New Worlds of Body, Mind & Spirit Since 1901
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 ...
The moon shines in our skies in various phases, from one of full light to completely dark and to just a sliver. On the first day this article appears will be the New Moon, a time when the moon reappears out of the darkness in a slim, sharp crescent. In ancient times, the peoples of the world waited out the dark moon times and celebrated the reappearance of the moon, in newness. To them, it was a reaffirmation that their gods still loved them and that life would continue. The three days preceding the new moon is the dark moon phase, a time when many—even witches—say it is a time to forgo meditative and magical activity. If you have read my book, Rituals of the Dark Moon: 13 ...
