Author: A Solitary Pagan

Among her many other aspects, Brighid is the keeper of the flame, and this simple prayer honors her in that role. Mighty Brighid, keeper of the flame, blazing in the darkness of winter. O goddess, we honor you, bringer of light, healer, exalted one. Bless us now, hearth mother, that we may be as fruitful as the soil itself, and our lives abundant and fertile.     Among her many other asp...

Wondering what the deal is with love magic? Well, it’s something that comes up a lot, so why not read more about magic and matters of the heart? We’ll talk about the ethics of love magic, the basics of casting a love spell, love magic in folklore, gods and goddesses of love and marriage. We’ll even assume you’re going to find love and live happily ever after, because there’s plenty of information ...

Lithomancy is the practice of performing divination by reading stones. In some cultures, the casting of stones was believed to be fairly common – a bit like checking one’s daily horoscope in the morning paper. However, because our ancient ancestors didn’t leave us a lot of information about how to read the stones, many of the specific aspects of the practice have been lost forever. It is generally...

WHAT IS SCRYING? Scrying is the act of staring into something – often a shiny surface, but not always – for the purpose of divination. Visions and images are then interpreted intuitively by the individual doing the scrying. Many people prefer to scry using shiny surfaces – mirror, a crystal ball, even water – but another popular method is that of fire scrying. This ritual uses the element of ...

No one really likes to clean, but we all know we feel better when our physical space is tidy. It’s one of life’s necessary chores. Start your spring off with a good thorough cleaning, and then follow that up with a spiritual cleansing. This is a great ritual to perform at Imbolc — remember that for many of our ancestors, washing came only a few times a year, so by February, a house was probab...

Imbolc is a time of magical energy related to the feminine aspect of the goddess, of new beginnings, and of fire. It’s also a good time to focus on divination and increasing your own magical gifts and abilities. Take advantage of these concepts, and plan your workings accordingly. Because of its proximity to Valentine’s Day, Imbolc also tends to be a time when people start exploring love magi...

Imbolc is a holiday with a variety of names, depending on which culture and location you’re looking at. In the Irish Gaelic, it’s called Oimelc, which translates to “ewe’s milk.” It’s a precursor to the end of winter when the ewes are nursing their newly born lambs. Spring and the planting season are right around the corner. THE ROMANS CELEBRATE To the Romans, this time of year halfway betwee...