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Debunking The Non-Ferrous Metal Myth [Sarah Lawless]
Witchvox - New Articles This Week - 1 hour 55 sec ago
Weve all heard of urban legends, old wives' tales, and 'fakelore', but were too intelligent and have too much access to credible reference materials today to fall for them dont we? Unfortunately not. Old wives' tales and fake proverbs abound today in the modern Pagan community thanks to the old culprit of word-of-mouth, as well as forums, and few individuals bothering to check facts or origins. Unexplained rules and fakelore are passed from Pagan to Pagan such as the following well-known pr
Gripe, Spend, Swoon: The Criticism of Eat, Pray, Love [Fire Lyte]
Witchvox - New Articles This Week - 1 hour 55 sec ago
Its not a secret that Im a pretty big fan of the book Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Its a memoir. A love story. A spiritual handbook for the new millennium. It is a how-to guide for those of us that have ever wondered how in the hell we ended up in this cookie cutter existence, with no flavor whatsoever, no zest, and spinning ever closer to a point where that list of things we wanted to do with our lives become a distant memory. However, theres a great deal of criticism
Finding Your Soulmate: A Highly Overrated Concept [Bronwen Forbes]
Witchvox - New Articles This Week - 1 hour 55 sec ago
I dont talk about it much in Pagan or non-Pagan public, but I do have a soulmate. We know weve shared several lifetimes in which we were, respectively, husband and wife, brother and sister, and governess and charge, just to name a few. My soulmate has been part of my life (this life) for nearly three decades, is always there when I need him, and I cannot imagine my life without him.My husband is a good man; I love him dearly. He is more than I could ask for in his roles as supportive h
Dealing with Antagonists in Pagan Groups (Part Two) [Iris Firemoon]
Witchvox - New Articles This Week - 1 hour 55 sec ago
ANTAGONIST #5 I am revealing that this person is male, because it is also pertinent to the story. How this person created conflict: After a very emotionally devastating family event, this person tried to get me to run away with him. I said no, but his wife ended up reading his emails, and asked me to step away from her husband. We had been what I thought was good friends until that point. It was emotionally understandable that he wanted to leave his wife after the situation, and
Lessons From The Gods [Sinister Ang]
Witchvox - New Articles This Week - 1 hour 55 sec ago
The Gods have many things to teach us. This has become abundantly clear throughout my years of learning as I studied my Pagan path, forging my personal relationships with deity. Some of these lessons have been small, something learned through a dream or through some intuition that cannot be described in words. Other lessons have been far more concrete.I follow a Norse path, which probably has no relevance to the way in which the divine chooses to make their wants and needs known. To each
Integration of Parts of Self [Maggi Setti]
Witchvox - New Articles This Week - 1 hour 55 sec ago
One of the main goals of the practitioner is awareness, control, and integration of the different parts of self. Integration can awaken us; it can give us more fluid power, knowledge of ourselves, and stronger connection to the Divine. There are several categories these can follow such as:Reclaiming: Younger Self, Talking Self, and Higher SelfFeri: Sticky One, Shining Body, and Sacred Dove Hebrew: Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Chaya, YechidaServants of the Light: Physical,
Opening the Mind for Spellwork [Eruchye]
Witchvox - New Articles This Week - 1 hour 55 sec ago
There is nothing more important than taking in every aspect of the energy around you to do your spellcasting and rituals. You have to use all six of your senses, touch, smell, taste, sight, hearing, and intuition. You already use your five physical senses in your everyday life on a very basic level, but once you open up your third eye youll see more that life has to offer through the other five senses. This fact tends to make your intuition one of your most important senses and the one that m
The Karma Hypothesis [Truth Is Pagan Media that Bites]
Witchvox - New Articles This Week - 1 hour 55 sec ago
Karma is going to get you! Really, oh really. I am an experienced mage and sage and I find that people tend to use the threat of Karma all too conveniently without a simple understanding of what Karma really is or the grass roots of the idea of Karma! I personally dont believe that Karma is going to get you. In fact, I know Karma cant get anyone. In the simplest refined thought, I find people who use this threat of Karma are a step down from folks who say, That is a sin. You are go
Who Is God? [Silvermoon]
Witchvox - New Articles This Week - 1 hour 55 sec ago
I celebrated the Spring Equinox this year and as always with a ritual, I left learning something new. I have been thinking a great deal about what God is. It is such a vast, deep subject that it is hard to articulate. I have evaluated over time, Monotheism, Atheism, Duatheism (or Duotheism) and Polytheism. I am currently stuck on a Poly-Monotheistic state.First I will explain what I think of these. I rule out Atheism to some degree. As humans we CANNOT be the highest being out there - it
Is The Wiccan Rede Enough? [Blue Hound]
Witchvox - New Articles This Week - 1 hour 55 sec ago
I think that (almost) everyone found out about the Craft while in a quest for power, but we all discovered that Wicca isnt about power or revenge at all. I myself was quite surprised when I read that this Path had only one law: An It Harm None, Do What Ye Will. Easy! I naively thought, but as I studied more about philosophy the more I understood that it wouldnt be like so.You have to ponder every future deed, consider any possible outcome and, basically, avoid getting in karmas T
Mabon Countdown: Michaelmas
About.com Paganism / Wicca - 7 hours 7 min ago
Many British counties still observe Michaelmas.
