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This month, we will move back to the Major Arcana, and talk about the Justice card.  Since we haven’t talked about a Major Arcana card in a while, before we begin breaking down Justice, 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,…

The Golden Tarot is a recreation of the Visconti-Sforza Deck, one of the oldest complete Tarot decks still being used today.  This version of the Visconti-Sforza Deck presented by Race Point Publishing comes in a lovely display box made of sturdy cardboard, a perfect repository for the deck when not being used.  Inside the box are a purple satin reading cloth to be used as a base for card spreads, a hardcover, beautifully illustrated companion book (much-evolved from the standard paper LWB) written by Mary Packard, and a separate box holding the cards of the Golden Tarot.   This is a beautiful deck, and if you like history, tradition, art,…

But Honey Look At This   In my opinion Facebook has become a place to find the most appalling things. Believe me, I put not only effort but also intention into my daily viewing of Facebook to ensure that I am screening what I am exposed to. I have limited my ‘friends’ to only those individuals that I truly communicate with on a regular basis whether that be in online or offline relationships but it seems that even then I am bombarded by status messages, comments, links, photos, and videos that I would rather have never read, clicked on, viewed or watched. It surprises me that even those individuals that…

Witchy Wednesday™ Back in the 90’s, I was one of the first in my area to hold a Pagan/Witch discussion group. In the 60’s these were called ‘Salons’ and today we mostly know them as Meet & Greets. I created Witchy Wednesday at a time when there was a need for a safe place (I chose my home) for people to gather, meet other like minded people and hold intelligent discussions. This was a moderated group, all paths were welcome, but also a tolerance for other people’s beliefs was important. We would meet on the second Wednesday of each month for a couple of hours in the evening. For the…

Moonchild   The moon is a fascinating subject. Magically of course, but also in a scientific way. I like to learn facts about the moon, but I’m also interested in moon lore, moon deities, etc.  I’d like to share some of my thoughts, facts and feelings about the moon.   It often surprises me that quite a few witches know lots about the magic moon part, but lack any (f)actual knowledge. There’s so much interesting stuff to explore! The NASA moon website can keep you busy for hours: facts, pictures, projects, special kids programs, etc. Or go to the Wikipedia moon portal and start from there. Just some teasers, but…

It is the middle of the Christian season of Lent, a time of growth and sacrifice. During this time, Christians meditate on the sacrifice that Christ will make at Easter, and honour it by making sacrifices of their own. Okay, but what does that have to do with Paganism? I bet some of you reading this don’t believe Christ ever existed. And if you do believe he was a real man, you probably think he was nothing more than a talented teacher and not the literal Son of God. However, at the same time, I think we can all learn something from him about sacrifice, selflessness, and making good decisions.…

“The only thing worse than amateur scientists are drunken amateur scientists” Just when I thought that the bar of integrity in ghost hunting couldn’t get any lower someone went and removed it entirely. I only allow members to bring a small water bottle on investigations, but the owners of one of the most infamously haunted locations in the country will now allow you to drink alcohol anywhere and everywhere while you play scientist and fall victim to their new amusement park. Built in the 1880s, the Winchester House has never been registered for lodging let alone licensed for alcohol, but the current owners of the 160-room California mansion, Winchester Investments…

Merry Spring!     I thought for this month it might be nice to use traditional correspondences of Ostara and incorporate them into the entire month.     Here are some correspondences:   Symbolism / Ritual Work: new beginnings, new life, rebirth, fertility, balance, communication, growth, agriculture, planting, love, sex   Decorations / Symbols: Eggs, new moons, butterflies, bees, cocoons, rabbits, baskets, sprouting plants, wildflowers, lambs, robins, chicks   Stones: Aquamarine, amethyst, rose quartz, moonstone, bloodstone, red jasper   Plants: Blessed thistle, crocus, daffodil, jasmine, Irish moss, oak, snowdrop, ginger   Incense / Oils: Lotus, magnolia, ginger, jasmine, rose, sage, lavender, narcissus   Foods: Seasonal foods, seeds, edible flowers, eggs,…

Coming out of the Broom Closet   One of the major discussions among Pagan groups is whether or not to be in ‘the broom closet’.  This is reference to a person being open about their Pagan beliefs to others, including their friends, family, co-workers, or the general public.  It’s a touchy subject, which many Pagans have strong opinions about.   Coming out of the broom closet can lead to broken relationships if the person receiving the news feels strongly against your Pagan beliefs.  Some Pagans refuse to be open about their religious beliefs for fear of persecution or judgement by their friends or co-workers.  Some Pagans feel that this persecution…

Twig God(dess) Merry Meet. This month I hope to inspire you to craft a Goddess to adorn your space or be used in ritual. TwigBeltane Photo by Lynn Woike There are beautiful statues to be found of Brigid, Gaia, Hecate,  Frigga, Cerridwen, and many others. Gods, too. When I first started on my path, I was not familiar with many at all, and found myself working more with a “generic” Goddess that I came to think of as the Great Mother of All. Rather than calling on a named Goddess, I worked from my intent and would call upon whomever had the qualities I was incorporating into my work to…