Fire and Ice       Merry Meet. Ice luminaries are wonderful to include in your Yule celebration, but they are good for as long as it’s cold. And when it’s cold enough outside, I plan to make these by the dozens in the garage.   I start by choosing a large container and a smaller container. They can be bowls, storage containers, pails and milk containers. If they are glass, be extremely careful. The expansion of the water as it freezes could break a container, so the trick is to get it out at just the right time. You can also buy molds especially for this. Directions often call…

‘Solstice night’ Merry meet! Yule is one of my favorite sabbats because it signals the return of the light. I put up a Yule tree and decorate it with symbols of nature and the Goddess. Sometimes that stays on lit night, but more often I choose to spend the night with the light of just one candle. My tradition has been to sit in sacred space, in silence, throughout the night. I do as little contemplating as possible, preferring to sit with the darkness, become one with the vast stillness, touch the mystery, listen to the deep silence, count my blessings, meditate, journey to visit the crones and read inspirational…

Mixing up Protection   War Water by Roberto Vargas   Merry Meet. For $10, you can buy four ounces of War Water, which, the description states, has been used for centuries for protection, and when placing and removing curses. While it was created and aged for thirty days using rain from a violent thunderstorm, along with roots and coffin nails, those are not all required elements. And, considering how easy it is to make, it’s something everyone can do. Full moon rain might be nice, but water from any natural body of water or even from the tap can be used. Also consider melted snow. A friend makes his (see…

The Magic of Your Smile Merry meet! When making magic, we think about instruments, ingredients and incantations along with an infusion of intention. Magic, however, is not something to be made; it already exists and it’s everywhere. It’s energy. It’s the essence of creation. It’s our connection to all the universe. It is joy and laughter, wonder and truth. It’s natural. It’s simple. It’s real. Perhaps the most simple and natural way to get in touch with magic – to feel it’s very real power – is to smile. Researchers and spiritual teachers both agree that a smile can transform you and the world around you. It’s an instant mood…

Getting Answers      Merry Meet. This time of year, when the veil between the worlds is thin, divination is a common practice. One of the easiest ways to find answers is with a pendulum. Traditionally, pendulums are used to respond to questions with a yes or no answer. Until you are completely comfortable with a pendulum, I learned to begin by asking it, “Show me yes.” The swing it gives – typically forward and back – is what your yes will look like. You can do the same for no – which traditionally is a swing from side to side. A friend of mine said her pendulum swings widdershins…

Spell Candles Merry meet! Every witch I know has a stash of candles. I have drawers of them, yet today I barely hesitated to buy three more: two cedar-scented special edition cedar Yule candles (known to muggles as Christmas candles) and the last Yankee Candle Witches’ Brew candle available at my favorite discount home store. Compared to the majority of my candles that I snag at tag sales, these were expensive. Compared to the ones in most stores, they’re inexpensive. Compared to the the spell candles found in witch shops, they’re downright cheap. Even before I knew I was a witch, I was doing candle magic – lighting candles with…

A Mad Hatter This month’s craft describes the making of my black, conical, wide-brimmed witch’s hat.   We can debate whether or not these hats are cones of power reflecting the concentration of spiritual potency or just the echo of the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. While it’s probably safe to say that most witches, including myself, do not often wear their pointy hats during ritual, I must admit, wearing it puts me in a witchy frame of mind faster than almost anything else. It can be playful sometimes and regal other times. I began with a plain black witch nylon hat bought at a…

Deadheads Merry meet! Sales have been going on for weeks, discounting Halloween merchandise and making it possible to stock up on items you can use not just at Samhain, but perhaps throughout the year. One of my favorite decorations, however, costs nothing. Samhain is the final of the three harvest festivals as well as the pagan “New Year’s Eve.” For me, it has always been a solemn time acknowledging that there is no more bounty as the earth shuts down and readies for the deepest darkness, and a quiet time of honoring the ancestors. Since I celebrate the first two harvests with what my garden has to offer, I do…

Table for 2 A common pagan ritual at Samhain is to honor the dead with a Dumb Supper. (Here, dumb means without speaking.)  By casting a circle, smudging or some other method, bring the dining area into sacred space. The table will have been set for two – all in black. One chair is for you and one is for the ancestors. You can drape or otherwise decorate the chair your guests will use, if you wish. Have pictures of your ancestors on the table. Objects that belonged to them may also be put out.  Light one or more candles on the table, and if possible, have them be your…

  Applesauce Merry Meet. For the last seven years, I have celebrated Mabon by gathering for a weekend in sacred space with an ever-growing circle of Goddesswomen. I wanted to share something that has become a traditional craft – making applesauce. The apple is one of Mabon’s symbols. It represent the Crone and the harvest. The apple has also been a symbol for life, immortality, healing, wholeness and renewal. For witches, it contains a “secret.” When you turn an apple on its side and cut it open, it reveals a pentagram containing five seeds that stand for the elements and the directions. Apples are a fruit which gives life, but…