for holiday gifts, or bedtime reading! Trick-or-treating is becoming more and more difficult. I've heard parents express fears over everything from cars not watching for kids, to hate crimes targeting minority religions. It is sad to think about, but that's where our world is at. Because the candy-fest can be so tricky (see what I did there!), I've put together some common alternatives: Boo at the Zoo - many zoos will have a special event where the kids can dress up and get candy. Check your local zoo to see if they have something like that. Bonus: your kids won't be the only ones monkeying around! Night at the Museum - museums also are frequent party places for Halloween/Samhain. See if your area has a children's museum and what they've got planned. Community Centers - these often have a more secure trick-or-treating option, or even a full-fledged party! Unitarian Church - the UU Church is often a de facto center for Pagan families. And, regardless, they can be pretty well counted on to have activities that aren't based on pushing any belief systems. Trunk-or-treat - some communities will put together a trunk-or-treat, where the kids go car to car, instead of door-to-door. It generally is less walking, more handicap accessible, and less risky.

Back to School Pagans: Minority Religions

I love the new school district we are in. Both my kid's are attending schools with a pretty huge variety of cultures, religions and ethnicities and races represented.

My son makes friends with kids from Iran. My daughter has friends who wear hijab. I've spoken to women who shared pictures of their daughters' human ceremony (it's a celebration marking a certain coming-of-age for the girls, similar to a bat mitzvah or First Communion). Both kids are sent home with papers in 3-7 different languages.

The interesting part, though, is that as a Pagan mom, I feel like I am more (painfully?)  aware of potentially stepping on religious toes. My son was making plans for his Muslim friend to join us for Pagan Pride in a year. I told him we needed to make sure his parents were okay with that first.

It seems that being a minority religion creates a kind of double-edged sword. Not only do we get to live in a culture that aggressively assumes we are Christian, but then we become so aware of how that hurts us, we go to extra lengths to not do that to others.

While this definitely makes us more empathic, we can find ourselves in some passive aggressive situations. A few that I end up in often:

• Grandparents suggesting that any reluctance on my part for letting the kids do things through their church is an unfair judgment on them or their religion.
• Family arguing that I'm at fault when I refuse to stay in communication with family members who use said communication to tell me I'm condemning my kids to Hell. 
• People telling me that my religious choice means THEY won't get to spend eternity with me in Heaven... then crying about that.
• People using the "what if you're wrong" logic, then giving me a blank look when I ask them the same question.
• People acting like my choosing a religion that is bullied and discriminated against is somehow "easy", just rebellion, or about hurting them.

The point is, Paganism is hard. We are a minority. We are discriminated against. And, in many ways, it's getting both better and worse.

But I love that my kids are exposed to ideas that aren't just Christian or our immediate family. That's something to thank the gods for.

Lammas: The Peak of the Sun (Cross-posting)

This post is also available here.

Each Sabbat brings with it a special meaning as part of the wheel of the year. The journey through the seasons is not just a physical one, but also mental and spiritual.

As we approach each Sabbat, we can grow with the seasons when we know the lessons each one brings us. This series explores the Sabbats' spiritual meaning in the context of modern Pagans.

Lammas is the mid-point of the solar year. As Samhain begins the year, and Yule marks the point of greatest darkness, Lammas is the point of greatest light.

During this time of year, the earth is the most fruitful, growing plants that produce fruits, grains and roots for us to eat, or to feed the animals that we consume later. We are not just carefree because school is out and it's vacation season, we also see the bounty around us, and a primal part of us knows we will not starve to death... this day.

My favorite way to honor Lammas is by celebrating the bounty of the earth, and the fertility of the ground and of our own actions. We make plans in the spring. We make actions in the summer, when the weather is least likely to interfere with our plans for greatness!

How do YOU celebrate Lammas?

Naming Children: Using Names and Zodiac to Balance Kids

When it came time to name my children, I had some thinking to do. There are so many things to consider, ways you can go. It can be overwhelming to try to find the perfect name for each kid.

I considered the "Pagan Name". You know, the pseudo-Native American, misspelled gemstones and nature stuff type of names that only Pagans and celebrities seem to ever consider: Storm Saffyre, Rayne Eagle, Apple Dumpling, Feenix Onyx, etc, etc.

I didn't go with that for many reasons. First, my kids would be going to public school, I knew that. I don't have the patience to home-school, and trying to do so would be detrimental to all of us. Whatever name I gave my child would have to survive 12 years of typical kiddo jerk-ness.

Second, my kids would be raised Pagan, but would they STAY Pagan? I don't know. I hope so, but I don't know. And giving them the equivalent of their magical name as their actual legal name... It felt like robbing them of some choice in the matter.

Third, my kids would be getting jobs around the age of 16 - and employers, for better or worse, judge applicants partially by their names. This is a fact. My act of rebelling against the naming status quo of society would very likely make it harder for my kids to find work and support themselves.

Next, I considered the "traditional" or family names. Typical, North American, Most-Popular-Names-in-History stuff. Names that my ancestors shared. Names like Edgar, Betty and 3.7 million names straight out of Christian myth: Jeremiah, Josiah, Peter, Paul, and Mary, etc.

