Lakshmi Hindu Goddess of Good Fortune and Beauty Since I began writing girl talk the thing I’ve enjoyed the most has been researching different information to include, with Lakshmi, the amount was overwhelming and incredibly interesting. Lakshmi was born , fully-grown, on a pink lotus that rose from the sea.  She appeared bearing gifts and was so strikingly beautiful that all of the Gods wanted her as their wife.  She chose to be with the sun god, Vishnu, and it is said that she was thereafter reborn to remain his companion in each of his lives.  In addition to wanting Lakshmi as a wife, she was also immediately given…

As far as something simple and effective, I don’t think it gets much simpler than smudging, also known as saging or smoking, a space to rid it of negative energies.  It has been my experience that this is the most well known and most widely used way of smudging. Smudging, or the sacred smoke bowl blessing,  is a powerful cleansing technique started by The Native North Americans which actually dates back millennia.  Most traditional cultures, including the Zulu, and Chinese, for example, have age old rituals for blessing and cleansing.  It is impossible to say for certain when smudging actually began, but early civilation came to know that the smoke…

Bast Goddess of Protection and Pleasure Bast, also known as Bastet or Basthet, just in general as the “Cat Goddess”, was not only known as the Egyptian Goddess of sensual pleasure, but also as protector of the household, bringer of health, and the guardian of firefighters.  Bast is the daughter of Ra, the sun god, and is one of the few sun goddesses that is also recognized as a moon goddess.  The following legend will reveal how she earned such a distinction. As it was told, by day Bast would ride through the sky with her father Ra, in his boat pulling the sun across the sky.  She was ever…

Hi everyone happy 4th of July!  And that is the backdrop for this month’s article.  As every Witch knows, sufficient raising of energy and visualization are imperative for successful spellwork.  Although the 4th of July isn’t a wiccan holiday exclusively, this particular day raises everyone’s sense of independence and freedom, so I have always thought it was the perfect time for an “Independence Spell.” All of us at one time or another have had things in our lives that do not serve our highest good, and just seem extremely difficult to get away from, that is the purpose of this spell. The first item needed for this spell is an…

White Buffalo Calf Woman The Mother of Life The legend of White Buffalo Calf Woman is around 2000 years old.  The reason she is thought of as a Goddess is because her message is central to the spiritual practices of numerous Native American nations, although the Lakota Sioux nation are considered to still be the keepers of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe.  The story of her origin is almost always told as such:  Two warriors were out hunting buffalo when a white buffalo calf suddenly appeared.  As it approached them it changed into a beautiful young woman, which is how she came into her name. One of the young…

Happy and Blessed Beltane to everyone!  For obvious reasons I decided to share some easy and enjoyable Beltane rituals with you this month.  Witches usually celebrate Beltane on May 1st, although there are a large amount that prefer to celebrate around May 5th, when the sun reaches 15 degrees of Taurus.  Whatever works for you is fine. Beltane is said to be the oldest known holiday, and it is of course still one of the four fire festivals in modern Pagan traditions.  It is also a fertility holiday. There are a lot of ways to celebrate Beltane, the best known of which is probably the May Pole, but because I…

  This is the first article for this new monthly series. The intention is to explore their myth’s, symbols and sacred objects, and other interesting information addressing an individual Goddess each month.   Since this is the first of this series I decided to start with Artemis: Goddess of Light and Protector of the Vulnerable. I have been drawn to Artemis for years, and have been fortunate enough to have received her assistance.   In Greek mythology Artemis was the daughter of Zeus, ruler of the Olympian gods. The first story we hear of Artemis is that her mother, Leto, gave birth to her after a short and painless labor,…

Sometimes I check out some of the Wiccan chat rooms, and I have done my fair share of taking a new Witch or two under my wing and I have noticed that a lot of novice Witches get really nervous when it comes to writing their own circle casts and Quarter-calls.  More often than not the reason seems to be that they are afraid it “won’t be good enough”, or “respectful enough.” I think of Wicca as a joyful religion, and have always felt that if it is truly heartfelt, and done with respect, there’s no such thing as “good enough”.  I also believe that in the event we should…

Recently, we at PaganPages, have had the honor to review and interview one of our favorite authors again, Orion Foxwood.   In February, I did a book review for his newest book The Candle and the Crossroads: A Book of Appalachian Conjure and Southern Root-Work.  Orion Foxwood took some time out from his busy schedule to chat with us about his newest work and just what Appalachian Conjure and Southern Root-Work is.     PaganPages (PP):  What is American Southern conjure?    Orion Foxwood (OF):  American Conjure is a generalized term for a syncretic American folk spiritual and magical practice(s) that incorporates African (through the slave trade of the 17…

The Candle and the Crossroads Orion Foxwood Weiser Books Paperback/ $19.95 ISBN: 978-1-57863-508-5 I enjoyed reading this book very much.  I found the glimpse at the beliefs and practices of the Appalachian people extremely interesting.  It appears that it is a belief system that has been verbally passed on, and then continued by each successive generation.  I really enjoyed his mother’s wisdom in simple words that he shared with the reader, it really brings her character to life. I also found it interesting that Mr. Foxwood has great reverance for the contribution made to “Southern Conjure” by both the African peoples, who were brought here as slaves, and by the…