Welcome   Our Samhain Issue is sure to please.  We have many great features this month for your reading pleasure…such as…   An interview with Joanna van der Hoeven, best-selling author, teacher, and co-founder of Druid College UK.   A review of the book “The Yoga Back Book,” by author Stella Weller.  “The natural solution to freedom from pain.”     An informative Sacred Place, Sacred Space article this month, from Susan Morgaine, on Goddess Temples in the U.S.     Seeing the Signs this month Gives us a lesson on Tarot and the…

The Celtic Cross Samhain is traditionally a time of divination. Some methods – such an apple and tossing the peel over your shoulder and seeing the design of the peel – have gone down in history as “folk love magic”, since the apple peel, left overnight on the hearth, will set into the letter of your true-love. We did this as children. In my own Samhain rituals, I always use tarot cards – tarot cards have always been my first and favorite form of divination. I first picked up a deck in 1988 – a Rider-Waite deck – and I have never stopped loving the feel and the ease of…

Water is Life Merry meet. I am among the many pagans who want to support the warriors at Standing Rock. Two sisters in my coven – Debra Cohen and Janet Coffa – wrote a ritual that more than a dozen women chose to participate in at a Mabon retreat. I’m sharing it below in the hopes that you will use it to enlist the support of others in this important effort. The protectors, the warriors at Standing Rock represent each and every one of us who understand the need to protect our environment, our multicultural values and the very Earth that supports us. The statement “Water is Life” is true…

THE YOGA BACK BOOK BY STELLA WELLER A Book Review The sub-title to this book is “the natural solution to freedom from pain”. Since almost everyone has suffered from back pain at one time or another, not to mention those who suffer from daily, chronic back pain, this book could be a lifesaver, if used correctly. Ms. Weller’s background is as both a registered nurse and a yoga therapist, so her information comes from both a yogic and medical path. The book is extremely informative. It not only describes the exercises, it includes photos of each one, plus its’ variation, if there is one. (Note: Making adjustments is very important…

Culling Time Come September when autumn winds start to chill our focus is on the harvest. I have friends from all over who are busy canning and preserving fruits and vegetables they have grown in their gardens. Those of us who don’t have access to a garden or allotment may be looking at ideas we planted in the spring. How have they grown? Are they ready for harvesting and completion? The focus is very much on bringing in the harvest, whether literal or symbolic, but little attention is given to the other part of this season – this is a time of culling. For the farmer, this meant looking at…

Apples   Apple Magick is very popular on Samhain. Whether you are trying to divine who your next lover will be or paying tribute to an ancestor, apples abound on this holiday. Here are a few ways to bring apples into your home for the holidays…. Burn Apple Blossom incense in your workings, on your altar, or to give the room a nice smell. Eat some apples.  They have wonderful health benefits.  You can read some of what those are here. Make a new wand using the branch of an apple tree. Use them in your recipes for a Samhain meal. A Simmer Pot is a great and easy way to…

This is the first of a series of articles that will explore our connection to the Moon and how to use HER energy for magick and spiritual growth…. Part One Lunar Magick: The Basics   The Lady holds her mystery In silent waiting orb. The milky white lantern held In space of velvet night. Sun king gives way As she weaves her veil Of star and ebb and flow. She speaks not a word Her call answered deep Within the heart that turns within.   The Silent Moon is calling The rite of the Hermit has begun. Moon Phase Basics Attuning to the phases and cycle of the moon connects the seeker…

  Ahhhh, It’s that time of year again. The air has turned crisp and leaves begin to swirl around our feet. The darkness greets us sooner and sooner each day. It’s almost time to celebrate, The Witch’s New Year…Samhain or Halloween. Samhain, Pronounced Sow-in, is the Celtic Festival to mark the end of the harvest season. It is the beginning of Winter and the Darker half of the year. It is just about halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. It lasts from sunset Oct 31st to sunset Nov 1st. It is believed to be a very powerful day, when the Veil between the Worlds is at it’s…

  Other Names: celtic ~ Summer’s End, pronounced “sow” (rhymes with now) “en” (Ireland), sow-een (Wales) – “mh” in the middle is a “w” sound – Greater Sabbat(High Holiday) – Fire Festival Oct 31-Nov 1(North Hemisphere) – Apr 30-May 1 – The Great Sabbat, Samhiunn, Samana, Samhuin, Sam-fuin, Samonios, Halloween, Hallomas, All Hallows Eve, All Saints/All Souls Day(Catholic), Day of the Dead (Mexican), Witches New Year, Trinoux Samonia, Celtic/ Druid New Year, Shadowfest (Strega), Martinmas or Old Hallowmas (Scotttish/Celtic) Lá Samhna (Modern Irish), Festival of the Dead, Feile Moingfinne (Snow Goddess), Hallowtide (Scottish Gaelis Dictionary), Feast of All Souls, Nos Galen-gae-of Night of the Winter Calends (Welsh), La Houney or…

  Salmon with Apples and Maple Syrup The fall season is filled with fabulous fruits and vegetables – various squashes, including pumpkin, which seems to be everywhere nowadays – heirloom tomatoes, many different kinds of beans, pears and plums and peaches – and my personal favorite – apples. Every year, I look forward to the fall season for the apple crop. This year in the Northeast, we have been plagued by a very harsh drought so the local apples are much smaller than usual but are they ever sweet and juicy! Like Jo March in Little Women, I can think of nothing better than to sit in a comfortable place…