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
There has been a lot of discussion lately about choosing a patron god in heathenry and whether doing so is of spiritual importance. Personally, I think: to each their own. Spirituality, after all, is individualistic. If, however, the decision to choose a patron comes at the expense of excluding the other gods, then it becomes a practice that ignores the premise behind a polytheistic faith. Read more
In a recent article, I mentioned the relatively short lifespan of many of our kindreds, covens, and groves. I believe that the reason for this can be broken down into three major problems: size, distribution, and (most importantly) the types of relationships we build within our local communities. Read more
The ceremony itself, whether in a church, a park, or a family home, is an act of creating sacred space; the bubble that surrounds a wedding is much like the one that exists in a ritual circle, and as in formal magic, the intentions and energy of all people present combine to create the experience of the wedding. Read more
The most important element in Pagan leadership is willingness to stand up in the field. But some people seem determined to be lawnmowers. Sable Aradia discusses how to recognize them and what to do about them. Read more
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