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Posted: January 07, 2021Read more »
Witches' Familiars: Spirits that Serve
The concept of magical animals has resonated throughout history in myths of creation, tribal traditions, and across many religions. Familiars usually are small household pets that serve as a witch's companion. According to legend, familiars are sort of like guides, who take the form of an animal. They are loyal guardians and protectors sent to assist them with magic.
The folklore of a witch and her animal familiar is a well-known and often repeated tale. It's not uncommon to see images of a witch clothed in black with an evil black cat or toad at her side. This is an excellent archetype of magic users wielding control over nature, but it's a far cry from the beliefs that started it all. The concept of magical spirit creatures has resonated throughout history in creation myths, tribal traditions, and religions. Still, it's only relatively recently that magical -
Posted: December 11, 2020Read more »
Gemstone talismans
For thousands of years, gemstones have been used for healing, protection, and for adornment. Amber was probably the first crystal used for decoration. It is found in Stone Age deposits, as is Jet. Neolithic people were accompanied to the Next World by polished crystal mirrors and gemstone beads. To ancient people, crystals were sacred gifts from Mother Earth. As time went on, they retained their magical and spiritual qualities. Priests, medicine men and women, rulers, and shamans wore the powerful gems as symbols of spiritual and temporal authority. Talismans and amulets also have been used for protection since time immemorial. Made from precious stones, they are imbued with a magical, protective force and, in many cultures, are believed to carry a divine essence.
In Egypt, gold, silver, and precious stones were used for amulets and talismans because they were considered -
Posted: November 23, 2020Read more »
Minimalistic Pagan
If you think ritual is all about temples, expensive robes and flashy kit, think again. There seems to be a widespread belief that costly items such as exquisite ceremonial robes, ornate swords and an assortment of fine, costly resins with esoteric names are indispensable if one is to pay due homage. ‘Anything less will offend the gods’. Nonsense. Ritual can be much simpler.
The Quarters
The elements of air and fire can be challenging. Rented accommodation often prohibits naked flames, so no incense or candles. How can those quarters be represented without something burning? Everything associated with the element is valid as a representation.
Many people think that Air demands smouldering incense, But this quarter can be rep -
Posted: October 23, 2020Read more »
Working with a Dark Goddess
Dark Goddess - who is She?
The Dark Goddess is so often other it is hard to imagine her as existing within ourselves. Yet while we still see her as other we remain trapped in a polar relationship, struggling against her. Yet in almost every story concerning the Dark Goddess, she is the one with the power. In myth, the Dark Goddess, implacable, enacts her own truths, regardless of the wishes of whoever has come searching for her. If she gives gifts or grants favours it is always for her own ends. The Dark Goddess looks like the force of Nature. How can Orpheus with Persephone, or Inanna with Ereshkigal argue with death, death that comes to all? To them, the Dark Goddess expresses the face of inevitable death.
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Posted: September 21, 2020Read more »
How to Decorate Your Wiccan Altar for Autumn Equinox
The lilting notes of the seven-toned pipes whisper through the glades, as the Lord of the Woodlands plays his Autumn song. The time for rest and renewal is approaching and all things look towards their rest.
The bounty of the second harvest, of the fruits, nuts and seeds is ready to be gathered in, under the watchful gaze of the All-Mother. It is She who gives, and also She that takes, so all thoughts turn to the gathering Dark ahead.
All is balanced once again for but a moment, as we bid the time of Light farawell.
Be sure to decorate your altar with all the things that represent the season of the Autumn Equinox to you, so that you can enjoy prosperity, abundance, and gratitude during this time of year. Here are some ideas:
Autumnal colours
The colors of Autumnal fruits are appropriate this -
Posted: April 27, 2020Read more »
5 Things To Do For Beltane As a Pagan in Lockdown
This year, almost all of us are solitary. Pagans, Witches, Magicians… how can we celebrate this day? Here are a few easy ideas:
1. Buy a plant
As part of the May Day celebrations, young women would rise at dawn to bathe in the dew gathered from flowers and ensure their beauty in the coming year. If you don’t have a flower-covered garden and the meadows are far away, remember that most flowers grow well in plant-pots, especially in sunny places like kitchen windows.
2. Introduce yourself to the local spirits
How well do you know your local land spirits? Perhaps more importantly, how well do they know you? During your prescribed daily walk, go to a local park and introduce yourself. Don’t go empty hande
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Posted: February 20, 2020Read more »
Green Man. Who is he?
He can be found in churches, chapels and cathedrals all across Europe. He dances in May Day processions in Britain. He appears on temple walls in India and in churches in Borneo. He is the dimly remembered symbol of an ancient spirit of Nature, recognized and revered by many civilizations and adopted by many religions. This elemental pagan image peers at us from the roof bosses and columns of hundreds of our oldest churches and from the T-shirts, a witness to the changes of centuries, yet as unchanging as the very earth from which he springs. The image of a male face not just surrounded by green foliage, often displays the flora flowing out of his mouth. What could this possibly represent?
The “Green Man” forest spirit has travelled the world for centuries and seems to have adapted to local cultures as the centuries have passed. Some of the best evidence of -
Posted: January 09, 2020Read more »
Magical Amulets and Talismans
Your questions answered!
Talisman and Amulet. What are they?
An Amulet is an object which has intrinsic power to give protection to its wearer. A Talisman is specifically made to achieve a particular purpose. Amulets give protection by absorbing negative energies, Talismans work by generating a positive force to achieve their objective. Both work like self-charging solar batteries and are constructed in a way which links them with the appropriate planetary force concerned for the intention.
Do talismans and amulets work?
Would people have been wearing them for thousands of years if they did not? Amulets and Talismans have been worn by people of almost every culture throughout time. Even today, millions of people throughout the world, who claim to don’t believe i -
Posted: October 07, 2019Read more »
Why is pentagram important to witches?
"It is a symbol which Solomon conceived once To betoken holy truth, by its intrinsic right, For it is a figure which has five points, And each line overlaps and is locked with another And it is endless everywhere, and the English call it, In all the land, I hear, the Endless Knot." Poem of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
An ancient five-sided star
A pentagram, a five-sided star, constructed by intersected five straight lines, is one of the oldest markings known to humanity. It is a symbol fraught with mystery, intrigue, and meaning. It is also called a pentacle or Pentalpha, and gets its name from the Greek penta, meaning “five” and gramma, meaning “a letter”.
The pentagram was apparently discovered by astronomical research in the Tigris-Euphrates region of the Middle East, as far back as 6000 B.C.E. Mesopot