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Inside An Ordinary Girl, A Magical Child

Page 14
The Wheel of the Year

Pagans have special holy days that are different from everybody else. The Earth and the Seasons are important to Pagans. That is what Pagan holidays are for. We have holy days for the Sun, called Sabbats. We have eight Sabbats. The Pagan New Year is on October 31. Halloween falls on the same day as Samhain. Samhain is pronounced "sow-en".

Page 27
A House Blessing

Summer is coming. Mommy invited friends from the city to come and help with the yearly home blessing. They come every year. Before they arrive Mommy, Daddy and Rabbit clean every room of the house. The floors are washed and waxed. The basement where the cats' litter boxes are kept is aired out. Even the cats' litter boxes are scrubbed. When the whole house from top to bottom is shiny and clean, the house is ready for the ritual.

Mommy, Daddy, SeyWitch and Thoss sat in the living room sipping iced tea while they discussed the blessing ritual. SeyWitch pulled an ancient bell out of her big bag. She handed it to Rabbit. Rabbit shook it gently. It rang clear and loud even though Rabbit had barely moved it.

SeyWitch smiled. "Would you like to use my bell during the ritual?"

Page 30
Lughnasadh

The first of the three harvest festivals is called Lughnasadh (loo-na-sa). Lughnasadh happens on August 1. Pagans celebrate the first fruits on this Sabbat. Rabbit's family has a ritual with apples dipped in honey. Rabbit, Mommy and Daddy take turns covering juicy apple slices with golden honey. Rabbit, Mommy and Daddy say a thank you with each crunchy bite. They are always very sticky when they are done with the apples. They are happy to have so much in their lives to be thankful for.

The Earth-centered religions are currently one of the fastest growing forms of spirituality in this country. According to the American Religious Identification Study presented by the City University of New York in 1998, at our current rate of growth, by the year 2010 there will be more people claiming a Neo-Pagan religion than those following Judaism. (An updated study was released in 2001 and can be found here.)

Many people choosing a Neo-Pagan belief system are in their late teens or early adulthood. Some of these people have children already being raised in other religions. Some people have younger siblings or other young family members who have questions about the changes happening to their family members. There are also children being raised in a Pagan Tradition from birth. This book is for all of these children.

I have followed a Pagan lifestyle since the early 1980s. In 1999, when my daughter entered public school, she became aware that she was of a minority religion. With this awareness also came a lot of questions. I have answered them based on my previous years of experience as a Pagan. One question that came up and that keeps coming up is "Mommy, why do I have to be the only Pagan?" I have done my best to show my daughter that there are indeed other Pagan kids by forming a children's group with other Pagan parents in my area. Many of these mothers and fathers are relatively new to the Pagan path and have come to me repeatedly asking how to deal with their children's questions.

This book is meant as a basic text, to explain to the elementary age child who Pagans are, what they do, and how and why they do it. It is my hope that teachers with Pagan-raised children in their classrooms will also use this book to foster acceptance and understanding in their non-Pagan students.

Age Level: 4-8; 48 pages; 7.25" X 9" Reinforced Libary Binding Hardcover
Published by Magical Child Books - a division of Shades of White, Crystal City, MO 63019

(Contact the publisher or your distributor directly to place wholesale orders.)