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The Queen of Wands (The Queen of Wands Card is from the artist Ciro Marchetti http://www.ciromarchetti.com/)** Welcome to the year 2018! We have one more Queen to talk about, the Queen of Wands, so let’s get started. First, let’s review some information about the royal family of the Tarot. A Tarot deck has 78 cards. There are 22 Major Arcana cards, with numbers from 0 to 21; the Majors usually deal 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…

  This is a lovely little book, one that can easily fit inside a woman’s bag, or a man’s briefcase. It is broken down into two parts – The Foundations of Worship and Building Rituals. Part One is broken down in “Prayer” and “Rituals”. It describes how, yes, pagans so pray, a description of prayer and how to write your own. Part Two is all about Rituals — How to Begin — Home — Callings — Praise — Thanksgiving — Consecrations & Blessings — Separate sections for Time of Day/Month/Year/Lore — Endings The last section is “Petitioning the Gods” and includes, requests, offerings, healing and society and land. The book…

Choosing Handfasting Cord Charms Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! You’ve planned every detail of the ceremony and reception with your partner and you’ve committed to having a handfasting ceremony, and now it’s time to choose what your cord looks like, from which colour(s) to choose to which charms represent the two of you. Of the two, the charms are, by far, the hardest to choose. There is a limited number of cord colours, but an unlimited number of symbols that could be used. Charms at the end of a handfasting cord aren’t essential, but if you choose to add charms, the symbols should be the most meaningful symbols to you.…

Sheela-Na-Gig (Photo Credit: knowth.com) What better representation of the Goddess for February than Sheel-Na-Gig? All over Europe, primarily Ireland and England, adorning castles, churches, sacred sites, you will find carvings in stone of the beautiful Sheela-Na-Gig, a big smile on her face, squatting knees apart, exposing her powerful vulva. It is believed that these carvings were done during the Neolithic and Paleolithic eras. There is still and old energy that lies within these carvings. While many find Her akin to a gargoyle, or a figure of lust. Many women, though, believe her to be an ancient fertility figure and a representation of the Mother Goddess. The term “gyg”, in Norse,…

(Celtic Gods: The Morrigan by Alexandra Rena of AlexandraRena Fine Art Prints & Gifts on etsy.)   I just read a very interesting article by John Beckett. In it he speaks at his unnamed discomfort at the “sexualisation” of Goddess imagery, specifically of the Morrigan. The word he was groping for but missing was objectification. Of course this is not a new thing (I spoke before at this Greek innovation of lessening women and Goddess power). Early Christian and Jewish priests had some very odd ideas about the worship of objects (animism) and linked it to avarice and greed. Love of possessions was seen as “worship” of things. I’m sure…

Self Dedication   Merry meet.   Many witches practice the Craft as a solitary, so they never get to be initiated into a tradition with a formal ceremony. That leaves the option of performing a rite of self-dedication. Some people choose to wait until they have studied the Craft for a year and a day before holding this rite. Others will choose to do a self-dedication on Imbolc, which is often the time of initiations and dedications in the pagan traditions. New moons are a time of new beginnings, making them another option.   (Phyllis Curott)   Wiccan High Priestess Phyllis Curott said in a video found on Howcast,  …

(A Wooden Altar Tile dedicated to Imbolc. Found on etsy in Scriptorium Julianum by artist Julia Raduzhan.)   February 1, 2 Other Names: Imbolg (im-molc)(em-bowl’g) (Celtic), Candlemas (Christian), Brigantia (Caledonii), Oimelc, Festival of Light, Brigid’s (Brid, Bride) Day, La Fheill, An Fheille Bride, Candelaria (Mexico), Chinese New Year, Disting-tid (Feb 14th, Teutonic), DisaBlot, Anagantios, Lupercalia/Lupercus (Strega), Groundhog Day, Valentines Day. Animals & Mythical Beings: Firebird, dragon, groundhog, deer, burrowing animals, ewes, robin, sheep, lamb, other creatures waking from hibernation. Gemstones: Amethyst, garnet, onyx, turquoise. Incense/Oil: Jasmine, rosemary, frankincense, cinnamon, neroli, musk, olive, sweet pea, basil, myrrh, and wisteria, apricot, carnation. Colors/Candles: Brown, pink, red, orange, white, lavender, pale yellow, silver.…

While it may not be what some would consider the season of Hecate; in actuality, it is always the season of Hecate. You never know when you may need Her, and so…… (Photo Credit: exemplore.com) HECATE – Her name alone can conjure up a vision of what we imagine Her to be. She is the Goddess of the Witches, a Dark Goddess, the Keeper of Ancient Knowledge, Keeper of the Cauldron of Secrets. She is the Guardian of the Crossroads, holding aloft Her torch, accompanied by Her hounds who are able to look at Past, Present and Future. We look to Her for guidance and protection as She encourages us…

A Review of Sasha Fenton’s Fortune Teller’s Handbook I have been a fan of Sasha Fenton for thirty years. I remember when The Fortune-Teller’s Workbook: A Practical Introduction to the World of divination first appeared at my favorite library and I borrowed it again and again. I was so happy when I found it in on Amazon.com – I snapped it up immediately. It’s the kind of basic text that any student of the divining arts ought to have, and it is perfect for beginners. Not only is it written in a clear and concise manner, it has some fun divination techniques – and who says that divination can’t be…

(en)LIV(en)ING With the Muses-Clio This is the third posting of the (en)LIV(en)ING with the Muses Series The Muse, Clio is considered the Muse of History. Her name, sometimes spelled Kleio is a form of the greek verb, “Kleo” which means to make famous, to recall or to celebrate. She makes full use of her birth right as the daughter of Mnemosyne (Goddess of Remembrance) as memory is a key component that every historian must rely upon to accurately give account of events, people and places. Unlike her sisters, who are more directly related to the act of inspiring whatever their specialty is, Clio works at the level of codifying and…