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A Blessed Beltane & Samhain, Everyone!

08.05.09

Today is April 30, which means it's May Eve. It's the traditional time to begin observing the fertility celebrations of Beltane. If you lived in rural England a few centuries...

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A Blessed Sabbat to You All!

01.11.09

It's Samhain, which means it's time to celebrate the witch's new year! The veil between the worlds is thin and frail, the earth is dying a bit each day, and the nights are getting longer. It's my favorite time of the year -- I can smell burning leaves in the air, and there's a crispness to the night that reminds me that winter is on its way. This year, I've celebrated by taking my kids trick-or-treating, hosting a family Halloween party, and attending a Samhain party and ritual. I'll also be participating in a dumb supper, which is something I recommend everyone try at least once, because it's just amazing.

Take a few moments to reflect on the things in your life that have changed over the past year, since the last Samhain. What have you put aside as no longer needed? What have you nurtured and grown? You may also want to pay tribute to your ancestors on this night, as the spirit veil is fragile.

If you're one of our Southern Hemisphere readers, you'll be celebrating Beltane at this time of year. Spring is trying to get a jump start, and greenery is beginning to come alive. It's a time of new life and fertility, of passion and energy. It's a season to start growing new things in your life.

Whichever one you may be celebrating -- whether you're observing the beginning of life or the end of it -- I wish you and yours a happy and blessed Sabbat!

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A Blessed Sabbat to You All! originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Saturday, October 31st, 2009 at 06:58:05.

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April 28: Celebrate the Wind Moon

29.04.10

Spring is well underway, and now that April's here, it's still soggy in a lot of places, but there's hope yet. As the saying goes, those April showers will bring us some blooms and blossoms in May. This month's full moon is the aptly named Wind Moon, although in some traditions it's also called the Seed Moon. It's a time to welcome new beginnings, and do magic related to conceiving new ideas and projects. What do you want to see taking root and growing in your life?

This month's correspondences include gemstones such as quartz and angelite, as well as a variety of herbs -- dogwood, fennel and dill. Bright colors are celebrated with this full moon, and it's a time to honor deities like Venus and Ishtar, Herne and Tawaret. The Wind Moon is closely tied to the element of air, and it's easy to see why!

Read up on how to celebrate this blustery, gusty moon phase here:

• April's Wind Moon
• Celebrate a Spring Full Moon Ritual
• Drawing Down the Moon

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April 28: Celebrate the Wind Moon originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 at 06:02:54.

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Beltane Altars: Send Your Photos In!

08.05.09

Do you have your altar all prettied up for Beltane? If you'd like to share a photo of yours with the rest of us, you can send it in as...

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Beltane Countdown: Celebrating Flowers

29.04.10

Anyone who's read anything about ancient Rome knows that the Romans had a celebration for just about everything. The arrival of spring was a time to honor Flora, the goddess of flowers and vegetation. She was one of many fertility goddesses, and was the patron deity of prostitutes. Her festival was held each year from April 28 to May 3, and a good Floralia party ensured that the flower gardens of Rome would bloom with abundance.

Speaking of flowers, did you know that during the Victorian era, people could send secret messages using the language of flowers? One might send her lover a crocus, saying Be cautious with my heart, or swear undying friendship with some arbor vitae. Learn more about these magical messages, and The Secret Language of Flowers.

Flowers have many wonderful properties -- they're pretty, they smell nice, and believe it or not, some of them are even edible. Blossoms like nasturtium, violets, and pansies can actually be candied and eaten! Try this for your next spring celebration: Candied Flower Petals

Don't forget to sign up for the free Seven Day Beltane Class!

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Beltane Countdown: Celebrating Flowers originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Monday, April 26th, 2010 at 06:54:58.

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Beltane Countdown: Hold a Goddess Rite

29.04.10

When Margaret Murray wrote her ground-breaking God of the Witches, in 1931, scholars quickly dismissed her theory of a universal, pre-Christian cult of witches who worshipped a singular mother goddess. However, Murray wasn't completely off-base; a number of individual cults existed in pre-Christian Europe which honored mother goddesses of their own. Take advantage of the blooming of spring, and use this time to celebrate the archetype of the mother goddess, and honor your own female ancestors and friends: Beltane Goddess Ritual

Don't forget to sign up for the free Seven Day Beltane Class!

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Beltane Countdown: Hold a Goddess Rite originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Saturday, April 24th, 2010 at 06:35:53.

