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Resolutions It’s the time of year for making New Year’s Resolutions. Promises to one’s self that are invariably broken before the first crocuses and snow drops push up from the Earth at Imbolc. This year, as I consider once more resolutions and people around me talk of their hopes for the coming year, I have been looking more closely at what resolution actually means and where the word comes from: late 14c., “a breaking into parts,” from Old French resolution (14c.) or directly from Latin resolutionem (nominative resolutio) “process of reducing things into simpler forms,” from past participle stem of resolvere “loosen”. Sense of “a solving” (as of mathematical problems)…

    The English Magic Tarot is a Tarot deck created through the combined efforts of Rex Van Ryn, the creator of the thinking behind the deck and the original artwork, and Steve Dooley, the talented artist who provided the vibrant palate of colors found in this deck, and Andy Letcher, the author of the companion book, with plenty of cross-pollination of talents between them all. This 78 card deck and the soft-cover companion book are published by Weiser Books, and they come in a sturdy and brilliantly colored box, the cover of which pictures The Fool of the Major Arcana, a fitting first look at this exciting deck for…

Four Paths of Yoga   (Photo: elsavier.com)   Last time, I spoke of the Five Paths of Wisdom within Kundalini Yoga, the yogic tradition that I follow. This month, I will be talking of the Four Paths of Yoga, in general. Karma Yoga is the path of action. It is represented by mindfulness and service to others. It is very good for those whose personalities are more outgoing. Those who practice Karma Yoga give no thought to themselves or to any type of reward for what they do. They do the best that they can, tuning in to their own inner teacher and to Divinity itself. “Karma Yoga is the…

GoodGod! Meet the Gods: Janus (Image by Samantha Sullivan) Merry meet. January is named for Janus, the Roman God of Gates and Doors. His name comes from the Latin word ianua, which means door. Gates and doors divide two places. Going through them, you leave one space and enter another. That makes it fitting that Janus presides over New Year’s Day, when we close the door on one year and open the door to another. The god Saturn bestowed upon Janus the ability to see into the future as well as the past, thus it is appropriate that he is depicted as having two faces – one looking behind looking…

January 2017 for Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times   Bright Blessings! By the time you read this, Solstice, all the days of Yule including Twelfth Night, and Xmas, and New Years will be over with. Some of you will be heaving a huge sigh of relief as all responsibilities for the Holidays will be done and over with, and you can start arguing with the kids/significant other as to how soon the decorations should be put away. The obligatory gift exchanges, party going, and family trips and visits will be over with, and many of you (not me) will be feeling fat and guilty for all the holiday snacking…

ACHLYS Achlys (pronounced Akh-Loos) is the name, and personification, of Eternal Night. (Photo: Pinterest) She is also known as Mist of Death, which is another meaning of Her name. It describes the mist that fell before one’s eyes before dying. As such, Her likeness was borne upon the Shield of Hercules. She is a pale, thin Goddess with long sharp fingernails, which she will use as claws, which in turn explains Her bloody cheeks. Her teeth are as fangs. She is covered in dust, as She roams the world. Her incessant crying gives her the name of the Goddess of Misery and Sadness. One of Her myths is that She…

Notes from the Apothecary: Holly   (Image credit: Pere López via Wikimedia)   The holly, dark green, Made a resolute stand, He is armed with many spear points Wounding the hand. (Cad Goddeu, The Book of Taliesin, 14th Century.) Holly immediately conjures up images of snowy woods and midwinter frosts, and it has been a staple of solstice celebrations since at least Roman times. The festival of Saturnalia ran for a week or so around the shortest day, and holly was included in wreaths and garlands, it’s evergreen leaves and red berries a promise of the spring that was to come. Also, as a sacred plant of Saturn, holly was…

(King of Swords Tarot Card from the artist Ciro Marchetti http://www.ciromarchetti.com/)**   For this last essay of the year 2016, let’s go back to the Court Cards of the Tarot by examining a Tarot “royal,” the King of Swords. A good start would be to review some information regarding 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…

Barbara Meiklejohn-Free: The Highland Seer     Author and shamanic practitioner Barbara Meiklejohn-Free has a variety of hats, including flautist, singer and seer. She was recently in the limelight with her magical partner Flavia Kate Peters, on the TV show Celebrity Haunted Hotel. Barbara took some time out to answer a few questions about her projects past, present and future. Mabh Savage: You describe yourself as a Highland Seer. Can you tell us a bit about what this means? Barbara Meiklejohn-Free: It’s part of a long lineage line, dating back to 15th century, that’s been handed down to me by the previous Highland Seer, Swein Macdonald. He spotted my gifts…

  Calling Kali-Ma (Kali The Awakener from the Daughters of the Moon deck) Merry meet. We are coming into some dark times, and one of the most powerful and the most frightening of the dark goddesses is Kali-Ma. While she represents the Dark Mother, this article is focused on Her as the warrior. In the Hindu tradition, Kali is the Goddess of death, destruction and resurrection. She is fierce. She wears a belt of skulls, there is blood dripping from her mouth as she stands upon the body of her husband, holding up his severed head and, in another hand, the machete she used. Kali was created to destroy the…