The Modern Merlin
The Modern Merlin has been a Polytheist and Animist Pagan, Witch, Sorcerer, Wizard, Druid, Mystic, Ceremonial Magician, Occultist, Shaman, Seer and Soothsayer for 15 years, worshipping and casting magick with deities and spirits from many cultures, including Ancient Greece, Rome, Norse & Germanic, Celtic, Egyptian, Sumerian, as well as many Faeries, Nymphs, Dryads, Ancestors and other nature and land spirits and spirits of place. He is a Priest of Hecate, Diana, Hades, Lilith and Persephone. He has experience in the Left and Right Hand Paths, working with both hands as needed. He currently practices Necromancy and Deathwalking, as well as Traditional Witchcraft, Druidry, Hellenism and Ceremonial Magick, incorporating all of them into a cohesive practice, with some shamanic touches. He studies and practices Astrology as well as Tarot and other forms of divination such as Runes, Palmistry and Ogham. He has also been investigating the paranormal for over 10 years and has a keen interest in researching various mythologies, cosmologies and folklore from around the world. He is the Co-Editor of PaganPages.Org and he has a personal blog where he shares Astrological, Pagan, and other magickal wisdom for free! He gives readings and other spiritual services on his Facebook Page, The Modern Merlin, as well other free informational posts for everyone to see!
-
The Green Ghost of Maple Grove Cemetery: A True (and Forgotten) Northeast Ohio Haunting
Hello friends, I’m so happy to be writing another piece for you in my favorite time of year! Given the natural inclination towards ghost stories and other paranormal, creepy and supernatural stories this time of year, I’ve decided to unearth an ancestral ghost story to share with you. This story scared the crap out of me when I was little, and my grandpa told me about what he experienced at that old cemetery off of North Chestnut in Ravenna, Ohio. Before we get into the story of my (now late) grandfather, whom I’m also hoping to honor in my own way with this article, I think it’s necessary to go…
-
The Modern Merlin’s Summer Reading List: Lessons, Perspective Shifts, Transformation and Impermanence
Hello friends! I know it’s been a hot minute since you’ve last heard from me, and I do apologize for that. To be honest, I hit a moment of deep inner change, one that I’m still not completely out of. During this process of change, I came to realize that returning to my roots in Buddhism and Taoism wasn’t enough; I had to apply those practices in my daily life, something that I still struggle with, and likely will for the remainder of my time in this life. That’s not to say that it isn’t worth it; in my view, it’s well worth it to be mindful, live in the present moment,…
-
Deck Review-Gaian Tarot, 2nd Edition: Healing the Earth, Healing Ourselves by Joanna Powell Colbert
Deck Review Gaian Tarot, 2nd Edition: Healing the Earth, Healing Ourselves By Joanna Powell Colbert 78 Card Tarot Deck, 191 Page Guidebook in a magnetically sealed box Publisher: Red Feather Body Mind Spirit Release Date: April 28th, 2025 . Gaian Tarot: 2nd Edition is a much-anticipated re-do of the popular Gaian Tarot that has been out for some time now. While I never had the chance to have the original edition of this beautiful and meaningful deck, I can safely say I see why it’s remained such a popular Tarot deck for beginners and seasoned Tarot readers alike. The symbology and imagery in this deck are unmatched in terms of inclusivity…
-
Book Review-The Green Witch Illustrated: An Enchanting Immersion Into the Magic of Natural Witchcraft by Arin Murphy-Hiscock, Illustrated by Sara Richard
Book Review The Green Witch Illustrated: An Enchanting Immersion Into the Magic of Natural Witchcraft By Arin Murphy-Hiscock, Illustrated by Sara Richard Publisher: Adams Media 256 Page Full-Color, Fully Illustrated Hardcover Release Date: November 26th, 2024 The Green Witch Illustrated has been a companion over this past Summer for me, guiding me to natural magicks to be in touch with the Earth around me during the blooming season. To say that this book influenced a lot of my summer magicks is an understatement. Not only does it avoid so many common trappings specific to traditions (such as Wicca, traditional craft, etc)., making it accessible and usable to any kind of witch.…
-
Following Threads of Life in Chaos: The Tao for the Modern Occultist and Pagan
