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    “Paranormal Healing” I’d like to tell a story that happened many, many moons ago when I was a wee little wolf cub. When I was a child we went to Italy to visit family and we were staying in a house at the top of a mountain. A relative happened to be very ill for several days at the time with high fever to the point of delusions and was passed out from sheer exhaustion and medication. It was a quiet night with only a few of us sleeping in the house when we heard voices and saw small lights coming from a very…very…old cemetery down the way…

“What is Wicca?”   This is the first of a monthly column which is aimed at seekers, those new to paganism, Wicca, and the occult.  The ‘year and a day’ reference comes from the fact that most Wiccan groups require seekers to study the craft for a year and a day before they can be formally dedicated or initiated into the group.  It is also said the Celtic goddess Cerridwen stirred her cauldron of knowledge for the same amount of time.   One of the most basic questions new seekers have is what is Wicca?   Most sources agree that Wicca is an earth and nature-based spirituality that celebrates the…

Music of the Night   If Russia has an “national” musical instrument, it is the accordion, or “gormusha”. Almost every home has one, and almost everyone can play at least one tune on the instrument, especially the older generation, those born before, or during the “Great Patriotic War”. It is a lovely instrument that produces beautiful music. Like the people who play them, they vary in size and shape, and range from elaborate hand enameled antiques to modern, state of the art pieces. They are everywhere, pedestrians stop on the street and listen as some pensioner or invalid sits on the corner and plays, people strolling in the park are…

Wild Carrot or Poison Hemlock? Several months ago, my brother and I were discussing our mutual love of the woods and the outdoors. Although he has hunted and fished most of his adult life, he admitted that he really didn’t pay too much attention to the wild greens around him. Somehow, our conversation turned to the subject of Hemlock and my brother was quite surprised to learn that Hemlock trees were not poisonous, but several relatives of Wild Carrot are some of the most deadly plants in North America. Their similarity in appearance to Wild Carrot has resulted in many deaths, including children using their hollow stems for straws or…

It is my birthday today!  On my birthday, I have several rituals I perform.  One, I bake myself a cake.  This year it’s a yellow cake with a cocoa fudge frosting.  I also cook myself a special meal.  Even if I go out, I like to cook myself something special to eat.  I am going to roast a chicken later on, stuffed with lemons and rosemary and garlic.  I have fresh asparagus for a side, and I am going to make a rice pilaf.   One thing I always do is check my numbers for the upcoming year.  This is a combination of numerology and tarot.  I started doing this…

Who am I? What am I?   People like to label others, probably to get things clear for themselves. It’s understandable and doesn’t have to be a problem, as long as you don’t get too rigid about it. Labels can change, because people change. The label ‘female’ is permanent (well, most of the time..), but the label ‘friend’ can turn into ‘acquaintance’ or even ‘foe’.  I know I use labels for people; it’s hard not to, but I try to keep them flexible, unprejudiced and stay open to change.   Pagans are just like people… 😉 Whenever I introduce myself as a witch among other pagans, there’s always someone that…

I came to paganism, like many of us, by way of books. They intrigued me, and once I got my nose into them, one led to another, which led to another. Many of these books were written by brave, public pagan figures who had recorded their knowledge so that I, an inheritor of that knowledge, could follow their bread crumb trail on a journey of my own.   The very first books I plucked off of the bookstore shelves and brought home with me were introductory Wiccan books. They did their best to describe just what Wiccans are and what they do, saying that “Wiccans believe this” and “Pagans do…

FROM ONE SHIFT TO ANOTHER   From one article to the next there is, and has been, so much talk of shifts upon shifts. There has been so much talk about change, transition, the overwhelming intensity from the moon, the eclipse and simply the list continues, more and more. The question is that at what point do these shifts find their equilibrium; at what point do they balance and enable becoming whole? What if they already have?   What is these incredible sensations are not “shifting” but rather integrating creating the vibrational discomfort similar to that of shifts?   From the corrupt to the divine, each soul has its own…

Find the poet the one who’ll say, “This is how it is, I’ll show you a way to condense emotions, diverse and vast, encompass the future, consider the past. I’ll take you on a journey, bring your mind to mine, together we may find, something. Not necessarily the same thing, but isn’t that what poetry has the power to bring. Exploration of thought, feelings shared, explained, nothing held back, refrained, just real and raw. Telling it like it is. Showing the weakness against the strength, exploring rhyme, rhythm, craftsmanship, line length. Tuning into the sounds of others tuned in, knowing the songs to take you within, into the place where…

  I love this time of year. I say that about every season, but it’s always true. There is a palpable sense of excitement as the homestead burst into life courtesy of a fortnight of unexpectedly sunny days and warm nights. The stalks of velvety silver-green, now taller than my 63” frame, boast eleven of the wine and green globe artichokes already. The nearby honeysuckle has inched its way along several feet of the hedge-frame; the lemon balm, mint and oregano are clamoring for my hand and the pruning shears.   As the Witch of this place, my work has been reclaiming yard, garden and field; removing, recycling, composting, disposing,…