About a month ago I found myself on a plane headed to Miami to go an electronic music festival…not a situation I normally prefer to find myself in but it was a bucket list trip for my sister so off I went. I was already apprehensive about being in a large crowd full of very drunk ‘spring breakers’ so before heading to the festival we did several protection spells and asked for our spirit guides to heighten our awareness. We... Read more
I wondered for years why I felt called to The Morrigan. I'm not a soldier or a social justice warrior so why would She possibly be interested in me? I finally realized after several years that it was because I had seen death firsthand. Read more
Beltane is one of the four (or eight, depending on the person) major Neo-Pagan/Wiccan holidays. It occurs on or around May 1 and continues to be practiced today under the guise of May Day celebrations. It is traditionally thought to be a festival of fire and fertility. In the Pagan “Wheel of the Year” it is known as the time when the Goddess welcomes the God as Her consort. Many consider this an auspicious time to join with a... Read more
My brother moved to Asheville a couple of years ago. I’ve been meaning to visit for a while so when my husband and I had overlapping spring breaks (and more importantly, enough travel rewards to get down there at a reasonable price), we jumped on the opportunity. I also happen to have three very good friends who live in the south, so we gathered in Charlotte for the weekend for an Ostara get-together and all drove to Asheville together. I... Read more
Located deep within the region of Alsace (an area that has shifted between French and German control for centuries, currently French), is a mysterious mountain peak in the Vosges range with a centuries-old convent at the top. Known as Mont-St-Odile, it is now most famous for its abbey/convent- Hohenburg. According to legend, the abbey was founded in the 7th century by the Duke of Alsace for his daughter Odile. She was born blind and was thus raised by peasants so... Read more
Sometime last month, while searching online for a moisturizer that would help ease my extremely-dry-in-the-New England-winter skin, I stumbled upon Celtic Complexion. I am not going to lie, I was a sucker for the brand immediately. As a Celtic pagan witch, my heart squealed a little just when I saw the name. I checked out the website and started reading a bit about the product. Here’s what it says on the main page: If you have a Celtic Complexion (Irish,... Read more
Deep in the bush south of Lake Taupo, New Zealand lies a mysterious stone wall that has been causing controversy since its discovery in the 1990’s. It was first researched by amateur geologist Barry Brailsford “a history lecturer at the Christchurch College of Education (who) had written numerous books including two that dealt with South Island prehistory” and American self-proclaimed alternative historian David Childress (of Ancient Aliens fame). The duo published an article in Science Frontier magazine in 1996 where they... Read more
A few years back, I was lucky enough to visit my sister in Kenya (she was living there at the time). I’m a big history nerd (as you can probably tell) so my sister planned the entire trip around my interests (BEST SISTER EVER). We spent several days visiting the Swahili Coast, which has a very rich culture based on sea trade. Between the 13-15th centuries, there was an influx of Arabic settlers who founded independent city-states along the coast... Read more
When I first became interested in paganism, I remember looking around for resources and being absolutely overwhelmed with how many book options there were. Where does one even begin? There are about a million different choices out there and new books are published all the time. As a person who reads a lot, here are the books I usually recommend for new witches/pagans. The Spiral Dance by Starhawk: Hopefully you’ve already read this. If you haven’t, put it on your... Read more
Last weekend I attended Pantheacon in San Jose, CA. It is always an amazing and vital experience for me, so I try and attend whenever possible. This year, I was thrilled to see a ritual by Coru Cathubodua and Strong Roots and Wide Branches on the schedule I have felt called by the Morrígan for many years now but tried to quell that impulse out of fear and naivety for as long as possible. It’s only been the last six... Read more
The Wandering Witch
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