THE PENDLE CRAFT

APRIL 2015 | ISSUE no 1

ContentsLetter From The Editor

Meet The Team

Modern Wicca & Paganism

The Meeting Room

Kids? Corner ? Fun & Games at Ostara

Walking With Spirits of The Past

The Fire In The Head ? Being Druid

Herbs Through The Ages

Tribute To Sir Terry Pratchett.

Ostara Ritual

Literary Corner

Recipes

Quiz Time

Pagan Moots & Events

Brightest Blessing and a very warm welcome to our first addit ion of The Pendle

Craft E-zine.                   When we set out to create an online magazine that would be accepted by both the Wiccan and Pagan community, one thing was agreed upon st raight away, steer away from the glossy images of the main st ream magazines that we all tend to read.

                            Instead we wanted a magazine that would be both fun, and informat ive. Writ ten by real, honest , down-to-earth folks who work hard to br ing you new stor ies once a month.                             We are honoured to share the work of so many commit ted and thought ful people. Please visit our Meet The Team Page to see the cont r ibutors and their bio?s.

We appreciate your support and are so happy to have you as a reader of The Pendle Craft .

With Warmest Thanks

The Editor

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

HEADER

MEET THE TEAMFrom Left to Right

Victoria Claire Furminger - Vix is a proof reader for a UK collision investigation company and writes mostly for pleasure.

She spends her spare time looking after her many exotic pets, reading, and creating druidic staffs and wands with her partner, to whom she recently handfasted in the inner circle of Stonehenge. Vix lives in a quiet but mystical town in the Yorkshire Pennines and is a founding member of the ?Inner Grove? coven. She likes wandering along the moor tops and through the secluded woods that surround her home. She likes visit ing ancient Neolithic sites and castle ruins for inspiration, settings and ideas.

Raquel - Hey! My name is Raquel "Monique" Reichert and I l ive in Will iamsburg, VA with my husband and 3 children. I'm the

Pendle's resident photographer. A newbie to this path and loving everything about my choice...Ghosts and paranormal are at the top of my interest l ist... My love of photography came at a very young age. I love all things creative...and am excited to share my photos and very open to "requests."

Lorraine - Hi my name is lorraine and i am a ?# ?ADMIN# for pendle craft magazine....im divorced, mother and grandmother.

I?m a pagan/wiccan/angel believer (more angel then anything). I?m sure my great ancestor....ELIZEBETH SOUTHENS AKA.OLD MOTHER DEMDIKE...would be turning in her grave.....Hope you all enjoy our new magazine.

Gayla - My name is Gayla Rogers and I l ive in Huntsville, Texas with my husband, Jon and two children, Gracee and Piper. I

home-school my children and write for The Pendle Craft. My husband is a network specialist 2 at TDCJ. I love animals and learning more about the craft and world in general each day!

Nimue - Ponderer, singer of songs, teller of stories. Hill walker, daydreamer, Steampunk Folky and Green activist? I have a

lot of hats. I discovered Paganism in my late teens and Druidry in my early twenties. I?ve since been a Pagan Federation volunteer, completed the OBOD grades ? and now do some voluntary work for them. I also helped out for a while at The Druid Network as well, these days I?m a member, just contributing the odd essay and review.    I was a founding member of west midlands Druid Gorsedd, Bards of the Lost Forest. Tom, my husband, and I are part of the local contemplative Druid group, involved with Druid Camp, and founder members of the Auroch Grove. I?m involved with my local Green party, and very much immersed in the vibrant l ife of Stroud.   Some years ago, I wrote www.hopelessmaine.com ? a webcomic il lustrated by Tom. That?s published in hardcover by Archaia and is easily found on or off l ine as you prefer!    You can f ind me on twitter as Nimue_B and on facebook as Nimue Brown . I?m always happy to friend a pagan! I review on Goodreads, for The Druid Network and Pagan Dawn. I blog for Sage Woman and Patheos, as well as here, and interview interesting Pagan folk for the Moon Books Blog.

Graeme K Talboys - Graeme K Talboys was born in Hammersmith and now lives in Ayrshire. As well as teaching in

schools and museums, he is a published writer. His non-f iction has addressed museum education, drama, and matters spiritual. His f iction explores the borderlands of worlds both real and not so real. HarperVoyager recently acquired the f irst three books of his fantasy series Shadow in the Storm.

There has undoubtedly been a growth in individualism in western societ ies over the past fifty years. The increased access to vast quant it ies of informat ion, largely a result of television and more recent ly the Internet , has meant that the general populat ion is far less gullible than in any t ime in our history. The difficulty to convince people of almost anything from polit ics to religion has led to more open debate and discussion and a generally healthy scept icism. I t is not any accident that cults and gurus of all kinds have declined over the same period, possibly replaced by the great and fallible gods Google and Wikipedia. Organised religion has not faired well in this new environment , established religious views have been openly challenged in a way that could not have been imagined fifty years ago. The world religions have been under pressure from an increasingly cr it ical audience and as a result suffer ing falling at tendance numbers. The older and more established the religious organisat ion, the more dramat ic the impact has been. An obvious example of this is the Roman Catholic church, the infallibility of the Pope is no longer accepted as realist ic even among life long Catholics, and scandals among the pr iesthood over the past 10 years, that would have never have become public in t imes past have increased Catholics discontentment . Christ ianity and Islam have adapted to this new environment by going back to their supposed roots, giving us fundamentalism and ext remism. I ronic in the informat ion age that anyone could claim that every word in a book such as the bible is absolute literal t ruth, but talk to a creat ionist or fundamentalist and you will find their refusal to cr it ically consider any aspect of their faith borders on the scary. Unfortunately as we have seen to societ ies cost the step from religious fanat icism to militant terror ism is fr ighteningly small.

M odern Wicca and Paganism

by Merlyn of Children of Artemis and

Witchfest

Part 1

So what has this got to do with Wicca and Paganism, which during the same period have seen an exponent ial growth in both interest and members? With easy access to informat ion people have found it far simpler to get books, magazines, access relevant Internet sites, find groups both locally and even internat ionally. This cont rasts sharply with the situat ion in the early ninet ies and before when books were only available through specialist stores, magazines were most ly simply produced underground publicat ions, and pagan groups of all kinds unbelievably hard to find. The removal of the obvious barr iers to becoming involved in alternat ive spir ituality of all kinds has direct ly led to the explosion in numbers we have seen over the past decade. One notable improvement this change has brought about is the effect ive eliminat ion of the Wiccan/ Witchcraft / Pagan Guru. Their claims of ancient secret knowledge, an unbroken link to Witches of ant iquity and unique access to hidden elders of their craft no longer sound plausible. There are st ill a few out there with teachings that most of you would find totally unbelievable. To give a concrete example, I had contact with a fr inge ?Wiccan? group recent ly that firmly believe their beliefs predate not only Gardner, but the classical

pagan religions and even spoken language. I completely understand that is hard for most Pagans to even conceive of a Wiccan or Pagan that is so gullible, but unfortunately they do exist .

MODERN WICCA AND PAGANISM

I t has had other effects on Wicca and Paganism that have not been so universally welcomed within the exist ing community. I t is fair to say that both Wicca and Paganism are no longer the same as they were a mere decade ago. Some notable changes that are st ill cont roversial include the appearance of the solitary Wiccan, the massive increase in awareness of young people of Wicca in part icular and the new media favourite, the Teen Witch, and the growth in the number of eclect ic mix and match pract it ioners who effect ively sit outside of any definit ion except their own. Finally and possibly the most puzzling is the growth in the number of people that consider themselves just a Pagan, making this a spir itual path in it?s own r ight , free of it?s older associat ions as a mere umbrella term for other Earth based belief systems. These new developments have st retched the established meaning of Wicca and Paganism beyond anything anyone could have predicted. I am NOT saying that the new developments are in anyway a bad thing, but change can be painful and it has blurred the meaning of what we knew in the past as Wicca and Paganism.I will first discuss the implicat ions for Pagans, and then moving onto Wicca as far as it is possible to separate the subjects. According to modern mythology or iginally the term pagan came from the Lat in word ?paganus?, which roughly t ranslated means count ry dweller. I t is a closely related word to Heathen, a term widely adopted by Norse and Germanic pagan groups, which simply means heath dweller. Roman soldiers reputedly used both terms before being adopted by early Christ ians, the words were or iginally intended as an insult rather like the modern English term for a simple unsophist icated count ry person ?yokel?. I t is

interest ing to note that the Roman soldiers were not Christ ian, but followers of Mithras, and ironically would be considered pagans themselves today. All this is hard to prove conclusively as much has been lost in the mists of t ime, but fortunately the or igins of the term do not impact the current understanding of the word significant ly. The two dominant meanings are now the Christ ian version that means ?unbeliever? and the Neo-Pagan meaning an adherent of an Earth based belief system, although the exact definit ion of the later

meaning is incredibly vague.

BY MERLYN OF CHIDLREN OF ARTEMIS AND WITCHFEST

While at first it may seem st range to associate the terms Wicca and Paganism so closely in a single discussion, their modern history is intertwined so closely that it is almost impossible to discuss one without the other. The word Pagan was unt il relat ively recent ly a term used mainly by Christ ians to denote a non-believer, especially someone outside the Monotheist ic religions of Christ ianity, Islam, and Judaism. The father of modern Wicca Gerald Gardner used the words ?pagan? and ?paganism? extensively in his books, and his view was that Wicca/ Witchcraft were the modern descendants of the ancient pagan religions. The concept of an unbroken line of descent from classical and Celt ic paganism as advocated by Margaret Murray has now been largely discredited, but that link has remained in the popular consciousness. While Gerald was using the term pagan in a histor ical sense to refer to the great lost classical religions of the past it has now become synonymous with modern Neo-Paganism, and is frequent ly used by members of the Earth Worshiping belief systems interchangeably to mean exact ly the same thing. Some groups within modern society st ill view the term pagan in a completely different way. To many Christ ians the term pagan simply means someone who does not believe in their one t rue God, this puts almost everyone who is not a Christ ian into the same category. There are even more ext reme monotheist ic views that classify other denominat ions as not t rue believers and therefore by implicat ion pagans. Islam is no more generous in its use of the word pagan, so it is seen as a derogatory word describing someone outside of his or her t rue religion. This means that when you tell someone you are pagan, they perceive something dramat ically different ly depending on their own beliefs and background. So the simple looking quest ion of ?what is a pagan?? can have many answers depending on whom you ask. While there are many people across the World that consider themselves to be pagans, there is no single accepted definit ion of what that actually means. This confusion is compounded by the term pagan having two very dist inct meanings, it can be a belief system in its own r ight for some, or can be considered as just an umbrella term for a wide range of nature based religions, such as Wicca, Druidry, Shamanism, Asat ru, or numerous others. Even more confusing many people use the word in both senses, only the context of what they say might give a clue as to exact ly what they meant .

