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Hill of Tara – County Meath, Ireland The Hill of Tara was the Coronation place of Ireland’s kings, and is one of Ireland’s most famous sites. An ancient seat of power, more than 140 kings are said to have reigned there. It was the sacred place of dwelling for the gods, and was the entrance to the Otherworld. This was where Ireland stood its ground and ruled for hundreds of years, and where today it remains a spiritual center for those in Ireland, with pilgrimages taking place on special Pagan and Christian holidays. The Hill of Tara known as Teamhair Na Rí, “Hill of the Kings” forms an archaeological complex…

The Secret Smile In Esoteric Taoism they believe that high levels of chi energy can cause one’s emotional state to expand, whatever that may be. I can verify that from my own experience; meditate when you’re feeling good and you come away almost giddy. Meditate too often when you’re feeling down and you could end up dealing with your problems Kurt Cobain-style and that’s definitely not the end result most people want. Meditation, near as I can tell, does not change you, it simply makes you more of what you already are. The simple act of breathing and quieting the internal chatter can make you calmer, but it rarely changes…

Ostara is the pagan holiday that falls upon the spring equinox, that normally falls between March 20th and the 23rd. An equinox is a time of the year when the amount of light and darkness are equal, at approximately 12 hours each. It is widely held that the name for the holiday comes from a Germanic spring goddess by the name of Eostre, or Ostara. She was a goddess of spring, of renewal and rebirth. There is much history and lore associated with the spring equinox. Several ancient cultures were aware of the Equinox, and had special ceremonies and rites attributed to this special day.   Sadly, due to time and…

Politics A really, really, long time ago the idea of Gods and Goddesses influencing how you ran your country was pretty popular.  Particularly amongst the Roman emperors whom had themselves declared living Gods, or at least declared that they were descended from Gods.  Then there is Aristotle’s Republic, which is another Pagan attempt at thinking through political concepts from first principles.  So why is there so little direct discussion of “political” issues amongst the Pagan literature [1]?  Is it because we all agree?  If so, why, exactly, do we agree?  Is there something we should agree on? Or is it that we simply don’t want to exclude anyone who might…

So, you want to be a ghost hunter? The paranormal has become quite a hot topic over the past few years and a lot of that is because of television.  There are mixed feelings about the effect of television on the paranormal field.  On one hand, it has made it much more mainstream and acceptable.  People are much more open to talking about their ghostly encounters these days and tourism is booming when it comes to locations with haunted history. On the other hand, it has everyone thinking they can run out and buy some gear and hunt ghosts.  What happens then is that people become reckless, often times scaring…

Crafty Natural Dyed Eggs and Herb Salad with Champagne Dressing Crafty Natural Dyed Eggs With Ostara just around the corner, everyone in my house is preparing for the coming spring.  Our yearly routine, after cleaning and clearing is the preparation for the celebration at Ostara.  I decided for this month’s column I’d add my families method of creating Ostara eggs and the herb salad that we serve with lamb.  I always use herb and vegetable dyes for eggs, as I am not about to eat or serve boiled eggs coated in chemicals.  Doing the herb dyes takes quite a lot longer than it does with the variety you buy in…

Thank you for welcoming me back into the Pagan Pages family. It is good to be home. Knowing if you are pagan is relatively simple, but choosing your path is a little more complex. There are hundreds of pagan paths that a practitioner can follow. Before you choose your path research them. Follow your heart when you make your final decision. The title of this column is Blessed Be the Kitchen Witch. I am a kitchen witch but I am so also much more. I have brought many more practices into my craft, hearth witchery, cottage witchery, green witchery and garden witchery. I am an earth based witch and all…

This month our puzzle lovers get to ponder over the Gods of the World… Do you remember all of them? To find out, click here!

Welcome to the February Issue of PaganPages! As always, we have an amazing issue for our readers. Some highlights: We have some new columns starting this month!! Shadows from the Past by our new columnist Nicholas Haney explores our history as Witches and teaches us about its modern ways. Paranormal Investigations by Professional Ghost Hunter Tammy Wilson. Herbal Creations with the Crafty Amy Jung who will show us great witchy ways to incorporate herbs into crafts we can use. Animal Wisdom with Psychic Beckah Boyd will teach us how to bring our familiars and pets into our practice. Callie’s Cavern will explore a gemstone a month and show us its…

Earlier in the month of January I was honored to speak with author Kristen Madden regarding her experiences, writing talent, her teachings, and where her path leading her in the months ahead.  Kristin Madden is a leader in the Shaman community not only as an author of several books, but also as the Dean of Ardantane’s School of Shamanic Studies, and a Master of the Avatar and a Druid, a tutor in the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids, and a member of the Druid College of Healing.  I found her to be a very remarkable and rememberable person who brought a spark into my life and while reading her…