Articles about Wicca
By Lady Saoirse
Bright Blessings,
I write this on Beltane Eve, and my online memories have been showing me photos from years past. For many years, we used to gather at Beltane. We would rent a group campsite or Metro Park shelter and be there from the time the park opened until it closed. We had rituals, potlucks, talks, and for some years we camped. Continue reading Practical Magic with Saoirse: Beltane Memories
By Katrina Rasbold
In our circle, we work a strong duality between male and female energies and although we love the traditional celebrations, we always like to put our own spin on things. Beltane is a delicious High Holiday, ribald with innuendo and fun, celebrating the union between the masculine and feminine archetypes. In this blessed time of coming together, we honor the fertilization of the land and revel in the pleasures brought to us by earthly existence. That being the case, we always thought it as a little one-sided to ritualize this sacred day with only a maypole, the representation of male virility, thrusting its mighty prominence up out of the ripened land. Continue reading Witch At The Crossroads: All Hail The Mayhole
By Tatiara
If you’re like me, then you have felt the intensity of transformation afoot lately. The eclipse energy symbolizing “out with the old, in with the new,” was magical, yet a little harrowing for some of us.
Continue reading The Mystic Witch’s Journey: Lunar Beltane: Love, Gratitude and Transformation
by Brahn the Blessed
Part Two
By this time, you have either done the first exercise or not. If you haven’t, I will not be bothered with you. If you want to learn you must study. I have little enough time left in this life to concern myself with anyone who is absent curiosity. If you did the exercise from Part One, you discovered that there is an amazing hidden symmetry underlying the number system, a symmetry that permeates the numbers to infinity. Continue reading Secrets of the Essynian Traditions: Meneology Part Two
By Lady Saoirse
Bright Blessings,
I remember when I was what some could call a “baby witch.” I was 30 and had moved from my home in Ohio to Phoenix, Arizona. I found my path after walking away from Christianity there. I was befriended by someone named John who was 30 years my senior. John was absolutely horrified I got engaged to a man who lived back home in Ohio and was going to move back there to marry him. Continue reading Practical Magic with Saoirse: Can Interfaith Relationships Work?
By Katrina Rasbold
As we come upon Spring Equinox, it seems like a great time to talk about the differences between solstices and equinoxes. Continue reading Ask a Witch: Solstices & Equinoxes
By Katrina Rasbold
Essential disclaimer: I do understand that some Pagans do not actively work magic, so this particular blog references those who do. My assessment of common mistakes energy-wielding Pagans make is not an attack on people who practice magic differently than I do. Goddess bless ya if it works for you. I openly and immediately concede that some of you may have had different experiences. This is, instead, an observation of what I have personally screwed up in over thirty years of practice, as well as what I observe in other Pagans who are challenged by the limitations of their own erroneous beliefs. Will any of these five issues cause Armageddon or create irreversible damage? Likely not. The worst that will probably happen is that self-imposed limitations will minimize your magical flow. Oh, how I wish someone had told me these things when I was just a little Witch rather than having to find them out on my own. So here we go: Continue reading Witch At The Crossroads: 5 Common Energy Killing Beliefs
By Katrina Rasbold
If we are lucky, at some point in our Pagan lifetime, we will be invited to visit someone else’s ritual/grove/coven/circle/event to share in their practice. This could be at a public place such as a park or an event center or it can be at a private home or covenstead. In either instance, there are certain protocols of basic etiquette, tailored to Pagan practice, that are good to observe if you ever wish to be invited to another function. Keeping one’s name untarnished in the Pagan community is quite an extraordinary feat and it often starts with being a guest who maintains integrity and good manners. Continue reading Witch At The Crossroads: Pagan Etiquette
Curated by Cat Gina Cole
The Green Egg Forum is a lively hotbed of thoughtful discourse, moderated by Cat Gina Cole. In this column, Cat shares some of the most interesting and interactive posts and threads from the forum. Want to get in on the conversation? We would love to have you! Go to: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1069823176940972/ to join.
