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Take me to the highest mountains To all things wild and free In the sacred wood Ready your bow Steady your gaze In the winds of the Wild Hunt Hunter becomes the hunted Haunting and haunted As the winter gale Tears the leaves Moss Maidens Frightened in the trees Look after me in 1-2-3 To the Light and To the darkness You’ll find me In the woodlands And in the groves I sing to Diana Let the light unfold

INCREASING YOUR ENERGETIC AWARENESS As I sit in a local café, I allow the music playing from my iPod to flow through my being whilst considering what January’s article should be about. A myriad of ideas run through my mind and I finally decide on one. During the past month I was privy to an event that even though it was unexpected, was in fact extremely natural and brought to light the clarity of natural evolution through awareness. Whilst clearly my path is of an energetic and spiritual nature I had not actually conducted an official reading prior to this month. It was something that just happened of its own…

After countless years of setting new speed records for breaking the traditional New Year’s resolutions, and the countless number of “stern talking to’s” given to my reflection in the mirror that followed, it occurred to me to try a less mundane approach.  After many years of being a solitary Wiccan that came far more naturally to me than not eating dessert!  So I decided to give the “daily resolution” a shot, using each days governing planet and their associations to widen my “good resolution” choices, and hopefully spare myself from the inevitable chat in the mirror.  I was excited, this could actually work! Since I knew the planet/day associations well,…

Madame Mora’s herbal This class is designed to show the practical application of herbs to assist with everyday needs.  The lessons printed will not outline “magical” uses for the herbs, but, if questions on this topic rise, please feel free to ask. Also, please remember, the information in this class is a look at herbal therapies that may show promise as adjunctive treatments to conventional medical approaches, and is not meant to give specific recommendations or advise for the treatment of a specific illness, nor is it intended to be a replacement for good medical diagnosis and treatment. Lesson 3 Salve for skin iritations. ?  Aloe – Aloe barbadensis –…

Airmid’s Cauldron Granny’s Hogmanay Pudding (Revised for the Modern Pagan) This pudding is a family tradition from the old Scottish celebration of Hogmanay (New Year’s Day). Granny’s Hogmanay Pudding 1 cup water 3/4 cup white sugar 1/4 cup sweet chocolate drink mix 1 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1 1/4 cups chopped mixed dried fruit 1 1/4 cups currants 1 cup fresh cream butter 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 eggs, beaten Directions In a saucepan, combine water, sugar, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, dried fruit, currants and butter. Bring to a boil and let simmer for one minute. Remove from the heat and stir…

January 2nd: The Birth of the Goddess Inanna/Ishtar in Ancient Sumeria “Isis, Astarte, Deanna, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna…” Who is this Goddess? Inanna and Ishtar are essentially two sides of the same coin.  Inanna came first, the goddess of the Sumerians.  Ishtar came after, the goddess of the Babylonians and Assyrians.  She was found in either her original form or in another form around the world including in Arabia, Armenia, Canaan, Carthage, China, Cilesia, Crete, Egypt, Ephesia, Greece, India, Israel, Japan, Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Phrygia, and Pontus. Some say that she was the daughter of Anu, the Mesopotamian creator god, similar to the Greek Zeus, while others claim that she was…

Coming Out of the Broom Closet (Very slowly and one foot at a time) If there is one thing the Pagan community has in common with the GLBT community it is being stuck in “the closet.” It still amazes me how many Pagans I meet who are struggling with coming out about their Paganism and witchcraft practices. I know their pain all too well. I am still in the broom closet with my immediate family. My family is super Conservative Christian and they have made it clear that if I even show an interest in Wicca or anything like “that” I will be disowned. It is extremely painful to hear…

Vibrant, passionate, and involved, Susun Weed has garnered an international reputation for her groundbreaking lectures, teachings, and writings on health and nutrition. She challenges conventional medical approaches with humor, insight, and her vast encyclopedic knowledge of herbal medicine. Unabashedly pro-woman, her animated and enthusiastic lectures are engaging and often profoundly provocative. Susun is one of America’s best-known authorities on herbal medicine and natural approaches to women’s health. Her four best-selling books are recommended by expert herbalists and well-known physicians and are used and cherished by millions of women around the world. Learn more at www.susunweed.com Susun Weed’s books include: Wise Woman herbal for the Childbearing Year Author: Susun S. Weed. Simple,…

A visit to the Whaley House This month I decided to take a trip to the Whaley House in San Diego, CA.  This location is known as the most haunted house in the United States. This was not only the home of the Whaley family but it was also once a courthouse, the first commercial  theatre in San Diego, a granary, a ballroom, a classroom, a billiard hall, as well as Thomas Whaley’s own general store.  There were also several hangings on the property before the house was built.  This led to the first reports of a haunting by the Whaley family themselves.  They believed a man called “Yankee Jim’…

Spirituality Or Religion? What is the difference between spirituality and religion? Is there a difference or are the terms interchangeable? Why do some people claim to be religious while others call themselves spiritual? Am I spiritual or religious? What defines these terms and really how can you tell which is which? Are all pagans spiritual and all Judeo/Christians religious? These are the questions that I pondered and wanted to find some answers to. I asked friends, co-works, online buddies, family as well as my husband. After many discussions I found that people had a different opinion depending on where he/she was on their own life path and what spiritual beliefs…