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Spiralled Edges – Between Life and Death Lately, I’ve been watching our fish swimming in their aquarium a lot. We have platies, which are live-bearers, and apparently they are rather prolific reproducers. So, in the past few weeks we have had a lot of babies being born. There is all sorts of advice to be found on the benefits of removing the fry, or leaving them in the tank to fend for themselves. I opted to leave them in the main tank, making sure that they have plenty of hiding places. While some may survive, I know that the majority of babies will at some point be eaten by the…

Breaking The Mother Goose Code: How A Fairy-Tale Character Fooled the World for 300 Years     When asked to review this book I jumped at the chance. Having read Jeri Studebaker’s Switching to Goddess, I had a feeling I would love this book on the myth of Mother Goose. I was not disappointed. Half way through Chapter One I promptly ordered myself a copy of this gem of a book. I devoured this fascinating read in a matter of days and am thrilled to have this in my esoteric library. Breaking The Mother Goose Code is the Da Vinci Code of nursery rhymes and fairy-tales. Jeri Studebaker takes us…

Confidence is a habit that can be developed by acting as if you already had the confidence you desire to have. – Brian Tracy Those that know me know that I do not normally approve of acting concerning any emotions, and that I teach everyone to just be real and be themselves. Self-Confidence, however, is among the few that I feel really needs to begin from acting like you have it. For me, it’s all about putting myself out there and to me and others, I just exude self-confidence (even when I have zilch that day) and then I begin to feel it deep inside and not just on the…

Flower Child Merry Meet! Spring is synonymous with flowers. I always like to have them on my altar, especially when I do a ritual. Those I associate with Ostara are snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils and showy happy faced pansies. Because spring is associated with the direction of East, I am somewhat partial to the yellow forsythia because it just about sings, “Spring has sprung.” Flowers and budgets can go together. Look around outside for what nature might be gifting to you. Are there dandelions? Bloodroot? Violets? A pussy willow bush from which you can cut a few branches and force the blooms? You might consider investing in bulbs that bloom annually.…

Notes from the Apothecary: Rosemary Rosemary; anthos; dew of the sea. This fragrant, woody evergreen has been cultivated by humans for millennia. Its uses range from pest control to flavouring fine foods, with a gamut of others in between. Simply brushing past Rosemary causes the most amazing smell to present itself; like a spirit arriving unseen, it makes your senses tingle. Rosemary is a powerful herb yet readily available, and can be grown in a pot on most windowsills. For those that simply have no way to grow, most supermarkets/grocery stores stock the dried product. In the Kitchen Rosemary is often paired off with lamb and not much else. That…

               Welcome   _____________________________________________________   In this Issue…   We feature an interview with the author of Pagan Portals: Pathworking Through poetry, Fiona Tinker     We discuss DIY True Love with Nella Nuora in Nelland Living     Learn all about Mudras in A Moment for Meditation       _____________________________________________________     We are always looking for new columnists at PaganPages. If you have ever been interested in writing, art, photography, and have knowledge you would like to share, pitch us your ideas! Currently we have openings in the following departments: God’s:  Writer is to discuss a God monthly.  May include myths, pictures, correspondences.…

DIY true love I hate romantic comedies. I hate love songs. I hate when they (and I did also) say “till death do us part”. I love myself. I love my kids, my husband and the rest of my family. I love life. I love beauty. I love justice and equality. I love to love.   Love is universally appreciated above all else, but also romanticized above all else. Love is not something that, once you reach it, it will automatically stay with you forever.   As a teenager and young adult I remember my friends picturing their future husbands and weddings. Even their kids and family-life-to-be. I always found…

AS ABOVE, DEFINITELY MORE BELOW!!!   Pull up a chair and grab a cuppa and a blanket my lovelies, let’s have a natter about Imbolc…I know, the tree has barely gone back into the loft and the weather is anything but spring like and enchanting, just walking out into the garden brings on hyperthermia and chattering teeth. Surely it’s not time for another festival? Now, I don’t know about you guys, but I have a secret to share with you all, shhh, don’t tell everyone! I’m not all that keen on Imbolc, there I said it, and it’s out there now, never to be taken back. It’s not that I…

Fiona is the author of Pagan Portals: Pathworking Through poetry, described as ‘ exploring, knowing, understanding and dancing with the wisdom the bards hid in plain view’. I caught up with Fiona to find out a bit more about her love of poetry and how the book came about. Mabh: Tell us a bit about your book, Pathworking through Poetry. What inspired you to write it? What do you hope the book will bring to the reader? Fiona: Pagan Portals: Pathworking Through Poetry explores the concept of using poetry to explore a personal spirituality/a Pagan path, with examples drawn from poets and writers who ‘talk’ to me on a deep,…

To make some sense of my journey into paganism for the reader, I must backtrack a little from my last article. I mentioned last month, that it was really when I moved to Lincolnshire, that my interest in all things occult blossomed into a new lifestyle. London is a very busy place, and I was a very busy person. With a fairly large family to provide for, I generally worked over 80 hours every week. In the latter years, as engineering died due to the sell-off of British industry, I had to travel further and further to work.  I spent what time I had left working on our garden. It…