This week in the forum we discussed what happens if you break a ritual circle and if there are any consequences to doing so. There was no shortage of great responses and it was very enlightening. Continue reading From the Forum
By Nicki Ojeda (Tatiara)
In the soft, quiet breath of the season, regardless of weather, the call of Imbolc stirs something within me. A gentle reminder that Brigid calls me to reawaken the embers of inspiration and renewal. It feels like being called to dance with the Inner Mystic. The flame of spirit within, soul-fueled dreams and authentic aspirations take center stage, as I tap into the reviving glow of Imbolc. Continue reading The Mystic Witch’s Journey: My Personal Communion With Brigid
Imbolc is arguably one of our most underrated sabbats. If you do not study the value and impact of each of the eight sabbats, you lose balance on the wheel of the year, but for many Pagans, any celebration that is not Samhain or Beltane is met with limited enthusiasm… the sure sign of an amateur, truth be told. Sigh.
Continue reading Witch At The Crossroads: Imbolc, Dawn’s Early Light
By Katrina Rasbold
Interestingly enough, both Cat and I explored the same question this week. I took a slightly different approach. Continue reading Ask A Witch: What Is Witchcraft?
By Cat Gina Cole
What is Witchcraft?
That is a question that continues to be hotly debated on social media. There is a lot of “Who gets to decide that and why?” type of questions that come with it. The answer also depends on culture, pantheon, and personal beliefs. So, you may be asking why attempt to answer such a question? Well, as a teacher, and practicing Witch for over 50 years, I am in about 40-50 “witch” groups on social media and I see many looking for direction and firm answers, so I will attempt to provide some clarity. Continue reading The Cat’s Eye: What Is Witchcraft, Magic, Psychism, and Paganism?
Archetypes, labels, and cubbyholes. Did we invent them or did they invent us?
There comes a time when you are an old crone sitting back and watching the world turn when you begin to feel like there is nothing new under the sun. When something does spark interest as a new thought, new idea, new concept, new approach, it is exciting, breath-taking even. Mostly because it is so rare. I never imagined that I would be as jaded as I am, thankful for all of the wonders in the world, but bored with them all the same. And yet, here I am, jaded as the evergreens that grow around me and almost as old. Continue reading Witch At The Crossroads: 22 Major Arcana Archetypes of Pagan Groups
By Tatiara
Aeterna Flamma, the Sacred Flame. What does it symbolize? The presence of Spirit and our connection to the formless essence. Vesta, virgin goddess of hearth and home, preserves this sacred fire. She represents the container in which we center ourselves, be it temple, sweat lodge, meditation cushion, or our own home. Interestingly, the word hearth means “focus” in Latin. Vesta can help us improve our spiritual focus, dedication and commitment. This pertains to our home life and family or tribe unity, as well. Continue reading Vesta…Sacred Flame, Sacred Space
By Cat Gina Cole
Wow! The “New Normal” since the pandemic is really challenging for almost all of us for a variety of reasons. As a freelance writer, I spend quite a bit of time on social media and the challenges are very evident. So too are the contentions those frustrations bring as we attempt to interact with each other. I say interacting, because it is not really communication. It is more “act” and “react,” and communication is a two-way conversation. That our social media interactions have become so black and white it got me thinking about Yule. Continue reading The Cat’s Eye – Yule 2023
By Katrina Rasbold
The energy of this ritual is releasing the energy of Samhain and welcoming the spark of light that comes with the Winter Solstice/Yule. You will need six candles, one each in white, red, black, yellow, blue and brown. The God and Goddess invocation summons the triple aspect of both the Goddess and God for a duality working. It presumes a male-female Divine polarity, but could be adapted to accommodate any part of the gender spectrum. Continue reading A Winter Solstice Ritual
By Cat Gina Cole
One of the questions asked this week was:
We had a wide range of concerns, and I was very touched by some of the replies that follow below. Continue reading From the Forum
By Gus diZerega
For six years, I participated in a healing center in Berkeley that integrated African Diasporic practices and Buddhism. Sometimes, I did so several times a week. Those years were as demanding (and rewarding) as the previous years I spent getting a Ph.D. in Political Science at Berkeley, but they never involved writing or reading anything.
I had already become a Wiccan when I began to work at the healing center and explained my first commitment was to the Wiccan Goddess, but so long as that was acceptable, I would love to participate. And participate I did until a growing focus on Buddhism gradually squeezed out the African Diasporic dimension of its work. I left on friendly terms and regard those years as one of the most important spiritual experiences of my life. Continue reading On Words and Practices, Groups and Solitaries
By Katrina Rasbold
How do you “get” a Patron God or Goddess or know who yours is? In this video, veteran Witch, Katrina Rasbold, discusses two different ways you can attach to a Patron God or Goddess for your spiritual development, guidance, and companionship. Continue reading Ask A Witch: Patron Gods & Goddesses?