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I know I said this month’s column would be about the runes, but as I began to do my research it seemed as though something just kept getting in my way.  I was lying in bed one night trying to figure out why I was having so much trouble putting my words together on this topic when it hit me…BAM….February is the time of one of the oldest and most well known divination rituals that is commonly accepted today.  Groundhog Day! I suppose this should have been an easy choice for this month’s topic, the Goddess works in mysterious ways.  I actually live about 30 minutes from the quiet little…

We come to that time of year when many lonely souls come to us and ask us to do our magik and a spell to bring love into their lives. Most only need a ‘charm’ or ‘crutch’ in order to help their own self esteems and to bring them out of their shells. There have been times I have been so caught up with helping others bring love into their lives that I have forgotten and neglected my own. Forgotten to even do the little things for those I love. This month in The Witch’s Cupboard, I want to explore a few of the herbs that have historically been used…

The Everyday Witch notices the magic in the mundane and uses the images of her environmental space to conduct effective Spelling.   In order to get to that point in our daily lives, where the magic is obvious, we must have the tools to visualize our space and experience the magic. For my introductory column, I am supposed to write some flowery stuff about me and my heritage and what I know.  Instead, I will direct you to my new MySpace and The Everyday Witch website to give you the update on me.  I would much prefer for you to be thinking about Correspondences and what they mean to you, what…

This month, Jackie brings us a brand new crossword puzzle for our puzzle lovers – this time, the focus is on Imbolc! Click here for the crossword!

Merry Meet Readers This is going to be one of our best issues yet!  This month we have: An interview with Janet Farrar & Gavin Bone! and a great review of a new 2009 Witch Planner: Seasons of the Witch Some quick updates before you begin reading this issue… We have opened an etsy shop (http://www.paganpagesorg.etsy.com)  to help raise money to keep PaganPages on the Net and free. So please check us out. Below you will see some of our stock and it changes daily so be sure to check it frequently and remember you are donating to PaganPages while you get some nice items. We have over 8,000 friends…

Tools of the Trade Wicca is a path rich in symbolism.  Ritual and symbols connect practitioners, forming a common thread which ties them to the same tradition.  Solitary Wiccans are not necessarily as bound as coven members to follow the same protocols – after all there is no one working alongside them to see what they may or may not do in their private practice.  But just as myths form a common heritage of wisdom which we can all draw upon, the traditional symbols of Wicca offer a way of joining both coven witches and solitaries via the same language.  After all, symbols are not necessarily useful in themselves, but…

A WORD TO THE WISE Contact with Spirit Entities Each of us is born with a natural sensitivity to spirit entities. It is society and our exposure to the culture around us that tends to teach us to surpress and ignore that natural talent. In some of us, though, it is quite strong and is never completely surpressed. In a tiny fraction, it is sufficiently powerful to survive intact throughout an individual’s life. This ability is not something to be feared or ashamed of; it is a gift. All children are sensitive before they are old enough to be taught by those around them that it is impossible or to…

New Beginnings – Candlemas I get the feeling I’ve been through this Door before, but let’s do it again…  I know Candlemas (or Imbolc, Oimelg, or what have you) isn’t until next month, but our Gracious Editors have asked us to write our Imbolc articles for this month… soooo…. Most of the year, we Labelled Persons feel we are burning our candles at both ends.  In February, we get to burn them all out, get new candles, and start over.  In essence, Candlemas is the Pagan version of Mardi Gras.  We should learn to have fun at it, like the Cajuns, Brazilians, and others around the world do. “Insanity: doing…

Herbs: marjoram, holy thistle, nuts and cones Colors: brilliant white, blue-violet, black Flowers: carnation, crocus, snow drop Scents: musk, mimosa Stones: garnet, onyx, jet, chrysoprase Trees: birch Animals: fox, coyote Birds: pheasant, blue jay Spirits:  gnomes & brownies Deities: Freya (Norse); Innana, Sin and Antu (Sumeria); Saravati (Hindu); Hera and Irene (Greece); Ch’ang-O (China); Felicitas; Janus, Pax and Venus (Rome) Power Areas: Sluggish, below the surface, beginning and conceiving, protection, reversing spells, Conserve energy by working on your own personal problems that involve no one else. Time to work on new goals.

The snowstorm had settled down somewhat during the day, leaving a blanket of crunchy white snow draped over the countryside. The High Priestess stood at her kitchen window holding a warm mug of steaming hot tea in her weathered hands. Those hands had seen hard work and toils far beyond her young motherhood years. As she stood in the dimness of her kitchen, the smell of beeswax and candle oils filled her senses and warmed her heart with joy. In just two days would be Imbolc, the festival of lights representing the increase in the light after the Winter Solstice. The candles that were drying from the racks in her…