Sitara Haye

Life Without End - Death From a Pagan Perspective
by Sitara Haye

Next Holiday:
Lammas
August 1, 2009

Although in the heat of a midwestern summer it might be difficult to discern, the festival of Lammas (August 1) marks the end of summer and the beginning of fall. The days now grow visibly shorter and by the time we’ve reached autumn’s end (October 31), we will have run the gamut of temperature from the heat of August to the cold and (sometimes) snow of November. And in the midst of it, a perfect midwestern autumn. 

The history of Lammas is as convoluted as all the rest of the old folk holidays. It is, of course, a cross-quarter day, one of the four High Holidays or Greater Sabbats of Witchcraft, occurring one quarter of a year after Beltane. Its true astrological point is fifteen degrees Leo, but tradition has set August 1 as the day Lammas is typically celebrated. The celebration proper would begin on sundown of the previous evening, our July 31, since the Celts reckon their days from sundown to sundown. 

For the rest of Mike Nichols' article on Lammas  click here.

Elizabeth Barrette

Composing Magic
TWPT talks to Elizabeth Barrette

Click here to go to the Author's Corner home.

Link

Creating Your Own Mythic Animals

When we look at the myths of old, remember that old tales were once quite new. People, not much different than you or I, created stories about animals to explain their surroundings. They dreamt of great birds that rose up from the ashes, or fire-breathing beasts who tested our courage. They lulled children off to sleep on the wings of great white horses who flew like clouds in the sky.

Today we can bring to life our own private menagerie of mythic animals. We can create our own nature tales colored with animal images -- whether a modern-day dragon, or a simple fire-fly glowing in a glass jar.

 Read the rest of this article by clicking here.

Featuring News and Announcements for the Wiccan/Pagan community

Thorn is a new quarterly print magazine about paganism and modern culture. Through a combination of news articles and investigative research, photographic spreads and academic essays, comic strips, original illustration and historical analysis, we hope to illuminate the joys and complications of living ancient paths in the wired era.

Click the cover or here to visit Thorn's website for more information.

Gathering the Goddess:
Z Budapest on YouTube Part 6

Sabrina
the Ink Witch

Sabrina the Ink Witch:
TWPT Talks to Sabrina

Sabrina, better known as The Ink Witch has been crafting Old Style Pen & Ink for over 30 years. Her beautiful artwork has been published in many magazines all over the world. Her artwork also appears in several published books and most recently she has been included as the illustration artist for a Pagan Based Traditional Publishing House; Spiral Publishing, Inc.

Click here to read the interview.

Jesse Wolf Hardin

Updated 10-09-2008

TWPT's Earth Magic

This month Jesse's new article is entitled
Pitfalls on the Magical or Spiritual Path.   

Otherwise benign New Spiritual practices can suffer from some of the same pitfalls as conventional organized religion.  Fortunately, once we’re aware of these diversions we can make the informed choices that reunite us with the inspirited world, rather than contribute to our estrangement.   

In my life of pilgrimage the voices of the earthen Anima have repeatedly contradicted what I’ve read, was taught, once thought, and so badly wanted to believe... Thus as I became a teacher myself, I deferred again and again— not to presumed authorities or established traditions, but to the actual Source of every real truth they contain.  Our realization of wholeness/holiness begins not in contemplation or conclusion but in a great listening.  It begins in a vulnerable condition of openness, with fierce focus, gentle humility, and the overwhelming gratitude that makes us worthy of such gifts.    

Read Jesse's column on TWPT

Boudica

Updated 01-25-2009

TWPT's Bookviews

Crafting Wiccan Traditions by
Raven Grimassi

I enjoyed this book because of the concept.  I was surprised at the amount of material that Grimassi covers for this process.  The contents of this book puts it all together to show you how it's done. 

Tradition is the foundation of our spiritual system.  Each person sees the Wiccan path as a personal path.  Gardner did it, Buckland did it, even Grimassi did it; establishing a system of spirituality that worked for them, and enabling it to work for others. 

Raven Grimassi presents a “system” here to establish your own Tradition.  In it he also includes all the trappings and tools and beliefs and reasons to do so.  It is a complex method, with all the basics, all the elements and all the workings that we may want to include.

Read Boudica's review of Crafting Wiccan Traditions by Raven Grimassi

Follow the link below to some of the Samhain oriented material that has appeared on TWPT over the years. These include rituals, reflections on the season and some humor supplied by contributors to The Wiccan/Pagan Times. Enjoy and have a blessed Samhain this year.

Samhain Articles Page click here.