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Skaði For years I heard people talk about patron gods and goddesses. Some just chose one they liked, others were ‘called’ by the deity itself. The first didn’t feel right to me, although I had several gods and goddesses I was attracted too. But ‘being called’ sounded a bit strange. What did they mean with that? When, why, how? I didn’t really get it and very few had a clear story about how it works. It seemed to be hard to explain… When I met my second power animal, a polar bear, in a meditation it was handed to me by a woman. At the time I didn’t really pay…

As Seen In — Nature Trees with roots and leaves are Nature’s bonuses Trees are cyclical in nature and to be counted on Trees are able to provide stability They exude resilience and a strength They offer a place to play in safety They always turn, keeping things in movement As a garden will run smoothly and is effective As a garden gives back just as much will be given As a garden it offers true and clear directions Even if the trees stopped it all today Even if they stopped providing the gifts Even after all of this, I would be thankful If those gardens went out of existence…

I think it is time for us to talk about the Aces, those unique members of the Pip cards. Aces are different from the other Minors, as they are seen as being the seeds of their suit and element, rather than the manifestation of their suit and element. Aces are not material, and there is no evidence that they exist or affect us, because they don’t. Aces are tendencies that are the foundation of the manifestations of their suit; the Ace of Cups, our card for this month, is not Water, but a tendency to become Water! Let’s begin our process of breaking down this Ace. The Ace of Cups…

Blessed Be!    I’ve been to Mabon Sabbats. I don’t like it. I garden, sure. But I get my foods from supermarket. So celebrating the bounty of one of three harvest celebrations, (Lammas, Mabon, Samhain) does not hold meaning for me. Then if you live in North America, like me, you do Thanksgiving, too. FOUR harvest celebrations! The older I get, the less energy I have for so much. I have an indifference to Mabon., I never bother with it. That is how I see it. A bother. Shadow taught me Neo-Pagans had four Sabbats at one time. One for each of the four seasons. Sounds better than eight to…

A Nagging Question Ancestor worship is important. Without our forebears, we wouldn’t be here. We wouldn’t exist. Think of all the living and dying that had to go on, just so you could have that Friday evening ice cream! It’s only fitting that ancestor rites should play an important role in our Pagan ceremonies. I guess I’m just forever the contrarian. Lately I’ve been wondering why I revere my ancestors. Take my great-grandmother’s grandfather, for instance. He ran an iron forge in Western Maryland that used slave labor and was notorious for its inhumanity to its workers. I have a baby daddy great-great grandfather and a baby daddy grandfather. One…

Baba Yaga     There are many stories of Baba Yaga but most likely her story is very old and comes from the stories of the old Gods long before our modern times. She is a Crone Goddess who is honoured at Harvest and she is present in the last sheaf of grain where she ensures that the grain will grow again. Later on she became, like most Witches in Europe, a scary story to frighten children. The first clear reference to Baba Yaga (Iaga baba) occurs in 1755; Mikhail V. Lomonosov’s Rossiiskaia grammatika (‘Russian grammar’). In this work Lomonosov lists Slavic gods and their Roman equivalences but Baba Yaga…

‘The season of limits.’   Merry Meet. There is a poem that has been part of my Mabon ritual since I came across it about six years ago. It touched me deeply, and has come to be even more meaningful as I move into the autumn of my life. At 60, I am claiming the title of crone this Mabon, and I find that Patricia Monaghan’s words apply to the circle of my life as well to the wheel of the year. I share them with you in the hopes you’ll find a phrase or more that speaks to you as the seasons change and you celebrate the coming of…

In the Hall of the Gods I light the candles in silence and sit readying myself for the journey at hand. Incense wafts gently into each nostril and tendrils of wispy smoke arise creating their images. I breathe gently and fully, preparing the vessel of my body to enter the “between” state of awareness and gently close my eyes as the intent fills the space of mind’s eye. My inner screen of action is vibrant with blue energetic veiling and I breathe even more deeply into the image of myself stepping through this veil. I emerge on the other side in a space that is dark and dense with energy.…

Finding the Pagan Way For many of our readers, I will be speaking to the converted, when I say that Paganism is a very wide term. It covers very many groups and belief systems, but for me personally, it was like stepping into the light. All I had read and analysed over the previous 45 years came to life when I moved to Lincolnshire, in the United Kingdom, and met my present wife, Tina. It was around then that I became much more involved in the pagan movement. This poem I wrote, describes the impact that discovering paganism as a lifestyle,- rather than a case for study, had on me.…

Herbs: Copal, fennel, rye, wheat, valerian, skullcap, acorn, benzoin, ferns, grains, honeysuckle, marigold, milkweed, myrrh, passionflower, pine cones, rose, sage, Solomon’s Seal, tobacco, thistle, vegetables. Foods: Breads, grains, seeds, dried fruits and beans, baked squash, nuts, apples, pomegranates, and vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and onions, wine. Colors: Brown, yellow-green, yellow, red, russet, maroon, gold, scarlet, purple. Flowers: Narcissus, lily, aster, morning glory. Scents: Storax, mastic, gardenia, bergamot. Autumn blend made by combining: benzoin, myrrh, and sage, also these incenses separately. Stones: Blue sapphire, peridot, olivine, chrysolite, citrine, lapis lazuli, and yellow agates. Trees: Hazel, larch, bay. Animals: Snake, jackal. Birds: Ibis, sparrow. Deities: Bona Dea, Ceres, Ch’ang-O, Demeter, The…