paganism
The Key Is In Your Hands
I received a lovely necklace as a gift recently, with a beautiful center stone and a small ‘skeleton key’ at the bottom. A skeleton key is a type of master key in which the serrated edge has been removed so that it can open numerous locks .I’ve seen these keys before, and remembered vaguely the symbolism, but I decided to refresh my knowledge by researching further the significance of this symbol.
Katie Pifer writes that keys have had a variety of spiritual symbolisms attached to it “for as long as man has had locks. They are connected with gateways and portals, doorways to the unknown, knowledge, mysteries, powers, initiations, new ways, forbidden things and answers to curious questions.”
Keys symbolize our ability to gain access to those things of either a material or spiritual nature that are of the greatest importance to us. The key is an object symbolic not only of opening doors to new paths that align with our desires, but also closing and locking doors to those things that we wish to leave behind.
Skeleton keys are considered to be a more powerful symbol, since they can open many different locks. Thus, they have been perceived to be the powerful ‘keys to the Kingdom,’ or the key to that someone special’s heart, and so on.
Skeleton Keys are traditionally also worn as powerful amulets. It is thought to be good luck to touch a key when you are entering a challenging or dangerous situation, because keys are believed to keep you safe. They are also symbolic of transformation, freedom and liberation.
Nephelomancy – Divination By Clouds
I first became interested in reading cloud formations when I was about 12 years old. I was fascinated by the imagery and symbols I was able to see in the shapes of clouds.
Due to my mother visiting another country, I was living at that time with a Dutch family for a while. They had two daughters and a son, and treated me as if I was one of their own. They were nurturing and very open, and they shared many of their own experiences and hopes with me.
The mother, a gentle lady, told me of how just a few months previously she’d received a frantic message from Holland to fly back urgently, because her mom was dying. But just two hours into the flight back home, as she was gazing out of the aircraft window, her departed mother showed herself very clearly in the cloud formation, as if she gently stepped out of the clouds to communicated with her.
Just thinking back to her telling me this story so long ago still gives me the shivers. Her mother then informed her telepathically that she need not rush, as she had already passed to spirit. She then said that she no longer felt stressed about missing her mom’s actual passing. Instead she now felt an incredible sense of inner peace and calm, knowing that all was well.
From that time forward, I became very aware of cloud formations and I would often look for signs from spirit, or try to see if one of my deceased pets or ancestors might be floating by to say hello! I also became more interested in what their formations might represent in the way of a prediction, omen or forewarning of any sort. Continue reading
The Legacy Of The Modern Crone
The time of the crone is the third stage in the life of a woman, may she feels she has come full circle. The Crone is traditionally an archetypal figure for a ‘wise old woman.’ In ancient times the ‘crone’ was considered, in a matriarchal community, to typically be a mature woman past the age of menopause.
In society today, many women look at the time in life past menopause as a blessing. It is now considered a time to get on with life and achieve the things that may have been put on the backburner. It is a time when one hits that age where experience counts as true knowledge.
In my own opinion most of the women I know personally, who lived as young adults through the 1960’s and 1970’s, are not very much concerned with their physical age, as long as they have their health and feel good about themselves. They are not concerned about what society may call the age one is deemed ‘a crone.’
The term ‘crone’ is believed to originate from Rhea Kronia. Rhea is the ancient Greek goddess of female fertility, motherhood, and generation, also known as ‘Mother Time.’, She is also associated with black creatures, such as the crow, which is sacred and related to death.
There was a time when the crone was recognized as a treasured valued member of the community. Her advice was sought by those younger and less experienced. The good old golden rule was her belief of ‘the way life should be lived.’
The Departure Of Miss Emeylia
I have been receiving visitations from the very kind spirit of a lady for the past year and a half. Through automatic writing I was able to find out her name. Miss Emeylia.
She came by foot in her flight to freedom and was staying where I had found her, but ended up dying there decades and decades ago. There is the remainder of what was once an underground shelter in the basement of a popular restaurant, which I often frequented when I first saw and met her. She followed me home and has been here ever since.
I was finishing up doing a Tarot reading on the night before Halloween, before getting ready to do my Samhain ritual, when I caught a silhouette of Miss Em standing in the doorway of my living room. She was smiling at me and it looked like she had something to share, almost like she had a huge surprise or secret and was trying to keep it contained. She became more and more visible. She telepathically told me she was ready to move on. That she was ready to leave this place and go on to the next world.
Power And Protection From Your Ancestors
I come from a long line of female herbalists of European origins on my mother’s side of the family. They were seers, healers, and prophets who combined their psychic gifts with ancient healing practices. Today, they still come to me during meditation, to offer wisdom.
The family’s mainly Germanic connection is one I’ve researched for many years, but more recently I discovered that my ancestors crossed into Scandinavian and Norse territories too, which suggests a bloodline of fierce women who were warriors of their time. It’s really not surprising to me, as even my own mother today, who is 84 years old, can still kick anyone’s butt who crosses her path in an unkind way! I always knew she was strong when I was little, and I always admired her power and independence.
The Egyptian Goddess Hathor
Hathor is an ancient Egyptian goddess representing healing, love, joy, and motherhood. She was known as the Mother of Mothers and the Celestial Nurse who presided over women, fertility, children, and childbirth.
However, Hathor is also associated with the dead, as we see in the tomb paintings where she was depicted as the Mistress of Heaven, welcoming the dead into the next life. Hathor’s connection to helping bring souls into the world through childbirth, and helping souls cross over to the land of Spirit, makes her a goddess who bridges together life, death, and Spirit, and her connection to the Great Mystery.
Hathor’s name translates to ‘House of Horus.’ Horus, is the son of the Egyptian Goddess Isis, also known by her Roman name, Auset or Iset, who is recognized for her psychic knowing, and her connection to the celestial skies and prophesy.
There is an Egyptian tale where seven Hathors are disguised as seven young women linked with fortune-telling and the Land of the Dead. They may have been associated with the Pleiades in later times. Hathor herself was known as Lady of Stars, in connection with the star, Sirius. Continue reading
The Powerful Wisdom Of The Major Arcana
There are 78 cards in a traditional Tarot deck. The first 22 are called the Major Arcana. The word ‘arcana’ comes from a Latin word arcanum, which means ‘ancient secrets’ or ‘mysteries.’
The 22 Major Arcana cards, starting with The Fool and leading all the way to The World, are all archetypes that represent hidden knowledge that many centuries ago were privy to those who worked closely with spirit.
When we consult a Tarot deck, the Major Arcana cards take us on a journey into another world, accessing ancient truths and divine law. In psychic Tarot readings the Major Arcana cards can describe attributes of people and their character traits, but most often represent the spiritual lessons we go through in life. Continue reading