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Messages from the Goddess Amulets It’s the Harvest Season, and I have gone to the Amulets of the Goddess to ask them what messages they have for us. What can they tell us about our personal harvest? This was what they had to say.   Primal Mother and Child   Know that you belong and you are loved. You have a place and a purpose on the Earth. Cultivate a richer and deeper sense of being a part of the world, of being a part of yourself. Accept the unconditional love that is there for you. The love of a mother for her child. The love of the Universe for…

Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times Mabon 2015 I have been so busy gardening and learning about seeds, soil, and planning next year’s planting that Mabon, or second harvest, snuck up on me this time. I just can’t believe how fast this year is going by! Friends all shared their first harvests at Lughnasadh time. Some grew veggies, others flowers and herbs. Everybody gave thanks for the first things they harvested. My husband was so proud to bring the first tomato and the first berries of the season in to eat. Fast forward a month and a half, and we are cleaning up some garden debris and saving seeds…

STONEHENGE & THE SALISBURY PLAIN (Photo from duidry.org) There are not many places on this earth that evoke more emotion amongst Pagans, Wiccans, Druids and Witches than Stonehenge. It has become a place to gather on the Solstices, and other sacred holidays. It is a place of healing, a place of powerful energies. Several thousand gather on the Summer Solstice annually to watch the sunrise through the stones. It has become a place of pilgrimage for many. Theories abound as to who built it and why. How was it built, considering that the bluestones come from 250 miles away in South Wales, and the upright stones are 7 feet tall,…

Using a Pendulum with Tarot Cards or Oracle Cards When I was researching last month’s column on using a Pendulum, I found a blog called “New Age Blog” written by Travor Mayes. The page I was on was from 2009, but it had an entry about using your Pendulum in conjunction with Tarot Cards. He said to lay out nine cards and then: “Let the pendulum select which cards apply to you with a yes answer, the pendulum will also decide how many cards to turn over.” This is of course rather confusing but I got out my Rider-Waite deck and after shuffling and cutting them the proper amount of…

Season of the Witch     The days grow cooler and the nights draw closer as an air of mystery blankets the land. As Autumn approaches the Season of the Witch begins. The scents and sights of decay delight the senses of the macabre minded, and the colorful splash of red, gold, and orange bring warmth to the shadowed landscape. This is the time I feel more alive and closer to the Lands Enchanted. I welcome the uncanny feel of bewitchment as I ready myself for the mischief and mayhem the Spirits of Shades and Shadows bring. The soulfulness of the Enchanted Realm of the Dead awaken my mind to…

Croning : miscellaneous Merry meet! This month is the last of a six-part series on croning – a feminine rite-of-passage ritual for those reclaiming the power and wisdom of the old woman, the crone. As we prepare to enter the dark half of year on Mabon, I wanted to offer some final thought about the celebration of croning. In the world of muggles, the crone is an old, ugly, unproductive woman. Her proximity to death makes her dark and scary. In the pagan community, she is the wise woman who is respected. She is a teacher and a mentor. Her proximity to death makes her powerful and able to walk…

Soaring- A Teen’s Guide to Spirit & Spirituality by Deneen Vukelic Print Length: 209 pages Publisher: Soul Rocks Books (March 27, 2015) Publication Date: March 27, 2015 Language: English This was my first time reading a teen spirituality book. As a 27 year old, I am out of the age range, so I tried to go back to when I was younger, and also tried to view this book as I would have when I was that age. I also looked at it as if I were referring it to some of my younger friends, and overall, just how I liked it. There were some aspects of the book I…

Start Where You Are: A Journal for Self-Exploration   By: Meera Lee Patel Paperback: 128 pages Publisher: Perigee Books (August 11, 2015) Language: English New on the shelves this August past is Meera Lee Patel’s book Start Where You Are. Start Where You Are is a skillful combination of beautiful and playful watercolors, inspirational quotes, and exercises or prompts to help express yourself. The art is cute and kept simple, working perfectly in combination with the selection of quotes. Ranging from Ayn Rand to Yogananda, I found some of the quotes to be rather bland, but even then Ms. Patel’s brushwork succeeded in elevating the words to the height of their sentiment. It is in…

THE MAGIC OF A SONG AND A BISCUIT! Hi my lovelies! September, ahhh, I love it! Crisp autumnal walks in the fading sunshine, crunching of leaves and nut husks underfoot and the hedgerows bedecked with scarlet berries. This is my all-time favourite time of the year. Of course this has absolutely nothing to do with the peace that descends over the land as the children are once again contained by the walls of the school, yay! The colours of autumn can quite take your breath away, here in magical Wiltshire it is glorious as the fields are stripped bare and the chaff is singed down, the trees explode into a…

Burden Baskets Merry meet. One of the joys of being pagan is that there are no rules; another is that drawing from an eclectic array of traditions is not only acceptable, it the norm. One from which I’ve drawn several customs is Native American, including using a burden basket, which is the topic of this column. Apache women wove cone-shaped baskets to hold the wild foods and useful things gathered during the day. The baskets had a carrying strap that was worn around the head or the shoulders, leaving the arms and hands free. Baskets were decorated with cone jingles, animal skin, symbols and other objects. Upon arriving home, the…