Book Review The Smudging and Blessing Book Inspirational Rituals to Cleanse and Heal by Jane Alexander Jane Alexander has written a good introductory book for those interested in exploring the basics of working with Spirit on the physical plane. In this accessible little manual, she weaves the concepts of working with the energies of physical allies like planets, crystals and essential oils, meeting and working with spirit energies like the Guardians of the Directions, the elements and totem animals and cleansing and blessing your physical spaces, events and ceremonies. Alexander starts with the basics: becoming aware of subtle energies in your body and in your physical environment. As she points…

July 2018 for Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times Bright Blessings. I write this on the Summer Solstice, and Summer Seems to have hit early, with record breaking highs for the month of May here in my hometown, and all the sudden this week, the rain has cooled things to the high 70’s and low 80’s temperature-wise. I am sure you know that the plants are loving it! June and July are not only amazing months for us gardeners, but June, itself is LGBT Pride month. We had the Stonewall Columbus (Ohio) Pride Parade in downtown this past weekend, and for the first year in nine years, I had…

Book Review The Secret People: Parish Pump Witchcraft, Wise-Women and Cunning Ways by Mélusine Draco 1st Publication 2016 By Moon Books Text Copyright: Mélusine Draco 2015 I have read one other book by Ms. Draco. I love the way she writes, and it is so relaxed and laid-back. She doesn’t complicate her words. She is able to keep a reader fascinated about the subject she is writing about This book, “The Secret People” is a complete recipe book. It gives some great insights into foods, herbs and linen cupboard. There are subjects in this book that I have not seen written in others. It was a pleasure to read and…

  Concepts I Have Put into Practice A couple of years ago, I was working in a beautiful office at a formerly great place that had just been purchased by a corporation. Things were pretty good, but morale was rapidly deteriorating as the corporate big wigs were implanting their uncomfortable and ineffective ideas into a healthy business. In short, they were ruining it! Lucky for me, I got fired. With 3 days to go to my vacation, just back from bereavement leave, and a mortgage to pay as a single gal, I was a little concerned. I found myself in the very same situation where so many people are finding…

Chapter 4 Western Meditation Techniques There are thousands of books on eastern meditation, but I wish to concentrate on the western traditions as they are less well documented and require much less time to master. These traditions have been hidden for hundreds of years until the early nineteenth century. Some were the sole province of the religious orders and others were carried on in secret, by various groups and individuals. Although the reasoning behind the various systems may seem flawed to the modern mind, I can assure the reader that these exercises work. My own belief is that these were discovered by trial and error and whichever techniques worked were…

Raising Your Vibration Your mojo bag for this month is one that will help to raise your vibration! With the many shifts and changes that are coming, we need to raise our vibration to ride out the wave. If we fall below the surface, we will get caught in the undertow! The first stone shown here is Polychrome Jasper! One of my all-time favorite stones as it is called the “happy energy“ stone and it is said to bring good fortune and a happy outlook on life. All jaspers are protective and nurturing, however, polychrome brings emotional balance, is a stress reliever and increases stamina and the ability to adjust…

A Home Group, Finally I have finally found a home group! I knew as soon as I walked into the room that this was going to be the group for me. The time is perfect – 7:15 a.m. – it meets Tuesdays and Thursdays – it’s easy for me to get to – the meeting room itself is lovely – very Zen, although it’s a room in a Presbyterian Church. But it has large windows that look out on a courtyard with flowering trees and well-tended gardens and places to sit and meditate – much like any Buddhist Temple might offer. I felt at home immediately. This spring I have…

  “Going Shamanic” is hosted by Jennifer Engracio on P.A.G.E.  Media Project’s blogtalk radio each month. The show focuses on how to integrate shamanism into every day life. Instead of relegating the spiritual aspect of ourselves to Sundays at church or weekend workshops, this show will support listeners in weaving ritual, prayer, magic, alignment with the Spiritworld and the Earth into their lives to enrich their experience of living. This Month’s Topic: Sister & Brotherhood Circles with Lori’ and Phil Nelson On this episode, Jen welcomes Lori’ Black Cave Dreamer and Phil Eagle Song, both certified shamanic practitioners. There is a need in our society for women and men to gather with others of their same sex…

Book Review Moon Magic: Your Complete Guide to Harnessing the Mystical Energy of the Moon by Diane Ahlquist Moon Magic by Diane Ahlquist is a small book, but as promised by the subtitle it offers a complete perspective of Moon Lore, recipes, astrological considerations, and more. The author has managed to fill 253 pages with practical applications and information that is suited to both the longtime lunar practitioner and the newest of Moon devotees. The book is separated into four sections, each building upon the next; the fourth giving suggestions for advanced Moon work. Additionally, each section holds a wealth of exercises to foster a deeper and deepening connection to…

Three of Pentacles (The Three of Pentacles card is from the artist Ciro Marchetti http://www.ciromarchetti.com/)** We haven’t looked at a Pentacles card in a while, so this month we will examine the Three of Pentacles. The Three of Pentacles is a Minor Arcana card, so we know right away that the message offered by this card will most likely be more immediate in nature, or will most likely be connected to more day-to-day issues. The easiest way to get a decent understanding of a Minor Arcana card is to examine its number, or in the case of Court Cards, its rank, and to examine its suit. In this case, we…