-
Deck Review-Mini Tarot: Rider Waite Smith by Margot Robert-Winterhalter, Illustrated by Nicolas Galkowski
Deck Review Mini Tarot: Rider Waite Smith By Margot Robert-Winterhalter, Illustrated by Nicolas Galkowski Publisher: Findhorn Press 78 Card Tarot Deck, 103 Page Full-Color Guidebook in a sturdy, magnetically sealed box Release Date: September 24, 2024 Mini Tarot: Rider Waite Smith is a pretty straightforward deck, inspired in artwork and meaning by the tradition Rider-Waite/Smith Tarot deck that has become a staple to Tarot readers, scholars and collectors alike. One of the first decks I picked up was the traditional Rider Waite deck, and at times I still go to that deck for readings. This little deck is actually different in a few important ways: first, the over emphasis on lines…
-
Book Review: Druid Wands
Title: Living Wands of the Druids: Harvesting, Crafting, and Casting with Magical Tools Author: Jon G. Hughes Publisher: Destiny Books Release Date: January 29, 2024 Pages: 232 “Living Wands of the Druids” is a detailed guide to making the living wands used in hereditary Welsh Druidism. Author Jon G. Hughes, a fifth-generation Druid, explains the history and lore of wands, then goes on to describe the hermetic properties of various woods and botanicals, harvesting methods, preparation, and use of wands, rods, and staffs in magical work. Wands serve as a spiritual conduit, connecting the practitioner’s intention with the living sap at the core of the wand and channeling it into…
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Deck Review-The Awakening Tarot: An Elemental Approach by Monica Bodirsky
Deck Review The Awakening Tarot: An Elemental Approach By Monica Bodirsky Publisher: Red Feather Mind Body Spirit 78 Card Tarot Deck, 287 Page Full Color Guidebook, in a sturdy, magnetically closed box Release Date: March 28th, 2024 The Awakening Tarot: An Elemental Approach is a strangely beautiful deck that takes Tarot to its wild foundations in nature and daily life. The artwork is a bit macabre and fit for those who like the strange, quirky and different. The difference in artwork, card names and symbolism doesn’t subtract from the readability of the deck, either; instead, I would argue that it adds to it, at least for me, it did. I’ve been…
-
Book Review-Seeding Consciousness: Plant Medicine, Ancestral Wisdom and Psychedelic Initiation by Tricia Eastman
Book Review Seeding Consciousness: Plant Medicine, Ancestral Wisdom and Psychedelic Initiation By Tricia Eastman Publisher: Bear & Company 316 Page E-Book Release Date: November 12th, 2024 Seeding Consciousness: Plant Medicine, Ancestral Wisdom and Psychedelic Initiation by Tricia Eastman is the book I wish I had when I started my journey with Psychedelics and Cannabis for expanding consciousness, mysticism and other spiritual pursuits. Not only is Seeding Consciousness a manual of sorts, to reach initiatory experiences with the help of psychedelics such as psilocybin and other psychedelics, but these methods can also be applied to more subtle initiatory plants, such as cannabis, for those looking to start slowly with these experiences. Eastman draws upon a wealth…
-
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…
-
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.…
