Everyday Magick | The Pagan Household

Adjusting Our Tradition…

March 14, 2013 in Everyday Magick, Guests

We are just about a week out from Ostara. Granted, when I look out my kitchen window in the morning, I see nothing but a blanket of white yet… but Spring is on its way. It will be here, even though right now, it surly don’t feel like we are ever going to see it.

Either way, Ostara is in about a week. My daughter is three now. The last couple of years we really didn’t do much other than balance eggs on their end on the Equinox. That has been a family tradition for as long as I can remember. You go and dig the eggs out of the fridge and try to balance them on the pointy end. One is only supposed to be able to balance the eggs on the first day of spring. We have never tried it any other day of the year; I realize, it should be able to be done of the autumn equinox as well…. but this is a spring tradition.

Picture is from 2012 “egg-balancing” on the equinox.

Like I said, my daughter is three. I want to start incorporating traditions for her into our Ostara celebration. Let’s be honest, until this year… I was doing all the motions, but it was for me so I could take picture of her. This year is going to be so different, at least I hope!

Now, growing up… I was raised Roman Catholic. Obviously then, I celebrated Easter with my family, and we had the “Easter Bunny” come to our house. It wasn’t until I was much older and beginning as a newbie that I realized the significance of the “Easter Bunny” in relation to being a Pagan. I liked the symbolism of egg hunts in regards to Osiris and Isis and the story of their love. I enjoyed the symbolism of the sun and moon with the eggs. Then again, eggs and rabbits go hand in hand with the spirit of the season (fertility anyone?).

This has brought me to my current feelings, as it stands. My child is going to have an “Easter Bunny”, but we are reverting back to the original spelling of Eastre for our visiting bunny. (Partly, I am doing this because our house isn’t totally out of the “broom closet” with all aspects of our family. We just aren’t ready to deal with some of them yet.) I want my daughter to associate the bunny for what it was meant to be and represent to us as Pagans. Granted, I am not going to be explaining to a 3 year old the significance of a bunny in regards to all the aspects with fertility, but I firmly believe that I want her to associate the bunny with the holiday it was meant for. Besides that, even as a Christian raised child, I enjoyed the mystery of the bunny. Why wouldn’t I want that for her? I want her to experience the wonderment and joy of searching for colored eggs in and around our home and a basket of goodies. I will take her on an egg hunt this year as well, hopefully I can find a children’s book about the love story of Isis and Osiris to read to her as well, otherwise I will be doing my best rendition of the story as I can remember it. (this would be the time for me to say that if any of you know of one published, please contact me…)

So as we creep ever closer to Ostara, my daughter and I will start doing more and more art projects with the theme of eggs and spring. I will be doing my best to try and teach her what Ostara means to us. My only hope is that she has fun, the rest will come with time, and I know that. =)

To each and everyone of you… May you have a very blessed Ostara and a wonderful year of abundance ahead!

Tags: Family, holiday, Ostara, traditions
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Middle of the Mundane…

February 28, 2013 in Everyday Magick, Guests

The end of February. I can honestly say that I am happy it is here, but at the same time… Can it be over with? Can we please have spring and the warmer weather that comes with it?

I am one of those people that suffers from “cabin fever”. I live in North-Central Wisconsin. Right now, we have a good 18-20 inches of snow on the ground. I have 4-5 foot snow banks lining my yard. To go outside and do anything seems to require a ton of effort. Just to go out and get my mail in the afternoon requires boots, jacket, hat, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I love the winter and being able to go sledding and snowshoeing on warm days….but…

This brings me to to my magical life. I don’t have the energy, or maybe it is ambition? I don’t know what you want to call it, I just don’t have it right now. It is so bad, honestly, the thought of doing anything with regards to the Full Moon seemed like a lot of work. I know it all has to do with the “cabin fever”. If you look at the time of year… really, it is kind of a dead time. The earth is still sound slumber awaiting the arrival of warmer weather (at least by me it is) which won’t be here until closer to the equinox or later, which most likely will be later. I won’t get a chance to work in the gardens around my house until at least mid to end of April. That is a lot of time yet! It is no wonder that one can get so discouraged this time of year. At least in the summer months between Sabbats, one has other yard work that can be attended to.

As I sat and thought about this, I needed to reprogram my train of thought. Instead of focusing on what I couldn’t do and how much I wanted the warmer weather to be here. I decided that this was the perfect time to work on me. When I say “me”, I mean the inner me. My spiritual self needed time to rest as well, and with all of this negative thinking I had going on, I wasn’t doing myself any justice.

I started making a point to sit down and meditate. Now, that normally wouldn’t be a problem for anyone, but I was having an issue. I needed to force myself. I meditated on being at peace with myself. I wanted to feel comfortable in my skin that was itching for warmer weather and for all of this snow to be gone.