MODERN WICCA AND PAGANISM

I t is t rue that you should be careful what you wish for as it may not only come t rue, but grow to be a lot larger than you either expected or hoped for. Some Wiccan groups used the more ambiguous and less cont roversial term ?pagan? to mask their associat ion with the emot ive terms ?Witch and ?Witchcraft?. This has been common over the past sixty years with many Wiccan, or Witchcraft organisat ions using the word ?Pagan? to disguise their t rue beliefs. While or iginally the name was used as a smoke screen it steadily grew into a real growing community. In some cases the membership of organisat ions using such a mask has become so diverse the or iginal groups behind them have lost cont rol of the direct ion of their organisat ion. So the growth in the use of the word ?Pagan? to describe people?s beliefs could be viewed as having been a deliberate tact ic to gain more posit ive recognit ion and avoid the st igma of the word ?Witch?. While this has had undeniable success there has been a pr ice to pay, as we all know nothing is ent irely free. Originally the groups behind most Pagan init iat ives in the past have been Wiccan. The wide adopt ion of the term ?Pagan? to improve their public image left both Wicca and Witchcraft firmly in the shadows, doing lit t le if anything to dispel old prejudices and misconcept ions. I t is a fact that even within the last few years spokespeople for certain ?Pagan? groups have been advised to avoid ment ioning the words ?Witchcraft?, ?Witch?, or ?Wicca in media interviews to avoid an adverse react ion. While this may have made the task of communicat ing with a wider audience easier, it is leaving a large part of our community more open to discr iminat ion of all kinds due to the old stereotypes going unchallenged. I t has been an ongoing challenge within organisat ions that took this route for expediency, as there is a constant cr isis of ident ity, are they really Pagan, or Wiccan, this leads to inevitable

disagreements and even internal power st ruggles.

BY MERLYN OF CHIDLREN OF ARTEMIS AND WITCHFEST

One of the biggest issues ar ising from the recent changes are the people that declare themselves as purely Pagan as their sole spir itual path. Defining what that actually means is almost impossible as even amongst themselves they cannot agree on what the label means in terms that someone else can understand or agree. This problem is increasing in importance as the number of Pagans grows, how can we as a community get any official recognit ion if an important part of our number cannot be defined or understood by others, even those in their own community? Ult imately the name for your own spir itual path is and should be ent irely your own choice. However the usefulness of a label that means very lit t le is debatable, even worse the label could become a liability if it means something drast ically different to your audience. I f a generally accepted definit ion existed a lot of these problems would disappear, but due to the fragmented nature of paganism that seems ext remely unlikely in the foreseeable future. I am certain that all Pagans want their beliefs to be given equal status with other religions. But how is that possible when even among themselves they cannot agree on what they really are? This has already become a barr ier to acceptance as a valid religion with some official bodies in the UK. Since the appearance of the census inspired Jedi movement and general governmental suspicion of organisat ions such

as the Scientologists, official recognit ion has become more difficult to obtain. This is deliberate policy by many governments to prevent bogus, or money or ientated organisat ions gaining the legal and tax

benefits of religious recognit ion.

MODERN WICCA AND PAGANISM

So in conclusion on the discussion of the modern Pagan, what do you understand by that? Can it be simply defined and can everyone involved agree on at least a general inclusive definit ion that can be used in discussions with outsiders? While that would be the nirvana for Paganism it not only looks a distant dream, but with further evolut ion almost certain it may become even harder.

Coming up in next month's issue:

Part 2 of Merlyn's Modern Wicca and Paganism

"Now I can move onto Wicca, while the situat ion here is clearer it is not as obvious as it once was......."

BY MERLYN OF CHIDLREN OF ARTEMIS AND WITCHFEST

W I T H C A T T R E A D W E L L

At the offices of The Pendle Craft Magazine, we pondered for hours on who could fit the bill to sit on our

brand new e-zine couch for the first edit ion.

Then it hit us. How about none other than renowned author and Druid

Trustee, Cat Treadwell.

So, please, pull up a chair and join us for our first interview of our brand new

e-zine.

ON THe SOFA..........

1 . If I could begin by asking you w hat led you to Druidry? Was it a choice from childhood or as you grew into your late teens?

I think my experience might be familiar to many folk who found Paganism in adulthood - unt il I was passed a book on Wicca, I had no idea that such a spir ituality existed as an opt ion! As a child, I used to spend a lot of t ime in the woods, playing amongst the t rees, explor ing and learning what I could. I recall, it was at the beginning of 'Environmentalism' as a polit ical force, and I was lucky enough to have a teacher for a while who encouraged us to plant seeds and watch them develop, look deep into the workings of leaf and bark... consider the consequences of our act ions on our environment .

I had no idea about Druidry as a modern path unt il I happened upon Margot Adler 's writ ing, and then Emma Restall Orr. I joined the burgeoning Brit ish Druid Order (now Druid Network) and found a local(ish) Grove, where we all muddled along and explored together... and I was off!

2 . How w ould you, yoursel f , def ine Druid ry t oday com pared t o i t s h ist or ical root s.

Druidry today has t ies to its ancest ral roots, but I think it remains an eminent ly pract ical spir itual path. I t has had to evolve as our modern lifestyles have changed, so it remains relevant while incorporat ing contemporary technology, for example. We use what we have to work with our spir ituality, finding that connect ion in our everyday life now, in the 21st Century, however that may be. Druids can exist in town or count ry, as the natural world st ill surrounds us; we are part of our environment , after all, and our ancestors and gods walk with us through our lives, wherever and whenever we may be.

Regarding modern interpretat ions of ancient Druidry... it 's difficult , because we don't really know what they did in any detail. I love experient ial archaeology, but admit to being a lit t le confused by reconst ruct ionists. My Druidry encourages individual explorat ion and then applicat ion, again as relevant - so the ' I 'm r ight / You're wrong' approach seems unhelpful to me! What 's r ight for one person might not suit another, but if it 's st ill Druidry, there will be common ground. So we find that , and therein the relat ionship. I hope this makes sense!

3 . M ost peop le see Druids as being m en in long robes and beards, are t here a lo t o f w om en w ho f o l low t he d ru id pat h or is i t m ore a m ascul ine societ y t han f em in ine?

I f ind that stereotype pretty hilarious actually - because I'm a Druid who is obviously not male or bearded! My partner is, however, so I tell folk that he's my 'Stunt Beard' * laughs*

Druidry is about as Equal Opportunities as it gets, I think. We have both men and women, homosexual and heterosexual, and I've met some gorgeous trans folk at book-signings who love my work! It 's less about physical restrictions than connections, in my experience - nothing is a barrier unless you let it be. This may be why there's a lot of fantastic disabled Druids out there pushing the boundaries as well. We really try not to discriminate.

4 . Have t here alw ays been f em ale Druids or is t h is a m odern aspect ?

According to the Roman writers who pass on the information that we have about ancient Druids, there were certainly women as well as men. The story of the attack on the Druids of Anglesey speaks of wild women, running fearlessly amidst the soldiers - maybe warriors themselves. I doubt gender was any barrier if someone proved themselves will ing and skilled.

5 . Can you def ine, f or t hose w ho are not aw are of t he d i f f erences, how one g oes f rom Ovat e t o Bard t o Druid? Are t hey one and t he sam e or do you have t o be one bef ore being t he ot her? Is t here a leng t h of t im e t hat you have t o be one bef ore m ov ing ont o t he ot her?

The Bard/Ovate/Druid categorisation is again taken from the Roman account of the ancient Druids, but for some it proves quite handy in the learning process today. The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids use this process in terms of 'Grades' to work through via their correspondence course - you must pass each Grade in turn to progress to the next, and this takes as long as it takes for each student. There isn't any specif ic Druid Curriculum these days that applies to everyone!

With my own students, I use the Bard/ Ovate/ Druid skill sets to help sort the lessons into different foci. For example, during the Bardic part of the lesson they would look at stor ies or creat ivity; the Ovate is invest igat ing more deeply into the Otherworld aspects. The Druidry could be the pract ical applicat ion of the spir itual into the everyday. Interest ingly, I 've found that many Druids seem to gravitate to st rengths in part icular areas that often reflect these t it les. Damh the Bard, for example, is certainly a Druid, but his songwrit ing and music is his pr imary mode of expression. Kristoffer Hughes works with the dead. I 've worked with all three, but feel at the moment that with my public teaching and Chaplaincy work, I 'm out there being a Druid first and foremost . makes sense!

6 .  Thank you Cat . What are t he def in ing d i f f erences bet w een Druid ry and t he m any ot her Pag an pat hs out t here, ie. W icca, Thelem a, Cel t i c Pag anism , et c.

Most Hated Quest ion... I think Paganism is so broad that the labels are precisely that - labels. Individuals are rarely just one Thing or Job, for example: I 've been called a Dru-Witch in the past , as my pract ice found common ground in both paths! I don't see the usefulness in drawing lines to different iate. Each personal pract ice has to be sincere and t rue, and if that means they fluctuate between labels, then so it is! I know Heathen Druids, Christ ian Druids... any number of folk who blur those lines, but I think that helps find the common ground between us.

Paganism is a good overarching umbrella to br ing the community together, rather than split us into different 'camps', even if our own groups follow part icular pr imary paths.

7 . Why do you f eel peop le are d raw n t o t he Druid pat h?

I think people are drawn to Paganism as a whole r ight now because there is more acceptance of spir itual 'seeking'. Christ ianity is not for everyone, whereas in the past it was the norm, the 'default ' religion in the UK... but a lot of people have had bad experiences with the main faiths, sadly. The Pagan paths allow personal experience to be applied to the spir itual - again, you're not told 'Do this or you're wrong', but 'What feels r ight to you?'

Druidry encourages explorat ion, cur iosity and challenge. I t 's int r iguing to people, and some are content to dip their toes in and see how it feels... others love that it makes them think about their lives, encouraging posit ive change and challenging stagnat ion. Ethics are relevant , polit ics cannot be ignored... humanity impacts the world around and our faith is not something only to be pract ised one day a week, but 24/ 7, in every aspect of our lives. That 's precisely what some draws some people, and keeps them walking the Druid way.

That and Inspirat ion is such an important part of Druidry... Don't forget the Awen!

8 .  What w ould be your adv ice f or som eone look ing t o becom e a Druid?

Read. Take a look at the opinions out there, from books, blogs, forums... but then put all that down and get outside! Explore your own environment , grassy and urban. Watch it change as the year moves. Consider how your own life impacts the world.

And listen. Once you step onto the path, the lessons tend to begin, the challenges to come. You might be called to face the scary, uncomfortable or difficult . But it 's never anything you aren't ready to handle. Keep moving forward

9 . ?I?m a Trust ee of The Druid Net w ork and ordained Aw enydd (Pr iest ) o f The Ang lesey Druid Order ; also Deput y Dist r ict Coord inat or f or t he East M id lands Pag an Federat ion and Honorary M em ber of The Cent re f or Pag an St ud ies. I?m a reg ist ered Pag an Chap lain , vo lunt eer ing f or Derbyshi re Hosp i t als and t he Pr ison Serv ice.? This w as t ak en f rom Cat box . Fi rst l y , can you ex p lain w hat t he Cat box is, f or t hose w ho have not heard of i t bef ore? Second ly , can you ex p lain w hat a Trust ee is?

The Catbox is my blog! Started a few years ago now, in response to a talk I gave at a Pagan Federat ion Conference. I had no idea what people wanted to know about Druidry, so I asked... and now it 's a place for my thoughts on topics

that seem relevant to me, to share and ponder aloud.

