Created Holidays

 

I love holidays, and I'm always looking for new holidays to add to my personal calendar.  Every year or so, I feel moved to look for interesting days to celebrate, and I adore Pagan date books that have at least one thing listed for every day (and I totally need to get a book and cultivate my own book of days!)

But in my search for interesting holidays, I always stumble upon some UPG or created holidays.  One that often pops up on my social media is Wolfenoot (which if you haven't read about...you need to, it's adorable).  And I recently found a whole set (kind of like the Advent or 12 days of Yule) where someone described a set of days devoted to the Norse nine worlds.

And invariably, when talking about created holidays, there will be comments that those aren't 'real' holidays, and some people feel like creating your own holidays (or celebrating a modern 'created' holiday) is somehow tipping into realms of pop culture Paganism or Chaos magic, where you can just make up whatever you want (which if you aren't aware, I'm a huge fan of, but I know it's a contentious subject for many people)

But here's the thing.  All holidays are created!  If you go back far enough, someone (or a group of someones) decided that this specific day would be a good day to recognize this person/event, and they started doing it.  

If you search for holidays for any given date, you will find a whole list of days, from long established traditions to very new ones (like Talk Like a Pirate day).  There are holidays with tons of followers and some with only a few.  Like anything else, popularity can be hard to predict, but once something catches on, it becomes a whole thing, and suddenly everyone is talking about this particular day.

One of the great things about created holidays is you can create a holiday to recognize whatever you want.  If you have a deity you work with, maybe you want to dedicate a holiday to them.  Or maybe you have a holiday you grew up with that doesn't really fit you now, but you want to build a new tradition off of it (like Friendsgiving).  You could build a holiday around your favorite myth or story, creating traditions that represent different parts of the tale.

Which is great, as there are so many aspects of different deities and traditions that have been lost to time.  When I read about a deity who is barely mentioned in the stories (or maybe who is literally only known as a name), it makes me a bit sad, but also like I want to know more about them.  And I get that the more well known and popular deities are the ones that we still have holidays to honor, but that doesn't mean we can't create holidays to honor other deities that we work with!

Whether you are creating your own holiday from scratch or taking someone else's holiday idea and building upon it, there are a lot of great things you can work into your holiday.  Of course you first have to start with a date, and finding the right day to celebrate on could mean figuring out a date that would fit with any lore that exists, but it could also mean finding a day that feels right (perhaps it involves a specific number or is during a certain season...or maybe you want it near another holiday or at a time of year that doesn't have much going on).

Then you can start to think about what things are done during your holiday.  Foods are a great place to start, perhaps there are dishes that should be served or a style of eating (like having a picnic or all cold foods).  From there you can expand to other decoration ideas, like a color that represents your holiday or decorations that might be hung.

And then you should consider activities.  Are there ritual actions that would fit your holiday?  Perhaps it is a time to tell tales or sing songs or create art.  You might keep it general or you might want to dive in and create a very specific thing you do as part of the celebration (like decorating and hiding eggs or carving pumpkins).

Just remember, the whole point of the celebration is to recognize something, so the things you pick to incorporate into your holiday should all relate to it's central theme.  Those connections might not be obvious, but they should be there.

And finally, decide if your holiday will be a personal one, or one you share.  You can absolutely create private holidays, special days of celebration that are solitary expressions of your path.  This might include days of personal significance (like honoring any initiations you might have gone through), or just private rituals that you do with your deities on specific days.

But you might decide you want to share what you've created with others who might also like to celebrate with you.  In this age of social media, you can easily post your holidays online, or you can host a gathering (you can either explain everything ahead of time or let people know you will elaborate on the purpose of the gathering once they get there).  You could even invite others to help you create some of the aspects of your holiday!

Just remember, if you go back far enough, all holidays were created (and some of the holidays we recognize as Pagans weren't created as long ago as you might think...), so there is nothing wrong with creating the holidays you wish you could celebrate or ones that have personal meaning for you.

Spiritual Fads

Fads and trends have been a part of human life....pretty much since forever.  We have this innate need to fit in, and that means we have a tendency to follow along with whatever is popular.  And while getting in on the latest fad isn't necessarily a bad thing, it can create issues when the fad is...less than great.

