In This Month’s Issue Raven Digitalis Cernunnos New monthly Moon Phases & Moon Magick Column Monthly Horoscope October Monthly horoscope 2009 for Libra and Scorpio (24 August – 22 October) Libra’s the month of October will be very inspirational and optimistic for you and those you interact with. Luck will also be coming your way so keep an eye out. While you are a very vigorous individual you also have strong vitality and as such are stand firm in your beliefs. Scorpio’s in the month of October your powers of self expression will be strong. You are exceptionally self-regulating and very self confidant. Your urge to rule will be strong,…

with ReikiAwakening.com’s Alice Langholt Welcome to this month’s Reaching Reiki column. The theme for this month’s column is Being Present. This is a very important topic and it can change your life. I’ll also explain how Reiki can help, although it is not necessary to have Reiki in order to consciously incorporate mindful presence into your life. First, what does it mean to be present? Being present is about living in this moment, now. Many of us, me included, worry a lot. We worry about what’s coming up, what’s due, what’s on the long list of things to do, what’s happened recently, and more. Even though we’re taking care of…

Shiva Lingam Stones These special stones are found in only one place in the world.  Shiva stones wash up on the beaches of the sacred Narmada River, one of India’s seven holy sites.  Shiva stones are egg shaped quartz found in the shallow river beds.  These stones are hand polished to balanced proportions.  There are many amazing properties to this stone, most of which revolve around the fact that the Narmada River is sacred to the Hindu deity Shiva. Shiva stones are revered as the embodiment of Lord Shiva.  These stones embody masculine energy, expression, and knowledge.  The shape of the stone is very masculine.  The markings on the stones…

All poetry begins in the dark. In the cave of memory, the new poet lies awake, wrapped in the simple, loose-fitting shift of a sleeper, listening to the echoes of her own breathing and the whine of her own blood in her ears, the only sounds. The close stone walls are damp with her exhalations, sighs of longing or uncertainty, muffled sobs or murmured joys. She can see nothing in the darkness, not even the low ceiling above, but in that senseless obscurity her memory moves, conjuring up fleeting images of apricots, water spigots and firelight, half-heard sounds of bare running feet or the rubbing of tree branches against brick.…

Cerridwen – The Tiger Mother Goddess Cerridwen is known as the goddess of death, initiation, inspiration, magic, and regeneration. The Magical Welsh crone goddess Cerridwen (pronounced KARE 0id wen) was a shape-shifting goddess of dark prophetic powers, enchantment and divination.   She is equated with Hecate (Greek) and Balb (Irish).  She is also sometimes related to Muses (Greek) but in a dark and more violent form. Cerridwen’s cauldron is a powerful symbol of transforming magic.  It contains all the knowledge in the world.  This is where the inspiration for the Samhain (or Halloween) Witch stirring a Caldron comes from. The brew in the Cauldron (named Amen) is known as Greal.  This…

INTERPRETING THE CARDS The Tarot’s meanings can be personal and subjective to each of us in accordance with our unique experiences and views of the world. For this reason there are no immutable or absolute definitions that can be applied to the cards. The cards mean what our intuition and experience tell us they mean, and this can differ from person to person. As you study the cards do not be afraid to allow your inner voice to suggest nuances of meaning. When examining the Tarot, you’ll notice that the titles, illustrations, and symbols of certain cards seem to openly convey their meaning, while the informative clues for other cards…

The Witch’s Cupboard Mint Mint (Mentha spp) is also known as “Garden Mint”.   Other names include Menta (Spanish, Italian), Menthe (French), Minze (German), and Nahnah (Arabic).  “Mint” is a general term for herbs in the Mentha family.   There are many different types of Mint which you can research for specific qualities.  Mint is found in parts of Europe and parts of Asia. In ancient times, Mint was considered an honored herb.  It was used as payments to the Pharisees.  It was also used by the Romans to crown themselves during celebrations and victory.   One of the Goddess myths is that Demeter turned the nymph Mintha into a Mint plant after…

Merry Meet all… this time of year has so many possibilities. With the harvest just finished.. we have so much to choose from.. it is amazing. This month not only will I have Samhain recipes.. but some good old fashion tummy filling recipes as well. Magic Baked Apples When you polish an apple on your shirt before taking a bite, you are continuing an ancient tradition. The Celts rubbed apples to drive out evil fairies hiding inside the fruit. Medieval Christians thought the practice kept away the devil. These customs reflect the belief that apples contain Earth energies. Magic Apples Recipe: 4 medium-sized apples 8 tbsp brown sugar 4 tsp…

**Adult Content** Chastity as Sexual Magick Despite the interest in the other forms of sexual magick… today we are going to discuss, “Chastity”. It is important to realize that chastity is also a form of Sexual Magick and has been used for magickal purposes for untold millennia. In the ancient Roman religion there was only one type of “Priest” who’s role was carried out exclusively by Females. These were the Vestal Virgins, who, from pre-puberty committed themselves to Chastity for 30 years. Now, curiously enough… their primary job was to attend to the Sacred Fire. It is also of note that cross-culturally… the Sexual Energy is often called the “Sacred…

Fairies and the Wild Hunt There are many versions of the Wild Hunt, most originating among the Germanic peoples.  While the Scandinavian traditions and medieval stories of Woden, Berchta, Odin or others leading the Wild Hunt are of inestimable worth, for the purposes of this article I am going to concentrate on legends and ballads in which the hunters are from the realm of fairy. In both Germanic and Celtic pagan belief systems, the souls of the dead are gathered up by the Wild Hunt in November.  For the Celtic peoples, this coincided with the appearance of the Pleiades.  In modern times, we celebrate this time of year as All…