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    Happy Ostara!!

    Merry Meet Readers!!  And a Happy Ostara to you all.  We hope this Spring brings many blessings upon you all!! This month we see the return of our herbal Column The Witch’s Cupboard. We are still looking for an Oils & Incense writer.  If you are interested email us at [email protected] We are keeping this short and sweet so you can enjoy this issue.  Have fun reading.  Remember to leave your thoughts with us!!!

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    Musings of a Massachusetts Witch

    It Is Just An Illusion Reality is an illusion. Do you agree? All that you see and experience here on earth are simply projections of what you want, believe or expect them to be. It is all perception and perception is subjective. What I deem as reality may or may not be yours. Our realities or perceptions are based on what we experience through our interactions with people we come in contact with, our environment and situations that we’ve had as we expanded on this plane of existence this time around. There is no one absolute truth (though many religions will try and convince you as such). Many claim that…

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    Hally’s Hints

    An Energetic Reflection There is no doubt that this year has been extremely intense for all of us. The subtleties of the shifts have been completely omitted as the wash of enthusiastic transition affects us. We have seen some dramatic weather conditions from floods, cyclones, typhoons and fires that affected us on some level, whether personally or through our empathic nature. The weather itself has left us bewildered as to what is to follow in the coming months. On a deeper level clearly a lot is going on. When it is so blatant in the conscious we can only assume that underneath we are truly feeling the force of change…

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    Across the Great Divide

    Springtime Calls Ghost Hunters Back Outdoors Ridgelawn Cemetery Well we had a big winter thaw here in Michigan.  Two feet of snow melted and the temp even hit the 50s.  The blanket of winter draws back to reveal the grass, freshly green from its long slumber.  The birds return and the scents of new life are in the air. It was short-lived, though.  As I finish this article, a winter storm- complete with snow, freezing rain, and sleet descends upon the area.  But that brief taste of springtime brings with it thoughts of sunny days and fun in the great outdoors.   If you’re a ghost hunter, thoughts this time of…

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    Interweavings

    March Simplicity This turn of the year brings with it bird song, flower buds and warmer days. It is a time for new beginnings and births. We instinctively long to be outside to feel and connect with the return of the sun. I try to walk everyday and I love to hear the birds sing on these chilly mornings! I am ready to reconnect with the wider world after winter’s dark quiet. All of the ideas that have been germinating in my mind are ready to move into the light and grow. I have the energy to put action behind the ideas. To “give birth” to plans conceived in winter!…

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    Rebel Rede

    Pantheacon 2011 – A Personal Review Pantheacon 2011 was Friday February 17th through Monday February 21st in San Jose, CA. Just like previous years the convention was at the Double Tree hotel located by the San Jose airport. This was my second year attending the convention, and overall it was a great experience once again. Just like life isn’t perfect though, Pantheacon is also not without its imperfections. This article is meant as my personal review only, and is in no way an endorsed opinion. I am here to tell you about the good, the bad, and the ugly of Pantheacon from the personal perspective of one desert witch. In…

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    Rites and Rituals

    Ostara and the Quickening Moon, the Magick of Spring “I remember that I kissed you, I kissed you as dawn kissed the day. Sweet dew wet your lips, You took my breath away. The Earth trembled beneath our touch, The forest moaned with our lust, as I kissed you so endlessly. And the Wheel turns, can you feel the fire burn inside? Do you hear the wind sing our names, of a destiny that cannot be changed. As it is willed, so is it done, our dance is now begun, when the Moon is kissed by the Sun.” Ostara, the Vernal Equinox, is the place upon the Wheel where the…

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    Pagan Theology

    Pagan Theology:  Blessings A Unitarian Universalist minister I know recently said that one of the purposes of religious practice is to empower us so that we may go out and bless the world [1].  That idea of empowerment as a vehicle through which we both are blessed and bless the world intrigues me.  How do we Pagans bless ourselves, so that we may be powerful enough to bless the world? As Pagans we talk a lot about blessings.  Blessed be.  House blessings.  Blessing the working or tools.  We even use “blessings” as an address when closing out letters or e-mails.  But what, exactly, is happening when we bless?  Who is…

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    Journey of a Witch

    Ostara-Goddess of Light “In the light Everybody needs the light.” Led Zeppelin The radiant dawn. Who is the Goddess Ostara? Does she hail from Germanic lands or elsewhere? In some Pagan and Wiccan circles, March is associated with the Spring Equinox and the Goddess Ostara. Controversies surround the validity of Ostara and her associations. Bede the Venerable wrote about a Spring Goddess called Eostre who was honored with feasts during April. There are some who that believe Bede the Venerable simply made her up in his writings. Bede was an English monk who lived in the 8th century. He was responsible for writings of historical, theological, and other works, and…

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    Enchanting Eats

    Ostara is approaching. I can already feel the winds of March, blowing out the winter, blowing in the spring. During this time of year, I dwell on sprouts and spring lettuces, green onions, and tender herbs. Other foods associated with the early spring are eggs, seeds, edible flowers, honey, carrots, rabbit, hot cross buns and other sweet baked goods. Again, find what is in season for your region and what “rings true with you.” Last year I became fascinated with bento boxes and funneled that inspiration into our Ostara meal. There is a lot of prep work, but I think it engages you, reconnecting you with the food. This is…