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Summer Solstice/Litha Correspondences
(Litha Witch Poppet-Midsummer May Queen Corn Husk Doll by Jenna Miller can be purchased from OfSmokeandSoil on etsy.) Sunday June 20th Also known As: Midsummer, Midsommer, Summer Solstice, Litha, Alban Hefin, Sun Blessing, Gathering Day, Feill-Sheathain, Whit Sunday, Whitsuntide, Vestalia, Thing-tide, St. John’s Day Purpose Rededication to the Lord and Lady, beginning of the harvest, honoring the Sun God, honoring the pregnant Godddess Dynamics/Meaning Crowning of the Sun God, death of the Oak King, assumption of the Holly King, end the ordeal of the Green Man Tools, Symbols & Decorations The sun, oak, birch & fir branches, sun flowers, lilies, red/maize/yellow or gold flower, love amulets, seashells, summer fruits…
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Notes from the Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: Lilac Lilac is a flowering shrub in the olive family, Oleaceae, cultivated in many parts of the world including all across Europe and North America. Robust spikes of delicate yet strongly scented flowers come in colours ranging from purples and pinks through to blues and whites. I’ve been writing Notes from the Apothecary for over 6 years now, and some months I struggle to think of a plant that’s magical, seasonal, and of interest to our readers worldwide. I had no such struggle this month, thanks to the wonderful fragrance that stopped me in my tracks as I was out playing with my 3-year-old…
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Book Review – Life As Play: Live Compassionately, Intuitively, Spontaneously, and Miracles Will Happen! by Mark J. Johnson
Book Review Life As Play Live Compassionately, Intuitively, Spontaneously, and Miracles Will Happen! by Mark J. Johnson Publisher: Dao Publishing 236 Pages Publication Date: 12/17/2020 With humor and a dash of irreverence, Mark Johnson tells his life story beginning in a small Pennsylvania mining town where he first experienced the great silence deep in the coal mines where his dad worked. This early experience of directly knowing the Great Oneness was the foundation for his lifelong spiritual quest. This also led to being willing and comfortable integrating my shadow at an early age. The tale meanders through various cities and countries, with unexpected twists, crazy circumstances, and startling…
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She Who is All – The Goddess & The Divine Female
Yeshe Tsogyal (Image: Wikipedia) Yeshe Tsogyal was born a princess of Tibet in the year 777 C.E. She was born in the same way as the Buddha; a mantra sounded and her mother bore her painlessly. Her clan name was Lady Kharchen but she is known as Yeshe Tsogyal, which means Wisdom Lake Queen, as when she was born, a nearby lake increased in size. They are the waters of enlightenment. She is also called “Mother of the Victorious Ones”, meaning the Buddhas, as well as “Lady of the Lotus-Born”. She is considered the Mother of Tibetan Buddhism. She is the ultimate wisdom needed for enlightenment. (Image:…
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Book Review – Shamanism for Every Day: 365 Journeys by Mara Bishop
Book Review Shamanism for Every Day 365 Journeys by Mara Bishop Publisher: Citadel 464 Pages Publication Date 3/20/21 Shamanic practitioner and intuitive consultant Mara Bishop’s Shamanism for Everyday: 365 Journeys is a book of daily meditations which present opportunities to connect with inner wisdom and helping spirits in the midst of our busy lives. The Introduction is titled “Coming Home” and sitting down with this book indeed feels like settling in, calming down and having a break from the intense outward focused activity and distraction we experience in the 21st century. The main content of the book is the 365 daily entries referenced in the title. Each daily…
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Celebrating The Old Ways in New Times
Celebrating The Old Ways in New Times Summer Solstice for June 2021 Bright Blessings! I can hardly believe it’s just a little over two weeks after Beltaine, and already I’m writing about The Summer Solstice. 2021 is flying by! After more than a year of lockdowns, covid vaccines are more widely available, and States are going to start relaxing mask mandates, opening the way for larger gatherings and indoor things. At 37% of the population of the United States now recorded as fully vaccinated, indeed, many are raring to go to restaurants, and birthday parties, as they have foregone all of that for months and months. Not the top country…
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Book Review – Living the Faery Life: A Guide to Connecting with the Magic, Power, and Joy of the Enchanted Realm by Kac Young, Phd
Book Review Living the Faery Life A Guide to Connecting with the Magic, Power, and Joy of the Enchanted Realm by Kac Young, PhD Publisher: Mango 182 Pages Publication Date: 2/16/2021 “Faeries cannot exist and will not stay in a place where no one believes in magic,” Kac Young, Phd states in the introduction to her book, “Living the Faery Life: A Guide to Connecting with the Magic, Power, and Joy of the Enchanted Realm.” She absolutely and unequivocally believes in faeries. This book is her tribute to them. It contains instructions for approaching nature on nature’s terms to connect with the world of faeries. “If you asked…
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Author Spotlight: Laurell K. Hamilton
Who is Laurell K. Hamilton? If you have to ask, you are exactly the reason I chose to spotlight this amazing author. If you already know her, then chances are you will look forward to walking through her worlds again with me. Laurell K. Hamilton is an American writer best known as the author of two series- The Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Series, and the Merry Gentry Series. She is no stranger to the New York Times bestseller list, as appearing multiple times for both series. Anita Blake is a professional zombie raiser, vampire executioner and a supernatural expert that consults for the police. There are 30 novels in…
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8 Common Witchcraft Myths Debunked
(Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/witch-riding-motorcycle-toy-163950/) Witchcraft is that area of history that most individuals feel familiar with. From the witches of Macbeth to Salem With Trials, figures of witches have been embedded in our culture. The problem is, not everything we consider a fact is right. In this article, we debunk 8 common witchcraft myths. #1. Witches were herbalist midwives who loved worshiping God No one was Goddess-worshiping especially during the period of witch-hunts. And if they were, they’ve not left any trace in the historical records. Even though some famous politicians, lawyers and historians believed it (such as Heinrich Himmler, Margaret Murray, Jules Michelet, Franz-Josef Mone and Karl Ernst Jarcke…
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Woman Soul; Woman Spirit
(Photo by Mor Shani on Unsplash) There is a book that I carry with my in my bag wherever I go. It’s called “Mother Wit, A Feminist Guide to Psychic Development (subtitle: Exercises for Healing, Growth and Spiritual Awareness). It was written by Diane Mariechild in the early 1980’s. I am not exactly sure why I carry it as I have read it a couple of times. It does seem to be easy to pick up and read while waiting — in a doctor’s office, in a parking lot, etc. I’ve done most of the exercises within the book, some of which were familiar to me from two decades of…