Northern Arizona Pagans and Heathens

  The NAPH Working group took off to the forest again, to celebrate Mabon/Autumnal Equinox! There were no cows to be seen, but we did see a few other creatures, most notable a bright green frog. There were some rain showers, which we felt was a blessing.  Names were also given based on deeds! Axe, Wanderer and Swissy (aka Ever Prepared). There is a long naming tradition in Heathenry, you receive a name based on a deed or action you performed.  As an example the ever popular "Ragnar Lothbrok." While Lothbrok is used as a sir name or last name in the "Vikings" TV show, Lothbrok actually means "shaggy breeches" or we might say "hairy pants". Legend holds (the Sögubrot) that he killed a giant snake while wearing, what at the time was an unusual protective equipment, hairy pants. Perhaps he was wearing the first version of "chaps".

  The Northern Arizona Pagans and Heathens (NAPH) Wiccan Working Group took off to the mountains to hold their Lammas/Lughnassadh camp out/rite.  Some folks went fishing while some stayed back at camp and made friends with a cow.  They had been told that there was black bear activity in the area and they brought out an air horn to hopefully scare the bear off, if one approached. While s'mores were being enjoyed around the fire a loud crack was heard. One of the number shined a flashlight into the night and exclaimed, "those are eyeballs!" All flashlights were trained in that area and it was.... The cow! Stalker cow had been circling camp all day! If you are interested in the Wiccan Working Group, please visit their website: NAPH Working Group

Flagstaff Meet-Up When:  August 7, 2021 3:00 PM Where:  Drinking Horn Meadery 108 E Route 66, Flagstaff, AZ 86001 What:  Meet-Up Please bring money if you plan to eat or drink. Come on out and hang out with the other Pagans from  FLAGSTAFF ! This is the first ever NAPH meet up in Flagstaff.  Don't wait, the only way this works is if YOU (yes YOU reading this right now) decide to leave your cave and support your local pagan community!

The Working Group had the honor of performing a funerary ceremony, which fell on the day that the forests were shut down. I don't want to get to much into the details of the event itself due to it's personal nature. A permit to be on the National Forest was procured under the proviso that there would be zero fire. As you all know candles are typically used to represent the Quarters and the God and Goddess, but with the fire restrictions what were we to do??? The High Priest came up with the idea of luminaries, but instead of candles, we would use glow sticks of the appropriate colors! This worked out great, the only issue was that we probably should have put out more luminaries that were just plain to light the circle up a bit more.

If you've come to our events or talked to me, Crow, in person you might have heard me mention, "Or-glav-uh" which is spelled "Urglaawe." This is a very fascinating branch of Heathenry associated with the "Pennsylvania Dutch" or correctly known as the Pennsylvania German Speaking people.  Most people stop me at this point and say, "but they are hard core Christians." True, BUT they have a large and longstanding oral tradition within the magical and healing practices of Braucherei and Hexerei.  I would describe this much like I do Catholics, scratch away at the foundation of Catholicism, and you'll find some good ol' fashioned Paganism. This post was meant as as a tasty tidbit and to learn more you should go to the Urglaawe blog  

  Wiccan Beltain 2021 (Scroll to the bottom for commentary) At some point during the day clean the ashes from the fire pit, explaining, it was traditional to douse all the fires in the house and clean out the hearth. In many households, this might be the only day of the year the fire was allowed to go out completely. Flames from the Beltain bonfires were then taken home to relight the fires in each family hearth. Set up and tie the ribbons to the “stick” and get it ready for the dance Light the fire in the fire pits the following wood will be used: Birch - was signified as the first tree/Birth tree of the forest and is considered sacred Willow - The Willow tree is associated with the Moon, Water, the Goddess, and all that is feminine. The Willow will teach us about our feminine aspects. Oak - oak being sacred to Zeus, Jupiter, Dagda, Perun and Thor Burning some will help us contact with the spirit world. ·        Using a mirror or a mag...

Each year, in one of the most remote areas of Scotland, a family of stones are brought out of the house in the spring and returned to the house for the winter. The tradition stretches back thousands of years and the site is believed to be the only surviving shrine to the Celtic goddess Cailleach. . Often described as the most beautiful Scottish Glen, Glen Lyon runs for 55 km making it the longest enclosed valley in Scotland. The area is known for its mountain scenery and, although lying in the Perth and Kinross region in central Scotland, it is actually one of the most remote parts of the country. . The legacies of Scotland's ancient Celtic past have survived right up to modern times in this area largely due to its remoteness. Glen Lyon is one of the richest archaeological sites in Scotland and the original Gaelic name of the valley -Gleann Lìomhann- translates as "valley of Lugh", after the Sun God in Celtic mythology. Note, the above is not my writing but you can read t...