And The Druid Network is a nat ional charity, with Trustees who monitor and administer it , to guide it for the membership and those it t r ies to help. The Druid Network's pledge is to Inform, Inspire and Facilitate Druidry, and that 's something very close to my own heart .

Also, I need to update that descript ion - I 'm now full Dist r ict Coordinator for the Pagan Federat ion in the East Midlands! Never a dull moment in the Pagan community druidcat .wordpress.com

1 0 . As w el l as being a Druid you are also an aut hor . In your book ?A Druid?s Tale? you speak of peop le seek ing answ ers. Do you f eel t hat peop le are st i l l ask ing t he sam e quest ions or have new er quest ions about t he Druid ic pat h ar isen?

On the back cover blurb of 'A Druid's Tale', it ment ions the 'old bearded men in white robes' stereotypes. I t was published a few years ago... and you've just asked the same quest ion above! So I guess people st ill want to know. I love that people are so curious about Druidry, and generally in an interested and civil way (I get relat ively lit t le abuse, fortunately!). There will always be the 'baseline' quest ions, but I 'd far rather people ask than nervously stay quiet - that 's the terr ible 'polit ical correctness' in act ion, as folk are scared to ask for fear of offending. I f you don't ask the quest ions, you don't find things out - so ask away!

I love new questions, though. They keep me challenged. And often come from children!

1 1 . You m ent ioned ch i ld ren in your answ er t here. Do you f eel t hat Druid ry is a pat h sui t ed t o ch i ld ren or should parent s w ai t unt i l t he ch i ld is o ld enoug h t o m ak e up t hei r ow n m inds?

I find that a lot of Pagan parents don't force their children down a part icular spir itual path, but leave them to make up their own minds... but also encourage them to explore. As I said at the start , I was basically invest igat ing Druidry as a child, albeit without knowing it ! And youngsters love get t ing out there into the wild and seeing what makes the world t ick. That 's perfect , the combinat ion of spir itual t ruths and important physical informat ion.

I don't have children, but think it 's important to speak to them at a level they understand - so if they ask questions, you answer. In a way that they 'get', but honestly, without being patronising. Kids aren't stupid!

1 2 . Your second book , ?Facing The Dark ness?, cam e out as a sp i r i t ual g uide f or t hose f acing dep ression or d i f f i cu l t t im es w hi le t ravel l ing t hei r pat hs. Was t h is in t ent ional or w as t here anot her reason f or b r ing ing out t h is book ?

'Facing the Darkness' was my at tempt to take my own experience of depression and do something useful with it . I got very frust rated at the lack of mot ivat ion, energy and ability that you feel when in those dark places, the loneliness and disconnect ion... by sharing my stor ies (and those of others in the book as well), I wanted to show others that they are not alone in such t imes. Also that Darkness is as important to explore as Light . So much of modern spir ituality is about 'Love and Light ' - and while that 's important , that 's not all there is. Inspirat ion can come from the deepest darkness, in the bot tom of the cauldron, at 4am with insomnia... in the maddest places! As a society, we don't give enough t ime, help or credence to those going through these difficult ies. And while everyone's dark landscape is different , the book will hopefully provide a lit t le bit of a map from a fellow t raveller.

I 've had a fantast ic response to it as well, actually, which is t remendous. I 'm really glad that it helps, reaching out through words across the miles.

1 3 . For t hose f acing dep ression and uncer t ain t y w i t h in t hei r f ai t h , w hat w ould be your adv ice t o help t hem ?

You're not alone. There are those who walk with you in the dark - even if you can't see them, we're here. I f you're Pagan, you have the help of your guides to call on as well. Look in the myths, at the tales of those who descended into the Otherworld or Underworld and found solace, assistance or wisdom. There are Gods and Goddesses of the Dark - not evil, but often wiser than we give them credit for. I f you come to them in honesty, they will help. And of course, your ancestors are with you, your loved ones... somet imes even animal fr iends and companions. Know that you are loved and valued. Even if it doesn't feel like it r ight now. Keep breathing.

1 4 . For our f inal quest ion, w hat adv ice w ould you g ive t hose look ing f or a sp i r i t ual pat h t o f o l low ?

Don't be afraid to explore! I t 's a great t ime to be a spir itual seeker, as there's so much informat ion out there. The key for me was figur ing out what felt t rue FOR ME. I read a lot of spir itual and religious biographies, and it 's lovely to see the passion that others have for their faith - from the Dalai Lama to the tales of women called to become nuns or pr iests (now there's a challenge!). But if something doesn't quite 'click' with you, don't just disregard it . Try to figure out why... and if anything about it does make sense to you. Follow the path that feels t ruest to you, that makes your heart leap and beat faster with excitement ! Discover your own inspirat ion. Nobody can take that away from you, not really - even if you have to dig a lit t le to find it again.

CHILDREN'S GAMES AT OSTARA

BY GAYLA ROGERS

I would like to start off by saying Happy Ostara Everyone. The first Part that I will be covering for this Holiday are the Children's act ivit ies. Ostara is celebrated around the t ime that the Christ ians celebrate Easter. That I remember very well as a child. I was dress in my best dress, taken to church with my hair all rolled and done up. We did an Easter egg hunt , dyed eggs and got Easter Baskets from the Easter Bunny. I f you are new, don't worry you don't need to change all your childhood t radit ions. As many of us well know, the Christ ians often took our symbols in order to make their own religion more appealing when t rying to convert people. Many Pagan families st ill dye eggs and do an egg hunt as eggs and rabbits represent fert ility and spring. Many st ill do baskets for their children and egg colouring pages. Pagan families are much easier to find now that so many of us have connected over the internet and through social media.

Children's Ostara Chant

Welcome, welcome, warm fresh earth! Today we celebrate rebir th! Blowing wind! Rising Sun Bringing the spring to everyone! Rabbits hopping and chicks in the nest . Spring is the season we love the best ! Celebrate the green of the earth with me. Happy Ostara Blessed Be!

The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the chocolate Rabbit

* Bag of jelly beans

*marshmallow peeps, chicks and bunnies

*chocolate bunny for each part icipant .

*A glass of milk for each Part icipant

This is a fun filled r itual to do with children this t ime of the year!

Ostara is a t ime to celebrate spir ituality and the turning of the earth, so there's no reason we can't have kids or not -this is a simple r ite that 's a great way to br ing in the season. You use items readily available in discount stores around this t ime of the year. This is meant to be a fun and a lit t le silly too. Arrange your r itual supplies on your alter so they look nice. K ids can do this, typically the chocolate rabbit ends up in the middle surrounded by an army of peeps and Several r ings of jelly beans. Remember, don't do this to close to dinner or the kids won't eat .

First , Give everyone a handful of jellybeans. Point out the different colours and what they can represent . As you call out each one, eat the jelly beans of that colour. Feel free to be a bit goofy. You could say something like, behold lit t le jelly eggs, small symbols of the season, how we adore you! Green is the colour of the grass and leaves of spr ing. (Eat all the green). Yellow is for the daisies and the sun that shines upon our crops. (eat all your yellow jelly beans)

You would cont inue in this pat tern unt il all the colors are gone. I f you really want to t ry something neat , t ry having the kids take turns calling out the colors and something that the colour means to them. When you're finished call out - Hail! Hail! To the mighty peeps of spr ing! Give all their marshmallow peeps to them as you do say, behold the peep! The peep is life! Brought back in the spring!

Litt le peep chickens, we honour you! (bite the peep chicks)

Litt le peep bunnies, we honour you! (bite the peep bunnies!

Continue this until the peeps are gone or until the children have had 2-3 each as too many will spoil their dinner. When all have disappeared call out-

Hail hail to the mighty peeps of spring! Finally, distribute the chocolate bunnies and say-

Behold the great chocolate Rabbit of spring.

Give everyone a glass of milk, and raise your drinks in a toast to these three symbols of the season, to the jelly beans! to the chocolate rabbit! We drink in your honor! Sit back and enjoy being stuffed.

York Hall/ Nelson House is huge, three story, 1730, solidly built , br ick home. This grand home is a stellar example of a home built in the Georgian style, which was named in honor of "four Brit ish kings named George, who reigned from 1714 to 1830." York Hall/ Nelson House has a "simple, balanced appearance," giving an impression of "order and stability." I t has the typical t r iangular pediment above the front door and the cornice, where one can see a cannon ball from the Revolut ionary War decorat ively st icking into the br icks! One can see the decorat ive molding, under the eaves of the roof, reflect ing ancient Greece and Rome decor influences. Most of the Nelson House is made of the or iginal mater ials, including the br icks and most of the mortar in the outer walls. Inside the house, the wall panels and most of the wooden floors are also or iginal. This stunning townhouse has a lovely garden reminiscent of an English garden from their old count ry.

WALKING WITH THE SPIRITS OF THE PAST

by Raquel Monique Reichert

LOCATION: York Hall/ Nelson House can be found on the corner of Main St reet and Nelson St reet in the histor ical town of Yorktown, r ight across the st reet from the bat t lefield used in two wars.

DESCRIPTION:

Wa l k ing W it h Th e Spir it s Of Th e Pa s t By Raquel Monique Reichert

HISTORY:

This townhouse was the home of the Nelson Family and later the home of three generat ions of the Captain George Preston Blow family.

The Nelsons were movers and shakers in both business and public service. The Pat r iarch grandfather Nelson immigrated from England in 1705, became a prosperous and influent ial merchant , who not only built the Nelson family business, but also this glor ious townhouse in 1730. His son, William cont inued to successfully run the Nelson family business, spend the money wisely buying property and served the community as president of the Governor 's Council and as act ing governor. William's son, Thomas Nelson, Jr followed in his father 's footsteps, by running the family business, served the public in the Cont inental Congress, the state legislature and was governor of Virginia from June through October 1781. He was also a dedicated pat r iot . Not only did he sign the Declarat ion of Independence, but was a br igadier general, who commanded the Virginia milit ia at the Siege of Yorktown. He died 6 years after the war ended due to an asthma at tack caused by ill health he suffered from, due to the exposure to elements found in the bat t lefield environment . Perhaps he inhaled smoke or some chemical agent from bat t le and hurt his lungs. Lucy, his wife lived in their family home for 30 more years before she died. This home stayed in the Nelson family throughout the 19th century. During the Civil War, this home became a hospital for both Confederate soldiers and later for Union soldiers. The Nelson descendants put the home on the market in 1908, in need of renovat ion and restorat ion. In 1914, Captain and Mrs. George Preston Blow bought this grand fixer upper and renovated the Nelson House, giving it a place of honor as the center of a large property, known as "York Hall." In 1968, The Nat ional Park Service bought the Nelson House/ York Hall and restored it to its or iginal colonial, Georgian style appearance.

HISTORY OF MANIFESTATIONS:

The Revolut ionary War Bat t le of Yorktown was a fierce fight between the Brit ish Troops and the Cont inental Army and milit ia forces. Brit ish Commander Cornwallis' signed a surrender agreement because his t roops were taking a beat ing and it was inevitable that they would loose.

Members of the Nelson family loved their home for over 100 years, and took very good care of it . I t makes sense that some of them may choose to visit on occasion or reside there instead of going to the other side because of issues they st ill hang onto, and are rest less.

Three generat ions of the George Preston Blow family also loved this house; their York Hall. They also took good care of it . Some members of this family may also come for a visit on occasion, or may have issues which they are st ill upset about , making them rest less as well.

