We’ve already explored why we pass the rattle during a women’s circle, but what about how to make your own rattle…
Why use a gourd?
Gourds are natural musical instruments that have more than 10,000 years of history, spanning multiple continents and uncountable cultures. Evidence from the Smithsonian is that gourds were the first domesticated crop ever grown in the Americas, probably cultivated by women as water containers. The origination of the gourds still grown today is in Africa, where seeds were then transported to Asia and then from Asia to the Americas by Paleoindian peoples who crossed the Bering Strait and originally colonized the Americas. I was curious to know if gourds have any specific association with ancient goddess traditions in addition to their association with modern-day women’s spirituality, but I have not been able to find specific information on the subject. However, I was inspired to read this small paragraph, suggesting that gourds represent the womb of the Earth Mother herself and that using them to create rattles, creates “intentional womb prayer vessels.”
The Witches’ Broom, or Besom is an important and largely misunderstood tool of the Witch.
Gaining its notoriety from the witch hunters’ manuals of mediaeval Europe, it is a tool of a far more ancient origin. As we know, the writings of those who “documented” the traditions, rituals and practices of early witches did not do so in an inimical fashion. This largely explains the negative associations related to many customs, tools and traditions of ancient Witches.
It is believed that the practice and use of the Besom can be traced back as far as ancient Egypt. While typical or traditional Besoms are made of a specific plant called Broom (from which the broom gains its name); it would also appear that many traditions and cultures have their own version of a Besom.
My new Magic of Flowers Oracle deck is here and it's AWESOME! I've had a number of questions about how to use it, and while I outline it in the companion book, I thought I'd do this 2-minute tutorial to get you started on doing readings for yourself and others. As you'll see, it's really easy.
Working with the energetic momentum of whatever it's your intention to shift - rather than against it - is almost always ideal. The Cauldron of Lilac Fire visualization is invaluable for doing just that. It naturally balances and powerfully purifies pretty much anything you'd like, including (but not limited to) people, objects, relationships, physical spaces, and situations. And the more you practice, the easier and quicker it becomes.
Erin Lale
Fellow faculty at Harvard Divinity School posted an open letter to Wolpe in response to his article. It's available on this page, below the call for p...
Erin Lale
Here's another response. The Wild Hunt has a roundup of numerous responses on its site, but it carried this one as a separate article. It is an accoun...
Erin Lale
Here's another response. This one is by a scholar of paganism. It's unfortunately a Facebook post so this link goes to Facebook. She posted the text o...
Erin Lale
Here's another link to a pagan response to the Atlantic article. I would have included this one in my story too if I had seen it before I published it...
Janet Boyer
I love the idea of green burials! I first heard of Recompose right before it launched. I wish there were more here on the East Coast; that's how I'd l...