#secular celebrations

[breelandwalker]

Very aware you've probably answered this before but I am just starting to look at witchcraft and I'm interested in non-Wicca wheel-of-the-year type things. Do you have any recommendations on where to start looking/your own calendar?

You've come to exactly the right place! I have a little series of posts that offer secular ideas for celebrating the solstices and quarter days, as well as an ongoing series on observances for the full moons.

Imbolc

Spring Equinox

Beltane

Midsummer

Lughnasadh

Autumn Equinox

Samhain

Yule

The secular celebrations DO follow the WOTY model, since the original idea I had was to offer non-Wiccan ideas for commonly-referenced holidays that anyone could use for their seasonal observances, but it's worth noting that all of these occasions exist as festivals outside of the Wheel.

(I'm currently working on building the concept out into a secular witchcraft book that explores the calendar beyond the Wheel and offers monthly ideas for festivities, spellwork, reflections, and craft-building exercises. It's a WIP, but I'm excited about it.)

In addition to any seasonal or harvest-cycle-related occasions you wish to observe, you can also add in personal anniversaries, family holidays, regional traditions, pretty much whatever you like. I include things like First Robin Day on my calendar every year, where I mark the date that I first see a robin, as a sign of oncoming spring. Other observances include things like First Clover Day, Myrtle Day, Maple Day, and First Frost.

Hope this helps!

#cosmic-raven #witchcraft community #witchcraft #pagan #lunar calendar #secular witchcraft #secular celebrations #holidays #Bree answers your inquiries

[kashfence]

May 1st, Good Deeds Day

Do a good deed

Kashfence Philosophy

#Good Deed #Good Deeds Day #gooddeed #gooddeedsday #kashfence #philosophy #KashfencePhilosophy #Kashfence Philosophy #secular #celebrations #holiday #secularcelebrations #secular celebrations

[puzzle-paradigm]

"Ok but [insert Jew here] celebrates Christmas! You should too!"

I don't care, it's still a christian holiday.

#christian hegemony #antisemitism #pressuring non-christians into celebrating christmas is antisemitism by the way #secular celebration doesn't mean it isn't the holiday of a religion #and therefore a religious holiday #regardless of how people celebrate you can't divorce christmas from the fact that it's christian #it has ''christ'' IN THE NAME for fuck's sake

[janaknandini-singh999]

Leftists vs Hindutva with Ram Mandir vs Babri masjid treating it like which came first "chicken or egg"?

#I stand with neither like why can't they just build both the things in the city? #I fully disagree with the violence on muslims and other sects committed by hindus tho like that's not what this secular country stands for #but at the same time I wanna celebrate a historic moment #idk? #desiblr #desi #desi aesthetic #desi tag #desi stuff #hindutva #ayodhya #hinduism #islamophobia #hinduphobia #india #politics #nationalism #history #religion

[rosetta-stoned-bitch]

Guys. Guys! GUYS!

There's a whole anti hindutva anti casteist pro LGBTQ desiblr space going strong on tumblr AND I HAD NO IDEA!

Tell me why I was so fckn upset over all of desiblr suddenly being bigoted and casteist when there's a whole faction of cool desis just thriving on here? The only good thing that stupid fckn m*ndir did was show me who to trust on desiblr, ngl

#anti hindutva #arushi rambles #Just to be clear #Totally against the temple being constructed i dont mean it actually brought out any good #The celebration of the temple is a scary milestone in the degradation of secularism and equality of the Indian people

[autistic-katara]

i need american christians and cultural christians to please just shut the fuck up

(said in response to me saying “it isn’t really a secular holiday tho, even if non-christians celebrate it it’s still very much a culturally christian thing”)

#1. christmas is very much not secular it literally has christ in the name #just bcz some non-christians celebrate it doesn’t mean it’s secular (especially since alotta those none christians are CULTURALLY christian #(or at least related to someone who is) #and 2. not all of us are american and also america is a very christian country #i can’t with these ppl #jewish #ryan shut the fuck up

[peppermintquartz]

