Today, I am answering the question that has appeared more and more in my emails. What spell book do I endorse? Good Witch Bad Witch by Gillian Kemp is my most favourite. The spells are simple and affective. The two types of cards represent the balance of opposites within nature - day and night, summer and winter, good times and bad times. This is something witches respect as they honour the seasons of the year and all aspects of life. We might prefer to only have happy days but we can't avoid every misfortune and there are valuable lessons to be learnt from the sad times of grief and hardship. http://badwitch.co.uk/2008/01/good-witch-bad-witch-by-gillian-kemp.html http://badwitch.co.uk Good Witch Bad Witch by Gillian Kemp ISBN 9781903116517 Sweet Spells and Wicked Witchery Includes 52 Enchanting Cards and a 64 page Spell Book. With this beguiling set of 52 cards and accompanying book, you can revel in delicious devilment against your enemies, or weave good white magic around you and your loved ones. In Good Witch, Bad Witch there are two suits of cards: 26 Good Witches and 26 Bad Witches. Simply shuffle and lay them like tarot cards, then look up the prediction in the book and cast the spell. Remember, the good witch spells turn toads into princes and the bad witch spells turn princes into toads. All you need is this charming kit and a little hocus pocus. About the Author Gillian Kemp is a clairvoyant and medium who prophesies the future using astrology, tarot cards, a crystal ball and tea leaves. She appears regularly on television and radio as an astrologer, writes a weekly column in Baby magazine and is the author of books including The Good Spell Book, The Romany Good Spell Book (published in the US by Little, Brown), and The Love Spell Box (Cico Books, 2000). http://Gilliankemp.com
Lions & Lambs --- Using the Energy of Sprinby Leni Hester edited and reprinted from her blog
“Season & Spirit” at PaganSquare.com The transition from Winter to Spring is a dynamic one, with lots of pulling and pushing as the weather goes from one extreme to the other. In this dance between two opposing forces, we can see the Earth’s changes at their most dramatic. There is increasing light, but the rain-heavy clouds are much darker and gloomier than the bright icy snow clouds of a month ago. Perhaps we see this transition as a movement away from the hardships and struggles of Winter, to the greater ease and gentleness of Spring. Or we feel the movement from the repose and introspection of Winter to the increasing noise and activity of Spring.
While we may welcome the arrival of spring, it’s not uncommon to feel irritable or restless and dissatisfied this time of year.
This transition is very much like waking up after a long sleep. Sometimes it takes some stretching and grumbling and rubbing of the eyes to get fully awake. Sometimes it’s not entirely inviting to get out of our warm bed and put our feet on the cold floor. But we cannot stop the Spring from coming any more than we can stop ourselves from feeling
the rising energy, noticing the excitement (anxiety) just below our skin, as the
world wakes up.
 Here in Colorado, the dynamic tension between the seasons is particularly noticeable. My coven’s Ostara ritual last month was canceled due to a blizzard that dumped about eight inches of snow. This is always a busy time of year, with the chores running from shoveling snow to turning beds and pruning trees. But out in the garden, even on the coldest day, even with the plants still dormant, I can feel the energy rising, ready to pop out and drench the world in color and life No matter how much it looks like Winter, Spring is ready to roar inside us.
This is the season to make changes and try to rewrite bad habits. For example, isn’t it silly to try and start a new diet on January 1, deep in the coldest part of winter, just when our bodies most crave heavy, high fat foods? In Spring, we begin to crave the bite of new greens and veggies, we want to cleanse and detox, we long forlighter fare as we shed our Winter layers.
The old tradition of “Spring cleaning” is a very natural inclination. This time of year, I find myself longing to re-organize my entire house for top to bottom. Cleaning out our space can really relieve so much stress and anxiety, of course, but the itch to get clean is not just for our spaces, but ourselves. We respond by getting new clothes or cleaning our homes, but what we long for is to be clean on the inside. Letting go of old bad habits and dysfunctional patterns and routines can be difficult, but the energy of the season truly supports these shifts.
Part of our restlessness as the Winter gives way to Spring, is that we begin to notice things that we were resigned or complacent about, and find we aren’t comfortable with them anymore. Maybe it’s a compromise we don’t want to make, or something in our home or workspace that is not working quite right. Maybe it’s a outgrown relationship, or a desire for new challenges. All the places where we fall short of where we feel we should be, everywhere we see dysfunction and breakdowns in our lives—whether magickal or mundane, personal or professional—these gaps rankle us, and spur us to action. We may wish to re-organize our lives from start to bottom, getting rid of anything that we feel no longer serves us. This time of year, I find I have no tolerance for procrastination and dithering after decisions are made. I also have very little patience with my own bad habits and dysfunctional routines. I want everything that feels like clutter, the feels extraneous and dysfunctional, out of my space.
 I know that unless I make sure I don’t over-schedule myself, I will over-commit my time and energy, and then look up suddenly and say, “Wow, when did Spring start? And where has it gone?” If I don’t remember that the impulse to clear clutter out of my house is so amped up right now, I will follow that impulse and get ri of things I might need later. Plugging into the rising earth energy after such a long rest can be exhilarating, and it can be also be overwhelming and uncomfortable.