I found in the first couple of days, I felt much better about just myself in general. I started to see things in a more positive light. The biggest notice I saw in myself was that I was starting to see the subtle signs in nature that spring was really not that far away. The buds on the trees were starting to pop out a little bit more. The birds were singing, where I don’t remember hearing any birds making much of a noise at all in January. The sun was indeed poking out of the horizon in the morning a bit earlier, and just the same, lasting a bit longer in the sky in the afternoons.

I realized it really wasn’t as bad as I thought it was, I just needed to change my perspective and do a little bit of work on the inside, to notice positive things on the outside. )O(

Tags: life, magical, pagan, reflection, spiritually
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The Everyday Magick of I Love You

February 14, 2013 in Everyday Magick

Today is Valentine’s Day and cards, candy and flowers galore are being exchanged in proclamations of love all over the place. I could write an article all about the history of Valentine’s Day and pagany crafts, magickal meals and enchanted herbs and flowers for Valentine’s Day. But really, do we absolutely need a day to tell people that we love them? Do we need all of these expensive trappings to express how much we love someone? Controversial, I know, but hang in there with me for a few minutes.

I used to love Valentine’s Day. I reveled in getting roses and candy and special dinners made from the foods to induce love. I longed for the cards with the long outpourings of loving words. My husband and I exchanged all these things over the years. But, it finally dawned on me. Did these things strengthen our bond, make me love him more than I did the day before, make him love me more than he did the day before? Did these things really show us how much we loved each other? Did these things really change our relationship in any way, shape or form? Did these things create any true magick between us? The short answer is no. If anything, they showed that we loved to waste money on things just to say three simple words: “I love you”. There is true magick and great power in those three little words. They say so much more.

Saying “I love you” means that you are connected to a person, care for a person body, mind, heart and soul. It means that you are willing to open up the most vulnerable parts of yourself to another person, letting them in to see the brightest and darkest sides. Those three words say that we accept a person for who and what they are and will be, and that we want to be accepted by that person in the same way. With “I love you”, we agree to back up those words with actions, by committing to each other in some way, through sharing, cooperation, honesty, trust and faith, in a partnership or marriage. It means you believe in an “us”, in transforming and evolving through life with another person. Sometimes, “I love you” can even mean letting go of someone to allow them to be the person they must be and to give them permission to go somewhere we cannot follow.

As parents, “I love you” says so many things to our children. Chief among them, it says that we will be everything for them until they can be those things for themselves. It means that we will be there for them even after they have taken full control of their own lives and that we accept them for who they are and who they become as adults. “I love you” is embedded in our actions as parents. It is in the meals we cook, the medicines we administer, the discipline we must give, the unexpected meeting with the teacher, the beaming smile at graduation, the tears at their weddings. And “I love you” from our children says that they know what we are to them and what we do for them. It is even in there somewhere on the day they want to go out, haven’t cleaned their room, have been told they are grounded and they yell “I hate you”. You may not know it or feel it then, but it is there.

The “I love you” among friends is a way of bringing people closer into our lives, making them part of the family. It says that you accept them into the inner circle of your life. With an “I love you” to a friend, you say that you trust them with seeing the inner workings of your life, with keeping a secret or two, and with being there when you need an ear or a shoulder. Those three little words can help a friend through a difficult time in their life and perhaps give them the strength to carry on.

The words “I love you” also have a very dark side. It happens when these words are wielded carelessly, like a squire with a knight’s sword. Some people use these words to get what they want, to work their way into someone’s life where they do not belong, or to hide truths from people. Others may say it but do not back it up with their actions, choosing to instead control another person or to work in direct opposition to a person at every turn. This is when “I love you” becomes a dark magick and destroys people rather than uplifts them.

“I love you” says “walk the path of life with me”, whether it is as a spouse, partner, lover, parent or friend. Say it often and with true belief in the words. Put these three little words into all of your actions every day and not just in a card or a heart-shaped box of chocolates. No, you don’t need one day a year to show someone how much you love them. You just need every day.

Tags: Love, love magick, pagan, Valentine's Day
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365 Days of Yule Tree Magick

January 17, 2013 in Everyday Magick

The holiday season is over and now the task of taking down all those holiday decorations is nearing completion. Away go the twinkle lights, the brilliant ornaments, the Santa and nutcracker collections, and, alas, the festive greenery that decked the halls for the past few weeks. As much as I can’t wait for my house to get back to normal, I am saddened to see them packed into boxes until next December. If you are like me, the thing that is missed most of all is the Yule/Christmas tree, standing tall in all its adorned brilliance and fresh pine scent. Yet, the Yule tree does not have to go far. It can be tucked away into parts of the home and yard for a little bit of Yule tree magick all through the coming year.

