As a woman and a witch, the Catholic Church has not been my best friend, nor the best friend of so many other groups that don’t fit the Church’s doctrines of the good and the worthy. But a fresh wind blows through this ancient institution in the form of Pope Francis. Read more
Most of us these days know the name Gaia from James Lovelock’s theory of the same name. Later I will be talking about modern interpretations and thoughts about the earth. For now let us focus on Gaia in her ancient form. Read more
When it comes to my particular flavor of witchcraft people occasionally ask me to recommend books that would be good for people interested in following the same approach. There are many other really important books that a person should be familiar with and I thought for this week's blog I'd give a short list of some of them as well as a few other mixed media items that can be enormously helpful in familiarizing people with the mythology and folk practices. Read more
In my family, the great outdoors is our church. I suppose that is animism in a nutshell. I was raised with new age ideas and practices so it wasn’t a shock to them I’m a witch. My mom just figured we’d always been weird and what’s more typical of weird people than a witch in the family? We went out camping to be closer to divine spirits sleeping under the night sky. This perspective on everything is as good a... Read more
...it is the struggles, the challenges, the grit and tweak against the grain of life that hones you into the powerful incarnate gods that you are, yes? This Mabon, dig deep and excavate gratitude for the lessons learned through adversity--including the coven kerfluffles. Read more
At the Fall Equinox, a new cycle of healing and personal growth awakens within you. Heed the call of the sacred dark. Descend into its mysterious depth. The answers you seek, wait for you there. Read more
As we are in the middle of the harvest-related holidays and are getting ready for winter, it seemed a great time to finally sit down and write a simple ritual for Freyr. Freyr is a great God who is often honored at several autumnal holidays, such as Frexfaxi, Winternights, and Yule, but I have not come across a good, year-round ritual that can be used to honor him. He’s a great God and he really deserves a lot more press than he currently gets. (Though since as he is one of my patrons, I’ll admit I’m a bit biased). Read more
One of the things that often attracts people to Heathenry and related practices is our Gods. While the Ancestors and vaettir (land spirits) often hold important places in our hearths and hearts, the Gods draw our attention and admiration. How can they not? Read more
Most of the time we assume that people seek a fortuneteller because they need answers to their questions. Wrong. Most of the time, what people are seeking is excellence: The excellence that goes into formulating a good question. Read more
Bless me, pagandom, for I have "sinned" and fallen short of the glory of our gods; it has been two weeks since my last confession…er…post. For seven years now I've been a merchant of metaphysical goods and services, and there are days when I feel like a snake oil salesman. I confess my disenchantment with the metaphysical industry and occasional lack of faith in my fellow practitioners... Read more
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