Piggy speaking: I was a teacher for almost twenty years for the community colleges, I taught computer networking and repair.  I'm a very practical person and book learning is useful but only useful to a certain point. This brings us to Wicca, I am an Alexandrian Wiccan initiate, I was with an actual formal coven for awhile. I have studied the Kabbalah extensively, and from about the 13th century to 19th century occultism, Western magical traditions, Golden Dawn, a little bit of the Thelema. Has anyone practiced in a group setting? Most said No Kind of what I wanted to bring up with you guys and see if there was any interest in it before I invest my time, is an actual formalized working. Wicca is a mystery tradition, it's not meant for public consumption, it's not meant for public ritual. Wiccan rituals are intimate, you get to know the people in the circle. Unfortunately alot of what I see of Paganism has been commercialized, you pick up a book and it's about spells and...

  We had a virtual meet up via FB Rooms we chatted a bunch about the Beer Bug and vaccines.  We were all very excited about the idea of getting a group of folks together, renting a van, and heading down to Phoenix Pagan Pride Day 2021! This event should be in November, so we'll keep you up to date on any future plans. As a trial run, if it's open , we were thinking of getting a group together and going to Medieval Mayhem Renaissance Fair in Show Low July 9th-11th 2021. We also chatted about keeping this online meet-up until Arizona opens back up.

  This is from the book,  Wonder Tales from Scottish Myth and Legend, by Donald Alexander Mackenzie. While this is not standard lore this IS one of my favorite myth's it has Bride or Brigid, Angus and Cailleach Beira. All the long winter Beira kept captive a beautiful young princess named Bride. She was jealous of Bride’s beauty, and gave her ragged clothing to wear, and put her to work among the servants in the kitchen of her mountain castle, where the girl had to perform the meanest tasks. Beira scolded her continually, finding fault with everything she did, and Bride’s life was made very wretched. One day Beira gave the princess a brown fleece and said: “You must wash this fleece in the running stream until it is pure white.” Bride took the fleece and went outside the castle, and began to wash it in a pool below a waterfall. All day long she laboured at the work, but to no purpose. She found it impossible to wash the brown colour out of the wool. When evening came on, Beir...

 It is with a heavy heart that I have to cancel the Public Imbolg Ritual, unfortunately the park itself is closed due to the muddy and snowy conditions. Pretty much everywhere else is going to be a sloppy mess as well. I will post the lore and the meditation here for folks to check out.

I typically make this for our Imbolg rite (or for St. Pat's)      Cook at 375 for 50 minutes 4 c all-purpose flour 4 Tbs white sugar 1 tsp baking soda 1 Tbs baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup butter softened 1 c butter milk (I used regular milk) 1 egg Optional For the topping/wash  1/4 c butter melted 1/4 C buttermilk Lightly grease a cookie sheet In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and butter. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on a prepared baking sheet. (Topping) In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 c buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an x into the top of the loaf. *So when I made this I halved the recipe, and it made a nice little chunk of bread perfect size for ritual. I didn't take it out and knead it, I just did that in the bowl. This batter/dough was much more "breadie" (or d...

 This post/article was written prior to the camp out. . We celebrated Mabon at our camp out September 11-13, 2020. (Mabon is typically celebrated on the Fall Equinox September 21-23rd ) This is my first Mabon with the group (and quite possibly the first celebrated as a group), and I am very excited to write the ritual we will be holding at the camp out. . The ritual I’ve chosen to write this year will center around the cultural practices of the Scottish Highlanders, Feast day of St. Michael. Never fear, we will not actually be celebrating the saintly figure as he is known today. St. Michael, as he was known to the Highlanders was the patron saint of the sea, costal districts, boats, sailors, horses and horsemen. He would lead souls to the afterlife. While Michael is often associated with the Celtic god Lugh, I feel that his nature as a psychopomp would parallel Lugh’s foster father a bit better, Manannan Mac Lir, the Celtic Sea god. . Manannan Mac Lir is sometimes considered to be ...

When:  January 31, 2021 at 3:00pm Where:  Show Low Lake - meet in the parking lot then proceed to the site. What:  Public Imbolg Ritual What to bring:  A chair if you can't stand for long periods of time, a cup and your happy face! . Show Low Lake is kind of a primitive site with lots of volcanic rock, wear sturdy shoes and watch where you walk. Again with the primitive site theme, there are no bathrooms and no electricity. Maybe there is in the actual camp ground, but that is closed for the season, we are just in the "park" area. Feel free to bring a chair if you are not able to stand for a long period of time, however I don't see us being at the site for longer than an hour to hour and a half. . We will meet up in the parking lot and then proceed to the site. Ritual starts at promptly at 3:30pm, we run on Heathen time, not Pagan Standard time (please try to be on time). This will be a Wiccan style ritual as the majority of the group seems comfortable with that. (As...

This group primarily for Pagans and/or Heathens residing in Northern Arizona (including Flagstaff, Prescott, Payson, Show Low, Snowflake, Taylor etc) to communicate, plan events and discuss our respective paths. Anyone is welcome to join but please treat the group as if under grith. . Contact us: . northernarizonapagansheathens@gmail.com . or call 928-421-3743