a hastily lit candle and a whispered prayer to a long meditative bath 

That's similar to what I do, although it's more of the former and I've not meditated in the bath yet.  It does make me feel guilty that I'm not able to find more time for these things. 

I also like to think that, if time or energy constraints keep you from properly celebrating on the exact day of a holiday, you can still devote time to celebrate just before or after, whenever you can, and your intentions are what make the time sacred, but others may have differing opinions on that.

That's a good point, and something I've not really considered. If a sabbat falls on a workday (which most of them seem to do) maybe I could wait until the weekend to celebrate it. As you say, it is the intention that matters.

I've come to accept over time is that part of the point of being solitary is you don't have to do something huge for every sabbat. Just because you're the only one celebrating doesn't mean you have to be priest or priestess for a coven of one; you can honor the gods with food and drink and meditation.

Again, that makes sense. Thanks, Jenavira

Which is what I usually end up doing; I'll make a special meal and dedicate it to the gods of whatever seems appropriate for the season. When there's overlap with a Christian or secular holiday, I'll talk with friends or family who are sympathetic and we might skew our celebrations in a slightly more Pagan-friendly direction. (Even when they're not...big family Christmas parties are what Solstice celebrations are all about.) I've also developed traditions that aren't really ritual-based but are meaningful for me to do at the same time each year. For Imbolg I keep a flame going for a day or two (and this year a couple of other people from our local Pagan moot are joining me, and between us we hope to keep it going for nineteen days). For the Winter Solstice I sit up all night and greet the sun. For Lugnasadh...well, I've blogged about my issues with Lugnasadh. (I know I have, but I can't find the post right now, I'm sorry. Let's just say...a holiday named after "the one who does it all" has not been good to me.)

I also like to think that, if time or energy constraints keep you from properly celebrating on the exact day of a holiday, you can still devote time to celebrate just before or after, whenever you can, and your intentions are what make the time sacred, but others may have differing opinions on that.

There's something that's been really bugging me about my tarot draws. From the beginning, I've been shocked by how accurate the cards I pull are (even now - I started a one-card-a-day pull just to sort out what they really mean to me rather than looking up the meanings every time; since I continually pull the same cards, I took each one out of the deck as I pulled it, so there's no repeats, and since this was an educational exercise I don't even shuffle - I'm down to the last 1/3rd of the deck and it's still pretty accurate!!). But... it accurately reflects what I already "know". It would be an excellent mirror tool, except I'm a navel-gazer by nature, and am already in touch with my opinions, anxieties, and wishes. The "future" cards in my spreads are usually wishy-washy, kind of like my own feelings about what might come out - I don't know. Simple spreads to celtic crosses keep telling me in detail what the problem is, where it came from, and that the future is uncertain.

The cards are very pretty. The accuracy freaks me out a bit. But I keep stopping their use, because I can get the exact same information, plus an opportunity to vent, by journalling.

Any ideas?

Recently here in Australia it was Lammas however I've always had trouble figuring how to go about celebrating sabats. I'm a solitary by necessity, also I am not out of the closet to my family or friends. I wrote about this recently on my Blog of Shadows in which I said

I must admit, however, that I still feel a little unsure of what to do on the various sabats. Being solitary there is no one to turn to or follow the lead of. All the various activites I've read of sound great in the context of a gathering, but for a solitary practitioner - especially one such as myself who lives with family and has not yet come out of the closet and is not yet ready to - they seem somewhat impractical. 

So, my question is, how do any of you who are solitary celebrate the sabats? Do you go all out or do you have have a "quiet one?"

Thanks in advance for any replies.

It's not the greatest reproduction, so I appologize for that. Photographing paintings is not my stong point. Anyway, I hope it'll give you some idea of how it's coming along.

I've actually started a second Goddess work, only at the sketching stage so far, that I hope will become a design for a t-shirt. So I might post that in a little while too. I also have an idea for a pentagram design...but it's only in my head thus far.

It sounds like you have difficulty staying grounded. Massage therapy can help with this, as can eating, sex, playing in the dirt (gardening), cleaning house, and meditations that focus on keeping your feet firmly on planet earth.

While some religions encourage transcendance from the body, paganism isn't one of them. We need our body. We need balance between living between the worlds and living in the world.

A few questions come up for me here. Was there trauma in your early childhood? Trauma can cause us to become adept very early at dissociating from our bodies and while this can 'feel' spiritual, it's actually a coping mechanism that can become very troublesome.

In a pinch, a pinch of salt on the tongue can help get your feet back on the ground.

yeah, salt does seem to help, but it's become an annoyance moreso than anything.  I do have a history of childhood trauma and well... I hate sounding absurd, but near death experience as a child.  But I do know what's happening, I do energy work and all that jazz... I dunno, it's a mess...Thanks, though!

While some religions encourage transcendance from the body, paganism isn't one of them. We need our body. We need balance between living between the worlds and living in the world.

A few questions come up for me here. Was there trauma in your early childhood? Trauma can cause us to become adept very early at dissociating from our bodies and while this can 'feel' spiritual, it's actually a coping mechanism that can become very troublesome.

In a pinch, a pinch of salt on the tongue can help get your feet back on the ground.

I lead a very spiritually active life and not so physically active lifestyle.  I try to keep a relaxed state at all times.  However, when at work, I move so fast-paced in such short bursts that it feels as though bits of my energy or spirit leave my physical body.  When I finally do slow down for our "down time", all of the little bits I have trailed behind hit me all at once.  I get a massive headache and sometimes nosebleeds (as though a psychic attack, which I have dealt with before).  This is only a recent development, within the past few months.  My spirit vibrates on such a high level since I have a lot more time to myself for meditation and other such spiritual workings.  Also, I have had the ability since a child to pull myself back into my dreams and within the past couple of months, I don't consciously do it anymore... I wind up oversleeping a lot.  Does anybody know anything I can do to stop this?  I feel as though I've evolved my spirit possibly to the point of not necessitating a capsule any longer...

It might sound silly, but it's concerning... I'm only 23 lol

help?

Thanks, Monkey.  I just hope they accept my offer, they were hoping to do  sell & leaseback until May, but my lease is up the end of March.