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This month, I want to talk about healing, drumming, and an amazing personal experience that involves both activities. Tina and I have been drumming for several years now, travelling to venues around Lincolnshire and demonstrating Shamanic Drumming. Many people have reported good effects and inner experiences which have helped them in their lives. I saw Tina trance many times and manifest her guide, Nicholas Black Elk. I even had an hour long training session with him at Cleethorpes beach in Lincolnshire,- when He/Tina demonstrated many variations of the basic shamanic beat and left me exhausted from trying to keep up! When I started writing these articles, it was with the…

Notes from the Apothecary: Mint     Some of my friends have had trouble growing mint but I can’t seem to stop the stuff! Each winter it dies down completely, only to return in late spring in about a dozen other places other than the one I originally planted it in. My favourite is a Black Peppermint, which has a lovely, dusky purple shade to the leaves and is deliciously pungent. As the plant itself is now returning, I thought it a perfect time to explore it in a bit more detail. The Kitchen Garden Mint has been used for culinary purposes throughout the history of many different cultures. It…

What I Want for My Birthday May is one of my favorite months. It starts with Beltane, which for me means several days spent in the woods and the fields. Mother’s Day comes ten days after that, which is another celebration. The next weekend is my birthday. May ends with Memorial Day weekend. Many regard the Memorial Day weekend as the start of the summer season but really, the entire month of May can be a celebration of the start of summer and the growing power of the sun. I personally claim it as my own party month like the taurine that I am. Every day is a holiday. If…

Dollar Store Delights Merry Meet. Magical stores are few and far between, but dollar stores are everywhere and they have a wealth of items for altars, rituals and sabbats. With Beltane in mind, I snapped these photos as examples of items you can find for $1.   The world beings to turn green and bloom at Beltane, and you can find flowers and ivy at the dollar store.   They can be stuck into the florist foam to make a wreath that goes on the door or around the base of a candle. The ivy and the flowers can also be woven into grapevine wreaths (hot glue will keep the…

Nehalennia A few weeks ago I visited a place that I wanted to go for ages: the Nehalennia Temple in Colijnsplaat (province of Zeeland in The Netherlands). It is a reconstruction (based on archaeological studies and findings), dedicated to the goddess Nehalennia. It’s free to visit, but if you want to go inside you’ll have to contact the manager beforehand. It’s better not to emphasize the pagan interest in her too much; the management is more interested in history and archaeology, and the area is considered mainly christian and not too much into paganism. The original Nehalennia Temple was situated in the international port city called Ganuenta, just 500 meters…

Everything Changes   Years ago I learned a chant in the Pagan community which went She changes everything she touches And everything she touches, changes. One of the basic tenets of any nature-based religion is that things change. Those changes may be subtle, they may be difficult to see, but over time as we move through the seasons everything changes. I am not the same person I was a year ago. And neither are you. I’m carrying a lot more grey hairs, a few more wrinkles. And a lot less emotional baggage. Sometimes, we hang on to ideas or beliefs or emotions that don’t serve us, and don’t allow us…

                          Welcome   ____________________________________________________________________     In this Issue…   A Book Review: Steampunk Magic~ Working Magic Aboard the Airship     An Interview with Hearth Moon Rising: Invoking Animal Magic   The Apothecary Teaches you all about Aloe Vera     This month begins the first of a six-part series on croning in SpellCrafting: Spells and Rituals   ____________________________________________________________________ Interested in becoming a writer with us?  Pitch us your ideas at [email protected] ____________________________________________________________________   Like us on Facebook & Follow us on Twitter!!   ____________________________________________________________________   Check out our Etsy Shop for jewelry and other cute items!  This month our reader’s…

The Book of Creative Mind This pathworking was written as the conclusion to a workshop I taught entitled “Crafting Effective Pathworkings”. The intent was to offer sample of the various components that may be used in a pathworking and to plant the seeds of creative idea for the participant’s own use in writing.   Begin by taking in the scents and sounds of this room and this space. Now gently close your eyes and turn your focus and attention to your breath. Allow your consciousness to move with the rise and fall of your chest and the filling and release of your lungs. Continue in this manner for several breaths;…

Breaking Magical Ground Hi my lovelies, wow who ordered April? I am shocked at its arrival, not only by how fast time is flying by but by the fact that it is my birthday this month, heralding me into a new number, 45…wow, now I definitely did not order that! I hope I am doing all us mad ones proud though as I defiantly poke my tongue out at another year older. My hair has been bathed in bleach and pink dye, I am still rocking out to all my favourite Metallica tunes and this Grandma is still in her uniform of jeans, trainers and a tee shirt, no slip…

Steampunk Magic~ Working Magic Aboard the Airship Author: Gypsey Elaine Teague     If you’re into to the Steampunk subculture you’ll love this book written by the Gypsey Elaine Teague, Captain of her Crew. Gypsey starts this book with a brief history of Steampunk and how it has emerged as one of the most fascinating subcultures of today. In Gypsey’s words, “Steampunk is the juxtaposition of nineteenth-century Victorian science fiction, a futuristic Victoriana, where anything is possible as long as you don’t use too much electricity, gas, diesel, or atomic power.” Each chapter begins with a quote from the likes of Aleister Crowley, Nikola Tesla, and H.P. Lovecraft before divulging…