New Worlds of Body, Mind & Spirit Since 1901
Imagine for a moment walking into a home from 3,200 years ago, a home that sits poised on the edge in the middle of a fertile, rain-watered valley between the Mediterranean Sea to the west and the deserts to the east. What would you see? What evidence would the family have left behind demonstrating their devotion to their deities? You would run your hands across a stone or mudbrick surface—a bench or a low table that would hold offerings. Atop this surface, you would see a basin, small images of the deities, perhaps an incense stand, astragali—sheep "knucklebones" for divination—and plates of leftover food and bones from meat offerings. We know that homes had domestic ...
In HedgeWitchery, we try to be as safely organic as possible! This is good for you as well as the environment. To minimize predators in your magickal garden (and therefore extending into your life), try the following tips: Build a toad habitat: This is extremely easy to do. I took an old bird bath without the stand and placed it in the corner of the garden that had the most shade. Then break up several large clay pots and arrange the pieces in and around the bird bath. Fill the bird bath with water. That's it. You have your very own toad habitat. Keep the bird bath filled with water to encourage your toads to stay. I also decorated my toad habitat with toad statues and magickal gems, ...
After writing one book covering all eight of the sabbats (Sabbats), and another one about the Ostara sabbat, I wanted a "fresh" angle for Ostara this year. Most Pagans become familiar very early in their studies with the primary icons and concepts of our solar celebrations. Most of us know Ostara is the celebration of the spring equinox, a day of balance between dark and light. I don't think many of us can tolerate reading one more dry description about the symbolism of the egg in springtime, but that word "fresh" kept going through my mind, eventually bringing me back to "fresh eggs." (I won't do that to you, I promise!) I also wanted to avoid the cliché in the word "renewal." I ...
One of the most important traditional uses of the Tarot is in meditation. In fact, some scholars consider this its greatest value and believe that the Tarot was designed for this purpose and only later was applied to fortunetelling. As focal points for meditation, the cards' images can help you think about paths to spiritual self-improvement, broaden your understanding of the human conditions that we all share, and highlight the workings of archetypal forces in your life. p> Among Tarot users, a common practice is to pull a card a day, then contemplate its meanings. You can actively think about it, read what different authors may have to say about it, look around you for ways that its ...
