Garni Temple of Armenia (Photo Credit: www.traveltoarmenia.am) The Garni Temple is an ancient Pagan Temple located southeast of the city of Yerevan, overlooking the Azat River. In the first century CE, Tridates, the Armenian King, dedicated this temple to Mihr, also known as Mithra, the Zoroastrian God. The inscription upon the temple reads, “The Sun God (Helios), uncontested King of Great Armenia built this temple and impregnable fortress in the 11th year of his reign” Helios is the Roman god of the Sun who is loosely connected to Mihr, and to whom, apparently Tridates associated himself with. Strangely enough, the Armenian Travel Bureau’s website indicates that the temple was actually…

LIBERTAS As I write this, it is the day after the presidential inauguration of 2017, and the day of the Women’s March(es) across the country and around the world. Millions of people, the majority of them women, took to the streets to protest what many see as a threat to the personal freedom of many communities, not only in the US, but everywhere around the globe. They see a threat to justice. They see a threat to liberty and freedom. They are afraid, and rightfully so. With this in mind, it seems a perfect time to speak of Libertas. Libertas was a Roman Goddess; her name is the Latin word…

Four Paths of Yoga   (Photo: elsavier.com)   Last time, I spoke of the Five Paths of Wisdom within Kundalini Yoga, the yogic tradition that I follow. This month, I will be talking of the Four Paths of Yoga, in general. Karma Yoga is the path of action. It is represented by mindfulness and service to others. It is very good for those whose personalities are more outgoing. Those who practice Karma Yoga give no thought to themselves or to any type of reward for what they do. They do the best that they can, tuning in to their own inner teacher and to Divinity itself. “Karma Yoga is the…

ACHLYS Achlys (pronounced Akh-Loos) is the name, and personification, of Eternal Night. (Photo: Pinterest) She is also known as Mist of Death, which is another meaning of Her name. It describes the mist that fell before one’s eyes before dying. As such, Her likeness was borne upon the Shield of Hercules. She is a pale, thin Goddess with long sharp fingernails, which she will use as claws, which in turn explains Her bloody cheeks. Her teeth are as fangs. She is covered in dust, as She roams the world. Her incessant crying gives her the name of the Goddess of Misery and Sadness. One of Her myths is that She…

Meditative Mandala Stones By Maria Mercedes Trujillo Arango I am always looking for different and new ways to meditate. While I have heard of mandala meditation, i.e. meditating while looking at a mandala, I have never tried it. This set brings a new dimension to it, in that you make your own mandala on large river stones. My assumption is that it is akin to being stress-free by coloring, another trend. Ms. Arango gives us a brief introduction as to how she came to mandalas, after having a life-long love of stones. She began to draw mandalas in her journals and studying their history. Mandala in a broad sense means…

It’s that time of the year again, when everyone is running themselves ragged trying to find the “perfect” gift for each person on their list. This list is to, hopefully, help you out finding that gift for the Witches and Pagans in your life. 1. Shortbread Molds for the baker in your life that honors the Goddess: http://goddesstimeline.com/product/cakes-for-the-queen-of-heaven/ While you are at the website, check out their Goddess 3-D statues and the Goddess Timeline posters, which are stunning.   2. 2017 Datebooks Most of us are familiar with Llewellyn’s annual treasury of datebooks – The Witches’ Datebook and Calendar, The Spell-A-Day Almanac, the Sabbats Almanac and The Witches’ Companion. There is also…

MA’AT – EGYPTIAN GODDESS OF JUSTICE (Photo Credit: Wikipedia) Ma’at may seem, to some, a strange choice for a Goddess during the Winter Holiday Season, but after the US election outcome, this will not truly be a normal holiday season for some who are afraid of what the future may hold, and so, in a feeling of hopefulness, which I have lacked these last couple of weeks, I call on Ma’at, the Egyptian Goddess of Justice and Truth. Ma’at can be recognized, always, by the ostrich feather on her headdress. She represents truth, justice and morality. She was also known as the Lady of Judgement Hall and Mistress of the…

Vinayaki This Goddess makes me so very happy. Finding her started last Yule when my husband gave me a statue of Ganesha. I was surprised because my spirituality is Goddess-based only. I placed him amongst my Hindu Goddesses. A couple of months later, looking at Him, it occurred to me that there just HAD to be an elephant-headed Hindu Goddess. Frantic research ensued, and voila……I give you Vinayaki. (Photo Credit: exoticindiaart.com) Little is found in Hindu scriptures about Vinayaki and just a few images exist of Her. She is most generally associated, of course, with Ganesha and is assumed to be his Shakti. She is also said to be the…

YOGA, MEDITATION & WISDOM (Formerly *A Moment for Meditation*) THE FIVE PATHS OF WISDOM While there are four paths of yoga (Karma, Bhakti, Raja, Gyana), which will be discussed in a future column, today I will be talking about the “Five Paths of Wisdom” as taught within Kundalini Yoga. As with all important things, connecting to the path to wisdom is a much longer journey than you might think upon undertaking it. It is filled with obstacles; frustration; deep inner work, which is almost always painful, and strange twists and turns in the road. In brief, the stages or “pads” are: Saram Pad – Novice Karam Pad – Apprentice Shakti…

She walks amidst the shadows of the night, the radiance of the moon her only light She reaches the place where the waters meet the shore Feeling the power deep in her core She looks up to the moon, a wonder to behold its’ energy calls out to her reaching her very soul Her arms slowly rise up, breath coming slow, but steady She stands between sea and stars until the moment she is ready With one last movement, her arms fall, drawing down the moon into herself answering the Goddess’ call (Photo Credit: Pinterest.com)