I talk often focusing on the now and being present but there is a time for reflection. And that time is now, during the dark half of the year. One of the best ways to reconnect with your partner is to look back at the "good old days". Not that today isn't great but the "honeymoon period" of any relationship is a time of great excitement and romance. And don't we all miss that from time to time?

So my advice to you all today is to look back and see what has changed. What did you all do back then that worked and that you don't do today? Now don't go assign guilt, either to yourself or to your partner, but rather make some small changes.

A few weeks ago I talked about taking your partner out on a date and just spending time with them. Today is about more than that. Be imaginative. I can't say what the answer is because it is going to be different for each of you. But I would love to hear any ideas that you have. Comment below and let us all share in the excitement.

And for more tips on reconnecting with your partners and children this holiday season, check out the rest of this series.

For those of you who follow me on Facebook, you may have seen an update earlier today about an upcoming ebook. For those who did not and even for those who did I wanted to make an announcement here and now.

There will be an ebook coming out from me at the beginning of next week. It will be available only for those who subscribe to me. So make sure that you subscribe to this blog, if you haven't already.

I know that some of you follow me through the equivalent Google service, and I do not know if you will be able to get it that way. If not let me know (email me at the top), and I will make sure you get a copy.

Now for what this ebook will be about. It is basically tips to including children in ritual. From teaching them the elements to introducing them to the different aspects of deity. There will be tips for the Esbats and for the Sabbats as well. While I used some of the material that I have already published here on PaganDad, there is a wealth of new material available.

I will make sure to make an announcement on the day that it goes live but in the meantime I wanted to drop this teaser and get you all interested. Hope your weekend goes well and oh yeah make sure to drop in tomorrow and check out my ongoing series on spending time with the family over this Holiday Season.

Blessed Be!

Widely know as the Elephant God of India, he is revered by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains alike, both in India and without. Known as the Lord of Beginnings and Lord of Obstacles alike he is also honored as a patron of arts and sciences, and the deva of intellect and wisdom.

According to the stories he was born with a human head but when he came between Shiva and Parvati he was beheaded by Shiva. After which Shiva replaced it with an elephant's head.

As the Lord of Obstacles he is believed to either help remove obstacles from one's path or to put them there as a form of testing.

But he is also much more then this. He is associated with the Hindu mantra Aum or Om. According to Kundalini Yoga he resides within the first chakra.

I believe Ganesha is an important deity to turn to at this time of the year because since we are between the end of the year (Samhain) and the start of the new year (Yule) we should be focused on removing negative things from our life. Ganesha can help to remove obstacles from our path to do just that.

Samhain is past and the Christmas Creep is well underway. I can't believe that the Yuletide decorations are already out in the stores, in some cases they have been out since last week. But that is our world that we live in.

This past Sabbat was about focusing on those who have passed on. And Yule is about focusing on the family that we have and those that are yet to come. For me those are the most important parts of my faith. Honor the dead and learn from them and raising the next generation as good stewards of what we give them.

This is why I put out the Steps to a Stronger and More Spiritual Pagan Family (see sidebar) and why I continue to do this blog. Well that and all the great comments and email I get from you the reader. As the header of this blog says, "Leading the Next Generation Forward through Faith".

So as we go forward from today let our focus be on the family. Be sure to check out my series over the past few weekends and in the weekends to come on spending time with your family.

And oh yeah comment below and let us know how your Samhain went.

Blessed Be!

A long time ago when the world was first born, it was always dark in the north where the Inuit people lived.

They thought it was dark all over the world until an old crow told the them about daylight and how he had seen it on his long journeys.

The more they heard about daylight, the more the people wanted it.

"We could hunt further and for longer," they said. "We could see the polar bears coming and run before they attack us."The people begged the crow to go and bring them daylight, but he didn't want to. "It's a long way and I'm too old to fly that far," he said. But the people begged until he finally agreed to go.

