The best target for a spell was, is, and will remain the self. There are many reasons for this. We learn to manipulate ourselves into doing things really early on in life – picking up toys, brushing our teeth, being nice to our siblings when we don’t feel like it, etc. Self-manipulation on multiple levels…
Tag: modern paganism
Magic is not only used for big efforts like finding a new job or healing an illness. It’s also incredibly useful as a stabilizing, smoothing force. When the patterns of life shift, it can be useful to look at what we can do magically to make the waves a little calmer. The transition out of…
The pagan year ends on Oct. 31 at Samhain (pronounced sow-ehn). Samhain is the old Celtic name for this holiday and the one we continue to use today. As a belief system connected to an agrarian calendar, our year reflects natural cycles. All around us, the trees are in the middle of their annual transition…
This blog is a guest post for EarthSpirit Voices Within the pattern of the Wheel of the Year, Winter Work is a specific area of self-work we engage in during the dark months of the year. As the lessons and wisdom of our time together at Twilight Covening settle within us, we turn our attention…
Stories wield incredible power, and are one of the core shaping influences in human cultures. We can easily look around the world for examples of this: here in the United States, our culture is shaped by Christian mythology. In India, Hindu mythology forms the culture. In Iceland, the Icelandic and Norse mythology of old supports…
We inherit a lot of perspectives from our parent culture. Some of these are obvious, and we begin the work of deconstructing them pretty quickly. I began hacking at the “girls can’t be strong” trope almost as soon as I could walk. As a result, I’ve made good progress on pulling that particular weed out…
Our will – the function of the brain that makes us do things, even stuff we don’t really want to do, can best be viewed as a kind of mental muscle. We have a finite quantity of it when we start the day; using it causes our reserve of willpower to deplete. This is why…
I’ve discovered that one of the most fun and rewarding aspects of releasing a book is the opportunity hang out with Pagan podcasters – they’re really cool! I have two new podcasts I was a guest on for you today, both of them recorded earlier in the year but released just recently. North Witch Podcast…
I felt the coming change of season a few nights ago. The usual August heat had given way during an afternoon thunderstorm and a cool, damp breeze touched my skin. The relief from the sweltering temperatures was immediate, joyful, and then contemplative: I know what this means. Summer is winding down. We still have some…
My practice of life as well as witchcraft is oriented toward the physical senses – I naturally gravitate toward an embodied way of being in the world. I want to feel experiences on my skin, in the movement of my limbs, in the taste on my tongue, in the sounds that I hear, in the…