Ireland has a long history of shapeshifters.
One of the earliest was Fintan, husband of Cessair, grand-daughter of Noah. Cessair and her family fled the approaching Deluge and settled in Ireland, but only Fintan survived.
Fintan changed shape several times, first becoming a salmon, then an eagle, and then a falcon.
Another early Irish tale [...]
Glastonbury, England, is one of the most magical sites on earth.
Glastonbury’s unique history covers many centuries. Since the Middle Ages, Glastonbury in Somerset has been considered a most likely location of Avalon, the final resting place of King Arthur and Guinevere.
However, Glastonbury’s mystical and spiritual history starts far before the era of Camelot.
[...]
This is a reprint of my 2002 article about connections between gods and saints.
Recently, I read Luisah Teish’s book, Jambalaya. In it, she explains Afro-American spiritual traditions, and how they survived by adopting Christian terms and identities. She focuses on the Voudou of New Orleans, but also relates to Yoruba, Santeria, [...]
… and a partridge in a pear tree?
Most of us recognize the song that starts, ‘On the first day of Christmas…,” but how many know the real origin of those famous twelve days?
Are they Christian? Are they Pagan?
And, when do the twelve days start, anyway? Do we celebrate the beginning [...]
Yule has a colorful and varied history in Celtic countries. The following is an overview of some of the most interesting lore.
The word ‘Yule’
Yule is a word with uncertain roots.
We know that it was used in 11th century England, when the country was under Danish rule. There are no English records of [...]
Today, we often think of “Yule” as synonymous with “Christmas,” and in a way, that’s true.
However, today’s Pagans celebrate Yule as the pre-Christian holiday, when the Sun appears to be reborn.
Winter Solstice
Traditionally, Yule is celebrated around December 22nd at the Winter Solstice. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is celebrated on June [...]
Babylon, which means “the Gate of God(s)”, was the capital of Babylonia, in southern Mesopotamia. Some claim that it was also the site of the Bible’s “Tower of Babel.”
Today, we most often associate Babylon with its leaders Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar, as well as the the Epic of Gilgamesh.
HAMMURABI
Babylon was the most important [...]
There’s a number of reasons why the “Wiccan” wheel of the year and the Christian Calendar don’t match. The most important is all too often overlooked.
The Christian Calendar is derived from both the solar Roman year and the lunar Jewish calendar.
This leads to “movable” feasts, whose dating depends on Easter which in the [...]
Isn’t that Star of Bethlehem a Pentagram?
Well, of course it is.
Just as the Saxon Eostra (or whatever spelling catches your fancy) lent her rabbit and name in English to Pasch, also, the day of Christ’s Mass is actually the festival of the birthday of Mithra. Many of the honorifics bestowed on Mother Mary [...]
This is a chant derived from very early Syrian Christians and reworked to be a consecration and charging chant for a jar of honey that I use as a prime ingredient some of my medicines.
An Evocation of the Sun to empower a substance (in this case a jar of honey) with healing virtue
AVE, [...]
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