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Special Announcement from The Modern Merlin: My Hanged Man Era
Hello everyone, I hope you’re doing well and that the week, and month, are getting off to an excellent start for you. Mercury stationed direct, and Venus is up next in less than a week, so things are looking up Astrologically. Every year, I do a “year ahead” tarot reading for myself, laying out a card for each month, respectively. April’s card this year, for me, is the Hanged Man. For months, I couldn’t understand exactly what was meant by that card, until certain events occurred, and began becoming overwhelming, thus voiding any creative impetus I may have had left in the tank. These events have forced me to put…
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A World Re-Enchanted March 2025
The month of March brings the first day of Spring. The clocks spring forward for places that have daylight savings time (not something that exist for us in Hawaii) and flowers start to bloom and there is a vitality in the air. The elemental focus for this month based on the Elven lore of Arda is Air. As with last month another of the three Elven rings forged by Celebrimbor in the second age is associated with Air. The ring is called Vilya also known as the Ring of Sapphire, the Blue Ring or the Ring of Air. The powers of this ring while never directly stated are speculated to…
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Stellium-March 2025: Vernal Equinox, Astrological New Year, International Astrology Day
Hello friends, and Happy Vernal Equinox, Astrological New Year, and International Astrology Day! For my Pagan friends and readers, I also wish you a blessed Ostara! Today is quite an eventful day, as is every Vernal (Spring) Equinox; not only is it the start of spring and the fertile season, but it’s also the beginning of a new astrological year, and it’s also when those who like astrology celebrate their favorite astrologer(s)! Instead of focusing on one part of astrology, I’m going to give you my interpretation, from an Astrological and Magickal standpoint, of why this day is so pertinent every year. From Astrological considerations, magickal perceptions, and other facets,…
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Are We All the Same?- Tarot with Lady Saoirse
By Lady Saoirse Bright Blessings, Recently I had an ugly wakeup and reality check. I realize I should have realized this a long time ago! Whether this is doing or getting a reading, or not, this lesson holds true in our pagan communities. A backstory first. In 2004, I had a terrible health scare. At the time, I had not converted to Paganism yet, although I had left Catholicism. I had been attending an Apostolic church for close to a year when I fell ill. The assistant pastor and another man in the congregation had taken me to task just before I got sick. It happened when the assistant…
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Weyland’s Whey Ostara 2025 Column
SAY IT OH-STA-RUH WHEN IS IT? I always observe it on March 21st, just cause that’s the way I was taught. I’ve read that other dates (like the 20th) are equally legit, since the Spring Equinox tends to move around a little. Hey, why not? Wiccans are rarely hobbled by consistency, right? WHAT PRECISELY IS IT? A Sabbat that observes the Spring or Vernal Equinox, when day and evening are equal in time, representing balance and duality–masculine/feminine, yin/yang, above and below. It’s celebrated with, among other activities, rituals, feasting and painting eggs and/or planting seeds. HOW TO OBSERVE IT? I’m taking it kind of easy on the nonstop partying this…
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Cody’s Column: Working With Land and Animal Spirits
It is eclipse night, and the rain is pouring down. I won’t get to see the eclipse, but I will feel it. I have been feeling it in the land and animal spirits that live here along the Magic Skagit River. The ravens who have been visiting again, the elk all standing in a line alongside the road, two eagles perched on a branch chattering with each other, circles of water rippling on the river, nettles peeking up off the forest floor, Indian Plum flowers blooming, and of course the iconic daffodils blooming in the Skagit Valley. Tonight, I write to you about being receptive to these spirits. For some…
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News and Notes From the Editor-March 2025: St. Patrick: Examining Myth, Fact and History
Hello friends, after taking a short hiatus from the more creative end of my writing, I decided what better day to start up again, than today, St. Patrick’s Day? Many Pagans, and rightfully so, are at the very least weary of St. Patrick; legend has it he rid Ireland of the snakes. The truth of course, is different; there are, and haven’t been snakes in Ireland since the last Ice Age, so where did the analogy come from? Many Pagans speculate that the snakes refer to Pagans and Druids, but the truth is, that is the propaganda from the Catholic church, wherein they made Patrick the face of conversion in Ireland. While…
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The Modern Merlin’s Blood Moon Eclipse in Virgo Survival Guide
Hello friends, I know I’ve been absent in terms of writing articles, but that is going to be changing soon; we all have to go on an inward journey, and work through life and its’ various hurdles. I’m back and ready to write all kinds of magical things, starting with this, right here, right now. That said, let’s get into the Blood Moon Eclipse in Virgo, and what it means from an Astrological, and Magickal standpoint. Blood Moons and Eclipses in Astrology, Mythology and History Throughout history, the sight of a blood red moon has brought with it fears of anger from the Gods, worries of war, famine, or death.…
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Weyland’s Whey March 11 2025 Chaste Moon Eclipse Column
The Moon Turns Red Total lunar eclipse in Virgo on the evening of Thursday March 13th into early morning Friday the 14th. My Astrology Handbook tells me this is a potent full moon since it will show which life arrangements are working and which aren’t. This gives opportunities for new pathways, but be advised–they may appear unexpectedly. (Think Surprise Party Department.) And just so you know, Mercury turns retrograde on the 15th. Yeah, the party just never stops, does it? The March full moon was called the Chaste Moon in medieval England, in deference to the ground thawing out after winter. All was thought to be clean and fresh, ready…
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Weyland’s Whey, March 2nd 2025 “Heartbeats” Column
Be Still My Heart Last month’s horoscope predicted surprises and the unexpected, and I promised to say how everything worked out: While they were loading me into the helicopter the pilot told Sparkle I’d had a visit from the Widowmaker. (She looked it up later. Eighteen percent survival rate.) If I hadn’t had the heart attack in my doctor’s office I probably wouldn’t have made it. Sparkle cancelled all of her classes and drove to the hospital every day to be with me. She brought me things to read and notebooks to write in. She made sure I had plenty to drink. We held hands a lot. She healed me.…
