The upcoming holidays
Imbolc is coming up. But despite the fact that most pagans celebrate it (well, I guess most people at least recognize it in the form of Groundhog Day, which takes place in my new home state), I find that the holiday does nothing for me. I don't feel like it's the cusp of spring, I don't have any animals to milk. It's just the middle of winter.
But there is a holiday coming up that I do get something out of--Valentine's Day. I look at it as a high holiday celebrating Freyja and Sjofn. And since they're two deities I spend the most time with, it's a pretty big deal in my house.
So I've decided to replace Imbolc with Valentine's. It does make sense to me in terms of the time of year, even. It's the middle of the winter slump and our friends and loved ones get us by. Most babies are conceived in the winter because everyone wants to get warm in bed when it's cold outside.
I'm going to really go all out with Valentine's this year. I'm really excited. I'm gathering addresses from friends so that I can send them cards saying that I care about them. Davin and I are going to celebrate at home with some ritual activities for Freyja and Sjofn, including mask wearing, eating a dinner made of aphrodisiacs, watching a chick flick, etc. I plan to tell him all kinds of reasons I love him. Perhaps we'll read some poetry.
Considering the fact that I find love to be so central to my religious understanding, I feel like it's natural for Valentine's to be one of my favorite and most meaningful holidays.
I'm looking forward to starting some traditions of my own, like mailing cards to everyone I care about and having a ritual feast for Freyja and Sjofn and celebrating my relationship with Davin and thanking my friends. I'm going to decorate my apartment one way or the other, even if it just means drawing some hearts on paper.
I'm really excited about this. I haven't ever planned a holiday ahead of time before, and I really think it's going to make the day so much better. Perhaps it will give me the motivation to plan the holidays I'm less intrinsically interested in ahead of time.
I know a lot of people don't like Valentine's, and that it was invented by greeting card companies. But somehow, I don't care. It's a day when I and everyone else celebrate the gifts that Freyja and Sjofn bestow upon us, the beauty with which they infuse our lives, the friends, family, and loved ones who make our days special. It's the holiday whose core message most closely matches who I am and want to be--I love.
But there is a holiday coming up that I do get something out of--Valentine's Day. I look at it as a high holiday celebrating Freyja and Sjofn. And since they're two deities I spend the most time with, it's a pretty big deal in my house.
So I've decided to replace Imbolc with Valentine's. It does make sense to me in terms of the time of year, even. It's the middle of the winter slump and our friends and loved ones get us by. Most babies are conceived in the winter because everyone wants to get warm in bed when it's cold outside.
I'm going to really go all out with Valentine's this year. I'm really excited. I'm gathering addresses from friends so that I can send them cards saying that I care about them. Davin and I are going to celebrate at home with some ritual activities for Freyja and Sjofn, including mask wearing, eating a dinner made of aphrodisiacs, watching a chick flick, etc. I plan to tell him all kinds of reasons I love him. Perhaps we'll read some poetry.
Considering the fact that I find love to be so central to my religious understanding, I feel like it's natural for Valentine's to be one of my favorite and most meaningful holidays.
I'm looking forward to starting some traditions of my own, like mailing cards to everyone I care about and having a ritual feast for Freyja and Sjofn and celebrating my relationship with Davin and thanking my friends. I'm going to decorate my apartment one way or the other, even if it just means drawing some hearts on paper.
I'm really excited about this. I haven't ever planned a holiday ahead of time before, and I really think it's going to make the day so much better. Perhaps it will give me the motivation to plan the holidays I'm less intrinsically interested in ahead of time.
I know a lot of people don't like Valentine's, and that it was invented by greeting card companies. But somehow, I don't care. It's a day when I and everyone else celebrate the gifts that Freyja and Sjofn bestow upon us, the beauty with which they infuse our lives, the friends, family, and loved ones who make our days special. It's the holiday whose core message most closely matches who I am and want to be--I love.