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Harvest Stir-Fry with Shrimp        If you are like me, you either make too much pasta or not enough. Generally, I err on the side of too much. So I often use leftover pasta in stir-fries. Pasta reheats fabulously in the stir-fry pan, and absorbs the flavors of the cooking oil, vegetables and other seasonings.      The other day, I went to the farmer’s market in Downtown Buffalo. I bought these wonderful purple and pale green peppers, as well as cherry tomatoes and zucchini. I decided to use them in the stir-fry with the leftover pasta. I also had onion and shrimp. Here is the recipe and…

“The Good Witch’s Guide: A Modern-Day Wiccapedia of Magical Ingredients and Spells”     by Shawn Robbins and Charity Bedell Published by Sterling Ethos Published: 2017 Pages: 305   Rituals, History, aromatherapy, crystals, candle magic, spiritual alchemy, potions, tinctures, herbs and recipes are just some of the topics covered in this hardcover book that’s approximately six inches by six and a half inches. It’s an inch thick and just feels good to hold.   As a “Wiccapedia,” it covers all the topics you need to know, and then offers lists for additional reading and reference materials.   The section on herbal folklore includes information about botanicals for health and healing,…

Trismegistia: Alchemical Music     Hailing from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Trismegistia is the brainchild of Daniel Faria, creator of the Santuário Lunar (Moon Shrine) website. A musical project steeped in paganism and mythology, I was intrigued, and after listening to the tracks on Spotify, was lucky enough to grab some time with Daniel to find out a bit more about this relatively new project.   Mabh Savage: How did this musical project start?   Daniel Faria: Trismegistia started by chance. Jesse Guelfi and I shot the short film Nunnos in December, 2016. The idea was to make a short film honouring Cernunnos. The video would be part of Jesse’s…

Goddess Leading      Raised in a Christian household, as an adult I was actively involved in my church, following in my mother’s footsteps. But then, six months after she died, I did a simple ceremony to release her and felt a powerful feminine Presence materialize in the ethers beside me. “I will be your Mother now,” that Presence said. Only much later did I realize it was the Goddess, She Who was never ever mentioned in my world. And suddenly, all I wanted to do in my leisure time was search out esoteric books on Celtic lore and times, a hunger within propelling me that I didn’t understand. During…

Handfasting   I recently got married, and while I was planning my wedding I decided to look into the tradition of Handfasting. I remember attending one a few years ago and thought it was beautiful. I had heard of them, but that was the first one I’d ever been to. I decided to look more into it to see if it was something my husband and I would want to incorporate into our day.   The first thing I wanted to find out was obviously the meaning behind it and the history. When the tradition was in its prime it was generally set for a year and a day. If…

CRYSTALS AND SACRED SITES BY JUDY HALL It was with great pleasure that I received this book for review. I am a great believer in the efficacy of crystals, as well as being a fan of Judy Hall, having two of her other books. I found this book extremely interesting. After a brief discussion of how landscape affects us – “our minds are shaped by the landscape around us”, and how most sacred sites are built on land which is a combination of “geological, geomagnetic, symbolic, astronomical, mythological and shamanic factors”, she touches upon the choosing, purifying and awakening of your crystals. The bulk of the book revolves around sacred…

  Bad Witch’s Guide to Crystals I am a bad witch. There are a long list of reasons why I am a bad witch. Having been out of the broom closet for some considerable number of years I would on occasion get asked “but you’re a good witch though?” My response to that depending on the person asking but I found I started to say “yes, a very, very good witch” rather darkly as it usually got the point across. I used to have a rock collection as a kid. I always wanted to “take a piece” of special places I visited home with me. I was particularly fond of…

Notes from the Apothecary: Aconite     What a wide range of marvellously maleficent names this poisonous plant boasts: Monkshood, Devil’s Helmet, Queen of Poisons, and my favourite, Wolf’s Bane, to name but a few. Unlike most of the plants and herbs we have discussed on this column, this herb is not to be trifled with. DO NOT PICK OR EAT as this plant can be deadly. However, this plant has potent magical power, and a history in folklore to be envied.   The Kitchen Garden   This is not a plant for your kitchen garden, that needs to be said from the outset! Although beautiful, with blue to violet…

THE FOUNDATION OF CONJURE Despite all the information out there on Conjure, no one to my knowledge has ever written about its foundation. You see plenty of works, or “spells” as outsiders call the work, but there is no mention of the foundation of this work. Is it because folks don’t think it’s important? Is it because they really don’t know? Or is it something else? It really is food for thought. It is one of the first lessons I learned as a young worker and one of the most important. I have found in today’s conjure world that it isn’t enough for folks to know the work; they want…

  MAY-bon, MAY-bun, MAY-bone, MAH-boon or MAH-bawn, – Lesser Sabbat Fall/Autumn Equinox, September 21-23 Michaelmas (September 25th, Christian), Second Harvest Festival, Witches’ Thanksgiving, Harvest Home (Anglo-Celtic), Feast of Avalon, Wine Harvest, Festival of Dionysus, Cornucopia, Equinozio di Autunno (Strega), Chung Chiu (China), Night of the Hunter, Alban Elfed “The Light of the Water”(Caledonii/ Druidic-celebrates Lord of the Mysteries), Winter Finding (Teutonic, from Equinox ’til Winter Night or Nordic New Year, Oct 15th.) Mabon is considered a time of the Mysteries. It is a time to honor Aging Deities and the Spirit World. Considered a time of balance, it is when we stop and relax and enjoy the fruits of our…