Wondering what you might have missed this week at About Pagan/Wiccan? Well, there's all kinds of new content, a bunch of blog posts, updates to older articles, and tons of new reader submissions! Here's your round-up of everything from the past week in About Pagan/Wiccan:

New and Updated Articles and Features

Review: The Zombie Tarot Deck
Can I Join a Coven I Found Online?
Dog Folklore and Legends
Anubis: God of Embalming and Funerals
Ten Great Ways to Celebrate Litha
Household Magic: Dog Biscuit
Weather Magic and Folklore

Blog Posts

A Look at Interfaith Marriages
Reader Mail: Why Aren't There More Pagan Temples?
Check Out the Zombie Tarot!
Tattoos of the Dead
Olympic Flame Begins 2012 Journey
Reader Mail: Pagans and Nudity
Pagans and Morality
CO Day of Prayer Ruled Unconstitutional
Reader Mail: So Mote It Be
Making an Athame
Set Up a Birthday Altar
Have a Happy Mother's Day
Reader Mail: Do I Have Special Powers?

New Reader Submissions

Prayer and Energy Requests
Past Lives: Titanic Dreams
Pagan Clergy Listings: Lincoln, NE
Pagan Clergy Listings: Amarillo, TX
Pagan Clergy Listings: Nokesville, VA
Pagan Clergy Listings: Uniontown, PA
Pagan Clergy Listings: Salt Lake City, UT
Pagan Clergy Listings: Omaha, NE
Pagan Clergy Listings: Biddeford, ME
Pagan Clergy Listings: Columbus, OH
Pagan Clergy Listings: Columbus, OH
Pagan Clergy Listings: Everett, WA
Pagan Clergy Listings: Lindon, UT
Pagan Clergy Listings: Price, UT
Pagan Groups: Uniontown, PA
Altar Photos: Idise's Coven Imbolc Altar
Altar Photos: Alice's Beltane Altar
Coming Out of the Broom Closet: Pagan and Proud

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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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Today is Mother's Day, and it's one of those holidays that I always think is a little cheesy until the moment when one of my kids hands me a home-made card proclaiming how wonderful I am, and then I totally melt. Although Mother's Day is one of those modern "Hallmark holidays," marketed mostly to sell flowers and Precious Moments figurines, it is definitely worth noting that motherhood can indeed be seen as sacred.

The ancient Romans had a celebration called Matronalia, which was an early version of today's Mother's Day. This "festival of women" honored Juno Luciana, whose job it was to watch over women in labor. Lots of gifts were exchanged, and even the most manly of men spent the day doing nice things for Mom. Eventually, the holiday shifted as Christianity moved across Europe, and it became a day where workers were allowed a special day off to go home to their "mother church," in the village in which they were raised. The custom was that they brought flowers home to Mom and then they all went to church together.

In many cultures, the archetype of a Mother Goddess prevailed. While there was no single universal form of the mother, individual societies and regions all had their own deity representing the mother-like godform. Temples were built to honor goddesses like Bona Dea, Cybele, Isis, Maat, Frigga, and Hella. A dedication to the female form is still seen today in many modern Pagan religions.

Looking for a way to celebrate the sacred feminine with a ritual or ceremony? Try a Goddess Ritual that can be performed by female and male alike.

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For some people birthdays are just another day, but for others, it's often seen as a special time. After all, it's a milestone -- it marks the anniversary of your arrival on earth! Whether you're having a small group of friends over for cake, or going out to a big party at your favorite club, sometimes it's important to take a few moments just for ourselves to mark our birthdays. You can do this by setting up a birthday altar to celebrate the journey your life has led you on thus far. How to Create a Birthday Altar

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