If death were a season Like fall or winter I could go to the tropics And never get cold If death were a season I could fly around the world Visit all things warm And never grow old. If death were a season I’d never stay in one place Never know the people Or remember a face If death were a season I’d see flowers bloom But never a coffin, graveyard Or tomb Death as a season I would not fear For I could run and hide Whenever it came near If I seem frightened You know it’s true Death as a season I could never lose you In the…

Merlin Magic, witchcraft, sorcery, wizardry. Spells, enchantments, herbs, talismans and the four elements (five if you count lightning). Some of it said to be the devil’s work, some of it said to be innate, if only people would open their minds, and some of it said still to be inexplainable. They don’t know why it happens, only that it does. Magic of course is the object and the most well known user of it, the subject. Who he is, is none other than a man named Myrddin. Myrddin is also better known as Merlin. As stated previously, myth and legend are akin to first cousins instead of siblings. Sometimes they…

Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more. *Ask Your Mama™ The What, When, Where, Why, How, and Who of Ceremony & Spirituality by ©Mama Donna Henes, Urban Shaman A Question of Intention Dear Mama Donna, I am looking for some information/advice. I consider myself a Goddess Worshiper and don’t really know anything about magic. The little I do know is that it has a lot to do with intention. I like the pentagram design; to me it is a symbol of the order and interconnectedness of the universe. Recently I bought a walking stick/staff at a craft festival just because it seemed like a…

Herbs: Copal, fennel, rye, wheat, valerian, skullcap, acorn, benzoin, ferns, grains, honeysuckle, marigold, milkweed, myrrh, passionflower, pine cones, rose, sage, Solomon’s Seal, tobacco, thistle, vegetables. Foods: Breads, grains, seeds, dried fruits and beans, baked squash, nuts, apples, pomegranates, and vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and onions, wine. Colors: Brown, yellow-green, yellow, red, russet, maroon, gold, scarlet, purple. Flowers: Narcissus, lily, aster, morning glory. Scents: Storax, mastic, gardenia, bergamot. Autumn blend made by combining: benzoin, myrrh, and sage, also these incenses separately. Stones: Blue sapphire, peridot, olivine, chrysolite, citrine, lapis lazuli, and yellow agates. Trees: Hazel, larch, bay. Animals: Snake, jackal. Birds: Ibis, sparrow. Deities: Bona Dea, Ceres, Ch’ang-O, Demeter, The…

Omens and superstitions have been around for hundreds of years, maybe longer. The more the tale is exaggerated the more we tend to enjoy it. My Grandmother was the Queen of old wives tales. She put so much emphasis in what she said that I have never forgotten any of her stories or superstitions. I now tell my own Grandchildren. I believe without Superstition our lives would be dull and unimaginative. I hope that you enjoy what you read here and remember, just because it’s a Superstition doesn’t mean it won’t take form in Your life. *A cat sitting with its back to the Fire is an Omen that the…

Magickal correspondences/ Book of Shadows Class Lesson 2 This month sees us discovering the significance of colours, bathing times and the elements..   Your homeworks will include adding to lists below, remember to add flare and decorations to your pages and lists J Colour correspondences Colours are a big part of magick and spellcraft, from wearing the specific colour relating to your intention to using the colour in sachets or in candle magick for example.. Amber – Deep witchery skills Black – Ward negativity, Remove hexes, Protection, Spirit contact, The Universe, Night, Truth, Remove discord or confusion. Blue (dark) – The Goddess (representative ritual candle), Water Elemental, Truth, Dreams, Protection, Change,…

Writing Out Intent in Prose Objective: explain in detail what you want and how you plan to attain it. In this class, I would like you to think of yourself as an architect. Last month, we discussed what our intents were. These are the blueprints to our spells. Now, we are going to begin the building process, starting with a sturdy foundation. We will mold our intentions into prose, adding as much detail as possible. The more detail we have, the sturdier our foundation and the easier it will be to write our poetic spells later. For your assignment, please take the intentions you wrote- the ones you will be…

Amazonite Improves self worth.  Gentle and friendly, calming and soothing.  Opens throat, heart, and solar plexus centers.  For self-expression, artistic creativity, healing.  Helps the throat, thyroid, nerve and brain paths.  Reduces self damaging behavior, increases self respect, confidence, grace, self assuredness with communication. Amber Clear yellow or orange ancient petrified resin.  Electromagnetic.  opens solar plexus chakra for mental clarity, mood balance, confidence.  Stomach anxiety, spine, central nervous system, brain, memory loss, cell regeneration.  Aligns mental and emotional bodies.  Excellent detoxification and protection from radiation, especially x-rays, sun, computers, airports.  Used for grounding, protection, and purification.  Also helps to attract money.  absorbs negative energy.  Ancient people used to believe that it…

Principles of Paganism Lesson 3:  Pagan Psychology Part One: Reading Between the Lines I am currently re-reading a very interesting book, The Greeks and the Irrational, by E.R. Dodds, that throws a lot of light upon ancient Greek religious psychology.  Like many other accounts of ancient and “primitive” religion, it interprets the evidence in terms of our own cultural prejudices, such as our assumption of psychic unity and the subjective nature of religious phenomena.  By being alert to certain expressions, however, we can catch the instances where a scholar or anthropologist is wearing his cultural blinkers and discount his self-imposed limitations of understanding. For instance, in chapter 1 of Dodds,…

Investigation Procedures: Doing the Research (Part 2 of 5) Just visiting a place that has reported claims of the paranormal and snapping a few pictures or recording some audio doesn’t mean you’ve investigated it thoroughly.  Once you’ve landed a big investigation you’ll want to research the location as much as possible.  Background and historical research is a big part of any valid investigation of the paranormal, especially one with a long history of reported activity.  It involves conducting a lot of pre-investigation interviews of witnesses, tedious historical research, looking up prior media coverage, and contacting other investigation groups who may have been there before. Take organized and concise notes of…