We have an exceptional issue for you this month. As a special Yule gift to you all, our special features this month include interviews with : Raymond Buckland Gail Woods Diana L. Paxson We know you will enjoy our gift to you and we hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday!!

As I sit here in the land of sand that sees no festivity yet boasts to be the origin of both Pagan and Christian histories of which the latter it is the birth place of Christ. I look around at the faces of the Soldiers here with me sitting in the same predicament so far from home and in a war zone. I plan my Yule festivities as I would whether I was home or here as you can never let depression set in or it would ruin you. But really, how can one be depressed if they look inward and see the same sun, the shortest day of the…

In the Realm of Magic For many of us who enjoy a good Harry Potter book or the fairy tales of childhood, there is a special word that draws us to the study of Wicca: magic.  That one mysterious word conjures up a euphoria of wonder and excitement that feels alien in comparison to our daily lives.  Suddenly, anything is possible, and we become more than mere mortals bracing against the tides of fate.  These are certainly the types of emotions the idea of magic can inspire, but daily we are told to keep such notions in the realm of fiction where they belong.  There is the world of reality…

Black Mass Bones for My Love Untitled Erin Martinez More of Erin’s artwork can be viewed at: http://artinblood.com/

Rainbows and birds Darkness fills the colors As the sky begins to clear I hear the birds And know the town is near I shall play my concertina With some luck I will eat tonight As the butterfly whispers Like the promise in the sky And the beauty that surrounds me On this bank I will someday see. Hold my hand And together we’ll walk Towards  life A promise.

The Ring of Brodgar – Orkney Islands “We cannot fully live without the treasury our ancestors have left us. Without the story – in which everyone living unborn, and dead participates – men are no more than ‘bits of paper blown on the cold wind” George MacKay Brown, Winter Tales 1995 Once again we journey to the island of Orkney for our final look at one of the most spectacular and well preserved prehistoric monuments in the British Isles, The Ring of Brodgar. This series of standing stones is not just a stone circle and henge but a focus for the other standing stones and many Neolithic and Bronze Age…

Dear Reader, Welcome to ‘It’s In the Cards’ for www.PaganPages.org. At one time this column appeared in Finer Things Magazine in New Haven, CT, and I am very pleased to be writing my column again; this time for the Pagan Community. Every month, I will do a tarot reading for one person whose question I choose for this column. Also, by writing me, you will have a chance for a free tarot 10 minute reading on the phone. If you would like to contact me about purchasing a reading, please visit my web site at www.SubRosaMagick.com or write me at [email protected]. Since I first began reading for the public 13…

Today, we look at Rhiannon, the Celtic goddess of Inspiration and of the Moon, hailing from Wales.  She is known as the “Divine Queen of the Fairies.”  Her story is one of triumph and tragedy and we can learn how to bear an injustice while still keeping our joy.  Here is Rhiannon’s story. Rhiannon (her name is either “Maid of Annwn” or a variant of Rigatona, “Great Queen”), is a version of the horse-goddess Epona and of sovereignty.  One day, Pwyll saw her riding her horse – a beautiful woman wearing gold.  He sent his fastest horseman after her but she outruns them.  On the third day of this, she…

Trance-Portation: Learning to Navigate the Inner World By Diana L. Paxton, 2008, Weiser Books. ISBN: 9781578634057 If there is still someone on your yuletide shopping list who needs – do we have a gift suggestion for you! One of the more notable books out this year is Diana L. Paxson’s Trance-Portation: Learning to Navigate the Inner World. A thorough guide to trance and shamanic journeying, it is written specifically for those of us who have trouble “letting go” and reaching trance. Better known for her works of fantasy, which include the well loved Westria series and the classic Avalon series (with Marion Zimmer Bradley), Paxton’s skill with words shines through…

Years before I rather, due to unforeseen circumstances, fell under the potentially incendiary term of becoming a Christian Witch, I was intrigued by the concept of the Triple Goddess. The subtle beckoning of both the Triple Goddesses Bridget and Hecate tugged at my heart, yet I felt hesitant about calling upon Them or inviting Them into my life. In many ways, I was quite drawn to Hecate, but I harbored a bit of fear or should I say a deep respect regarding her Dark Mother/Crone aspects. I wasn’t sure I could safely handle those aspects. The Goddess Bridget had been turned into St. Bridget by the Catholic Church.  Try as…