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This month, we will talk about the last card of the deck: The World, known in some decks as The Universe. First, we should quickly define and describe some terms. There are 22 Major Arcana cards in a Tarot deck, 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. An archetype (pronounced “ark eh type”) is a generic, idealized model of a person, an object, or a concept which can be copied, patterned, or imitated. The term archetype often refers to one of…

FOR HER DIAMOND BIRTHDAY, Z BUDAPEST IS A REAL JEWEL!! INTERVIEW WITH Z BUDAPEST – APRIL 23, 2015 Recently, I had the privilege and honor to interview Z Budapest. For me, like so many of us, Z Budapest was my first introduction to a women-based spirituality that so filled a need, a hunger for a deity that belonged to me, to us , after lifetimes of being told we were worthless in the patriarchal religions of our birth. For those of us who were/are also feminists, Dianic Witchcraft brought our spirituality and our feminism together in a way that had been lacking. To most of us, the fight for women’s…

Witches Soul Work: RITUAL FOR THE JOURNEY “Death exists in the Universe with the same levels of joy and reality as does birth. For the soul which dies free from fear, death is a spreading of one’s spiritual wings, the ability to merge into the Dreaming and find rest and recreation before entering the womb.”( Beyrl 1990, p.119) “It is our belief that Death is a time of spiritual wonder, an opportunity to seek union with the Divine.” (Beyrl 1990, p. 124) Although there is no ‘bible’ for Witches because it is a non-dogmatic spiritual path, there are common beliefs that are held by most practitioners of the Craft. Most…

Notes from the Apothecary: Cinnamon The smell of cinnamon conjures up memories of warm, spicy food such as fresh apple pie, or mulled wine; anything to keep you cosy as the cold nights draw in. As Fall (autumn) approaches, I thought it would be nice to examine one of the spices that is truly part of the magic of the cold season. The Kitchen Garden Much of the cinnamon you will find in your kitchen is actually Cassia bark; a very similar substance that makes up the majority of cinnamon sticks we buy. The best cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka and is generally somewhat paler in colour and slightly thinner…

Preface The practice described below is personal; for just as anyone fluent in a language will speak it somewhat differently from everyone else, so anyone who has passed the initiation of the second degree does so by the emergence of a knack, or personal style in witchcraft. So what is described below is intended as a model only. This is how I practice the Craft on a daily basis; what is your way? The second point here is that this is daily practice only. Esbat rituals, sabbats, following the Anglo-Saxon or Ogham calendars, and such, concern what one does at longer intervals. Finally, as the author is a solitary (though…

Using a Crystal Ball As the Wheel of the Year approaches Samhain and the days grow dark and the nights long, it becomes the time for scrying. This is not something that can be done in the brightness of a hot summer day. This is for the mystery of night and the dark. Even summer nights can be too alive with light for a good scrying session. But the cloudy darkness of October and November nights – the early fall of evening and the reluctant rise of the autumnal sun – makes for the best time to practice those arts that require the dark. Scrying, whether with a bowl of…

Ancestor Altar Merry meet. As Samhain approaches, thoughts turn to honoring the ancestors. It is a common practice to create an altar to recognize the long line of descendants that came before. With the veil thin between our world and theirs, we take time to sit with those who have departed, welcoming them back and listening for their messages. There’s no one way to make an ancestor altar; it can be as simple as a photograph and a cup of tea or large and elaborate with pictures, mementos, candles and flowers. Until this year, I would put add a photograph of my parents and their parents taken at my parent’s…

Welcome   ___________________________________________________________ This month’s issue is brought to you by Etiary.com  ___________________________________________________________   In This Issue…   Curious as to what Etiary.com is yet?  Well read up here on the all new Pagan/Witch Social Network site that is quickly growing in popularity!   Our Mabh Savage interviews Nimue Brown this month in Druidry and Dreams.   Jazz gives her open and honest opinion on Soaring- A Teen’s Guide to Spirit & Spirituality by Deneen Vukelic   New on Shelves this past August was Meera Lee Patel’s beautiful Book Start Where you are, have a look.   and…   If you are looking for a good book to add to…

We have not talked about the Aces in a while, so let’s revisit these unique members of the Pip cards. Aces are different from the other Minors, as they are seen as being the seeds of their suit and element, rather than the manifestation of their suit and element. Aces are not material; they are tendencies that are the foundation of the manifestations of their suit; the Ace of Pentacles, our card for this month, is not Earth, but a tendency to become Earth! Let’s begin our process of breaking down this Ace. The Ace of Pentacles is a Minor Arcana card, so we know right away that the message…

A quiet knock on the door brought Kiara back to the room with a start. The lock turned and a young girl appeared with a supper tray. She was thin, with a boyish figure and lank hair and pale greasy skin. Kiara thought that she looked very tired and unhappy. She greeted her with a wave, but just received a wary look in return. The servant girl placed the tray on a little breakfast table and left without a word. Again, the clicking of the lock and Kiara was alone. She sat on the single chair provided and picked at her food with little appetite. It was obviously left-overs from…