Wa l k ing W it h Th e Spir it s Of Th e Pa s t By Raquel Monique Reichert

MANIFESTATIONS:

The Ent ity of the Brit ish Soldier...

This young male ent ity of a Brit ish soldier who was killed in the Siege of Yorktown has moved into this fine home which must remind him of his home in England. His apparit ion has been seen on occasion in various spots around the house. Footsteps, cold spots, t r icks on the living, and playing with the lights are probably occurrences due to this young man who needs to have some chuckles too! (see The General Wayne Inn story & The Kolb Ridge Court Housing Development .)

The Female Ent ity on the third floor. The sobbing of a woman was heard coming from an empty third floor room. One of the women in either the Nelson or Preston Blow family suffered a terr ible loss for which she st ill gr ieves.

Unknown Guest Ent it ies Ent it ies of the families who lived here somet imes return to visit to see how the living are taking care of their house. Perhaps the staff of this house museum may see apparit ions sit t ing in the parlor or other parts of the house with various styles of clothing on.

STILL HAUNTED? Yes indeed. The ent ity of the Brit ish soldier

and the sorrowful lady are residing in this grand house. Other ent it ies are known to visit on occasion, from t ime to t ime.

SOURCES INCLUDE: yorkcounty.gov * nps.gov

HAUNTED PLACES: The National Directory, by Dennis Will iam Hauk, The Penguin Group, 2002.

Ask ten Druids what it means to be Druid and you will get eleven answers. This is because it is a personal mat ter. That does not mean it is made up by the individual to include anything they want . Rather, it is about having a relat ionship with the world. Although it is based on certain pr inciples, it is shaped into a unique form by the interact ion between the partners. Some people find this difficult . They believe following a spir itual path means blind obedience to a precise and fixed set of rules. I t can?t work like that . People change; the world changes. I f that fundamental fact of existence is ignored, any other pr inciples are

worthless. This is common to all pagan paths and some others as well. What makes being Druid dist inct from other paths is that it views the world and expresses itself via the medium of Celt ic history, myth, folklore, images, and

symbols.

The path through the Forest probably leads to the same place that all other paths lead. We do not know. For a Druid, that possible dest inat ion is nowhere near as important as how you behave on the journey. A Druid?s act ions derive from a metaphysic that recognizes we are part of the whole and have an int imate relat ionship with the rest of the world. Reaching this understanding is when the fire in the head first flickers into life. For some it is a sudden explosion, a great burst of light like sunrise. For others it is a candle flame in the dark. This metaphysic is to be found expounded, in part , in sources held in common by ancest ral Celts as well as from writ ings that were made from the beginnings of the histor ical period. I t also, because things change, draws on

contemporary culture and thinking.

When people become Druid, it is often out of a realizat ion that they have already developed a view of the world that is akin to the Celt ic metaphysic and are living their lives accordingly. For many, it never goes beyond an overall expression of an idea, being as much an emot ional response as it is intellectual. However, if we look to what we know of ancest ral Celt ic thinking, it is possible to tease out some of the tenets by which Druids live their lives today. Central to everything is t ruth. These days, t ruth is usually considered to be the preserve of language. Yet it has a much broader scope as it applies to the r ightness or fitness of all things, in whatever form they exist ? spoken and writ ten statements, certainly, but also act ions, const ructs, thoughts, emot ions, places, and ideas.

Not ions of falsehood take their shape from this.

THE FIRE IN THE HEA D BEING DRUID, PA RT ONE

GRA EM E K TA LBOYS

Underlying the universe are pat terns and relat ionships that const itute what some call the natural order and others call the laws of nature. Understanding and working in concord with those pr inciples to achieve some part icular r ight end is what Druids do. This is also somet imes known as magic. I f we were to make a dist inct ion, it would be that magic is the r ight working with those pr inciples whilst t ruth is the r ight measure of those pr inciples. That is, magic is understanding the r ightness or fitness of a word, of an act ion, of behaviour, of the way we live, and using that understanding to achieve some r ight desired end. Truth is the degree to which the word, the act ion, the behaviour, the way we live is in accord with those pr inciples. Ancest ral Druids understood this. Being aware of and understanding this is what they do today as well, but in a world more complicated than our ancestors could have imagined. This means that those who follow the Druid Way work to understand the universe and the pat terns and relat ionships on which it is based as well as the way in which it evolves in the here and now. This is the t ruth they seek Truth provides the raw material with which they work because knowledge and understanding are quite meaningless unless they are applied. The work they do is known as service. For ancest ral Druids, service was ult imately concerned with maintaining material, social, and spir itual balance.

Today, it is about restor ing the balance that once existed ?

showing that there are boundaries that the universe has a voice that must be heard, that there are bet ter paths to t read.Seeking out and working to understand t ruth enables r ight act ion. That is, act ion in accord with natural law undertaken for the benefit of the commonweal. Although Druids have no single definit ive moral code handed to them by a deity or a prophet , they do have a highly developed sense of ethics. Because the rules are not available in a handy lit t le book, however, they have to ensure that what they think, say, and do are ethical and relevant . Adherence to the cent ral importance of t ruth, combined with a belief in freedom of will, leads to the pract ice of a form of Situat ion Ethics ? a stance based on certain commonly agreed precepts, but equally dependent upon the circumstances of a given situat ion. Social st ructures, ethical considerat ions, and the judicial system were very different two thousand years ago in the Celt ic world. Yet the basis on which Druids approached ethical quest ions is st ill workable and relevant today, even in a world dominated by st r ict and complicated legal and ethical systems that are backed up with the threat of ret r ibut ive punishment for those who t ransgress.

The t rouble with modern systems is that they exist outwith the person. There is no sense of inherency, no sense of engagement . In part icular, responsibility is perceived as lying elsewhere. Society is so complicated and disjointed, so highly compet it ive and adversarial, that it is easy to feel that laws and ethical systems are lacking in relevance to everyday life. Law-makers, enforcers (a term that says a great deal in itself), judges, and moralists are rarely part of the community they are meant to serve and increasingly behave in ways that puts them at odds with that community. Honour and responsibility require an intelligent and free response to life. Freedom of will is crucial. I f someone has no genuine choice, then no mat ter how well that person may seem to behave, it has not been done honourably. I t is the same with responsibility. Where a person acts freely, they have to be prepared to accept responsibility for what they have done. No one and nothing else can be blamed. The two, honour and responsibility, are inext r icably linked, part of a cycle. To take responsibility (in any sense of the word) is to behave honourably. To behave honourably is to take responsibility for one?s place in the world.That place is not always a comfortable one. Many Druids live unconvent ionally and their metaphysical stance often places them at the edge of or completely ?outside? of the society in which they live. This can make life difficult , but they do not consider themselves beyond or superior to society. They are respect ful of the ways of others, even if they do not always like them.

THE FIRE IN THE HEA D BEING DRUID, PA RT ONE

GRA EM E K TA LBOYS

This does not mean that Druids are acquiescent . Where there are points of conflict , their inst inct is to work to resolve these issues. I f there are aspects of society they feel to be wrong, they work to change them. However, that is always done in a way that is in

accord with their pr inciples. Respect is not confined to the human realm. The world and everything in it is endowed with spir it . Druids recognize an essent ial unity of life. Believing that all things are connected, they ident ify with the rest of the world. That means they take care to live here as light ly as they can. They are generally well informed on many issues and are often act ively involved in work to protect animals from cruelty, forests from dest ruct ion, the Land and the Sea from wholesale devastat ion, the displacement of indigenous peoples by large corporat ions, and so on. This is part and parcel of their sense of ident ity. Most people might consider or express their connect ion with the natural world by analogy, Druids believe they are ident ical. This stems from the dist inct ion that they learn to make between what is self and what is not self. Whilst genet ics create some of the parameters within which we are and can be influenced, who we are is the result of all the environments in which we circulate. Within those environments, the single largest influent ial factor is other people

and we evolve as persons by interact ing with them. We all do this in different ways and to different degrees but it is people who make people.

Pagans in general and Druids in part icular believe that what they are is due (if only in part ) to their interact ion with the world. As persons, they extend beyond the epidermis to include all that they experience at any given t ime. This will include other people, animals, plants, objects, machines, ideas, sensat ions, dreams, and so on. They believe that we go through life expanding and cont ract ing in a vital dance in which the essent ial self lives its own life without ever being separated from creat ion; that we are all part of one another, part of every creature, part of every stone and star, part of all that is: Harm to any part of the world is harm to themselves. There is, of course, a great deal more than this, although it is invariably derived in some way from the basic precepts ment ioned above. By its very nature, the Druid Way is organic and those who follow it explore at great length, read widely, think deeply, and act with care. The sources from which they draw their teachings and from which they draw their ethical posit ion are often enigmat ic. This means that nothing ever becomes r igid for each new cont r ibut ion to the debate and each step in the relat ionship moves things forward in a way that keeps those ideas alive and relevant , firmly rooted in the real world.

This then const itutes the fire in the head. Once that sacred flame is kindled, it helps light the way through what can be, at t imes, considerable darkness. Becoming Druid is to change one?s whole at t itude to the world and to society. I t is not easy. But there is always help for not only is it the light of a visionary experience, but it also represents that other aspect of being Druid ? community. No mat ter how much they may work alone, being Druid has always been about the commonweal. That sacred flame is also the hearth around which Druids sit , the place from which they venture out and the place to which they return.

Ask ten Druids what it means to be Druid and you will get eleven answers. This has been the twelfth.

Graeme K Talboys has been on the Druid path for more than forty years. He used to teach and now writes full t ime. His Druid books are listed below. He also writes fict ion and Stealing into Winter , the first in a new fantasy series, is published by HarperVoyager in July.

The Druid Way Made Easy

ht tp:/ / www.hive.co.uk/ book/ the-druid-way-made-easy/ 10679496/

Way of the Druid

ht tp:/ / www.amazon.co.uk/ Way-Druid-Rebirth-Ancient -Religion/ dp/ 1905047231/ ref= sr_ 1_ 4?ie= UTF8&qid= 1426425261&sr= 8-4&keywords= way+ of+ the+ Druid

the Path through the Forest (with Julie White)

ht tp:/ / www.hive.co.uk/ book/ the-path-through-the-forest -a-druid-guidebook/ 6467894/

Arianrhod?s Dance (with Julie White)

ht tp:/ / www.hive.co.uk/ book/ ar ianrhods-dance-a-druid-r itual-handbook/ 6467892/

the Voice within the Wind (under the pen name Greywind)

ht tp:/ / www.hive.co.uk/ book/ the-voice-within-the-wind-of-becoming-and-the-druid-way/ 6467891/

THE FIRE IN THE HEA D BEING DRUID, PA RT ONE

GRA EM E K TA LBOYS

Histor ians often say that ?history is writ ten by winners?, this is also said in herbal medicine. Almost every culture, from Ancient Egypt ians to Nat ive Americans, have herbal lore and t radit ions that contain a wealth of informat ion. Sadly, in Great Britain, an immense amount of this knowledge has vanished being lost during the persecut ion of witches during the reign of K ing James VI of Scot land (I of England and I reland)and again during the English civil wars. Although every nat ion has its own medical history, herbal medicine in the UK now combines medical t radit ions from all around the globe, using Gotu Kola from the Indian sub-cont inent , Ginko from China, Echinacea from nat ive American knowledge, Guarana from South America, and Devils Claw from Afr ica. There are many more being used from throughout the world. Local herbs have been used for millennia and were r itualist ically used by cultures such as the Ancient Egypt ians, Romans, Greeks, and many, many more.   Herbal medicine is and always has been accessible through growing wild along the hedge-rows and could be picked as needed. Apothecaries and markets also bought herbs gathered from the count ry-side as well as import ing herbs and spices from along the Silk Road or further abroad. Nowadays these herbs are readily accessible f rom herbal health stores.   In Britain?s mult i-cultural society today, herbs from around the world are available from a wide range of sources, which we can use in cooking or to make herbal teas, t inctures, creams, etc.

