There's a neat story out of Oakland, California, about a nonprofit performing arts group called California Revels. It seems that they assembled a group of dancers, performers, and fans of Olde English Merriment to put on a recreation of the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance. The Horn Dance is a pre-hunt ritual first recorded in the thirteenth century in the English village of Abbots Bromley, and it involves lots of drums, fiddles, and the banging together of antlers and sticks. Organizers said they did it because it's fun (and it does look like an absolute blast), but also because it's a "spiritual marathon."

I looked and was unable to find video for this event. However, there are a number of Horn Dance videos out there from various groups. This is the one I love: Witchmen Straw Bear 2008, because it's more primitive and less formal than some of the others. If anyone attended the Oakland event last weekend, we'd love to see video!

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I love this! In ancient Greece, legend has it that the goddess Athena bestowed her name upon a city she found favorable, and thus Athens honored her for centuries. Her temple stayed in place until finally falling into disrepair a few hundred years ago. Recent attempts at restoring the temple of Athena Nike on the Acropolis failed, but now it looks like a rebuilding job that began ten years ago will fix previously made errors -- and they're finished with it, which means the temple is back to its former glory.

Who is Athena?

The temple has undergone a complete makeover. Projecy leader Dionysia Mihalopoulou said, "We have used the latest technology, following successful experimentation with stress and aging. The choice and use of materials was the best possible; they will not corrode.'' In addition to steel grids and new foundations, crews replaced concrete sections with locally-quarried marble.

All in all, it looks like a place a goddess would be proud to once again call home.

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Mabon, the Autumn Equinox, is celebrated in many ways around the world. It is a day of balance, with equal amounts of darkness and light, but soon, winter will arrive. In some Wiccan traditions, it marks the time when the Sun King descends into the underworld, from which he will be reborn at Yule. In many pantheons, the apple is a symbol of the Divine. Apple trees are representative of wisdom and guidance. This apple ritual will allow you time to thank the gods for their bounty and blessings, and to enjoy the magic of the earth before the winds of winter blow through: Apple Harvest Ritual

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While those of us in North America and Europe are planning our Mabon celebrations, for our Southern Hemisphere readers, spring is approaching. It's the season of Ostara, the vernal equinox!

Spring is the season of rebirth and new life. It's the time of year when the cycle of life, death, and rebirth is complete. As plants bloom and new life returns, the theme of resurrection is ever present. As Ostara, the spring equinox, arrives, it's the season for that which has gone dormant to become revitalized, alive, and reborn. This ritual includes a symbolic rebirthing -- you can perform this rite either as a solitary, or as a part of a group ceremony: Ostara Rebirth Ritual.

Don't forget to sign up for the free Seven Day Ostara Class!

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