• Monthly Columns

    Nurturing Your Wild Child

    Imbolc – Bringing Brigid into your Family   We find in Irish Pagan Traditions a Goddess who embodies fertility and healing as she brings the warmth with her Sacred Flame to make Spring anew in the lands. In fact, her Sacred Flame remains eternal and is lit each year at Imbolc in Kildare, Ireland to bring her back to the forefront, renewing the temperatures and asking the lands to be fertility of animal and plant life. Brigid takes on many roles in both the Celtic Pagan Goddess and the Catholicism ideas – yet for both she is a safe harbor for children, leading and guiding them as a Goddess/Saint of…

  • Monthly Columns,  Spells & Rituals

    Peeking in the Shadows: Crafting a Book of Shadows and Light

      We begin a journey through the Witch’s Wheel of the Year for 2022!   The Witch’s Wheel of the Year     What is the Wheel of the Year? The Wheel of the Year marks the Sun’s journey across the sky, the solstices, equinoxes and the Earth’s changing seasons. Each spoke of the wheel marks an important moment of progression and change in the Earth and in accord with that progression a celebratory festival is aligned. These celebrations are called Sabbats. The Wheel of the Year is also a reflection of the recurring cycles of the Natural world. Traditionally, these celebrations were very closely tied to the cycles of…

  • Monthly Columns

    Jazz’s Gems

    Bloodstone         Bloodstone is a beautiful dark green gem with bright red specks in it. It shows up in your life when you need a boost of energy. It is a variety of chalcedony and is also known as Heliotrope. This mood stabilizer is associated with Aries, Libra and Pisces and it is the birthstone of March. If you are looking for something that will heighten your intuition- this one’s for you! It will also strengthen your heart, both physically and spiritually.        If you are anemic, Bloodstone will help. It will also detoxify the liver, intestines, kidney, spleen and bladder. It heals all things related to…

  • Monthly Columns

    Witch Hunt

      There are witches all around us. You can find them anywhere… The Witch on Wheels has been documenting her findings.   Meet: Roberto Vargas     I met Roberto Vargas about six years ago through a pagan discussion group. He and his husband, Norman, are one of the nicest couples you’d want to meet and we’ve remained friends. Both have their sun in Cancer. The three of us connected with three other friends and committed to planning a public ritual for all eight sabbats during one turn of the wheel. He was unflappable. I learned a lot about how wonderful things turn out even if you feel like you’re…

  • Monthly Columns

    As Above, So Below (How the Stars Became Our Hearts)

    Who Are The Dark Goddesses?     Before we begin, as a disclaimer, it should be noted that with the old gods, stories differ from source to source, and were never canonized. An ironic word to use in that the word canonization comes from the canonization of the Bible. So in effect, the word doubles its meaning, in that they are religious texts non canonized, and that the various stories written about them are done so non canonically. The gods and are something that can only be expressed, not explained. Above is a picture of Shiva. Some of you may know, he is one of the Principal Deities of Hinduism.…

  • Monthly Columns

    Faery Story – The Land of Cassari

        Hi everyone! It’s Kelpie Sunpearl here again to regale you! This story was something my grandma told me when I was younger.    Lily Tranelis, a half-elf bookkeeper, fell asleep on top of her book, scrolls scattered around her, after a long day of scribing. Once they made sure she was asleep, the faeries that had been watching Lily for a couple of years now, appeared around her. Some of them started tidying up,  and one named Cerulean Sky placed a blanket on her so she didn’t catch a cold. One, by the name of Willowmist, braided Lily’s hair and placed a pretty ribbon at the end. Another…

  • Monthly Columns

    Notes from the Apothecary

    Notes from the Apothecary: Olives   The olive tree, Olea europaea, is an evergreen tree, bearing small fruits that we harvest for their oil – or simply to preserve and eat. Olives are native to many Mediterranean countries and the Middle East, which is why they are often linked to Greek and Roman deities in Western spirituality. The first time I saw olive trees in the wild, it was amazing. Here was my favourite snack, growing right by the side of the road! I saw them in Portugal, Spain, but none were so striking as in the olive groves of the Greek island of Rhodes. Rows upon rows of small,…

  • Monthly Columns

    GoodGod!

    Meet the Gods: Anubis     Anubis is the Egyptian god of the underworld, of the afterlife, and mummification. He helped judge souls after their death and guided lost souls into the afterlife. While it is generally believed Anubis is the son of Osiris and Nephthys and the product of adultery, this is not confirmed. What is known is he had a daughter known as Kebechet (or Qebehet) with the head of a serpent.     A jackal-headed deity, and sometimes with the head of a dog, Anubis is the Greek name for “the guardian of the tombs.” He’s also known as the Lord of the Necropolis. For ancient Egyptians…

  • Monthly Columns

    Notes from the Apothecary

    Notes from the Apothecary: Heather   Heather or ling, Calluna vulgaris, is a short, evergreen, bushy shrub with stalks of tiny purple, pink or white flowers, prolific on moorland or heathland. It’s native to Europe but has been introduced to many countries across the world. It often indicates areas of deforestation, where trees have not been allowed to grow back, so the heather and other shorter plants take over. I asked my three-year-old which plant I should explore for this month, and she said, “A pink one!”. After some pondering, I showed her some pictures of pink, purple, and white heather stretching across the moors, and she was delighted. So,…

  • Monthly Columns

    Jazz’s Jems

    Malachite       Malachite is a very versatile gem that is green with some dark green or black concentric bands. It is similar to rosasite, serpentine, chrysocolla and pseudomalachite. The main places you can find malachite would be Russia, Australia and Africa. It is mainly copper ( around 60%), so it is a useful ore as well. It is also known as the “Mirror of the soul” and a “stone of transformation”. Malachite is connected to the heart and throat chakras, is associated with the planet Venus, and it’s zodiacs are Libra, Scorpio and Capricorn. It is also used with the element Earth.        This green stone is soft…