Can We Connect to Deities of the Opposite Gender?
Saturday June 30, 2012
A reader writes in asking, "I read that people can't connect to a deity of the opposite gender as easily as they can connect to deity of the same gender. ... Read More
Who Gets Your Magical Stuff When You Die?
Saturday June 30, 2012
Since so many members of the Pagan community work as solitaries, and may never come into contact with other Pagans during their lifetime, one issue that comes up as our ... Read More
Notes from the Cauldron: Weekly Roundup June 18-24
Monday June 25, 2012
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 ... Read More
Scott Cunningham, 6/27/56 - 3/28/93
Monday June 25, 2012
Today would have been the 56th birthday of the late Scott Cunningham. Scott was the author of a number of extremely popular books on modern Wicca and Paganism, most of ... Read More
God In American Politics
Sunday June 24, 2012
There's a fascinating interview over at AlterNet with Michael I. Meyerson, author of a new book, Endowed by Our Creator: The Birth of Religious Freedom in America. This is a ... Read More
English Witchcraft Laws Repealed June 22,1951
Thursday June 21, 2012
It's been over sixty years since Parliament repealed England's last Witchcraft Law. Put into effect on June 1, 1653, the Witchcraft Laws mandated the outlawing of any kind of witchy ... Read More
How Medieval Texts Color Our Knowledge
Wednesday June 20, 2012
There's a neat piece from Science Nordic about the influence that medieval texts had upon our modern perceptions of ancient beliefs - particular in relation to the god Odin. Since ... Read More
The Booty Enhancement Spell is Back!
Wednesday June 20, 2012
Thanks to a few readers who took time out of their Ebay shopping adventures to email me about this one. A couple of years ago, a "BOOTY ENHANCEMENT Spell Cast ... Read More
Reader Says Leave Wicca to the White Folks
Tuesday June 19, 2012
Last week, I ran a blog post about the changing racial makeup of modern Paganism, including, but not limited to Wicca. In general, readers were pretty supportive, as I've come ... Read More
Litha Countdown: Hold a Backyard Ritual
Tuesday June 19, 2012
Litha falls in the middle of summer, right before things start to get unbearably hot in most parts of the world, so it's a perfect time to celebrate by having ... Read More
Yule Countdown: Celebrate with a Feast!
Tuesday June 19, 2012
No Pagan gathering is complete without some sort of food - whether you plan a formal, sit-down meal with several courses, or a casual potluck with a dozen of your ... Read More
Litha Countdown: Get Crafty
Monday June 18, 2012
Get creative with your garden!Image © Patti Wigington 2009;Licensed to About.com
If Litha is a celebration of the sun at the peak of its power, then why not celebrate with craft ... Read More
Notes from the Cauldron: Weekly Roundup June 11 - 17
Monday June 18, 2012
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 ... Read More
Litha Countdown: The Sun Dance
Sunday June 17, 2012
It's almost Litha, which means we're coming up on the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Sun worship is a custom that has gone on nearly as ... Read More
Supporting Pagan Businesses
Saturday June 16, 2012
Periodically, I get emails bemoaning the lack (or sadly short life span) of Pagan shops. There are hundreds of Pagan and Wiccan-themed shops that start up and fail each year. ... Read More
Litha Countdown: Celebrating Dads
Saturday June 16, 2012
In many traditions of modern Paganism, there is a great deal of focus on the Goddess. Sometimes, there's so much attention to the feminine that the masculine aspects get overlooked. ... Read More
Minister Condemns Attack on Tara Stone
Friday June 15, 2012
The Lia Fáil standing stone that once adorned the Hill of Tara in County Meath, Ireland, has apparently been vandalized, and Minister of Heritage Jimmy Deenihan says, "These monuments are ... Read More
Pagan Sexual Etiquette
Friday June 15, 2012
During the Pagan festival season - which typically begins around Beltane and ends after the harvest -- there are a lot of opportunities to meet new people. Some of those ... Read More
Monmouth Ruins Could Pre-Date Pyramids
Friday June 15, 2012
From our Diggin' Archaeology files, a new discovery in Monmouth could possibly date to the Neolithic age - which would put it at about two thousand years older than the ... Read More
Wicca, Paganism, and Racial Identity
Friday June 15, 2012
Periodically I'll get an email from someone who wants to know if they can be Wiccan if they're not of a Caucasian background. While one would think that the answer ... Read More
When You Leave a Pagan Group
Friday June 15, 2012
Reader Snarkelina_Jolie asks, "I've been part of a coven for a couple of years now, and honestly, I just feel like I'm not going anywhere with it. It's become a ... Read More
Litha Countdown: Juno & Vesta
Friday June 15, 2012
In ancient Rome, Juno was the goddess who watched over women and marriage. Vesta was the protector of the hearth, and of virginity. Together, these two mighty goddesses were sacred ... Read More
Litha Countdown: Your Litha Altar
Thursday June 14, 2012
Litha is approaching in the northern hemisphere, and it's a time when the gardens are flourishing, flower beds are blooming, and we're all outside as much as possible. It's time ... Read More
Litha Countdown: Sun Worship
Wednesday June 13, 2012
At Litha, the sun is at its highest point in the sky. Many ancient cultures marked this date as significant, and the concept of sun worship is one nearly as ... Read More