HERBS THROUGH THE AGES

As t ime has passed, herbal knowledge has been passed from generat ion to generat ion, from mother to daughter, father to son, teacher to apprent ice. In Great Britain, the sharing of herbal knowledge became less frequent , almost dying out through fear of being classed as a witch in the Middle Ages and with the widespread teaching of orthodox medicine that is known today. For thousands of years plants have formed the basis of natural therapies, including Ayurveda, which or iginated in India almost 5000 years ago and Chinese medicine that was developed around the same t ime. Today plants are st ill used to alleviate aches and pains, boost immunity and kill germs with their efficacy being supported by scient ific research as well as anecdotal evidence. Many prescribed drugs from the pharmacist as well as other over the counter drugs are plant derivat ives.

BY LORRAINE ELLISON

PLEASE CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE TRYING ANY HERBAL REMEDIES.

TRIBUTE TO SIR TERRY PRATCHETT (28TH APRIL 1948 - MARCH 12TH 2015)

BY Victoria Claire Furminger

Sir Terry Pratchet t died on Thursday, 12th of March. He had st ruggled with early-onset Alzheimer?s - what he called his ?Embuggerance? - since 2007 and passed away peacefully in his sleep.

?What significance is this for a pagan magazine?? I hear you ask. Well, Terry Pratchet t was probably one of the best non-pagan pagan writers out there. He not only wrote about witches, he understood witchcraft in its purest form.

Pratchet t?s witches had no use for shiny jewellery or magickal items (well, maybe Magrat Garlick but then again, she is the Maiden witch), they know about pentacles but will have no t ruck with them and will not use an athame when a bread-knife is just as good (plus has the added bonus of that you can use it to cut bread with later).

No, Pratchet t?s witches are the witches of history: the wise women, the ones that knew which herb would cure what ailment and which would poison you. They are the midwives that brought you into the world and the nurses that ease your passing out of it . They are the ones you go to when you feel wronged, for advice, for knowledge. They are not always nice, as Granny Weatherwax says: ?We do r ight , we don?t do nice? (?I Shall Wear Midnight?).

He used the t radit ional three witches format . There was Magrat Garlick (and later Agnes Nit t ), The Maiden; Nanny Ogg, most definitely The Mother; and Granny Weatherwax, the? err? Other One and undeniable leader of the three. They hardly ever did any magic in any recognisable form but used more psychological methods, such as ?Headology?, of which Granny was especially adept .

I t has been said that the difference between Psychology and Headology is that if you believed you were being chased by a monster, a psychiat r ist will convince you that there are no monsters coming after you, whereas a headologist will hand you a bat and a chair to stand on (Wikipeida). I t?s that pract ical element that Pratchet t infused into witchcraft that seems to be missing from a lot of modern-day pagans.

Pratchet t once symbolised the difference between old witchcraft and modern-day pagans in the form of a duel between Granny Weatherwax and the shiny new witch on the block, Diamanda Tockley (born Lucy Tockley but took the name Diamanda because it was more myst ical). The challenge was to stare at the sun. Nanny, knowing that Granny would fail this because she had been up all night on other business (see Lords And Ladies), ent iced her grandson, Pewsey, to run across the magic circle in which the duel was taking place. Crossing the circle caused Pewsey to cry out . Granny looked away from the sun, got up and returned Pewsey to his grandmother. While Diamanda was the technical winner of the duel, the crowd considered Granny to be the best witch, because witches are supposed to help young boys who cry instead of being selfish ('Witches').

TRIBUTE TO SIR TERRY PRATCHETT (28TH APRIL 1948 - MARCH 12TH 2015)

BY Victoria Claire Furminger

Pratchet t also wrote about a young witch-in-t raining called Tiffany Aching and it?s with the four Aching books (?Wee Free Men?, ?A Hat Full Of Sky?, ?Wintersmith?, and ?I Shall Wear Midnight?) that he really shows his knowledge of Paganism. In these books he shows that the craft chooses you, not you choose the craft and that the only way to learn is with hard work and dedicat ion. One of my favourite exchanges is from ?Wintersmith? and is between Tiffany and her mother, and sums this up perfect ly:

?Tiffany got up early and lit the fires. When her mother came down, she was scrubbing the kitchen floor, very hard.?Er? aren?t you supposed to do that sort of thing by magic, dear?? said her mother, who?d never really got the hang of what witchcraft was all about .?No, Mum, I?m supposed not to,? said Tiffany, st ill scrubbing.

?But can?t you just wave your hand and make all the dir t fly away, then???The t rouble is get t ing the magic to understand what dir t is,? said Tiffany, scrubbing hard at a stain. ?I heard of a witch over in Escrow who got it wrong and ended up losing the ent ire floor and her sandals and nearly a toe.?Mrs. Aching backed away. ?I thought you just had to wave your hands about ,? she mumbled nervously.?That works,? said Tiffany, ?but only if you wave them about on the floor with a scrubbing brush.??

Pratchet t also talks about the turning of the year, the love between the Goddess of the Summer and the God of the Winter who can only meet twice a year, and the Dark Morr is (it works like this, if a Morr is Dance is to welcome the Summer back, it stands to reason that the Dark Morr is is to welcome the Winter in).

There is some debate as to whether Terry Pratchet t called himself an atheist or a pagan. He once said the gods loved an atheist as it gives them something to aim at , but he was also pleased that his works resonated so deeply with pagans. He understood Paganism. He was an amazing man as well as a wonderful writer and will be sorely missed across the globe/ disc.

Sir Terry Pratchet t 1948 - 2015

On or around the 21st of March we have Ostara to celebrate. I t 's the vernal equinox if you live in the Northern Hemisphere. Spring is here. There are many ways to celebrate this holiday. Many depend on your t radit ion and upbringing and whether you have children in your life to celebrate with.

Rituals and ceremonies, typically Ostara are celebrated as a t ime to enjoy the start of spr ing and to celebrate the fert ility of the land too. Watch agricultural changes such as the warmer weather or the plants growing from the ground. You will know exact ly how to celebrate the season that 's r ight for you.

Ostara Magic

Spring is a t ime of rebir th and renewal. Now is a great t ime to do spring magic like gardening. As Ostara comes you can decorate your homes with St . Pat r icks day snake wreaths and spring wreaths or make a fairy house for your garden from a bird house. No pagan celebrat ion is complete without a meal! For Ostara celebrate with foods that honor the season like eggs, early spr ing greens, shoots and sprouts and ham! Don't forget the peeps!

Candle colours- yellow, green, gold, and all pastel colours

Spring deit ies are- Eost re (saxon goddess of fert ility). Ostara(German Goddess of fert ility and the green goddess, and the Lord of the Greenwood.

The spring equinox sabbat incenses are Jasmine, Afr ican Violet , Rose, Sage, and St rawberry.

Sacred Gemstones are Aquamarine, Amethyst , bloodstone, and red Jasper. The t radit ional r itual hers are acorn Easter lily, celandine, crocus, cinquefoil, dogwood, daffodil, st rawberry, pansy, violets, honeysuckle, ir is, and jasmine.

Spring equinox alter decorat ions are hard boiled eggs with magickal symbols , runes and painted to symbolize fert ility. Also a lucky rabbits foot , rabbit figur ine and or a bowl of green and yellow jelly beans..

Foods of the Spring equinox are honey cakes, hard-boiled eggs, waffles, mild punch, and the first fruits of the season. The spring equinox is a minor sabbat . I t is also known as the vernal equinox fest ival of Ostara, (and r ite of Esost re is celebrated on the first day of spr ing.)

OSTA RA RITUA LS

BY GA YLA ROGERS

Seed blessing ri tual

On the spring equinox if you wish to bless your seeds from either the harvest before or your sat ire bought packs if seeds, here is a r itual to do. Perform at sunset in a clockwise cast circle. Put your seeds in a basket or cauldron. Using either your wand or your athame, draw thr ice a pentagram in the air over the seeds and say; (as winter 's reign comes to an end and spring br ings warmth and light the spir it of these seeds I do call forth on Ostara's sacred night . From your rest do dark and loud, awaken now with bir th! You shall in t ime grow green and st rong in the soil of mother earth. So mote it be!

Here is an example of a r itual that could be done by a solitary pract it ioner or a coven. I t can of course be changed to suite the needs of the group if needed. I find this one part icular ly beaut iful.

Invok e the w atchtow ers

East -water

Hail to the guardians of the watchtowers of the east , the powers of water. Swir ling waters of oceans blue, grant us fresh ideas anew! We, your witches, invoke your presence as we celebrate the t r iumph of light over darkness. So more it be.

South- Air

Hail to the guardians of the watchtowers of the south, the powers of air . I call upon you to at tend these r ites, and share with us your gifts- the gent le breeze! The Sweet scent of spr ing flowers, the beaut iful breath of life and the ability to know, understand and communicate. Come! We, your witches invoke your presence as we celebrate the t r iumph of light over darkness. So mote it be.

West - Fire

Hail to the guardians of the watchtowers of the west , the powers of fire. Come! And fill the souls of each individual in this circle tonight with the power and st rength that we require to drench the seeds of our desires with the fire of t ransformat ion! We, you witches, invoke your presence as we celebrate the t r iumph of light over darkness. So mote it be.

North- Earth

Hail to the guardians of the north, the powers of Earth. Corner of all power, guard our circle! Give us your ancient wisdom. Bring us knowledge, growth, and fert ility. Reveal thy myster ies, this sacred night . We, your witches, invoke your presence as we celebrate the t r iumph of light over darkness. so mote it be!

HPS

We gather together this evening in the presence of the old Gods, without malice, without jealousy, without envy. Without fear of aught beneath the moon, but the high Gods. We celebrate the Maiden, The light of life, which is br ight as a flame before us. A guiding star above us. A smooth path beneath us. May this flame be kindles within out hears, a flame of love for our neighbors, to our kindred all, we gather this equinox night in honor of the virginal daughter of Cerr idwen. The Maiden of Spring.

OSTA RA RITUA LS

BY GA YLA ROGERS

Invocation of the Goddess

By the flowers of the field, o lady of delight

by the crops thy blessing yield,

we invoke thy Prince in kernels and sheaves. We see thy face in the moonlit leave

come into our circle within this holy space

daughter of the earth, dr inking, sunlight queen of plants,

Sister of night , by leaf and twig, n earth, by water, and by root and bough! come to us now!

