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Bringing the Outdoors In Last month I wrote about how being deeply present in a single moment helps us relate to all moments; this month, I want to extend that approach to thinking about space as well as time. As Pagans, we tend to cultivate our connections to the world around us, especially the natural world. Meditation can help us deepen that connection. Many of us practice in urban areas, but still want to connect to the rhythm of the seasons and natural cycles. It can be ideal to find a location outdoors in which to meditate, but few of us have the luxury of doing that every day. So…

Children in our Magickal Lives Many of us, Pagan, Wiccan and Witch have children. Again many of us hide what we believe from our children, whether to protect them, avoid drama, difficult spouses or whatever. But there are those of us that have been teaching our children since they were babies and for us it can be very hard to include our children in anything outside of our homes. The Pagan Community at large is often negative about children in group rituals.  Now after asking I have found out that this is not because they do not want children in the circle, but that they do not want the rude,…

Feldwebel Moritz This story is not my own. It has been told in several places, but… I happen to know the man that it happened to, and heard the story directly from him. His summer house, the one in the story, is located near my own. I will relate the story as it was told to me, with as little interruption as possible. I will not mention full names, as Chris is a member of a “respected” profession, and is bit sensitive about this. Two years ago, Chris and his wife went to their country house in his wife’s village, near Smolensk. This area saw some of the heaviest fighting…

Crisis Apparitions Have you ever seen a person or animal that was there one minute and gone the next? Then you were probably witness to a Lepke, a very unique and interesting type of spiritual manifestation. These sudden events have the appearance of a solid, living person, and may even converse with someone, then just as suddenly, vanish. Such apparitions are most often reported to have been encountered within, or immediately outside of, cemeteries, churches, and hospitals. These are also commonly referred to in parapsychology as Crisis Apparitions, which we will focus on this time around. An apparition’s scientific definition is the projection or manifestation of a quasi-physical entity. There…

Healing, the Witch Way About two months ago my Pug Nacho Libre unexpectedly passed away. He was only 4 years old. It was the first time I have ever lost a pet and it was much harder than I thought it would be. I was surprised by how much my body reacted to the grief. One of the issues was that his death was so sudden and unexpected. I tried to dry my tears and to move on with my normal day to day life. I knew I was pushing away the grief and not really dealing with how I was feeling, but I thought it would hurt too much…

A Brief Glimpse at Apollo Apollo is one complex God! There are countless versions and tales of him from all around the world, so just bear with me if you have heard something slightly different. Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto and he has a twin sister named Artemis. He goes by many names and some of those are: Phoebus (meaning bright and radiant), The God of Light, The God of Truth, Apollon and Apulu. He was never married but did chase after many women and a few men, but in general was very unlucky in love and had many disastrous relationships in his life.  Some of his…

Built By Fear Imagine living in constant fear.  Feeling as if spirits were following and threatening you and that you must spend immense amounts of time and money to appease them.  This is how Sarah Winchester lived for 38 years until she passed away in 1922. In 1862 Sarah married William Winchester of the Winchester Repeating Arms company.  They had only one child who sadly passed away in 1866 at only 6 months old.  A few short years later William also passed away from tuberculosis. Sarah was very distraught and decided to see a psychic in Boston.  The psychic told Sarah that the deaths to her family were brought on…

Chickweed is a Star ÓSusun S. Weed Snowdrops and crocus flowers herald the spring. And if you look in between them, with luck, you’ll see a bright green creeping plant low to the ground with little white starry flowers: chickweed, a good friend of mine. I say she’s a star, because her botanical name – Stellaria media – means little stars. And because she really stars at helping us when we need to gently dissolve something or to cool off inflamed tissues. Chickweed not only effects physical health, she is a psychic healer too. She opens us up to cosmic energies and gives us the inner strength we need to…

The herbal Kitchen by Kami McBride © 2010    Conari Press ISBN:  978-1-57324-421-3 Paperback      255 pages $18.95  (U.S.) www.redwheelweisr.com One of the nice things about this book is the fact that the herbs discussed are all easily accessible.  Add to that the fact that all the basic information about them is placed in one location and it becomes even better.  Then there are the recipes – over 250 of them. Of course, all the standard disclaimers apply – consult a health care profession before adding herbs to therapeutic medicines; begin with small amounts to check for adverse reactions; pregnant women need to be especially careful; etc. The first two chapters (“Kitchen …

Lesson 7 Insect repellent For the creation of this assignment we will be using 3 herbs to create a strong infusion.  For this you will need 2/3 of an ounce of each of the listed herbs. Basil Lemongrass Mint Place this herb mixture and place it in a pot containing 1 pint of water, bring the mixture to a slow boil and turn off the heat.  Cover the pot and let it steep anywhere from 10-15 minutes up to several hours.  The longer the mixture steeps the strong it will be. Once you are satisfied with the strength of your insect repellent, strain the herbs out to the water and…