In everything I've read of the old Irish and Scottish folklore it seems pretty clear that there was no idea of separation between daily life and the numinous. People prayed and said charms over everything from lighting and banking the fires each day to preparing food, from milking the cows to bathing their children. The sacred was woven into the mundane so completely that the two were nearly indistinguishable. Read more
One aspect of Pagan leadership is in the function of hosting events. And one of the things I often talk about when I teach workshops on leading rituals is that rituals shouldn't be "written," they should be designed. Sculpted to create a particular experience. Whether you're hosting a small open discussion night at a cafe, or a public ritual, or a large festival or conference, hospitality is a part of that function. Read more
Community practice in a village in ancient times would have had most people following similar customs, but that's not always workable for modern pagans. That doesn't mean one can't have a meaningful Lughnasadh celebration in a group with only one Celt, though, and without giving short shrift to anyone else's stuff. Read more
The Witches of the past learned their magic from the fairies, meeting them in the woodlands and fairy mounds that ordinary people avoided. Given herbs, potions, and the secrets of the Craft. In the woodlands, following a path deep into the heart of the greenwood. Read more
I use Aconitum to kill off dishonesty; the dishonesty of others. Read more
Unlike the doomed protagonists of the Gothic novel and the later weird writers (H.P. Lovecraft and his circle), who attempted to subdue the forces of darkness with their philosophical reason and were crushed by the noumenal terror of a cosmos indifferent or hostile to humanity, the Decadent Catholics made themselves the villains of a gothic tale of their own making, an appropriate role for English Catholics who were the villains of the Protestant imaginary of the earlier generation. Read more
What is wisdom, gnosis, divine knowledge? What are the new stories of the gods and great spirits? Who are they sharing their thoughts through and how do we listen interpret and discern truth through these mediums? Read more
Lugh can guide you in the Lammas tasks of harvesting your soul lessons that have come to full fruition, and of discerning those things that must be cut away in service of your well-being and that of our world. Read more
Families aren’t perfect. Not everyone in a family likes or agrees with one another, and everyone has at least one relative who has actively harmed the family in some way. However, we’re Heathens. Ancestor veneration is a key part of our spiritual practice. So how do we honor ancestors who have hurt us? Read more
Runes Plain and Simple by Kim Farnell isn't a new book -- its a 2016 reprint of a 2006 book previously titled Simply Runes. It's a mixed bag, with some good sections and some less so. Read more
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