Laura Perry's Blog, page 3

Minoan Processional: Walking the gods in

Many of us who practice Modern Minoan Paganism are solitaries. But that doesn't mean we can't add a bit of pomp and fun to our rituals, even if it's just us and the gods. Here's a historically-based way to do just that:Minoan Processional: Walking the gods inTo join the conversation about Modern Minoan Paganism and ancient Minoan civilization, head on over to our welcoming community at Ariadne's Tribe on Facebook.In the name of the bee,And of the butterfly,And of the breeze, amen!

Walking the Labyrinth in Modern Minoan Paganism

Walking a labyrinth can be a profoundly spiritual experience for people of any spiritual path. Labyrinth-walking is one component of spiritual practice in Modern Minoan Paganism:Labyrinth Walking in Modern Minoan PaganismTo join the conversation about ancient Minoan civilization and Modern Minoan Paganism, head on over to our welcoming community at Ariadne's Tribe on Facebook.In the name of the bee,And of the butterfly,And of the breeze, amen.

I don't like changing my mind: an essay in the evolution of Modern Minoan Paganism

When I started down the path of Minoan spirituality, I had no idea it was going to have so many twists and turns. I've had to revamp my view of the pantheon as well as my spiritual practice more than once. Oh, the dangers of an evolving modern Pagan spiritual tradition! LOLI don't like changing my mind: an essay in the evolution of Modern Minoan PaganismTo join the conversation about Modern Minoan Paganism and ancient Minoan civilization, head on over to our welcoming community at Ariadne's Tribe on Facebook.In the name of the bee,And of the butterfly,And of the breeze, amen!

Cover Reveal: The Wiccan Wellness Book

I've spent the past year-plus revising and updating The Wiccan Wellness Book for the new second edition that comes out (eep!) in just a few days.In addition to all new illustrations, the second edition also has a spiffy new cover. I'm very pleased with it and I hope you like it, too. So... drumroll, please... Though the official publication date is this coming Friday, September 28, The Wiccan Wellness Book is already available via Amazon.com (print and Kindle) and Smashwords. You'll find it on more Amazon platforms, online bookstores, and e-book sellers over the next few days.

The Noise Annoys

I spend a lot of my time writing and editing. Those are activities that require a fair amount of concentration. I have my own home office with a door that closes, and that helps. But until my schedule changed last month, I didn't realize just how much ambient noise was affecting my ability to get my work done.We live on the back end of a tiny neighborhood, and we're lucky to have a little patch of woods on our property - our Wild Acre, so to speak. Until about a year ago, our little patch of woods backed up to a small family farm that had its own woods as well as pastures for cattle (and wild deer) to wander around in.But then the developers came.The farm family had to sell their property under unfortunate circumstances. Since then, there has been a never-ending stream of heavy equipment just beyond our back fence, cutting down trees, digging holes, and pushing the dirt around.My daughter started college full-time last month (she had already taken a bunch of dual enrollment classes while she was still in high school). Due to various logistics, I've ended up spending most days on campus while she goes to class. I hole up in the library and do my thing: writing books, editing manuscripts.The amount of work I've been getting done is pretty shocking.At first I thought it was because I'm at a library so I can't just wander off and get a cup of tea or procrastinate by doing housework.But then I realized, what I've done is go back to the level of productivity I had before the developers (such an Orwellian term!) started tearing up the land behind us.Besides the emotional stress of knowing what's going on back there, when that area used to be such lovely woodland and pasture, there's another factor I hadn't realized was at play: constant noise. I imagine it's similar to what people in really big cities experience all the time, especially if they're at ground level where all the traffic is. There's enough vibration from the big machines that our ceilings have developed some cracks. But there's just constant noise from bulldozers, backhoes, giant dump trucks, and all kinds of similar machinery.The library, in contrast, is almost silent - about like my office was before the developers came.I guess maybe we're kind of a quiet family compared to many. We don't leave the TV on, we rarely play video games, and if there's music, it's either over earbuds or fairly quiet (unless we're jamming - we're all musicians - but that's different).So while it's a hassle to pack up all my stuff and haul it to campus every day, it has turned out to be a blessing. I'm getting a lot of work done and I'm actually relaxing in a way I can't do at home because of that constant background rumble (sometimes it sounds like the big machines are about to run into the back of our house).Maybe, by the time the semester is over, the machines will be done and I can go back to enjoying the peace and quiet of my own home.

Dealing with Racists in my Pagan Group

That's not a facepalm that the young woman is doing (it's an ecstatic posture) but it's the closest I could find in Minoan art. Being the listmom at Ariadne's Tribe is usually a joyful job, but recently it has been difficult and saddening due to racism rearing its ugly head (again) in the Pagan community. So here's what I'm doing about it:Racism Rears Its Ugly Head AgainModern Minoan Paganism is a welcoming path, happily open to people of any race, ethnicity, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability level, disability, geographic location, language, education, or socio-economic status. We're all in this together.In the name of the bee,And of the butterfly,And of the breeze, amen.

It's website revamp time!

It's long past spring cleaning time, but my website has needed some sprucing up for a while now. I've just given it a revamp, with a brighter, fresher look. I think it more accurately reflects all the different things I do besides just the Minoan stuff - though obviously, that's still a big part of how I spend my time, and probably always will be.I worked up a new logo that's also lighter and brighter than the previous one. Once I'd finished it, I realized that it reminds me of a logo I drew for myself (by hand) back in high school, when I was hoping to become a professional artist one day. Well, here I am - a professional artist! (And author and editor...)I don't think teenage me could ever have dreamed that my life would turn out this way, but I sure am happy it has. And I'm thrilled that all you lovely people have come on this journey with me.In the name of the bee,And of the butterfly,And of the breeze, amen.

Modern Minoan Paganism: Reviving ancient spirituality

Sometimes it's hard to explain to people what Modern Minoan Paganism is all about, how it's a combination of ancient and modern, reconstruction and spirit-led practice. I think we've finally come up with some pretty clear and understandable language (that doesn't take four paragraphs to explain!). Here it is in a nutshell:Modern Minoan Paganism: Reviving ancient spiritualityTo join the conversation about ancient Minoan civilization and Modern Minoan Paganism, head on over to our welcoming community at Ariadne's Tribe on Facebook.In the name of the bee,And of the butterfly,And of the breeze, amen.

Revamping The Wiccan Wellness Book: Pictures!

I've spent the summer researching, revising and updating The Wiccan Wellness Book for the second edition (release date 28 September). It will have an all-new cover, which I'll share with you as soon as it's ready. But I decided the interior illustrations needed some freshening up, too. Here are a few of the new ones I've drawn.This one goes with the chapter about natural methods of healthcare, including herbalism:Here are some dandelions for the chapter about Green Partners:I got a little cutesy with this one, which goes with the chapter about having a non-toxic home:And this one goes with the chapter about exercise, because why can't adults have fun and dance with joy?I have one more illustration still to do, for the chapter of healing rituals. And then it's on to the cover design. Wish me luck!

Minoan Pottery: It's NOT all Greek to me!

Did you know that all the fancy terms for Minoan pottery - rhyton, pithos, kantharos - are actually Greek and not Minoan? Why is that, and what did the archaeologists do when they found ceramics that didn't look like anything the Greeks had ever made? Find out in today's Minoan Path blog post:Minoan Pottery: It's NOT all Greek to me!To join the conversation about Modern Minoan Paganism and ancient Minoan civilization, head on over to our welcoming community at Ariadne's Tribe on Facebook.In the name of the bee,And of the butterfly,And of the breeze, amen.