Meet the Gods: Boreas     Merry meet. When the wind would blow and the windows or the screen door would startle her dog, my aunt would say, “That’s Maria,” referring to Kingston Trio song from the ’60s, “They Call The Wind Maria.” When you hear the cold north wind blow this winter, you can call it Boreas, the Greek god of the cold north wind and the bringer of winter. His name meant “North Wind” or “Devouring One” and is the source of the adjective boreal, meaning of, relating to, or located in the northern region. Like Maria, he will wail, whine, blow the stars around and set the…

La Befana   (LA BEFANA. Magic stocking from BEFANA. By incantevolemerletto shop.)   Merry meet. While my mother’s parents were from Sicily, it was not until recently I learned of La Befana, Italy’s oldest and most celebrated legend – about a witch. In Italian folklore, she is an old woman with warts on her crooked nose, wearing a skirt and a black shawl, who flies around on her broom, delivering candy to well-behaved children. In Russia she is known as Baboushka. Children await Babbo Natale on Christmas Eve, but the red-suited man is new compared to the story of the old woman who was too busy cleaning to join the…

“Tree Medicine, Tree Magic” by Ellen Evert Hopman Published by Pendraig Publishing Inc. Published: 2017 Pages: 245 This second edition is updated and revised from the original published in 1992 by Ellen Evert Hopman, a master herbalist, lay homeopath and founding member of The Order of the White Oak. She is currently archdruid of the Tribe of the Oak, a teaching grove for Druids. She holds an M.Ed. in mental health counseling. For each of the 19 trees, she includes an illustration; describes their physical characteristics; gives their practical, herbal and magical uses; and provides Druid insights and recipes. Information for each tree takes up about 10 pages; quotes and…

“The Enchanted Tarot” has sold more than 250,000 copies since its release in 1992. On the 25th anniversary of the project that defined their lives, the creative couple – collage artist Amy Zerner and author Monte Farber – took the time to answer questions for PaganPagesOrg.   PaganPagesOrg: How did you two meet? Monte: My first prophetic dream when I was 14 years old was really my best, for that is where I first “met” my gorgeous future wife, soulmate and artistic collaborator. I actually felt the then-indescribable feeling of being in love with her! It was a harbinger of the total and complete love that is my present daily…

Cinnamon Spell Charms     Merry meet. Put some magic in this season by making these charms with intention. Cinnamon is the main ingredient. Its magical properties include success, spirituality, healing, power, love and protection. It draws money and stimulates psychic powers. The other main ingredient is applesauce. Love and healing are magical properties of apples.   You’ll need     1 cup cinnamon 3/4 cup applesauce 3 tablespoons additional spice(s) of your choice: cloves for protection, love money and purification nutmeg for luck, money, prosperity and health allspice for money, luck and healing For a more intense scent, add a few drops of essential oil to the applesauce before…

Meet the Gods: Thoth   (art by Samantha Sullivan) Merry meet. This month we look at Thoth – the Egyptian god of scribes and of the moon, as well as the father of magic, writing and occult wisdom. He was among the most important and perhaps the wisest of the gods. According to one story, Thoth (pronounced Toth, rhymes with both) was a god without a mother, born from the lips of Ra at the moment of creation. In another tale, Joshua J. Mark noted in an article on ancient.eu, Thoth is self-created at the beginning of time and, as an ibis (a sacred, stork-like bird that waded in the Nile,…

“Celebrating Wiccan Spirituality: Spells, Sacred Rites, and Folklore for Each Day of the Year” by Lady Sabrina     Published by New Page Books Published: 2003 Pages: 319 Available at Amazon and elsewhere in paperback and Kindle editions. If you’re looking to make your craft a daily part of 2018, this is a book for you. Take a magickal journey through the year with holidays, folklore, festivals and customs from a wide variety of cultures. Some are internal pagan practices while others are secular in nature. Beginning with January 1, Lady Sabrina covers each day with everything from simple reminders to more elaborate spells and rituals as the wheel of…

Meet the Gods: Vishnu   (art by Samantha Sullivan)   Merry meet. Vishnu (pronounced Vish-nuu) is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is one of the Hindu trinity along with Brahma and Shiva. Brahma is the creator of the universe; Vishnu is the preserver, protector and keeper of the universe; Shiva is the destroyer. It is said that during troubled times when the world is threatened by evil and chaos, Vishnu returns to restore righteousness. So far, he has reincarnated nine times: Matsya (fish), Kurma (tortoise), Varaha (boar), Narasimha (half lion, half man), Vamana (dwarf sage with the ability to grow), Parasurama (fierce man/hunter), Rama (greatest warrior/perfect man), Krishna…

    Just in time for Halloween, Nikki Wardwell Sleath self-published “You Might Be a Witch.” It provides a simple overview of the Craft, defining what modern day witches think and what they practice, dispelling myths along the way. In the first half of the 103-page book, she talks about her own life, going from a child with no magickal exposure to a woman in her 40s who is the founder and High Priestess of the Society of Witchcraft and Old Magick. The second half of the book covers such topics as the general belief systems of a witch, the ethics of magick and how to speak to skeptics. It…

Fire Clearing Merry meet. At pagan festivals, it is almost expected there will be fire performers. While fire is one of the elements and there’s something primal about it, I never saw it as particularly connected to a pagan or spiritual practice. That was until six weeks ago when a coven sister did her first fire clearing. “Ever since I’ve picked up my fans, I knew there was a spiritual component to them,” said Becky Coates who has been a fire spinner for 18 months. “Before they came into my life, I was often seeing them in sacred space and dancing with them during meditations. The first time I had…