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Queen Liliuokalani This is the very sad story of the last monarch of Hawaii, Queen Liliuokalani, the trials and tribulations of the indigenous Hawaiians and her extended battle with the rich American plantation owners who eventually coerced her to give up her throne. Liliuokalani was born in Honolulu on September 2, 1838, and, in keeping with a very interesting Hawaiian custom, she was adopted by another family, Abner Paki, his wife, Konia, and their daughter, Bernice Pauahi. As I write this I wonder why Bernice wasn’t adopted by another family. My first thought was perhaps it was tradition only in royal families, but Konia was the granddaughter of King Kamehameha…

Maia (Photo Credit: femcompetitor.com) Maia is the Goddess for whom the month of May is named.  Various meanings of her name are *grandmother*, *midwife*, *wise one*, *She Who is Great*. In Rome, she was also known as “Maia Maiestas”, meaning “Maia the Majestic”. While much of Her story has been forgotten, there are a few things we do know about Her. She was the eldest daughter of Atlas and Pleione, the oldest of what came to be known as the Pleiades; as such, in Greece, She was also called the Goddess of the Night Sky. The Pleiades were the 7 Sisters who were nymphs in the company of Artemis. Their…

There is a sense in which the favorite deity has already chosen the devotee, and an early step in establishing a devotional relationship is to examine any unusual dreams or waking experiences that seem to be messages from someone. Think back through your past, looking for experiences that preceded important turning points in your attitude and approach to life. The experiences themselves need not have been unusual in any obvious sense, making their influence on us all the more mysterious. I can remember one morning long ago when I was up at dawn walking to breakfast. I had had a personal disappointment the night before, when suddenly a bright-eyed old…

Last month in April, as we looked for the sacred in the mundane world, I shared information and photography of The Angel Oak in Charlston, SC. This month, I share with the beauty and majesty of The Luray Caverns. All photos taken by Susan Morgaine and Joe Stanley, Jr. Enjoy! The Luray Caverns, Virginia (US)

Welcoming the Fae Merry meet. Those in some traditions celebrate the magical link between the Fae and humans. For many, Beltane is one of the times of year when the veil between their world and ours is the thinnest. The Fae are faery folk, or nature spirits, thought to be an ancient race that have existed alongside humans for thousands of years. They tend to be shy and keep to themselves. It is polite not to intrude. It’s said the Fae will appear under a full moon in a grove if it is populated with oak, ash and hawthorn. Celtic legend associates the Fae with caverns and springs, making those…

We are in between Sabbats. Many of us just celebrated our Beltaine, and may not have even packed up all our ritual supplies yet and already are planning for Summer Solstice! Because I’m going to wait until next time to write about Solstice, I decided to write about one of my favorite topics. Food!!! The weather is shaping up and we are beginning the warm weather festival season. What would festivals be without the food? If you go to big mainstream community gatherings, you pay to eat from food trucks and grilles- but for us Pagans, many of our festivals are smaller, private, and akin to family barbeques. Thus, Pagans…

Notes from the Apothecary: Hawthorn What would May be without May Blossom? The sweet yet pungent, delicate creamy petals that appear as if from nowhere; a pale messenger of summer’s imminent return. Since I was a little girl we have brought hawthorn flowers, or May Blossom, into the house at or around Beltane, of course always asking the trees permission, and thanking it for its gift. The smell would hover around our hearth for days, and the resulting bare branches once the blossom had died would be burnt on the next bonfire. Hawthorn has more folklore surrounding it that any tree I know, and is particularly mentioned in Celtic and…

BUGS!!!!!  The Natural Way   Mosquito Repellents For those looking for nonchemical alternatives, plant-based mosquito repellents are now available. Most are made with plant oils that repel mosquitoes, including basil, citronella, castor,cedar, eucalyptus, rosemary, lemongrass, peppermint, onion, garlic, feverfew, clove and geranium. But these products are more susceptible to elements like perspiration and wind, so they must be reapplied more frequently. Add Catnip to this list Catnip is about ten times more effective at repelling mosquitoes than DEET — the compound used in most commercial insect repellents.   Flea Collars Apply a few drops of Cedarwood to your dogs collar. Will help to repel fleas.   Insect Bites Moisten a cotton swab in Fresh Lemon Juice, Apple…

Meditation as a Way of Life By Alan L. Pritz Recently, Pagan Pages was contacted by Quest Books to offer the book, “Meditation As a Way of Life” by Alan L. Pritz, for a book review. As the Meditation columnist and long time Kundalini Yoga and Meditation teacher, the book was forwarded to me by my editor. While it was not broken down as such, to me, the book was written in two parts; one being the spiritual journey of Reverend Pritz and the second being the *how-to* of meditation. As an interfaith minister, Reverend Pritz states that he deems spirituality as “nondenominational and ideally suited for inner awakening”. I…

The Enochian Tarot Sometimes you are attracted to a divinatory system as if you were mandated by some celestial being. You know – as soon as you see that deck of cards or that pendulum or those beautifully polished runes – that those are meant for you. Sometimes it’s more a matter of fate – you pick up some divination method accidentally and come to use it on a daily basis. There are also the divination tools that you only use for special occasions – a crystal ball for Samhain, for example – or a special set of Tarot cards for a Full Moon ritual. Generally, you only have divination…