Category: Resident GE Blog Columnists

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Meneology: Part Five Redux

by Brahn the Blessed

Part Five Redux.  I see Life as episodic and worthy of capitalization.  Life is episodic because it can be seen as a sequence of minor or major adventures, either challenges or opportunities—trivial or difficult challenges that we must confront, some harder and some easier than others, some that may be met and resolved in a day and others that may take years to resolve; and both small and great opportunities that we can either recognize and accept or ignore and reject, perhaps out of pure ignorance (being too stupid to recognize an opportunity when we get one) or perhaps out of self-doubt and fear (unwilling to accept an opportunity for fear of failure).  Life presents us a rather constant series of challenges and opportunities, and were we properly trained to live our lives, we would appreciate these gifts better and avail ourselves of their generous benefits.  But the great majority of us are not at all trained in how to live our lives.  We are protected from Life’s challenges and programmed to see them as obstacles, impediments, and problems, conditions to be avoided if possible or escaped from as soon as possible.  Then, when opportunities arise, we are unprepared for them because we have not met the challenges and gained the strength and confidence we need to benefit from those opportunities. Continue reading Meneology: Part Five Redux

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Tarot Talk: The Knight of Swords

By Katrina Rasbold

“Tarot Talk” is a once-a-week reading with a deep exploration of the card we pull. What are some aspects of the card (as per the original Pamela Colman Smith artwork) that  add extra dimensions to the interpretation? How does that tell us what to focus on in the coming week? This week’s card is… Continue reading Tarot Talk: The Knight of Swords

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Ask a Witch: How Do You Make & Use Moon Water?

By Katrina Rasbold

Have you heard of moon water and want to give it a try? Here is how Katrina makes and uses it. [Note from Katrina: I did not mention making moon water during a lunar eclipse, but you can certainly do that in the same way as other types of moon water. Lunar eclipse water is great for revealing and hiding what is and is not anyone’s business.] Continue reading Ask a Witch: How Do You Make & Use Moon Water?

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Stone Magic: Turquoise

By Katrina Rasbold

Turquoise is a copper aluminum sulfate that presents in blue, deep green, or green blue. The level of copper present in the amalgam determines how much blue shows up in the stone. Throughout multiple cultures, turquoise is honored as a strong protection stone that also brings good fortune and happiness. The protective energies are amplified if the stone is given to the owner by a loving friend. We often find turquoise guarding burial sites in Mexico and the Southwestern United States. Continue reading Stone Magic: Turquoise

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Life is Like a Rose

By Lady Saoirse

Bright Blessings,

My little patio garden is thriving in the July heat. I have two lavender plants and two roses, one regular sized, complete with bristling thorns, and one dainty, thornless miniature rose. The thorned rose has been nibbled on by June bugs and the mini rose was munched on by rabbits. So far at this new location we moved to a couple of months ago, there have been no spider mites or aphids which were plentifully at our other apartment. Before that, we lived by the woods and while no rabbits or deer got my roses, the June bugs were mad about them. Continue reading Life is Like a Rose

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Tarot Talk: The Emperor

By Katrina Rasbold

“Tarot Talk” is a once-a-week reading with a deep exploration of the card we pull. What are some aspects of the card (as per the original Pamela Colman Smith artwork) that  add extra dimensions to the interpretation? How does that tell us what to focus on in the coming week? This week’s card is… Continue reading Tarot Talk: The Emperor

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Stone Magic: Obsidian

By Katrina Rasbold

Where I live in California, Obsidian is extremely common and is a staple in the stone arsenal of serious magical workers. It is brittle due to its volcanic origins and as a glass, can easily cut you if you are not careful with it. This and its dark color give it profound protection powers. It may appear as gray, black, or brown banded with white. Snowflake obsidian gets its name for the white intrusions in the black surface. The sharp edges of obsidian, as well as its brittleness, makes it a common choice for spearheads and arrowheads. Continue reading Stone Magic: Obsidian

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Tarot Talk: New Column/Weekly Reading

By Katrina Rasbold

Happy July! Let’s start off July 2024 with a new blog column! “Tarot Talk” is a once-a-week reading with a deep exploration of the card we pull. What are some aspects of the card (as per the original Pamela Colman Smith artwork) that  add extra dimensions to the interpretation? How does that tell us what to focus on in the coming week? This week’s card is… Continue reading Tarot Talk: New Column/Weekly Reading

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Ask a Witch: Do Witches Worship the Devil?

By Katrina Rasbold

All through the media and even history, we keep bumping up against this idea that Witches are in league with Satan (Santa maybe, but Satan??), so where does that idea come from and is it true at all? Continue reading Ask a Witch: Do Witches Worship the Devil?

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Stone Magic: Alexandrite

By Katrina Rasbold

Alexandrite is a beautiful stone that can be a pricey due to all the factors that influence the cost of stones: quality, color, size, scarcity, etc. I could mention “TikTok” in that price gounging factor list, but instead, I will just press on with the powerful attributes of this powerhouse rock. Alexandrite is semi-tranparent and the colors tend to change depending on the angle or type of light one views it in, but it generally ranges from green to blue to a sort of mauve color. Its beauty and hardness makes it a favorite of jewelers, so often it is easier to find alexandrite jewelry than to find alexandrite itself. Continue reading Stone Magic: Alexandrite

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Witch At The Crossroads: The Power of Words

By Katrina Rasbold

Humans often consider the power of speech and written word to be the defining quality that sets us apart from the rest of the animal world. With the exception of some animals specially trained to communicate, Koko the Gorilla, for instance, humans alone possess the demonstrated ability for the ongoing use of language. There is little denying the power of words. Continue reading Witch At The Crossroads: The Power of Words

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Herbalism For Your Day: Hibiscus

By Katrina Rasbold

The next several Herbalism For Your Day posts look like a walk through my tea cabinet and that is purely by coincidence, but here we go.

Hibiscus looks like it should be a poisonous plant with its brightly colored flowers and extremely proud and vital stamen and it is poisonous to cats.

Its power as an aphrodesiac is so intense that in some countries, women are forbidden from drinking the tea because certainly, we would not want a bunch of horned up women roaming the streets all hepped up on hibiscus tea. Continue reading Herbalism For Your Day: Hibiscus

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The Essynian Mysteries – Part Five

Conveyed by Brahn th Blessed

Part Five:  The Mind is a Universe Unto Itself, Boundless and Filled With Wonders

Look inside.  How do you do that?  What is this ‘inside’ into which we must look?  The ‘inside’ is a misnomer, for it is not inside at all; it is otherwhere.  It is instead that part of us that exists in time, but not in space.  More clearly, it is that aspect of our being that exists only in time, only in the astral plane where there is no space, and having no space, it has no size or shape, no location or motion, no multiplicity.  The hidden Realm of the Mind is real, but it is so different from our physical existence in the material plane that we can’t begin easily to conceive it.  When you remove space, you remove outside and inside (as they apply to space); you remove direction and location (as they apply to space), you remove size and shape (as they apply to space), you remove location and motion (as they apply to space).  But the absence of purely physical qualities makes the mind not less real, but only more primitive, older than its physical counterpart, the brain. Continue reading The Essynian Mysteries – Part Five

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Protect Your Peace – Banish Them!

By Lady Saoirse

Bright Blessings,

Quite often, we talk about banishing negativity and bringing in positive energy to our lives but we don’t always talk about banishing negative people. Sometimes, your family, your best friend, or even your significant other is just being downright negative. The thought of being without these people temporarily, let alone permanently, might be unbearable. However, sometimes if you want to live a peaceful existence, people give you no choice. Continue reading Protect Your Peace – Banish Them!