Herb and Candle

It has been several months since I have posted anything here, as I have been going through quite a year of transformation. I have seen the results of some of my spells from last year come to fruition in ways that I wasn't expecting. While 2012 was one of the most difficult years of my life, things have completely turned around for me this year.  There is still much transition that I am going through, and I am seeing the full force of the Tower card from the tarot being played out.  Transformation can be a wonderful, yet painful thing.  Just as labor pains come before the blessing of a child, so it can be in our lives for positive changes to take place. I spent a little over a year in a very toxic, abusive relationship.  Even now, I have a hard time saying that out loud.  Not only did I live with fear, but also with shame.  I was ashamed that I allowed myself to get in this situation.  I was ashamed that as a witch I felt so powerless to get out o...

Depending on your view of tarot and your path, it may be beneficial to place your new tarot deck on your altar and dedicate it. Invite your gods and/or any benevolent spirits to connect with you through your deck. Present it and make it available to them as a means of communication.

Here is my simplified altar after getting rid of some of the clutter. I've felt the need to simplify my life as much

As I step off the porch with bare feet I feel the cool richness of the earth beneath me, the refreshing crisp air of an early December night, and I take notice of the stars shining against the black of night.  With the chalice in my left hand, and cut apple revealing it's sacred star in my right hand; I venture out to leave my offerings that have adorned my altar the previous day.  As I kneel down before the old tree I take a moment of silence as my heart is filled with gratitude.  I place the apple at the base of the tree and know that I'm giving back a gift that already belonged to the earth.  I slowly tip the chalice and let the aromatic wine pour over the fruit.  As I rise, I look up once more and I feel the connection between myself and deity.  Seeing the stars glistening above the branches, I recognize the world tree in the place where I stand.  The old tree becomes the stang which connects this world to the upperworld and the underworld.  ...

As I sit at home this morning, gazing out the window and watching the trees dance in the wind; I'm reminded of my teenage years when I secretly practiced magick in the wooded hills of Kentucky.  I didn't have in my possession a single ritual tool.  The concept of drawing down the moon was foreign to me.  I had never heard of the Wiccan rede, nor did I know the dynamics of setting up a ritual altar.  However, there was such a connection between my spirit and that of the forest.  Instinctively I developed a relationship with the elements.  I felt a connection with the plants and the trees all around me.  I remember being drawn to certain herbs of the woods and intuitively working knot magick.  I would speak ecstatic utterances under my breath and call up the winds and the local spirits of the land.  While I now have more experience and knowledge of the craft, that can never replace the raw, uncompromising communion with nature.  As a paga...

When many people think of witches, the classic image comes to mind of an old crone stirring her potion in a large black cauldron over a rolling fire.  The cauldron holding her magickal brew is met with awe and mystery, as it is the tool of her mystical conjuration.  For those of the craft, the cauldron has come to be a symbol placed upon pagan altars, or a tool placed within the sacred circle.  But what of the cauldron?  What lies beyond its association with hags stirring up malevolent intent? For many modern pagans, the cauldron is associated with the element water when used in rites and spells.  While I agree that the cauldron has a dominate symbolism of water, the versatility of this sacred tool is one it's most endearing features.  The very shape of the cauldron can be symbolic of the womb, feminine power, and the goddess....in whatever capacity she is known to the witch.  (While I use the term witch, I recognize that some aff...