The amusing thing is that most of the time fads start by someone doing something new.  It may be a whole new practice, it could be a twist on an old classic or it could be something completely superficial.  Often fads are started by 'influential' people, though this could mean someone with actual power, someone with a solid social media following, or simply someone who is highly charismatic and personable.  But they inspire others to follow what they are doing, and suddenly a fad is born.

I feel like spiritual fads fall into two categories: those within the community and those without (in this context, I'm talking about the spiritual community).  Within the community you might see things like certain pantheons being more popular at different times, or distinct practices that become 'standard'.  Often these fads are influenced by things that are popular in mainstream culture.  So when Vikings became a thing, Norse practices grew and became fads.  

 

When looking at spiritual fads outside the community, you are looking more at things that many people do as spiritual acts that become popular (and accepted) in mainstream culture.  Recently we have seen this with crystals and tarot.  In some cases (like crystals), the object is often stripped of it's spiritual meaning...crystals become just pretty rocks to decorate your house with.  In other cases they are demystified, so tarot cards aren't about tapping into the divine but rather a psychological tool to help you make decisions (and it's totally valid to believe in both the spiritual practice and it's demystified logic).

Spiritual fads that gain popularity outside the community can be great boons.  As more people accept and enjoy things we practice (even in a demystified fashion), things become more available and less demonized.  It not only allows people who are just starting out to try things without having to tumble all the way down the rabbit hole, but it means that their family and friends won't necessarily freak out if they find your supplies.

On the other hand, fads within the community can be really confusing for many people.  Often fads challenge existing traditions (as in the way things are commonly done, not Traditions as in groups of people, although those could also be challenged by fads), and if you don't have experience with your basics you might struggle working with fad practices that either assume you have the basics down or aren't based anything other than UPG (unverified personal gnosis...in other words, personal experience of the person who started the fad).  

The other thing about fads is that, by definition, they fade away.  What is 'in' today might be out tomorrow, and people who continue to practice an outdated fad are often seen as uneducated (often fads are debunked as being fraudulent, not just fading out of popularity).  And I have a real big problem with judging any practice's validity based on how popular it is.

It can be fun to jump on the bandwagon and play with whatever the newest fad is.  And sometimes this leads to great discoveries about your path and your practices.  It can also lead to spending a bunch of money on stuff you will regret in a month or so.  I think the important thing to remember, when thinking about spiritual fads, is to make sure they actually appeal to you.  Try them, test them out, see how they work for you, and if they work, fabulous!  But if you would only be doing something to 'fit in', then perhaps it's worth passing the fad by and sticking with what does work for you.

Journaling as practice

 While it has become quite common for many people to have or use a journal as part of their practice, the act of journaling is often seen as an auxiliary thing.  You write things down as a secondary part of a primary practice.  But the journaling itself isn't seen as spiritual (with the exception of a practice like morning pages, which does embrace journaling as a daily practice).

I have a sort of funny relationship with journals.  I have a TON of them, and I do use them.  I tend to like themed journals, so I have tarot journals, magical journals, book journals, rune journals, study journals and activity journals (like for challenges and what not).  But I also often journal in phases.  I much prefer to journal by hand, but hand writing doesn't work well for me (my handwriting is atrocious, and it hurts me to write for any length of time by hand).

But there is something so very satisfying about grabbing a pen (or a handful, I tend to write in rainbows!) and filling a blank page with words.  I adore looking back through my journals and reading what I was about at different times in my life.  Even reading notes I took while researching a subject tells me a lot about my mindset at the time.

With Art and Junk Journals being quite popular right now, a lot of people are finding that creating beautiful artistic pages in their journals brings them a lot of joy.  I've seen fabulous spreads dedicated to a wide variety of topics, and there are definitely people who turn making these works of art into a spiritual practice.  Finding the right way to decorate a page to represent the information on it is a wonderful way to deepen your understanding (and experience) of a subject, whether it is one you are studying about or something you are reflecting on.

On the other side of the spectrum, Bullet Journals offer a lot of great organizational options, helping you keep all your writings neat and tidy.  And they are highly customizable, so if something doesn't quite work for you, simply change it!

But even if you aren't artistically inclined (or maybe you don't want/have the time to devote to this level of journaling), or you don't want to fuss with all the organization of a proper journal system, you can still use journaling as part of your personal practice.

