Author: A Solitary Pagan

 Planet: Moon Element: Earth Energies: Psychic awareness Lore: Pharaohs in ancient Egypt ate mushrooms, but the common people did not. Romans believed that mushrooms provided strength to the body. Mushrooms, like all fungi, have long been regarded with suspicion. Their seemingly miraculous appearance overnight after a good rain, their mysterious ways of propagation, and their eerie appearance...

 (Capsicum spp.) Planet: Mars Element: Fire Energies: Protection Lore: From archaeological evidence found in Mexican caves, chili peppers seem to have first been cultivated 9,000 years ago. The Aztecs are said to have used chili peppers in rituals designed to exorcise spirits from possessed persons. Chili peppers were recently banned from one state’s prison system because the burning vegetables co...

(Brassica spp.) Planet: Moon Element: Water Energies: Protection Magical uses: Broccoli is a fine addition to protective diets. Season with basil, garlic, and mustard seed for increased power

Secale spp. Planet: Venus Element: Earth Energies: Love Magical uses: The familiar taste and smell of rye bread comes from the caraway seeds used in its creation, not from the rye. Rye, however, is a powerful addition to diets designed to increase your ability to give and to receive love. Caraway fits in here as well

 (Oryza sativa) Planet: Sun Element: Air Energies: Money, Sex, Fertility, Protection Lore: Rice is to Asia what corn is to the Americas. It has been laboriously cultivated and eaten in the East for thousands of years. Linked with deity and served at every meal, rice was and still is a vital staple food for many peoples. More than half of the world’s population regularly eats rice. It’s of central ...

Just stop and think about the Magickal properties of cooking…The Goddess and God energy that is in your kitchen…Well..if you haven’t given it a thought let me see if I can change your perspective about the chore of cooking! Let us start in your kitchen cabinets…What can be found upon these shelves? Herbs of course! Every herb has magickal, medicinal, and cooking uses…For example: 1) SALT…EARTH…PEN...

This ancient Celtic festival lives on in the United States and in other countries as Halloween, a degraded version of both the earlier Pagan holiday as well as the later Christian variant—All Hallow’s Eve. The word “eve” in the Christian name reminds us that this festival begins the night before its calendar date. Samhain marks the close of the year. Skies may still be blue, but the wind is chilly...

Imbolc is an old festival connected with the coming of spring and the growing warmth of the sun. In some areas of Europe, this day marked the emergence of a few brave plants from beneath the snow. As such, Imbolc was an occasion for feasting. Because the sun was usually seen as the source of the earth’s fertility, Imbolc (known in Catholicism as Candlemas) was a solar festival. Practitioners of pr...

Altar Cloth. Amulets, Talismans, Jewelry. Athame’ or sharp Knife. Baskets. Beads. Bells (brass or glass?). Book of Shadows. Bowls, Platters, Pitcher. Candles and Holders. Capes and/or Robes. Cauldron. Censor or Thurible. Chalice. Charged, pure water. Compass. Crystals and Gems. Crystal Ball (scrying tools). Decanter. Divination Tools (tarot, runes, pendulum, etc.). Earth. Feathers. Felt. Glass jar...

In general: Greens are linked with fairies in Scotland and Ireland. This may be one reason why green has long been thought to be an unlucky colour. Additionally, greens were once rarely found at wedding feasts and receptions for the same reason—the celebrants didn’t wish to offend the little

(Daucus carota) Planet: Mars Element: Fire Energies: Sex Magical uses: Carrots have been consumed since the days of ancient Greece to induce the desire for sexual contact. Prepared and eaten with the correct visualization, carrots may play a part in overcoming psychological impotency. Cook them with parsley and caraway for the best results.