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Originally called Sextillis by the Romans, was later named Augustus in honor of Augustus Caesar. August is the eighth month of the current Gregorian calendar and the third month of Summer’s rule. Traditional birthstone amulets of August are the peridot and the sardonyx. The gladiolus and the poppy are the month’s traditional flowers. August is shared by the astrological signs of Leo the Lion and Virgo the Virgin. During the month of August, the Great Solar Wheel of the Year is turned to Lammas, one of the four Grand Sabbats celebrated each year by Wiccans and modern Witches throughout the world. Gathered harvest are celebrated during August. Corn Moon Astrological…

Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more.                                   *Ask Your Mama™                          Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Spirituality and Didn’t Know Who to Ask™   by ©Mama Donna Henes, Urban Shaman     A Question of Mothering   Dear Mama Donna,   I’m enjoying reading your book, The Queen of My Self. I have a question, though.  My own mother and both of my grandmothers were never the nurturing type of women. In truth, they weren’t the kind of people I’d care to be around if I wasn’t related to them. Both grandmothers have passed, and I try to have very little…

The Chakras is a Sanskrit word the means wheel or disc. This was deciphered and used to help people find themselves.  The Chakras was modeled after the Kabbalah from the Crown to the Muladhara, or the root. In the kabbalah it is equivalent as the Kether to the Malkuth, which means the crown of the tree of life to the physical plane. The physical plane is also known as shekniah, or the female aspect of god of which we live in kabbalistic terms. The chakras is very interesting in the fact it points out the way to enlightenment is retained in us if we allow ourselves to find truth. Each…

Phoenix                         I know I’ve mentioned it before..and I will most likely mention it a thousand more times but, in some myths and/or legends you can truly see that the idea spans several cultures. Werewolves and vampires are but two examples of this. Mermaids is another example and yet a further example is the ever mystic firebird. The one that can never truly die as it is reborn from it’s ashes. That would be none other than the Phoenix. The phoenix mythology spans at least 9 possibly 10 different cultures. Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Arabic, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Native America,…

The Christians and the Pagans   Something that tends to distinguish me from my fellow Pagans is that I do not believe that “Christo-Pagans” are possible.  That goes against the general openness of Paganism.  And it flies in the face of our Pagan historical and cultural norms, which tell us to accept just about as many Gods and Goddesses as we can cram into a theology and still have room.  Thus a theological bias against Christians in general and Christo-Pagans in particular tends to irritate the Christo-Pagans and embarrass the regular Pagans (it has no effect on the observant Christians, they think we’re all crazy).   So now you are either…

Herbal Insecticides Natural Herbal Insecticides This page is designed to help with bug control safely. Man-made insecticides is burning up the very Earth we hold so dear to our survival. The more that is made, the more the bugs become immune. Then man makes stronger pesticides. We eat these pesticides in and on our food, we drink water from the run offs that are seeping into the ground. And at this time there is more health problems then there ever has been. It tends to make you wonder! House and Garden Natural Insecticide 2 tablespoons liquid soap 1 quart water Spray bottle Mix soap and water; add to spray bottle;…

Gratitude Now we reap what we sow. Harvest begins as the fullness of summers heat envelops us.  Our walk this year through 12 virtues has brought us to gratitude. If we have brought the virtues into our heart, we have sown well and we begin to harvest the fruit of our labors. Take a moment and think about what you have sown since January.  What connections have you made or strengthened? What depth of understanding have you brought to your personal worship? What inner peace have you gained? The year flies past and we are so busy with life and all of its ups and downs. Yet our sacred time…

Essential oils and their uses   Herbs and oils are just a few of the earth’s wondrous bounties. This month I would like to discuss Lavender essential oil with you.   Do you have a spare essential oil? Many Aromatherapists/witches will find that they happen to have a spare. This will often be a cheap oil that maybe you come across at a cheap store or online at a discount. Most of the time this is Lavender.   Used in cosmetics, bath supplies, perfumes, house hold products, ironing waters, and for therapeutic use in the home and in holistic therapies. Lavender is incredibly versatile.   Magickal properties of Lavender~ Love,…

The Power of Affirmation Affirmations are positive statements that describe a desired situation, and which are repeated many times, in order to impress the subconscious mind and trigger it into positive action. In order to ensure the effectiveness of the affirmations, they have to be repeated with attention, conviction, interest and desire. Imagine that you are swimming with your friends in a swimming pool. They swim fifteen rounds, something you have never done before, and as you want to win their respect, you want to show them that you can make it too. You start swimming, and at the same time keep repeating in your mind, “I can do it,…

 “The Perception of Believing” It is often said that seeing is believing. That is to say that there is no definitive proof that something exists- that something is real- until it is seen or heard by the eyes and ears of a human being. That seems a bit arrogant in its base. It is scientific fact that animals, such as dogs, sense and perceive things in our environment that are physically beyond our comprehension, but that doesn’t make it any less real. Or is it that believing is seeing? That one cannot have a sense of something’s existence unless they first believe in the possibility of it, thereby opening up…