Whew! I haven’t written a creative piece in quite some time; life really hit me with a curveball, and I had to a take an unexpected leave of absence from pretty much everything here, spare the occasional book review. I’m happy to say that while the things that caused my absence aren’t completely resolved, I am at a point where things have slowed down enough for me to write this piece, which I’ve been wanting to write for a little while now. My spiritual seeking started in high school. Until late in my sophomore year, so about 2010, I found that science, like I previously thought, couldn’t account for everything…
-
Book Review-This is Chaos: Embracing the Future of Chaos Magic: 13 Essays on Chaos MAgic for Modern Practitioners compiled and edited by Peter J. Carroll
Book Review This is Chaos: Embracing the Future of Chaos Magic: 13 Essays on Chaos Magic for Modern Practitioners Compiled and Edited by Peter J. Carroll Publisher: Weiser Books 274 Page Paperback Release Date: June 2nd, 2025 This is Chaos is a must-have for the modern Magus or Wizard, Occultist or Witch, Sorcerer and Warlock, or whatever you want to identify as. It presents not only Chaos Magick at its’ roots, and even provides a brief history given directly from one of its most influential figures himself-Peter J. Carroll, but also goes into the current of Chaos Magic-both past, and present, and even has ideas for where the current of chaos…
-
Book Review-The Call of the Old Gods: My Occult Journey on the Pagan Path by Christopher McIntosh
Book Review The Call of the Old Gods: My Occult Journey on the Pagan Path By Christopher McIntosh Publisher: Inner Traditions 264 Page E-Book Release Date: May 6th, 2025 The Call of the Old Gods is a well-written memoir from one of my favorite Pagan and Occult authors, Christopher McIntosh. Instead of telling you what to do, he relays the experience to you, as well as the academic background, to inspire the reader to form their own practices, etc. This book, instead of his usual, scholarly approach, focuses on a well-storied life full of trials, lessons and friendships. McIntosh has lived a long life and has had the opportunity to encounter…
-
Book Review-Odin: An Illustrated Guide to the Allfather by L. Dean Lee, Illustrated by The Saxon Storyteller
Book Review Odin: An Illustrated Guide to the AllFather By L. Dean Lee, Illustrated by The Saxon Storyteller Publisher: Red Wheel 128 Page Full-Color, Fully-Illustrated Hardcover Release Date: April 7th, 2025 Odin: An Illustrated Guide to the AllFather is the perfect primer for those looking to learn more about the One-Eyed God; not only is it a mindful guide to learning more about Odin in myth, legend and even modern iterations, but it also gracefully handles the problematic past that American Heathenry and Norse Paganism in America have. The discernment present in so many contemporary Norse Pagan books is a sign of positive change, and that there’s a genuine movement…
-
Book Review-Loki: An Illustrated Guide to the Trickster God by L. Dean Lee, Illustrated by The Saxon Storyteller
Book Review Loki: An Illustrated Guide to the Trickster God By L. Dean Lee, Illustrated by The Saxon Storyteller Publisher: Red Wheel 128 Page Full-Color, Fully Illustrated Hardcover Release Date: April 7th, 2025 Loki: An Illustrated Guide to the Trickster God is the one introductory book to Loki I wish I’d had when I embarked on my journey to know the (in)famous trickster deity. I myself am a Lokean, having devoted my more adventurous, mischievous habits and tendencies (I can be a real screwball, I won’t lie about it) to him, finding peace in the clown, that jester, part of myself. Loki is more than just chaos; sure, he can…
-
Book Review-Tarot:Timeless Secrets of the Ancient Mirror by Natalie Labriola
Book Review Tarot: Timeless Secrets of the Ancient Mirror By Natalie Labriola Publisher: Wooden Books, LLC 58 Page Paperback Release Date: March 15th, 2025 Don’t let the small size of Tarot: Timeless Secrets of the Ancient Mirror deceive you; this 58 page book is jam-packed with everything you need to know about the Tarot at-a-glance. It’s aesthetically pleasing in terms of design, and has sections discussing the methodology the author uses to approach tarot (which is perhaps most common-a Jung psych-spiritual based interpretation). There’s also a short primer on the history of the Tarot and how it evolved from a playing card game, to a parlor trick, to real divination. Then, you’re…
