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    Household Rituals

    This is the first in a series of simple household rituals pagans can perform to enhance a feeling of the sacred in their homes. Candles at Dusk: This ritual comes from India. When the Sun goes down, light some candles in your home and turn off the electric lights. Candlelight promotes alpha rhythms in the brain (as does Moonlight). Have a quiet ten or fifteen minutes in the soft candlelight. You can also burn some incense (make sure a window is open so you don’t set off your smoke alarm!).

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    Rebel Rede

    New Year Promises Although New Year’s for most Pagans this past year was celebrated on Samhain, the rest of the mundane world around us celebrated New Year’s on January 1, 2012. Can you believe it, it’s officially 2012 now! Most astrologers and metaphysical experts believe 2012 is going to be a year of change and major energetic shifts. I think 2012 is going to be an electrifying and exiting year for Pagans. I personally can’t wait to begin working on new goals and new projects. What new things does 2012 promise to bring into my life I wonder? I think 2012 is a year of limitless possibilities. While creating my…

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    Rebel Rede

    Join Me in the Red Tent A few years ago I heard about this new movement within Paganism that was all about women reclaiming the sacredness of their menstrual cycles. I was even asked to help out with a questionnaire about how I feel about my menses and menstrual experiences for a book on that exact topic. Let’s just say at the time I was not the best candidate for that questionnaire. The idea of women embracing their monthly periods and seeing them as sacred was a ridiculous concept to me. I hated my periods. I suffer from endometriosis among other female reproductive-related issues, so the idea of loving my…

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    Rebel Rede

    Deity Diversity I have noticed that a recent hot topic in the Pagan community is Pagan minorities. This is an important topic and I am so glad to see it finally being discussed. Along the same lines of diversity of people within Paganism, I have also been reflecting on diversity of deities within Paganism. The other day I was writing up a yoga sequence for a Goddess Yoga class I was going to be teaching and I started thinking about this topic of diversity of deities. I was researching different Goddesses trying to come up with Goddesses from multiple cultures to match specific yoga poses.  While researching I was excited…

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    Rebel Rede

    Goddess Hostility & The Threat of Female Spirituality For those of you who may or may not know I grew up in a religiously abusive and patriarchal household. This is one of the main reasons why as an adult I was so drawn to Wicca, Paganism, and Goddess spirituality. I hated growing up in an environment where I was told I could not be a spiritual leader because I was born a woman. An environment where I was told that my deity, angels, demons, devil, prophets, pastors, disciples of Jesus etc. all were male and male only. I did not enjoy being told I was a second class citizen and…

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    Rebel Rede

    Remembering to Honor the Moon As a witch I try to be faithful about honoring the wheel of the year. Every sabbat I do my best to at least have a  solitary ritual if I am unable to attend a group ritual. I used to to have a full moon ritual every esbat too. My full moon rituals are my favorite. They are such a magickal and intimate time between me and my deities. Unfortunately I have gotten so busy lately that I have been forgetting to celebrate the esbats. I get bummed out every month when I realize another full moon has passed me by. Sometimes we are so…

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    Rebel Rede

    My Heart is a Temple and My Religion is Love “My heart has become capable of every form; it is a pasture for gazelles and a convent for Christian monks, and a temple for idols and the pilgrim’s Ka’ba, and the tablets of the Torah and the book of the Koran. I follow the religion of Love: whatever way Love’s camels take, that is my religion and my faith.” – Ibn Al-Arabi Wow right? That is what I said when I first read this quote recently. I was so inspired by the imagery and message in this Al-Arabi quote! How much more peace and happiness would we have in the…

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    Rebel Rede

    Healing, the Witch Way About two months ago my Pug Nacho Libre unexpectedly passed away. He was only 4 years old. It was the first time I have ever lost a pet and it was much harder than I thought it would be. I was surprised by how much my body reacted to the grief. One of the issues was that his death was so sudden and unexpected. I tried to dry my tears and to move on with my normal day to day life. I knew I was pushing away the grief and not really dealing with how I was feeling, but I thought it would hurt too much…

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    Rebel Rede

    The Pagan Yoga Connection I am currently working on getting my yoga teacher certificate, so it is only fitting to write this month’s column about yoga. I guess you could say I got yoga on the brain. The longer I do yoga the more Pagan connections I see in it and the more I believe that yoga is the perfect practice for Pagans and witches. The eight limbs of yoga can easily be applied to our craft practice. In fact, most of them are already used regularly by witches and they just might not know it. Here’s what I mean: Yoga Limb #1: Yama(s)-One’s ethical standards and how we treat…

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    Rebel Rede

    Pantheacon 2011 – A Personal Review Pantheacon 2011 was Friday February 17th through Monday February 21st in San Jose, CA. Just like previous years the convention was at the Double Tree hotel located by the San Jose airport. This was my second year attending the convention, and overall it was a great experience once again. Just like life isn’t perfect though, Pantheacon is also not without its imperfections. This article is meant as my personal review only, and is in no way an endorsed opinion. I am here to tell you about the good, the bad, and the ugly of Pantheacon from the personal perspective of one desert witch. In…