Baba Yaga     There are many stories of Baba Yaga but most likely her story is very old and comes from the stories of the old Gods long before our modern times. She is a Crone Goddess who is honoured at Harvest and she is present in the last sheaf of grain where she ensures that the grain will grow again. Later on she became, like most Witches in Europe, a scary story to frighten children. The first clear reference to Baba Yaga (Iaga baba) occurs in 1755; Mikhail V. Lomonosov’s Rossiiskaia grammatika (‘Russian grammar’). In this work Lomonosov lists Slavic gods and their Roman equivalences but Baba Yaga…

‘The season of limits.’   Merry Meet. There is a poem that has been part of my Mabon ritual since I came across it about six years ago. It touched me deeply, and has come to be even more meaningful as I move into the autumn of my life. At 60, I am claiming the title of crone this Mabon, and I find that Patricia Monaghan’s words apply to the circle of my life as well to the wheel of the year. I share them with you in the hopes you’ll find a phrase or more that speaks to you as the seasons change and you celebrate the coming of…

In the Hall of the Gods I light the candles in silence and sit readying myself for the journey at hand. Incense wafts gently into each nostril and tendrils of wispy smoke arise creating their images. I breathe gently and fully, preparing the vessel of my body to enter the “between” state of awareness and gently close my eyes as the intent fills the space of mind’s eye. My inner screen of action is vibrant with blue energetic veiling and I breathe even more deeply into the image of myself stepping through this veil. I emerge on the other side in a space that is dark and dense with energy.…

Finding the Pagan Way For many of our readers, I will be speaking to the converted, when I say that Paganism is a very wide term. It covers very many groups and belief systems, but for me personally, it was like stepping into the light. All I had read and analysed over the previous 45 years came to life when I moved to Lincolnshire, in the United Kingdom, and met my present wife, Tina. It was around then that I became much more involved in the pagan movement. This poem I wrote, describes the impact that discovering paganism as a lifestyle,- rather than a case for study, had on me.…

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…

This post is inspired by Gavin and Yvonne Frost but isn’t actually about them. It’s about how Pagans continue to support Pagan leaders and teachers who have written or done highly unethical things. (And by unethical I don’t mean gray area, I’m talking about issues of rape, abuse, and consent.) It’s about how Pagans continue to sweep abuse under the carpet. What does support look like? Support is hiring people to teach at your event or in your area. Support is hosting teachers in your home or at your venue. Support is attending their workshop or buying their book. Support is keeping silent. Why is it important to talk about these issues?…

MAY-bon, MAY-bun, MAY-bone, MAH-boon or MAH-bawn, – Lesser Sabbat – Fall/Autumn Equinox, September 21-23 Michaelmas (September 25th, Christian), Second Harvest Festival, Witches’ Thanksgiving, Harvest Home (Anglo-Celtic), Feast of Avalon, Wine Harvest, Festival of Dionysus, Cornucopia, Equinozio di Autunno (Strega), Chung Chiu (China), Night of the Hunter, Alban Elfed “The Light of the Water”(Caledonii/ Druidic-celebrates Lord of the Mysteries), Winter Finding (Teutonic, from Equinox ’til Winter Night or Nordic New Year, Oct 15th.) Mabon is considered a time of the Mysteries. It is a time to honor Aging Deities and the Spirit World. Considered a time of balance, it is when we stop and relax and enjoy the fruits of our…

I became interested in Wicca and Neo-Pagan Witchcraft early in 1994, when my mother had just been diagnosed with unlocalizable cancer and given three months to live. When a loved one will shortly die, your feelings about the future are compromised. You want her to live as long as possible, without suffering, but at the same time you feel guilty for wishing the grey pall hanging over everything were lifted. Many will take up a new interest at such times, one which can be projected indefinitely into the future, lending it a little color. That was the immediate cause impelling me to investigate this new-old religion. But the choice of…

  Field, Forest and farm Merry meet!  Mabon is the second of three harvest festivals of the year – the witch’s Thanksgiving – and one I find among the easiest for which to decorate. Walks in fields, forests and farms provide everything a well-dressed altar could need. Apples, for instance. There’s a wild apple tree growing by the lower parking lot at my office. Apples can be turned into candle holders for tapers, tea lights or votives. Sliced into thin horizontal circles, dipped in lemon juice and dried in the oven, apples can be strung to make garlands and wreaths.  Peeled, carved and dried, they make shrunken crone faces for…

TURTLE TIME ~ Gift of Inner Clock ~ Time is a very healing place, one in which you can grow. ~ Denise Tanner This is a journey into the Gift of Inner Clock, a state of natural harmony with all life…and yourself…deep within the Universal Soul, of which you are a cherished and intimate part. Allow yourself to go on this inner journey…into the Spirit of your Beautiful Infinite Self. For here is where you shall find your Truth. Begin by getting comfortable. Find a space that feels at ease with your body, and allow yourself to get into a soft state of relaxation. Take some deep, healing, cleansing breaths…gently…