Personally I have been having my struggles. In the past few months I have lost both of my 18 year old kitties, sisters, who I have lived with since they were tiny little babies. I have also learned that one of my greyhounds, Sable, has a bone cancer diagnosis, which is what I lost my last girl to (Stardom). So I haven't had a lot of emotional energy to write. But my focus in dealing with these losses and illnesses has been a mantra given to me by a friend..."love and gratitude." Every moment with my loved ones is precious. Every happy moment to be savored. Even in the midst of great personal pain, this has been tremendously helpful to me. My next article for SageWoman Magazine under my column, "Child of Artemis," will be dealing with this journey that we take with our companion animals.
Mabon is the holiday that I equate with "Thanksgiving," so it is an appropriate time to be contemplating love and gratitude.
As a vegan pagan, I always like to flag Mabon as a time when we can start preparing to have a "gentle thanksgiving" within our mainstream culture. Maybe "adopt" a rescued turkey at a farm sanctuary. Start planning and advertising a gentle thanksgiving potluck. Do a vegan food drive for a local pantry.
If you would like some extra support on a Gentle Thanksgiving event, FARM (farm animal rights movement) has a campaign for this. http://compassionateholidays.com/
So, happy compassionate holidays and as we rev up for Samhain, where we honor and remember those who have passed, let us already and always be living the path of "love and gratitude."
image from http://vpods.wordpress.com/tag/vpods/
Hello, Leslie! I've been reading your blog for some time, but as a shy person, this is my first time commenting, and I do apologize for that. I just want to thank you for all you've done to gently and compassionately promote veganism in the Wiccan community. Your article on veganism in Circle Magazine last year (or maybe even a bit earlier than last year? Time sure flies!) resonated with me deeply, and after a lot of soul-searching, I became vegan in early January of this year. It's a choice I've never regretted, and it's brought me so much more in tune with my spiritual values. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for putting yourself out there and challenging people to look more deeply into "Harm None".
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your kitties, and your dog's diagnosis. Prayers are winging their way to you from New York. Thanks again for all the work you do, and for being a voice for kindness and compassion. Happy Samhain season to you!