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Artistic Expression Is A Moral Obligation
A Pagan’s world moves in circles.
Today, the light half of the year gives way to the dark. Daylight will shrink and nighttime will lengthen. But after the wave-form reaches its trough at Midwinter, the sun will return. Summer will come back. The Wheel of the Year’s eight holidays mark this astronomical time — the rythmic dilation and contraction of day and night.
Meanwhile, most city people are psychologically and socially distant from the agricultural cycle. But physically, they’re just as close to it as any farmer. After all, they eat what farmers grow; they may not think about the rhythm of seeding and harvesting, but they still depend on it. Without it they, too, would die. Pagan seasonal holidays recognize this dependence. They help city-dwellers remember realities that their lifestyle makes it easy to ignore.
When you use ritual to connect with and sanctify the cycles of the year, you evoke their latent spiritual power into your life. You feel more rooted. You’re more aware of the larger world. At the same time, though, you’re also more in tune with the specific details of your neighborhood ecosystem. That connection energizes you. It feeds your spirit. You become less prone to burnout and loneliness. You start to interact with the world as its equal, rather than passively receiving whatever comes your way.