To bring genuine Christmas cheer, I suggest a full ceasefire in Gaza, billions in aid to Sudan and the Congo, and for Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump to drop dead spontaneously in front of live cameras

#Christmas #we celebrate the secular gift giving version in our house #likes to charge reblogs to cast

[regicidal-defenestration]

Everything is getting. Commercialised faster now. There's more Halloween ads on TV then I ever saw as a kid and they keep getting earlier in September. The Christmas stuff went on sale literally the 30th October and I saw Easter eggs for sale on the 28th December. The Valentine's Day displays get bigger every year and they even have ads for fucking. Pancake Day so they can sell you pans and chocolate spread and aren't you tired? I'm so tired

#saw easter chocolate in iceland today like Can We Rest Can We All Just Rest #and that's BEFORE considering how the majority of these are fundamentally Christian celebrations no matter how '''secular''' people #try argue they've become

[bogkeep]

it DOES seem very strange to celebrate a random saint from syracuse in the culturally lutheran protestant but also majorly atheist scandinavia that nobody other than italy celebrates, i know, but it makes a lot of sense when you consider how it coincided with the winter solstice in the julian calendar and how mayybeeee it's easier to convert people if they can keep their traditions and stuff

#same vibes as czech st nicholas celebrations that just happen to have a Totally Not Krampus (tm) in them #the st lucia celebration as an aesthetic rules and also u get good pastries. #also just to make sure this is NOT an argument about how christmas traditions are Totally Secular. it's not

[breelandwalker]

Secular Celebrations - Midsummer

After Beltane comes Midsummer, which some also call Litha, mid to late June. I call it “probably already too hot to go outside.” I’m not exactly a summertime person to begin with and I live in Virginia, in the middle of a swamp. So the rest of you can enjoy Midsummer. I’m going to be spending it indoors where the air conditioning is.

Midsummer is the summer solstice, the middle of the growing season, the highest point of high summer. It’s a time to celebrate the hard work we’ve done, take a bit of ease while the weather is pleasant, and have a good romp before we have to start bringing in the harvests in August. If you work with solar magic or the Fair Folk, this is your holiday. Both of these themes run deep and strong through Midsummer, along with the urge to get outside and revel in the beauty of nature at peak flourish.

So enjoy Midsummer first and foremost by getting outside...if you can. If it’s too damn hot, yanno, be realistic. But at least make an effort if you enjoy the hotter weather and it’s not dangerous to be out. Go to your favorite park, maybe go to the beach, go hiking, go to a pick-your-own fruit farm, have a picnic, attend a fair or a carnival, do some stargazing. All this assumes a lot about public safety since we’re still living in the COVID era, so use your good judgement. If it’s not safe to be around crowds, try to focus on solo activities or things you can do in the safety of your home or your backyard.

This is another good time for herb-picking. If you have a garden, your plants should be producing by this point, and you can start pruning your plants and drying those trimmings for use in your craft. This is actually my favorite part of the summer. I love putting up those bundles of plants and flowers to dry, I love the look of them in my home, and I love the satisfaction of putting the dried material into jars for storage. And hey, if you’re not growing anything, you can still enjoy this by picking up fresh herbs from the supermarket or the local garden store and drying them.

You can also go herb gathering like I mentioned for Beltane, since different plants will be in season. Again, always observe permission and best practices if you’re going to do this. And always make sure you label your bundles and your jars for easy identification.

On a practical note, if you’re going to be doing things outside for Midsummer, always make sure you wear sunscreen and adequate clothing to avoid too much UV exposure, including a face covering. Remember to hydrate properly throughout the day, be careful with your alcohol intake, and if you start to feel tired or woozy, or if you stop sweating, get out of the sun IMMEDIATELY. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are no joke, witches. Take care of yourselves out there.

And speaking of herbs and ways of keeping cool, one of the things I really enjoy doing in the summertime is making magical iced teas. I know some of my overseas listeners might be blinking in confusion right about now, so if you’ve never heard of this, let me enlighten you. In the US, particularly in the South, we’re very fond of iced tea. Now, that doesn’t mean cold tea, it’s tea that’s been sweetened and chilled, and it’s usually served over ice with lemon or mint leaves, depending on the recipe. This is a fun and easy herbal potion that anyone can make. You just need a pitcher of hot water, some herbal tea bags, some sugar or honey, and whatever flavorings you want to add.

