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Tarot Talk
Comparing The Knight of Pentacles & The Knight of Swords For this month’s comparison we are going back to the Court Cards. Let us examine a Tarot “Royal” pair by getting to know the Knights via the Knight of Pentacles and the Knight of Swords. Just in case this is the first time you are reading my column, we will first review some basic information. A Tarot deck has 78 cards. There are 22 Major Arcana cards dealing 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. There are 56 Minor…
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Witch Hunt
There are witches all around us. You can find them anywhere… The Witch on Wheels has been documenting her findings. Meet Theron Baker I met my fellow PaganPagesOrg columnist at a homestead in Georgia. We both had skoolies. We both had a thing for crystals and nature. We both smudged the entire perimeter and set up a crystal grid that calmed the chaotic energy. In the months we spent in the same community, we got to do a couple of rituals together and I got to see him perform kitchen witchery, serving up what was needed in the food he prepared. Learn more about my fellow…
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Peeking in the Shadows: Crafting a Book of Shadows and Light
This month continues a series of exploration about Our Relationship to the Divine…. Our Relationship to the Divine Part Four: A Ritual of Calling to the Divine …. The Divine flows within me. The Limitless All supports me. All Beings of Spirit and Essence are my teachers. I AM the corporeal out-picturing of the Divine’s desire… Ritual brings us closer to whomever or whatever we are hoping to deepen a connection with. It is through ritual that we learn more of ourselves and step more fully into the true nature of who we are as Divine Beings learning the ways of physical and corporeal existence.…
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Nurturing Your Wild Child
As Pagan parents, we can find explaining and deciphering this time of year to our children a great challenge within our paths of instruction to them. Death, Life, The Spirit Realm (or whatever you wish to address it as) meld together at the beginning of a crossroads leading up to the end of this Wheel’s turn at Samhain. Metaphorically, we can teach our children through the imagery of Harvest, the warmth of Summer ending, and the cold of Autumn beginning here at the Autumn Equinox – more commonly known to Pagans as Mabon or Alban Elfen. So, how do we represent life & it’s celebration in a way…
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GoodGod!
Meet the Gods: Nun The oldest of ancient Egyptian gods is Nun (also Nu), the father of Ra, the sun god. Nun means “primeval waters.” Although the Egyptians had many creation myths, all agreed the universe came from Nun’s primordial waters. The sun rising from the sea each morning was considered a reenactment of the creation myth. Legends have said at the end of the world, everything will sink beneath the waters of chaos from which creation begun. No priesthoods, cults, or temples were devoted solely to Nun, but when digging foundations for temples, Egyptians dug down until they reached water so the temple was literally rising out of…
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An Excerpt from Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Planet Friendly Living
Recently, non-violent environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion took to the streets of London to protest governments investing in fossil fuels. Regardless of your political affiliations, we can all agree that looking after our planet is good for everyone, human and otherwise! Here is an excerpt from Mabh Savage’s upcoming book, Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Planet Friendly Living, considering ways of fighting the systems that contribute towards an unhealthy planet and global ecosystem. I think some Pagans and spiritual folks may avoid intense environmental activism because they may be concerned that their practice may become too political. It’s easy to get bogged down in politics, which as…
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Moon Talk
The Basics of Magick and Debunking Stereotypes Lets take it back to the basics. When I spell “Magick”; you are probably wondering if I misspelled that right? For those who are new to Witchcraft, the word “magic” might bring various images to mind—talented illusionists who pull rabbits out of hats, sparks shooting from wands in Hollywood movies, or a cartoon character who can disappear simply by snapping his fingers. But for people who actually practice magic, the truth is much more subtle, and yet more powerful, than any pop culture fantasy. Back in the late 1300s, the French word “magique” entered the English language and became “magic.” The common French…
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Witch & Popcorn
Reservation Dogs A wonderful new indigenous comedy is making waves on Hulu. Starring such veteran actors as Zahn McClarnon and Gary Farmer, this refreshing show is about a group of Native American teens and their days and nights at home on their reservation in Oklahoma. Bored, tired of the bad things that go on there, and to some extent, ready to get the hell away for good, the kids stick together, making the best of the worst, and making the viewers die laughing, begging for more. Here is a trailer for the show: The magic of this film comes from the fact that it’s an…
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Mabon/Autumn Equinox Correspondences
Fall/Autumn Equinox, Wednesday, September 22, 2021 (artwork: Card – Mabon Meditation – fantasy art printed on sustainable paper by Maartje from the shop MaartjevanDokkum on etsy.) Michaelmas (September 25th, Christian), Second Harvest Festival, Witches’ Thanksgiving, Harvest Home (Anglo-Celtic), Feast of Avalon, Wine Harvest, Festival of Dionysus, Cornucopia, Equinozio di Autunno (Strega), Chung Chiu (China), Night of the Hunter, Alban Elfed “The Light of the Water”(Caledonii/ Druidic-celebrates Lord of the Mysteries), Winter Finding (Teutonic, from Equinox ’til Winter Night or Nordic New Year, Oct 15th.) It is the equilibrium of day and night and this represents the light and darkness in our lives. The long summer nights…
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Notes from the Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: Clover Clover is also called trefoil, literally “three-leaves”, and grows in most places around the world. Although many clover plants look similar, there are around 300 species of Trifolium and they’re in the same plant family as peas. Both the round, joyful flowers and the iconic triplet of small, round leaves have a ton of folklore around them – and some surprising modern research, too. The Kitchen Garden Red and white clover are the most common where I live, and often pop up in lawns without any encouragement from gardeners. As well as being a fantastic food source for bees and other insects,…