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Witches Soul Work Part 4: The Path of the Stang “If that which thou seek thy find not within thee, thy will never find it without.” (1) The Craft involves deep soul work leading to understanding the authentic self, the connection with the divine, and understanding the Mysteries. If you were Buddhist you might called this enlightenment. What is enlightenment for Witches? Many people new to the Craft read the beginner books and think that that is all there is. I would like to share with you some of the ways that Traditional Witches do soul work, the way they approach and understand the Mysteries and an exploration of what…

Culinary Magic Merry Meet. Making magic using the objects on your altar is expected. Making magic in your kitchen may take some thought at first, but once you connect cooking and spell casting, you’ll see limitless possibilities – and cooking will go from being a chore to becoming a ritual. Since the beginning of time, meals have been about coming together of family, so that – with their knowledge and consent – you can share the magic. Eating becomes away of internalizing or absorbing the magic, making the spell more powerful. Think about the symbolic foods you carefully select for the sabbats that are rich in magic: custard at Imbolc,…

Ostara/Eostre Ostara is the Goddess of Spring and of the Dawn. Her name, which in German, means “movement toward the rising sun”, is also used by some for the Spring Equinox. Legend has it that Ostara found an injured bird. In order to save its’ life, she transformed it into a rabbit. The transformation was successful in that the rabbit survived, but it was not quite complete, as this rabbit could lay eggs as if it were still a bird. In gratitude, the rabbit would decorate its’ eggs and leave them for the Goddess. In Anglo-Saxon, her name is Eostre or Eastre. Her name has lived on in the holiday…

Spring Equinox Here comes Vernal Equinox! Thankfully! I don’t know about you folks, but I am dog tired of wintertime. This winter has been especially trying because I am struggling with an illness. I begin this months article on the day I saw a specialist it took me over six months to get in to see, and who is finally taking the steps needed to initiate my healing. New life and growth are certainly on my mind right now! The illness started just after Beltaine, and although it was the warm season when I first began struggling with this, the wintertime has made it all the more difficult. I do…

Merry Meet!! How would you like to have a safe, neutral place to take a spiritual retreat to in order to escape mundane life activities, for a weekend or even a week or more with people of like mind or just by yourself? Learn something new about yourself, discover different paths, meet new people. A place to reconnect with nature? Relax in our meditation gardens, with a walk in the woods or visit our Shrine. Bring your tent or camper and relax a while! Future plans include cabins! Each site will have their own fire pit and grills will be accepted with restrictions. Currently no electrical or water hookups –…

The Medieval Still-Room Women have been in charge of the healing arts long before the written word. Learning their art from the wise women before them, they were often skilled in midwifery, understood the healing properties of herbs, prayers, chants, charms; being a nurturer and provider of comfort in the home. Her skills determined how well the family lived in comfort, from the peasant farm to the manor house. A woman’s value within marriage was determined by her skills as a healer, nurturer, and her fertility. The still-room was a small room off the kitchen or somewhere in the house or even an out building on the property, which contained…

Croning : Are you a Crone? Merry meet! This month begins the first of a six-part series on croning – a feminine a rite of passage ritual for those reclaiming the power and wisdom of the old woman, the crone. Crone is one of triple Goddesses, the third stage, the wise elder. Two characteristics generally used to determine cronehood are reaching menopause and having moved through your second Saturn return, a sort of cosmic transition, which generally happens by your 58th birthday. (You can enter your birth day, month and year and learn your dates at www.astrocal.co.uk/saturn-return.php.) Saturn return marks the time when the planet that rules lessons, responsibilities and…

I was sitting and gazing out across the fields this morning in the bright sunshine. My mind was wandering,- as it often does, and I was pondering on the concept of “Faith “ or “Belief”. Many years ago, as a Christian child, “Faith” was deemed a very important thing to have. We were expected to accept everything we were told, “on Faith”,- even though those individuals who held themselves up as examples were very obviously flawed. In the end I simply accepted that those who were in charge of my education were somewhat lacking in honesty. I looked it up in the dictionary, later on today. According to the Oxford…

This is the first in a series of simple household rituals pagans can perform to enhance a feeling of the sacred in their homes. Candles at Dusk: This ritual comes from India. When the Sun goes down, light some candles in your home and turn off the electric lights. Candlelight promotes alpha rhythms in the brain (as does Moonlight). Have a quiet ten or fifteen minutes in the soft candlelight. You can also burn some incense (make sure a window is open so you don’t set off your smoke alarm!).

Hearth Moon Rising: Invoking Animal Magic   Hearth Moon is an ordained priestess of the Dianic tradition, who has taught magic for over 20 years. Her book, Invoking Animal Magic, sets about exploring the power and wisdom of our animal allies. Hearth Moon was kind enough to answer a few questions about her life and her writing. Mabh: What is the root of your (beautiful) name? How do you prefer people to refer to you? Hearth Moon: Most people call me Hearth or Hearth Moon; I answer to either. The story behind my name is really too long for an interview. MS: Invoking Animal Magic is tag-lined as ‘A guide…