Using several teabags or a big pouch of looseleaf tea, mix up a batch of tea that’s a little stronger than you’d usually make for a hot cuppa. Stir in sugar or honey until it’s as sweet as you like it - we usually go a step or two sweeter than you’d think. Then add whatever flavorings you like. And you can use just about anything for this. I’m partial to a nice blend of chamomile and peppermint with a good dollop of honey, or white tea with jasmine, or spearmint and elderflower, or hibiscus and raspberry. Lavender and lemon is another popular recipe, if you can get your hands on culinary lavender. (And yes, there IS a difference between lavender grown for the kitchen and lavender grown for aromatherapy purposes, so shop carefully.) Feel free to make drinks that correspond to magical purposes, too. Health, wealth, happiness, whatever you like. Sweet iced potions? Yes please!

This can be stretched to alcoholic drinks too, if you’re partial. I mean, what are we even doing with our craft if we’re not stirring spells into sangria or joining the midnight margarita club, right? My husband makes a delightful little cocktail he calls a Gardener’s Tonic - basically a gin and tonic with muddled sweet basil and lime juice and a slice of cucumber. Just make sure that when you’re enjoying your alcoholic alchemy, you’re doing so responsibly.

So once you’ve got your drink of choice and you’ve had a chance to relax, look to your homestead. Tend that garden, like I mentioned before. Attend to any pest problems you might be having, or any home repairs that might need doing. Try not to put things off. Once autumn arrives, you may find that you’re too busy. Reorganize your witchy supplies. If you’ve got new material or new tools coming in, try to declutter and get rid of anything that’s gone stale or sour, or anything that’s used up. Check your jars for signs of mold and give your accoutrements a good cleaning.

If you feel that kitchen witch itch, there’s a cream for that….it’s in the fridge next to the milk. (I apologize for NOTHING.) You can check on the beverages you started back around Beltane, or start a batch if you didn’t do one in the spring. You can start a sourdough, since that seems to be all the rage right now, or make preserves and jams with those early fruits and berries. Make food or homemade sweet with local produce and local honey. Oh and bless the bees and the pollinators while you’re at it! Bless their little hearts, they bring so much sweetness to the world, they deserve thanks for their hard work.

Midsummer is a big holiday for picnics, so if you can have one, definitely do it, even if it’s just on your back porch. If you happen to have a fenced yard and a tent to work with, maybe try an overnight campout just for fun. My dad used to do this all the time when my brother and I were kids. We’d set up a tent in the backyard, he’d drag out a TV and VCR on extension cords, and we’d stay up half the night watching movies and eating junk food. Hey, we were suburban kids, my dad’s idea of “roughing it” was having no remote for the TV. It was super fun, and if you can manage something like this, I definitely recommend it to witches with little ones. Lot of good memories there, if they’re inclined to such things.

Of course, summer isn’t all clear skies and sunshine. Sometimes it rains. But heck, that can be just as much fun. Apart from the obvious option of gathering the rainwater for magical purposes, have you ever gone out in the rain on purpose? When it’s warm out and the rain is coming down in nice fat drops and you’re wearing stuff that can stand a little soaking, few things are more fun than running around and getting absolutely drenched. I’ve got a few fond memories of walking in the woods during rainstorms with my bestie from middle school. There’s a saying that goes, “Life isn’t about avoiding the storms, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” If there’s not a danger of lightning, I definitely recommend giving it a try. It’s really kind of exhilarating.

Midsummer is the longest day of the year. It’s the day when we see the most light, the earliest sunrise, the latest sunset. Meditate on how you can bring more light and positivity into your life, and how you can have a positive impact on the lives of others, on your community, and the world in general. Think about your productivity, your projects, your path to personal growth. How are things going? Is there anything that feels stuck that needs to be addressed? Where can you modify your outlook to something more optimistic, and where do you maybe need to take off the rose-colored glasses and be more of a realist? All things to contemplate while you’re sipping that magical iced tea potion.

