CRYSTALS AND SACRED SITES BY JUDY HALL It was with great pleasure that I received this book for review. I am a great believer in the efficacy of crystals, as well as being a fan of Judy Hall, having two of her other books. I found this book extremely interesting. After a brief discussion of how landscape affects us – “our minds are shaped by the landscape around us”, and how most sacred sites are built on land which is a combination of “geological, geomagnetic, symbolic, astronomical, mythological and shamanic factors”, she touches upon the choosing, purifying and awakening of your crystals. The bulk of the book revolves around sacred…

(Menstrual Night. Original art by Emily Balivet, may be found on her etsy site EmilyBalivet.) Welcome to “A Woman’s Place……”, Pagan Pages’ new feminist column. As some may have noticed, with the election to the US presidency of a man who is a racist, misogynist, homophobic, narcissistic bully, incidents of racism, anti-semitism, homophopia and misogyny are rising at a massive rate, all of which are distressing and disturbing. This column will address each of these issues, as feminism, for many of us, goes beyond just equal rights for women, but equal rights and social justice for all. Recently, while scrolling through my Facebook feed, I came upon this article –…

WATER I welcome you, opening myself to the cool, calming bliss of your serenity, rejoicing in your waves flowing over me, feeling your strength tasting the salt of life, knowing the power you hold. FIRE Crackling flames dance before my eyes, taking me to far-off places filled with magic and wonder. I look into your depths and return, my spirit warmed by your heat. EARTH Barefoot, I feel your comfort under my feet Laughing, I feel the soft grass as I walk Rejoicing, digging deep to plant my roots Growing stronger as you nourish me. AIR Life is Breath Breath is Life Flowing upon the warmness of a summer breeze…

TAMAR (Lovingly Dedicated to my Goddess-Sister, Tamara)   Tamar was an ancient Goddess in Georgia. She lived in a palace in the mountains. This palace was built by storks and nightingales. She rode a serpent bridled with gold.     (Photo Credit: Pinterest)     Tamar captured Dilis Varskulavi, the Morning Star, who was the Master of Winter.   When he escaped, which he did repeatedly, the snow would come. As many times as he would break free, each summer, Tamar would re-capture him to bring summer, which she ruled, back to the land.   This made Tamar a Sky Goddess, who controlled the weather and the seasons.   A…

The Eight Limbs of Yoga This month’s column will wrap up The Eight Limbs of Yoga, as we focus on Dhyana and Samadhi. (Photo Credit: anandashram.org) Dhyana = worship. It is contemplation, focus and concentration; the ability to find the truth about something – an object, a thought – with perfect meditation. As our minds become clearer, our perceptions do as well. We can readily discern what is, and what is not, reality. “Maya” is illusion. It is our perceptions, our judgements, our thoughts and feelings based on our lives, that color and filter all that we do and think. “Moksha” is the freedom to see and perceive things clearly,…

Kupala (Photo Credit: holladaypaganism.com) Kupala, whose name means “to bathe” is a Slavic mid-summer Goddess. She is known as a Goddess of Springs and Water. Her worshippers bathed in local rivers and collected dew each morning in June. The waters had been blessed by Kupala and had healing and purification powers, which also makes Her a Goddess of Healing. She is also a Goddess of Fire, with it’s purifying and protective qualities. At Her annual mid-summer festival, young men and women would jump over a purifying bonfire, dragging a straw maiden along with them. (Photo Credit: meettheslavs.com) This image was garlanded with flowers and dressed in a beautiful gown. The…

Herbs – Plain & Simple – Over 100 Recipes for Health and Healing by Marlene Houghton As someone who has had more than a passing interest in herbs, and works with them on intermittent basis, I can definitely say that this book lives us to its’ name. It is definitely “plain and simple”. This does not mean that it is not chock-full of information – because it is. This does not mean that it is only meant for beginners. – because it is not. What is does mean is that this little book, at 169 pages, gets right to the point, dispensing herbal information in simple, everyday language. It is broken…

The Eight Limbs of Yoga This Month: Pratyahara & Dharana (Photo Credit: Pinterest)   The Fifth Limb is Pratayahara – “prata” means “away” or “retreat”; “ahara” means “nourishment” or what feeds the senses. Pratayahara translates into withdrawing from that which nourishes our senses. This forms the basis of “non-attachment”.   Instead of our emotions controlling us with what it desires/craves, we become the controller of those emotions. When we are unable to stop the flow of these emotions, they very often cause an emotional imbalance, which in turn can, and in most cases, will, result in physical illness.   Yoga, and more to the point, meditation is the means to…

Cliodnha (Photo Credit : Pinterest) Cliodnha, known as the Queen of the Banshees, or Queen of all the Fairies of the HIlls, is part of the Tuatha Du Danaan, subject to the Goddess Danu. Cliodnha presides over Tir Tairngire, or the Land of Promise, a place of happy feasting, with no aging, violence, death or decay, which some say is the Celtic Otherworld. She has three colorful birds, who eat apples from a tree in that Otherworld, that can heal the sick with the beauty of their song. (Photo Credit: wolfanita@deviantart) She is a Goddess of love and beauty. She would take the form of an enchantingly beautiful human woman…

  Book Review of Epona: Hidden Goddess of the Celts by P.D. Mackenzie Cook   The author, P.D. Mackenzie Cook, a life-long pagan, has written an amazing book. While it is a book of the Goddess Epona, it also contains a wealth of information about early Goddess worship and the birth of patriarchy. He discusses how the changes to a male dominated culture came about slowly and changed the landscape of civilization and *attempted* to wipe out the Goddess, and Her worship. Mr. Cook’s love of Epona shines forth in every word, as he discusses Her symbolism, the animals and plants associated with Her, as well as, of course, the…