Those seemed either way too common or way too old-fashioned for my tastes. After all, I was the one who would be screaming that child's full-name every five minutes while they rampaged their way through the grocery store. (No, that doesn't actually happen.)

Then I considered less traditional names. Ones that are relatively "a
cceptable" in mainstream society (aka, won't keep them from being CEOs and taking over the world for its own good), yet are a little edgy.

Perfect. But which ones?

I found a book (I don't recall the name, but I can point it out on a shelf) that talked about the meaning of sounds in your name. I looked up the sounds associated with my top choices in names. It was cool, but not something that really spoke to me.

Finally, I hit upon the kids' due dates. I knew around when they would be born, so I could guess at their likely sun signs.

The boy would be a Gemini, unless he was late... then he'd be a Cancer. Hmm, two signs that could use some serious grounding energy to balance them out. And my top name choice for the boy? A first and middle name that both meant types of land: a bog and a hill, if memory serves.

The girl was going to be a Taurus, no doubt. Because of the nature of the Bull sign, I decided that her weakest aspects would be in regards to finding and fulfilling her destiny. After all, Taurus loves to be comfortable, and destiny tends to push us out of our comfort zone. So she got a name that meant destiny or life path, with a surname of a goddess of grain (abundance, harvest, etc).

Do I regret how I chose my kids' names? EVERY DAY! :P

The boy (a Cancer) is both emotional and practical to an extreme. He is everything his name and sign should be, which means he tries to manipulate things to meet his desires. We call him Loophole Boy. He is so smart and keeps us on our toes. And while his emotions weren't necessarily mitigated by the power of his name, there is an influence there that seems to balance some of that out.

The girl, meanwhile, is domineering, a goddess in training and in her own mind. She knows what she wants from her life and she goes after it like a bull plowing through a brick wall. She's also a pretty, pretty princess and you better agree or she might attack. Keeping that girl in check is a full-time job, but I never have to worry that she will be a fad-follower. She doesn't cave to peer pressure; she IS the peer pressure.

How did you choose your kids' names? What do you like or dislike about my methods and reasons?

The Magic of Moving: Bringing Paganism into a New Home

Moving with kids is tricky. Getting a new home cleansed and inviting your gods and spirits to come is also tricky. Doing both at the same time with a strict time-table?

Challenge accepted!

Ok, I don't have a choice, so that's the attitude I'm taking with this.

Spirit types

That's right, I'm moving with the children, hubby, and a small but mighty collection of spirits. We always have spirits of varying types.

• Land wights and house spirits - These stay where they are, waiting for the next family to come in. Generally, they are more concerned with the physical location than the specific people who live there. However, if you don't take care of the property, or they feel threatened by too many changes, they can cause accidents. Keep them happy and you'll have a healthy, welcoming home.
• Family or personal guides, guardians and spirits - These can be found hanging out with specific people to help them with lessons. They can be around for anywhere from an entire lifetime to only a few days. Generally, they have the person's best interests in mind, so they are pretty easy to keep happy. Some guardians are at least partially the spirits of ancestors, so they may have personality quirks that can cause problems if they aren't given time to adjust.
• Other random, helpful spirits - These are beings that have come around and discovered that they like us. They stick around and are generally more helpful than land/house spirits, but more flexible than many personal spirits. They are usually pretty happy just to be acknowledged and appreciated.
• Gods - These don't usually stick around very much. They are more of the type to pop in from time to time. However, they do enjoy being made a part of any big changes, so it's always a good idea to include them in a housewarming.

Ways to move with spirits

There are many ways to show appreciation for the help and companionship of spirits, as well as to invite them to move with you. This can be done during and after the move, and children will particularly enjoy several of these methods.

• Taking down/setting up the household altar
  
• Whether this is a few statues or a full ceremonial table, the altar acts as the "guest room" for spirits in your home. It is where they are most often drawn to, and where it is easiest to communicate with them. When taking down the altar, take the time to clean each piece of dust and wrap carefully to protect it. Do this with a thankful attitude or a thank you chant, such as "Our thanks to you, for all you do, to bless and give, our home to live."
• In setting up the altar at the new home, take the time to re-anoint and/or re-bless items as you set them up. A simple oil anointing or flame blessing will do fine, though you can make it as detailed as you like. So long as anointing oils are safe, children can help with that part, or they can help place items onto the altar. If you have statues or icons of specific gods or spirits, you can welcome them into your new home with a few words as you place them on the altar, such as "[Name], welcome are you; we settle here now with a place here for you."
• Blots/offerings
  
• Give part of a farewell and/or housewarming feast to the spirits. It doesn't have to be a lot - this is a token gesture. Selecting a bite or two of each item, plus a dram of drink poured into the grass, is usually the best way to do it.
• Leave the gift in an outdoor location for them to enjoy.
• Alternately, you can set up a table with an altar to the god(s)/goddess(es), and leave a plate out for them there.
• "Set a place" for the spirits to enjoy the food during the event.
• You can also burn the offering, just be sure not to include any plastics or styrofoam in the offering.
• NOTE: If there is an issue with feral cats or strays, it is not a good idea to allow the animals to feed off of the offering, particularly if it is processed foods. In this situation, choose a method that does not leave the food away from people and accessible.
• Don't worry if it seems that they don't "take" the offering - they generally imbibe the essences not the physical foods.
• Housewarming Ritual
• A housewarming ritual is great for when a cleansing is also in order. Since few of us will live in a home that has not been previously lived in, cleansing should probably be a given.
  
