Samhain HistoryMentioned from the 10th century onward in Old Irish literature, the 4th fire festival marking the beginning of Winter. Ways to celebrate Samhain Herbs, etc. Stones Symbols **Information shared from my personal Book of Shadows
Tag: Samhain
Samhain Corn Chowder
Isn’t Samhain just the best time of year? The magick is palpable now, and everyone is at their witchy best. It’s also my busy time of year with various tarot and Pagan events and activities, so I usually try to find something easy to make, but something that evokes the feelings of the season. What’s…
How to Have a Conversation with your Tarot or Oracle Cards
I’ve been reading tarot for quite a long time. But the one thing that I’ve learned is that the more I think I know, the more there is to learn. In all honesty, that’s what I love about tarot more than anything. I love that I can study it for years and years, and still…
Hyssop and Purification
There are many herbs that can be used for the purposes of purification. But if you practice a European tradition of Paganism, then hyssop is the purification herb for you. This is a great alternative to white sage, which is part of a closed Native American practice, and is being used almost to the point…
Deck Interview- Jack-O’-Lantern Tarot
I don’t usually impulse buy decks. I think about them for a while, trying to decide how I would use them, what kind of readings they would be good for, whether or not I have something similar in my collection, etc. But when I saw the art on this deck, I knew I had to…
Deck Interview- Seasons of the Witch Samhain Oracle
I bought this deck as a little prezzy for myself after a week of presenting on the history of tarot for DragonCon, and then reading for a room full of students at Emory. It was a crazy week, but exhilarating, and then I topped it off with a root canal. Hey, they can’t all be…
Magickal Month- October 2020
October. This is the month that witchy folks crave all year long. Even those who don’t like the ending of Summer still get a little thrill when things start moving towards Samhain and the season of the witch. The nights are getting longer and cooler, and the last of the harvest is coming in. There’s…
Creating a Samhain or Halloween altar
Creating a Samhain or Halloween Altar It’s no secret that witches really come alive around Samhain. This is kind of ‘our time’. While most other Pagan holidays were co-opted by Christianity and dulled down as the years passed, Samhain (and even Halloween) still retains so much Pagan lore and flavor. We have traditions that have…
Magickal Month- October 2019
Welcome to October, now affectionately known as WHY IS IT STILL SO HOT?? Also known as the month of Halloween. I’m drinking my Pumpkin Cream Nitro Cold Brew from Starbucks in leiu of a typical Pumpkin Spice Latte because it’s still in the mid 90s here in Georgia. Anyone who still thinks that global warming…
Magickal Month- November
November was originally the 9th month in the old Roman calendar, but became the 11th month in the updated Julian and Gregorian calendars when January and February were added to the beginning of the year. Here in the Southeastern US, it’s finally getting chilly. We may have a few sunny, warm days here and there,…
Greek ‘smudging’ substitute
So I’ve been thinking a lot about cultural appropriation lately. I never used to really worry about using sage or palo santo, feeling like I was OK as long as I honored the First Nations tradition of smudging but without trying to claim it as my own. However, if I’ve learned anything in my practice,…
Season of The Witch Movies- White Haired Witch review
White Haired Witch (on Netflix) The heroine is played by Fan Bingbing. That’s just one of many things you need to know to appreciate this movie. The second thing you need to know is that it’s stunningly beautiful. But I may be partial as I’ve always loved mythic, magical Asian cinema. This one is Chinese,…
Season of The Witch Movies- The Naked Witch review
The Naked Witch (on Amazon Prime) Wow. This one’s fun. Produced in 1961 by Claude Alexander, who also produced The Naked Dracula, The Naked Mummy, Hey look! I’m naked right now!, and What Are You Wearing? It begins with woogie organ music played behind a foreshadowing monologue about how ‘the student’ never thought something like…
Season of The Witch Movies- Burn, Witch, Burn! review
Burn, Witch, Burn! (on Amazon Prime) Ohhhhh, it starts out soooo good. There’s a protective incantation where the narrator calls upon Marduk, Hecate, Satan, Beelzebub, etc. for protection. The epitome of 50s/60s horror drama kitsch. I’m SO in! We start our story with a college professor and his wife. Are they British? Fancy 50s Americans? …
