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Guy meets girl. He’s charmed by this innocent-seeming cutey, & as a result turns into a total caveman. He thumps her over the head with his club & drags her off to the cave, expecting her to be thrilled about a life of domestic servitude. Everybody is at least roughly familiar with the story of Persephone. Her father’s Zeus, the all-powerful king of the Olympian Gods. Her mother’s Demeter, the grain Goddess. To make a long story short, Hades, lord of the Underworld, fell in love with Persephone  & abducted Her. Eventually she came to terms with her new living arrangements. Demeter, being the ultimate overprotective mother, was consumed by…

Do You Take Your Faeries With or Without Wings? Not very long ago, a new reader of my blog wrote me the following: I have to say that whenever I come across a word that is new to me, such as “Faerie”, I immediately “iconoclast” the current definition I have for it out of respect (which would be in my mind a faerie is “a feminine sprite of metaphysical quality, mischievious [sic] and clad somewhat in pink” with alternate spelling)… “Clad somewhat in pink.”  That description gave me a good giggle, but he left out wings.  What do you think about faeries with wings?  Are faeries with wings a valid…

The Unicorn Tradition I’ve had many conversations with people over the years about differing Traditions and what their personal experiences have been.  The focus for this month’s article is the Unicorn Tradition. A good friend of mine is a member of this tradition and it’s always sparked a great deal of interest for me because of the way it is structured and their take on certain aspects of Wiccan teachings.  We have often discussed and debated topics with her perspective having come from a very traditional and structured background and my own eclectic learning here in the Midwest. The Unicorn Tradition stems from Atlanta, Georgia and was founded by Lady…

“Lovespoon Rite” This rite is an enchantment of a wedding and/or handfasting gift. Supplies One wooden spoon Q-tips A picture of the happy couple Essential and carrier oils of your choice 2 dram amber-colored empty bottle Small funnel and dropper God and Goddess candles and holders Offering of food and drink Wood carving tools Matches Preparation Find out what flowers the couple are including in their wedding/handfasting ceremony. Try to locate an essential oil of one of the floral scents. Using a small funnel and dropper, mix 3 drops of the essential oil with some carrier oil in a 2 dram amber-colored bottle. Place the cover on tightly and shake…

The name is derived from Novem, the Latin word for nine, as November was the ninth month in Rome’s oldest calendar. THE SNOW MOON The ninth month in the old roman calandar. In Celtic traditions it is the beginning of the new year, considered a month of beginnings and endings. Astrological Signs: Scorpio, Sagittarius. Nature Spirits: Banshees and other beings who carry messages between worlds. Herbs: Ginger, hops, wormwood, hussop, patchouli, mugwort, nutmeg, star anise. Colors: Black, white, purple. Flowers: White lily, dahlia, chrysanthemum. Scents Rosemary, dragons blood, lilac, pine, wisteria. Stones: Topaz, obsidian, onyx, Apache tear. Trees: Pine, cypress, yew, elder. Animals: Bat, wolf, sow, dog, snake. Birds: Owls,…

Financial Abundance with the Help of Mawu Mawu, pronounced MAH-woo and sometimes alternatively spelled Mahu, is a West African Mother Earth creator goddess associated with both the sun and moon.  Sometimes she is seem as a moon goddess, the twin sister-wife of the sun god Liza (alternatively spelled Lisa), but sometimes “she” is seen as one androgynous or hermaphroditic deity, Mawu-Lisa.  When seen as two separate deities, Mawu and Liza are the children of Nana Buluku and the parents of Xevioso. Mawu is said to have created all life on earth with her husband Liza, but after doing so, she worried that it might be too heavy, and so she…

Blessed Thistle Blessed Thistle (Carduus Benedictus) is also known as Holy Thistle, Holy Ghost Herb, Saint Benedict Thistle, Spotted Thistly and Cardin.   It is known as a “heal all” herb.  Blessed Thistle is an annual and it is native to the Mediterranean region and Asia but now can be found in Europe and the United States. In ancient times, Blessed Thistle was known to cure many ailments, including the plague.  Currently, it is used to help with upset stomach.  Be very careful of using the herb in large quantities because it can induce vomiting.  It is also known to help with mothers producing breast milk. Blessed Thistle is also was…

Turquoise When you are buying Turquoise, make sure that you are using a reputable dealer.  Sometimes Howlite is died blue and sold as Turquoise.  Most Howlite is naturally white and is easy to color.  Any reputable dealer will be honest with you and state whether it is turquoise in color or Turquoise the stone.  If you are in doubt, you can ask the dealer to tell you which mine the Turquoise came from.  Usually if the stone is very bright blue, that is a good indicator that the stone could be dyed.  The following website gives a few examples of dyed Howlite and plastic turquoise beads.  Genuine Turquoise will be…

The Creativity within You We often talk about all the other facets that make us complete and the essence of what creates the balance within; the influences from external sources as well as the internal higher self working in harmony. But, there is one amazing ingredient that is often omitted and yet is pivotal in bringing this all together. It is the one aspect that is like the blood in our veins and the air that we breathe. Without it passion would be only a word and dreams would be something told in stories, and even that would not exist. I am talking about Creativity. I have been seeing workshops…

Driving is a cathartic process for me.  My mind is able to wander since my body is otherwise occupied with the driving process.  It’s just about the only time I hit the Theta state.  So, some of my best thinking is done in the car and I’ve taken to carrying a tape recorder for those moments of epiphany. One of those moments, however, came quite unexpectedly.  I was pondering what to write my meditation on for this month and quite literally it dropped into my lap.  Sunlight flickered off a single thread of spider silk right in my line of vision, as a very sizable spider dropped onto my steering…