It's Spring Equinox where I live in the southeastern US, but in Crete where the ancient Minoans lived, it's harvest time. So for those of us who practice Modern Minoan Paganism, the equinoxes tend to be "fun with sacred calendars" time. More about how we handle this interesting issue on today's Minoan Path blog: The Equinoxes in Modern Minoan Paganism: A problem of location To join the conversation about Modern Minoan Paganism and ancient Minoan culture, head on over to our w

Though I've been giving workshops and presentations about herbalism and natural health all along, it has been quite a few years since I've attended a Pagan gathering. The ones we had been going to for years had mostly degenerated into loud parties with a little too much public intoxication for my taste (and I had a small child to consider, way back then) so we just quit going. Mystic South promises to be a bit more grown-up, with more of the flavor of a con than a wild party.

Today on the Minoan Path blog, an exploration of Potnia, who turns out to be not one goddess, but many: Minoan Goddesses: Who is Potnia? To join the conversation about ancient Minoan culture and Modern Minoan Paganism, head on over to our welcoming community at Ariadne's Tribe on Facebook. In the name of the bee, And of the butterfly, And of the breeze, amen. #goddess #paganism #spirituality #crete #minoan #deities

Today on the Minoan Path blog, I'm reviewing an inspiring book by Jane Meredith. Though her focus is on goddesses, the methods she details are useful for making connections with any kind of deity or spirit. And her stories of her own experiences with a number of different goddesses are quite moving. Book Review: Aspecting the Goddess May your journeys with the divine be inspired and blessed. In the name of the bee, And of the butterfly, And of the breeze, amen. #goddess #book

The eightfold Wheel of the Year may be the most well-known Pagan calendar in the modern world, but it's not historical: it was created in the 20th century for modern Pagans. The ancient Minoans didn't use it. So what did they have? Probably, a very complicated year full of all kinds of festivals and sacred days, much like the later ancient Romans had. We've figured out what some of those festivals might have been and put them together into our sacred calendar for Modern Minoa

The other day I realized that I've been sharing book reviews in my monthly newsletter for quite a while, but I haven't been sharing those same reviews on my blog. So I thought I would do just that, in case you might be looking for something new to read. I love to read, almost as much as I love to write, so it's hard to pick just one title when people ask me to name my favorite book. I usually name a handful. But this one - The Hounds of the Morrigan by Pat O'Shea - is almost

In modern life, we often take water for granted. All we have to do is turn on a tap to get all we want, hot or cold. It wasn't that easy in the ancient world, even in "high" civilizations like the Minoans. Modern Minoan Paganism is an evolving tradition, and we've recently added a new ritual to our sacred calendar: The Blessing of the Waters. It's based on the remnants of a pre-Christian tradition from Crete and neighboring areas. It's great way to connect with the water in y

If it has horns, it must be a bull, right? Wrong. I explain all the details in today's Minoan Path blog post: A Dilemma of Horns: Minoan Bulls and Cows To join the conversation about ancient Minoan culture and Modern Minoan Paganism, head on over to our welcoming community at Ariadne's Tribe on Facebook. In the name of the bee, And of the butterfly, And of the breeze, amen. #goddess #symbolism #paganism #spirituality #crete #minoan

Today on the Minoan Path blog, I'm chewing on what it means to follow a spirit-led tradition that's based on a 4,000-year-old Bronze Age culture but that's practiced in the modern world. Lots to think about: Modern Minoan Paganism: No rules to break To join the conversation about Modern Minoan Paganism and ancient Minoan culture, head on over to our welcoming community at Ariadne's Tribe on Facebook. In the name of the bee, And of the butterfly, And of the breeze, amen. #hist

December has been busy, but I've managed to share a bit about Minoan spirituality in its various forms. My dear friend Dana Corby graciously agreed to do a guest post about how Minoan spirituality has intertwined with Wicca and other forms of Paganism over the past few decades: How the Minoans got mixed up with Wicca And I've been contemplating the way the ancient Minoans made offerings, how they set them on different levels from the rest of the altar to set them apart from t

