May 15 is the Ides of May. On this day the Vestal Virgins of Ancient Rome performed a rite to ensure the supply of water for the coming year.
Why choose Witchcraft as the cornerstone of a feminist religious practice? There are a lot of reasons, and there has been a great deal of writing on the topic, but one major reason is that the Witch herself has been a powerful symbol of power, and particularly the power held by women, throughout history and across cultures.
To me, Paganism is a nature religion, so caring for nature is a sacred task as well as protecting the world for the future. I also believe in acting locally when possible. You can’t get much more local than your own garden, so I've signed up for No Mow May - a campaign by conservation charity Plantlife.
From April into May, flowers are everywhere. In Ancient Rome a five to six-day festival celebrated them. It was in honour of Flora, goddess of flowers and fertility, and was called Floralia. As well as floral tributes there were games, theatrical performances and dancing. According to historian Ed Whalen: "Some scholars believe that the Floralia was the inspiration for the May Day Festival." Mind you, it’s also possible that everyone just wants to celebrate warmer weather, blossom and trees being green anew.
If there is one topic which everyone on Earth should currently be focused upon it is, unquestionably, that of Climate Crisis. Indeed, it’s likely to be the main focus not just for our generation but for generations to come. And, notwithstanding the increasingly marginalised naysayers and various climate change deniers, it is a subject with which we must all engage…
Many of us will be getting eggs of some kind this weekend, even if we’re pagan and don’t celebrate Easter as a religious festival. So, this post is about the folklore, symbolism and magic of eggs.
Jennifer Teixeira (Aka Mme. Hummingbird & Bird) is a well respected Witch, High Priestess and Healer living in the California Redwoods.
I know this is April 1st but I promise I’m not going to be playing any jokes. What I will be doing is looking at the origins of April Fool’s Day, the trickster and the wisdom of the fool.
It’s Lent. That’s usually thought of as a Christian prelude to Easter, but it wasn’t always just that. In fact, it might have originally meant the time of year when days lengthen – and could be celebrated by anyone, pagans included.