Author: A Solitary Pagan
Rose
The rose, belonging to the genus Rosa, is one of the most iconic and beloved flowering plants in the world. With over 300 species and thousands of cultivars, roses have enchanted humanity for millennia, gracing gardens, wild landscapes, and sacred spaces alike. Botanically, roses are perennial shrubs with woody stems, often armed with sharp thorns that serve as natural protection. Their leaves are...
The Magick of Ash
Gender: Masculine; Planet: Sun; Element: Fire Sacred to Uranus, Poseidon, Thor, Woden, Neptune, Mars, Gwydion Magickal Powers: Protection, Prosperity, Sea Rituals, Health The ancient Teutons regarded the Ash as “The World Tree“, which was their conception of the Universe, and therefore revered as such. Ash has been used in many magickal ways over the centuries. Sailors of old carved an equal-armed...
Fox Glove
Foxgloves, or Digitalis purpurea, are among the most enchanting and mysterious plants found in the wild and in gardens. These biennials can reach impressive heights of up to six feet, their tall, elegant spires rising above the undergrowth like sentinels of the woodland edge. The leaves are large, lance-shaped, and slightly hairy, with a deep, lush green hue and pronounced veins that run the lengt...
Astrology Basics
There are twelve sun signs in the Zodiac: ARIES – The Ram. Energy, love of action and perseverance. Impetuous, yearning to lead and conquest. Element is Fire and Ruled by Mars. Loyal and Quick tempered. Colour is red TAURUS – The Bull. Steadfast, reliable, practical. Limited outlook and interests, prone to stubbornness. Element is Earth and ruled by Venus. Honest, but wont take advice. Colour is T...
As Above So Below
Heaven above, heaven below; stars above, stars below; All that is above, thus also below; understand this and be blessed —Prodromus Coptus Sive Aegyptiacus by Athanasius Kircher (1636) One of the best known sacramental phrases of Hermeticism, “As above, so below” is also very much of the core of the worldview of Astrology. This in turn is associated with the principle that everything that exists i...
The Signs
The 12 Signs of the zodiac are not the constellations. The Signs are 30° segments that mark the journey of the Sun through the changes of the Wheel of the Year. The two solstices and the two equinoxes are the anchors that set the order and the placement of the Signs, and create a quartered circle in astrological charts. Then, if you divide each quarter into three pieces, you have the twelvefold st...
The Planets
In many esoteric traditions, the Planets are viewed as much more than distant objects in the sky. They are often linked to the spheres on the Tree of Life, known as the Qabala. Each sphere, or sephira, represents a unique aspect of existence. The Planets act as bridges between the physical and spiritual worlds. Advanced astrological teachings explore these connections in detail, revealing meanings...
Astrology The Sun
The glyph of the Sun is a circle with a point in the center. Both the circle and the point represent different kinds of infinity. The point is at the same time dimensionless and contains infinite dimensions. The circle consists of an infinite number of points in the same relationship to the central point. The glyph of the Sun resonates with the ideas of the macrocosm and the microcosm, of spirit c...
Astrology The moon
Whereas a circle represents spirit, the semicircle represents soul in the pictographic code of the astrological glyphs. The Moon’s glyph is the vessel of the soul, both for its development and its journey in the Moon boat. Of all the astrological glyphs, the Moon’s glyph most strongly resembles its counterpart in the skies. The two sharp points created by the intersection of the two semicircles re...
Astrology
Astrology, the study of the influence of the stars and planets upon life on this earth, is another of the fundamentals of magic. It is studied by witches and magicians alike. In the past, it was as important to the village witch in her lonely cottage, as it was to the wealthy and learned man who practiced magic behind the locked doors of his study. The basic premise of astrology is contained in th...
The Way of Art
Although Astrology is a sacred science and as such is a mental undertaking with many rules and procedures, it is also an art requiring the intuition and the way of beauty to reveal its richness. It is the way of art that guides astrologers, or practitioners using Astrology in their Magick, to know which of many details actually matter and to bring harmony to the flood of data. This is certainly ev...
Astrology Mercury
The glyph of Mercury consists of the circle that represents Spirit, the semicircle that represents the Soul, and the cross that represents Matter. Soul is above, Spirit is in the middle, and Matter is below in the glyph of Mercury. This triplicity reminds us of Hermes Trismegistus (thrice-great Hermes), and Mercury is indeed thoughts, ideas, communication, and is the conduit and the herald between...