Book Review: Ancient Ways

By sarajean on 7/13/10 12:08am
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Digging through some old totes in our basement, I was delighted to run across one of my favorite pagan books. Ancient Ways: Reclaiming Pagan Traditions is chock-full of not only technical knowledge—from pagan lore to historic traditions—but also incredibly fulfilling activities, celebrations, recipes, and rituals to celebrate each season in turn. Written by Pauline Campanelli and illustrated by Dan Campanelli, the book is an absolute wonderful resource. It’s no wonder my old copy has so many dog-eared pages!

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10 Summer Activities

By sarajean on 6/28/10 6:37am
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Summer is well upon us, and there are plenty of different activities to do while the Sun is at full power. Here are ten fun things to do throughout July and August.

10. Spend Some Time with Animals

Let your pets know how much you love them. Provide a bird feeder or bath for local wildlife. Make your animals a few protective amulets or charms. We made simple hand-drawn ones for our pets and taped them beneath their food dishes.

9. Use Summer Herbs

Get to know St. John’s Wort, Rue, Woodbine, Lavender, Vervain, and any other herbs associated with the summer months. Incorporate them into your home or a ritual if you wish.

8. Peer Into the Future

Try a hand at scrying with a mirror, or use an outdoor water source. It’s always fun to visit a professional palm reader or psychic as well.

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Some Spiritual Consciousness

By sarajean on 5/30/10 10:22am
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I saw this show on TLC called "My Unique Family." This particular episode is about a Wiccan family. As I watched, I was painfully reminded about how I strive to keep my own spirituality in check in my own community; how I do not wear my pentagrams in public anymore after experiencing both ridicule and ignorance, how many members of my own family believe that I am not religious at all, how my altar is "an eclectic collection of knicknacks" and my goddess art and writing are "expressions of my feminism." It's hard enough to explain to my family and some friends why I keep my own last name and why I had issues getting married, let alone explain my pagan faith.

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10 Things to Do for Beltane

By sarajean on 4/26/10 10:07pm
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It’s that time of year again—when the gorgeous May flowers are either blooming or about to bloom, the sun is warming the backs of our necks, and the promise of another summer is in the air. Beltane is just around the corner. Here are a few ways you can celebrate, either this weekend or throughout the month of May.

10. Dance Around the Maypole

Who doesn’t love doing this? Dress up in your favorite period costumes, or don your favorite god and goddess symbols and colors. Invite the neighborhood or simply have a fun time as a family. Even if you don’t have a Maypole you can still dance your heart out!

9. Create a Fairy House

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Number 7 birthmark

By Anonymous on 4/5/10 8:18am
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Hi!I am very interested to know anyones thoughts on something. I have a tiny birthmark on my right arm. It is a perfect number "7."I have been researching it but can find no accounts of anyone else with one. It does seem though that the number 7 is extremely significant in Wiccan/Pagan beliefs. I did begin to learn about Wicca about 12 years ago, so it does interest me. I have also just met someone very special who is a praticing Wiccan and it feels like I was supposed to meet her.Dunno if all this sounds a bit crazy but would love to hear any thoughts, cos I believe this 7 is supposed to mean something!Many many thanks =)

Ostara Activities for Children and Families

By sarajean on 3/27/10 8:35am
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If your family is like many pagan families, you may have already celebrated Ostara during the Spring Equinox, which was March 20 this year. However, many families opt to celebrate Ostara, during the time when other families traditionally celebrate Easter. This can make it easier to coordinate with school schedules, as well as with family events and days off.

Either way is fine to do, and if you haven’t yet celebrated Ostara with your family, there is still plenty of time to do so by next Sunday. Here are a few activities you might be interested in doing together.

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10 Things to Do This Spring

By sarajean on 3/24/10 3:41am
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Spring is here! The crocuses are peeking up at us, the daffodils are bending toward the sun, and the sun itself is greeting us with longer days and warmer weather. If you’ve been ready for spring all winter, it’s time to really start making those plans and enjoying spring of 2010. Here are 10 fun things you might want to add to your to-do list.

10. Spring Cleaning

Okay, while this one isn’t the most fun, it’s definitely needed after a long winter’s stay indoors. And who’s to say you can’t make it fun? My daughter and I love smudging every month, arranging things for optimal feng shui, and creating new washes and incenses to use. And while the actual nuts and bolts of cleaning may not be so enjoyable, visualizing, telling stories, or even dancing while doing it can certainly be.

9. Make a Toad Home

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Rituals for Healing

By sarajean on 11/21/09 3:47am
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When you have an injured or sick loved one, sometimes you feel so helpless it’s unbearable. Yes, you do what the doctor tells you to (or get a second opinion), and whether it’s practicing proper hygiene, delivering adequate doses of medication, or simply waiting, it’s probably the best you can do from a medical standpoint.

But what about a spiritual one? Sending positive thoughts, prayers, healing energy—these are all things you can do that not only may be beneficial to your loved one, but also help connect you to him or her in an empowering and loving way. Here are a few very simple healing rituals that you could do if you are interested in this.

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Samain or Samhain: Just the Facts

By lisala on 10/15/09 12:37pm
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It's the time of year when, every year, I get annoyed by the Christians at one extreme and Neo Pagans at other extreme posting silly things about the ancestry of Halloween and the ancient Celtic festival of Samain. I thought I'd try to forestall some of the less factual assertions by a list of bullet points about what we actually know about Samain and the Celts, since Samain is one of the most popular Neo Pagan festivals or feast-days.

In 609 Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day. The night before, October 31 consequently became All-Hallows Eve, or Halloween. In A.D. 1000, the church made November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. There are references to both feast days earlier in some places, but these are the dates of official sanction.

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The Magical Household

By sarajean on 10/14/09 10:06am
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The Magical Household: Empower Your Home with Love, Protection, Health and Happiness is possibly my favorite pagan book in my entire collection. In it, Scott Cunningham and David Harrington share a plethora of folklore, recipes, spells, and simple actions to make your home more magical and meaningful. There is really something that anyone on any budget can do in this book.

The Magical Household explains that you don’t need money to live in a magical home. You don’t even need to live in a cottage in the woods with herbs, pentagrams and witchy-looking stuff everywhere (though you have to admit that would be fun). Simply using your fingertip to draw sacred symbols for protection on your windows and doors, for example, can help safeguard your home and give it a more magical vibe without spending anything.

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