-
Learning Lunar: New Moon into Waxing Crescent, Autumn Equinox 2025
If you’ve been following previous issues of Learning Lunar, you’ll see that we’ve looked at some of the major moon phases both generally and in relation to the specific time of year. This month, I want to get super specific and look at the exact phase and movement of the moon around the Autumnal Equinox. Why? Because I love this time of year. The Autumn Equinox is very magical for me, and has seen me go through many changes, some good, some bad; some happy and some sad. This year’s equinox holds bittersweet mixed emotions, thanks to a run of events coming to an end, but with it, the opportunity…
-
Road to Runes: Buying a Rune Set
There are plenty of questions you might ask when choosing a rune set. What material should I choose for runes? Do I have to make them myself? Are mass-produced runes okay? To be clear, there are no “right” or “wrong” answers, only answers that are right for you. However, we’ve pulled together some tips and advice to offer guidance with this important choice of divination tool. Materials for Runes You can find runes made out of just about anything, and you can make a set of runes out of any materials you might have to hand. Even runes written on pieces of paper can work. But if you’re in the…
-
Book Review — The Tarot Spreads Yearbook
Book Review — The Tarot Spreads Yearbook Publisher: David & Charles 144 Pages Release Date: 11th April 2023 This beautifully presented book is billed as “52 Tarot Spreads for Getting to Know Yourself.” In our modern, fast-paced life, isn’t that something we’re all trying to do a little more? It’s so easy to get bogged down in our routines, work, and trying to make ends meet that we can lose sight of our inner selves and what nourishes us. With that in mind, I opened this book with an optimistic frame of mind. At first glance, it’s clear that, like the year, this book is split into four seasons: Growth,…
-
Notes from the Apothecary: Bistort
Until the end of August, possibly a little beyond depending on the weather, you may find the bristly, bottlebrush-like flowers of bistort growing everywhere from meadows to roadside hedgerows and verges. Although the bistort we have in the UK and that found in the US are slightly different, they’re all part of the same family: Polygonaceae, under the genus Bistorta. Here in the UK, I always think of the flower as little pink or purple cleaning brushes. The North American variant tends to be a bit paler and fluffier looking — I hope I get to see some with my own eyes someday. The Kitchen Garden The Wildlife Trust reports…
-
Following Threads of Life in Chaos: The Tao for the Modern Occultist and Pagan
Whew! I haven’t written a creative piece in quite some time; life really hit me with a curveball, and I had to a take an unexpected leave of absence from pretty much everything here, spare the occasional book review. I’m happy to say that while the things that caused my absence aren’t completely resolved, I am at a point where things have slowed down enough for me to write this piece, which I’ve been wanting to write for a little while now. My spiritual seeking started in high school. Until late in my sophomore year, so about 2010, I found that science, like I previously thought, couldn’t account for everything…
-
Notes from the Apothecary: Moss
It’s been a while since I posted in this column, but I’m hoping to get back to it once a month. I wanted to start back with a plant that I’ve been fascinated with since I was a child. Well, it’s not one plant really, but a whole group of plants: Moss. Moss is like a miniature forest; a whole ecosystem on a doll’s house scale (or smaller) that holds so much wonder. From common haircaps emulating pine trees to sphagnum moss that forms unique peatlands, moss is a very special part of our ecosystem and is packed with magical potential. The Kitchen Garden Moss is a collection of non-vascular…
-
Book Review-Lazy Witchcraft for Crazy, Sh*tty Days: Easy Spells and Rituals for When You’re Stressed Out, Wiped Out, Or Just Have No More Spoons To Give by Andrea Samayoa
Book Review Lazy Witchcraft for Crazy, Sh*tty Days: Easy Spells and Rituals for When You’re Stressed Out, Wiped Out, Or Just Have No More Spoons To Give By Andrea Samayoa Publisher: Fair Winds Press, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group 160 Page Full-Color Paperback Release Date: October 15th, 2024 Lazy Witchcraft for Crazy, Sh*tty Days truly is a book that lives up to its’ title; if you feel drained, with little to no energy for a complex ritual, but still could use the magickal boost, this book is for you. Beautifully illustrated in full-color, high-quality paper, this book inspires tranquility, calm and hope through its’ choice of colors (which match each…
-
Book Review-Witches: A Compendium by Judika Illes
Book Review Witches: A Compendium By Judika Illes Publisher: Weiser Books 235 Page E-Book Release Date: October 7th. 2024 Witches: A Compendium is another novice-friendly book on the Craft, this time exploring Witchcraft from all perspectives: from Wicca, Traditional Craft, Voodoo, Vodou and other practices, this book is all-inclusive, covering even different traditions within Wicca and Neo-Pagan Witchcraft. Famous and infamous women, witches and magickal persons are covered, as are magickal tools, animal familiars, crafts, spells and more! At the end of the book, Illes gives a section where you can find out if you, too, are a witch. This book was a refreshing break in my reading, as beginner materials…
-
News and Notes from the Editor-January 2025: The Devil in the Details
Hello all, I’m finally getting back into my usual groove after battling illness for a few weeks. That time away allowed me time to go inward, and also allowed me to read a book that was on my personal reading list, that I hadn’t received to review. That book, Magic at the Crossroads: The Devil in Modern Witchcraft by Kate Freuler inspired many days of sleuthing on the internet researching subjects such as the Satanic Panic (the main topic of this article) as well as similar topics like the Temple of Set, LaVeyan Satanism, Dr. Michael Aquino and the like. Along with Magic at the Crossroads, a book that I’ve reviewed, Song of the…
-
Entheogens For The New Gen: Using Poisons, Psychedelics and Cannabis in Witchcraft and Magick
Article Photo is Original Design by Author ***The author of this article and PaganPages.Org are not liable for the use and/or misuse of poisonous plants, fungi, or any other plant substance, regardless of legality in your area. Each reader consumes these substances at their own risk. The information within this column is meant to be informative, and does not form a medical diagnosis or cure*** Updated for Trigger Warning: TW **This post contains topics like substance use, suicide and mental health issues** Introduction to the New Column Hello friends, and welcome to 2025! I’ve returned from my break for the holidays and am brimming with excitement to start my new…
