Midsummer always brings thoughts of fairies. Why not celebrate the solstice with your children, or other adults, by creating a fairy altar nearby. It’s a joyful, playful way to celebrate the day. For cakes and ale, break out the milk or honey sweetened tea, and perhaps back some sweet cakes. Strawberry shortcake would be marvelous, as would anything summery Read more
Here are some simple spells to help get through this difficult time. Some help with healing energy and keeping loved ones safe and some are simply for smoothing over frangled energies within a house of cooped up folks. Read more
Whew, that felt good to acknowledge, don’t you think? Drag it out in the open where we can talk about it like civilized, intelligent adults. Because if not exposed to the light of day and some fresh air, our ability, nah, our desire, to judge, can fester, becoming a knee jerk reaction to anything we disagree with, don’t understand, or is different from how we look, act, or do things. Read more
The Resolution Ritual is a simple ritual to pack some added oomph into your New Year’s resolutions. Perform it on the first Full Moon of the new year or adapt it to fit an event that suggests new beginnings and transition. You might also want to perform the ritual after a birthday or other major life-considering event. Read more
Memories of those we have loved and lost are always with us. With time, hopefully, we smile instead of cry when a particularly poignant memory is triggered. And sometimes we intentionally evoke memories with special objects that remind us of those who have passed on to the Summerland. This special remembrance potpourri is one such object. Made from dried flowers from the funeral of a loved one, as well as special herbs and flowers that have ages old connections to... Read more
Death is an inevitable part of life, even if it hasn’t always been understood. Folks had very real fears of the restless dead and the death they could bring. Eventually they figured out which bodies were most likely to present a problem after death and developed special steps for dealing with those particular corpses. Such measures could involve some form of mutilation, were messy, even downright violent. People might hesitate to employ such drastic measures, but action could be... Read more
Need a simple, solitary ritual for the Mabon holiday? This one uses elemental elements and some simply scrying to welcome in the dark half of the wheel and can be done nearly anywhere. Read more
However, we’ll all reach a point of no return with our pagan name, so it’s helpful to make some wise choices up front when it comes to choosing one. It’s worth it to reign in your excitement just a little and spend some time mulling it over. Read more
I’d like to share with you some simple everyday rituals that you can do with your kids. These were originally written for the Llewellyn 2007 Magical Almanac, but I’ve gone through, revamping and rewriting them. As I’m fond of telling folks about my stuff – you can work them as is, or, please, take them as a template and make them your own. I personally think that kind of ritual and magic has the most meaning and power. Read more
Summer, or any school holiday break, is the perfect time to introduce your kids to the wonders of working rituals. Tap into that natural inquisitiveness and sense of wonder using rituals created just for them. In the process, you’re sure to learn a few things as well since kids can be some of the best teachers. Besides, it can be A LOT of fun, watching the kids getting excited and happy while doing a bit of something that the adults... Read more
Oak and Olive
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