This as originally posted on March 25, 2018. A few months ago, a friend and I were having one of our many hundreds of random conversations when we started to talk about the differences in the commercialization of the two… Read More ›
holidays
The Holidays Are Coming: Let’s Celebrate the Saturnalia by Barbara Ardinger
Here we are in December—and what a year 2021 has been. Let’s not even think about what we’ve survived—continuing pandemic, climate change, people with guns, violations of voting rights, the Orange T. Rex still at large. No no no. Let’s… Read More ›
From the Archives: And the Pies! Ongoing Grateful Thanks for Tradition by Marie Cartier
Moderator’s note: This marvelous FAR site has been running for 10 years and has had more than 3,500 posts in that time. There are so many treasures that have been posted in this decade that they tend to get lost… Read More ›
To Bless One Another, by Molly Remer
May you allow yourself to taste your longings and to bravely honor them. May you make wise sacrifices. May you trust in abundance. May you savor the many flavors of this sweet life before your eyes, beneath your feet, below… Read More ›
Ruminations on Emor by Ivy Helman
This week’s Torah portion is Emor, or Leviticus 21:1 – 24:23. It details purity and the priesthood including whose funeral a priest can attend, who can marry a priest, bodily blemishes and temple services, and under what circumstances daughters of… Read More ›
And the Pies! Ongoing Grateful Thanks for Tradition by Marie Cartier
In November 2017 I wrote about pie baking. And in November 2015 I also wrote about pie baking. In November 2016, I was destroyed by the “election” and wrote a post in November of that year “For Strong Women” just… Read More ›
Why Isn’t Easter Marketable? By Anjeanette LeBoeuf
A few months ago, a friend and I were having one of our many hundreds of random conversations when we started to talk about the differences in the commercialization of the two major Christian holidays: Christmas and Easter. We started… Read More ›
Grieving through the Holidays: Painting Holy Women Icons of Grief by Angela Yarber
The holiday season is a particularly difficult time for grief. Whether it is grieving someone who died earlier in the year as you celebrate your first holiday season without them, or the lasting memories of loved ones who are no… Read More ›
Hooray! The Holiday Season Is At Hand! by Barbara Ardinger
December seems to have more holidays than the rest of the year put together. Days to honor Ix Chel, the Virgin of Guadalupe, St. Lucy (aka Santa Lucia), the Declaration of Human Rights, and the publication of the Rider-Waite Tarot…. Read More ›
Black Sheep by Carol P. Christ
At Thanksgiving and the solstice holidays many of us are reminded that we are the “black sheep” of our families. In my case this means that I am too “assertive,” too “aggressive,” too “demanding,” too “political,” too “willing to upset… Read More ›
Remembering to Be Thankful by John Erickson
Remembering to be thankful may just be a privileged illusion that individuals in positions of power get to write about in the December of each year to self-congratulate themselves about being actually able to be able to be thankful. It may just seem like people who write about being thankful are complaining or pontificating that being thankful is in itself a chore.
Holidays and Holy Days Down Under by Kate Brunner
Even though we are not a Christian household, my family celebrates Christmas. In a manner of speaking. When we lived in the Northern Hemisphere, this was not all that challenging to reconcile. We held onto the traditions of cultural and… Read More ›
The Pagan Wheel of the Year by Deanne Quarrie
Barbara Ardinger (one blogger here – watch for her “twist” on this in January!) and I were discussing that an explanation of the pagan year and our Sabbats might be in order. Sometimes when we are immersed in our own… Read More ›
The Kitten Who Came For The Holidays by Carol P. Christ
This holiday season I have something warm and fuzzy to be thankful for—Goldilocks, the kitten who came for the holidays. As I was preparing for Thanksgiving, I opened my front door to the sound of really loud really pitiful crying. … Read More ›