After the ornaments, tinsel and lights are removed, our tree is carefully removed from its stand and taken into the back yard. Using my best and sharpest garden shears and thanking the tree with each snip, I go through the tree, branch by branch, removing those that will be used to freshen the vases in the house and on the altar for the Winter. The old and drying evergreens are taken from the vases, put out over the garden beds to insulate them for the Winter, and replaced with the fragrant fresh branches. I will tuck flowers, like white roses or forced forsythia branches, in among the evergreens. This is especially beautiful at Imbolc, when we are looking forward to the coming Spring but still mindful of the cold barren Winter. Some of the smaller tree branches can be shaped into pentacles, using floral wire where each branch connects to the next. Fresh flowers or herbs can also be wired into these and make aromatic wards to be hung on doors and in windows.

There are always a few branches that are oddly shaped and cannot be used in floral arrangements or wards. I hang these as I would herbs to dry. When ready, I strip the pine needles from the branches and store them for use in incenses, oils and other brews throughout the year. An incense made of crushed pine needles and cedar is a fragrant purification in Winter for the home. The needles can also be used for a spiritual cleansing bath. A pine branch makes a wonderful substitution for a broom to “sweep” an area before spellwork or ritual outdoors. Another magickal property of pine is fertility. With this in mind, I use pine branches to insulate the garden through the Winter. As I place the branches over each garden bed, I envision the abundant flowers, herbs and vegetables that will grow in the coming Spring and Summer. Smaller branches are also set aside to dry out for kindling for our back yard firepit. We burn these branches to “clear the air” before family and friends gather for fun or celebration.

Once the Yule tree is stripped of the branches, it is time to put the trunk to good use. A piece is always cut from the bottom first for next year’s Yule log. In some years, the trunk has been cut into pieces and used as firewood (although it MUST be very dry to burn properly with the least amount of smoke). Another year my husband made Winter candleholders for the altar. Last year, we decided to create some very natural and practical magick for our backyard with the Yule tree trunk. We turned it into a feeding station for birds and small furry critters. We placed it into the wall of our rock garden and used it to hang suet feeders, seed balls, overly ripe fruit and even corn cobs. This attracted a variety of new birds to our yard and kept our usual feathered residents quite happy. Species of butterflies not seen before in my yard gathered around orange slices hung there. Bees also were attracted to this. After checking it out for a while, they would go to work in my vegetable and herb garden. It became part of the natural magick of the gardens and an attraction of sorts for the neighbors. This year, we are using the trunk for a more practical purpose: a coat rack. We are going to leave some of the thicker branches, stripped of needles and shortened, on the trunk and place a base on it. First we must research how to get the sap to dry out or to keep it from leaking out. Who wants to put on a jacket and have it stuck to your neck with pine sap!

There is one more way to create some magick with that Yule tree that may be late to mention but worthy to note. It may only apply to those on the East Coast right now. Many communities at the New Jersey, Delaware and New York shores that were damaged by Hurricane Sandy are using Yule/Christmas trees to rebuild sand dunes. The trees are placed on their sides, end to end, and catch sand as it is swept across the beach by the wind. This then forms sand dunes naturally. If you have not already repurposed your tree or had it removed to the local recycling center to be mulched, check with local officials to see if your tree can still be taken to a shore community to rebuild the coastline. What better magick is there than healing Earth’s wounds!

Above all, keep your Yule/Christmas tree from just ending up in a trash heap somewhere. Think of all the ways it can be used for other purposes, whether it’s gardening, magick, furniture-building, or even firewood. Ask your neighbors to do the same, even if they just end up giving you the tree to reuse, recycle or repurpose. Look into your local county’s policies about holiday tree removal and recycling. If they don’t recycle it for mulch, take it to a local garden or landscaping center that will do this. The Earth gave the tree to you and so it must be returned to Earth. This is the greatest magick you can perform.

Tags: magick, pagan, recycle, yule tree
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Yuletide Blessings

December 20, 2012 in Everyday Magick, Guests

The Winter Solstice is nearly here and, all around me, the world is shimmering with an unearthly radiance. The light is returning. I can feel it warming my soul and bringing with it the promise of renewed life. As if on cue, the weather here in the Northeast has turned from mild and foggy days to crisp clear days with a biting wind. The Yule tree is in its stand draped with hundreds of twinkling white lights, like little stars hiding among the braches. Fresh evergreens and holly fill vases in every room of the house, the scent of pine at every turn. The Yule log is ready for lighting after sundown tonight, its bayberry tapers and festive greenery the focal point of our Winter Solstice altar.

And now I wait. Weather permitting, tonight I will hold vigil through the cold darkness for the return of the Sun. Last year’s Yule log will be set ablaze in the patio firepit while this year’s Yule log will be aglow bringing the Sun’s life-giving light and warmth to my home. I will wait to see those first golden rays peak over the horizon, heralding the Sun’s rebirth. Should it rain, I will hold my vigil by an East-facing window and still head outdoors as the sky begins to lighten, knowing that somewhere behind those clouds are the rays of new life, of hope, and of comforting warmth.