There are labryses, and then there are double axes. There's a difference, and it has to do with how each one is used. I explain the details in today's Minoan Path blog post here: Two Blades: Minoan ritual labryses and practical tools To join the conversation about Modern Minoan Paganism and ancient Minoan civilization, head on over to our welcoming group at Ariadne's Tribe on Facebook. In the name of the bee, And of the butterfly, And of the breeze, amen. #goddess #symbolism

It's Samhain season here in the northern hemisphere, and my thoughts are turning toward the Ancestors and the spirits of the dead. Though the ancient Minoans didn't celebrate Samhain (it's a Celtic festival, not a Minoan one) they did hold dining rites that look remarkably like a Dumb Supper. Find out about the Minoan dining shrines and how to put on your own Minoan-themed Dinner for the Dead in this week's Minoan Path blog post: Dining with the Ancestors: A Modern Minoan Rit

One of the fun things I get to do as a writer is chat with other writers about what we do and how we do it. DJ is one of those special people who went from being an online acquaintance to a dear friend in real life. And she's also a talented writer and master herbalist. She writes both fiction (urban fantasy) and non-fiction (really useful books about herbs in both medicine and magic). Full disclosure: I'm also DJ's editor, but I recommend her books because they're awesome, n

Many of us who practice Modern Minoan Paganism are solitaries. But that doesn't mean we can't add a bit of pomp and fun to our rituals, even if it's just us and the gods. Here's a historically-based way to do just that: Minoan Processional: Walking the gods in To join the conversation about Modern Minoan Paganism and ancient Minoan civilization, head on over to our welcoming community at Ariadne's Tribe on Facebook. In the name of the bee, And of the butterfly, And of the bre

Walking a labyrinth can be a profoundly spiritual experience for people of any spiritual path. Labyrinth-walking is one component of spiritual practice in Modern Minoan Paganism: Labyrinth Walking in Modern Minoan Paganism To join the conversation about ancient Minoan civilization and Modern Minoan Paganism, head on over to our welcoming community at Ariadne's Tribe on Facebook. In the name of the bee, And of the butterfly, And of the breeze, amen. #symbolism #paganism #spiri

When I started down the path of Minoan spirituality, I had no idea it was going to have so many twists and turns. I've had to revamp my view of the pantheon as well as my spiritual practice more than once. Oh, the dangers of an evolving modern Pagan spiritual tradition! LOL I don't like changing my mind: an essay in the evolution of Modern Minoan Paganism To join the conversation about Modern Minoan Paganism and ancient Minoan civilization, head on over to our welcoming commu

I've spent the past year-plus revising and updating The Wiccan Wellness Book for the new second edition that comes out (eep!) in just a few days. In addition to all new illustrations, the second edition also has a spiffy new cover. I'm very pleased with it and I hope you like it, too. So... drumroll, please... Though the official publication date is this coming Friday, September 28, The Wiccan Wellness Book is already available via Amazon.com (print and Kindle) and Smashwords

That's not a facepalm that the young woman is doing (it's an ecstatic posture) but it's the closest I could find in Minoan art. Being the listmom at Ariadne's Tribe is usually a joyful job, but recently it has been difficult and saddening due to racism rearing its ugly head (again) in the Pagan community. So here's what I'm doing about it: Racism Rears Its Ugly Head Again Modern Minoan Paganism is a welcoming path, happily open to people of any race, ethnicity, gender or gend

Sometimes it's hard to explain to people what Modern Minoan Paganism is all about, how it's a combination of ancient and modern, reconstruction and spirit-led practice. I think we've finally come up with some pretty clear and understandable language (that doesn't take four paragraphs to explain!). Here it is in a nutshell: Modern Minoan Paganism: Reviving ancient spirituality To join the conversation about ancient Minoan civilization and Modern Minoan Paganism, head on over t

I've spent the summer researching, revising and updating The Wiccan Wellness Book for the second edition (release date 28 September). It will have an all-new cover, which I'll share with you as soon as it's ready. But I decided the interior illustrations needed some freshening up, too. Here are a few of the new ones I've drawn. This one goes with the chapter about natural methods of healthcare, including herbalism: Here are some dandelions for the chapter about Green Partners