A Fresh Start There have been many times during my years on the Path, where I have felt the overwhelming need to begin anew. When I first dedicated myself, as a Solitary servant to Hecate. When I gave myself a magical name, a year later. And now, I feel the hands of the clock sweeping the table clear and making way for another Fresh Start for me. It has been a season of tremendous loss for me and for my family. We have lost jobs, pets, dear friends and family members during this, the waning of the Year. Our relationships have been strained, strengthened and blessed during the difficulties we…

The Self-Sufficient Hedge The Hedgewitch lives in the space between the Village and the Forest. Between the mundane and the magical. S/He lives with a foot in both worlds. This column is dedicated to the Hedgewitches of the planet earth. As some may recall, I moved to a small farmstead in coastal Oregon a year and a half ago. A tiny cottage situated on a few acres of land, half covered with ancient spruce, hemlock and fir. Immediately I began digging gardens, and within a month had installed 6 fluffy baby chickens into my laundry room to brood. The move came as a direct result of job-loss, with a downturn…

*The Hedgewitch lives in the space between the Village and the Forest. Between the mundane and the magical. S/He lives with a foot in both worlds. This column is dedicated to the Hedgewitches of the planet earth. Mindfulness, Meditation and the Thinning Veil This is the time of year, as the Wheel turns round once more, the Veil between Worlds is at its thinnest. Visions, dreams and premonitions abound. Communications between the sides comes easily, and clarity is so pronounced. I very often use this time to use the abundant energy to enhance my divinatory abilities, and find my dreams to be more vivid, my perceptions more accurate and my…

Lammas~ Abundance in a Time of Lack Once again, the Wheel turns to a time of abundance and celebration! Visions of tables stacked to the rafters with the bounty of the season fill our minds… …but in so many places, the ground is dry and cracked from having been baked alive. The temps have soared into triple digits and remained so for weeks. The gardens, once lush, have browned, withered and died. Monsoons have washed away towns, and storms loom on the immediate horizon for many. In this time of uncertainty and peril, how can we imagine the abundance of the season, the carefree enjoyment of simple pleasures??? As a…

January 2011: The Physics of Gratitude Another New Yearis upon us! It is my favorite time of year to take stock of my blessings. I am a firm believer in counting my blessings a little more often. In fact, daily. As a reformed “Glass-Half-Empty“, it is vital for me to constantly remind myself of all I have been blessed with, lest I should lapse back into my old ways of complacency, all too easily. Over the years of my reformation, an interesting thing became apparent to me. Sure, I was more positive of attitude, and found less time to ruminate on all the things I didn’t have, but perhaps most…

*The Hedgewitch lives in the space between the Village and the Forest. Between the mundane and the magical. S/He lives with a foot in both worlds. This column is dedicated to the Hedgewitches of the planet earth. What Dreams May Come A Brand New Hedge…July 2010 Greetings all! I have been away from the friendly confines of Pagan Pages for the past couple of months due to some major developments in my life. While things did not play out the way I expected, at all, (that’ll teach me to have specific expectations!) they have found a way to bring me unimaginable joy and a sense of completion. Some of you…

*The Hedgewitch lives in the space between the Village and the Forest. Between the mundane and the magical. S/He lives with a foot in both worlds. This column is dedicated to the Hedgewitches of the planet earth. The Dormant Season or A Survival Guide to Life in Limbo Spring is just around the corner, and new life is beginning to manifest itself everywhere. Even in snow-covered places, the crocus and other bulbs begin to emerge from their long slumber. Flowering tree buds swell and begin to defy the cold with their colorful, hope- and cheer-inducing blossoms. It is easy to see the parallels between the cycles of Nature and the…

Standing still On the edge of I know not what I take a deep breath and steel my nerves. It is not the moving forward that is scary But the standing still Breathe in. Breathe out Frozen in time, unable to move What is to be? What will follow? No answers, only questions No parameters, no walls Only a knowing that something…something is going to happen Trust. Believe. Know. Standing still, gathering strength Waiting The sounds are louder, the colors more vivid The scents are stronger here In suspended animation I can hear the voices on the wind Taste the rain Sense the tension Clarity in the void, in the…

*The Hedgewitch lives in the space between the Village and the Forest. Between the mundane and the magical. S/He lives with a foot in both worlds. This column is dedicated to the Hedgewitches of the planet earth. Winter in the Hedge The Wheel has turned again, and I find myself standing in a threshold. Thresholds are the most magical and mysterious of all places, and ones in which anything can happen. But they can also feel scary, because we don’t know what’s on the other side. Yet, I have walked by my faith for many years, and know that there is a plan for me, and I am living it. It…

*The Hedgewitch lives in the space between the Village and the Forest. Between the mundane and the magical. S/He lives with a foot in both worlds. This column is dedicated to the Hedgewitches of the planet earth. Holidays in the Hedge; What is the reason for the season, again??? I, personally, will use any occasion to celebrate. And although I wasn’t raised a pagan, discovering the 8 holy days or sabbats in the sacred Wheel of the Year delighted me! It never occurred to me, for one moment, not to celebrate the Christmas traditions of my youth in Christianity, as well. The blending of my old and new faith merely…