I've been working with moon cycle journaling for just over eight months now.  The bones of my moon cycle journal practice are simple:  note the moon phase for the day, write an intention, and do one more thing for each phase (typically a card draw or more writing).  For me, taking the time to look up the phase (I use an app on my phone for this), and then think of an intention for each day helps me tune into both my daily life and the larger, natural cycles (that I often struggle to tap into, being very much an indoor person).

This moon cycle journaling led me to Sabbat journaling, and using my journal as a vehicle for observing and honoring the Sabbats.  I've journaled Sabbats (as record keeping) on and off for a few years, but I'll be honest, my actual observance of Sabbats isn't regular.  I try to keep my altar set for the current Sabbat, and to do other little things around my house to honor the shifting of the seasons, but I don't always have big work to do, so doing a full ritual (on my own), often feels off.  Instead, I find that spending some time writing about what the Sabbat means to me is helpful and allows me to honor the thoughts and feelings the Sabbat brings up for me.

Another journal practice I've started is an ancestor journal.  The idea is to have a place where I can write to my ancestors (blood, spirit or otherwise...pretty much anyone who isn't alive anymore).  This sort of encompasses themes from Samhain, Memorial day, Veteran's day, Mother Night and the many other times where we honor our dead.  But I like the idea of a journal that is kind of like letters to the dead, where I can talk to my beloved dead whenever I feel the urge.

And of course we have tarot journals!  I'm one of those people who thinks better in writing, so for me, journaling out a reading is an important part of the reading.  I also find that reading my notes on readings helps me to refine my understanding of specific cards.  I can see how I interpret the same card in different ways depending on the style of reading, the other cards involved, the deck and any other influences I may have experienced.

One thing I'm looking forward to is expanding my tarot journaling to include tarot journaling games, which I've recently become aware of.  I have a couple now that I've picked up, that include prompts that you then answer by drawing cards, but you weave a story in your journal, which I find absolutely fascinating.  And while it may seem to be a bit frivolous, I'm one of those people who learns best through play, so any way to play with my cards is a way to get to know them better.

I feel like one of the best things about journaling as a practice is it is something that you can do pretty much anywhere, with no one the wiser about what you are doing.  Which makes it great for travel or doing work when around non-witchy folks.  You can use your journal as a visualization tool, writing out what you are visualizing as you 'do' it (which means you don't need to have your tools or supplies with you, you can simply write out what you are doing and with what).  The brilliant thing about this is you can easily dip into guided meditations as well, where you note down the prompts, but then write out your responses.

In this digital age, of course you could also do some or all of your journaling online.  And you could absolutely make parts of it public (especially if you have other witchy friends who might want to journal along with you!), but I think there is something special about having words that are only for yourself, and journaling often fits that need.

So no matter how you do it, journaling can be a main part of your practice, not simply a way you make note of the other things you do.  Find new ways to entwine your practice and your journal, and you might be surprised at how robust a journaling practice feels!

Express yourself

 One thing I hear quite often from people is that they aren't creative.  This is especially true for people who equate creativity with art and who feel like they aren't artistic (many have been raised to think of art in very traditional ways, with photo-realism always being the end goal).  But here's the thing...creativity is just about taking an idea and doing something with it.

There are infinite ways of being creative!  Everyone can do it, and it might take a little un-training, learning to allow your creativity to flow instead of blocking it off, but the great thing is the more you try, the more creativity you unlock!

I truly think creativity is rooted in self-expression.  And there are many ways to define self-expression!  The easiest and most obvious is that self-expression is about putting 'you' into the stuff you do.  That's it.  Just do things the way you want, in the way you feel represents you, and you are expressing yourself!

The hard part here comes in ignoring all the 'shoulds'.  We are taught rules from pretty much birth, there are proper ways of doing everything, and sometimes the thing that feels right to us isn't the 'right' way.  And sometimes it is important to pay attention to the way we are taught to do a thing (especially if there is any kind of safety issue)....but if it's just about fitting in, then stop following the rules!

