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This post is inspired by Gavin and Yvonne Frost but isn’t actually about them. It’s about how Pagans continue to support Pagan leaders and teachers who have written or done highly unethical things. (And by unethical I don’t mean gray area, I’m talking about issues of rape, abuse, and consent.) It’s about how Pagans continue to sweep abuse under the carpet. What does support look like? Support is hiring people to teach at your event or in your area. Support is hosting teachers in your home or at your venue. Support is attending their workshop or buying their book. Support is keeping silent. Why is it important to talk about these issues?…

MAY-bon, MAY-bun, MAY-bone, MAH-boon or MAH-bawn, – Lesser Sabbat – Fall/Autumn Equinox, September 21-23 Michaelmas (September 25th, Christian), Second Harvest Festival, Witches’ Thanksgiving, Harvest Home (Anglo-Celtic), Feast of Avalon, Wine Harvest, Festival of Dionysus, Cornucopia, Equinozio di Autunno (Strega), Chung Chiu (China), Night of the Hunter, Alban Elfed “The Light of the Water”(Caledonii/ Druidic-celebrates Lord of the Mysteries), Winter Finding (Teutonic, from Equinox ’til Winter Night or Nordic New Year, Oct 15th.) Mabon is considered a time of the Mysteries. It is a time to honor Aging Deities and the Spirit World. Considered a time of balance, it is when we stop and relax and enjoy the fruits of our…

I became interested in Wicca and Neo-Pagan Witchcraft early in 1994, when my mother had just been diagnosed with unlocalizable cancer and given three months to live. When a loved one will shortly die, your feelings about the future are compromised. You want her to live as long as possible, without suffering, but at the same time you feel guilty for wishing the grey pall hanging over everything were lifted. Many will take up a new interest at such times, one which can be projected indefinitely into the future, lending it a little color. That was the immediate cause impelling me to investigate this new-old religion. But the choice of…

  Field, Forest and farm Merry meet!  Mabon is the second of three harvest festivals of the year – the witch’s Thanksgiving – and one I find among the easiest for which to decorate. Walks in fields, forests and farms provide everything a well-dressed altar could need. Apples, for instance. There’s a wild apple tree growing by the lower parking lot at my office. Apples can be turned into candle holders for tapers, tea lights or votives. Sliced into thin horizontal circles, dipped in lemon juice and dried in the oven, apples can be strung to make garlands and wreaths.  Peeled, carved and dried, they make shrunken crone faces for…

TURTLE TIME ~ Gift of Inner Clock ~ Time is a very healing place, one in which you can grow. ~ Denise Tanner This is a journey into the Gift of Inner Clock, a state of natural harmony with all life…and yourself…deep within the Universal Soul, of which you are a cherished and intimate part. Allow yourself to go on this inner journey…into the Spirit of your Beautiful Infinite Self. For here is where you shall find your Truth. Begin by getting comfortable. Find a space that feels at ease with your body, and allow yourself to get into a soft state of relaxation. Take some deep, healing, cleansing breaths…gently…

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…