paganism
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.
Spiritual Rituals Provide Sacred Space
Spiritual ceremonies, where humans gather together in a circle, are especially potent. An energetic hoop gathers over the circle to assist in the endeavor for the gathering, whether it be for the purpose of celebrating a new birth, honoring a solstice, or to express anything of importance to humanity, as individuals, or as a group.
Altars are also powerful. They are a gathering place for spirits to provide protection and shielding, to aid in a calling or, perhaps, to provide a sacred place for the energy of one who has crossed to another dimension to gather and connect. Or, we might choose to build an altar dedicated to providing an anchor for our business when we are away, the same as when we are present. Continue reading
The Vital Energy Of The Sun
In the northern hemisphere September 23rd marked the Autumn Equinox and the start of fall. In these days we traditionally celebrate harvests and the bounty of summer, and enjoy the last warm days before winter. But what to do about the increasing lack of sunlight?
In our psychic lives, we need the energy of the sun as much as we need water, air, or ground under our feet. Sunlight represents the fourth essential spiritual element of fire. If we don’t have enough of it, we can easily become depressed and lose touch with our psychic self.
So how can we incorporate the sun in our daily lives, even if we can’t afford a winter home in Hawaii? The most obvious answer is to make time to get natural sunlight. Sorry, but that artificial sunlamp in your office doesn’t count! Of course, if we’re able to, it is nice to take that winter vacation to a sunnier climate, but if not, a walk outside each day can prove extremely beneficial. Continue reading
A Message Of Hope From Hel’s Pond
A yellow butterfly guided me to Blanke Helle, or “Hel’s Pond” during a recent visit to Berlin, Germany. It darted ahead of me all the way from the bus stop in AlboinStraße, until I reached the entrance to the park where lies forgotten, and hidden from public notice, the ancient pagan site sacred to Hela, or Hel, the Norse-Germanic goddess of death and the underworld.
I have been guided by butterflies on a regular basis over the past two years, since the first one appeared to me at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, Greece. I was much encouraged by the sudden presence of this golden, magical creature, because it predicted that my visit to this sacred pagan site would be less somber than I had imagined. Yellow butterflies represent rebirth, new life, transformation and resurrection in several cultures. The Irish believe yellow butterflies to be an indicator of the peaceful transition of departed souls. And in Christian tradition yellow butterflies are symbolic of the Christ’s resurrection from death. They are also regarded as a sign of the presence of angels. Would Hel’s dark waters ultimately leave me with a message of hope? Continue reading
Being The Goddess
Being the Goddess was not an easy task, and the young girl knew this from the very first time she opened her hazel eyes to the world.
Inside herself she felt it, from the inside out, that she was meant to do different things, that she was meant to bring something to others from her own experiences.
“What does it mean?” she would whisper to herself late at night.
She was amazed at the fact of it sometimes, and at other times afraid. “Let it go”, They said to her, “now is the time to be what you were called to be, without thinking about it so much”.
All little girls are the Goddess, and the young girl discovered this as she grew older. She pondered these thoughts many times. How could she bring a message to bear that she herself knew nothing about yet?
But as she grew older, and lived some of what life had to offer, she knew there was plenty of tale to tell, about what went on in the heart of the Goddess. Continue reading