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  Pranayama – Breath   I hope that you have been practicing the simple breath meditation I spoke of in last month’s column. This month, I would like to continue talking about conscious breathing, also called Pranayama. The inhale, what you bring in, is called prana; the exhale, or what you put out, is called apana. I’m sure it sounds strange to say that I want to teach you how to breathe. We all breathe everyday, constantly, all day. It’s what we do. But, we are not consciously breathing. Think about how you breath in different situations – when you are exercising, when you are thinking over a problem, when…

The Magic of Tradition     As the last remnants of Autumn color the Earth, my family prepares itself for the coming of the cold, brutal Winter we know awaits us. It is at this time that our most memorable family traditions take place. There is something magical about these yearly traditions. The anticipation of our excursion leads to mounting excitement as we recall the memories of the years past. We go to the Pumpkin Patch in mid-October, Downtown Christmas the week before Thanksgiving, and the We Care lights in mid-December. Sadly, this was the last year for our favorite Pumpkin Patch. Next year we will go on a magical…

Finding Purpose From the age of sixteen onwards, I was very much embroiled in day to day matters. Girlfriends, marriage, separation, divorce. In the world of work and business, I rose and fell . Then I rose again and fell again. When I left Ireland, I was quite broken, in many ways. I was filled with bitterness and resentment and trapped by my past. I still studied avidly. Reading was my escape and my hope for untangling the web of my past. Psychology, philosophy, magic and religion were my main interests. I was lucky enough to meet a lovely lady, who helped me to begin to heal, and shared her…

  Welcome to the November Issue of PaganPages __________________________________________________________   In This Issue…   We introduce a new Oils, Incense, & Herbs column – Scentsations Learn about the Magick in your Smile in Spellcrafting:  Spells & Rituals The Enchanted Cottage share’s a Protection for the Witch’s Home Make a Spell Board with Witchcrafting __________________________________________________________ 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: Herbal Columnist:  Writer is to discuss herb/s monthly, giving healing & magickal properties,  recipes/crafts may be included. …

Samhain Fashion: The Hobo The newest outfit in my artistic Samhain collection is this, the hobo. Strongly inspired by Charlie Chaplin, but in a modern and streamlined way.   ?  Black is the color of my Samhain palette, and with this I go all the way. The look is quite masculine, as I like to play with the theme every now and then.     ?  Makeup is quite strong and only shades of grey and brown are used, but to balance out masculinity, applied in a feminine way. Androgyne is not the way I´m going for. The earrings are nearly unisex, and the only piece of jewelry worn with…

I often wonder what it is that makes some people spend their whole lives searching for truth or enlightenment. For myself, I believe it was an effort to justify the feeling of being ‘different’ from those around me. Now I can accept that I am neither better or worse than those around me. I am simply fascinated by the challenge of making sense of a very complicated universe. My own father disparaged the idea of any fairness in the world. I disagreed totally. Intuitively, it seemed to me that there had to be a pattern and a plan to the world. In the ideas of spiritual evolution and reincarnation, I…

The Magic of Your Smile Merry meet! When making magic, we think about instruments, ingredients and incantations along with an infusion of intention. Magic, however, is not something to be made; it already exists and it’s everywhere. It’s energy. It’s the essence of creation. It’s our connection to all the universe. It is joy and laughter, wonder and truth. It’s natural. It’s simple. It’s real. Perhaps the most simple and natural way to get in touch with magic – to feel it’s very real power – is to smile. Researchers and spiritual teachers both agree that a smile can transform you and the world around you. It’s an instant mood…

The Goddess Brigit Brigit is the goddess of communication, fertility and war. She is also responsible for fire, wisdom and protecting the flocks. The ancient Brigit was in one of her three forms the goddess of Smithcraft. She also ruled poetry and inspiration, carrying a cauldron. Her third identity was as a goddess of healing and medicine. She is Celtic and she lives in the garden between two towers of learning. Her sacred animal is the fox, which is the embodiment of alert intelligence. She is also referred to as Bigid, Brigantia and Bridgit and is commonly called ‘the exalted one’ or ‘the bright one’. This triple goddess of the…

Getting Answers      Merry Meet. This time of year, when the veil between the worlds is thin, divination is a common practice. One of the easiest ways to find answers is with a pendulum. Traditionally, pendulums are used to respond to questions with a yes or no answer. Until you are completely comfortable with a pendulum, I learned to begin by asking it, “Show me yes.” The swing it gives – typically forward and back – is what your yes will look like. You can do the same for no – which traditionally is a swing from side to side. A friend of mine said her pendulum swings widdershins…

Twerp – The Best Familiar I want to share with you about the best familiar this witch has ever had. He came to me as a Mother’s Day gift from a friend, an orange Tabby that fit in the palm of my hand. She told me he was the runt of the litter and needed a good home. He was so cute! He had white from under his chin spreading out down his whole underside to his tail. The rest of him was Tabby orange. Immediately I wanted to name him Merlin, but familiars have a way of naming themselves. The little trouble maker that he was, earned him the…