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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…

This is a fire meditation that requires the ability to keep your mind blank and should be practiced in complete silence. What you will need is a fire – be it inside or outside doesn’t matter. This will not work with only a candle as a single flame is not enough. Once your fire is well lite and burning brightly start with a basic grounding and clear your mind. Focus only on your breathing. Once you feel calm you may sit in front of your fire. Be sure to have correct posture as it helps energies flow correctly, and don’t sit so close that the fires heat is distracting you…

Lesser Sabbat – Winter Solstice, circa Dec 21 Other Names: Jul (“wheel”, Old Norse), Saturnalia(Rome ~December 17 & 18), Yuletide(Teutonic), Midwinter, Fionn’s Day, Alban Arthuan, Christmas (Christian~December 25), Xmas, Festival of Sol, Solar/Secular/Pagan New Year Animals/Mythical beings: yule goat (nordic), reindeer stag, squirrels, yule cat, Sacred White Buffalo, Kallikantzaroi-ugly chaos monsters(greek), trolls, phoenix, yule elf, jule gnome, squirrels, wren/robin Gemstones: cat’s eye, ruby, diamond, garnet, bloodstone Incense/Oils: bayberry, cedar, ginger, cinnamon, pine, rosemary, frankincense, myrrh, nutmeg, wintergreen, saffron Colors: gold, silver, red, green, white Tools,Symbols, & Decorations: bayberry candles, evergreens, holly, mistletoe, poinsettia,mistletoe, lights, gifts, Yule log, Yule tree. spinning wheels, wreaths, bells, mother & child images Goddesses: Great Mother,…

Thanksgiving & Harvest Celebrations On Thursday, November 26th, Americans will celebrate Thanksgiving. Families will gather, and feasts, including turkey and pumpkin pie, will be eaten. Some may go to church. Some may even think back to the first U.S. Thanksgiving, celebrated in New Plymouth, Massachusetts in November of 1621. The fifty-three survivors of the one hundred two passengers who had set sail from Plymouth, England, aboard the Mayflower, in search of religious freedom, adventure, and profit, in the New World, offered thanks that they were still alive. Of the eighteen women who embarked on that grueling two-month journey, fourteen died during their first brutal winter ashore. Only four remained to…

Learning in Adversity How many of us have wished for a life that flowed smoothly, with no adversity?  At one time, I said a daily affirmation that asked for a life, “safe, secure and perfectly smooth.”  When I look back at my life, it is clear that I learned more during the rough times than the smooth ones. While it is certainly less stressful when our lives are running smoothly, we also tend to become complacent, taking things for granted, and may even get lazy.  How many know Christians who attend church, read the Bible, or pray only when they or someone close to them are facing some crisis?  I’ve…

Book Review Stellar Magic: A Practical Guide to Rites of the Moon, Planets, Stars and Constellations Payam Nabarz has once again provided reader and practitioner alike with an invaluable tome that will aid its readers for generations to come. ~Michele Burke PaganPages.org A Little about the Man: Payam Nabarz is author of ‘The Mysteries of Mithras: The Pagan Belief That Shaped the Christian World’ (Inner Traditions, 2005), ‘The Persian Mar Nameh: The Zoroastrian Book of the Snake Omens & Calendar’ (Twin Serpents, 2006), and Divine Comedy of Neophyte Corax and Goddess Morrigan (Web of Wyrd, 2008). He is also editor of Mithras Reader: An academic and religious journal of Greek,…

A Tombstone Every Mile It  was the winter of 2006 and the electric trains that usually pull the weight of Russia’s commerce were off line because of unusually heavy snows. Not so, “Old Number Ten”. She and her three sisters, products of the last century and maintained in the case of just such emergencies “soldiered on”. The big, black and red steam powered 6-8-6 combine puffed and rumbled it’s way through the Urals, shoving the snow aside as it climbed ever higher into the mountains, until it reached the dividing line between Europe and Asia. Slashing it’s way through the snow, and temperatures that approached 50 degrees below zero, the…