Brigid As I sit here writing this column, it is only a handful of days until Imbolc, which makes it easy to choose Brigid as this month’s Goddess.   She is known today, by many, as St. Bridget of the Christian church.  Oh, but she was and is so much more.   Brigit, pronounced “Breed” started at a triple goddess in Ireland and surrounding areas.  In England, she was known as Brigantia; in Scotland, Bride; in Celtic France, Brigandu.  Her name means “bright one” or “bright arrow”.  A great flame went out from her head and into the sky on the day of Her birth.  This flame, tended at a…

Everyday Rituals   Merry meet! Washing dishes. Folding clothes. Sweeping floors. Making soup. Taking a bath. Setting the table. Weeding the garden. While you might think of these as mundane chores, they are actually everyday rituals. Birthday parties, Memorial Day parades and bedtimes stories are also rituals. So are ceremonies such as graduations, weddings and funerals that mark stages of life. The Catholic church in which I was raised was ripe with ritual, and when I rejected the religion, I also rejected ritual. It took me decades to realize its importance and to add it back into my life. Pagans have no doubt experienced of the power of ruitals as…

This month, we will return to the Major Arcana, and talk about The Devil.  Let’s take a moment to review some general information about the Major Arcana.   There are 22 Major Arcana cards in a Tarot deck, with numbers from 0 to 21; the Majors usually deal with broader and more far-reaching life experience issues, archetypes that are easy for us to identify with and connect with at some point in our lives.   An archetype (pronounced “ark eh type”) is a generic, idealized model of a person, an object, or a concept which can be copied, patterned, or imitated.  In psychology, an archetype is a model of a…

Notes from the Apothecary: Horsetail Last month we discussed the comforting and familiar sage; soft, sweet and strong in the right hands. This month I want to look at a herb that may be less familiar to some of you, and all too familiar to others! From despised weed to treasured medicine, the horsetail (Equisetum) is never overlooked by those who know it- even if that means they are constantly dragging it out of their beloved herb gardens. This plant is fairly unusual in that it is literally a living fossil; a throwback some 100 million years to the Palaeozoic era, when species as high as 30 metres would have…

Witches Soul Work Part 3: The Path of the Bolline   “If that which thou seek thy find not within thee, thy will never find it without.” Doreen Valiente ‘Charge of the Goddess’   The Craft involves deep soul work leading to understanding the authentic self, the connection with the divine, and understanding the Mysteries. If you were Buddhist you might called this enlightenment. What is enlightenment for Witches? Many people new to the Craft read the beginner books and think that that is all there is. I would like to share with you some of the ways that Traditional Witches do soul work, the way they approach and understand…

Jupiter still Retrograde in Leo – 18 degrees Sunday, February 1, 2015 – 12:01 am EST Goes Direct on Tuesday, April 7, 2015 – 8:08 am EDT When the grandiose Planet of blowing things out of proportion is Retrograde, the ability to erupt ill feelings at home can still be potential, if you’re not careful. Family matters most in life, so take care to enjoy the time you have. Find time and energy to have fun. Avoid the pessimism that can occur during Jupiter’s Retrograde.     Mercury still Retrograde in Aquarius – 8 degrees Sunday, February 1, 2015 – 12:01 am EST Goes Direct Wednesday, Feb 11, 2015 –…

Grow Your Craft   Merry Meet! Because a common Imbolc ritual is to bless seeds, the timing is right to plan a magical herb garden. Do you find yourself buying chamomile and rosemary for magical purposes? Do you use vervain or St. John’s Wort? Would you use lavender and rue more freely if you didn’t have to buy it? Do you think you’d like to make an offering of tobacco now and then, but you don’t smoke? Make this the year you grow your own. If you have a garden center close by, you might be able to find everything you’re looking for there. If not, there are many places…