Season of The Witch Movies- Season of the Witch (2014) review
Season of the Witch (on Amazon Prime) If I wasn’t inspired by the 2 star rating, the opening scenes with the dying fish out of water would have gotten me. Ugh. The production value on this one is somewhat lacking (at several points the music gets so loud you can’t hear the dialogue), but I’m…
My tarot decks for Autumn
I love seasonal things. I love watching the passing of time, and Autumn is such a beautiful time to celebrate the changing of the seasons and how that affects us. I’m also a little obsessed with having the right things to use for the right occasions. Hence, my project to have a different tarot deck…
Autumntide Priorities
The days are getting shorter, there’s a nice breeze in the night air, and DragonCon marks the beginning of the end of Summer. We have Mabon and Samhain to look forward to, which are my two favorite sabbats! While Autumn is usually seen as a time of going within, taking stock, and relaxing into Winter,…
Bewitching the Moon November 2016- Full Moon oil, Hecate oil, Black Cat/Uncrossing oil
I’m hoping to do one of these videos for every full moon. I need better lighting, better sound, a better camera, and a better scaffold/tripod situation, but this is a start. 🙂
Let Govember!
So I was talking to a friend, and we were discussing how we both have a lot of negative energy in our lives. We talked about how we could both do with a good housecleaning, physically, emotionally, mentally, etc. I usually don’t have trouble eliminating negativity from my life in small ways, but sometimes you…
Autumn Scents- Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs
So anyone who knows me knows that I’m obsessed with scents. From incenses to bath products, to candles, I just like it when stuff smells great. And the scents I like change with the seasons. Obviously, Autumn is a great time for anything pumpkin related, but I don’t want to smell that at all in…
Autumn Tide Tarot Reading
I try to give myself a reading at every solstice and equinox, but sometimes I forget. Now that I’m really immersing myself in tarot, it’s a little easier to remember. This reading is for the Autumn tide, or the time between Mabon and Yule. I did a reading in 3 parts, with 4 cards each….
All Soul’s Night
I didn’t do a lot for Samhain. I mostly had a headache and tried to sleep to prepare for NaNoWriMo. So here. Have a song from Loreena Mckennitt. You’re welcome. 🙂 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6LbxBFtT9k
Samhain, Rememberance, Yule presents, and NaNoWriMo
Sorry I’ve been quiet. The death of my ex hit me pretty hard, and I haven’t done a lot of anything, including NaNoWriMo. I’m at roughly 1900 words, and it’s day 7. I need to decide to either catch up or give up. I’m not going to be hard on myself either way, I’m just…
That first love
There’s a person out there who will always have a piece of my heart. We weren’t meant to be together, and the love faded in time, as happens when that’s the case. But he has always been someone that is incredibly special to me. You see, we grew up together. We did stupid teenager stuff…
Samhain Altar
This is it! The only thing we have left to add is letters. I’m going to write a letter to my dad, and Bear and J might write letters to their loved ones as well. I’ll place them on the altar (behind everything), and then we’ll burn them on Samhain. The incense also turned out…
Gathering ingredients for Samhain incense
My husband is lovely. Simply lovely. He truly is the best thing in my life. And when I asked him yesterday if he would like to go to the cemetery with me to gather some ingredients for incense, he didn’t hesitate. He was even a bit excited for another one of my cemetery adventures. He…
Gathering ingredients for Samhain incense
My husband is lovely. Simply lovely. He truly is the best thing in my life. And when I asked him yesterday if he would like to go to the cemetery with me to gather some ingredients for incense, he didn’t hesitate. He was even a bit excited for another one of my cemetery adventures. He…
Pain and Tiwaz
Good news: I found my runes while looking through my old herb collection! Bad news: All of my herbs are waaaayyy too old and stale to use for anything. They all smell like dust. Good news: I found a great supplier who sells the herbs I need cheap on Ebay! Bad news: I spent my…