New Worlds of Body, Mind & Spirit Since 1901
Throughout history, eclipses have been considered to be very powerful phenomena. This was especially so in ancient times when they fell on important places in the horoscopes of kings and countries. In those days, astronomy and astrology were not divided, and because religious and other ceremonies were set to take place in accordance with the stars, priests were the acting astrologers. In fact, it was only the very influential who were privy to the services of an astrologer. Leaders ran their countries according to the information provided; eclipses were thought to be of special significance and to precede famine, prosperity, disease, war, and other broad-scale events affecting the ...
Since the run-away success of Dan Brown's book The Da Vinci Code (and the subsequent movie), there has been a renewed interest in Freemasonry, both by the media and the population at large. In the last few years, dozens of documentaries have been produced that revolve around Freemasonry, as well as several feature films (including National Treasure and its sequel). While much of this interest has in past (and often continues to do so) focused around one or more so-called "Masonic conspiracy" theories (as fiction is usually more exciting than fact) the claims of unbiased documentary reporting are often little more than sensationalist crap designed to sell DVDs. There have been, however, ...
People who are drawn to magickal spirituality are talented at turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. Things that can seem mundane to others can, in fact, be powerfully transformative for the magickally inclined. Even the simplest of acts can be turned into magickal acts. For example, why simply eat food when it can be blessed and enchanted before being consumed? Why overlook an eye-catching rock on the ground when it can be put on the Northern quadrant of an altar and be used to align with the earth elementals? Why discard the end of a sliced onion when it can be hung on string to absorb adverse energy? The list goes on! Our immediate reality can present us with countless ...
Over the thirty years I have been a priestess I have performed many handfastings for fellow Pagans, but recently I have noticed a new trend—I am being approached by non-Pagans who want a handfasting ceremony, too. Last year I conducted a large public handfasting ritual that was attended by hundreds of people—and broadcast live on Radio Leicester—even though the couple were not committed Pagans. They wanted to declare their commitment to each other in front of family and friends, but found that the usual civil or religious ceremonies did not fit their needs and so came to me. Handfasting is an ancient rite, originating in the custom of tying a couple's hands together to ...