• Start by setting up your ritual space, including casting of circles, etc. Using sage, sweet grass, or other cleansing item (sprays are handy for smoke sensitivities or allergies), move out of the ritual space and go from room to room letting the smoke (or spray) get into every corner. Pay special attention to portals (doors, windows, etc) to the outside. You can let children use a feather or hands to help move the smoke around (away from the burning part, of course).
• If you feel your new home needs something extra, use black salt, red brick dust, or even regular salt mixed with ashes, and sprinkle the mixture on the door frames and window frames, as well as on sink drains, bath drains and even in the toilet(s). Do this with the intention of creating a protective shield around the home. This mixture can be left until it naturally dissipates, or swept up when the ritual is complete.
• Return to your ritual space and request the presence of whichever gods, goddesses or guardians you wish to include. Ask them to keep your home and those who live there safe from malicious intentions. Ask them to discourage those who would treat you and your family badly from being comfortable in your home. Ask them to protect the home from the extremes of nature.
  
• Suggested blessing:
  "Hestia, goddess of hearth and home, we ask you to join us now, with the blessings of your hearth-fires.
  Bring to us the light of your fires, that none can see to do us harm.
  Bring to us the smoke of your fires, that those who would speak ill to us can breath no harsh words.
  Bring to us the warmth of your fires, that our home be a safe place from the winds and snow and rain."
• Complete your ritual per your beliefs.
• Decorating with intention
• You can put up pictures, window dressings, rugs, bedclothes, etc. with intention. Simply visualize the spirits there and "listen" for their suggestions on where to put things.
• With kids, talk to them about what certain spirits would like and why. Let them get into the spirit of it all, and listen for signs that the spirits are speaking through the children.
• Don't worry too much if this happens, as it is quite common and virtually never malicious. Children are often very open to "hearing" spirits, and may have something to add to the experience.

The Nine Noble Virtues: a Modern Take - Honor (Cross-post)

Cross-posted from Kali-Ma: The Dark Side of Paganism blog.

The Nine Noble Virtues are a modern invention, so it seems my title is redundant. However, little seems to have been done to bring the concepts themselves from the past into the present.

I do not consider the NNV to be a historical reference. I do consider them to be a modern way of understanding cultural and even subconscious values that were stressed, if not perfectly, by those peoples lumped together as Norsemen.

This series will explore my thoughts on these values and, hopefully, start conversations about them in a modern context.

I'm starting with Hospitality because it is my favorite. When I first learned about it, a chord was struck within me and I began to work out my thoughts and feelings on the idea, immediately. The first thing I noticed was that hospitality takes the place of charity.

From a historical context, there are some texts that talk about situations in which hospitality was used or abused, which gives us a strong basis for believing it was important. The "why" is a little trickier. There are just some things that people don't think to write down because, within the culture, it is so obvious that explaining it would be redundant.

We can extrapolate ideas from the way hospitality is talked about. Many of the texts focus on providing food and shelter and, when looking at the weather conditions of that time, that makes sense.

Skadi, Goddess of snow
and blizzards, with Ullr

To me, hospitality is a social exchange. You extend the generosity of your home and resources to save lives. Yes, that's a bit hyperbolic, but when you think about how people would get caught in snowstorms, or lost without food after travelling for weeks, it's not too big of a stretch.

And the sharing of resources means that there is an exchange of obligations. The host is obliged to actually take care of the needs of their guest to the best of their ability. The guest is not only obliged to respect the host's offerings, but to eventually pay that generosity forward.

In this way, a family might host travelers on and off for several generations. Then, the son may go travelling, himself. If he finds himself in a bind, he doesn't have to feel bad about asking for hospitality - his family has paid that obligation off many times over.

Think about what that means. By fostering generosity and hospitality, you are not obligated to feel SHAME if you require hospitality in return.

Imagine how different it is to see the giving and taking of charity and other forms of aide as both sides of a social obligation. Those accepting charity would be just as respected in their role for PROVIDING THE HOST WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET THEIR SOCIAL OBLIGATION.

On the other hand, serving a guest, because of the importance of the obligation, becomes an HONOR instead of a menial action. The host and server does not give food and drink with head down and a meek expression. She (for it was usually the matron of the household) holds her head high and gives her guests the offerings of her generosity.

By changing the way we look at hospitality, we take something that was often shameful or belittling and transform it into something bigger and better. In many ways, it is a sacred act to contribute to this exchange of obligations.

Odin the Wanderer

Let us not forget the number of gods who walked the world, visiting humans and taking of their hospitality, as well. Each guest could be Odin or Zeus in mortal garb.

Extending the hospitality of your home and resources can and should be a spiritual/holy/sacred act.