The Day of the Dead (El Dia de los Muertos) This time of year we either think of the Celtic holy day of Samhain or its American reinvention, Halloween.  For the purposes of this article, I strive to “spice things up” a bit, by sharing with you the Mexican Day of the Dead, or El Dia de los Muertos, the one day each year that Death takes off from work. Beginning on October 31st and ending on November  2nd, the Day of the Dead, or Los Dia de los Meurtos, or Days of the Dead, is when revelers dress in costumes, feast and honor Death and those that have departed…

Merry Meet and Blessings to you all… It is that time again… time to either be canning up all of our blessed harvest in the northern Hemi or if you live in the Southern Hemi fertilizing and weeding to take care or prepare for your tender shoots. Jams, jellies, and canned vegetables are canned or frozen for winter use. Or you are looking into the pantry to see what you need to plant for next winter stash. Extra necessities are also stockpiled in case of severe weather. For both Winter or Summer. Now is a good time in either Hemi to take just a moment to bless your own kitchen.…

Lesser Sabbat – Winter Solstice, circa Dec 21 Other Names: Jul (“wheel”, Old Norse), Saturnalia(Rome ~December 17 & 18), Yuletide(Teutonic), Midwinter, Fionn’s Day, Alban huan, Christmas (Christian~December 25), Xmas, Festival of Sol, Solar/Secular/Pagan New Year Animals/Mythical beings: yule goat (nordic), reindeer stag, squirrels, yule cat, Sacred White Buffalo, Kallikantzaroi-ugly chaos monsters(greek), trolls, phoenix, yule elf, jule gnome, squirrels, wren/robin Gemstones: cat’s eye, ruby, diamond, garnet, bloodstone Incense/Oils: bayberry, cedar, ginger, cinnamon, pine, rosemary, frankincense, myrrh, nutmeg, wintergreen, saffron Colors: gold, silver, red, green, white Tools,Symbols, & Decorations: bayberry candles, evergreens, holly, mistletoe, poinsettia,mistletoe, lights, gifts, Yule log, Yule tree. spinning wheels, wreaths, bells, mother & child images Goddesses: Great Mother,…

Lesson 5: Why the Hebrews Ceased to be Pagans In his monumental contribution to UNESCO’s History of Mankind, volume 2, The Beginnings of Civilization, Sir Leonard Woolley presents an interesting hypothesis regarding the origin and early development of Judaism.  Because the ancestors of the Hebrews were pagans, we should concern ourselves with the question, How did they lose their religious allegiance to ancestor-worship and temple worship of many gods and goddesses? The Book of Genesis, which is full of pagan traditions from the earliest stratum of Hebrew oral tradition (and which is a political hot potato if a scholar attempts to translate it honestly), states that Abram (later Abraham) came…

DUCK TALES If you have ever seen the Black and White version of “A Tale of Two Cities” you are familiar with the actor who played “Sidney Carton”, the main character. His name was Ronald Coleman. In any case, Coleman had one of the most beautiful, resonant voices ever to grace stage or screen. If you have ever seen this motion picture, you know what I mean. His final lines are as unforgettable, now, as they were when he spoke them, over seventy years ago. Ronald Charles Colman was born at Richmond, Surrey, England on February 9, 1891. Height 5 feet 11 inches; dark brown hair and eyes; weight 158…

This month you get two-for-one-special; two spells for the price of one.  That’s because there are two sacred days for the goddess Artemis/Diana; the Night of Nicnevin and Saint Cecilia’s Day.  Nicnevin and Cecilia are “versions” of the Goddess of the Hunt.  Most likely, these are aspects of the goddess that you have not heard of before, and that is why I am sharing them with you now. November 9th and 10th: Night of Nicnevin (Scotland) After the Greek huntress Artemis was adopted by the Romans and renamed Diana, Queen of the Faeries, she was taken with the Romans wherever the Romans went, including Scotland.  There she was renamed again,…

Kids Who See Ghosts:  How to Guide Them Through Fear By Caron B. Goode, EdD, NCC 211 pp, excluding appendices copyright 2010 by Caron B. Goode ISBN 978-1-57863-472-9 Weiser Books Publishing The idea of the existence of ghosts and their communion with the living has been the stuff of TV, movies and fiction for generations.  More recently, millions of viewers tune in loyally to shows that attempt to “prove” the existence of ghosts, spirits and other entities that are generally unseen.   People that are intrigued or fascinated by the idea of ghosts, hauntings or other paranormal encounters travel the country or even the world, seeking experiences in locales that are…

One Mage’s Opinion: If You Complain About It They Will Come. Pagan’s have an uphill battle when it comes to being understood and respected by the mainstream.  Because there aren’t really a single set of tenets that all Pagan’s agree upon it can be tough from the outset to get people to understand what we are about.  The tendency of the media to focus only on the most surface of images of Paganism usually not caring to let anything as petty as fairness or dare I say research get in the way, gives us an additional hurdle to clear.  Add other factors like the tendency of many to equate Magick…

When in doubt, blame the Tokoloshe! Although some consider this fairy to be the African equivalent of the European brownie, many of its characteristics rather seem to portray it as a creature which could have walked straight out of a horror movie. The Tokoloshe has acquired quite a lot of fame in Africa as most people living there will be familiar with it, especially in Southern Africa. “Tokoloshe” is believed to be derived from the Xhosa word “uthikoloshe”, but it is used by all peoples. According to one source, the name “Tikolosj” means “bag carrier” in Zulu and refers to the huge genitals of the Tokoloshe. It may also be…

Language is powerful. Words carry connotations and conjure images that are sometimes correct … and sometimes not. One such word is ‘pagan‘. The word pagan for many people conjures images of animal sacrifice, devil worship and inverted pentagrams. My family generally doesn’t announce our paganism for precisely this reason. As most people don’t fully understand what it means to be pagan, or have grown up believing the church’s definition, they fear what they don’t fully understand. This leads to one of two responses: avoidance or vilification. Additionally, as words carry definitions, applying the label ‘pagan’ applies those standard sets of rules and beliefs carried by the definition and prevents me…