Author: A Solitary Pagan

Wine, just as it is, constitutes a powerful entheogen. The Dying and Resurrected God is embodied int he wine in the form of Dionysos — and in Jesus, for that matter, whose symbolism and mythology associates him with the wine. Dionysos, though, is the “Twice Born” God of the Vine, and his cup is the offering of ecstasy and madness. “I am the vine,” he says, and he offe...

Entheogen is a Greek derived word that means “generating the divine within.” An entheogen, therefore, is a psychoactive substance that is used in a religious, spiritual or shamanic context. Traditional Witches have used entheogens of several types for centuries, as recorded in the lore of mythology, in the records of the trials and persecutions, and in the regional indigenous shamanic practices&nb...

In addition to the Sabbats, the Wiccan year contains 12 (sometimes 13) Full Moon celebrations, known as the Esbats. While the Sabbatstend to focus celebration on the God and his association with the Sun, the Esbats honor the Goddess in her association with the Moon.Covens traditionally meet on the Esbats to celebrate a particular aspect of the Goddess, such as Aphrodite, in a celebration of abunda...

Winter Solstice (Yule): December 20-23Considered in most Wiccan traditions to be the beginning of the year, the Winter Solstice is a celebration of the rebirth of the God. It is the shortest day of the year, offering a welcome reminder that even though the cold season is still just getting underway, it doesn’t last forever, as the days will begin to lengthen again after this point. Some consider t...

The Sabbats are old pagan customs, and tradition that follow The Wheel Of The Year. Each Sabbat is associated with herbs, flowers, fruits and grains that best represent each unique season. These fruits of labor are the embodiment of each part on The Wheel Of The Year. Incorporate them into your seasonal spells and rituals, great for manifesting your goals and wishes with herbal power and love. Her...

Runes are an alphabetic script used by the peoples of Northern Europe from the first century C.E. until well into the Middle Ages. In addition to their use as a written alphabet, the runes also were a system of symbols used for magic and divination.Runes are loaded with power. I use them in spellworking, usually etched on a candle. In fact, inscribing candles with runes is a common magickal practi...

Runes are not just for divination, there are many other ways to put them to use. There are necklaces, bracelets, and earings that have a rune on them. Most occult stores carry them in stock, or you can easily find them online. For example.. Looking for a job? Wear/carry the fehu rune while putting out apps and doing interviews.Candles can easily be carved with a rune, or you can buy one already ca...

While the early Celtic Christians invented Old Jack, the British Isles had other monsters to fear tracing back to their Pagan days. Yet others reflected the evolving political history of the Isles. Early on, people carried lanterns on Samhain night and went out in groups lest they run into any of a host of wicked characters. They might run afoul of a Pucah (or Pookah) a shapeshifting faery prone t...

This night also called for a “dumb supper” or similar acts of feeding dead ancestors that might cross from the veil—or purgatory—for a visit. During these events, people set out food for their family and for their departed ancestors. Participants consumed these meals either in silence or in muted tones, except at the beginning of the ceremony, when they invited ancestors, and at the end when they ...

The torches of the Welsh and the jack-o’-lanterns left at the edge of walks “kept witches away,” but they also lit a path for ancestors wandering across the veil. Candles might be placed in windows—usually in the west, to represent the land of the dead—or lights placed along walkways and paths so that the beloved dead visiting from across the veil could find the way to the door of their loved ones...

Over time, the rituals for protection from faeries changed to protection from “witchcraft.” In Victorian times, villagers would throw an effigy of an old woman into the flames and call that “burning the witch.” Welsh communities also enacted a Halloween ritual called a Tinley. After the fires in town centres or on farms burned down, every member of that community placed a stone in the ashes, formi...