Blessed Solstice

It is time to celebrate the dawning of the Light as it has been from the beginning of ancient history. For those in the far north it is indeed a special time of year, when the days start to become longer again and the darkness of wi

Ritual for Yule and Prosperity in the New Year

With the coming of Yule in the dead of winter, we descend into the shortest day and darkest night of the year, and we celebrate the return of the sun and the coming of springs light, as the days once

Celebrating Yule: The Returning of The Light

Before the spread of Christianity, people celebrated an ancient tradition called Yule. Most of the Christmas traditions that we’re familiar with today originated from this holiday. But unlike our commer

In Native American teachings, Turtle is the oldest symbol for planet Earth. It is the personification of Goddess energy, and the eternal Mother from which our lives evolve.

Beautiful art by Arantza Sestayo

“On October 31st, we will officially enter into the dark half of the year. The Celts ― an ancient people that spread across Europe most associated with modern-day Scotland, England, Wales, and Ireland ― celebrated their "new year", Samhain, on this

Samhain: Honoring The Ancestors

Posted by Wendy Priesnitz

Even as a child, I wasn’t a fan of Halloween. But I love Samhain, which I learned about as an adult, along with the discovery of my Celtic roots. This day is all about roots: celebrating

My dearly beloved moondance family and team,

Have you ever noticed that inbetween the 22^nd of September and the 31^st of October there are 40 days? Well, I did today. It’s 40 days + 1 from Mabon, the autumn equinox , to Samhain. 40 days of fasting,

Litha/Summer Solstice June 21st.

Here we are at Midsummer, we have arrived at the longest day and the shortest night of the year. The Goddess is now full and pregnant with Child, and the Sun God is at the height of His virility. This is the peak of

You can sweep up the dust of a thousand ruined civilizations in this breath. You can gather the ashes of your ancestors in this breath. Whisk the DNA from all the microbes that ever swarmed the gut or swam the blood of rodent, honeybee, or leprous

'But I must gather knots of flowers,
And buds and garlands gay,
For I'm to be Queen o' the May, mother,
I'm to be Queen o' the May.'

~ Alfred Lord Tennyson.

Never fear, when Big Bertha is here! Yep, our first Big Bertha (a variety of torch cactus) bloom of the season has arrived in the Cactus Garden.

Photo: Botanist Kim

Image: A large white flower with pink tips blooms from a stout cactus. Anoth

Epiphytic orchids, growing anchored to the trees at National Orchid Garden, Singapore

An epiphyte is a plant that grows harmlessly upon another plant (such as a tree) and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, and sometimes from de

Edible Flower Spring Rolls
I love making spring rolls! It’s pretty standard filling for the most part: shrimp, cucumber, carrots, bean sprouts, avocados, mint, and basil. The flowers are nasturtiums, purple basil and amaranth leaves.

Edible Flow

Today I'm taking a break from "All Things Irish" to discuss a day sacred to ancient peoples, including the Celts. It was one of their eight holidays of the solar wheel of the year. I'm talking about the vernal - or spring - equinox, which begins a

Spring 2022 begins on Sunday, March 20! This date marks the spring equinox and the astronomical first day of spring around the Northern Hemisphere.

What Is the Spring Equinox?

In the Northern Hemisphere, the March equinox (aka spring equinox or ve

“What I want is so simple I almost can't say it: Elementary kindness.”

~ Barbara Kingsolver

 I thought the earth
remembered me, she
took me back so tenderly, arranging
her dark skirts, her pockets
full of lichens and seeds. I slept
as never before, a stone
on the riverbed, nothing
between me and the white fire of the stars
but my thought

Photo from the Alabama Cooperative Extension

AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. – Farmers and gardeners have been using compost for thousands of years, but that doesn’t mean it always has to be the same old food scraps, pet scat and lawn clippings. Wheat stra

True Joy results when we become aware of
our connectedness to everything.

- Paul Pearsall

When we start to see the invisible gifts embedded in so many facets of our lives, we can’t help but pour it forward, and that spirit of service becomes a natural expression of grateful living

Audrey Lin