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Samhain- and the “veil” thins In this issue I will share my Coven’s favorite Samhain recipes.  We will bake with pumpkin and make a wonderful cocoa. Samhain, the Witch’s New Year.  It is the third and final Harvest Festival.  It is a time for contemplation, looking back as well as looking forward.  Perfect timing for all kinds of divination.  It’s a special time to remember and honor our recently departed loved ones and to look farther back and honor our ancestors.  The veil that separates the world of the living with that of the dead is at it’s thinnest this won’t happen again until Beltane.  This is why divination is…

What are You Telling Yourself? “I am such an Idiot”; “I can’t believe I stuffed that up. I am so useless” and my favourite “It’s all my fault”. These are examples of some lines that we use when self talking. Not very positive is it? Have you ever stopped to wonder the impact that any of these sentences have on you, your self esteem and how you perceive yourself? How often do you stop to tell yourself “you are so amazing” or “you are such a beautiful person”. Once a week? Once a month? Or have you ever? We often get so caught up in what others think of us…

The Hanged Man (12) “The art of letting things happen, action through non-action, letting go of oneself, as taught by Meister Eckhart, became for me the key opening the door to the way.”  ~Carl Gustav Jung Image Description: The Rider-Waite deck depicts a man hanging upside down from a tree. His free leg is bent to form a cross and his arms are folded behind him to form a triangle. He is wearing a simple tunic. A bright halo of light radiates around his head, and his expression is calm and serene. The tree, shaped in the form of a ‘T’, is alive with leaves. Symbols: Cross and Triangle (formed…

Rest & Recovery Last month we talked about action.  In this month’s walk through the Door, we are walking to our campsite, blowing up our air mattress, and climbing into our sleeping bags, in the company of our Family. There are two things to remember about community action – 1. Always work FOR something, and 2. never do more than you can, which includes resting up.  If you have pagan Family or good friends to rest up with, you get a double recharge over doing it alone. I’m writing this on a tiny Netbook in my tent.  My closest friend is getting handfasted tomorrow, and I’m “best man”.  The Drum…

Other Names: celtic ~ Summer’s End, pronounced “sow” (rhymes with now) “en” (Ireland), sow-een (Wales) – “mh” in the middle is a “w” sound – Greater Sabbat(High Holiday) – Fire Festival Oct 31-Nov 1(North Hemisphere) – Apr 30-May 1 – The Great Sabbat, Samhiunn, Samana, Samhuin, Sam-fuin, Samonios, Halloween, Hallomas, All Hallows Eve, All Saints/All Souls Day(Catholic), Day of the Dead (Mexican), Witches New Year, Trinoux Samonia, Celtic/ Druid New Year, Shadowfest (Strega), Martinmas or Old Hallowmas (Scotttish/Celtic) Lá Samhna (Modern Irish), Festival of the Dead, Feile Moingfinne (Snow Goddess), Hallowtide (Scottish Gaelis Dictionary), Feast of All Souls, Nos Galen-gae-of Night of the Winter Calends (Welsh), La Houney or Hollantide…

Growing Where They are Planted An important part of connecting with our kids when it comes to spiritual matters is to find things that interest them. This is a topic we will explore for a couple of issues but first we all need to do some extra footwork. It is amazing how many parents assume they know what their kids are thinking but yet they never ask. We would be surprised at some of the answers we get when we ask our kids their thoughts, not only on spiritual matters but also on life issues themselves. Usually kids have very spiritual insight into life without relating to it as such.…

On a long hot summer day, Nadia and her fellow young sea nymphs swam and played in the ocean. Then they decided to go into the cove and tease the human children from the village. This is something they did regularly. See the sea nymphs were magickal creatures that had been around long before humans and felt superior to them. As they approached the cove, they heard the familiar laughing and splashing of the same children that were usually in the cove. They pulled the same tricks they pulled most days. They tugged on their legs under the water. They pulled their hair. They took turns doing the various things…

So You Call Yourself an Elder? For any of us who have found this path on our own, we know how hard it can be to find someone to work with us in learning our craft. In some ways it can feel like the impossible task to find a qualified person in the community that teaches or mentors. I was recently speaking with a fellow Wiccan, with whom I am currently mentoring, and she told me a story that really bothered me. We have spent many nights talking about how hard it is to find someone to work with who is trustworthy and not psychotic. She was talking about a…

Tarot: Self Help, Self Knowledge or Divination Tool? According to some different Tarot schools, this can be understood as an instrument of self-help, self-knowledge or divination. It’s not rare to find those who defend it from one perspective, while others see or feel opposing views. For me, this is not relevant, maybe not even correct. I consider Tarot all these. Which must be clear in the reader’s and querent’s minds as they use it in that moment and for their own personal reasons. A Code of Ethics must guide the individual activity of Tarot reading. As a self-help tool, the reader uses Tarot for her/himself in order to go inside,…

I am a magician of over 30 years of experience with removing curses, disharmonies and other spiritual problems. I plan to touch upon many subjects in this column but they will all relate to spiritual problems and upsets. I feel these problems are running rampant while everyone is saying if you think positive bad things will go away. People block themselves and the energies block them so they have these problems. It is past the point where they can think positively. The only way to help with these problems is working upon your inner self and knowing yourself. You can overcome any outside forces and be a success in what…