It’s hard to put into words everything I experienced last week in Toronto at the ImagineNATIVE Film Festival — but I’ll try. Let’s start with the beautiful things: I’ve never been to a film or TV industry event where sessions begin by cleansing the space and people’s energies with sage smoke, where ancestors and the…
Easter Witches and Willows Bring Health and Fertility to the Homes
The spring sun floods the entire room with light so bright I have to squint and wrinkle my freckled nose to keep from sneezing. The freshly washed windows are adorned with cheerful yellow curtains sewn by my mother. The kitchen table is like an altar: hand-painted eggs, decorative willow branches, yellow candles, and Easter chicks…
New Sacred Trees Book is Out!
Sacred Trees invites readers on a journey to discover the stories, rituals, and wisdom entwined with trees in Finnish history and mythology. [In Finnish below!] Sacred Trees (Pyhät puut in Finnish) is a deeply personal and culturally rich exploration of a people’s ancient connection with trees and the spiritual significance they held in Finnish and Karelian traditions….
Amazing News: Nordic Forest Rituals book and oracle cards signed with international publisher
I am delighted to announce that my book Rituaalikirja (English working title TIMELESS NORDIC RITUALS: Bringing Purpose and Joy to Modern Life) and our Nordic Forest Rituals Oracle Cards have found their global English-language home with REDFeather Mind Body Spirit, (an imprint of Schiffer Publishing) in the U.S. This double deal means that both the book (originally Rituaalikirja – Etsijän opas,…
December: Time to Rest and Celebrate the Return of the Sun
In December, darkness persists, but as the cold tightens its grip, frost blankets the ground, trees, and bushes, lending the landscape a softer and brighter appearance. The starry sky is especially mesmerizing on crisp frosty nights. The Geminid meteor shower can be admired, particularly around the middle of the month, and the year’s final meteor…
November: The Month of Darkness and Death
This November has been heavy on my heart. Last weekend, we celebrated Father’s Day in Finland for the first time without my father, who passed away late last year. I carry thoughts of him with me every day, but these past weeks have felt especially heavy. To add to the weight, our beloved dog was…
October: Harvest Festivals and Remembering the Dead
Gray, dark, wet, and muddy. That’s how we Finns perceive October, especially if we have to recall the dark fall days around midsummer. Another name for the month has sometimes been likakuu, “Dirt Moon”. But our perception of October is quite wrong, as it is indeed a month of celebration! NAMES:Lokakuu (Finnish), formerly also likakuu,…
September: Full Harvest Moon, Fall Equinox and Glowing Colors of Nature
In the fall, nature shows its glory as if with its last strength. This autumn has been exceptionally warm and sunny, and although the nights have begun to cool, the days in Southern Finland still feel almost like summer. Our bees are still buzzing actively around their hive, and the sun is so warm that…
August: Enchanting Warm Nights and the Joy of Hugging Trees
August is characterized by warm but subtly darkening, magical evenings, with stars reappearing one after another in the night sky. It feels like encountering an old friend after a long time when you realize one evening that the starry sky is visible once again! After the sun sets below the horizon, the Big Dipper appears…
July: Cool Down Amid the Heat Wave
In the north, the bright nights continue well into most of July, even as the days begin to shorten and the Sun’s path in the sky starts to decline. The starry sky is hardly visible due to the brightness, but instead, thunderstorms may rumble, especially at the end of hot afternoons. In July, the air…