Ogma Ogma, Also known as Oghma, Ogmios or Ogmious is an Irish and Scottish deity. His nicknames are Grianainech, which means “Sun-faced” and Cermair, which means “ Honey-mouthed”. He is depicted as very wise and athletic and is the god of music, spells, arts, eloquence, trees, wisdom and speech. Chains of gold and amber lead from his tongue to the ears of his followers, and some depict that the chains are also connected to his own ears as well. He is one of the “three gods of skill” along with Lugh and Dagda. And he played a special role in several major mythological battles. He was a warrior of Tara…

The Boline The boline and athame are very closely related, yet very different from each other. The double edged blade and black handled athame is never used to cute material objects, whereas that is the purpose of the boline. The boline is used to cut whatever may need cutting on the physical plane in preparation for or during a ceremony or ritual. The main uses are for cutting cords, ribbons, herbs, carving candles and runes. It is also used to cut wands and symbol inscription. The boline is also called a bolline or boleen and generally has a white handle made of bone, stone or wood. The blade can be…

The Goddess Nyx Nyx is a goddess full of power and beauty, but has a dark side to her as well. Nyx is the embodiment of the night and is the mother of all things mysterious or inexplicable. Nyx influences sickness and war and is the bringer of night. She rides her chariot across the sky, trailing stars behind her- coating her path with darkness. Nyx is usually accompanied by two of her children, Hypnos (sleep) and Thanatos (death). Nyx is also known as Nux, Nox or simply Night. This goddess of the night was born from chaos and is one of the first-born elemental gods. She later married her…

Gerald Gardner I’m sure a few people have heard of Gardnerian Wicca or Garderian tradition, etc., but not many know about the man himself. So, I will shed some light and share some information on the “father of modern witchcraft.” Gerald Brosseau Gardner was born June 13th 1884 in Blundellands, England. He had two brothers and lived with his nanny most of the time growing up due to his asthma. Gardner claimed to be a hereditary witch, saying he was a descendant of  Grissell Gairdner. She was burned as a witch in 1610. He initially made his living as a customs officer, but retired in 1936. He married his wife…

The God Tyr Tyr is a Norse god of war. He is known to be the lawgiver of the gods and was the leader of the Norse Pantheon, until he stepped aside for his father, Odin. It is not known who his true mother is but there are mentions of it either being Friggo or an unnamed giant. This god of law and order is also one the 12 principal deities of Asgard. Tyr is excellent in all manners of justice, fair-play and right action. He is honourable, brave and inspires courage in others. A few things are named after Tyr, but the most prominent are the day Tuesday (Tiws…

The Athame Even though knives, daggers and swords have been used in magic for a long time, we owe Gerald Gardner with the specifics and uses of the modern day athame. He first mentioned it in his writings in the 1950s and many people may not realize that he actually is the founder of the ceremonial dagger itself. The athame is typically a short, black handled knife with a double edged blade. There are a large number of people that will dull down the tip of the blade so as not to accidentally cut something. Using the blade for self defence, drawing blood or cutting anything makes it null of…

The Goddess Athena Athena is a very well know goddess and was one of the most highly honoured and respected in ancient Greece. The tale of her birth is one that is both shocking and remarkable. Athena is not only a beautiful goddess, but is intelligent, wise and reasonable. She is also one of the three virgin goddesses and is credited with inventing the horse bridle, sailing ship, flue and trumpet. Another popular name for Athena is Minerva (Roman mythology) This goddess of wisdom and war had one of the most unique births. Her father is Zeus and when his wife Metis was pregnant with Athena, he was told that…

A little touch of Rome Ancient Romans had a major effect on modern paganism and parts of their culture need to be credited. Romans owed a high proportion of their language, architecture, religious beliefs and philosophy to the Greeks after the Greek culture was absorbed into Roman society when it became part of the empire. Even with this, Romans were a highly successful and intelligent society who introduced new technological advances into life. Early Romans paid homage to spirits rather than specific deities. The divinity in all things and early deities were known as ‘Numina’. Numina were divine manifestations. They were faceless and formless but very powerful. The Numina included…

Anubis Anubis is one of those that most people would recognize but may not know who he is or what he stands for.  He is an ancient God who was widely worshipped in Egypt. He is the guardian of magical secrets and is the patron of embalmers, mummification and the dead on their path through the underworld. He has the body of man and the head of a jackal. It is believed that the reason he is portrayed with the head of a jackal is that jackals are scavengers who prowl along edges of desert and in cemeteries. He also has a host of messenger ‘demons’ that would carry knowledge…

The Burning Times The Burning Times, or Witch Craze is a dark time in history. What really got it going were two main things. In 1320 Pope John XXII authorized the Inquisition and then of course the publication of the Witch’s Hammer (Malleus Maleficarum). This book was written by two Dominicans named Jakob Sprenger and Heinrich Kramer.  They  were inquisitors of the Catholic Church and worked in the Holy Office of the Inquisition. The purpose of this office was to defend the Catholic and trial other religions. The Holy Office was one of the most feared in Europe. The Burning Times lasted almost four Centuries, but the presence of the…