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Beltane Countdown: Magical Braiding & Weaving

29.04.10

In many traditions of Wicca and Paganism, handcrafts are used as a magical process. Weaving and braiding in particular are meditative exercises, and so magical workings can be incorporated into the creative technique. If you think about it, fibers in one form or another have been around for thousands of years, so it makes sense that our ancestors could have utilized them in spell work and ritual as well. More about Magical Braiding and Weaving

Don't forget to sign up for the free Seven Day Beltane Class!

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Beltane Countdown: Magical Braiding & Weaving originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 at 06:45:39.

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Beltane Countdown: The Birds and the Bees

29.04.10

In the middle of spring, a magical thing begins to happen outside. In addition to the greening of the earth, we notice a change in the local wildlife. Suddenly, squirrels and chipmunks are everywhere. Birds are twittering away madly in the trees, and bees buzzing around your garden, partaking of the rich pollen in your flowers and herbs. Both of these spring mainstays have a magical history.

Did you know that a number of deities from ancient cultures are associated with the honeybee? Or that the Celts saw bees as messengers between our world and the spirit realm? Read more about the Legends and Lore of Bees.

For many of us, nothing says spring like the sudden arrival of the birds. One evening you go to sleep to silence, and the next morning there are four dozen robins chatting away outside your bedroom window. Learn how to attract birds to your yard: The Birds at Beltane

Don't forget to sign up for the free Seven Day Beltane Class!

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Beltane Countdown: The Birds and the Bees originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Sunday, April 25th, 2010 at 06:45:40.

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Beltane Countdown: The May Queen

29.04.10

In some Wiccan traditions, the focus of Beltane is on the battle between the May Queen and the Queen of Winter. The May Queen is Flora, the goddess of the flowers, and the young blushing bride, and the princess of the Fae. She is Lady Marian in the Robin Hood tales, and Guinevere in the Arthurian cycle. She is the embodiment of the Maiden, of mother earth in all of her fertile glory. The May Queen vs. the Queen of Winter

Don't forget to sign up for the free Seven Day Beltane Class!

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Beltane Countdown: The May Queen originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 at 09:05:29.

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Can County Stop In-Home Religious Study Groups?

01.06.09

Here's an interesting one out of southern California. Recently, a pastor and his wife claim that they were told by San Diego County officials that they couldn't hold Bible study...

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Canadian Helps Tanzania's Albinos

29.04.10

We've talked in the past about the horrific plight of Tanzania's albino population. These people are regularly mutilated and murdered by witch doctors, or their hired killers. Over fifty albinos have been murdered in the past two years by people who use their body parts in witchcraft. Civil rights groups say "the killers sell body parts including limbs, hair, skin and genitals to witch doctors" for use in rituals.

Now, a Canadian businessman -- who happens to have albinism himself -- is trying to change things. Not only has Peter Ash put up $1 million to help the victims, he's also spearheading a public relations campaign to educate the people of Tanzania about albinos. Ash's non-profit group, Under the Same Sun, is helping to fund schooling opportunities for some of the youngest victims of the violence.

Although Ash endured teasing as a child because of his albinism, that was nothing compared to what the albinos of Africa must deal with from day to day. He said, "It would strike fear into me if I was living here, knowing that people could break into my house and kill me. Albinos have been dehumanized in this country, like Hitler dehumanized the Jews."

A recent study revealed that most Tanzanians believe in witchcraft - and even though witch doctors have been outlawed, they still operate in the shadows. Albinos are often sold out by family members, neighbors, and even spouses.

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Canadian Helps Tanzania's Albinos originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 at 09:31:03.

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Doctor Forced to Apologize to Pagan Patient

01.06.09

In Great Britain, a report reveals that a doctor was ordered to apologize to a Pagan patient, who complained that her practitioner "oozed Christianity." The patient complained that her doctor's...

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Don't Book Your Pagan Event in St. Lucia

01.06.09

Residents of the Carribean island of St. Lucia are getting a bit twitchy, because it seems rumors have been circulating about a possible "witch convention" coming to town. Apparently this...

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Goodnight, Moon!

13.01.09

If you get a chance to go outside tonight and check out this month's full moon, it's supposed to be one of the biggest and brightest we've seen in a...

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Handfasting Photo Gallery

08.05.09

This time of year I always receive quite a few emails from folks who have had -- or are thinking of having -- a handfasting ceremony. It's a great way...

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