As I await the Sun’s triumphant return, I will contemplate what wonderful things the coming turn of the wheel holds for me. Winter is my personal time to retreat into my creative self. The ever lengthening days of January will find me writing more, finishing that book I’ve been working on and starting the one that is sprouting in a stenographer’s notebook, planning gardens and researching more organic growing methods, concocting recipes that perhaps will become family favorites to be passed down in the family, and devouring every book in my path. Being with my own thoughts is rest for me. So, as the Sun returns this Yule, I will be looking forward to my “rest”. The return of the light brings me hope and belief in the wonderful possibilities for this world and all in it. I am hopeful that better days are ahead of us, filled with peace, prosperity, healing, equality, and fairness.

When the hustle and bustle of the holiday season wanes, I will be ready to settle in for a long Winter’s nap. I wish you all bright Yuletide Blessings. May the returning light shine upon you, illuminating your path and your life. May the Sun energize you with the spark of creativity and bring your dreams to fruition. May its warmth surround you in comfort. May you be filled with the light and warmth of hope. Blessed Be!

Tags: winter solstice, Yule, yuletide blessings
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Decking The Halls

December 6, 2012 in Everyday Magick

Nothing brings me more joy in the darkening days of December than decking the halls with the greenery of the Yule season. As a gardener, this time of year can be a bit saddening for me and I miss the warm days of working with plants, weeding garden beds, tilling soil and gathering baskets full of herbs, vegetables and flowers. Yet, as a Pagan, the coming of Winter is a time to rejoice, for it brings the promise of renewed life and the return of the Sun. A pine tree, branches and wreaths of evergreen, boughs of holly with its bright red berries, tendrils of ivy, and sprigs of mistletoe brought indoors for Yule remind me of that promise. Each one of these natural festive adornments has a magickal association for the Yuletide season and brings Winter’s promise into the Pagan home.

There are many types of evergreens but the most commonly used at Yule are pine, fir, and spruce. Evergreens symbolize life and hope and they bring prosperity and protection to the home. The scent of fresh pine cleanses the air and brings joy and peace. They can be used in a variety of ways to decorate the home at Yule. Evergreens can make up part or all of a wreath, swag, or garland. Wreaths represent the wheel of the year and eternity and can be hung on doors, in windows or even on a wall over an altar. Filling vases with boughs of pine, spruce and fir honors the spirits of nature. These can be placed on altars and around your entire home. Swags of evergreen over doorways banish negativity and invite prosperity. Garlands symbolize the continuity of life and can be draped on stairways, along mantles, or around doorways. Small sprigs of evergreen are often used to adorn Yule logs. Pinecones are a symbol of fertility and are often tucked into wreaths and garlands.

And then of course there is the tree. There is perhaps no greater symbol of Winter’s promise than the evergreen tree. It’s presence in the home at Yuletide reminds us that, while most of nature is in its barren Winter slumber, there is still life there waiting to return. Lights upon the tree herald the rebirth of the Sun. The decorating of the Yule tree is unique to each Pagan family and is what makes the season so special. Some may choose to use only natural or handmade adornments while others may corner the market on glass ornaments. In my home, we celebrate both Yule and Christmas so our tree is decorated with an eclectic assortment of ornaments – some made by my son, some bought over the years, and some handed down through the family for several generations – with hundreds of warm white lights to shine through the longest night of the year.

Other Yuletide greenery to include in your family’s celebrations is holly, ivy and mistletoe. Holly, added in wreaths, garlands and floral arrangements, brings good will and protection to all in the home. Place holly upon the Yule log to represent the old year’s passing. Ivy symbolizes fertility and eternal life. It can be entwined with pine garlands or used by itself on the Yule altar. Ivy also repels negativity and bad luck. Mistletoe was sacred to the Druids and used in healing. It is a symbol of fertility and brings good luck to the home. Traditionally, sprigs or boughs of mistletoe are hung in doorways. Don’t forget to steal a kiss from the person standing under that mistletoe!

You can find much of this festive greenery on a nature walk or while hiking a trail in the woods. Make a day of it, taking the kids along to help collect pinecones and to carry fragrant pine branches. Some parks have restrictions about taking cuttings from trees and bushes so be sure to check with local authorities first. Greens can be purchased too, whether at a florist or nursery (which, I will warn you, can be pricey) or in your local grocery, produce or home improvement store. Talk to a neighbor who has holly bushes and barter with them, maybe promising them a batch of holiday cookies in return for some cuttings of holly. Upon the end of the holiday season, take the greenery from your arrangements and dry them for magickal uses or recycle them into the garden. While working with the greens, charge them with your magickal intentions for your home and family. Oh, and remember to wear gloves! Holly leaves can draw blood with their pointy tips and sap is like nature’s glue (Think Clark Griswold turning magazine pages in bed!).

