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Tarot with Lady Saoirse
Tarot with Lady Saoirse Beltane 2023 (Photo by Viva Luna Studios on Unsplash) Bright Blessings! Some of you may have read my previous column Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times or my film and tv show reviews on Witch & Popcorn. I decided it was time for something new, and at PaganPages.org we are blessed with plenty of people who do Sabbat articles so I don’t have to do another one. I am beginning a Tarot column this issue. Various different topics will be covered, and there are just so many wonderful things to explore about Tarot and card divination in general. I thought for the first…
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Book Review – Pagan Portals: Breath of Spring: How to Survive (and Enjoy) the Spring Festival by Melusine Draco
Book Review Pagan Portals: Breath of Spring: How to Survive (and Enjoy) the Spring Festival by Melusine Draco Publisher: Moon Books 96 Pages Release Date: February 1, 2023 Breath of Spring: How to Survive (and Enjoy) the Spring Festival is another lovely offering from Moon Books’ Pagan Portals series, this time exploring the various festivals of spring as they developed in Western cultures. In the first chapter, author Melusine Draco explores the origins of Candlemas and the related Pagan festival of Imbolc, from possible Greek origins (the return of Persephone) through the Christian era in Britain. This chapter explores some of the historical traditions surrounding the…
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Good God!
Meet the Gods: Adonis One of the gods associated with Beltane is Adonis, the Greek god of beauty, desire, fertility and renewal. He was born a human, but Zeus later turned him into a god at the request of Aphrodite. Therefore Adonis became known as the god of rebirth, but he is also associated with fertility and vegetation. The most popular belief is that Adonis is the son of Theias, the king of Syria, and his daughter, Myrrha (or Smyrna). According to World History Encyclopedia, the king boasted his daughter was more beautiful than Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love. When Aphrodite heard this, she became angry, and “used…
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Book Review – Moon Path Yoga: Kundalini Practices and Rituals for Women to Align with the Lunar Cycle by Sierra Hollister
Book Review Moon Path Yoga: Kundalini Practices and Rituals for Women to Align with the Lunar Cycle by Sierra Hollister Publisher: Shambhala Publications 192 Pages Release Date: October 25, 2022 Reading the introduction, I immediately felt a kinship with the author and my curiosity and hopefulness for this book became a wish to find myself within the beauty, wisdom and care that the following excerpt sang of: “No matter how you relate to the moon, know this for certain: she was with you before you were born, when you were just a whisper in the womb, and she will carry you through this life, always…” “The…
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Book Review – The Little Book of the Occult: An Introduction to Dark Magick by Astrid Carvel
Book Review The Little Book of the Occult: An Introduction to Dark Magick by Astrid Carvel Publisher: Moon Books / John Hunt Publishing Ltd. 129 Pages Release Date: March 7, 2023 The Little Book of the Occult presents the concepts of Occult Magick. Astrid Carvel presents the concepts of historical witchcraft in perfect concert with real time practices and the popularity of witchcraft on social media. The chapters are organized in a manner that addresses the What, Why and How of the practice of Occult Magick. In her introduction, Astrid indicates that this book is an introduction to all things magickal, however the delightful surprise is…
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Book Review – Hagitude: Reimagining the Second Half of Life by Sharon Black
Book Review Hagitude: Reimagining the Second Half of Life Written by Sharon Black Illustrated by Natalie Eslick Publisher: New World Library 320 Pages Release Date: November 29, 2022 In our society, old is more likely equated to deterioration and illness than to gifted and wise. By design, elderhood ends in death, making both unpleasant topics for many people. Thankfully, Sharon Blackie is not one of them. Sharing her own life journey in “Hagitude: Reimagining the Second Half of Life,” www.hagitude.org, she explores women’s transformation beginning with perimenopause, through the “hot-flashed fury” of menopause, and crossing the threshold to crone. “Our old women are the dark heart…
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Book Review – Spells for Living Well: A Witch’s Guide for Manifesting Change, Well-Being, and Wonder by Phyllis Curott
Book Review Spells for Living Well: A Witch’s Guide for Manifesting Change, Well-Being, and Wonder Written by Phyllis Curott Publisher: Hay House 286 Pages Release Date: October 25, 2022 Phyllis Curott is among my favorite witch authors, and I was happy to add “Spells for Living Well” to my collection. The spells, charms, and conjurations in the book are curated from her personal Grimoires, teachings, and “wisdom gathered over a divinely magical lifetime.” Some are old, some are new; some are very involved, others are simple; some will manifest over time, others will bring results swiftly – sometimes in unexpected ways. Spells include candle magic, mojo…
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MagickalArts
What Are the Magickal Arts? … As magickal practitioners we are all “artists” in our own ways, honing our skills of creating magick, weaving patterns of energy that affect change and calling to the most Divine of our natures as we align with cosmos, greater earth and all of the many Beings that inhabit those realms. And, I like where this trend is taking us in exploring the craft in all of forms…. Beltane reminds us of our ability to co-create and stand in the power of what is birthed. This issue we honor The Magickal Art of Standing In Your Power-The Magickal Name! What’s in a name?…
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Book Review – The Nature of Astrology: History, Philosophy, and the Science of Self-Organizing Systems by Bruce Scofield
Book Review The Nature of Astrology: History, Philosophy, and the Science of Self-Organizing Systems by Bruce Scofield Publisher: Inner Traditions 544 Pages Release Date: January 3, 2023 This is not a casual read. This is not the kind of astrology book that tells you what your sun sign is, what your moon sign is, your rising sign, and so on – you’re not going to find out how to learn how to find the love of your live or the best career for your personality by casting a perfect horoscope and following the planets each month, day, year – this is not that book. This is…
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Notes from the Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: Columbine The columbine, or Aquilegia, is a striking flower, with hooked spurs that resemble either eagle’s talons or the heads of doves gathered together. It’s in the same family as buttercups (Ranunculaceae), which while isn’t obvious in the shape of the flowers, becomes more apparent when you look at the hairy stems and the lobed leaf shapes. There are up to 70 species of columbines that we know about, with colours ranging from bright blue to deep red. Also known as Granny’s Bonnet, these fantastic flowers carry a wealth of folklore and magical associations. The Kitchen Garden Columbine are one of those plants that…
