Doing things differently in Hawai'i, Australia, etc

[Mirenithil]

This thread is for people who live in places where it never snows to discuss the differences of the energy of the land and the seasons where we live. What correspondences do you use? Do you implement any of the beliefs and practices of the first peoples to settle the land you live on?

In my case, the usual pagan/wiccan Wheel of the Year doesn't apply when the daily average high is in the 80s all year long and, since the sun is down at 6:30 even in December, the days don't feel particularly short. (ALOOOOOHA!) The energy of the land here is also considerably different than that of the mainland continent; rereading through standard pagan/wiccan rituals, I'm struck with how much they simply don't apply here.

This sacred and living good red earth requires its own recognition and set of rituals. If there are any other people living in Hawai'i here, we can start a Hawaiian spirituality thread. I've looked into Huna, but when I discovered it was pretty much a wholesale fabrication by an enthusiastic but misguided foreigner I ceased my researches.

I'd be very interested in hearing about -your- own experiences if you live in a sunbelt area or, especially, if you live someplace else entirely other than North America or Europe.  

[too2sweet]

That is one of the reasons I think that (if there is one that is open to study), that one should look towards ones own culture first when looking for a path. Wicca doesn't work very well when removed from it's original context. It's one thing if you live in the Southern Hemisphere, at least then you can simply flip the calendar, but in places where the seasons are completely different, it becomes a bit silly to be be celebrating the return of the light/warmth after a long, dark winter - when you have never had such weather to begin with. It would also be a lot easier to work with deities who are of the land you are in, than those who are from far away.

I don't know that much about Hawaiian culture and/or traditions, so I don't know if any of those paths are an option, but it might be something to look into. Or at the very least create a path that incorporates more appropriate celebrations into their "wheel of the year". Of course in doing so, it would become appropriate to honor those deities that are associated with those celebrations instead of the Lord and Lady - who are Wicca specific.

It's a really good question though. I'm interested in seeing how others "overcome" it. biggrin  

[Sanguina Cruenta]

You know, it does get pretty cold in Australia in winter. It can snow and everything. They ski. Clearly their ski fields are inferior to Queenstown but even so.

I live in the subtropics, the "winterless north", "four seasons in a day". But not too far south it DOES get very cold in winter, with snow and so forth. I do occasionally wish for a colder winter... but I also wish for a cooler summer wink

One interesting element: I live, practically, on the edge of the world. The furthest reaches and so forth. I get the idea that, distant and fertile as this country is, the Northmen would have approved, despite the warm weather.  

[Starlock]

Seasons are actually a reason why I refuse to move further south than where I am right now. If you're truly nature-based, you will probably adjust your practice - if you celebrate the seasonal cycle - to what it is like in your area. If I lived in Florida, I just don't know what I would do with myself. xd I might orient myself more towards moon phases and tides since I'd be closer to the ocean?