Other Posts In This Series:

Imbolc

Spring Equinox

Beltane

Midsummer

Lughnasadh

Autumn Equinox

Samhain

Yule

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#witchcraft #witchblr #wicca #wheel of the year #holidays #summer solstice #midsummer #litha #baby witch #secular celebrations #Hex Positive #Midsummer is June 20-22 - you haven't missed it!

[blacktobackmesa]

I don't think I'm gonna be able to get out the holiday special fic i considered writing, so instead I'm just going to share a series of sweet ideas/prompts i've been thinking about in the Streamman saga

Every year Fang invites Gordon and Joshua to celebrate one of the nights of Hanukkah with him, but it is winter in the year 2020, and the poor guy is having cold symptoms. He hasn't tested positive for anything but doesn't feel safe having company over, so he puts the tradition on hold... until Bubby and Coomer invite the non-AIs to hold the festivities at their home in-game.

The mail distributor for Gordon's apartment complex is confused when packages start showing up addressed to people whose names they don't recognize, and who definitely don't live in that two-bedroom with the guy and his son. But Gordon accepts the packages with starry eyes, wrapping them and putting them under the tree without checking the contents. And inside his computer, the Science Team continue to divide up their twitch stream income to see if they have any more holiday gifts to order for their friend on the Outside.

Benrey commissioned a plush artist on Etsy to make this fucker as Gordon's Christmas present and Gordon has to decide how to feel

Everyone except Gordon (VR, baby) gets absolutely hammered at Tommy's New Years party and realize all too late that having Darnold in charge of drinks makes for weird hangovers. Can anyone try and get Tommy off the ceiling? Not Bubby, I think he and Sunkist got body swapped or something. No it's okay Sunkist is over 21 in dog years

#gordon streamman #fang0riously #hlvrai oc #this is not an attempt to romanticize the pandemic btw. its just reflective of life #hlvrai WAS created in early 2020 yall. and i know that influenced our consumption of it #also for my own background i celebrate christmas #i was invited to celebrate hanukkah with our close neighbors for many years when i was little! until we moved #and i am an advocate of giving New Years gifts. Secular AND you can buy after the xmas rush. #also fun fact i DID try to write that last one in 2021. my first hlvrai fic that never made it to the end of the first draft

[17yearcicada]

"christmas should be a secular holiday" "christmas already is secular" jesse what the fuck are you talking about

#what's especially funny is that i mostly see atheists saying this 😭 #like if you want to celebrate it that's fine idrc but i don't think it's on you to decide if it's 'secular' or not #.txt

[helvetica12point]

Thanks to Amazon's lack of subtlety in packaging my husband let me have my Christmas gift early and the girls are very excited!

#dolls #rainbow high #shadow high #they literally dropped it on the porch like that #Berrie and Zooey are blocking the shipping label #and yes I'm pagan af #but that doesn't mean i can't celebrate Christmas as a secular cultural holiday #everyone knows Jesus was almost certainly born in the spring anyway #and yes the twins are already fighting over who gets the house

[ceratinus]

#No jesus option because that would sweep plus Soooo many people celebrate secular xmas it's not applicable to the wider holiday imo #moi.txt #polls #poll #xmas #christmas #reblog to break containment please

[oceanlovingcommunist]

I respect January and her feelings. Austere, secular, disenchanted. She's a necessary month and I love her.

#she is wide open to possibilities and sugarcoats nothing #(not universally secular obv I am writing from my #perspective from the us #love to the orthodox Christians who celebrate in this month)

[shoutsindwarvish]

i want to email the rabbi at this one particular local synagogue to start diving into practicing after circling it for years but i keep opening the blank email message box and being like

#jumblr #i was raised religiously christian but my mom's jewish #i grew up with secular jewish culture and yiddish and celebrating jewish holidays #i AM jewish #i don't feel comfortable with christianity anymore and i feel drawn to judaism but it's SCARY to start something new #but i feel like i'm supposed to do this #need to suck it up and get the ball rolling but it's harrrrrd #my posts #jewish blogging #religion blogging