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That chocolate is a magical drug is something that every woman knows. It can nurse you through any kind of heartbreak, it can make you fall in love (provided someone buys you enough of it) and it helps you cope with the everyday stress of a million things. No wonder then that chocolate gifts are something that work for any occasion. But is it just a delicious treat that makes you feel good or is there some serious magic at work here?     The ancient Mayans who are credited with first discovering and cultivating cacao beans, the source of chocolate certainly thought so. Archaeological evidence shows that chocolate in…

Spiralled Edge – Finding the Hearth and Heart   Once upon a time, the Hearth and Heart of a home would have been the main room with a large fireplace for cooking and heating, where people went about their daily lives. The fireplace would have been the focal point of the room. But many houses don’t have fireplaces these days, or they may be mostly ornamental with a fake fire, and we certainly don’t have huge fireplaces. The focal point in that main room has become a TV set, not a fireplace.     Gradually, the hearth became the cooker. And the heart of a home moved into the kitchen.…

(Apprentice of the Wind.  Original Piece by Imelda Almqvist) Here is last night’s conversation in the Almqvist family (I wrote it down verbatim as it unfolded) Youngest Son: “Mum, I know you fly around on your broomstick but I can’t see it anywhere!”   Me: “I have made my broomstick invisible – so no one borrows it without asking first. For instance Middle Son when he runs with elks in the Forest at midnight…   My husband: “I want a GPS on my broomstick so don’t end up having a full frontal collision with somebody else flying around in complete darkness…”   Middle Son: “I just want a normal broom…

TAMAR (Lovingly Dedicated to my Goddess-Sister, Tamara)   Tamar was an ancient Goddess in Georgia. She lived in a palace in the mountains. This palace was built by storks and nightingales. She rode a serpent bridled with gold.     (Photo Credit: Pinterest)     Tamar captured Dilis Varskulavi, the Morning Star, who was the Master of Winter.   When he escaped, which he did repeatedly, the snow would come. As many times as he would break free, each summer, Tamar would re-capture him to bring summer, which she ruled, back to the land.   This made Tamar a Sky Goddess, who controlled the weather and the seasons.   A…

Tarot Mysteries: Rediscovering the Real Meaning of the Cards by Jonathan Dee Published by Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc., Charlottesville, VA (previously published in 2003 by Zambezi Publishing, Limited, Devon, UK) Soft Cover, 321 pages The Tarot Mysteries is published as a paperback, with a glossy cover printed on typical soft-cover stock, measuring 8 ½ by 5 ½ inches. The interior pages consist of black and white tables and card images and nicely-sized typeface printed on a cream-colored paper that feels substantial under my fingers, as if it will stand up to lots of turning back and forth to revisit pages in the book. That is good, because in my…

Ten of Swords (The Ten of Swords Card is from the artist Ciro Marchetti http://www.ciromarchetti.com/)** After all this time talking about the Tarot together, we have not yet explored the Tens of the Minor Arcana! Let’s remedy that right now, and talk about the Ten of Swords, a card which could be in the running for “the most frightening card in the deck.” This will be the first time we talk about the Tens, so first a review of some basic information. 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,…

(Loo-nas-ah) Major Sabbat (High Holiday) – Fire Festival August 1, 2     Other Names: Lunasa (meaning August), Lughnasaad, Lughnasa Celtic),First Harvest, August Eve, Feast of Cardenas, Feast of Bread, Tailltean Games(Irish), Teltain Cornucopia (Strega), Ceresalia (Ancient Roman) Harvest Home, Thingtide (Teutonic), Lammas (Christian). Laa Luanys, Elembious, Festival of Green Corn (Native American) Animals and Mythical beings: Griffins, Basilisks, Roosters, Calves, Centaurs, Phoenix Gemstones: aventurine, citrine, peridot, sardonyx, yellow diamonds, citrine Incense and Oils: wood aloes, rose, rose hips, rosemary, chamomile, eucalyptus, safflower, corn, passionflower, frankincense, sandalwood Colors: red, orange, golden yellow, green, light brown, gold, bronze, gray Tools, Symbols, and Decorations: corn, cornucopias, red, yellow flowers, sheaves of grain (wheat, barley, oats), first fruits/vegetables of…

Sauteed Zucchini with Onions and Mushrooms   Since my last posting, I have moved into a new home and I finally have a real kitchen again! It’s so nice to have counter space and storage space! I am still getting settled but I have lots of plans for magical meals and witchy ways to make your culinary life more charming. It’s the height of the summer harvest season and everywhere you look, there’s zucchini! Your garden is overflowing with the bountiful green squash, at work, your co-workers bring in extras from their gardens, every farmer’s market has baskets filled to the brim with zucchini and summer squash both. There are…

  I love getting books from authors I have not read before, as I have no expectations and can approach with a totally open mind. I was particularly looking forward to reading Imelda’s volume, as it deals with supporting the spirituality of younger people and children. Having children myself (and another on the way!) and remembering how my own spiritual journey stems back to when I was very, very young, I was intrigued to read the thoughts of someone who deals with this every day of their life.   From the start, Imelda’s book is very accessible. Although there are some parts which deal with practical shamanic work which will…

Before I had children people often said to me that children learn foreign languages by osmosis, they “pick up a foreign language as easily as adults pick up a common cold”. I am Dutch, married to a Swede but our family is living in London, UK. To my mind that meant three languages ready to be absorbed by osmosis! The reality was different. Our eldest son had Dutch as his first language until age three (when he started nursery). By then his brother was 18 months old. Between them the boys never spoke another language than English, from day one. A third brother was born and he was slow walking…