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Imbolc 2016 for Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times Bright Blessings! It’s about a week before my Yule Celebration with friends, and already, I am putting together my 2016 Imbolc article. Time does fly. Last year, I wrote about the ancient focus on the goddess Brigid, and how modern Catholics keep her traditions alive. The ritual I submitted focused on self-change at the time of Spring’s first awakenings. That article can be found here: https://paganpages.org/emagazine/2015/02/celebrating-the-old-ways-in-new-times-6/ My article had a working to initiate self-change. My own self- change was focused on eating better. I improved some, and then I did not improve any further. Something happened a couple of months ago…

Basic Venison Stew I have always been at home in the woods and fields and along the creeks and lakes. I learned to fish at such a young age I don’t remember when it was. My brothers and sisters and I used to collect empty shotgun shells from the fields from the fall hunting and feathers from pheasants. Often, my mother would receive a roast of venison or several pounds of mixed ground venison and pork, which she would make into chili or meat sauce. Generally she didn’t tell us beforehand what it was but it was obvious from the way it tasted. I was usually the only one who…

Notes from the Apothecary: Chives     I love chives. They are so easy to grow in the kitchen garden, and the glorious purple globes are somehow magically supported by the slender, green stems that we love to eat. Chives grow all over North America, Europe, Asia and Australia and are easily cultivated. They are the only member of the onion family that spans the globe east to west. Like most flowers that have colours approaching the ultra-violet end of the light spectrum, they attract a huge array of butterflies. They also attract bees, so even if you never pick a single chive stem, you are helping the environment by…

What Is It You Are Joining? Last month, I wrote about the considerations given before deciding to become part of a magickal group. My own journey since April of this past year has been in forming a new coven and providing the place of community for those seeking a spiritual home that encompasses more than that of solitary practice. To that end a new coven was birthed at the Winter Solstice and a new family of seekers was welcomed. This month I would like to provide the perspective of the person(s) who are providing the home and space of learning that may become the place of consideration and deciding factor…

Isis I have chosen Isis for this month’s column because I do believe it is time for us and Her to reclaim Her name from those who use it to bring terror, evil, murder and injustice into our world. She is a Goddess from the beginning and She is still worshipped today. Let Her name be heard and live beyond those who dishonor her. “There, in the beginning was Isis, Oldest of the Old, She was the Goddess from whom all Becoming arose. She was the Great Lady, Mistress of the Two Lands, Mistress of Shelter, Mistress of Heaven, Mistress of the House of Life. She was the Unique. In…

George Nicholas: Cernunnos Rising     Just before Yule I was fortunate enough to catch up with a favourite interviewee of Pagan Pages, George Nicholas of Pagan band, Cernunnos Rising. George was kind enough to bring us up to speed with what’s been happening since he last spoke to us. MS: It’s been five years since we last spoke to you, and there have been two more Cernunnos Rising albums in that time. How has the band evolved? Who are you working with currently? GN: Albums to date have been Cernunnos Rising, Wild Soul, Urban Druid, and the latest is Nature’s Child. The band members are now Martin Robinson on…

A Conversation with the Muse I found myself in a large cave, and my goddess, who as you may know is also my muse, was looking every inch a faery queen. Her beauty always leaves me breathless. She seemed to be wearing a circlet of pearls woven into a silver band made from many fine strands. The strands of silver seemed to branch out from the core and formed interweaving spirals, between the pearls. Her ebony hair flowed down into the shadows and her deep brown eyes filled my mind with half-forgotten memories of sun-drenched foliage and warm moist air. “You have not visited us for a while”, She said…

Healing Crystals for Men Amethyst A “Master Healing Crystal”. Also called “the Royal Stone”. Amethyst’s most noted healing quality is its ability to purify and transmute all forms of negativity. Get a large Amethyst Crystal cluster for your home or office to protect yourself from hostile energies around you. If anxiety causes shortness of breath, put the cluster on or near your chest and breath slowly for a few minutes to lessen the symptoms. Consider a large, well-set amethyst gemstone ring to enhance your personal magnetism and to provide mental clarity. Amethyst is also helpful for migraines, arthritic pains, and connecting to one’s spirituality for guidance. Diamond “The King of…

What Goes on in Putting Together a Pagan Festival Mama Bear hopes you all had a wonderful Yule. Now that everything has settled down, with the holiday season, I hope you’re enjoying a calm, restful time of the year. Most people I know enjoy the winter months as a time for drawing inward, introspection, and self-work. Not this Mama Bear! Between classes and festival preparation, it seems as if every day is a new and magical adventure! Someone asked me what it takes to put on a pagan festival, so… What goes on in producing a Pagan festival: time, money, blood, sweat, tears and a lot of coffee. (Hail Caffinea!)…

The republication of Hilda Roderick Ellis’ (later Davidson) The Road to Hel, published initially in 1943, was an exciting event. It was one of the first attempts to correlate archaeological evidence with the data from surviving literature on the Norse views of the afterlife, the soul, the cult of the dead, and the journey to the land of the dead. I read it through with avidity, and only afterwards noticed that I already possess three other books by her on similar subjects, spanning her career from 1943 to 1993. I decided to take one topic, the land spirits. Over the course of fifty years, the author’s familiarity with archæological data…