I'm planning a week at the beach next month, which means it's a good time to revisit our About Pagan/Wiccan list of favorite witchy fiction. Be sure to check out our list of ten great books (some series, some single titles) which are my favorite reads about witches, wizards, Pagans, and magic at Summer Reading: Witchy Fiction.

What's really awesome is that thanks to our Readers Respond feature, over seventy readers have added their favorite titles as well, so there's no shortage of good reads! You can share your own book ideas with other readers at Reader Favorites. I've turned off Comments on this post so you can share your suggestions on the Readers Respond page instead - that way other readers can find them easily, any time.

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OK, so one of the most popular aspects of this particular About.com site is, I have found, that people really love Pagan-themed craft projects. I've posted a number of them for Sabbats and other occasions, and they're always a big hit. I know tons of readers do them, as well as doing their own craft projects.

We also have a really cool feature called Show and Tell, which allows readers to submit a photo and a story. If you've put together a project that celebrates your gods, your beliefs, a Pagan holiday or some other aspect of your spirituality, stop on in and share it with other readers here: Share Your Crafts

Once it's submitted, it goes into a queue for moderation. I'll review it and approve it, and then it goes live on the site. This is a neat way for everyone to share some of their projects, so send 'em on in!

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A man convicted of killing a woman and her two children in 1987 is suing the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, claiming that they won't allow him to have a myriad of items he needs for Wiccan rituals. Daniel LaPlante says that the DOC's failure to provide him with 26 herbs, 30 oils, a dozen-odd medallions, and carrot cake (which he says Wiccans refer to as "Wolf Ice") has prevented him from being able to practice his Wiccan faith.

Now, I'll be one of the first people to say that I believe everyone - including convicted murderers - has a right to practice their beliefs. However, I'll also say that none of the things he's requesting are essential, to the best of my knowledge, to effective practice of any modern Pagan religion.

We've seen cases like this before, where an inmate has requested a candle, or meditation space, or the right to have religious reading materials. But LaPlante's request seems a bit excessive. Even though all of the things he's asking for CAN be used, they're not required.

And I've been Pagan for twenty five years, and I swear to dog, I've never referred to a moist tasty carrot cake as "Wolf Ice." What do you guys think about this case?

Also: badly chosen stock photo in original article.

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A reader asks, "I always have dreams about what's going to happen. My grandmother was sick and I dreamed she was going to die, and then she did. Sometimes I know someone is going to call me and then they do. I'm pretty sure I have special powers. Does this make me more powerful as a witch??"

As much as I hate to burst your bubble on this, I think most people have some amount of latent psychic ability. In the Pagan community, having a psychic gift doesn't really make you a special snowflake, because there are so many other people who have the same abilities in varying degrees. The problem we run into is that we're typically told that it's hogwash while we're growing up -- stuff we think we "see" is chalked up to a vivid imagination or too much television -- and by the time we reach adulthood, we've sort of suppressed all that natural intuition that we have. In short, many people are raised to "disbelieve" in psychic ability, so by the time they're grownups, they doubt that it's even possible.

Also, keep in mind that the events you describe aren't unusual. If your grandmother was elderly and ill, it's not unreasonable to assume that she would eventually pass away. Likewise, with the phone calls -- while it *could* be a psychic connection, it could just be that the person who called you is someone who calls regularly enough that it's not weird for them to have called at that particular time.

It's not uncommon to have intuitive flashes like you've described, and there's nothing supernatural or ooky-spooky about it. Being psychic has nothing to do with "special powers." It's more about being in tune with your own intuition and subconscious. While some people are certainly more psychically gifted than others, there's no reason you can't work on developing your own talents and abilities: Developing Your Psychic Gifts

As to your other question, about whether this somehow makes you "more powerful" as a witch, the very notion of "more powerful" is pretty subjective. I wouldn't worry about being "powerful" so much as I would suggest you focus on developing your skills so they'll be of some benefit to you.  

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