Article Topic: Pagan

The season of Pagan festivals is upon us! From coast to coast, they stretch in grand array, each with something unique to offer, so many to choose from within your grasp. Bronwynn Forrest Torgerson, author of One Witch's Way, offers up a festival alphabet to make your selection easier and ensure that you have the experience your heart desires.

For the past five years, Gede Parma (author of By Land, Sky & Sea and Spirited) has focused on what he believes to be the underlying or core teachings of Witchcraft. This foundation is essentially shamanic, meaning our cosmologies relate to a manifold expression (generally threefold) of realms, and we may travel between and through them in order to learn, change, deepen, and grow. In the process we actualize our divinity, become Gods amongst Gods, and interact with the world as alive and magickally potent. The enabling factor is of course initiation. Here, Gede Parma explains how we reach this point of understanding.

Samhain is a hinge that marks the end of autumn and the beginning of winter. This is a time when the veil between the worlds is most thin, and one can make contact with the spirits of their loved one and their ancestors. The Celts believed that communication with their relatives and friends and animals that had crossed over provided needed love, guidance, and encouragement. For them, this was also a time to give gratitude and count one’s blessings. Sharlyn Hidalgo, author of The Healing Power of Trees, discusses the healing power of the Celtic Tree Calendar, especially at this time when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest.

While working on her book Night of the Witches, author Linda Raedisch discovered a meeting and subsequent correspondence between a now-elderly friend and Gerald Gardner. Just how did the Father of Modern Witchcraft influence our present-day? As the author discovers, much more than you might initially think.

As Pagans, we love what is natural, including the burning flame of ritual candles. But, are there times when using a flameless candle can be advantageous? If so, what about the magic of the flameless candle? Ember Grant, author of Magical Candle Crafting, discusses the magic of using flameless candles in ritual.

King James I of England came to be one of the more prominent prosecutors of "witch mania" beginning in Scotland and Denmark in 1590. Believing that persecuting witches under the law would grant him protection from their "black magick," James took on a great role in the interrogations and prosecution. His book, Demonology, was written with the aim to "educate" others on the evils of witchcraft and the supernatural. While being a difficult subject matter for many to broach, Donald Tyson has revisited this important work and made it approachable and understandable as The Demonology of King James I.