Judge OKs Pledge of Allegiance ‘Under God’
Tuesday June 12, 2012
In Massachusetts, Superior Court judge Jane Haggerty has rejected a lawsuit by an atheist couple and their children who sued a school district over the use of the words "under ... Read More
Litha Countdown: Nature Meditation
Tuesday June 12, 2012
If you do nothing else during the Litha season, try to get outside, alone, for a while. If you're in the northern hemisphere right now, the weather's good, the forests ... Read More
Notes from the Cauldron: Weekly Roundup June 3 - 10
Monday June 11, 2012
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 ... Read More
Yule Countdown: The Two Kings
Monday June 11, 2012
A bit of mythology for our readers in the Southern Hemisphere: one popular myth cycle among neoPagans today is that of the Oak King and the Holly King, and it's ... Read More
Litha Countdown: Summer Fire Ritual
Monday June 11, 2012
Hold a fire ritual to celebratethe sun at Litha.Image © Getty Images
Litha, Midsummer, or Alban Heruin is the longest day of the year, the time when the sun is most ... Read More
Litha Countdown: Wildcrafting
Sunday June 10, 2012
Treat nature with respect whengathering herbs.Image © Patti Wigington
If you're up in the northern hemisphere, it's Litha, and it's a great time of year to get outside and reconnect with ... Read More
The Wiccan Rede and Court Testimony
Saturday June 9, 2012
This is an older post, but based on an email I just got, it's clearly time to re-run it. Feel free to add your thoughts in the Comments section!
A reader ... Read More
Reader FAQ: Does Wicca Have Dietary Restrictions?
Saturday June 9, 2012
A while back, I got an email from a reader who had questions about Wicca and potential dietary restructions. He wrote, "I'm interested in joining a local Wiccan group, and ... Read More
Litha Countdown: The Blessing Besom
Saturday June 9, 2012
Sweep away negative energywith a besom.Image © Patti Wigington
Litha is the time of the summer solstice, and it's a season of great solar energy. A great project to put together ... Read More
Yule Countdown: Cleansing Ritual
Saturday June 9, 2012
Everyone talks about spring cleaning, but Yule is a good time to get the positive energies going that come with having a clean physical space. Start by de-cluttering, and work ... Read More
June 10: Bridget Bishop Hanged in Salem
Friday June 8, 2012
On June 10, 1692, Bridget Bishop was the first person to be hanged in Salem, Massachusetts during the witch trials. Although there was no conclusive evidence that she practiced witchcraft, ... Read More
Litha Countdown: Ten Ways to Celebrate
Friday June 8, 2012
Litha is coming up for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. What will you be doing to celebrate? Going for a nature walk? Hosting a drum circle? Having a ... Read More
Litha Countdown: Deities of the Solstice
Thursday June 7, 2012
Many deities of Litha are sun gods.Image © Getty Images
The summer solstice is approaching, and this has long been a time when cultures celebrated the lengthening year. It is on ... Read More
Litha Countdown: Tool Recharging Ritual
Wednesday June 6, 2012
Use the sun's power torecharge your magical tools.Image © Patti Wigington;Licensed to About.com
For those of us above the equator, it's Litha, and the sun is at its highest point in ... Read More
SC Student Sues over Grad Prayer
Tuesday June 5, 2012
It's graduation season again, which means that the topic of a benediction at a public school graduation ceremony is in the news once more. Irmo High school graduate Matthew Neilson ... Read More
School Board Vote to Remove 10 Commandments Display
Tuesday June 5, 2012
The Roanoke Times reports that the Giles County School Board has voted to remove a display of the Ten Commandments from a school building, following a complaint by a student ... Read More
Litha Countdown: Folklore and Customs
Tuesday June 5, 2012
Litha is a time of mystery and magic!Image © Getty Images
It's the season of long hours of daylight for our northern hemisphere readers, and the midsummer solstice is a time ... Read More
Notes from the Cauldron: Weekly Roundup May 27 - June 2
Monday June 4, 2012
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 ... Read More
Litha Countdown: Sacred Springs, Holy Wells
Sunday June 3, 2012
Sacred springs and wells are oftenassociated with Midsummer celebrations.Image © Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Our readers above the Equator are in the middle of summer right now. At Litha, or Midsummer, the ... Read More
Litha Countdown: Ogham Divination
Saturday June 2, 2012
Make Ogham staves to use for divination.Image © Patti Wigington
If you're one of our northern hemisphere readers, you're in the middle of summer right now, and it's a good time ... Read More
Litha Countdown: Stone Circles
Saturday June 2, 2012
Stone circles are often associatedwith the solstice.Image © Getty Images
Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are getting ready for Litha, and in many Pagan traditions, the stone circle is ... Read More
Strong Sun Moon June 4
Friday June 1, 2012
There's a full moon on the way, and it's the Strong Sun Moon -- no wonder, since Litha is almost here and the sun is warming the heavens and earth! ... Read More
Litha Countdown: The Handfasting Season
Friday June 1, 2012
Are you planning a handfasting?© Getty Images
June is a fun month. The kids get out of school, the pools open up, and it's a chance to do all kinds of ... Read More