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Corn dolls and smudge sticks   This month I hope to inspire you to plan a craft for Lughnasadh. It’s still a month away, which gives you plenty of time to decide what you want to do and to collect up supplies. Lughnasadh (also known as Lammas) is the first of the three harvest festivals. Where I live in central Connecticut, corn is in season, making cornhusk dolls an easy choice. There are many directions available online, some of which I tried to follow before getting confident enough to just wing it. So think about following along for a bit, then just doing your own thing. I can generally make…

Hag Stones Hag stones go by many different names. Some of them are Witch stones, snake’s eggs, adder stones, Holy stones and Obin stones. These stones are unique and easy to spot as they have a natural hole through the rock. In order for it to be a true Hag stone, the hole must go all the way through and must also be made by nature, so it is not a true hag stone if you drill a hole through the rock. It is considered to be very lucky to come across a Hag stone when you are going for a walk and just happen to stumble across one. Although…

Welcome to the June Issue of PaganPages       We hope you have a wonderful and safe MidSummer!    Have you ever wanted to be a writer?  We are currently looking for new writers.  If you have an idea for a column of your own write us at [email protected]   Be sure to check out our Etsy Shop          

Sacred Sites Warm, drier weather means the summer months are a great time to get out and visit sacred sites in your local area. Or perhaps your holiday trips will give you the chance to visit some further afield. Either way, now is a good time to do some research and plan some trips over the next few months. Do you have a favourite place to visit in your local area? You may be lucky enough to live near one of the better known sacred sites such as Stonehenge or Tara, the Parthenon in Athens, or the Goddess Temples in Malta. The advantage of this is that you can probably…

Daily Rituals Our daily habits determine how successful we are in life and who we become. What we put into our minds determines our outlook on life. To help me grow and be positive there are some things I try to do every day. Those are: Be grateful – when you first wake up in the morning, think of some things that you are grateful for such as your family, friends, job (it may not be the one you want but many people don’t have one), your health, your favourite food or treat, etc. If you have difficulty with this, start with small things and you will be surprised how…

History of Litha (MidSummer) Also known as Summer Solstice, Litha, Alban Hefin, Sun Blessing, Gathering Day, Feill-Sheathain, Whit Sunday, Whitsuntide, Vestalia, Thing-tide, St. John’s Day In addition to the four great festivals of the Pagan Celtic year, there are four lesser holidays as well: the two solstices, and the two equinoxes. In folklore, these are referred to as the four ‘quarter-days’ of the year, and modern Witches call them the four ‘Lesser Sabbats’, or the four ‘Low Holidays’. The Summer Solstice is one of them. Litha is usually celebrated on June 21st, but varies somewhat from the 20th to the 23rd, dependant upon the Earth’s rotation around the Sun. According…

It’s getting to be “Pagan Pride Day” season, at least where I live. My state has three PPDs, one in the north, one in the central, and one in the south.  Have you ever been to a PPD? They are interesting, to say the least.         The haiku artist Nick Virgilio once wrote: “Easter morning/the sermon is taking the shape/of her neighbor’s hat.” Doesn’t take a literary lion to figure that out. People go to religious gatherings to check out other peoples’ attire. PPD slides neatly into this fold. Now, I’m not being critical. It’s great to be able to have a gathering where you can wear…

Bag-in-a-bag This invention of mine has made my life much easier and handier. (I love everything easy and handy, does that make me lazy…?) A handbag that contains another handbag. For years I have searched for the perfect handbag. Tried all shapes, sizes and combinations, and never been fully satisfied. Until now. With my new Scandinavian styled, clean and sleek, faux leather mates: Literally a bag-in-a-bag. The point is simple: when on the move, heading to town to run errands, first I only need to carry “one” handbag. The smaller inside the bigger one.     In the big one I place stuff I need to have with me, but…

Exorcism Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary Ex-or-cism Pronunciation: \-si-zem\ Function: noun Date: 14th century 1: the act or practice of exorcising 2: a spell or formula used in exorcising Twenty years ago, I participated with a group of women in 2 exorcisms. This was nothing like what you see in the movies. No head spinning, levitating, contorting body parts; no spewing of foul language or pea soup like substance. There was just this persistent, stubborn entity (in both cases) that had taken up residence within the subject. In total there were 10 of us. Some of the women acted as guardians, holding the integrity of the circle. Others of us protected the…