Heading to a tree farm can be another fun family outing for Yuletide. Sing carols and delight in the kids running from tree to tree yelling, “This one! This one!” Take it home and, as the family gathers to decorate it, tell a story about the return of the Sun or share histories of your old ornaments. Welcome this Guardian of theForestto your home and ask it to protect your home and, once lit with all those sparkling lights, to guide warmth, light, love and joy to your family with its brilliance. Choose a tree that can be replanted in your own yard or try to reuse as much of your tree as possible when the holiday season is over. Use branches to insulate garden beds, cut a piece of the trunk for next year’s Yule log, or put it through a chipper to use as mulch.

Now, before I go, I must address a few health and safety tips here. First and foremost, greenery like mistletoe and holly is extremely toxic so please do not place it in areas accessible to children and pets. Remember that the berries of these plants can drop off too and a cat or a child may find a bright red berry something to be eaten as quickly as possible. Second, if you are allergic to any or all of the greenery mentioned here, please do not try to suffer through the season for the sake of using the real thing. There is nothing wrong with using artificial greenery! It doesn’t make you a “bad Pagan”. It just makes you a Pagan with allergies. Lastly, always remember fire safety. Never place greenery close to candles where the flames can dry them out and possibly ignite them. Also, never leave the tree lights or other holiday lights that are entwined in greenery on while you are not home.

Soon, with the dawning of the Winter Solstice, the days will begin to lengthen again, slowly but surely. The festive fragrant evergreens adorning the home at Yule herald the return of the Sun and promise renewed life. They surround our home and families with protection, prosperity, hope and joy, bring thoughts and dreams of fertile gardens and land, and remind us that the wheel of the year continues to turn.

Tags: evergreens, pagan, pagan decorating, Yule, yule tree
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Giving Thanks Magickally

November 8, 2012 in Everyday Magick

I have been trying not to think of the holidays but, alas, they are knocking on my forehead. In only two weeks, Thanksgiving will be here. If you are hosting the family gathering like I am, and do every year, then you know the stress that can come with this holiday. There is so much to be done and there never seems to be enough time. The house must be cleaned top to bottom so that the out-of-town relatives and the last minute dinner guest think you live in perfect cleanliness and organization all the year long. We dig through recipe after recipe for a new and exciting way to make pumpkin pie but always end up making the one we have made for years and puts a smile on the face of every single person at the table every single year. We painstakingly plan the table seating because this one can’t sit next to that one for this reason and that one won’t sit next to this one for that reason. We drive ourselves crazy thinking of all the things that can go wrong and making contingency plans in case they do, but usually don’t. We fret about setting a beautiful table with spotless china, sparkling crystal and an awe-inspiring centerpiece ala Martha Stewart. Why do we do all of this? Because Thanksgiving is about coming together with our families and friends, giving thanks, toasting to each other, and feasting for what seems like hours. Through it all, we can remember to bring some magick to this holiday.

As you go about getting your house ready this year – washing curtains, scrubbing bathrooms, polishing the silver, etc. – consider your blessings this year and infuse them into each and every task, letting them fill the house with positive energy. Reinforce any wards you may have at the entrances to your home, helping your guests to leave their negativity and personal baggage at the doorstep. Mix in some thanks with that pie to bring feelings of gratitude to your family. Stuff that turkey with a sense of humor, something some people around your table may lack. Stir some tolerance into that gravy and bake some patience into that sweet potato casserole so that everyone will get along. Arrange those flowers for the table with happiness so people will smile and laugh throughout the meal. Light some red apple cinnamon candles on your altar with pure love that will radiate through the house.

Don’t forget to take a little time for yourself during all of the preparations and while being the host with the most/hostess with the mostest. After a long day of cleaning, relax in a long hot bath or take a long hot shower to soothe aching muscles. Add some lavender to calm your nerves and to help you rest. Meditate for a few minutes each day just to be with yourself, to be with your own thoughts and not those to-do lists. Do some meditative or ritual work with the Greek goddess, Hestia, or Her Roman, equivalent, Vesta, both goddesses of the hearth and representing family unity and hospitality who can aid in keeping the home fires burning and maintaining the spiritual center of your home. Indulge in your hobbies, even if it is only a for a few minutes each day. Read a few pages of a book, write a paragraph or two, quickly sketch a tree, or play a few notes on an instrument. Take a short walk each day just to get outdoors and appreciate the Autumn scenery or just to be with Mother Nature for a while. As you are caught up in the whirlwind of Thanksgiving day tasks, put yourself in time-out. Just step outside for a few minutes, stand still or sit in a chair, close your eyes, take deep cleansing breaths, and let the stress fall away.

Remember to bring that sense of humor with you throughout Thanksgiving day. There are going to be snafus. Inevitably there will be that brownish gray hanging cobweb that waves at your dinner guests from the corner of the ceiling and makes you choke back a horrified scream with a mouthful of stuffing. There is always that one dinner guest who has one too many glasses of wine and gets loud and rowdy and makes others shift a little uneasily in their seats. There may be that awkward moment when your child announces that you and your spouse sleep in your underwear or – gasp! – in nothing but your skin. Maybe Dad will set his pant leg on fire and singe your carpet as he bangs out his pipe (a true story). As horrendous as these moments may feel at the time, they are also the moments that we will remember forever, the times we will recount with peals of laughter for every Thanksgiving to come. Laughter can be truly magickal, sending negativity scurrying away, putting others at ease, and bringing calm to a time of chaos. Just laugh. Laugh hard.

