(The Secret Gathering fine art print is available by Francesca Rizzato at FrancescaRizzatoart on etsy.)   One story we Pagans like to tell about ourselves is that we have a balanced world view, honouring the dark as well as the light, acknowledging that both are part of life. But is this actually true? If you stop and think about it, as we move around the Wheel of the Year we seem to focus much more on celebrating the light than the dark. At Yule we celebrate the rebirth of the sun, and the fact that from now on the light will return. At Imbolc we celebrate with candles the lengthening days. At the…

    Although we Pagans and Witches celebrate many festivals throughout the year, Hallowe’en (which most of us call by its old Celtic name of Samhain) is the one that most people know about. Although of course, their concept of witches and what they get up to at this time of year is pretty far removed from ours!   Whilst I enjoy seeing all the Hallowe’en trappings in the shops, carving pumpkin lanterns and handing out sweets to trick-or-treating children, all of that has about as much relevance to the true meaning of Samhain as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer has to the true meaning of Christmas.   For me,…

Sacred Sites Warm, drier weather means the summer months are a great time to get out and visit sacred sites in your local area. Or perhaps your holiday trips will give you the chance to visit some further afield. Either way, now is a good time to do some research and plan some trips over the next few months. Do you have a favourite place to visit in your local area? You may be lucky enough to live near one of the better known sacred sites such as Stonehenge or Tara, the Parthenon in Athens, or the Goddess Temples in Malta. The advantage of this is that you can probably…

Rituals: Why, When, Where, Who and How? ‘Let’s do a ritual!’ These words are usually greeted with much enthusiasm. We Pagans do love our rituals! The opportunity to get together with like minded folk and honour our beloved Deities or celebrate the turning Wheel of the Year – what’s not to like? And yet how often do rituals fall short of our expectations, fail to hit the mark, fizzle rather than spark, leave us feeling unsatisfied or disappointed? We’ve probably all been there. Most rituals are the wonderful, moving, transformative experiences we hope for. Yet there will always be those which don’t quite work (and a handful that are outright…

Spring   “All through the long winter, I dream of my garden. On the first day of spring, I dig my fingers deep into the soft earth. I can feel its energy, and my spirits soar.” –  Helen Hayes   As spring gets into full swing in the Northern Hemisphere, it is a great time to get back in touch with the Earth. Winter’s short days and inclement weather can limit our contact with the natural world. How tempting it is to stay indoors where it’s warm and dry rather than wrap up and brave the elements. Yet now, as the days lengthen and the sun reappears from behind the…

The Earth Is Our Mother…   ‘The Earth is our Mother, We must take care of Her.’ – Native American Chant   This month, on Saturday, March 29th, people around the world will mark ‘Earth Hour’ from 8.30pm to 9.30pm during participants’ local time (see http://www.earthhour.org/ for further information). Earth Hour is an annual event organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature, which encourages participants to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour as a symbol for their commitment to the planet. Our household has been celebrating Earth Hour for the last few years and find it a lovely, tranquil thing to do. We usually turn off all…

Spring Cleansing Though winter may seem to still be holding on very tightly at this time of year, spring is only just around the corner. The days have noticeably lengthened since the Winter Solstice, birds are starting to pair up in readiness to raise their broods, and the first spring flowers are starting to appear. Spring is a great time to give your home and your life a good cleansing in preparation for the year ahead. After the period of withdrawal and contemplation provided by winter it is time to shake off the literal and metaphysical cobwebs, let in some fresh air and welcome in the new possibilities that life…

Soup Magic   For me, one of the ‘magical’ aspects of cooking is the way ingredients come together synergistically, creating something which is more than the sum of its parts. Making soup is an especially good way of employing this kind of magic in cooking given the diversity of ingredients and the way they blend together. Ah, soup! Thrifty, warming, soothing, comforting! The perfect cold weather food.   A basic recipe for soup is to fry up some chopped onions and garlic in a little olive oil and butter until they are soft. If you are using spices, throw these in and fry briefly. Now add vegetables and/or meat, stir…

Back To School As summer nears its end, a new cycle begins. It is a time not just for preserving the harvest in readiness for the winter months ahead, putting the garden to rest and excavating your cold-weather clothes from the back of the cupboard – it is also time to go back to school.   Though most of us left full time education behind many years ago, the onset of autumn is an excellent time to start new study projects. The combination of cooler weather and longer evenings make the prospect of curling up by a cosy fire with a book, or getting engrossed in some fascinating research much…

Scarcity and Abundance at Lammas   Lammas or Lughnasadh? I must admit I use the names quite interchangeably – although ‘Lammas’ is easier to both pronounce and spell!. ‘Lughnasadh’ is the name of the Celtic festival marking the death of the golden God Lugh meaning literally ‘The Wake of Lugh’. Lammas is the Saxon name for the festival marking the beginning of the grain harvest and means ‘Loaf Mass’, i.e. the celebration of the first loaves produced from this year’s harvest. Celts and Saxons alike held celebratory festivities in gratitude for the beginning of harvest, but it is also a time tinged with a little sadness, for without cutting down…