New Worlds of Body, Mind & Spirit Since 1901
According to Egyptian tradition, today is the birthday of Set, god of the desert. Set also oversees thunderstorms and upheavals. He stands guard over Ra's barge in the underworld. Though at times Set has been considered evil, he is more properly understood as a god of necessary challenges and hardships. In modern times, careless practices make the deserts expand. Once-fertile land shrivels into lifeless dust. When Set sees humans behaving in uncivilized ways, he moves in and claims the land as ...
In Scottish tradition there was an ancient ritual and prayer that could be used when facing a conflict such as a court case or other difficult situation. The person who performed the ritual arose very early and went to a stream or river that marked a boundary, one that did not become small in the summertime. The person dipped their face in the stream three times and then bathed their face in the nine rays of the Sun. After this, the following prayer was recited, which was said to provide ...
Many modern Pagan rituals focus on the veneration of the Moon, but we must also remember the other inhabitants of the celestial realms who guide and bless us every day. In Celtic tradition, words for both the Sun and Moon were feminine in gender, and both were honored in rituals and prayers. In the last century, old people in the islands of Scotland would uncover their heads when they first saw the Sun in the morning and intone a hymn. Here is a traditional Gaelic prayer to the Sun: Hail to ...
Today is the day to speak your prayers to birth and fertility goddesses such as Astarte, Parvati, Artemis, Tonantzin, Yemaya, Demeter, and Isis. First, find a stone. Holding it in your left hand for a girl and right hand for a boy, breathe your intention onto it and wrap colored string, preferably red, three and a half times around. Secure it with a knot. Within three days, tie the stone to a willow tree, birch tree, or hazelnut bush. Give gratitude's to the tree by leaving a small offering ...
