Wicca 101 – So you want to be Wiccan? There are several different Paths/Traditions of being Wiccan. How do you know what path/tradition is for you? Who do you know are your Dieties? Where do you start? Let’s start with the very basics. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Wicca as “a religion influenced by pre-Christian beliefs and practices of Western Europe that affirms the existence of supernatural power (as magic) and of both male and female deities who inhere in nature and that emphasizes ritual observance of seasonal and life cycles.” Vague isn’t it? There are many different definitions of Wicca. Generally, however, Wicca is defined as a Neo-Pagan, nature-based, duotheistic…

This last August, well known Pagan author Isaac Bonewits passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. His importance to Paganism was vast, and I have no doubt that there will be a great many tributes written, all richly deserved. However, while Paganism has lost one of it’s most powerful and original voices, I suspect that it will still manage to go forward without too much difficulty. There is however a particular aspect of Paganism, that I fear may suffer dearly because of his loss. I’m speaking of Magick, especially magickal ethics. There is a tendency among many Pagan authors to treat magickal ethics as if the subject were terribly…

This column is FYI… It is all about the basics… Basic info on tools, traditions and Sabbat.. And everything in between. I will post something every month .. Maybe tools, may be important people in Paganism, may be color correspondences. If you are looking for information.. Look no further.. Basic Facts Wicca Wicca is an earth-based religion that is centered on the respect of all things living. Goddess Goddess is Great Mother Goddess. She wears many faces, to me she is The Goddess.. but  to others she might be Aphrodite or Kuan-Yin. She is in everything, in every person or plant or rock. You can speak to her and pray…

Malleus maleficarum (The Hammer of Witches) Nothing is more linked to hunting of Witches than the “Malleus Maleficarum” therefore we must look at this handbook for hunting witches. The handbook follow on the earlier “Canon Episcopi” Pope Innocent VIII issued a papal bull “Desiring with Supreme Ardor in 1484 stating that witch hunts were a necessity and emphasizing the realities of witchcraft. The “Malleus maleficarum was published in 1486 taking from “Canon Episcopi” and rather than saying that the “Canon Episcopi” was wrong the church stated that there now a far more dangerous army of witches than before! It was to become the most influential and widely used handbook on…

Party at my place! This may be one of the easiest assignments in this course! In the forums, under the “September Assignment” you will see a picture of a tree. This beautiful tree is located in my front yard. The assignment for this month is to meet me at this tree, via the astral realm. On September 17, 18, and 19th, you are to stare at this picture before you go to sleep. When you close your eyes, see the tree right in front of you. Fall asleep seeing the tree and telling yourself that tonight you will meet me and the rest of the class at that tree. Do…

A Little Child Shall Lead Them Vologda is a quiet town. It is one of the oldest towns in Russia, and a part of the famous “Golden Ring” of cities making up traditional “Old Russia”. Unlike some of the other cities on “the ring”, it is not known to be particularly haunted.  The skyline of the town is dominated by the spires of one of the oldest and most elaborate Russian Orthodox Churches still in constant use, and the gabled Victorian eminence of the Vologda Children’s Home, on a sugarloaf hill on the southern outskirts of the town. The saying that “nothing ever happens in Vologda” has some relevance. However,…

Yin Yang: Finding the Balance Yin Yang is the Chinese philosophical concept of balance. It is the idea that there are complementary opposites in everything and that those opposites come together to exist as a whole. It is the concept that you need the light and the dark, the feminine and the masculine etc. to function as a complete whole. Unfortunately this concept of balance has been lost in most the of the world’s major religions. For example Judaism, Islam, and Christianity are all patriarchal religions. Their religions are based solely on male dominated spirituality. This is not yin yang! I use to be a Conservative Christian and my spiritual…

Hey guys and gals.. I am sending some recipes for homemade cleaning supplies and body care supplies… Starting with window cleaner. Recipe #1 2 cups water 3 TBS vinegar 1/2 tsp dish detergent (liquid) Recipe #2 1 gallon water 1/4 cup vinegar 1 tsp dish detergent (liquid) Recipe #3 1 gallon water 1/4 cup vinegar 2 TBS lemon juice squirt dish detergent (liquid) Recipe #4 1/2 cup white vinegar 1 gallon warm water Spray windows with preferred cleaner solution then wipe clean with crumpled newspapers. The newspaper helps prevent streaks. Avoid cleaning windows and glass when the sun is hot and shining on the window–glass will dry too fast and…

Pagan theology:  Down the Wookey Hole The English town of Wells in the county of Somerset, England is a few minutes north of Glastonbury.  It is home to the great Wells cathedral and sits in the middle of some charming English countryside.  The whole region is resplendent with Pagan sites, from Glastonbury tor (Wells also has a tor) to the springs of the Goddess Sulis-Minerva at Bath, to the nearby Salisbury Plain with the Stonehenge and Avesbury circles.  It also has an interesting geology, being associated with the same limestone formations that produce the springs at Bath.  Wells also has three “wells” or springs, two of them on the Cathedral…

Charging For Magickal Practices Is it wrong to accept money for magickal items, services and teachings? Or is it a form of an energy exchange? Once upon a time humans bartered for what we needed and desired. We would exchange an item, such as a blanket, or loaf of bread, for a service provide by the village mid-wife or wise-woman. This was seen as an equitable exchange. Today, currency in the form of money, is an updated form of this long standing tradition. When one offers a magickal service they have put time and personal energies into what they are offering. How can someone who feels the “call” to support…