Meet the Gods: Green Man As pagans celebrate Beltane, the world is turning green, so it’s easy to understand why pagans turn to Green Man. He is the head or face seen in many forms, always made from or surrounded by leaves – sometimes with vines or branches coming from his mouth or ears. His is found on pagan altars in the woods; on the walls of Christian churches in England, France and Germany; and in secular buildings. Beltane celebrates life as spring reaches its peak. Earth energies are strong and bursting with potential. Fertility is abundant. The Green Man, as the young Oak King also known as Jack-in-the-Green, falls…

Herb Beads Merry meet. One of the first witchcrafts I ever made were herb beads. It was at a pagan festival workshop in the woods. The idea is to choose herbs, flowers and other botanicals based on their magickal properties, and to infuse them with your intent while making them with mindfulness. The recipe is tucked in a safe place somewhere in my small condo, under a dozen years of other articles, journals, handouts and books, but I did find one I think is similar that was published online by the herbal academy. The first thing is to choose ingredients that match your intention. If you wish to make beads…

  To Follow or Not to Follow, That is the Question Merry meet. “Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog, Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting, Lizard’s leg, and howlet’s wing,– For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.” So said the 2nd Witch in Macbeth (IV, i, 14-15), as she and two other ugly witches stir the bubbling contents of their cauldron. It’s one of the most familiar spell castings associated with witchcraft. In Shakespeare’s time, people believed in witches and their powers to do evil. Every culture has magick in its history. Some oral traditions and written documentation…

Meet the Gods: Tricksters Merry meet. Given the tradition of April Fool’s jokes, this month’s column is about tricksters – those who play tricks on others, pay no heed to rules or authority, and care not for conventional behavior. They are generally smart or possess knowledge others don’t. They can be playful or harsh – either way, they are disruptive. Some can change their appearance. Tricksters are often characters in stories and myths originating in many cultures, including Coyote, Raven, Crow, Rabbit, Spider, Bear and Raccoon. They often serve as messengers between the earth plane and other realms. Some of them, however, are gods. Loki is one of the most…

Zodiac Tarot Spread Merry meet. A new zodiac year begins March 27 at 7:59 p.m. (on the East Coast) with the new moon in Aries. It’s an opportune time to do a manifestation spell using all twelve houses of the zodiac. While this is written for a group, changing a few pronouns will make it work for a solitary. To prepare for the ritual, place a copy of the zodiac wheel in the center of the table or on the floor, and put a candle at each of the 12 houses plus one in the middle to represent Spirit. Candles can relate to each the sign that rules each house…

Meet the Gods: Mars (Image by Samantha Sullivan) Merry meet. In Roman mythology, Mars is the god of war; he was the most prominent of the Roman’s military gods and the most important god in the pantheon after Jupiter, the supreme god. Most of his festivals – featuring with chariot races and animal sacrifices – were held in March, the month named for him. His priests would honor him by dancing – clad in full armor – at the site of his altar in the Field of Mars, a floodplain of the Tiber River, that was also home to the temple of Apollo. More festivals were held to honor Mars…

Witch Balls Merry meet. A blog by Silver RavenWolf for making witch balls for conjuring inspired me to try something similar as a project at a recent pagan gathering. The balls are made from herbs, essential oils and wax. They are meant to be thrown into a ceremonial fire, placed on an altar or in other spaces, added to mojo bags, or crumbled and scattered around an area. They are not to be eaten. The herbs and oils chosen will determine if the balls are for protection, cleansing, love, healing, abundance, banishing or some other intention. Although I made mine with wax, they can also be made using mud, clay,…

Interview with Supporters of the Water Protectors How their visit to Standing Rock changed them (Diane Hasz and Debra Cohen prepare to leave Connecticut with a car packed with donations in November.) Diane Hasz, 70, and Debra Cohen, 65, met as Occupy activists and became friends, coven sisters, Bernie Sanders campaigners and, most recently, supporters who visited Standing Rock in November. People support Standing Rock for a number of reasons; indigenous rights, thwarting a militarized police force, social justice and others but in the end we all have one thing in common, both women agreed, saying, “We are all connected. Everyone is downstream from one water source or another. Mni…

GoodGod! Meet the Gods: Februus (Image by Samantha Sullivan) Merry meet. February is named for Februus, the Roman God of Purification. He lived in the underworld and became known as the King of the Underworld, but then his name became so intertwined with Pluto, eventually it became another name for Pluto, the God of the Underworld who judged the dead. (The Greek called him Hades. He is the one who abducted Persephone.) According Wikipedia, “He was also worshipped under the same name by the Etruscans as the god of purification, and also the underworld. For the Etruscans, Februus was also the god of riches (money/gold) and death, both connected to…

Showing Our True Colors Merry meet. Maya Angelou said, “We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” This ritual illustrates that. A pagan discussion group that meets at True Colors, a non-profit organization in Connecticut that supports sexual and gender minority youth, planned a ritual that drew nearly 20 individuals. Looking at the circle that formed, you would probably notice the diversity in ages, genders, skin tones and styles. The broom we decorated became a symbol of how much we had in common. We got a large selection of yarns in various colors and cut 20 pieces each to a length longer than the broom we intended to…