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    In October, witches and other pagans receive visits from their ancestors and other dear dead. Traditionally, these visits begin on the new moon after Mabon. At Mabon itself, witches of many traditions journey in spirit to the Summerland and invite their dead to visit them in Middle-Earth. In some cultures, miniature spirit houses were erected or kept for the dead to stay in through this month while visiting. Thus, October is a time to focus on the encounter between life and death. Gort, the Ivy month, runs from September 30th through October 27th. Just as the holly or evergreen oak succeeds the deciduous oak in the Ogham tree…

      In his book, Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, Scott Cunningham lists The Thirteen Goals of a Witch (in the edition I have they can be found on page 151). Cunningham does not give an explanation of each goal, which to me implies that they are his personal goals and therefore are able to be interpreted in as many different ways as there are witches.  The following are my interpretations of each goal:             I.    Know yourself. This is a reflection of the first pillar of The Witch’s Pyramid. Knowing oneself is deeper than the knowledge one attains from books; it is the knowledge of…

MODERN MACHIAVELLI 13 Laws of Power, Persuasion and Integrity By Troy Bruner and Philip Eager I will start off by admitting that when I was asked to read and review this book I very nearly said no, because it had “Machiavelli” in the title. At a second glance I noticed that it also has the word “integrity” in the title. That got my attention: how on earth do these things sit together? My curiosity made me say: sure, send me the book…. It arrived. From the first page I was gripped! Now I actually wish I had read this book a few decades ago. There are so many scenarios in…

Releasing the Old Year Merry meet! While Samhain most often involves honoring the ancestors and divination, the night is also the eve of the new year. Even if I have participated in a group ritual, there’s a simple ritual I like to do alone in front of my altar, or outside when possible, as close to midnight as possible. There is no reason this can’t be done in a group. I gather some paper, something to write with, a cauldron and something with which to light a fire. Once in sacred space, I reflect on the previous year, often flipping through the pages of my gratitude journals to remind me of…

    Samhain is almost upon us. We’ve passed the equinox, the point of no return; the balance of light and dark; the perfect union of night and day. The nights are visibly longer now, and we know we are heading into the winter months. In years gone by we would be storing our food away, slaughtering beasts that could not survive the harsh winter and carefully caring for those that would.   We may now live in a world of supermarkets and central heating, but for those of us who feel the turn of the wheel in the changing of the season, Samhain (in part) is still about making…

  The Witching Hour will soon be among us and that means time for reflections and release. Samhain has always been a time of renewal and review for me and a time of setting new goals. I do this while looking over the past year as I realize lessons that were taught in various ways.   It is also a time of honoring those gone by, those who have transitioned before us. While I place respect for those as a group, I hold a personal vigil for my father and my best friend, who went on in 1989 and 2009, respectively.   Ah Samhain – a time for transformation, a…

(“Witching Moon” Book of Shadows Parchment, Binder Refill Pages from Gypsy Wytch Diaries, OddSoul etsy shop.) The Season of the Witch is upon us once again and Samhain is just about here!  You will need the following objects to complete this Spell and Enchantment.   We will start with the Object Enchantment first.  The main focus of this enchantment is for PROTECTION (of house, home, self, family.)  The Enchantment is an “object enchantment.  You will need to find an object suitable for enchanting from your home or purchase something that you wish to enchant.  This item can be a gemstone, a necklace, a sun catcher, a scarecrow in your front yard is an…

“The Magical Art of Crafting Charm Bags: 100 Mystical Formulas for Success, Love, Wealth, and Wellbeing”     by Elohim Leafar Published by Weiser Books Published: 2017 Pages: 235   We all have them – stones, botanicals, charms, claws and other objects that we consider precious and that we protect. Our ancestors in all cultures and magical traditions the world over had them, too.   These talismans go by many names: charm bag, mojo bag, medicine bag, conjure hand, gris-gris bag, trick bag. They come in all shapes and sizes, can be used for almost any purpose, are fairly easy to make and offer powerful magic.   Elohim Leafar –…

    Although we Pagans and Witches celebrate many festivals throughout the year, Hallowe’en (which most of us call by its old Celtic name of Samhain) is the one that most people know about. Although of course, their concept of witches and what they get up to at this time of year is pretty far removed from ours!   Whilst I enjoy seeing all the Hallowe’en trappings in the shops, carving pumpkin lanterns and handing out sweets to trick-or-treating children, all of that has about as much relevance to the true meaning of Samhain as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer has to the true meaning of Christmas.   For me,…

Hexing     Hexing, this is a word that conjures up images of Shakespeare’s witches in Macbeth huddled over a bubbling cauldron; of the Sanderson sisters in Hocus Pocus and of Terry Pratchett’s Granny Weatherwax (who doesn’t love that ol’ gal). Bring up hexing at a Meet-up or discussion group and suddenly you are bombarded by someone quoting the Three Fold Law, The Wiccan Rede and Karma.   According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary: Hex – \’heks\ verb Etymology: Pennsylvania German hexe, from German hexen, from Hexe witch, from Old High German hagzissa; akin to Middle English hagge hag. Date 1830 1: to put a hex on 2: to affect…