At times of change and transformation, it helps to get quiet. Do not be fooled by the sudden pop of energy and action everywhere. We still need to get quiet especially when the world gets loud. Don’t lapse on your meditation practice now.
Speaking of meditation, as the weather get nicer, take some time to walk in a park or other natural area. Walk silently and take in the scents, sounds and sensations of the waxing year. Put all your awareness into noticing the life around you, even if much of it is still hidden.
Cleansing and purification are huge elements of the ritual work of this time of the year cross culturally. Clean your house, then purify it with smudge or incense. Open the windows, even for a brief time, to get the power of Air clearing out your space. Sprinkle your space with Florida water, or blessing oils or Van-Van oil diluted in water. If you drop the ball on New Years’s resolutions, now is the best time to give it another shot. In any case, here’s hoping that your spring (and mine) will be full of the energy and light of this dynamic and magickal season. Blessed be!
Leni Hester is a Witch and writer from Denver, Colorado. Her work appears in the Immanion anthologies “Pop Culture Grimoire,” “Women’s Voices in Magick” and “Manifesting Prosperity”. She is a frequent contributor to Witches&Pagans and SageWoman Magazines.
April 2013 BBI Media NewsPublishers of Crone, SageWoman, and Witches&Pagans magazines.
Please take the time to check out http://princesssarahg.blogspot.ca/
under the Team Member Reviews tab to read two reviews for my paranormal, magic realism book Severed Ties.
Thank you Kami and Christy for your kind words :)
FAE BOOKS - Publicist, Blogger, Reviewing Team
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@FaeBooks Wishing you the joys of spring!
People appreciate real friendships.
Become someone you'd like to hang out with!
You gotta be real...
The behaviour is the being. A person without a future will always run to their past...
At last! On the Edge, originally published by Club Lighthouse Publishing in May 2010 has been completely revised. Now titled "AT THE EDGE."
This week I posted an exclusive excerpt for my readers to get glimpse of the YA, magic realism, paranormal book. I'm leaving this excerpt up for only a few days, and then will be taking the read down. I'm excited to search for aYA book publisher to discover the best home for the new and improved story.
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About the Book "AT THE EDGE," - Real people developing relationships; while Carm is struggling to pick up the pieces after the death of her husband.
Two Quick Questions - 1. How important is it to you to create likeable characters?
I portray the characters inner characteristics and emotions as they struggle with issues of their own. The characters are realistic that the readers will believe. Tough and practical Paige takes command; Roxy under a watchful eye intimidates; always helpful Lizzy goes with the flow and Carm is consumed with sorrow and mental anguish. Gretchen, a witch is a welcome relief from life's pressures. To add support and conflict to the story are Thomas a friend everyone wants to deserve and Philip is certainly not safe to trust.
2. What do you most hope that readers will take away from the book?
In this book I provide a unique insight into the drug world and mysticism – addiction and the belief that direct knowledge of ultimate reality is attainable through intuition and the unseen world. I hope the reader will begin to believe if you change your choices while guided by Spirit you can change your life for the better.
Stop bt http://Witchskel.wordpress.com to read an EXCLUSIVE excerpt. Remember to forward this to your friends...so they too can check it out!
Smile and the world Smiles with you!
:-)
 The concept of non-violence is practiced by all great spiritual masters. It inspires me every day, and I’d like to share it with you.
In most situations, it’s best to choose the path of pacifism, since pacifism ultimately leads to peaceful, non-violent outcomes.
Thoughts, words and deeds that are peaceful never lead to violence. When confronted with violence, the fact of not responding in kind and creating more aggression, eases the tension and prevents it from escalating.
Responding to violence with violence only creates an endless cycle of aggression.
If you want to put out a fire, it’s wiser to throw water on it rather than gasoline. Similarly, there’s no shame in refusing to fight. There’s no code of honor that says you have to stand-up to an adversary who is stronger than you, and who could put your life, and the lives of those close to you, in danger.
Non-violence isn’t a weakness, it’s a strength! It takes more courage and willpower to refrain from letting yourself become angry or seek revenge, than it does to give-in to a torrent of violent acts and emotions.
http://tara-medium.com
March 2013
BBI Media NewsPublishers of Crone, SageWoman, and Witches&Pagans magazines. St Paddy’s Day — Green, Orange, or by Byron Ballard edited and reprinted from her blog "The Village Witch” at PaganSquare.com
For years I’ve struggled with St. Patrick’s Day. No, not the drinking and eating — no struggle there. But I learned years ago that you wear green on St. Patrick’s day if you’re Catholic and orange (for William of Orange — see the Battle of the Boyne for more info) if you’re Protestant.
I wear a lot of green (and black, to be honest), most of the time. But I am hardly Catholic. And though I’ve threatened to pre-order an orange jumpsuit for Gitmo, I wouldn’t do the Prod thing either.
What’s an Irish Pagan woman to do?
