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Ohio’s Great Serpent Mound
Located in the small rural community of Peebles, Ohio, the Great Serpent Mound is perhaps the best-known serpent effigy in North America. It’s nearly a quarter mile long, and that makes it the biggest in the United States. The mound, which stands only a few feet high, represents an uncoiling serpent. It was originally believed that the Serpent Mound was created by the Adena culture, who lived in the Ohio Valley from around 800 b.c.e. to around 100 c.e. The Adena people built two burial mounds nearby. However, recent studies indicate that the Serpent Mound is actually much more recent than the Adena timeline, and is now attributed to the…
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Midsummer Magical Tool Recharge Ritual
At Litha, the summer solstice, the sun is at its highest point in the sky. Its power reaches its apex, and we celebrate the raw energy of the sun on the longest day of the year. Because this is the high point of the sun’s journey, it is a day of great magical potential. Take advantage of this natural power, harness it, and use it to recharge your magical tools. Typically, magical tools are consecrated before first use, but it’s a good idea to periodically recharge them, just like mundane tools. After all, if you use a cordless drill or a flashlight often enough, eventually the battery is going to…
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When Non-Pagans Come to Your Pagan Things
One of the most popular articles on my About/ThoughtCo site discusses proper etiquette when you’re a non-Pagan–or at the very least, a non-coven member–invited to a ritual. The piece discusses how to behave and interact with the folks holding the ritual, and how to make sure you’re invited back again. However, for each non-Pagan attending an event, there must clearly be someone putting on the ritual. It’s important, therefore, for us to discuss how to treat non-Pagans–or non-members of our group–when they take time out of their schedules to join us in ritual. Because y’all, for the love of dog, every time I promo that piece I get snarky emails…
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Summer Nature Meditation
This is one of the first meditations I wrote for myself, when I first began practicing a zillion years ago, and it’s one I try to do every summer. It’s based on the Song of Amergin in Irish mythology. Amergin was a leader of the Milesians, one of the ancient tribes that conquered Ireland around 1500 B.C.E., removing the Tuatha de Danaan from power. One of three Druids who spearheaded the takeover, Amergin is referred to as the First Druid of the Gaels in the Irish Book of Invasions. Thought to be the oldest poem in the Irish language, Amergin’s song is lyrical and narrative, evocative of the strength and…
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Bona Dea, Roman Fertility Goddess
In ancient Rome, Bona Dea was a goddess of fertility. In an interesting paradox, she was also a goddess of chastity and virginity. Honored originally as an earth goddess, she was an agricultural deity, and was often invoked to protect the area from earthquakes. Unlike many Roman goddesses, Bona Dea seems to have been particularly honored by the lower social classes. Slaves and plebian women who were trying to conceive a child might make offerings to her in hopes of being granted a fertile womb. Her name comes from the Latin for “good goddess.” Although her principal temple was on the Aventine hill, secret rituals and rites were performed in…
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The Greek Plynteria Festival
The city of Athens, Greece, is named for its protectress, the goddess Athena, and at the top of the hill called the Acropolis, there is a great temple in her honor. This temple, the Parthenon, contained a giant statue of Athena, made of ivory and adorned with gold, as a tribute to her magnificence. The residents of Athens took their relationship with their patron deity quite seriously, and every year held a spring festival in her honor, called the Plynteria. The name comes from a Greek word that means “to wash.” The Plynteria, like many other Greek festivals, spanned two to three days, around May 25th (fun fact: the Greeks…
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Pagan Living on a Shoestring
In tight economic times, people are cutting way back on their spending. Most folks are eliminating the expenses that they consider unnecessary or frivolous. After all, no one wants to have to choose between paying the electric bill or buying food. One of the first places that Pagans tend to cut back during a financial crunch is on their magical supplies. After all, how can you justify spending money on a new set of Tarot cards or a pretty new piece of jewelry, when you don’t know how you’re going to afford your car payment next month? Fortunately, it is possible to still maintain your comfort level of supplies without…
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Creating Gods from Literature and Pop Culture
A reader asks, “I’ve been reading a very popular series of novels, and really connecting with some of the characters in the story. In addition, the books include a fictional religion that gives me a strong sense of belonging–it’s not a real religion, with gods that aren’t real, created in this author’s head… but it actually WORKS for me, on a spiritual level. Is it possible to consider something a religion that’s just made up for this series? Is this even valid? What are your thoughts on this?” Well for starters, some people would argue that all religions are made up by someone, at some point, in history. It’s the…
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Magical Aromatherapy 101
Ask any Pagan what they enjoy about working with herbs, and chances are good they’ll tell you how much they love the smell. Herbs contain small glands that hold their essential oils, and when these oils are extracted they release scent molecules. The science of aromatherapy takes advantage of this natural phenomenon and expands it just a bit–because olfactory sensation stimulates parts of the brain connected to memory and emotion. Ever catch a whiff of a stranger’s perfume and suddenly be reminded of your aunt who passed away when you were twelve? Have you suddenly caught a touch of magnolia on the breeze, and remembered the time you and that…
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Pagan Standard Time and Why I Hate It
Pagan Standard Time, or PST, is the practice often found in Pagan communities of people showing up anywhere from 20–45 minutes late for everything, and it’s considered rude by anyone who’s trying to organize event or host a ritual. Honestly, it drives me absolutely nuts. While people may joke about PST, those who continually show up late may find themselves no longer invited to attend events, workshops or celebrations. Seriously, arriving late is not a habit you really want to fall into. Obviously, there are some things we have no control over which may cause tardiness–there was heavy traffic, your car wouldn’t start, or whatever–and I totally get that. If…
