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The Value of Our Pagan Elders
Spend any time at all in the Pagan community, and you’re bound to hear someone referred to as an Elder. Typically used as a term of respect and honor, Elder is a status that is generally given to someone by other people, rather than claimed for oneself. It is usually considered bad form to announce that you are a Pagan Elder – let someone else grant you the designation, if you have indeed earned the status. You may often find that someone who is a Pagan Elder is a little uncomfortable with the title – not because they haven’t earned it, but because often they do their work for the…
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Saturday Spellwork: Mirror Magic
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the most magical of them all? Well, YOU ARE, if you incorporate mirrors into your magical practice. From scrying to repelling spells to beauty rituals, mirrors can come in handy in a number of ways. Here are a few of my favorite magical uses for mirrors: Make a Scrying Mirror Scrying is one of the best known forms of divination, and can be done in a variety of ways. Basically, it’s the practice of looking into some sort of reflective surface — such as water, fire, glass, dark stones, etc. — to see what messages, symbols, or visions may appear. A scrying mirror is a…
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Finding Pagan Role Models
A reader writes, “I’ve recently begun following a Pagan path, and I’m meeting some resistance from my friends and family. They keep pointing out that there aren’t any Pagan role models to look up to in today’s society. Christianity has a number of famous people who set an example for others with their spirituality and good works. There are a lot of Jewish people who can be held up as an example of their faith. But everyone keeps asking me where all the famous Pagans are. I don’t know what to tell them, but I’m wondering if this is something I should even worry about.” Well, your friends and family…
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Are You Ready to Be a Pagan Teacher?
At some point in your spiritual journey, you may feel that you’ve learned enough to share your knowledge with others. Perhaps other people have approached you and asked you to teach a class or lead a group. It’s indeed possible that your life experience and studying has put you in a position where you can take on this responsibility. Perhaps you’re even thinking about forming your own coven. However, before you commit to such a big undertaking, you may need to take a few things into consideration. First, think about whether the knowledge you have is enough to teach a class or lead a group. Do you understand basic ritual…
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Teen Pagans and Bullying
It’s no secret that teenagers are often the victims of bullying, and those who are outside the mainstream — those who look different, act different, etc. — can often be targets for malicious behavior. Unfortunately, that can put teen Pagans in a direct path for many bullies, and because school administrators are not typically educated about modern Pagan religions, they may not have a clue about what to do. If you’re a teen Pagan, or the parent of one, and you’ve been the victim of bullying behavior, here are some tips on what to do. Know Your Rights It’s important that you educate yourself about what rights you have as…
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NeoWiccan Texts and Reading Material
Are you interested in some of the popular NeoWiccan texts? There are a variety of documents available to explore if you’re interested in following a NeoWiccan path, and you can read nearly all of them online via these links. The Gardnerian Book of Shadows This is the text of the Book of Shadows composed and handed down by Gerald Gardner. In one sense, this is the central sacred text of the Wiccan religion. However, there is no ‘official’ Book of Shadows, and each coven usually has a hand-written copy of a Book of Shadows, sometimes in cypher or code, which reflects its own practices and knowledge. The Golden Bough The…
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Saturday Spellwork: Stop Casting These Spells Because They’re Crap
I know, I know, at least ten of y’all are going to see that headline up above and comment with DON’T U TELL ME HOW 2 MAGICK, but I really need you to hear me out on this. If you Google “Wiccan spells,” you’re going to get a metric fuckton of garbage from a lot of different websites, and nearly all of them are literal and total crap. They’re crap because they don’t work, and they’re crap because they encourage people to do spellwork for stuff that spellwork can’t do, and thus set you up for automatic failure. And then you’re going to email me or one of the other…
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Religion in Public and Private Schools
Every so often I get messages from students who have questions about what sort of religious expression is permitted in school. For instance, who can speak about religion, and in what context? Can your school prohibit you from wearing a shirt with a pentacle on it, or a piece of Pagan jewelry? The answer is going to depend on two things – first, which country you live in, and secondly, whether you attend a private or public school. For the purposes of this post, we’re going to focus on schools in the United States, simply because I don’t have the knowledge needed to speak with any semblance of authority on…
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Are You Really Cut Out for Spellwork?
I periodically (and by periodically I mean A LOT OF TIMES) get emails and Facebook messages from people who lead in with What A Powerful Witch they are, and then by the second paragraph they’re begging me for spells. This weird juxtaposition tells me a couple of things. First, it means they’re not as Oh So Powerful as they think they are, and more importantly that they actually think Powerful is something that can be measured, when really what matters more than Powerful is Effective. I’d much rather be effective – and I am – than so-called powerful, which is all relative anyway. The second thing it tells me is…
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Saturday Spellwork: Blessing Moon Hyssop Spell
July is the season of the Blessing Moon – this year, 2017, it appears on July 9 – and it’s a time in which our gardens are abundant and fertile. We’re watching the orchards and fruits trees ripen, the vegetables and herbs blossom and bloom, and our fall crops are rapidly growing towards the sunny sky. It’s a good time to do magic that focuses on counting our own good fortune – this simple spell uses hyssop, which is associated with not only purification, but with abundance and blessings. You’ll need some fresh hyssop leaves, and a cup of consecrated water. Go outside after the full moon has appeared in…
