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SOPHIA (Image Credit: crystallinks.com) Wisdom is calling us, Sophia is calling Raising her voice, she stands by the city gates, at the crossroads, on the mountaintop. At every entrance, she is standing, shouting to us: “O people”, she calls, “learn from me!” Listen to me, for I speak nothing but the truth. Know my ways, for they are richer than silver. Know my secrets, and you do not need gold. Listen to me, my words are more precious than rubies. My words are riper than figs, sweeter than dates, more nourishing than applies and olives. Kings and princes and careful judges know me, and so do those who simply love…

Bright Blessings! My beautiful editor Jennifer sent me a gorgeous wand from Woodland Wand Creation to review. First let me say, I am a rare witch. I do not use wands to cast! I occasionally use my athame, but other than that, I use my hands. I have often admired pretty wands in shops and online, but I have never bought one. I am a minimalist sort of witch! I use few tools for magical working, and I save a lot of money on candles, as I just buy white tealights and consecrate them as needed. But in reviewing this item, and taking it for a “test run”, I can…

Children’s Book Review Water at the Top of the World by J. Siegal & Illustrated by Shannon Belock So, who wants to read a children’s book? It will be an easy read. This was the call out on the boards where the posting for the book reviews for our website. It’s called Water at the Top of the World: A Story of Legends and Learning. Written by J.Siegal, and illustrated by Shannon Belock. Wait. Problem here I don’t have kids. This might be an issue; however, I am an auntie who has experience around small kids… Not much of a problem there. What kind of criteria does one use for…

(The Litha Altar Decoration Set made by Julia can be found among many gorgeous witchy treasures at HedgecraftHouse on Etsy.) Also known As: Summer Solstice, Litha, Alban Hefin, Sun Blessing, Gathering Day, Feill-Sheathain, Whit Sunday, Whitsuntide, Vestalia, Thing-tide, St. John’s Day In addition to the four great festivals of the Pagan Celtic year, there are four lesser holidays as well: the two solstices, and the two equinoxes. In folklore, these are referred to as the four ‘quarter-days’ of the year, and modern Witches call them the four ‘Lesser Sabbats’, or the four ‘Low Holidays’. The Summer Solstice is one of them. Litha is usually celebrated on June 21st, but varies…

Book Review Becoming Dangerous: Witchy Femmes, Queer Conjurers, and Magical Rebels Edited by Kate West and Jasmine Elliott I was lucky to be sent this amazing anthology of personal power narratives to review. Twenty-one personal essays by the same amount of contributors are united by one theme- sometimes, things happen that do NOT want to see us become our best selves, and they go out of their way to try to keep us from thriving. These writers share their personal way they claimed what was theirs, through personal ritual, and tenacity, and how they shine brightly despite everything. These inspirational stories of hope, strength, and triumph deal with topics ranging…

Book ReviewCelestial WatercolorLearn to Paint the Zodiac Constellations and Seasonal Night SkiesWritten by Elise Mahan with D.R. McElroy128 ppThe Quarto Group “Celestial Watercolor: Learn to Paint the Zodiac Constellations and Seasonal Night Skies” is a book that does dual duty. On one hand, it’s as a beautifully illustrated and produced full-color coffee table-style book which is immensely enjoyable to flip through whether you read it or not. On the other, it’s a genuinely useful guide through the world of classic watercolor technique, with watercolor illustrations of the phases of the moon, astrological signs, and the seasonal night skies as examples. These examples come paired with corresponding texts that delve into…

Logan’s Run Bright Blessings, film lovers! I don’t know about you, but I love sci fi from the 1970’s. The more simplified special effects, and the groovy take on “futuristic style” dazzles the eye! The music, and costumes, and the theatrical style acting is more dramatic, and more fun in my opinion than the modern realistic films. In sci fi, I want a new reality, not one I feel could happen today in my world. I watched Logan’s Run for this reason, and just for enjoyment. It delivers, but I also realized, there are some magical truths in it! Here is the trailer you can watch! It’s an MGM film…

Dancer, artist, author, witch, priestess; with this many titles and roles, it’s clear that Annwyn Avalon is kept busy. Fresh from a workshop at Pantheacon, Annwyn was kind enough to talk to Mabh here at PaganPagesOrg about her new book, Water Witchcraft, and other aspects of her work. Mabh Savage: How would you describe the concept of water witchcraft to a complete novice? Annwyn Avalon: Water Witchcraft, simply put, is Witchcraft that uses water as the main modality for their magic and/or they may use water related items, work with water spirits and deities and perform many of their spells or rituals with, on, or near water. A Sea Witch…

Knight of Cups (The Two of Pentacles card is from the artist Ciro Marchetti http://www.ciromarchetti.com/)** Back to the Court Cards! This time, we will revisit the Tarot “Royals” by examining the Knight of Cups. We haven’t talked about the Knights at all yet, so first we will review some basic information. A Tarot deck has 78 cards. There are 22 Major Arcana cards dealing with broader and more far-reaching life experience issues, archetypes that are easy for us to identify with and connect with at some point in our lives. There are 56 Minor Arcana cards that are customarily grouped into four categories or suits that represent the four elements…

Book Review Primal Awareness Reconnecting with the Spirits of Nature By Rob Wildwood Rob Wildwood gives us a perspective on the evolution of First World cultures in this thought-provoking book. The “primal awareness” of the title is humankind’s awareness of the immanence of spirit, consciousness and generative life force alive in every aspect of creation on Earth. Wildwood gives us an overview of how humanity in First World cultures has lost its sense of connection to the natural world and as a result, is now destroying it. The book takes us through the impact of cultural development from the evolution of language into cultural belief and identity, then maturation of…