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Pagans and Labels I’ve met many people from several different paths in the short time I’ve called myself Pagan. While some have been from groups of people practicing the same or similar path, most have been eclectic gatherings of Pagans from different beliefs for a meetup or to celebrate a Sabbat. At some point, if I haven’t met them before, we talk about our paths, and our beliefs, and how we got there. Generally speaking, most Pagans I’ve met seem to have at least a basic knowledge of some of the more common belief systems such as Wicca, Druidry, or Asatru. Even if some of that knowledge is wrong much…

The craft of the cottage witch conjures images of a secluded cabin on the edge of an enchanted forest. An elderly woman resides there, bent posture and warts wreak havoc on her frail form. Standing over her bubbling cauldron, she whispers incantations only the spirits can decipher. Wolves howl in the moonless night, sending icy tendrils of fear down your spine. A wisp of wind swirls around the cottage, filling the Autumn air with magic. The old woman cackles, turning about in wicked glee. The spell is cast, the deed is done—magic is afoot. Though the above scene is great for movies and fairy tales, it is not what cottage…

  Merry Meet and welcome to my first column on meditation.  I am honored to be part of the PaganPages.org writing family. I am a Certified Kundalini Yoga and Meditation teacher; I have been practicing for 20 years and teaching for 16. In this column, I will be discussing the different aspects of meditation, which will include, but not be limited to, mantra (vibratory sound), mudra (yoga positions for the hands), posture, visual focus, breathing techniques both simple and not-so-simple, and so on.     I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say that life is fairly stressful for most of  us.  Meditation and proper breathing technique can…

Welcome to the August Issue of PaganPages We have a great issue for you this month…. We are introducing a number of great new columns this month including one of  Bardic music!!! also… A Fantastic Book Review for Why Buddha Touched the Earth by Tom Swiss Don’t forget to leave us your thoughts and you can always reach us at [email protected] Look for new items this month on our Etsy  10% discount with Coupon Code: PAGANPRIDE      

This month, we will talk about the Major Arcana card called The Star. Since we haven’t talked about a Major Arcana card in a while, before we begin breaking down The Star, let’s define and describe some terms. There are 22 Major Arcana cards in a Tarot deck, with numbers from 0 to 21; the Majors usually deal with broader and more far-reaching life experience issues, issues that are archetypes which are easy for us to identify with and connect with at some point in our lives. An archetype (pronounced “ark eh type”) is a generic, idealized model of a person, a personality, a behavior, an object, or a concept…

    Why Buddha Touched the Earth by Tom Swiss © 2013 by Tom Swiss ISBN: 978-1-905713-90-5 306 pages Paperback $19.05 (U.S.) I found Why Buddha Touched the Earth to be insightful as well as entertaining. In the preface to the book the author describes this work as an “essay” in the sense that it is his attempt to present his spiritual path in a form that others can understand. The subtitle for this book is Zen Paganism for the 21st Century. Zen is simply meditation. Defining Paganism takes a little more work. The author takes the reader on a journey through history exploring the development and impact of Buddhism and…

Last week I was interviewed by a student in cultural anthropology who is doing her bachelor’s thesis on Wicca. Her focus is on the mind- and consciousness-altering aspect of ritual and the use of tools. She came well-prepared and informed, it was a wonderful conversation and I look forward to reading her thesis. She asked me about my use of tools and how they help (or not). Tools can most certainly have a purpose to a witch (or other pagan). They have no power in themselves, though they do have powerful symbolic significances. They can be an extension of yourself and are literally ‘tools’. An athame can help direct energy.…

The Visual Appeal Everyone has a distinct learning style. This statement has been proven by academic research as well as through psychological profiling. For many of us we learn through our visual experiences first, and then become engaged more deeply through the other forms of sensorial expression. I am a visual kinesthetic learner; meaning that I learn best when visually engaged and am able to act out or move in accord with what is being taught. This style always kept me ahead of the game when I was dancing since I picked up intricate and lengthy choreography very quickly and easily as it was shown and I copied the movements…

Flower Power       Merry meet! I have been using flower essences for several years, but this is the first year I made my own – to save money, as well as to enjoy the process. I began with research and putting together a plan. Since my one rose bush was done blooming and my snapdragons were yet to be out in force, when I happened upon a stand of moonbeam coreopsis as part of the landscape in a nearby building, I decided to start with that. It turns out it was just what I needed. I found that the flowers offers deep healing and recuperation from post-operative, emotional,…

I just finished reading and reviewing a book by Tom Swiss called Why Buddha Touched the Earth. It is a book on Zen Paganism.  As I was reading the book a lot of what I read seemed to correspond to what I believe to the point where I thought that maybe I too and a Zen Pagan. But not all of what he had to share resonated with me. There were points I flat out disagree with him. It didn’t stop me from enjoying the book and learning a great deal from it. As he was talking about the Zen monks he met in Japan I reflected on the one I met while living…