If this is something you struggle with, there are lots of great ways to challenge yourself.  Let's go back to childhood and look at coloring.  Coloring is something we did as a child, and it is very common for children to not color things the 'right' color.  Blue suns and purple grass...kids pick colors based on what they like and how they feel.  They don't always worry about coloring inside the lines, and they don't limit themselves to just filling in the colors, they add details or change things they don't like.  They make their pictures their own.

Coloring is very in right now, and yet I bet lots of people don't color because they feel judgy about their own creations.  Maybe your hands shake (mine do!) or maybe you feel like it is a 'waste of time'.  Here's the thing...creativity is a wonderful self-care activity, and it is best if you give yourself the freedom to make mistakes.

Go get a coloring book from a dollar store...get something silly or beautiful, detailed or simple.  Grab some crayons (you can use colored pencils if you like, but I highly recommend starting with crayons).  And don't just pick the basic crayons....go and look for something that makes you smile.  There are glitter crayons, pastels, neons or marbled versions.  There are also ones that are more pencil shaped, if the short length bothers your hands.  The great thing about some of these other variations is they do force you outside the 'realistic' box....if you don't have a flesh tone then you have to make skin blue or some other color.

Maybe you prefer digital art.  There are some absolutely fantastic art modification programs out there that are super fun to play with.  You can find really cool ones for either your phone or computer, that let you take an existing picture and change it in different ways.  If you enjoy taking pictures, you can combine the two, taking your own pictures and then modifying them to create whole new works of art.  Or you can use stock art as the base to modify.

Perhaps art isn't your thing at all, and you love music.  Of course you could learn a musical instrument, but you can also just jam along to your favorite songs, singing along (it doesn't matter if you know all the words), or playing out the rhythms with your hands.  You can dance or find some other kind of movement to express how the music makes you feel.  

And you can combine different things as well!  You might listen to a song and draw what it makes you think of.  Or look at a picture and create a melody that embodies it (or even find an existing song that feels like it expresses the art).

There are also tons of crafts that you can play with, from carving to weaving to sculpting.  For pure creativity, I always recommend finding the version that children would do and spending some time doing that.  Get some play dough, weave a potholder out of yarn, carve soap or potatoes.

Give yourself permission to muck it all up!  But don't get mad when you do.  Practice laughing up your mistakes.  Did you squish the face of your creation....see if the 'mistake' makes you see something new in your piece and see how you can embrace the new direction.  Did you spill your paint all over your picture....try tilting the page and making it spread in different ways, then let it dry and draw over it.  

Finding ways to express yourself can make a lot of other places in your life where you have to do things a certain way just a bit more tolerable.  We are constrained in many ways, but finding places to be creative allows us to put ourselves out there.  Creative expression also often helps us say things that we struggle to put into words.  It can be an outlet for the parts of yourself that you can't show the world (or that you feel like you need to keep private from parts of your life).  You owe it to yourself to find ways to give voice to what lives inside.

Trickster's purpose

 As April approaches and the annual trickster holiday approaches, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about the purpose of the trickster in lore and legend as well as in history.  April Fools has become a day dedicated to tricking people, but I feel like it's lost the purpose for which Tricksters were designed.  Instead of being a way to make people think or even a way to bring joy and laughter into life, it has become a way to say or do mean things intended to hurt or humiliate others.

Many cultures have tricksters in their pantheon, and on the surface these beings seem to delight in causing mischief and stirring up trouble.  Often they create situations that others have to figure ways out of, though they often catch themselves in their tricks as well.  But if you look at the greater purpose of these trickster stories, it is often to teach life lessons.  

The trickster isn't always the teacher in the story, sometimes someone else steps into that role, and the trickster becomes the instrument of chaos, the being that creates the situation that the people need to be saved from.  But, at the end of the story, the people are better off because of the way they adapted to the situation the trickster created.  

 

In the stories, tricksters are chaos embodied, and chaos doesn't always act with intention.  These beings often act out of pure instinct.  They stir the pot just to see what happens.  They don't think before they talk (or act), and then they may have to figure a way out of their own mess.  Where they redeem themselves is with their quick thinking, and they often find a way to twist the story to point out the good that was learned because of their rash actions.

When we leave the stories behind, and we look at tricksters in history, we not only look at entertainers, but also roles like the jester.  Jesters or the court fool were deliberately silly and over the top.  They made outrageous statements, said and did things that were often seen as mocking of the powers that be, and generally got away with things that no one else could.

