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Reconnecting With Nature
One of the common themes in many modern Pagan belief systems is that of a connection to the earth, a spirituality that comes from our interaction with the different aspects of the natural world. It can be tricky, in today’s society, to keep our focus on nature. After all, we’re driving to work, watching television, answering our phones, and running around at a breakneck, hectic pace. Technology makes our lives easier, but it’s not hard to lose track of our connection to the land. Studies have shown that people who spend more time outdoors – and not just outdoors, but unplugged from technology – are generally more relaxed. They feel…
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Book Announcement! Wicca Practical Magic Coming May 23!
OMG YOU GUYYYYYYYS. So I mentioned a while back that I had a Sooper Sekret Project in the works, and now I can officially announce it! My new book, Wicca Practical Magic, will be coming out on May 23, from Althea Press. You can already pre-order it on Amazon! I’m really excited, because this is something I wish had been available when I first started studying Pagan belief systems. If you’ve read all the Wicca 101 type books, and have no idea how to actually put what you’ve learned into practice, this book is written just for you. I’ll have more to share in the coming weeks, with all kinds…
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Join Me at FPG!!
Are you in Florida, or Florida-adjacent? Join me at Florida Pagan Gathering later this month, from Wednesday April 19 – Sunday April 23! You can still register to attend, if you check out the FPG website. It’s going to be an amazing event – join me, Jason Mankey, Byron Ballard, Kyrja Withers, Onyx Moon, and more for a full weekend of rituals, workshops, vending, drumming, dancing, and fellowship. There will be some incredible magical music from Brian Henke and Wendy Rule, too! I’ll be hosting three workshops – come to one, or come to all of them: Thursday The Magic of Household Witchcraft 3:00pm – 4:30pm ~ Thunderdome Patti will…
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Human Sacrifice in the Ancient World
For many people in the modern world, finding a Pagan belief system is a positive and life-affirming experience. It’s not uncommon for us to find a joy and lightness in our traditions, something that brings light into once was a dark existence. This is indeed a good thing, and what draws many new people into the Pagan community. Unfortunately, the downside of it is that there can sometimes be an unwillingness to accept that not all Pagan cultures in the past were full of light and love and rainbows. Our ancestors, hundreds of years ago, lived a completely different existence than we do today, and their relationships with their gods…
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A Truth Universally Acknowledged
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” ~ Pride and Prejudice Many people are surprised to discover that I’m a HUUUUUGE fan of Jane Austen – apparently the public image I present doesn’t quite fit the stereotype of Who Reads Jane Austen, but trust me, she’s my favorite author in the history of ever, and Persuasion is one of the most brilliantly written pieces of English literature that exists today. “I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul.…
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Dream Catchers: Totally Not Pagan, You Guys
I love perusing Etsy and Pinterest and getting great ideas and seeing all the clever crafty things that other people are doing to celebrate their spirituality, I really do. But for the love of Zeus’ kidney, y’all. DREAMCATCHERS ARE NOT WICCAN. They’re not even NeoPagan, if we use NeoPagan in the context of “modern Paganism based upon proto-Indo-European religious beliefs.” They’re Native American. And while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with appreciating Native American spirituality, it’s completely a terrible idea to appropriate it. In other words, if you’re not Native American, you are lacking the cultural and societal context in which something sacred like a dream catcher actually works. Now, before…
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Healing Sounds & Singing Bowls
In many metaphysical disciplines and traditions, sound therapy is used as a healing modality. This is because certain tones, frequencies, and vibrations are associated with healing in a number of belief systems – people have been doing this for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years. Let’s take a look at a few of the most popular methods, and why they’ve become traditional. Obviously, this isn’t a comprehensive list, because there’s no way I can cover everything in a single blog post – entire books have been written on the subject – but these are some of the most popular. Shamanic Sounds In many traditions, instruments like bowls, bells, rain sticks,…
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Review: Tarot of the Pirates
I’m a huge fan of pirates — even wrote a kids’ alphabet book about them — so when I saw that there was a pirate Tarot coming out a few years back, I had to have it. Tarot of the Pirates is just plain fun. What do I like the most? Frankly, the artwork in this deck is really nifty, and not what you typically see in Tarot artwork. It’s sassy and brash, dark and dangerous, and the imagery is nicely matched to the Tarot card meanings. The Pirate Tarot deck is one I use a lot when reading for male clients, or for women who are empowered, independent and…
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Pagan Craft Projects: Make a Measure Bag
A measure bag is used in some Pagan traditions, including but not limited to a few forms of Wicca, as a way of forming a magical link between an individual and the group to which they belong. The measure bag is often incorporated into a practitioner’s initiation ritual. If you practice as a solitary, you can still use one as part of a self-dedication ritual to the gods of your tradition. The term “measure bag” comes from the phrase “taking one’s measure.” This phrase means to size someone up, or to see what sort of person they are. Again, this isn’t used in every single Pagan belief system, but if it works for…
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Sybil Leek and the 6 Tenets of Witchcraft
In some forms of traditional witchcraft, there are six basic tenets – and that’s not TENANTS, with an AN, but TENETS. These are simple principles, or guidelines, meant to help practitioners lead positive and spiritually fulfilling lives. Do you have to follow them? Of course not! Although they vary somewhat from one tradition to the next – just like everything else in modern Paganism – they are nearly always similar in spirit and intent. This particular list was created by the late author Sybil Leek as an outline of the basic guidelines of her spirituality. While not universal to all belief systems, these six principles can be a valuable tool…