Image © Getty Images
In the British Isles, Michaelmas is celebrated on September 29. As the Feast of St. Michael within the Catholic church, this date is often associated with the harvest because of its proximity to the autumn equinox. Although it's not a Pagan holiday in the true sense, Michaelmas celebrations often included older aspects of Pagan harvest customs, such as the weaving of corn dolls from the last sheaves of grain. What is Michaelmas?
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Pagan Group Fights For Tax Exempt Status
About.com Paganism / Wicca - Thu, 09/09/2010 - 5:48am
About a year ago, we briefly discussed the Maetreum of Cybele, a Pagan group in upstate New York. At that time, they were involved in a battle with the town ...
Does "Burn a Quran" Day Endanger Troops?
About.com Paganism / Wicca - Thu, 09/09/2010 - 5:34am
We've talked a bit about the Dove World Outreach Center's plans for September 11, to celebrate their own Very Special Holiday, "Burn a Quran Day". It's been all over the ...
Ostara Countdown: Hooray for Herbs
About.com Paganism / Wicca - Thu, 09/09/2010 - 1:27am
Plan your magical herb garden in advance!
Image © Getty Images
Up above the equator, we're getting ready to welcome fall and the Mabon season. For our Southern Hemisphere readers, it's the season of Ostara, the vernal equinox!
If you're planning your spring garden, consider adding some magical herbs into your planting activities. Start off by selecting a few plants you'd like to work with, and grow them yourself instead of buying them from suppliers. Plan ahead, by looking over the list of Magical Herbal Correspondences. Also, be sure to check out our Magical Herbs Image Gallery.
Don't forget to sign up for the free Seven Day Ostara Class!
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Mabon Countdown: Celebrating the Harvest
About.com Paganism / Wicca - Thu, 09/09/2010 - 1:00am
The harvest is celebrated in many ways.
Image © Getty Images
At the time of the autumn equinox, there are equal hours of light and dark. It is a time of balance, and while summer is ending, the winter is approaching. This is a season in which farmers are harvesting their fall crops, gardens are beginning to die, and the earth gets a bit cooler each day. Let's look at some of the ways that this second harvest holiday has been honored around the world for centuries: Harvest Celebrations Around the World
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The Veils Of A Magick Summer [Lady Abigail]
Witchvox - New Articles This Week - Wed, 09/08/2010 - 8:58pm
There has always been something mystical about a late summer evening for me. It is that time of day which is no longer day, yet not quite night. It was the time my Great Grandmother called, and quot;the spiriting time. and quot; It comes as the scorching heat of a summer day finally begins to give way to the evenings cooling magick. You can see it as the bright fiery red sun begins to slowly sink behind the horizons of our childhood memories.As a child, I was raised to know the mysteries of the old ways,
By the Light (and Dark) of the Moon [The Pagan Astrologer]
Witchvox - New Articles This Week - Wed, 09/08/2010 - 8:58pm
Lovely Luna, bright and bold, glowing with the power of old She is called by many names, worshiped in many ways. Few would argue that, whatever name you give her, the Moon is the guiding light of Witches and Pagans. She fascinates and enchants; guides and empowers. We plan our spells and plant our gardens by the phases of the Moon. The waxing and waning Moon have very different energies. Under waxing Moon the light is increasing, and the time is right to build, grow, and create.
Location: Our Places of Worship [Stewart Bitkoff]
Witchvox - New Articles This Week - Wed, 09/08/2010 - 8:58pm
Wheresoever ye turn, there is the face of God. -- KoranRecently, there has been much discussion about building a mosque near ground zero; many people feel that its location dishonors and insults the memory of those who died in the 911 tragedy. Yet, people forget that innocent Muslims died in this event, Americans fought a revolution to enjoy religious freedom, and the real place of worship is inside us. On some levels, my take on this disagreement is that it may be about racial and relig
Dealing with Antagonists in Pagan Groups (Part One) [Iris Firemoon]
Witchvox - New Articles This Week - Wed, 09/08/2010 - 8:58pm
For some reason, these past four months (just prior to writing this) have been devastating. My fallacy as a leader is that I try my best to accept everyone, to love everyone, to be everything for everyone. While I have been a good friend and mentor to many, I have unfortunately discovered that it is not the mode of operation for some people to accept peace, love, and harmony for what it is. An antagonist, troll, or even a drama queen is typically an unhealthy person who creates conflict
Paranoia in Practice: Finding Sanctuary Rather Than "Sect-uary" [The Recovering Ritualist]
Witchvox - New Articles This Week - Wed, 09/08/2010 - 8:58pm
The beauty of the umbrella of Earth-based religion and the government-given glory of religious freedom is that we are allowed to believe what we wish and practice what we please...most of the time...provided no one gets hurt. I would venture to say that the majority of today's spiritual gatherings and groups, from Christianity to Wicca and beyond, make strong efforts to follow a and quot;harm none and quot; policy, albeit through different practices and methods. Yet, everyone knows I'm headed for a and quot;yesbut and quot;, my