Above all, take time to remember all the people and things you are thankful for this year. Write them down. Do it again next year and each year after. Compare these at the dawning of each Thanksgiving day. Be thankful for the constants as well as the changes of your life from year to year. I wish you all a very magickal Thanksgiving!

Tags: magickal, magickal thanksgiving, pagan
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Honoring Our Ancestors

October 25, 2012 in Everyday Magick

Samhain is less than a week away and, with each passing day, the veil grows thinner and thinner. I can feel it like static electricity around me throughout the day. I can see it when I look up into the night sky, the stars and moon having a magickal, almost eerie glow, and in the faces of my beloved family and friends who frequent my dreams. I can hear it in the caws of the many crows that fill the trees near my house as they oddly do this time every year and in the acorns dropping to the ground. I can feel it in the early morning dew, the mist of a warm late October morning, and in the soil made richer from decaying matter. The voices of our ancestors are whispering to us, becoming louder each day, as we prepare to honor them.

My family, like so many Pagan families, pays our respects to all of our departed loved ones by creating an ancestor altar each year. Tucked among the Autumn leaf garland of the household altar are the pictures of generations of family, dear friends, and even pets who have passed beyond the veil, the fallen leaves in our lives. Sadly, a new picture or two is added each year. On Samhain, a place is set at the table for whomever of our ancestors wishes to join us for the meal and an impromptu prayer said to welcome them. As we eat, we share stories of our loved ones, those “remember the time when…” stories, and you can feel those people lingering very nearby, laughing with us, crying with us, maybe even arguing with us that “it’s not the way it happened”. After dinner, we place some candy or a piece of that Samhain’s chosen dessert on an offering plate upon the altar with a glass of wine for all those who will come and go throughout the night. The kids then head out for trick-or-treating (although my son has outgrown it now being nearly 15) and later we gather for the Samhain ritual and a bit of divination.

Yet, in my family, it is not only our own ancestors we honor. On the morning of October 31st, if the weather is not too dreary and wet, my husband and I head over to the cemetery where my mother is buried. It is an old cemetery, some of those buried there having departed this life in the 1800′s. We first pay our respects to my mom, placing the little bouquet of flowers and herbs from my own garden, sitting in the grass by her headstone, listening to the wind through the trees, and sending her nothing but love. Then we move on to some of the older graves, spending a few minutes with those who most probably have not had a visitor in a very long time, perhaps their families are long gone from the area or their bloodlines have died out. We clean up the area, removing the fallen leaves and broken branches from the headstones, reading each and every one as we go.

We wonder aloud about whom they were, what their life was like. In family plots, we find the headstones of children mingled among those of their parents and grandparents. There are Civil War heroes and some who were born during the Revolutionary War. My husband and I try to envision what life was like during such pivotal and violent times in history. Did the person know how important those times would be to coming generations? Did they know the crucial role they played? As we wind our way through the cemetery from grave to grave, I am sometimes overcome with such an overwhelming sense of gratitude that my eyes begin to blur with tears. Perhaps it is the person’s way of communicating their thanks for us being there. At other times, I may feel like I am being watched or think someone is right next to me but no one is there (at least, physically). I am never scared by this because I know that the veil is at its thinnest and it is only the dead moving among us.

We try to keep it simple here in my Pagan household. Honoring our ancestors is unique to each Pagan family, the traditions created from all those who have touched our lives and are no longer here with us. My own family’s Samhain celebrations evolve each year, with each new passing of a family member or friend and depending on those who gather with us to celebrate. However you choose to celebrate this year, I wish you all a very blessed Samhain!

Tags: ancestors, pagan, samhain
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A Magickal Birthday

October 11, 2012 in Everyday Magick

As Pagans, we celebrate the cycles of nature through the Wheel of the Year as well as the cycles of our very own lives. Ritual, blessings and magick are an integral part of the birth of a child, the dawning of adolescence, being joined in marriage, entering the elder phase of our lives, or saying goodbye to those we love as they pass into the next world. All of these are major life events. But what about the day we were born? A birthday is also an important annual life event. It is a day in which to celebrate all of our successes, to make peace with our mistakes and failures, and to say goodbye to who we were and to welcome and rejoice in who we are becoming. We give thanks for the wisdom we have gained and make wishes for the coming year. It is a day usually already full of ritual, whether it is birthday party, a dinner at a favorite restaurant, a day of beauty at the salon or spa, or a getaway to the mountains or the beach. We are showered with blessings from friends and family through cards, gifts and well wishes. A cake with candles, sometimes too many candles, is the way in which we end the day, blowing out the tiny flames after we wish upon them and sharing the sweetness with those gathered around us. A birthday is a celebration of the cycle of our life, of the Wheel of our Year, and can be a very magickal time indeed.

