TRIBUTE TO THE MIMI SPIRITS   MiMi figures are small stick-like spirits. They are said to live in bush and rock crevices in Arnhem Land in the very North of Australia. They are regarded as great artists because they like painting their portraits in red ochre on rocks! Mimi spirits are not Creator Beings, but they taught the Ancestors of the present-day Gunwinggu tribe the art of painting. Mimi spirits can be enchanting creatures, but one must realise they can be malevolent as well as benevolent. As a painter I wished to create a tribute to the Mimi spirits for giving human beings the art of painting! *** About the author:…

By Lauren White © 2000 by MQ Publications Ltd. ISBN: 0-7407-0552-0 112 pages   This is a fun little book and I mean “little” literally. The book is roughly five by five inches. However, this little book contains a considerable amount of information despite the small size   I really liked the first part of the book which is a discussion on how to use the book. Each spell has a key included with it. This key list difficulty which ranges from easy or the author puts it, “a piece of cake”, to requires concentration. The second aspect on the key is for the amount of time it takes to…

Samhain and divination   When I moved into my new place this summer, I decided to reread all my spiritual books, starting with The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess by Starhawk, which I read for the first time exactly thirty years ago. I cannot stress how much this book changed my life. A good friend loaned me her copy and I literally copied it almost word for word by hand and then later typed up my handwritten notes. This was the basis of my original Book of Shadows. Written basically as a manual for group instruction, I used The Spiral Dance to teach…

In present day, there are now many different paths to feminism and there are those who believe that certain things, such as women working in the sex trade, pornography, etc. are being empowered by such work. I would put myself out there to say that I disagree, and that I know many other women who identify as feminists who are right there with me, to say nothing of the many women who have worked as prostitutes and in pornographic movies who have gone on to write about their experiences and how it was so NOT empowering, but humiliating, demeaning and degrading to them, not only as women, but as human…

Stingy Jack         Master of mischief You tricked the devil Into becoming silver A coin to pay The barman’s bill.   Lover of lies You swindled Satan Into yonder apple tree Trapped by crosses You won again.   King of coercion You beat Beelzebub But your liver couldn’t win The ale was your sin You died as you lived.   Beer soaked and broken The devil tricked you Now your face is a grimace Trapped in a turnip Wandering always You can’t find the veil.     Don’t try to trick The devil or the fae You’ll think you have won But they always get their way.…

  As I close my eyes and breathe in the rich scent of Autumn, my mind turns to those I have loved and lost. Those who have traveled on to the Shadow-Lands. Shadowfest, or more commonly known as All Hallows Eve and Samhain, is fast approaching. This is the Season of the Witch, but most importantly, the Season of Spirits. The veil between this world and the Un-Seen (Other-World, Shadow-Lands, Elphame, Summer-Lands, Avalon, Annwn, Elysium Fields, etc.) is thinnest at this time of year. Spirits, human and non-human alike, roam the Earth reaching out to those who are willing and able to acknowledge their existence.   One of the most…

    In October, witches and other pagans receive visits from their ancestors and other dear dead. Traditionally, these visits begin on the new moon after Mabon. At Mabon itself, witches of many traditions journey in spirit to the Summerland and invite their dead to visit them in Middle-Earth. In some cultures, miniature spirit houses were erected or kept for the dead to stay in through this month while visiting. Thus, October is a time to focus on the encounter between life and death. Gort, the Ivy month, runs from September 30th through October 27th. Just as the holly or evergreen oak succeeds the deciduous oak in the Ogham tree…

      In his book, Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, Scott Cunningham lists The Thirteen Goals of a Witch (in the edition I have they can be found on page 151). Cunningham does not give an explanation of each goal, which to me implies that they are his personal goals and therefore are able to be interpreted in as many different ways as there are witches.  The following are my interpretations of each goal:             I.    Know yourself. This is a reflection of the first pillar of The Witch’s Pyramid. Knowing oneself is deeper than the knowledge one attains from books; it is the knowledge of…

MODERN MACHIAVELLI 13 Laws of Power, Persuasion and Integrity By Troy Bruner and Philip Eager I will start off by admitting that when I was asked to read and review this book I very nearly said no, because it had “Machiavelli” in the title. At a second glance I noticed that it also has the word “integrity” in the title. That got my attention: how on earth do these things sit together? My curiosity made me say: sure, send me the book…. It arrived. From the first page I was gripped! Now I actually wish I had read this book a few decades ago. There are so many scenarios in…

Releasing the Old Year Merry meet! While Samhain most often involves honoring the ancestors and divination, the night is also the eve of the new year. Even if I have participated in a group ritual, there’s a simple ritual I like to do alone in front of my altar, or outside when possible, as close to midnight as possible. There is no reason this can’t be done in a group. I gather some paper, something to write with, a cauldron and something with which to light a fire. Once in sacred space, I reflect on the previous year, often flipping through the pages of my gratitude journals to remind me of…