Bring us your fruit , where ever it thr ives,

Mist ress of herbs, unlock your power

and lead us In your leafy bower.

in love and jou we call you name.

with comfort ing hope you ease our pain we feel thy st irr ing in our blood.

o lady clear, we feel the near in spring a maiden with Flowers crowned, in summer and harvest , the mother renewed. In fall and winter, the had hols sway yet , the Maiden remains months away.

great t r iple Goddess the seasons flow and ebb to thy will, as you come and go. we call upon thee- Persephone!

We call upon thee Eost ! We call upon thee Aine! We call upon thee Arianrod!

We feel your presence here! Blessed be!

( As you call out each goddess name turn and face a different direct ion that way you, call forth one for each. Have the part icipants repeat the names after you aloud, so that all are calling out to the goddess to come.)

Invocation to the God

Lord of the Springt ime, father of flower field and of fruit . Smile on us as the days grow longer wherefore is the green of the growth, the amazing sight of the renewal of the earth. Therefore, by seed and root , by stem and by leaf and flower and fruit . Do we invoke thee, Lord of light and new springs sun.

Move our bodies our minds and our spir its, to lean a whole new rhythm. The rhythmic pulse of the renewing forests. May spring come to us be in us and recreate life in us.

We call upon thee Adonis!

We call upon thee-Baldus!

We call upon thee Apollo!

We call upon thee Bacchus!

We feel your presence here. Blessed Be.

Do the same with the God invocat ion as you did with the Goddess.

Now prepare everyone to take the journey meditat ion

OSTA RA RITUA LS

BY GA YLA ROGERS

Now we will get comfortable, and close our eyes, and take a deep cleansing breath, to prepare for our journey. For tonight we t ravel back in t ime to the t ime to our pagan ancestors, to an egg hunt as if may it may have been in the old ways.

(get everyone in a meditat ive state, you may have to lead them through a grounding and center ing first , then proceed)

See in your mind's eye it is just daybreak on the day of the equinox. The glor ious new sun is just r isen over the horizon and you can just see the first rays of sunlight slant ing through the the branches of the forest canopy.

Smell the fresh scent of pine and inhale the fragrance of the forest morning. As you walk slowly forward , hear the rust ling of the foliage as you gent ly brush past them. You see a path ahead, you are taking that path, st rolling along the path you are enjoying the sight of the forest at day-break.

Hear the birds waking up and calling to each other. Pray at tent ion to where you heard the bird songs coming from for you are searching for a birds nest this morning. As you walk for past t rees and bushes look intent ly and examine each closely for nest ing act ivity. (pause here for a bit )

Suddenly you hear the beat ing of wings very close by, and you see a bird flying away from you, squawking to get your at tent ion. You know he wants to take you away from the nest . Examine the outside of the nest closely, as you can get without disturbing it . See what materials the bird used and how cleverly the nest has been woven. Not ice how the nest is at tached to the branches and how the st ray piece of fabric has been woven in.

Now that you have the eggs in hand gent ly cradle them in your hand and walk back down the path. Go quick as you don't want to stay near the nest . you come to a split in the path and take the other path and come beside a small pond. See the reflect ion of the r ising sun in the water. Hear the birds and other wildlife st irr ing as your approach slowly. (and by the water and place your eggs gent ly in the grass.)

Now, Look at the area around the pond. You are hoping to find reeds there. Ones that are about 3 feet high and at least an inch wide. There! Go to the reeds you have discovered and gent ly pull some out of the marshy side of the pond, be careful not to fall in.'

Carry the reeds back and lay one down on the grass and then lay five more down. now take another and weave in and out . and repeat . Take all 6reeds and lay them on the ground and put the other six weaving in and out .Leave the

ends loose.

Now take another and weave it around the edges of the square to make the side. Keep going unt il you reach the end of the side. Some of them will be longer than others, tuck them in. Even up the top this way. Now look at you handiwork! What a great basket ! Place your eggs inside and prepare to walk back to the path. You find it easily. In the st rengthening morning light , you hear the birds. You go back along the path, this t ime taking the fork leading back  home.

When you arr ive back at the circle, open your eyes. (of any do not understand what they did, explain that this represents what we believe may have been the or iginat ion of egg hints and baskets.)

Now its a good t ime to get them all up and raising energy with dancing or singing etc. to charge the eggs that are on the side of the altar. Some appropriate songs are " She will br ing back the buds in the spring", "We are the flow, we are the ebb", and the "Isis, Astarte, etc" chants.

After charging is done, explain that each person shall take an egg, and whatever signs, symbols, etc are on the egg is what they need to focus on unt il the next moon. Go around with the basket and have each person take what they

want , then, have everyone eat the eggs and ingest the seed.

OSTA RA RITUA LS

BY GA YLA ROGERS

Great Rite

Thank the God/ Goddess .

We are poised in the moment of equal light and dark. The breathless point of balance between sun and moon. As we bid farewell to the cold purificat ion of winter, in that same moment we fling wide our arms to the embrace of the warmth and glory of the spring sun, Bu with us as we cont inue our lives journey.

Throughout this season and those to come as we grow ever closer to your protect ion, the t rue light that shines with us all. BB

East person; behold my brothers and sisters, the spring has come. the earth has received the embraces of the sun.

South person; We shall soon see the results of this love as every seed is awakened and so is all animal life.

West person; We shall soon see the results of this love as every seed is awakened and so is all animal life.

West person; I t is thought this mystery that we too have our being. Therefore we respect our neighbors.

North person; We respect also our animal neighbors, as we all have the same r ight to imahanit this world.

HP and Hps; in perfect love and perfect t rust so mote it be/

Dismiss watchtowers

East -Water

Hail to thee guardians of the watchtower of the east , the powers of water. We thank you for joining our Ostara celebrat ion tonight as we depart to your mighty realms, we bid thee hail and farewell, harm none on your way. so more it be

South-air

Hail thee guardian of the watch otwer of the south, the powers of air . We thank you for joining us this night and now as you depart to your mighty realms, we bid thee hail and fair well, and harm ye none on your way. so more it be

West- fire

Hail to thee guardian of the watchtowers of the west the powers of fire. We have felt your fire and thank you for the energy you have lent to our workings tonight . As ye deport to your mighty realms we bid thee jail and farewell and harm ye none on your way. so mote it be!

North- Earth

Hail to thee guardians of the watchtower of the north, the powers of earth, we thank you for at tending our celebrat ion. We praise and bless thee for plant ing the seed of wisdom, t ruth, and enlightenment . as ye depart to your mighty realms, we bid thee hail and farewell, and harm ye none on your way. So mote it be.

Close circle

This is an example of how an Ostara Ritual might be done. You can even write your own, the only limitat ion you will find is in your own mind, your imaginat ion. Have fun with it , praise and bless God/ Goddess for the spring blessing we already have and the ones yet to come. Feel the magic and energy of the celebrat ion course through you and let yourself be immersed in the magic of the night . Everyone have a safe and blessed Ostara.

OSTA RA RITUA LS

BY GA YLA ROGERS

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LITERARY

CORNERWhen a Pagan Prays by Nimue Brown, published by M oon Books, reviewed by Tommy Elf This is my fifth t ime reading this book in five months. I ts quite odd, every t ime I read it - I get something new from the pages - as if I missed a lit t le snippet here or there when reading it because I was too focused on this or that aspect . I have been a Pagan since 1986, when I happened across a Wiccan Priestess on a local Bullet in Board Service (BBS). In all the t ime I have studied and read about Pagans and Paganism, never once have I considered how prayer would enter into the equat ion. Seriously. I ts never been a top pr ior ity in my studies, and not even an after thought . I ts been propped up on a shelf, and left there for the dust to collect . And then along comes Nimue's book, and I blow the dust off of the

concept - and am int roduced to a side of Paganism I had never contemplated before. And like I said before, I am finding new points about prayer and Paganism that I had never considered with each successive reading. Her approach is to first let you know where she is coming from, as well as to define some of the concepts from her perspect ive. In my opinion, this is an excellent start as it lays out the groundwork for how to approach the topic - as well as providing a sounding board for your own personal differences. From there, Nimue walks you around the topic, and around and around and around - each t ime you think she is going to make the same point as before when the circuit ends - and she merely builds from there. The topic begins to climb, one bit at a t ime. In the end, you find yourself at a great pinnacle - looking back and discovering how lit t le you really

thought about the concept of prayer and how it integrates into Paganism. Or at least that 's what I got from it . I will make one recommendat ion: take your t ime. Make notes. Keep a lit t le journal of your thoughts. And when you are finished reading - go back over what you wrote, and see if you are st ill looking for clues and informat ion. I f so, do the same process for a second reading - I was surpr ised at how much I had missed through my first reading. And my second. And my third. Do I recommend this book? Nine Hells, yes! I ts definitely something that will make you think and postulate your posit ion. As she notes in the beginning of the book - if you are looking for a How-To book on Druidry - this is not the place for that . What you will find is a lot of food for thought ...

LITERARY

CORNER

Voices of the Sacred Feminine, by Dr Karen Tate, published by Changemakers Books, reviewed by Laura Perry.

Mythology dr ives culture and hence polit ics and the economy, so in order to change polit ics and economics, we have to change the mythology. That is exact ly what Karen Tate has been doing for nearly a decade now with her radio show Voices of the Sacred Feminine. Her new book, also t it led Voices of the Sacred Feminine, is an anthology that collects many powerful thoughts about Goddess spir ituality as a tool for implement ing that change on a personal, community and world level. Some of the pieces are essays writ ten for this collect ion and some are t ranscripts of interviews from the radio show; all offer valuable insights into ways we can shift the current paradigm toward a more balanced, compassionate one.

Voices of the Sacred Feminine is not a polemic ? though of course, people steeped in the limited monotheist ic pat r iarchal worldview may view it as such ? but an encouragement to move forward, evolve, and heal, both within ourselves and in our communit ies at large. The wide variety of women and, yes, men who cont r ibuted their thoughts to this collect ion provide us with a window into Goddess spir ituality in

its great diversity as well as its underlying unity. In these pages you will find r ighteous anger, certainly, but also compassion, inclusion, and the stubborn fearlessness that has allowed women to survive and even occasionally thr ive throughout the centur ies of male dominat ion. I t is these qualit ies that dr ive us forward as we work to change the world.

The book is divided into several sect ions based on several overarching topics. The first sect ion, which addresses the existence of the Sacred Feminine and its (Her) manifestat ion in the world, gives us glimpses into divine forces from Mary Magdalene to Lady Liberty. These essays and interviews remind us that the Goddess is always relevant in every day and t ime and that to leave Her out is to r isk dangerous imbalance, as we have seen for so long in worldwide society. The second sect ion offers a variety of journeys into healing through opening ourselves to the Goddess in Her many guises. Whether it?s a formal r itual, a meditat ive reading, or a thought -provoking essay about why the Goddess should be important to men, each piece suggests a way toward the healing that is necessary if we are to put ourselves, and our world, back together again. The third sect ion focuses on the values and

paradigms that Goddess spir ituality offers to the realms of polit ics and business. How wonderful it would be if the cooperat ive, egalitar ian spir it of the Sacred Feminine infected our governments and companies! But that won?t happen on its own; we have to work for it . And the fifth sect ion shows us exact ly how we can achieve that goal. Sacred act ivism is a concept that can help us br idge the gap between personal spir ituality and doing good in the world. The Goddess lives in all of us and She empowers us to speak out against the current , damaging paradigm. But instead of just complaining, we must offer a replacement , a new model. Voices of the Sacred Feminine addresses exact ly this issue, this need to find a bet ter way and to take act ion to implement it in the world. As Ms. Tate so percept ively comments, we must take on the taboo subjects of sex, religion, power and polit ics if we are to change them, and with the Goddess at our side, I believe we will ult imately succeed.

