The Wheel and the Disk

Hi, my name is Alyss and I am starting this blog to help myself get more intouch with the sacred cycles of the lunar cycles and the yearly solar cycle. I have been studying these cycles for a number of years now both as a naturalist and as a follower of nature based spirituality.

I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest where we are blessed with real seasonal change but rarely the extremes of any one season. I have always reveled in watching the leaves change in the fall, the flowers come up in the spring and looking for more subtle signs of change inbetween. In college, while studying the science of ecology and environmental studies, I discovered neo-pagan, goddess worship and other earth based spiritualities and read voraciously. Using the writings of Annette Hinshaw, Anne Hill, Starhawk, Waverley Fitzgerald and others I began cobbling together my own form of spiritual practice. It is based on watching the seasonal cycle and celebrating the natural rhythms of the moon and the sun through food, ritual and fun.

Through my studies I have found that so many of our modern holidays are based on ancient seasonal holidays. Since discovering this path I have always been a young adult living with other young adults and "religion" hasn't been a major topic of discussion. That hasn't stopped me from hosting full moon potlucks, carving pumpkins with my friends or having an annual spring party, disguised as a St. Patricks day beerfest.

Over the course of the year I hope to include posts that mark new and full moons, quarter and cross quarter days and other events in the lunar or solar cycle. I also hope to post on the signs of the seasons as we travel through these cycles and events or activities I engage in to celebrate them. I hope that this will encourage me to continue practices I do now, rededicate myself to practices I have let slide and develop new ways of celebrating. I have a feeling that this will evolve over the course of the year and I hope to find some visitors to share the journey with me.