We're at the end of a yearly holiday cycle for many religions, reminding us that there is a natural cycle of transformation in our environment that affects human beings and that human beings affect. Nature-based religions train people to be mindful of this situation and to participate in it in an enlightened, non-harmful way.

Alexei Kondratiev is a non-fiction author (The Apple Branch), fiction author (Vidorix the Druid), teacher (Celtic mythology & Celtic Christianity, Irish language) and active member of the Mythopoeic Society.