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Connecting With Departed Loved Ones The easiest way for our loved ones on the other side to get messages to us is in our dreams.  We can train our minds to be more receptive to their communications with practice, and this meditation, or a variation of it, is an excellent tool for such training.  Try doing this one before sleeping several nights in a row, and make sure you record your dreams!  I am calling the Light Being in this meditation an angel. If you prefer to think of it as your totem or spirit guide, simply substitute your term of preference. If you record this meditation to listen to…

Branwen, White Raven Goddess of Sorrows I’m writing this article at Samhain, the time of the year when the veil between the worlds is thinner and Witches remember and honour their beloved dead. How do Witches understand grief and sorrow? One way is by using the story of Branwen as a blueprint for guided meditation. I offer this story and these ideas to you to help you understand and learn from the sorrows in your life. Once upon a time Branwen, White Raven, sister of the giant Bran the Blessed King of Britain was given to Matholwch the King of Ireland in marriage to make peace between the two nations.…

Samhain – Day of the Dead Friday, November 1, 2013 – 7:42 am EDT – sun rise Sun in Scorpio at 9 degrees Samhain (Allhallowmas/Hallowmas) Names – Samhain, All Hallow’s Eve, Hallowe’en, Allhallowmas/Hallowmas, All Saints’ Eve, Last/Blood Harvest, Ancestor Night, Festival/Feast of the Dead, Last Harvest Festival, Nos Galan Gaeaf (Welsh) Date: Nov 1st (sometimes celebrated on the eve – Oct 31st) Astro Correspondence: 15 degrees Scorpio Color: secondary colors of greens, oranges, purples and blacks Food: ground tubers and vegetables, gourds and pumpkins, pork, wine, tree fruits, cakes, ale, mead, red foods, nuts, herbal teas, cider, chicken, scones/cakes/pies, mushrooms, fish, Common Info: All Hallows Eve (Hallowe’en – note the…

Samhain fashion: hat and neck warmer It is the beginning of winter and freezing days are upon us. To fight the cold I used my favorite winter material, fleece fabric, to make a neck warmer and a hat to match. Black is the main color in my Samhain palette, as it is in nature. Nature and the eight Sabbats are an unlimited source of inspiration for me. Fleece is awesome! It is cheap, easy to work with, soft, and oh, so warm. Both, the hat and neck warmer, are made of fleece. White accentuates the black well by adding bold contrast. I made the hat using a regular “fisherman´s hat”…

  “Who Left the Gate Open? The Idiots Got Out Again.” For all the many topics and issues within the realm of parapsychology there is one phenomenon that- pardon the pun- continues to haunt the field. A phenomenon that is predator rather than prey; and despite the most valiant efforts by some, a phenomenon that can be easily kept from causing mayhem – if it weren’t for someone constantly leaving the gate open and letting it out. I am talking about professionalism. What should come as common sense and a given is apparently seen by some as a hindrance; a roadblock to their fame and fortune. Moreover, unlike many topics…

Time to touch on the suit of Pentacles, and where better to start than the Six of Pentacles, the card of resources?  In the Tarot Minor Arcana, the Six cards are kind of unique, in part because of the properties of the number 6, and in part because of the properties of the Sephira corresponding to the Tarot Sixes on the Tree of Life.  Before we talk about the Six of Pentacles in particular, let’s talk a bit about these two properties in general.   The number Six offers the concept of forward momentum achieved through victory over the obstacles presented by Four (security that tends to become stagnation) and…

Ready or Not: Claiming the Title of Witch   I’m pretty rash about most things. I get an idea and I’m gone. Even if that idea might only last for a little while, while I have it, it’s my world. So it’s a little surprising that I’m taking my time with paganism. I dip my toes in, then I step back. I read lots of books, and then I take a break from books. This works for me because paganism isn’t going anywhere. It’s a constant for me to dance around as I learn more about myself and my place within it and within the world. Sometimes the dance is…

Dried beans of many colors are rattling about in zipped, plastic bags. The brown pods of the broccoli rabe are still attached to the stalks waiting for me to harvest them.  The thin, papery husks protect the red orach seed. Poppy pods are like hollow bones rattling on the table. Standing dead fennel yielded a large harvest of seed, as did the calendula. The harvest has been good. Appeasing the inhabitants of the underworld has been in focus this past month.   To ensure the health of the next harvest, I have been plying them with gifts of grain and meal, gemstones, herbs and wine in the hopes they will protect…

Living With the Seasons   Fall has started. There are plenty of articles about how people celebrate the change of seasons, but I want to say a little about living according to the seasons.   Ancient people had little choice but change their lifestyles to fit the seasons. But we can spend all the time inside with plenty of light, so shortening days don’t have to affect us.   But the world around us goes through all kinds of changes. We’re all familiar with animals preparing for winter, storing food and fat, some hibernating. And just as the animal spirits have their lessons to teach us, their medicine, so do…

Holey stones   Years ago, in my early days of walking the pagan path, I heard about holey stones for the first time. I thought they were called ‘holy stones’ until I heard the explanation: stones with one or more naturally formed through-and-through hole(s) in it. I was instantly intrigued by the idea, although I didn’t know anything yet of the meaning and uses.   I started looking everywhere. I love stones and have always collected them. Crystals, but definitely common stones too. Even as a child I already drove my parents nuts by taking home lots of stones. So I was used to look for stones, but I had…