He flapped his wings and launched into the dark sky, towards the east. He flew for a long time until his wings were tired. He was about to turn back when he saw the dim glow of daylight in the distance. "At last, there is daylight," said the tired crow.

As he flew towards the dim light it became brighter and brighter until the whole sky was bright and he could see for miles. The exhausted bird landed in a tree near a village, wanting to rest. It was very cold.

A daughter of the chief came to the nearby river. As she dipped her bucket in the icy water, Crow turned himself into a speck of dust and drifted down onto her fur cloak. When she walked back to her father's snowlodge, she carried him with her.

Inside the snowlodge it was warm and bright. The girl took off her cloak and the speck of dust drifted towards the chief's grandson, who was playing on the lodge floor. It floated into the child's ear and he started to cry.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" asked the chief, who was sitting at the fire. "Tell him you want to play with a ball of daylight," whispered the dust.
The chief wanted his favourite grandson to be happy, and told his daughter to fetch the box of daylight balls. When she opened it for him, he took out a small ball, wrapped a string around it and gave it to his grandson.

The speck of dust scratched the child's ear again, making him cry. "What's wrong, child?" asked the chief. "Tell him you want to play outside" whispered Crow. The child did so, and the chief and his daughter took him out into the snow.
As soon as they left the snowlodge, the speck of dust turned back into Crow again. He put out his claws, grasped the string on the ball of daylight and flew into the sky, heading west.

Finally he reached the land of the Inuit again and when he let go of the string, the ball dropped to the ground and shattered into tiny pieces. Light went into every home and the darkness left the sky.

All the people came from their houses. "We can see for miles! Look how blue the sky is, and the mountains in the distance! We couldn't see them before." They thanked Crow for bringing daylight to their land.

He shook his beak. "I could only carry one small ball of daylight, and it'll need to gain its strength from time to time. So you'll only have daylight for half the year."
The people said "But we're happy to have daylight for half the year! Before you brought the ball to us it was dark all the time!"

And so that is why, in the land of the Inuit in the far north, it is dark for one half of the year and light the other. The people never forgot it was Crow who brought them the gift of daylight and they take care never to hurt him - in case he decides to take it back.


courtesy of planetozkids.com

Here is a very simple and kid friendly ritual that you can use. Feel free to modify as your needs demand.

Blessed Be!


Supplies:

Five Candles -- yellow, two red, blue, green,
A bowl of water
A bowl of dirt
A feather
Bell for each of the children participating

Ritual:

Arrange the colored candles and other items in a circle around you. In the East put the yellow candle and the feather. In the South put the red candle. In the West put the bowl of water and the blue candle. And finally in the North put the bowl of dirt and the green candle. Light these candles as you set them out. Walk with your children from candle to candle, ringing a bell as you leave from candle to another.

Start in the East and tell them that it represents Air. Wave the feather at them so that they can feel the wind.

In the South tell them that here is Fire represented. Carefully let them feel the heat from the candle.

In the West talk to them about Water. Have them wash their hands in the water.

In the North speak about the element of Earth. Let them touch the dirt.

When you return to the Center talk to them about the Goddess and the God and how they are always there. Let them know about Love and the Blessings that the Gods can give us. If you are outdoors then have them look up at the moon. Tell them that tonight is the night of the Mother Goddess, represented by the Full Moon. While you are doing this you can light the red candle to represent the mother aspect.

Read to them the Rede of the Mother. Or just tell them what the Mother means to your family. Let them know that they are loved always and that the Mother provides for all of her children.

According to Starweaver's Corner this full moon in Taurus is about stability and physicality; persistence and pleasure. It can manifest something desirable and keeping it safe and sound for continued enjoyment.


So in this theme, your family can take time tonight to talk about the goals of the family. What things are you going to work together on in the coming months? You can drum, if you have them, or just chant some songs to raise some energy to bring this goal or goals into reality.

When you are done you can break bread with your family, being sure to leave a little to offer to the Gods.

To close circle we just walk widdershins and say "Goodbye" to each of the elements.