But under the surface, the good ones were being very deliberate and careful in the types of taunts they used.  They had to be quite attuned to the powers they worked for, and the common people, and find the balance between pointing out truths that everyone was thinking (but no one was brave enough to say) and not pushing things too far.  A good jester could advise the powers about issues and give them information about how their people viewed them.

And, of course, tricksters are often clowns....designed to make people laugh.  Tricksters are free from a lot of the social constraints that bind us.  They are able to be silly and outlandish, and it's okay to laugh at them.  We know how important laughter is to our mental health, and while today we have many outlets for inserting humor into our lives, it hasn't always been that way. 

Tricksters, both in person (as clowns or comedy actors or any other profession who's purpose was to make people laugh) and in story (lore, legend and fiction) help people deal with the stress of life by giving them a form of release from the heaviness of the day to day grind.

Physical comedy has always been a thing.  We get embarrassed when we hurt ourselves or do something foolish (there's that word again...when we act like a fool), and it makes us feel less self-conscious about our own stumbles when we laugh at other people.  But, because we have empathy, we don't feel good about laughing when other people make the same mistakes, and that's where tricksters come in.

Slapstick is a form of comedy that mimics those embarrassing mistakes, and lets us laugh at them without guilt...because we know that people are performing an act for us.  They are making a show of being hurt or dropping things, and we can laugh without feeling like we are hurting their feelings.

The problem (as I see it), is that some people have taken the trickster idea and use it to actually hurt people (physically or emotionally), by 'tricking' them.  We have taken the form of the trickster and turned it into a form of bullying.  And often, these harmful acts are done in mimicry of staged performances meant to make people laugh (like those shows where a group of people agree to try to prank or otherwise trick each other....but then fans start doing the same things to people who haven't agreed to be a part of it).

There is a thin line to walk between humor and harm, but the biggest thing I think to stay mindful of, when thinking about tricksters and their purpose is:  what is your intent?  Do you want to make someone laugh (and you have to step out of your own perspective and into theirs...would the target of your joke find it funny) or do you want people to laugh AT the target (who probably is either embarrassed, scared or hurt by your actions).

Tricksters have a purpose, and it's a necessary one.  But we need to make sure, when we enjoy the works of tricksters that we aren't having a laugh at other people's expenses.  When we look at trickster tales, we should consider their motivation at all steps of the story, not just how they talked their way out of consequences.  And if you want to take up the mask of the Fool this April, remember to stay true to the trickster's purpose.

Creativity as fertility

 As the year wakes up and we enter into spring and nature goes into full on fertile mode, we may find ourselves more inspired than usual.  Whatever our thoughts on physical procreation, we can embrace this creative energy and harness our own creative impulses.  

I absolutely believe everyone is creative, in their own way.  Sometimes we limit ourselves by thinking that creativity is limited to art (and to being 'good' at something), but if we take a step back, creativity is the act of creating something.  And that thing we create could be artistic, but it could also be practical.

There is so much we do in our lives that fall under the category of 'acts of creation,' from making food to building things, and yes this includes making art (though there is absolutely no requirement that it meet any standard whatsoever).  In fact, I think when it comes to creation, it's the act of creating that is more important than the product you end up with.

There is something really satisfying with working with our hands.  And even if you are a very cerebral creator (like a writer), at some point in the creation process, you are using your body to get the thought out into the world...you are birthing your idea into being.

I'd like to make a quick note here as well that the things we create don't always have to be unique or new.  I get a great sense of creation by making tried and true recipes that have been in my family for years.  In fact, this style of creation, by creating things we have seen others create, helps us cultivate a sense of connection.  When we create something that other people have also created, we are connected to everyone who has created the same thing.

The great thing about creation is that the sky's the limit.  Just because something has always been done a certain way, doesn't stop you from experimenting, from trying other ways or twists on the established method.  We can make things our own, if that is our desire.

One thing to remember, when you create, is that the more risks you take, the more possible rewards, but also the greater the chance of failure.  By staying to more safe methods, you have more reliable results, but you won't ever get the wow factor of something truly groundbreaking (though the counter point to this is that you don't have to be groundbreaking at all).

