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Visualisation, Meditation and Journeying One of the first things that caught my attention when I started reading about paganism long ago was the use of visualisation. I recognised something I had been doing all along. In daydreams I escaped reality by imagining beautiful landscapes, stuff I wanted, people I liked. I tried to ‘see’ every little detail in my mind’s eye. books, tapes and later workshops helped me to develop this skill even better. I loved to learn how to use all my senses. I didn’t only see the forest… I noticed the distinct smell of it after a rain shower, touched a tree, heard birds singing… That sounds as…
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Nehalennia A few weeks ago I visited a place that I wanted to go for ages: the Nehalennia Temple in Colijnsplaat (province of Zeeland in The Netherlands). It is a reconstruction (based on archaeological studies and findings), dedicated to the goddess Nehalennia. It’s free to visit, but if you want to go inside you’ll have to contact the manager beforehand. It’s better not to emphasize the pagan interest in her too much; the management is more interested in history and archaeology, and the area is considered mainly christian and not too much into paganism. The original Nehalennia Temple was situated in the international port city called Ganuenta, just 500 meters…
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Religious Tolerance Religions and politics are very much in the spotlights today. Of course they have always been but now more than ever. Especially actions taken in the name of a religion dominate the news: IS and the terrorism in the name of Islam, the Arab-Israeli conflict and so many other conflict and wars all around the world. What we see in the news is only a tip of the iceberg… I watch it, try to follow and be informed about what’s happening everywhere. Some people are so fed up with it they stopped watching the news and reading the papers. That’s a choice too, but not mine. Because it…
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My Imbolc traditions You can find the traditional meaning and celebrations around Imbolc everywhere. In books, on websites, in this e-magazine, etc. So I won’t go there. Instead I’ll share some personal Imbolc celebrations. Traditionally Imbolc is linked to Brighid. I’ve worked with her on several occasions but the last few years another goddess took over the lead so to speak. I’ve told you earlier (in another column) about Skadi and how she came into my life. She has a strong connection with winter and snow. The colour of Imbolc is white and it’s celebrated right in the middle of the two coldest months of winter around here.…
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Farewell to Kyra On November 30th a wonderful woman passed over to the Summerlands. Kyra was my HPs, my initiator, but first and foremost she was a dear friend. Although most of you reading this didn’t know her, I want to share some stories and thoughts about her. When I met her for the first time some years ago, she was already diagnosed with Hodgkin’s. It came back several times and even then she was already living on borrowed time. That didn’t stop her from fighting, on the contrary! She has been a fighter until the end. She tried alternative methods, special diets, everything within reach that looked…
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Happy New Year! For many pagans across the world Samhain is considered the ‘pagan New Year’. In the late 19th century, Sir John Rhys and Sir James Frazer (The Golden Bough) suggested that it was the “Celtic New Year”, and this view has been repeated by other scholars. For the Celtic people a new day didn’t begin at dawn, but at dusk. The idea behind this concept comes from the notion that before there was light, there was darkness. Before there was life there was a void. From the darkness, light was born. Thus, a new day begins at the beginning of the dark night. They divided their year into…
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Crown the Crone! Last month I turned 46. That’s when people start saying things like “oops, you are on the wrong side of 40 now” or “50 is coming soon”. Often disguised as a joke, but every so often with a serious tone of voice. It was the same when I turned 40. To be honest I didn’t really care, on the contrary: I gave a big party to celebrate it and had a great time! If someone says ‘you are getting old’ I always reply with ‘I hope so!’ Of course getting older isn’t all fun and games, but I refuse to give in to the negative stereotype of…
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Initiation & Dedication For as long as I’ve been active in the pagan community certain themes or questions keep coming back. In forums, blogs, study groups and now in Facebook groups people come up with the same old issues. That’s fine, it’s the natural cycle of things. One of those topics is initiation. Let me start with a recurring misconception, that can be disputed by grammar and common sense. You can NOT initiate yourself, that’s simply impossible. The definition of initiation can slightly differ from source to source but the essence remains the same. Initiation is a process and/or ceremony by which a person is admitted to an organization /…
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Skaði For years I heard people talk about patron gods and goddesses. Some just chose one they liked, others were ‘called’ by the deity itself. The first didn’t feel right to me, although I had several gods and goddesses I was attracted too. But ‘being called’ sounded a bit strange. What did they mean with that? When, why, how? I didn’t really get it and very few had a clear story about how it works. It seemed to be hard to explain… When I met my second power animal, a polar bear, in a meditation it was handed to me by a woman. At the time I didn’t really pay…
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Tools of the Craft
Last week I was interviewed by a student in cultural anthropology who is doing her bachelor’s thesis on Wicca. Her focus is on the mind- and consciousness-altering aspect of ritual and the use of tools. She came well-prepared and informed, it was a wonderful conversation and I look forward to reading her thesis. She asked me about my use of tools and how they help (or not). Tools can most certainly have a purpose to a witch (or other pagan). They have no power in themselves, though they do have powerful symbolic significances. They can be an extension of yourself and are literally ‘tools’. An athame can help direct energy.…