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GoodGod!
Meet the Gods: Cernunnos Merry meet. Cernunnos is one of the Ancient Ones, as old as the earth. The nature and fertility god is said to have been born of the All Mother Anu, working his magic in the wildwood as the first humans on earth came to be. He was part of evolution, seen “as a shape-shifting, shamanic god of the Hunt” in prehistoric times, according to the article, “Cernunnos – Ancient Celtic God” by J. M. Reinbold. His image was painted on cave walls and carved into cliffs. People dressed in skins, bones and feathers danced to communicate with him. They still do a dance in…
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Book Excerpt – The Sacred Herbs of Spring Magical, Healing, and Edible Plants to Celebrate Beltaine by Ellen Evert Hopman
Introduction The month of May is a time of great spiritual power for those who are attuned to natural cycles. In the northern hemisphere the sap is rising in the trees and medicinally beneficial new leaves and flowers are reappearing. For Druids, Witches, and other followers of the Nature Religions, May is the time to celebrate love, fertility and the new growth of summer, and most of this book is dedicated to these magical aspects of the May Day festival. The May Pole The May Pole is a well-known British tradition associated with May Day. The pole was covered all over with flowers and greens, then bound with ribbons…
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Peeking in the Shadows: Crafting a Book of Shadows and Light
(Photo by Ben White on Unsplash) Starting Your Book of Shadows: Part Two The Dedication You’ve found your “perfect” container to house your Book of Shadows. Now what? First let me clarify perfect “CONTAINER”. Although the emphasis feels as though you should be using a physical journal, many keep their Book of Shadows entirely in electronic format. To the purist, this would be a no-no. Quite frankly, I am of the opinion that the important focus is on codifying what you learn and develop-not so much what form it is kept in. So, with that in mind, if your perfect container is an ipad, your phone or other tech…
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Gael Song
The Most Important Druid Lesson of All – The Power of the Heart I recently went to a Sunday service where folks believe that keeping one’s mind controlled and focused on positives like peace and abundance and health can manifest such things into a living reality. Manifestation into form is the magic everyone wants to access and use for their own purposes. And while I do agree that thoughts hold some creative power, what I’ve been taught on my thirty-year druid path isn’t nearly so simple. The closest thing to manifesting anything into physical reality I’ve ever observed was during energy school in 1996, when staff healers did…
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Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times
Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times for February 2020 Bright Blessings! I write this on January 10. We’ve not had a real winter yet in my hometown, but my garden is sad. We have decided to gear up to list this place for sale, and that means I had to start dismantling my garden. My patio garden I worked years on. All of it has to go. Friends wanted my soil, and came with tubs to fill with the black, rich loam, and then toted away all my pots, stakes, tomato cages, and even my roses. Another friend came to take the box away today. I have another box…
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Notes from the Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: Celery Celery (Apium Graveolens) is an easily recognisable vegetable, available in most supermarkets or grocery stores. It’s a relative of carrots and parsley, part of the apiaceae family. It’s loved by dieters thanks to its high water content and low calorie content, plus it’s amazing for dipping into hummus or salsa. But is celery a medicinal or magical plant? Let’s take a look. The Kitchen Garden Celery can be grown from seed and in fact can be planted at this time of year (February-March-April) as long as it’s kept warm until frost has gone. It needs to be kept moist so is ideal…
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Worth the Witch
Blessed Be Box / New Moon in Aquarius The enchanting box for the new moon in Aquarius January 24 was carefully packed with products to honor the moon cycle, empower individuals to manifest their desires, and provide support for the coming four weeks. Refreshing angelic white – representing air and the feeling of elevation – served as a sub-theme for this box. Slipping the box out of the bag, the frankincense incense, even in its package, offered a calming, uplifting scent and hinted at the magic inside. Opening the box reveals a card showing its contents, a copy of a Temperance tarot card that can be…
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Gael Song
The Sacredness of Silence, the Goddess in Everything I watch so many of my friends, relatives, and neighbors race through the holiday season; creating elaborate rituals, shopping, wrapping, cooking, one detail after another to be attended to. And I recall doing the same myself when my children were young, before I began my druid path. And so, this month, I decided to write an article about the spirit nourishment that slowness and silence have brought to my life, especially during the winter season. As a druid, time in nature is food and drink to my soul. I couldn’t live without it. The first thing I notice whenever I take a…
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GoodGod!
Meet the Gods: Ullr Merry meet. Winter is upon us, and up north, in the land of the Norse, was the cold-loving god Ullr. Norse mythology called him the God of Snow. Son of Six and stepson of Thor, Ullr became the patron saint of skiers. It is said he’s an expert skater, skier and hunter who moved around the world, covering the land with snow. References indicate he was an important deity: it is said he ruled while Odin was temporarily exiled and he occurs in many place names, but little else is known. (Ullr. Small Wooden Figurines created by Kseniya of AncientGods on Etsy.) …
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Peeking in the Shadows: Crafting a Book of Shadows and Light
Top Picks and Ideas for Starting Your BOS: Part One Last month we began the exploration of what should be considered in selecting the perfect book. This month I’d like to share some of my top picks for journals and some ideas to get started…. Just to reiterate…. I have MANY journals that have at one time or another served as my BOS. I went through the phases of using a very traditional looking BOS. This was the look of “witchiness” a la movies and imagination; this was my novice witch look. The next phase was using whatever was handy and could be sourced readily as inspiration flowed. These were…