LITERARY

CORNER

Facing the Darkness -- Cat Treadwell, published by Moon Books,

reviewed by Tommy Elf.

Everyone has had those moments of internal darkness. Those moments where it feels like the ent ire world is looking down their nose at you. Those moments where you think the Flintstones character Schleprock was writ ten about you (the character that always has a rain cloud with lightning following him around). And rarely is there anyone who seems willing to just sit and listen and UNDERSTAND without judging. Well, here's someone that will - and since she cannot clone herself millions of t imes over for the world (though I like that idea) - Cat Treadwell has writ ten "Facing the Darkness".

The book is essent ially broken into three parts that are in nearly every part of the t it led areas. Regular typeface describes an issue or feeling or emot ion - helping the reader to reflect how this part icular area may or may not help them in working through their current state. The bolded sect ion has simply worded lessons and/ or act ivit ies that are there to help the reader with a proact ive moment to start the process of dealing with their internal dragons. The last - but not in all sect ions - are italicized comments and examples of how others have worked with

issues within their own lives. Taken together, the material provides a start ing point in dealing with one's dragons (my term for one's personal issues). You don't need to slay your dragon - just learn how to get that dragon to calm down and be more house-t rained in your world - so to speak. Much like Cat 's "A Druid's Tale" the material is warm and invit ing. In many places, Cat reminds the reader of such mundane tasks as "making a cup of tea." The charm of both "Facing the Darkness" and "A Druid's Tale" is that you can actually feel yourself having that cup of tea with Cat . And with a topic such as this - its that warm feeling of having a cup of tea and chat t ing with her that br ings the experience of spending t ime talking with someone - even if its all just in your mind for the moment . Many of her exercises and meditat ions in this book, I have ut ilized in slight ly different forms - many others, I have not . And while I hope not to have an experience where I would need to use those exercises - I am comforted to have this book in my library. Or even have it there for a fr iend who may have need of it in the future. An absolutely wonderful book on a very difficult topic.

LITERARY

CORNER

Pagan Portals: Kitchen Witchcraft by Rachel Patterson, published by Moon Books Reviewed by Mabh Savage The phrase 'K itchen Witchcraft ' conjures up brewing pot ions and hanging herbs, and while this of course can be the case, the experienced witch knows the kitchen can be the beat ing heart of their home, where the material and the myst ical meld to create magic. Rachel approaches this topic with just such a theory in mind, and makes no assumpt ions about the level of skill or experience of the reader. I t 's important to bear in mind that as part of the Pagan Portals series, this book is intended as a br ief int roduct ion to K itchen Witchcraft . Having said that , for such a slim volume, Rachel manages to pack in a great deal of info. She starts by int roducing the idea behind kitchen witchcraft , and giving an overview of things that may be needed; tools, ingredients and at t itude. Even for the experienced, this is a good reminder and also interest ing to gain an insight into what another experienced witch has in their own cupboards, physical and otherwise. The eight big seasonal pagan fest ivals are discussed with part icular focus on what kitchen crafts can be used to celebrate them. In here are correspondences, incenses and many more hands on ways to get your worship on. She

also talks about how the differ ing phases of the moon can affect one's workings, and while this sect ion is a lit t le simplist ic for those experienced in moon magic, again, it is a great point of reference and a good reminder of the roots of many more complex types of moon magic. She looks at working with energy, and how to ut ilise candle magic, from the very simple to the more convoluted spells that can be worked. One of my favourite sect ions of the book is the meditat ions in the final chapter. Each one is a different journey for a different purpose, and while each is writ ten as a detailed journey, there is plenty of scope to make the journey your own. Unlike the narrat ive style which is direct and almost chat ty, these writ ten meditat ions have a wonderful dream like quality which is just perfect for get t ing you in the r ight frame of mind for approaching this type of working. Rachel's style is very accessible and conversat ional. Despite being almost a reference book at t imes, this short volume is a complete page turner as it is a real pleasure to read. I t is as if she is in the room with you, talking you through the ideas that she is obviously passionate about . This is a very modern way of writ ing about a subject as old as the hills, and will make the subject easy to absorb even for the complete

novice. Yet she manages this while making it a perfect refresher for the experienced witch, by including lists, correspondences and ideas from many paths. This could be my favourite point of the book, that Rachel does not assume that you are Wiccan, or indeed of any part icular religion at all. Most of the pract ical tasks in the book could be completed by someone of no religious beliefs at all, as the main focus is on a connect ion to nature, the world, and one's self. There is no limit to who would enjoy this volume. The only downside is that it is so short , however as an int roductory piece, as it is intended, it is absolutely ideal. I will definitely be get t ing a hold of her larger volume, Grimoire of a K itchen Witch, to see if the style and themes are expanded upon. Highly enjoyable, and it has inspired me to get back in the kitchen- not something I say every day!

LITERARY

CORNERCarry the Rock by Jessica D Rzeszewski, published by Moon Books,

reviewed by Yvonne Ryves

Carry the Rock is an honest , first -hand account by the author J D Rzeszewski of her experiences as an apprent ice in Toltec shamanism with a Nagual in Hawaii.

Early on, the book is very much about the perceived shortcomings of the Nagual who doesn?t work in the way the author expected, unexpectedly charges for their services and who is found to web have different reference points for Toltec shamanism than the author. As the book progresses though it becomes less and less about the failure of a Nagual and much more about the awakening and realisat ion of the student that only they themselves are responsible for their learning. The author shows how by stepping into her own power she is able to see the real differences between herself and the teacher she had init ially placed on a pedestal.

I really enjoyed reading Carry the Rock and although a t rue story I found myself turning pages as I would with a novel as I wanted to see what happened next in the author?s journey. I would definitely recommend it to anyone seeking a teacher in any modality as it really

does highlight some of the pit falls.

COMING SOON FROM MOON

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Trees of the Goddess The Trees of the Goddess and the old ways of Britain

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RECIPESST UFFED LEG OF

LAMB

Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 170°C/ Gas mark 4. Remove st r ing from leg of lamb and open out the joint , skin side down. Slash any thick parts of meat so the joint lays flat to the board.

Evenly sprinkle the parsley, garlic and Pancet ta over the surface, and then sprinkle generously with the olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper. Roll the joint back up and t ie securely with kitchen st r ing.

Place the joint into a large roast ing t in and cook for 1 hour (rare) 1 hour 15 mins for medium. Tight ly wrap the joint in foil and leave to rest for 10 mins. Meanwhile, carefully pour off any fat from the roast ing t in and place it on a medium heat on top of the stove. Pour in the wine carefully scraping up all the juices stuck on the bot tom and reduce to a st icky glaze. Add the stock, st ir well and reduce by half. St rain through a fine sieve into a small saucepan and add the but ter and shake the pan gent ly unt il all the but ter is absorbed. Check and adjust the seasoning.Slice the lamb and serve immediately on a bed of wilted spring greens, surrounded by gravy or mint sauce.

INGREDIENTS

2 ½ lb/ 1.2 kg boneless ½ leg of lamb (1.5 kg if bone st ill in)

Large handful of flat leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped

3 large cloves garlic, finely sliced

2 ½ oz/ 70g cubed pancet ta or bacon

3 tbsp ext ra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and pepper

5 fl oz/ 150ml good red wine

3 ½fl oz/ 100ml veal or beef stock

2 tsps ice cold but ter cut into t iny pieces

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 90 minutes

Total Time: 120 minutes

PREPARATION

Serves 4

RECIPESMINI EGGS

CHOCOLAT E CAKECAKE

Line two 20 cm baking t ins and pre heat a fan oven to 150 degrees celius.

Place the softened but ter in a bowl with the sugar and whisk unt il light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a t ime, whisking each unt il well combined. Add the espresso powder, vanilla ext ract and cocoa powder and mix unt il fully incoportated.

In a bowl mix the flour and baking powder together. Then fold one third of the flour into the chocolate mixture, then half the milk. Repeat unt il everything is just mixed.

Dist r ibute evenly into the two baking t ins and place in the oven for about 20-25 minutes.

Remove when a cake tester comes out clean. Leave to cool in the t ins for about 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool complet ly.

ICING

Place 200mls double cream in a pot and heat on a lot heat unt il just before boiling. Pour the cream into a bowl with the broken chocolate then add the but ter. St ir unt il the chocolate completely melts. I f the chocolate does not melt , place the bowl over a pan of gent ly boiling water to finish melt ing.

Leave the chocolate to the side to cool. Meanwhile, with the remaining 100mls cream, place it in a double and whisk unt il thickened. Place 1 tablespoon of the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream to thin out the cream. Then fold the cream into the chocolate.

Make sure this has cooled as it will start to thicken. You want it runny enough to spread but thick enough to hold the eggs.

DECORATION

When your cakes are completely cool, without any icing, line the cakes on top of each other and if necessary level the cake. For this cake, where you want a flat top, turn the top cake upside down.

Once you have the sponges ready, place about a quarter of the icing on the top of the bot tom cake and spread out , topping with the second cake.

Take the rest of the icing and start ing on one side, place a dollop on one side of the cake and spread over, pushing the icing down the side. Ensure the whole of the cake is completely covered with the remaining icing. Cover with the Mini Eggs.

INGREDIENTS

175 grams unsalted but ter, room temperature

200 grams caster sugar

4 medium eggs

1 teaspoon espresso powder

1 teaspoon vanilla ext ra

25 grams cocoa powder

100 ml milk

175 grams self raising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

ICING

300 ml double cream

200 grams dark chocolate, broked into pieces

25 grams but ter

DECORATION about 800 grams Mini Eggs (about 9-10 90 gram bags, buy ext ra just in case)

RECIPESHUMMING BIRD

CAKEStep 1

Preheat oven to 170°C.

Step 2

Grease and line the base of a 23cm square cake pan. Sift flour and spices into a large bowl. Add sugar, pineapple, coconut , banana, walnuts, eggs and oil. St ir to combine.

Step 3

Spread into lined pan and bake for 40 minutes or unt il a skewer inserted into the cent re comes out clean. Place on a rack and set aside to cool.

Step 4

To make icing, place cheese, but ter, vanilla and icing sugar in an elect r ic mixer and beat unt il smooth. Spread on top of cooled cake. Garnish with walnuts, if desired.