There’s a reason that the greeting card business is a multi-million dollar industry. There is real magick in a birthday card. A birthday card brings wishes for good health, future prosperity, and joy in the coming year. It lets those we love know how they have touched our lives. It evokes smiles, laughter and sometimes even tears. We can spend hours at the card store trying to find the perfect card, the perfect words for a loved one. But the magick of a birthday card can be strengthened by making it more personal. Just make one yourself. Using photos, pictures cut from magazines, or pictures printed from the internet that depict things special or dear to the person, decorate the front of a folded piece of paper or cardstock. If you are particularly artistic, draw a picture. Then write a message inside the card. It can be a poem, a blessing or just some personal words that say how important that person is to you and what you wish for them for the future. As you are making the card, send positive energy into it. Visualize the person for who the card is intended happy and healthy. Put the card in an envelope and seal it with a special sticker or ink stamp and, as you do this, imagine that your love and well wishes are sealed inside the envelope to be released to that person when they open it. A homemade card can be as simple or as elaborate as you like. The thought put into it and the love with which it is made shines through and surrounds the person with positive energy.

Wrapping a gift can also be full of magick. The color of the wrapping paper and ribbon can wrap a gift in magickal intentions. Use green for prosperity and luck, white for happiness and protection, yellow for wisdom and creativity, pink for love and friendship, or blue for peace and healing. Plain colored wrapping paper can also be personalized by using ink stamps, drawings or pictures. If the birthday person is Pagan, you may want to decorate the paper with magickal symbols. Depending on the gift, seal birthday wishes with it in the wrappings. For example, if the gift is a small kitchen appliance, think about that the healthy loving meals that appliance will help make for the person. Perhaps it is a book by their favorite author. Imagine that book bringing them peace and relaxation.

Everyone loves a birthday party. Our friends and family gather together to celebrate us, to reminisce with us, and to share their wisdom with us. Amid the average party events, think about adding a bit of magick to the celebration. Ask everyone attending the party to write a wish for the guest of honor on a slip of paper. Place the wishes in a small charm bag and seal the bag with a white ribbon or string. The person can then carry this throughout the year with them. If it is a child’s birthday, have the children attending draw a picture of the birthday boy or girl on small squares of construction paper. Tell them to draw pictures in which he or she is happy and safe. Again, place them in a charm bag. The child can then tuck the bag in a place in their bedroom to bring them happiness and protection throughout the year.

Then there is the birthday cake. It is a tradition most of us have to celebrate a birthday in which we share the sweetness of the day with those around us. A homemade birthday cake can be infused with well wishes as the ingredients are mixed and have love and comfort baked into it. But a store bought cake can also be filled with magickal intentions. Once again, think about colors and be sure the icing is of the colors that correspond with the intentions. In my Pagan household, a round birthday cake is preferred as it represents the cycle of life, the wheel of person’s year. We place four representing the four elements – green for Earth, yellow for Air, red for Fire and blue for Water – in the four quarters of the cake and a white candle at the center for Spirit or Ether. This white candle is the birthday wish candle which carries our wishes into the magickal realm to be made true. The birthday guy or gal concentrates on the white candle as “Happy Birthday” is sung. When the wish is made and the candles blown out, I take the white candle, place it in a small bowl full of sand or soil and relight it. I allow it to burn all the way down and then take it outside to place the contents of the bowl remains in the garden with a few crumbs of cake as an offering. If the person celebrating the birthday is not Pagan, you can still do this but instead of allowing the white candle to burn itself out, place it in the charm bag of well wishes after it is blow out and cooled to add that person’s wishes to those of all who celebrated with them.

My own birthday is just a few days away. I am suspended between times, between places, and the veil of my own world is thinning to allow my 43-year old self pass on to reveal my 44-year old self. I am sad to see many years behind me but yet am excited to find out what happens next. I find myself reflecting upon the birthdays of yesteryear and those yet to come, upon the gifts and cards that touched me deeply over the years, and upon those who have celebrated with me in years past and are no longer here to celebrate with me now. I tend to get very thoughtful around my birthday, always have and always will. It is part of the celebration of me, who I was, who I am and who I am becoming, of the wheel that is my life. Perhaps that is the greatest birthday magick of all.

