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Tarot with Lady Saoirse
For Samhain 2023 Bright Blessings, I write this as we are about to begin another week where the days get over 90 degrees here in Central Ohio. This shit was all supposed to be over with last month, but we got hit with more heat. It could be worse. Hurricane weather hit Florida, and affected the sea island areas nearby, and people have lost homes. Wildfires have raged in Canada, blanketing other countries in dangerous smoke, and Hawaii is grieving the burning of Lahaina. The earth is burning, and I am one of the people who believes human beings are to blame. Some people say that as you get older,…
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Communing with the Essence
Gaia’s Creation Story of You — Lately I’ve been pondering the idea of what I used to believe was a “masculine” God up in the heavens out of my awareness of ordinary and earthly reality. I am now considering God might be deeply feminine or androgynous and the Essence of Earth otherwise known as Gaia. This view of God of course is very much within our scope of awareness and perceived reality as Earthlings and not “out there”, somewhere inconceivable. I realize this is not a new thought and not solely mine, however it feels like a huge epiphany for my embodied perception. If what I was taught to…
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Turning to the Dark – An exclusive poem for PaganPagesOrg by Mabh Savage
Turn to the dark, my love, Shield your eyes from the dying sun’s glare Give me your weathered hands, here Thrust them into my darkening hair Stroke my locks, my love, Twine them in your fingers tight Now you may look, open up, Take your first step into the night. Walk with me, my love, Take each faltering step Seeks the stars, the moon, Find where the secrets are kept. Take a breath of this air, so chill, Watch the ghosts in your steaming sigh, Turn again, this way, up the hill, Let us strive toward the sky. Feel the heart of the cooling Earth Feel the thrum of…
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Notes from The Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: Petunias Petunias: Both a beautiful garden flower and a star of the RNA-focused scientific community. Way back in the 1990s, scientists tried to create deep purple petunias by inserting the gene associated with this colour. Instead, the flowers just came out white! Further studies into this led to big discoveries concerning RNA interference and gene silencing, for which scientists Andrew Fire and Craig Mello received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. But it all started with the petunias. Petunia is not a single species, but a genus of flowers that contains around 35 distinct species. They’re all in the Solanaceae family, which also includes…
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The Chrysalis – Poetry
A time of harvest, And a time of shedding. Of death, and beginning anew. Dark nights bloom as ravens song. And moon on ravens wings. The chill of the air and the crunch in the leaves. Crisp apples and the scent of decay. The lingering smoke of spent candles. Coalesces with the smoke of the fires. Tears, as we honor the memories, Those who have gone before us. The fetch the water for the next generations. As I shed my skin, As I crawl into this cocoon. I dissolve. Knowing my depths. Demons of the deep ocean, And stygian deep. Grand chaos.…
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Book Review and Interview – Witchcraft Unchained by Craig Spencer
Book Review Witchcraft Unchained: Exploring the History and Traditions of British Craft Written by Craig Spencer Publisher: Crossed Crow Books 243 Pages Release Date: June 22, 2023 Bright Blessings, readers, When I saw this book was available to review, I jumped at it, and before I could say “thank you”, my editor sent it to me. Why did I specifically want to review this book? Because it is rare – rarer than rare. Today, few care about the history of the craft. Most pagans and witches want spell-books instead of learning about the roots of our craft. Some of us witches do want to learn, so…
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From the minds of Aeor, a Series of Shorts
The Braleigh Affair There was a pounding at the door, late in the night. The gatekeeper tried to ignore it at first as it was too late for visitors, and too early for the morning deliveries. That only left one possible cause for such an incessant knocking: trouble. The Magus Institute was greatly appreciated and respected by most, but there were still some who feared magic and wanted to drive them out of town. Therefore, the gatekeeper felt well within his right to let the hoodlums banging on his door freeze in the cold night wind for however long it took them to finally give up and leave. That…
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Book Review – Icelandic Plant Magic: Folk Herbalism of the North by Albert Björn
Book Review Icelandic Plant Magic: Folk Herbalism of the North by Albert Björn Publisher: Crossed Crow Books Pages: 306 Rerelease Date: June 27, 2023 There are, without a doubt, plenty of books out there on magical herbalism or green witchery. However, this is the first I have spotted specifically singling out the herbs of Iceland in a magical context. As the author notes, while the mysterious-seeming country of Iceland offers many folk tales and hidden beings, the plants of the island aren’t usually picked out as a point of interest. Albert Björn Shiell has neatly corrected that oversight with this animistic, practical, and beautiful book. This book is laid…
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Book Review and Interview – The Bones Fall in a Spiral: A Necromantic Primer by Mortellus
Book Review The Bones Fall in a Spiral: A Necromantic Primer by Mortellus Publisher: Crossed Crow Books 272 Pages Publication: October 3, 2023 “The purpose of an author is to preserve knowledge… the purpose of any who work with the dead is to preserve the history of humanity in flesh and headstone.” – Mortellus I recently had the privilege of talking with Mortellus, author of the newly released title, The Bones Fall In A Spiral: A Necromantic Primer. I had the pleasure of reading their previously published title, Do I Have to Wear Black: Rituals, Customs & Funerary Etiquette for Modern Pagans and was anticipating another great read.…
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Stellar Applications
Current Astrology Using Hermetic Applications Welcome to this issue’s Stellar Applications…. In this issue of PaganPagesOrg we are celebrating Samhain, the season of divination and seeking answers from the ancestors. Traditional Samhain (aka: Halloween) is celebrated on October 31st and Astrological Samhain occurs this year on November 5th. The Astrology of Samhain The energetic astrological imprint of Samhain is one of mystery, intuitive gifts, secrets, passion and more. The solar month of Scorpio holds the space for the parting of the veils and the celebration of Samhain on either date; the more traditional of October 31st or the astrological point that falls on November 5th –…