INGREDIENTS:

250g self-raising flour

1/ 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/ 2 teaspoon ground coriander

270g brown sugar

440g can crushed pineapple, drained

50g desiccated coconut

2 r ipe bananas, mashed

1/ 2 cup chopped walnuts

2 eggs, light ly beaten

250ml (1 cup) sunflower oil

Cream cheese icing

100g cream cheese

50g unsalted but ter

1 teaspoon vanilla ext ract

225g (1 1/ 2 cups) icing sugar mixture

1/ 2 cup finely chopped walnuts, to garnish (opt ional)

RECIPESHOT CROSS BUNS

Bring the milk to the boil, then remove from the heat and add the but ter. Leave to cool unt il it reaches hand temperature. Put the flour, salt , sugar and yeast (see Tip, below) into a bowl. Make a well in the cent re. Pour in the warm milk and but ter mixture, then add the egg. Using a wooden spoon, mix well, then br ing everything together with your hands unt il you have a st icky dough. Tip on to a light ly floured surface and knead by holding the dough with one hand and st retching it with the heal of the other hand, then folding it back on itself. Repeat for 5 mins unt il smooth and elast ic. Put the dough in a light ly oiled bowl. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to r ise in a warm place for 1 hr or unt il doubled in size and a finger pressed into it leaves a dent .

With the dough st ill in the bowl, t ip in the sultanas, mixed peel, orange zest , apple and cinnamon. Knead into the dough, making sure everything is well dist r ibuted. Leave to r ise for 1 hr more, or unt il doubled in size, again covered by some well-oiled cling film to stop the dough get t ing a crust .

Divide the dough into 15 even pieces (about 75g per piece ? see Tip below). Roll each piece into a smooth ball on a light ly floured work surface. Arrange the buns on one or two baking t rays lined with parchment , leaving enough space for the dough to expand. Cover (but don?t wrap) with more oiled cling film, or a clean tea towel, then set aside to prove for 1 hr more.

Heat oven to 220C/ 200C fan/ gas 7. Mix the flour with about 5 tbsp water to make the paste for the cross ? add the water 1 tbsp at a t ime, so you add just enough for a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag with a small nozzle. Pipe a line along each row of buns, then repeat in the other direct ion to create crosses . Bake for 20 mins on the middle shelf of the oven, unt il golden brown.

Gent ly heat the apricot jam to melt , then sieve to get r id of any chunks. While the jam is st ill warm, brush over the top of the warm buns and leave to cool.

INGREDIENTS

For the buns

300ml full-fat milk, plus 2 tbsp more

50g but ter

500g st rong bread flour

1 tsp salt

75g caster sugar

1 tbsp sunflower oil

7g sachet fast -act ion or easy-blend yeast

1 egg, beaten

75g sultanas

50g mixed peel

zest 1 orange

1 apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped

1 tsp ground cinnamon

For the cross

75g plain flour, plus ext ra for dust ing

For the glaze

3 tbsp apricot jam

RECIPESCHOCOLAT E

MOUSSEPlace the vanilla pod into the milk. Br ing to a boil. Once boiling turn the heat down and simmer for five minutes.

In a large mixing bowl whisk the sugar, egg yolks and cornflour together unt il fluffy and pale.

Remove the vanilla pod from the milk, scarp the seeds from the pod and pop them back into the milk.

Whisking cont inuously, slowly add the hot milk to the egg mixture.

Place the chocolate on a chopping board and cut into t iny shavings using a sharp knife.

Place the chocolate shavings in another large bowl and pour the hot milk and egg mixture over the chocolate st irr ing unt il all the chocolate is melted and mixed thoroughly with the milk.

Leave to cool for 10 minutes st irr ing from t ime to t ime.

Pour into serving glasses or dishes and chill in the refr igerator.

Decorate with grated chocolate or fresh fruit as desired.

INGREDIENTS

500ml / 17 fl oz milk

1 vanilla pod, split

75g / 3 oz sugar

4 egg yolks

1 tsp cornflour/ cornstarch

350g / 12 oz dark, good quality cooking chocolate

8 1

7

6 7

7 4

7 2

8 3

5 8

8 5

9 7

5 3 9 1

5 2 6 7

8 3 6

7 6 3 4

PUZZLE CORNER

MOOTS AND EVENTS

April Events:4th ? Al ternat ive Spring Fayre ? Fielden Cent re, Todmorden4th ? Damh the Bard ? The Beacon Cent re, Nuneaton4th ? Hendon Heathen Moot ? The Greyhound, Hendon, London4th - Psychic & Hol i st i c Fai r - Cal lendar Square Shopping Cent re, Falk i rk4th - Spr iggan M ist - Heathf ield Arms, Fareham7th ? Moorlands Sabbat ic Moot ? The Blue Mugge, Leek11th ? Scot t i sh PF Conference ? EUSA Societ ies, Edinburgh13th ? Cardi f f Pagan Moot ? Rummer Tavern, Cardi f f14th ? Chester f ield Moot ? The Telemere Lodge, Chester f ield15th ? Blackpool Moot - 109 Norcl i f fe Road, Blackpool18th ? Didgeridoo Sound Journey ? Uni tar ian Meet ing House, Newport 18th ? Spi r i t of Lindum Fest ival ? The Assembly Rooms, Lincoln30th ? Edinburgh Fi re Fest ival ? Cal ton Hal l , Edinburgh

MOOTS

Abergavenny Moot

second Tuesday of every month,

Hen and Chickens pub, flannel st reet , Abergavenny

Starts 7pm

Contact Laura or Craig, You can also e-mail the.shadows.light@hotmail.com

Albion Moot

First Thursday of the Month 7:30pm Start

The Old Queens Head Pub, 40 Pond Hill, Sheffield ht tps:/ / www.facebook.com/ groups/ 72533580743/

Belfast Pagan Moot

First Tuesday of the month

7pm start

Croabh Rua Community Temple, Conway Mill, Belfast

ht tps:/ / www.facebook.com/ groups/ BelfastPaganMoot /

Bishops Stortford Gathering

Third Monday of the month

8:00pm Start

The Cast le public house, Cast le St reet , Bishops Stort ford

Bradford Social Moot

Last Wednesday of the month

8:00pm Start

The Cast le Pub, 20 Grat tan Rd, Bradford

MOOTS AND EVENTS

Cannock Moot

Third Sunday of the month 7:30pm Start

Br idgetown Social Club, Bridgetown , Cannock

Cardiff Pagan Moot

Second Monday of the month

Upstairs in the Rummer Tavern, Cardiff.

Open from 7pm, starts properly at 730pm.

Contact Catherine Abbot t or Derek Storey or visit the page at ht tps:/ / www.facebook.com/ groups/ 167919513251601/

Cardiff Coffee Moot

Third Saturday of the month

At Pipi's on Caroline St reet , Cardiff

Starts 10am

Contact (to be added)

Caerphilly Moot Every Thursday

locat ion varies, current ly at the Grazing Ground on the high st reet (Nov 2014)

Starts around 11am onwards

A really informal group of most ly pagan people who like to meet up an have a nat ter :)

Shout out on the South Wales Pagans group for up to date info.

Camarthen Pagans

Last Thursday of the month

Get Stuffed Pizza, John St reet , Carmarthen

7:30 Onwards

Contact the Camarthen Pagans group - ht tps:/ / www.facebook.com/ groups/ CarmarthenPagans/

MOOTS AND EVENTS

Central London Gathering

Last Tuesday of the month 6:00pm Start

Bishopsgate, venue is subjected to change so please check our facebook for further details:

https:/ /www.facebook.com/pages/CoA-Central-London-Gathering/505714086232636

Chesterf ield Moot

Second Tuesday of the month

7:30pm Start

The Telemere Lodge, Hasland, Chesterf ield

Clacton on Sea Moot Third Monday of the month 7:00pm Start

The Plough, 1 North Road, Clacton on Sea

Coventry Earth Spirit Moot

Third Wednesday of the month 8:00pm Start

The Broomfield Tavern, Spoon End, coventry

Cowbridge Moot

First Saturday of the month

Upstairs at the Litt le Shop of Calm, Cowbridge

starts 11am-1pmKids welcome, tea, coffee and cake provided

Contact Siany or vist their page https:/ /www.facebook.com/groups/231922846985828/

MOOTS AND EVENTS

Gloucester Moot

Last Thursday of the month 8:00pm Start

The Fountain Inn, Westgate St reet , Gloucester

Hert ford Gathering

Last Wednesday of the month 8:00pm Start

The White Horse pub, 33 Cast le st reet , Hert ford

Lampeter Pagan Society Folkmoot

First Sunday of the month

Cwmanne Tavern

7.00 - 7.30pm onwards

Contact the Lampeter Pagan Society group ffi - ht tps:/ / www.facebook.com/ groups/ 24065160648/

Long Eaton Moot

Last Tuesday of the month

7:30pm Start

The Harr ington Arms, Derby Road, Long Eaton

Long Eaton Coffee Morning

Second Tuesday of the month 10:30am Start

The Harr ington Arms, Derby Road, Long Eaton

Lyndon Moot Every Tuesday The Lyndon Pub, Olton, Solihull 8:00pm Start

MOOTS AND EVENTS

Mansfield Moot

First Tuesday of the month

7:00pm Start

William IV pub, Stockwell Gate, Mansfield

Market Moot

first Saturday of every other month

Bet tws near Newport .

Starts at about 1 pm.

Have a look on their page for details of the next Market Moot ht tps:/ / www.facebook.com/ groups/ 270507793048162/

Neath Pagan Moot

last Thursday of the month,

Upstairs in the Highlander Pub, (2-4 Lewis Road Neath, West Glamorgan SA11 1EQ)

Starts 7:30pm unt il close

Contact (to be added)

Newport coffee morning

last Saturday of every month

coffee # 1, commercial st reet , Newport .

Starts at 11am

Contact Laura or Craig, You can also e-mail the.shadows.light@hotmail.com

Pot ters Bar Gathering

Third Wednesday of the month 8:00pm Start

The Old Manor, Darkes Lane, Dagenham

Rugeley Pagan MootLast Thursday of the Month Lamb & Flag, Main Road, Lit t le Haywood7:30pm Start

MOOTS AND EVENTS

So Moot it Bee

Last Tuesday of the month 8:00pm Start

the Good Intent Pub 3 John St reet , Rochester

Stafford Moot

Third Tuesday of the month 8:00pm Start

The Shrewsbury Arms, 75 Eastgate St reet , Stafford

Swansea Pagan Moot

Third Tuesday of the month

Mozarts club, Uplands, Swansea.

Starts at 7.30pm

Contact the Swansea Pagan Moot page - ht tps:/ / www.facebook.com/ groups/ 108929852508325/

Swansea Pagan Market Moot

Saturday 7th September 2013,

11.30am to 4.30pm

Sket ty Park Community Centre in Sket ty, Swansea

The Witches Gathering

First Wednesday of the month The Feathers Hotel, Merstham, Surrey

8:00pm start

Threefold Pagans Okehampton Gathering

Third Tuesday of the month 7:30pm Start

The Highwaymans Inn, Sourton, Devon

MOOTS AND EVENTS

Tefi Pagan Moot

Last Thursday of the month (unless it clashes with something else)

Camarthen (contact for venue details)

7pm - 9pm

Contact Tamra at tamra66@hotmail.com

True Spir it Moot

Last Thursday of the month 7:30pm Start

The Taste of England, Newbury & Thatcham in Berkshire

Valleys Moot

First wednesday of every month

At the GRIFFIN INN, Hendreforgan, Gilfach Goch

Times 7:30pm t il 10:30pm

Contact Richard Blackburn for details

Wyldwood Moot

Fourth Monday of the Month

The Royal Oak, Stafford

7:30pm Start

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EDITOR'S NOTE

The Pendle Craft