Friends, this will be my last “Dance of Pagan Recovery” column. Next week, I will begin a new blog for Patheos Pagan entitled The Urban Pagan Homestead: Earthy Adventures of a Dirt-Heart Witch. But before I go, I offer you this ongoing ritual for Serenity, Courage, and Wisdom. Read more
I suffer from a genetic disorder that often wreaks havoc in my life. Lately, I have tried to give myself a break. I was born this way, and if I am doing anything toward the goal of wellness, then I am succeeding. I need to stay in the moment I am in and not live too far out in the future or dwell too much on the past. With this attitude, I have found that what would normally be months of convalescing and fatigue have been cut short. Read more
If we go through the motions of historically-based practice without actively communing with the gods, we become mere students of anthropology instead of engaged people of heathen beliefs and practice. Read more
I was recently asked how the Lore could possibly have anything to teach us about modern concepts, like the Internet. Believe it or not, Odin's got quite a bit to say about social media... Read more
Socially responsible magic is magic done to actively contribute to a community's well being, to the benefit of all the people in the community, as opposed to the benefit of one or a few people. But how do we make sure such magic is effective? For example: an oil rig has a broken pipe that starts spilling oil into the ocean. A Pagan group decides to do a ritual with the purpose being to use magic to "fix" the broken pipe. The question that arises is: Has the magic they've done really contributed to fixing that broken pipe? If so, how? Taylor Ellwood asks these and other tough questions in this new column. Read more
Because I’m going to be making a different kind of magic this summer, I’m taking a brief hiatus from this blog, but I’ll return in August with more of The Busy Witch. Until then, you can always check out my older posts, and keep in touch with me via social media. Read more
As Witches, we tend to learn a lot of valuable skills about changing consciousness in the study of the Craft. We find it easy enough to embrace the concept of using smudging to focus on a ritual, using the flames of a candle to concentrate on scrying and inducing a vision, or using a guided meditation to direct the group Will. But most of us don’t consider the broader implications. Can we apply these valuable tools to everyday life? Read more
The grace of fortune is not the condition of being lucky, but a lighthearted and graceful acceptance of change and loss, a spirit of gratitude without attachment, a conscious embrace of the fact that fortune always changes and will go on changing. Christopher Scott Thompson presents a prayer and ritual for Brighid that emphasizes the transitory nature of fortune. Read more
If we want to work with powerful gods, we have to recognize the power inherent in our choice to step away from our addictions. There’s a big difference between the weakness of “I can’t drink” and the courage of “I choose not to feed the monster.” Our health, safety and sanity is our gift to the gods, to all beings, and to our own sweet selves. Read more
Family Covens openly accept: We may not know. We do not have to know. We are not all things to all members, nor should we be. Like a family, Family Covens understand when the coven is out of its depth and requires outside assistance. No adult child ever expects their parents to be perfect, and Family Covens apply that same logic to traditions, elders, and pagan leaders. Read more
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