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Morals and ethics or the lack thereof, in our magick and our lives… Merry Meet and welcome to my Hearth again. Please grab a seat and a cuppa something yummy and lets talk. I have been mulling something over for a while and it has really been bothering me.. and a few people I know. It is the Morals and Ethics of the Pagan community. Now I know than many who read this are not Wiccan. So they do not follow the Rede. But most of us have some code that we use to guide us in our lives. Wiccans have the Rede “ Harm None”, Christians have the Golden…

*The Hedgewitch lives in the space between the Village and the Forest. Between the mundane and the magical. S/He lives with a foot in both worlds. This column is dedicated to the Hedgewitches of the planet earth. Mindfulness, Meditation and the Thinning Veil This is the time of year, as the Wheel turns round once more, the Veil between Worlds is at its thinnest. Visions, dreams and premonitions abound. Communications between the sides comes easily, and clarity is so pronounced. I very often use this time to use the abundant energy to enhance my divinatory abilities, and find my dreams to be more vivid, my perceptions more accurate and my…

A Matter of Perception. We have all had those moments in life, when someone says something that leaves us feeling a little vexed and wondering where their perceived ideas came from.  This happened to me the other day… because of my hands. Hands that over 50 years have, plucked the fluff out of my cots mattress, fed me crayons, stuck forks in power sockets. They have cleaned and scrubbed clothes by hand, chopped wood, kneaded bread, kept my home clean, dug in the earth, they create ritual, have soothed my children and for 20 years cared for the sick and dying. Once I was embarrassed by the deep lines on…

As October rolls around, many Pagans begin preparing for Samhain, the Celtic festival of summer’s end, when the veil between the worlds of living and dead is especially thin. For Pagans today, this is often a time for acknowledging those who have died in the previous year and telling myths about death and rebirth. For all who may be grieving or remembering grief at Samhain, I would like to offer some suggestions about how meditative techniques can help you experience and move through those feelings. Concentrating on these emotions, especially the ones we usually seek to avoid, may seem like the very opposite of the calm peace and even detachment…

Harvests and Hauntings- Autumn in Michigan It’s autumn again. Breathe it in. The cool air rushes in; and a patchwork of colors dot the landscape, making the world look like an open box of crayons ready to be played with. The pungent smell of dried leaves and wood fires fill the air; and our memories are pulled back to childhood images of candy corn and apples. With the changing season also comes that carefree holiday that brings excitement and chills to child and adult alike. Call it what you will- All Hallows Eve, Samhain, Halloween- it is nevertheless a magickal time of year when the veil between worlds is thinnest.…

The Magnificent Power of Trees Everyone knows that trees are magick.  We’ve known it for thousands of years.  Joan of Arc knew it, and so does any ordinary individual who just spends some time sitting or laying under one, only to find themselves feeling grounded and refreshed. Stand at the base of an ancient old oak or maple and gaze up into the branches, those strong arms and fingers reaching to meet the sky.  They grab for the crisp inspirational air and absorb the power of the sun and moon.  Then bring your attention to your feet and the ground below you.  Consider the root system of this tree, which…

Warming Autumn Tonic You will need a tablespoon of each of the following spices… Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg, and Corriander. Take the spices and grind them to a fine powder in either a mortar and pestal or a coffee grinder. Heat about ½ gallon of apple juice or cider, on low until it is warm, (if you have your own apples and can make your own juice or cider this would be even more wonderful, but store bought works).  Add the spices and stir until well mixed.  Enjoy! Madame Mora’s herbal This class is designed to show the practical application of herbs to assist with everyday needs.  The lessons printed will…

Start Fresh Ritual Samhain is among many things a perfect time to commune with your ancestors, your spirits animals, any deities that you keep close to your spirit. The veil between the worlds is the thinnest on Samhain. Being that it’s the Celtic New Year one of my favorite things to do around this time is a working to help remove obstacles in my path, it’s similar to new year resolutions, but none the less fun! I’ve adapted this ritual to include one of my Patron Deities: Ganesh. Lore: Ganesh became lord of all existing beings after winning a contest against his brother Kartikay. When given the task to race…

SIF GODDESS OF GRAIN AND GOLD With hair like the golden wheat fields of earth, Norse Goddess Sif is known for her vibrant locks and motherly attitude towards everything.  She tends to the beings and goods of the earth, making her a harvest Goddess.  Some believe that her hair symbolized golden, growing fields.  Others believe that she was also was seen as a swan, and could be seen flying in between worlds. With all this beauty and enticement, naturally this women would have many love relationships.  Her main and most talked about marriage was with the thunder God, known as Thor.  Together they had a daughter and two sons, who…

Be Your Own herbal Expert Part 4 herbal medicine is the medicine of the people. It is simple, safe, effective, and free. Our ancestors used – and our neighbors around the world still use – plant medicines for healing and health maintenance. It’s easy. You can do it too. In your first lessons, you learned how to “listen” to the messages of plant’s tastes, how to make effective water-based herbal remedies, and how to distinguish safe nourishing and tonifying herbs from the more dangerous stimulating and sedating herbs. In this lesson, you will learn how to how make herbal tinctures. You will make tinctures from fresh and dried roots as…