April 28, 2021

Gods and Goddesses of Fertility

Celebrating fertility has been very important to our Pagan ancestors. It had to be, of course. Whether it was to help secure the birth of new human (or animal) life or to coax rain to fall to make the land fertile, every pagan pantheon had its own gods and goddesses of fertility — many of who are still very much celebrated to this day. As Beltane, the great Wiccan Sabbat of union and fertility, draws near, it’s a great opportunity to get to know these gods and goddesses a bit better so that you can include them in your Beltane altar and ask for their blessing.

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April 28, 2021

Metaphysical Connectivity – Part One

It is often said in mysticism that we are connected to an immediate local group of spirit instances. Lifetime after lifetime, we reincarnate together. My daughter in this lifetime may have been my mother in a previous life or perhaps my military captain, or even simply a colleague in a common profession, who knows. Lifetime after lifetime, we all wear different masks-of-flesh and participate in this game of incarnate life.

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April 17, 2021

The Air Element

Whether you are new to Wicca or have been practicing for a while, it is always a good time to brush up on your knowledge of those aspects of the Craft that are invoked frequently. In many altar setups, spells, and rituals, the four elements are called upon or used. Though Air is the least tangible and visible of the elements, we still frequently incorporate it into our practice.

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April 3, 2021

The Goddess Hera

Hera was worshipped in Greece way before people started speaking Greek there. She was the first deity to whom the people of that area ever dedicated a temple; she was worshipped all the way from Iran to Egypt. She’s often conflated with the Egyptian Goddess of fertility and agriculture, Hathor, and with Demeter, the Earth Goddess. Hera’s name probably comes from an older form of the word for “Lady” (Kera) but adapted to mean “Lady of the year” or “Lady of the season.” Some historians think it’s an anagram for the word for “air,” as Hera was considered the Queen of the Skies, or the Heavens. Just as Freya, the Lady of the Old Norse pantheon, played a much more important part in the past before her role was diminished to not antagonize Odin, so did Hera. Prior to her marriage to Zeus, Hera was considered a manifestation of the Great Earth Goddess in all her three aspects: Maiden, Mother, and Crone.

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