• Monthly Columns

    Good Vibrations – Subtle Energy Techniques for a Radiant New You this New Year by Cyndi Dale

    No matter your biological age, energy medicine offers great anti-aging benefits. From the get-go, I must admit that I have my own secret ingredient. I have spent almost two decades following my youngest son’s baseball career, with most of the games occurring between February and June in the upper Midwest. Guess what that means? Yup. I am typically sitting on the bleachers in glacial weather. The downside is that I am usually miserable. The upside? My wrinkles freeze in place. Short of recommending my own unique practice, there are numerous activities that promote longevity, good health, and a youthful appearance. The ones I share herein are backed by science but…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Inner Practices for the Twelve Nights of Yuletide by Anne Stallkamp & Werner Hartung

    Book Review Inner Practices for the Twelve Nights of Yuletide by Anne Stallkamp & Werner Hartung Publisher: Earthdancer Books 144 Pages Publication Date: October 5, 2021 (Originally published in German in 2014)     There is a special magic between the solar and the lunar years, beginning on Yule eve and continuing for 12 nights. The twelfth night begins the evening of January 1, ending at sundown January 2. This span has been called a buffer zone, and the fifth season. Think of it as the pagan alternative to an Advent calendar or the 12 Days of Christmas. It is a pause, a time of transition. Electric lights allow us…

  • Crafting Articles

    The Sacred Spoon

    Gut Healing Kombucha     Kombucha is a fermented tea that has been used for centuries to help aid digestion and alleviate ailments associated with the gut biome. Our gut biome is a major player in our bodies overall function. It controls many functions from simple digestion to our mood and immune system. It is vital that we keep our gut biome happy and healthy with probiotics, prebiotic, and a healthy diet. Kombucha’s astrological correspondence is Venus, as this heavenly body rules over the digestive system and its element is earth because of its influence over healing and life, and remember your brew is a living thing. The stones associated with…

  • Monthly Columns

    GoodGod!

    Meet the Gods: Faunus     As part of the festival of Lupercalia, held on February 15, the ancient Romans honored Faunus, the god of forests, fields, and plains. One of the oldest Roman deities, he epitomizes the reproductive force intrinsic in the universe. He is the essence of wild male sexual energy and the urgent biological need to procreate. Similar to the Greek god Pan, Faunus is typically depicted as an attractive man from the waist up and a goat from the waist down, with human feet and goat horns. He kept company with similar creatures, known as fauns, in the woodlands. While delicate and humble, they were also…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Your Spiritual Almanac: A Year of Living Mindfully by Joey Hulin

    Book Review Your Spiritual Almanac A Year of Living Mindfully by Joey Hulin Publisher: Laurence King Publishing 256 Pages Publishing Date: October 19, 2021     This book comes to you from a generation quite jaded by planners, journals, and almanacs. It has obliterated this impossibly high bar. Joey Hulin, who is just an amazing human being, has clearly mastered being a human.  She breaks down each month, and she gives you EVERYTHING. A meaningful fable, journaling exercises, recipes, rituals, planetary aspects, yoga positions, aspirations, meditation, and more! An example:   Ritual for November:    Rites of passage are central to a number of cultural,  spiritual and religious practices, and they…

  • This Month's Holiday

    Imbolc Correspondences

    (Brigid Goddess Imbolc figurine/ St Brigid needle felt Stand Alone created by Rachel Mack of WonderfulWaldorfFelt on Etsy.)   February 1, 2   Other Names: Imbolg (im-molc)(em-bowl’g) (Celtic), Candlemas (Christian), Brigantia (Caledonii), Oimelc, Festival of Light, Brigid’s (Brid, Bride) Day, La Fheill, An Fheille Bride, Candelaria (Mexico), Chinese New Year, Disting-tid (Feb 14th, Teutonic), DisaBlot, Anagantios, Lupercalia/Lupercus (Strega), Groundhog Day, Valentines Day. Animals & Mythical Beings: Firebird, dragon, groundhog, deer, burrowing animals, ewes, robin, sheep, lamb, other creatures waking from hibernation. Gemstones: Amethyst, garnet, onyx, turquoise. Incense/Oil: Jasmine, rosemary, frankincense, cinnamon, neroli, musk, olive, sweet pea, basil, myrrh, and wisteria, apricot, carnation. Colors/Candles: Brown, pink, red, orange, white, lavender, pale…

  • Monthly Columns

    MagickalArts

    The Magick of Pisces February 18 – March 20     I have a great many interests and astrology is one of the top runners on my list. I thought it would be fun to explore a little bit about the little section of the Zodiac that carries the energy of a vision of humanity’s highest self (Aquarius) through the transition of Pisces gifts that flow into the boundless energy of a new turn of the Astrological Wheel (Aries). The star of this triune powerhouse is Pisces! To begin, let’s look at the timing of this post, February 1st. We are mid-point in the solar station of Aquarius and the…

  • Monthly Columns

    Nurturing Your Wild Child

    Imbolc – Bringing Brigid into your Family   We find in Irish Pagan Traditions a Goddess who embodies fertility and healing as she brings the warmth with her Sacred Flame to make Spring anew in the lands. In fact, her Sacred Flame remains eternal and is lit each year at Imbolc in Kildare, Ireland to bring her back to the forefront, renewing the temperatures and asking the lands to be fertility of animal and plant life. Brigid takes on many roles in both the Celtic Pagan Goddess and the Catholicism ideas – yet for both she is a safe harbor for children, leading and guiding them as a Goddess/Saint of…

  • Reviews

    Video Book Review – Ani Trime’s Little Book of Affirmations: 52 Illustrated Practices for a Peaceful and Open Mind

    Video Book Review Ani Trime’s Little Book of Affirmations 52 Illustrated Practices for a Peaceful and Open Mind Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC 136 Pages Publication Date: October 15, 2019     Bright Blessings readers! This darling little volume was lovingly written by Buddhist nun Ani Trime Lhamo. It includes 52 affirmations you can read through all at once or meditate on one per week, making this a years long affirmations volume! Included are illustrations by 39 different artists, all of which are just as empowering and inspirational as Trime’s beautiful affirmations. Life gets us down sometimes and we lose sight of how much personal power we have. Published in 2019,…

  • Reviews

    Video Book Review – Practical Alchemy: A Guide to the Great Work by Brian Cotnoir

    Video Book Review Practical Alchemy A Guide to the Great Work by Brian Cotnoir Publisher: Red Wheel / Weiser Books 128 pages Publication Date: July 1, 2021     Bright Blessings! In this video I review this excellent publication that was written by somebody with over thirty years’ experience in the study and application of alchemy, Brian Cotnoir. He’s put it together as a guide for beginners, saying he wishes he’d had something similar when he got started studying, himself! At 128 pages, you’d think you could just breeze through it, but I highly recommend you take your time studying this, learning as much as possible, and researching further. This…