PaganPages.org

Spiralled Edges – Disconnection A persistent sinus congestion that has rather overstayed its welcome moved into my middle ears last week. I’m not deaf, I can still hear, but everything is somewhat muted. It has left me feeling cut off from most of the world around me though, or at least from the sounds in the world. This in turn has caused me to have trouble focusing, and has made following conversations near impossible.   I tell you this, not to garner sympathy, but because it reminds me of a discussion that I had this week about ways of re-establishing our connection to Spirit when we feel disconnected. For those…

Stone Color Symbolism Stones have many uses.  They  can be used for divination, meditation, healing and magic. You can keep your stones in a cloth bag large enough to fit your hand into. If you have an affinity for a certain stone or its color you can wear a ring or a necklace setting of that color or type of stone. You can also place stones in medicine bags to carry in your pocket or to place around your neck. If you know someone who does jewelry or lapidary work, you can have the specific stone of your choice mounted in a ring or necklace setting. This is a brief list of what each color symbolizes: White:   Spiritual guidance, being…

  Kiara, Episode 9 Annabelle appeared as Matron was having breakfast. Matron rang down for another serving for her adopted daughter, despite her protests about not being hungry. Matron had never been a soft person, but the noisy child with a head full of butterflies had somehow found a caring place in her heart, that even she had never known existed. The child’s arrival, – and the callous instructions to dispose of her, had begun the rift between the matron and the goblin which had led to the events of last night. Matron smiled as the child chattered away gaily. She was obviously totally unaware of the events of last…

Gaia “Gaia, the beautiful, rose up, Broad blossomed, She that is the steadfast base of all things. And fair, Gaia first bore the starry heaven, equal to Herself, to cover her on all sides, and to be a home for the blessed gods” ~~ Hesiod, Ancient Greek Poet In the beginning, there was Chaos — and then, Gaia rose. ********************************************* (Photo credit: Pinterest) There was no shape, no boundaries; chaos coalesced into our Mother, Gaia, the Earth beneath our feet, Great Mother of us all, complete within Herself. Before Time, there was only She. Time, named Chronos, was her child, but she was lonely and felt desire. She created Uranus,…

Green Man mask Merry meet. Beltane celebrates life at the peak of spring. The earth is bursting with potential, passion, vitality, joy and fertility. It’s when Flora, the May Queen falls in love with the young Oak King, also known as Jack-In-The-Green and the Green Man, and they consummate their union. During celebrations, you often see men wearing a mask of green leaves. They can be made of dyed leather, papier mache and clay. Elaborate ones can cost more than $200. To prepare for your ritual, consider making one for $4 from the dollar store – or for free if you have the materials on hand. I started with a…

There are places around the world that not all would call *sacred*. I would hazard a guess that Witches and Pagans see the world differently than most, and would call sacred many things that the mundane world does not. Today, I write of two of them, both visited on a recent drive from FL back to my home in MA (US). You will notice that this column is mostly photographs, as they speak much louder than anything else I might say of these two magnificent places — gifts to us from the Goddess Gaia. All photographs were taken by Joe Stanley, Jr. and myself. The Angel Oak, South Carolina, US…

Art by: Boy So Blue Graphic Arts and photography With all the right wing and reactionary posts which have seeped into many pagan groups in this last year, I have been forced to reappraise my own position. I did not feel comfortable posting to pages that shared narrow-minded and bigoted views. I stepped back for a while and looked to my own beliefs. I realised that participation in group activities is not totally necessary to re-affirm our own personal stance. I turned my focus to what is important to me as an individual. I have friends from many mainstream religions and I detest Christian bashing as much as any other form…

Notes from the Apothecary: Birch Image: A silver birch from my own garden, hung with fat balls that feed birds and squirrels alike. Samuel Taylor Coleridge called the birch the ‘Lady of the Woods’, and I am inclined to agree. I have always found this tree to have a very feminine presence. At a sacred wood that I visit from time to time, there is a crossroads of tracks and on one side there are great, old oaks, and on the other slender but gnarled, ancient birch trees. This place always feels like it is a meeting point for male and female energy. Not a point of balance exactly; more…

Spring Cleaning! First a quick chant to get you in the groove…..Thanks to Mid-Stride Moxie!   What better way to start a new season then with aromatic, healthy, safe ways to clean and fragrance your homes. Here are a few recipes to help you get started:   Mold Buster 2 teaspoons Tea Tree essential oil 2 Cups Water Add to a spray bottle, shake before using. Apply to mold and mildew, do not rinse off. Nothing works as well for mold and mildew as Tea Tree.   Scented Sheets to Help Sleep Sheets scented with Essential Oil of Lavender help to induce sleep. There are a few ways to accomplish this.…

  A Witch on a Celtic Path Celtic Triad: Three things to be avoided by the Wise: expecting the impossible, grieving over the irretrievable, fearing the inevitable. Witchcraft is often described as a new age religion, especially with the emergence of Wicca, the religious practice strongly associated with modern witchcraft, in the 20th Century. However, you only need to look as far as the nearest fairy tale anthology to realise the term witch has been with us for millennia, in many different forms. The Old English words wicce and wicca were used for female and male magical practitioners as far back as 890 CE. This shows us that witchcraft is…