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Tarot with Lady Saoirse
Lughnasadh 2023 Bright Blessings! If you are reading this column, chances are, you have been to a psychic reader before, or you are looking into going soon. Some people do a regularly scheduled reading with a trusted reader to have good guidance for their decision making on a regular basis, and other people see readers whenever they feel like they should. Some people say the worst time to see a reader is when you are in the middle of a crisis or emotional meltdown, but sometimes, those are the times you need the support of a psychic most. Regardless of when or why you are seeing a psychic, there…
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An Irreverent Lughnasadh
Lughnasadh is my least ‘religiously’ observed festival. That seems pretty irreverent for a practicing Pagan, I guess, but my reasons are thus: Lughnasadh tends to fall at the time of year that I am busiest; either with my lovely children, or with camping, or catching up with friends, or all of the above. It can be a busy time in the garden, and it also falls right bang in the middle of the first section of the foraging season. We’ve just run out of wild elder flowers and are moving onto raspberries and blackberries, some of Lugh’s favourite offerings, although that’s from personal experience and not attested to in Irish…
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My Ogham Journey to the Beach
This journeying experience was from a lesson in Lora O’Brien’s Ogham Journeys class at the Irish Pagan School. I can’t recommend their courses highly enough, and have found some genuine authentic connections to various important aspects of my Irish Celtic spirituality through both their free and paid courses. The space behind my eyelids was red, not black. I expected a darkness, black and soft like velvet, but instead I was in a swirling maelstrom of blood-red chaos. This space had been easy to access but I bounced around alarmingly rather than floating easily; my movements were frenetic and uncontrollable as I first tried to get to grips with this…
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Book Review – In Focus Tarot: Your Personal Guide by Steven Bright
Book Review In Focus Tarot Your Personal Guide by Steven Bright 192 Pages In Focus Tarot: Your Personal Guide is written by Steven Bright, full-time Tarot reader, author and blogger, and published by Wellfleet Press, an imprint of The Quarto Group, 142 West 36th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10018. In Focus Tarot is a 6¼” by 9¼” book with a color hard cover with Tarot images on the front and a book description on the back. The interior of the book consists of 192 pages, black easy-to-read type of a nice size on smooth and substantial white paper. I like the setup of the first chapter,…
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Book Review – In Focus Reflexology: Your Personal Guide by Tina Chantrey
Book Review In Focus Reflexology Your Personal Guide by Tina Chantrey 144 Pages In Focus Reflexology: Your Personal Guide, by Tina Chantrey, published by Wellfleet Press, an imprint of The Quarto Group, 142 West 36th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10018. I am reviewing a digital version of the book made available by the publisher via NetGalley, so my personal descriptions are a bit limited. Amazon lists this book as a hard cover, showing an image on the front cover of the bottom of the feet with reflexology zones outlined, and a brief description of reflexology on the back cover. The digital book contains 144 pages with…
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Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times Lughnasadh/Lammas
Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times for August 2020 Lughnasadh/Lammas Bright Blessings! This year is flying by. I can hardly believe it’s almost Lammas or Lughnassadh, depending on which you celebrate. Both are first harvest, celebrating first fruits, some being wheat, some being corn or berries, and all giving thanks for the beneficial harvest from hard work. Today’s Pagans seldom grow wheat and corn, since nowadays, we buy it! For us, our harvests are symbolic! Let’s do a bit of history before talking about personal harvests! Lughnasadh Halfway between Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox, Lughnasadh is an old Pagan holiday celebrated in Scotland, Ireland, and the Isle of…
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Peeking in the Shadows: Crafting a Book of Shadows and Light Second Edition
Last month I shared some documents with you to consider adding to your BOS. This month I want to share some brainstorming prompts to use as you fill more of your BOS pages. On first glance this month’s article may appear less robust than most but I assure you that if you work with each of the questions in a thoughtful and authentic way, you will have more than enough to keep you occupied. So, let’s get started. Some of these will become checklists for crafting your own rituals. Others are in the moment wanderings and others are for the intention of having a strong foundation to grow upon. Be…
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Book Review – Pagan Portals: Persephone-Practicing the Art of Personal Power by Robin Corak
Book Review Pagan Portals: Persephone Practicing the Art of Personal Power by Robin Corak 112 Pages …We live in a society where the basic rights of some sectors of the community are threatened… What better time to invoke the lessons and attributes of a goddess who not only fought successfully for control over her own fate but who – as Queen of both the Underworld and Spring – also has the ability to cut ties with that which no longer serves her and manifest that which does?… I have reviewed several titles in the Pagan Portals series and am impressed at the quality of writings and the in…
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Book Review – In Focus Reiki: Your Personal Guide by Des Hynes
Book Review In Focus Reiki Your Personal Guide by Des Hynes 144 Pages Usui Holy Fire Reiki Master Des Hynes defines Reiki as “a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing through using the energy of a higher, divine, guided life force.” The practice is named after the healing energy involved. Hynes learned about its benefits watching as his wife received Reiki treatments while getting chemotherapy The book provides an introduction to this noninvasive healing modality, explaining it can reduce stress, depression, anxiety and physical pain, by removing blockages and balancing the body’s energy centers. Reiki (Rei meaning higher power and Ki…
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Surrendering to the Spiral Dance of Depression
(art by Emma Strybis) From galaxies in the sky to diminutive shells on the beach, the spiral is found extensively in the natural world. Its shape and form of a coiled serpent has been used since ancient times as a tool for growth and transformation. The spiral is a guide for entering deep into one’s consciousness and the unknown, and then extending far out into the heavens. It is crucial to surrender to this journey until the exhausted paradigm dissolves in the depths of the psyche and its energy is released to give birth to a new reality…The spiral announces a descent to the depths and a rebirth.…