Like Columbus Day which is not at all about Columbus but is all about being Italian-American, St. Patrick’s Day is not about the dreaded saint--at least not in the US. It is a time to be “Irish”, whatever that means. Everyone wants to be Irish for the day--you can buy a hat or t-shirt that proclaims your faux-Irishness. Owning such a classy item gives you entree into the world of cultural stereotypes--will you be drunken Irish? Fighting Irish? Maudlin Irish? Will you bypass all that and proclaim yourself a Celt, wearing a utilikilt and an attitude?
Or perhaps you’d prefer a button with the ubiquitous “Kiss Me, I’m Irish”. Kissing the famous stone in Blarney Castle gives you “the gift of the gab”--what does kissing a person of Irish-extraction give you? Will you achieve the legendary “Luck of the Irish”--which, to me, is always akin to the notion of the Jews as “God’s Chosen People?” Yep, you grab yourself some of that wonderful luck--domination by a neighboring island, destruction of your culture and spirituality by invaders, mass starvation and emigration, a Celtic tiger economy that crashes into devastating poverty…again? Let me know how that sort of “luck” works for you.
So, not green (though I love it) and not orange. What to do?
The answer, as always for me, lay in the land, the “auld sod” to continue our adventure in cultural stereotyping. When I was first in Ireland--I came across the sea from Holyhead, in Wales--there was a kind of call to me from the dirt, the actual soil of the place. Wherever I went, I found myself picking up small stones, kneeling in dirt, touching my hands to the ground. The Hill of Tara caught my breath with its fierce wind and deep history. And little Kildare Town…and the monstrous Glendalough…and the great Boyne Valley.
Each had an underlying vestment of longing and pride and fear and belonging.
So I’ve decided to tie myself to the land of Ireland and not the crashing cymbals of two religious groups I can’t really tell apart. I cleave to the earth of that island that my ancestors called home, so long ago. I fancy that my love of gardening came from
both sides of my family tree--the Irish and the English. And when I throw in the long years here in these old mountains I call home, I athrice blessed with silt and clay and stone.
I will wear brown to honor that connection, to honor the soil from which I come and to which one day I will return. And in between? I’ll grow some vegetables.
 BYRON BALLARD is an American rootworker and energy consultant; a freelance writer and an urban farmer; a weaver of words and webs, and prolific blogger. Find her (central) home on the web atwww. myvillagewitch.com
No matter what kind of life you have, you behave according to principles you developed over time, or were taught in childhood. But you should keep asking yourself one question: Is the way I am pursuing my life going to bring me happiness? How can I know? And, more importantly, how can I change the course of my life, if necessary? Below you’ll find some key points for doing just that.
Pursuuing an interest in your personal development means developing a stronger mind, more willpower, more self-confidence, and original ideas for earning more money, improving your life, and making all your dreams a reality.
When you look at methods of personal development, you see that the possibilities they offer are usually linked to a higher force which assumes different names, depending on the tradition or culture it comes from: God, Allah, Yahweh, Nirvana, the Clear Light, the great Architect of the Universe, Astral Powers, Cosmic forces, and so on.
Can A Spiritual Path Bring You Happiness?
All these methods, which are highly respected around the world, offer ways for you to connect, either directly or not, with what I call the Higher Power.
You can contact this Higher Power through prayer, meditation, trance, invocation, clairvoyance, or magic rituals.
Each person must find his or her own path. And yet, it often happens that people’s lives don’t improve, and they don’t find happiness, even though they’ve followed a spiritual tradition.
It takes time to change your state-of-mind, and get rid of the mental and spiritual blocks preventing you from being wealthy, experiencing true love, and seeing your wishes become reality.
People sometimes waste month, years, or even a whole lifetime following a path that doesn’t really suit them.
The important thing isn’t to know whether a path is right for you, but whether you are right for the path. In other words, are you going to attain happiness if you continue to follow it?
Instead of asking that question, people often feel guilty and blame themselves when things go wrong. It’s not the path that’s at fault, it’s their own shortcomings.
When someone embarks on a spiritual path, it’s because the path attracts them by offering what they’re looking for, in terms of answers to questions about the meaning of life, and the kind of training it offers. In the beginning, all paths seem perfect.
That’s because we tend to idealize our spiritual calling, and forget that nothing in life is perfect, that any given ‘method’ has its faults, and may not correspond to our needs at some point in time.
Some people struggle their whole lives, with all their strength, but never take the time to find out if the path they’re on is really the right one for them.
Let Doubt Be Your Guide Extremists of all traditions are blinded by conviction when they have doubts about their faith. If something isn’t right, they blame themselves, not the tradition. They never wonder if maybe the path they’re on isn’t right for them. But you’re not an extremist, so you can ask the question: ‘Is this path – this religion or magic tradition or belief I’m involved in – right for me or not?’ If you’ve done everything you can to assimilate the principles of your faith, and practiced its rituals properly, but realize that it hasn’t brought you the happiness you’re seeking, or even helped you get closer to achieving it, then it’s time for a change. Keep an open mind, and explore other traditions and methods of personal development. You may find something that interests you in your research that turns out to be the right path for you, at least for awhile. Your ultimate goal should be to create your own path, one that leads you to happiness, freedom, and serenity. http://Tara-Medium.com
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