Indigenous Tradition | The heART of Ritual 2/2

The heART of Ritual

musings

Welcome to the MUSINGS room in our digital nest! Here you will find an extensive selection of articles, poetry, prose, videos, recipes, and tutorials that journey the natural cycles, seasons, elements, and archetypes in the Celtic Wheel of the Year, as well as our Irish indigenous festivals, folklore, and customs.

This is lovingly provided as a free community resource, however it is copyrighted content. As such, we respectfully ask that if you share this content outside of this dedicated space, either in whole, in part, or paraphrased, that you credit the author and source. Thank you.

Mistletoe Myth & Lore

From the earliest times mistletoe has been one of the most magical, mysterious, and sacred plants of European folklore. Kissing under the...

Women of The Outer Hebrides - Waulking Songs

A selection of short films on waulking songs sung by women while finishing Harris tweed in the Outer Hebrides islands of Scotland. A...

The origins of Santa?

Let’s take a trip to the snow-covered fields of Lapland and Siberia, where the legend of Santa Claus may have originated. Hundreds of...

The Winter Solstice and the Birth of Sol

We have almost arrived at the winter solstice, the moment when the most northern point of the earth is tilted furthest away from the...

European Winter Solstice costumes; a ritualistic expression of Shapeshifting and Protection

These images of ritual and ceremonies from old indigenous customs in Europe from around the winter solstice, show a time when we were...

The Deer Mother: Earth's Nurturing Epicenter of Life and Death

The animal mother is one of the most ancient images of birth-giving goddess, spanning continents, millennia, and cultures. Marija...

The unearthing of Ireland's ancient Sweathouses

The sweathouses of Ireland date back to the 9th century and earlier. Now known as Bronze Age sweathouses, these ritual spaces were...

Ritual Headdresses in Celtic Europe

Wearing deer antlers as part of ritual has ancient roots in Celtic Europe – this antler frontlet was made 11,000 years ago probably for...

Winter Masks and Seasonal Rituals among the Iroquois

"False Faces, among the Iroquois, are personifications of mythical beings who live in wild and isolated regions, on the edge of the known...

Mothers Night: The Ancient Pagan Origins of Santa?

An ancient winter festival which stems from at least the Iron Age is Mothers Night or Modraniht. This celebration took place on what is...

Blúiríní Béaloidis 09 - Christmas Customs & Traditions

For this month's edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis, hosts Claire Doohan and Jonny Dillon set out to take a critical look at traditional...

The Stigma and Taboo of having the gift of 'Fairy Sight'

For this article I wanted to open the door on the social pressures and, indeed, stigma, regarding reporting fairy encounters. Related to...

Storytelling is an Emergency: An Ecological Reading of Scheherazade

“What is your emergency?” I asked my creative writing group of female high school students. “What if you only had time to tell one last...

Traditional Plants of the Winter Solstice

History shows that the seasonal botanicals gathered were those thriving in the landscape around us. For us here in Europe, symbolic...

Cuetlaxochitl, Poinsettia: a Gift of Rebirth and Light from Mexico

Along with tamales, buñuelos, and champurrado, many of us bring the beauty of the elegant Flor de Noche Buena into our homes signals the...

Chysh Khan' - Siberian Santa

'Chysh Khan is said to be a modern incarnation of the mythical image of Yakut Bull of Winter. Chysh Khan’s residence is located at the...

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