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 “The Gray Lady” Most people mistakenly combine all apparitions under the blanket “ghost” moniker, or laughingly think of the pop culture image of the ghost of librarian Eleanor Twitty, the very first entity the Ghostbusters were spooked by before hightailing it out of a New York library; but there are actually very distinct differences in the appearance and behavior regarding these phenomena. In proper parapsychological terms an apparition is defined as the projection or manifestation of a quasi-physical entity, the rarest being a full-body apparition. A specific type of apparition includes the gray lady, often in folklore described as a female ghost who awaits the appearance or return of her long lost…

Goldstone               Reported to be a man-made form of sunstone originally created when alchemists were working towards creating gold.  Gently uplifting, mildly helpful to solar plexus.  Reduces stomach tension.  Protects center of body.   Granite                 Has the same properties of clear quartz in a more dispersed pattern, much like quartz clusters.  There fore, it is a good foundation stone in building structures to generally uplift the energies of a place.  Acts on the 7th Chakra   Green Phase As the name implies, this is a phase-tone rock.  This means that the rock is something like a…

Yule rituals and traditions   I love Yule, I don’t know if it’s because I’m a Winter person and it is the beginning of that season or maybe it’s because it coincides with seeing the magic of Christmas through the eyes of children.  And I love the pagan traditions that this time of year brings. I start looking for the “perfect” Yule log weeks ahead of time, and then I take to the woods near my home to retrieve holly, acorns, pine cones anything that I think would add to the beauty of my seasonal “masterpiece”.  It is a truly joyful experience because I never know what wonders I might…

  Goblinproofing One’s Chicken Coop by Reginald Bakely © 2012 by Reginald Bakely ISBN: 978-1-57324-532-6 190 pages Paperback $14.95 (U.S.) Do you have problems with goblins in your chicken coop? How about Brownies in your home or Dwarfs cluttering up your yard or farm? Like many others I saw Fairy Kingdom and most of it’s inhabitants as cute little creatures who meant no harm or at least only played tricks. Reading this book I learned how wrong I was, but more important I learned how to deal with these pest and which are actually good to eat. The author has done significant research into the areas he discusses and gives…

Magickally Potent Potables   At this time of year, I love warm beverages. In addition to being delicious, they’re good on the throat and warm in the belly. They’re full of healthy stuff to enjoy on a cool autumn night.   One of those classic images from witchcraft is of the witch, leaning over her cauldron, stirring the brew inside.  Given what she’s usually wearing – warm weather clothes – I guess that perhaps she’s making something warm to drink on this chilly evening.   One by one, she’s gathered the fruits from her kitchen herbs from her cabinet, measuring and preparing them.  She blesses each, each its own unique…

  The Rede of modern witchcraft, sometimes called the “Wiccan Rede,” is deceptively simple.  As usually stated it goes “An it harm none, do as ye will.”  Every witch knows that ‘an’ is an old word for ‘if’.  The Rede places radical freedom at the very center of the witch’s life – and radical responsibility.  Note that it does not tell the witch what to do with his or her life, merely to refrain from harming anyone.  Let’s look at the “no harm” part first.   Obviously, we cannot live without harming other creatures.  Jainists in western India observe ahimsa, or harmlessness, to such an extent that they watch the…

The Gifts of 2012   December is a month for wrapping things up: the gifts we’ve collected for our loved ones as well as the trials and tribulations of our year as it races towards its end. Many of us will open the gifts our loved ones chose for us at the end of this month.  Some of us will even take the time to unwrap the gifts we’ve given ourselves each month through our trials and tribulations. Take three slow, deep breaths, breathing in peace, and breathing out stress. Touch the ground with your hands or the body part of your choice, and imagine all stress, fear, distraction, pain,…

  Just in Time for Cold Weather Coughs: Thyme Over the years Thymus vulgaris (common Thyme) has become one of my most esteemed herbal allies, not only for the lovely aromatic flavor it imparts to my favorite dishes, but for its healing properties, as well. A member of the lamiacae or mint family, Thyme is a valuable addition to the herbalist’s medicinary as we approach the winter months for its soothing effects for many respiratory conditions. Its antispasmodic, expectorant and antimicrobial properties help to quiet coughs accompanying colds and flu. It is carminative and helps to ease digestive upsets.  Thyme’s antibacterial and antimicrobial properties make it a good choice for…

Cernunnos   Cernunnos. The Protector of the Forest. The Master of the Hunt. He is a horned, wild God of the forest. Cernunnos is a Celtic God that has origins that are linked with the horned figures in the Palaeolithic cave paintings that were found in Northern and Central France and Britain. He symbolizes fertility and masculine energy and is often portrayed with a beard and shaggy hair.   He is a celebrated and honoured God but has been misinterpreted by other religions as Satan. He is in fact the God of fertility, life, animals, wealth, vegetation, and is sometimes seen as a God of death that takes time to…