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Merry Meet
WELCOME ________________________________________________________________________________ In This Issue… An Interview with Ellen Evert Hopman. Ellen is a druid, an herbalist, and a prolific author. She runs the Willow’s Grove shop through her website. She also runs a course in herbalism for those wanting to learn the marvellous powers of plants. SpellCrafting: Spells & Rituals has information on labyrinths they offer a sacred space for introspection. In the shape of a circle, it also holds magic. Aromatic Life features Lemons. Lemons might seem an unlikely addition to the Witch’s armoury but they have a good…
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SpellCrafting: Spells & Rituals
Why Walk a Labyrinth Photo by Mario Dasz Merry meet. A labyrinth offers a sacred space for introspection. In the shape of a circle, it also holds magic. Labyrinths go back 4,000 years, are found in most major faiths and around the world. They are found in parks, places of worship and private homes, and often can be walked for free, offering the opportunity for a no-cost, nothing-needed ritual. Unlike a maze, there is only one path in and one path out of a labyrinth. No dead ends. No wandering, lost. This makes it suitable for meditation. As you walk through a labyrinth, following the path, you head one way…
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She Who is All – The Goddess of Ten Thousand Names
artemis (Dedicated to Sunshine) (Photo Credit: symbolreader.net) he Greek Goddess, artemis, is very complex. She personifies opposites. She is seen as a virginal moon goddess, however, She is a goddess of fertility and childbirth. She was a fierce hunter, who could kill with one shot of her arrow; yet, She fiercely protected the animals of the forest and woods. She is said to be born of Zeus and Leto. At the time of her birth, Leto was very weak, and so, it is told that She helped birth her twin brother, Apollo. Due to this, she is a Goddess of Fertility and Childbirth, a force of creation. Women in childbirth…
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Aromatic Life
Lemons Lemons might seem an unlikely addition to the Witch’s armoury but they have a good many uses both medicinally and magically. Lemons have long been prized for their high vitamin content, and lemon juice is still carried at sea to prevent scurvy. The juice makes an excellent gargle for sore throats and, when diluted, can be applied to reduce itching. It is recommended for rheumatic pain and can even be used to counteract some poisons. A teaspoon undiluted will cure even the most stubborn hiccoughs. If you make your own lemonade you won’t want to touch the fizzy stuff again. Mix the juice of one lemon and a tablespoonful…
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Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times
Spring Equinox 2016 Part II My last article focused on cleaning toxic people out of your life. I believe that is a good first step. I have a lot of experience with toxic people! I am an adult child of a toxic parent, and said parent has also crossed the veil. I know that although that toxic relationship is over, the hurt and heartache is not. Some people think you can just “get over it” and “move on with your life” as if nothing happened. While I realize things that happened to us are in the past, and thus will never happen again- I also realize that not everybody can…
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Witches Soul Work
Witches Soul Work: The High Priestess is Not Your Girlfriend (Picture is Gardnerian HPS Doreen Valiente. For more about Doreen see: http://www.doreenvaliente.com/) When I first met my High Priestess (HPS) Lady Rhiannon we were taking a course on-line together and sometimes got together for lunch. We became friends and later co-taught a class together. About a year later she invited me to join her Coven. I had studied Wicca for ten years at that point; a lot of reading and studying on line or by correspondence. I had also joined a Reclaiming women’s circle for a while and an Eclectic Witches Circle that was really a peer study group. I…
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Spiralled Edges
Spiralled Edges – What Makes a Crone? Mid-February I celebrated by 50th birthday, a full half century of living. As I have moved towards this mark, I have turned my thoughts to who I am and what I want to be in my life. Now more than ever I face my own mortality as I have realised I most likely have more years behind me than in front of me. I am okay with this. I am ready to take my place as an elder, as a crone, both in the Pagan community and in the world at large. Who am I to self-proclaim: I am an Elder! Is it…
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Notes from the Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: Rowan Image: ‘Flying’ Rowan at Brimham Rocks in North Yorkshire, UK. Copyright Chris Gunns 2006 via Wikimedia, some rights reserved. As well as what we traditionally think of as herbs, every apothecary should be stocked with some other items. I’ve already spoken about bulbs such as garlic, and spices like cinnamon. Now I’d like to move on to the largest of our green cousins; the trees. I’ve chosen the Rowan, or mountain ash, as my first tree to explore as it is well known as a sacred and magical plant in many different cultures. I am most familiar with the Celtic tales of the Rowan…
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Tink about It
About Foofur and Familiars 17 years ago I spent quite some time in the local pet shelter. I was a member of the foundation board and the local SPCA, but I also worked in the shelter itself, cleaning the kennels and everything else that needed to be done. One day a little dog was brought in for surrender with just another lame excuse. His name was Bambi and he was a crossbreed Jack Russell / Welsh Corgi, just 8 weeks ‘old’. It was love on first sight for both of us. I instantly loved the little bundle of joy that almost fitted on one hand. We were meant to be…
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ThriftCrafting: Witching on a budget
Cinnamon Merry meet. Some items used in magic can be expensive, but there are plenty of other ingredients and objects that require little money. Cinnamon is one of those magical ingredients that is cheap, versatile and common enough to be sitting in your spice rack. You can burn cinnamon either in stick form, or powdered and added to a mix that’s burned on a piece of charcoal. Use it to purify individuals, objects or spaces. You can also roll a candle in cinnamon and then burn it. Steeping it into tea results in an infusion that can heighten psychic awareness and clairvoyance, making it good to drink before divination. Burning…