THE YOGA BACK BOOK BY STELLA WELLER A Book Review The sub-title to this book is “the natural solution to freedom from pain”. Since almost everyone has suffered from back pain at one time or another, not to mention those who suffer from daily, chronic back pain, this book could be a lifesaver, if used correctly. Ms. Weller’s background is as both a registered nurse and a yoga therapist, so her information comes from both a yogic and medical path. The book is extremely informative. It not only describes the exercises, it includes photos of each one, plus its’ variation, if there is one. (Note: Making adjustments is very important…

  The Korrigan While the Korrigan, or Korrigans, were not necessarily Goddesses themselves, depending upon which myth and/or legend you believe, they were most definitely Her priestesses, and yes, The Korrigan, alone, may have been a Goddess. In France, Korrigan was the name of the Goddess of underground springs and wells. It was rumored that She was the grand-daughter of a great Druid Priestess. She was beautiful and She was radiant. Her powers were strongest at night, when she appeared as a Maiden. During the day, in her guise as the Crone, her powers waned. She was said to be not only beautiful, but dangerous; however, the danger was never…

  Goddess Temples in the U.S. By Susan Morgaine As someone who practices a Goddess-centered Spirituality, I decided to research Goddess Temples that are open in the United States. The Goddess Temple of Ashland, Oregon (Photo Credit: Temple Website) The Goddess Temple in Ashland seems to be an absolutely beautiful place, one that has something for every Goddess woman. The Temple dome has a large altar with a window hearth and space for dancing, music, prayer and meditation. Each season, the altar is taken apart and renewed. You are welcome to create your own sacred space within the Dome. The grounds also boast a full ritual immersion pool, where the…

EVAKI To the Bakairi Indians of South America, Evaki was the Goddess of Night and Day. She was also revered as the Goddess of Darkness, the Guardian of the Sun and Keeper of Dreams. Evaki, who was sometimes represented as a bat, possessed a pot with a lid. Each morning, She would remove the lid in the East to release the sun at its’ starting point as it began its’ journey across the sky. Each evening, She would recapture the sun, place it in Her pot and replace the lid. It was She who filled the day with light and the night with darkness. (Photo Credit: nmorpa.com) Evaki was also…

Book Review: A Year at Stonehenge by James O. Davies       I have always been fascinated by Stonehenge. The who, what, and why are one of history’s most enduring questions. In September of 2015, I wrote my inaugural “Sacred Place, Sacred Space” column on Stonehenge and the Salisbury Plain – https://paganpages.org/emagazine/2015/09/sacred-places-sacred-spaces/ So, I was thrilled when asked to review “A Year at Stonehenge” by James O. Davies. Mr. Davies is an English Heritage Photographer. English Heritage is a registered charity that manages the National Historic Collection of England. They are the guardians of over 400 site and monuments, one of which is Stonehenge. As a photographer registered with…

Women & Goddess Meditation   It is an understatement to say that life for women is stressful.     Every day, we are called upon to play different roles in our lives.  We are over-worked, over-stressed, pulled in ten different directions.  Everyone makes demands on our time, simply because we are women and it is *expected* of us.  As women, we also learn very quickly that the world is a dangerous place for us, simply because of our gender.   Daily, we experience a constant barrage of thoughts from without and within our own minds.  This is called “monkey mind”, the constant chatter to which we listen and, once again,…

Domnu (Photo Credit: www.tianaart.com) Not very well known, Domnu is the Ancient Mother Goddess of the Fomorii, ancestors to the Celts, before the arrival of Danu and the Tuatha de Dannaan, by whom, it is said, She was overthrown. Domnu was in the *before time*, deeply asleep in the abyss in the land of mist. She spoke the spell: “I am Domnu the spirit that moves in the abyss beyond time, My face is desire, my eyes sees all, my pain is loneliness, and my womb give birth to all, And my breast will feed the voided, For I am Domnu mother and bringer of life and bringer of death…

WITCHCRAFT – A HANDBOOK OF MAGIC, SPELLS AND POTIONS BY ANASTASIA GREYWOLF ILLUSTRATIONS BY MELISSA WEST When I first opened the book to do a quick scan, I thought, “look at all of these spells, what fun!” I thought it very reminiscent of the witchcraft spell books that were around a few decades ago. Ms. Greywolf starts with an introduction to Witchcraft, and what it means to her, recognizing that it means different things to different people. She describes how she would cast a circle. There is a small section on some of the tools of witchcraft, such as a wand, smudge stick, knife, etc. The bulk of the book is…

IX CHEL (Photo Credit: fullmoonhealingarts.com) Ix Chel is the Mayan Snake Goddess of the Water. She is the Goddess of the moon, childbirth and weaving. She is also a Fertility Goddess, who brings the rain to feed the crops and who insured fertility by overturning her sacred urn. She is the weaver of the circle of life. She is the Goddess of the Moon and healing, overseeing the medicinal plants and herbs, healing and the phases of the moon. Her name Ix Chel is broken down to Ix = Goddess of the feminine and Chel = Rainbow or Light. Some of her many names are: Lady of the Rainbow or…

Maia (Photo Credit: femcompetitor.com) Maia is the Goddess for whom the month of May is named.  Various meanings of her name are *grandmother*, *midwife*, *wise one*, *She Who is Great*. In Rome, she was also known as “Maia Maiestas”, meaning “Maia the Majestic”. While much of Her story has been forgotten, there are a few things we do know about Her. She was the eldest daughter of Atlas and Pleione, the oldest of what came to be known as the Pleiades; as such, in Greece, She was also called the Goddess of the Night Sky. The Pleiades were the 7 Sisters who were nymphs in the company of Artemis. Their…