Today was once Armistice Day. A day to commemorate the setting down of arms. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the Western Front in WWI Europe went silent. Space was made for peace. A truce was had. We have no moment of peace, except for with each other. We have no truce, unless we make it so. And yet, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of this 11th month, we can offer a moment of peace for our wounded hearts, and our aching bodies. We can offer a moment in re

. May we honor the dead. May we bless the living. May we pray for peace. May we learn and teach. May we challenge our assumptions. May we invoke justice with compassion. May we seek understanding instead of vengeance. May we know ourselves, in all our parts. May we love one another. May we love. … I call upon the Gods and Goddesses to be witness to my prayer. I will do my utmost best to uphold the spirit that dwells within these words, and when I fail, I will forgive myself a

It is Veteran’s Day and I am thinking of my father, and all of those with souls stripped bare by war. He has been with me much this season, as I have built the large household ancestor altar, taking photos and mementos from my smaller, permanent shrine. There is one photo of him, as a young sailor, looking happy and full of hope. That is not the man I knew. The man I knew is a man that I still wish I had the capacity to heal. “The Good War” – in which over 50 million people d

The great Walt Whitman wrote: Thus in silence in dreams’ projections, Returning, resuming, I thread my way through the hospitals, The hurt and wounded I pacify with soothing hand, I sit by the restless all the dark night, some are so young, Some suffer so much, I recall the experience sweet and sad, (Many a soldier’s loving arms about this neck have cross’d and rested, Many a soldier’s kiss dwells on these bearded lips.) from The Wound-Dresser And I write these paltry, inadeq

“Freedom is hard to bear. It can be objected that I am speaking of political freedom in spiritual terms, but the political institutions of any nation are always menaced and are ultimately controlled by the spiritual state of that nation… Privately, we cannot stand our lives and dare not examine them; domestically, we take no responsibility for (and no pride in) what goes on in our country; and internationally, for many millions of people, we are an unmitigated disaster. ” –

”Praise unto Sekhmet the Mighty! And woe unto him who would make War upon Her, for even the greatest is subdued by Her love…” – by Soror Victoria excerpt from Lion and Serpent Vol 5 #3 Equinox, for me, is always about catching a moment of balance before things change yet again. I pause and take a deep breath, notice that which feels quiet inside me, and then breathe out again in gratitude. This equinox, I would like to ask for your help in restoring some balance to a beleague