Tags: birthday magick, Everyday Magick, magickal wishes, pagan
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Autumn in the Magickal Garden

September 27, 2012 in Everyday Magick

Autumn has arrived. The wheel of the year is turning into its final stages before beginning again. The days are becoming cool and crisp here in Pennsylvania. The nights are growing longer, with the sun setting earlier and earlier with each passing evening. Day by day, the trees are drifting from various shades of green to brilliant yellow, vibrant red and glorious orange. The petals of the coneflowers have fallen away to reveal seed pods, ripe for the birds’ picking. The sound of acorns dropping from trees can be heard here and there and the squirrels scamper to gather them. The leaves of the lilac bush are browning at the edges and preparing to make their final descent. As a Pagan, as well as a gardener, I celebrate these changes, knowing that renewed life is only a few months away and all will return in the Spring. In the meantime, it is time to prepare the garden to aid in that regeneration, to ensure the return of my herbs and flowers, to keep the soil fertile over the Winter for vegetable planting in the Spring, and to keep the magick flowing during the dark cold days of the months to come. The third and final harvest is upon me.

First and foremost to receive my attention will be my herbs. It was a truly successful and abundant growing season for them. The basil, sage and rosemary are like small bushes. The oregano and marjoram continue to send out tendrils across the soil. The chives have brought the last of the bees with their white blossoms. The lemon verbena grew so tall that I had to tuck its unruly branches into a trellis so it would not overshadow other plants. For the first time since beginning my journeys as a Pagan gardener, I was able to grow and harvest lavender and chamomile this year. Yes, it was truly wonderful. But now it is time to begin harvesting everything, for drying, freezing and giving out to friends and family. A person passing by may hear me talking out loud to the plants, apologizing to them as I cut them back, thanking them for their beauty and fragrance through the Spring and Summer, and explaining to them their future purpose and uses. For me, this is a very important part of gardening, especially in a magickal garden. Talking to the plants, showing them my love and respect, and giving them praise and thanks connect me to their energy and the energy of Mother Earth.

The vegetable garden is waning quickly now. I have already removed the dead tomato stalks and withered cucumber vines. They succumbed to the extreme Summer heat in early August, even after a last ditch resuscitative effort which consisted of daily watering, shading and supportive and encouraging words. In an attempt to bring more bees, I allowed the broccoli to go to flower in mid-August and it too was recently removed. The brussel sprouts are still in what I call an “experimental phase”. At times they look like they are growing into actual sprouts and, at others, they resemble tiny open cabbages. Needless to say, I don’t think I will be planting them next year. I guess I just don’t have a green thumb when it comes to brussel sprouts. Soon, I will harvest the last of the zucchini, peppers and eggplant, thanking them with each clip. In looking forward to next year and with this week’s waxing moon, I planted garlic, something new I am adding for next year. A gardening friend told me that garlic is her student, meaning that she plants it when the kids go back to school in September and harvests it when school lets out for the Summer in late June. (I love getting wise advice from my fellow gardeners!)

As harvesting winds down, the final clean up begins. Any bulbs to be planted in Autumn are put carefully into the cooling soil. Trees, shrubs, vines and perennials in need of routine Autumn pruning receive that attention. The leaves are raked up and either placed into the garden beds for mulching over the Winter or put into the compost pile for use in the Spring planting. The bird baths and feeders are cleaned. Some are put away but most remain to nourish our feathered friends who remain in the gardens for the Winter. I place fresh nesting hay into the birdhouses in case any of them seek a warm dry shelter on a cold snowy day. The garden decor that can be damaged in Winter storms and freezing temperatures are sadly put away in the garage or the basement. The adirondak chairs on the patio are left out through the Winter because a fair day may dawn and I may be able to enjoy a hot cup of tea outdoors. Then the task of preparing the soil for next year begins. I’ll work the fallen leaves into the very top of the soil to break down for future nutrients, put down a layer of “Black Gold” from the compost pile, and finish with a layer of hay or leaves to insulate the beds over the Winter. With each layer, I will send my intent for a fruitful and abundant growing season in the coming year through to the soil.

Finally, when all is harvested, insulated and prepared for the Winter, I bless the gardens. I usually do this in the days leading into Samhain. I take salt, water and a smudgestick, made from the sage from my own garden, to every nook and cranny of the yard, thanking the Goddess and God for the abundant blooms, herbs and vegetables and for the birds and critters that graced our yard this year. I ask them to nurture the plants and bulbs in their Winter slumber in the soil and for their joyous and abundant return in the Spring. I ask for protection for the sleeping gardens and for our furry and feathered friends who remain in the Winter to find a safe haven with us. I reinforce the protective rune stones at intervals on the boundary of our property (of which I wrote in a previous article) and ask the Goddess and God to keep our home protected through the Winter’s harsh storms. I then leave an offering of milk and honey along with a few small crystals for the faeries who reside in the garden, thanking them for their presence and asking them to remain as protectors of the garden and the wildlife that will seek shelter and food there.

As the wheel of the year ever-turns, so too does the circle of life in my gardens. They are in near-perfect sync. It saddens me to think of the mostly empty and barren garden beds. But, as I set about the harvesting of herbs, garden clean-up and soil preparation, I will be thinking of next year’s plantings, the beauty that awaits us in late March and early April, and the blessings to be bestowed upon us throughout the coming year.

Blessings to All!

Tags: Garden, magick, pagan
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