And of course, the more effort you put into your creation, the higher quality the results will be.  If I am wanting to turn a branch into a wand, and I am sanding it down, I might have a perfectly serviceable wand after a single pass with a medium sandpaper.  But if I take a few grades of sandpaper, and spend enough time working with each, I will end up with a much smoother final product.  Quality is one of those things that takes time to both achieve and to appreciate...a simple glance at something won't show you how well it's made, but as you spend time with it, quality will show through.

I love the fact that anyone can be creative, and this is a perfect way for everyone to embrace the energy of spring and this fertile time of the year.  Start paying attention to what peaks your interest, to the ideas that pop up in your head, you know the ones, where you think, 'I could do that...'  Find something that looks interesting and give it a go.

There are so many wonderful creative pursuits that we can explore, and each will bring something into our live that wasn't there before we engaged in the creation process.  You might find that the act of creating opens up your mind, sparking more thoughts and ideas.  Or, you might find the exact opposite, that when you create, your mind calms and you aren't consumed by the thoughts that normally crowd your mind.  I almost always find that I feel refreshed after creating, no matter the part of the project I am on.

Nature time!

As spring...springs, we are often drawn to spend more time outside in nature.  Especially if the winter has been long and the start of spring was dark and rainy, when those nice days show up we want to get outside and spend time in nature.

Which makes a lot of sense, both with the way the reduced light effects us (even if you don't have a seasonal mood disorder, the lack of sunlight effects everyone's mood) and how we just crave seeing the natural world wake up after the winter months.  Especially as a Pagan, we often have a great love for nature and all it's denizens, so the desire to spend more time outside is one we recognize well.

And while I'm often a big supporter of using modern and digital means to access things our ancestors couldn't, I think there is something more to this desire to be outside than can be satisfied by watching nature documentaries or seeing beautiful pictures.

The great thing is that it doesn't truly matter where you live.  You could live in the middle of the city, and there are still signs of nature to be enjoyed.  Nature has a way of pushing through, and once you start looking for it, there are plants and animals all over!

It may take a bit of a twist of thought to break free from this civilized idea of 'acceptable' nature.  You might not live next to an untouched forest or field of wild flowers, but there is much to be learned and gained by taking the time to notice what is around you.

One thing I have always thought a bit crazy is the sheer number of plants we have decided are weeds.  I think we first started thinking of weeds when we started trying to plant crops, but most of us aren't farmers, so our understanding of weeds comes from the lawn owner perspective.  

Now, I have a lot of thoughts about lawns (cliff notes:  I think they are an absolute waste of space, at least in the traditional sense).  I love that many people have the luxury of being surrounded by small slices of nature (and even though I live in an apartment with no actual lawn myself, there is a big empty field out back that I enjoy).  But I think that we take lawns way too seriously, and that has caused us, as a society, to devalue a great many plants that are native to our areas.

If you start learning about plants at all (and I am a very big beginner in this area, plants really aren't my thing), you will learn that almost every plant has some uses for us as people, but they also all play a role in the natural world.  Some are foods, some are medicines, some are poison (which often helps a plant propagate or wards off animals that would eat too much of it).

We often look to 'pretty' plants and cultivate those in our gardens (or bring them inside in pots), but if you look beyond the obvious colorful flowers, there are a lot of plants that have really interesting features and just spending time looking around your house for plants that you can study can be a wonderful spring activity.

Just like we domesticate plants, we have domesticated animals, but we still have a whole lot of animals (and insects!) outside our door that we can watch and learn about.  Bird watching is an obvious start, and many people love watching the different birds that frequent their area.  I enjoy watching squirrels or rabbits, and have also seen groundhogs and turkeys from my house, so you really never know what you are going to see.

And at first glance, you may not think there is anything interesting to watch around you, but look a little closer and the world is teeming with insects.  I don't think I can go outside and not find ants within a few moments of looking.  

We tend to look down our noses at insects, but many are quite breathtaking once you get over how different they are to us.  Of course you have your butterflies and dragonflies with their beautiful wings, but many beetles have beautiful bodies, and even very common insects like flies can be fascinating when you watch them groom themselves.

Whether you prefer plants, feathered or furred critters or insects, there is a literal whole world of nature out there to be discovered, and even a few minutes spent sitting and watching what is going on right outside your door can be a soothing escape, especially after a long winter!