|
|
Welcome
Welcome to the personal web
site of Starweaver, Wiccan priest, tarot and
astrology practitioner, and dabbler in the visual
arts. This site is an expression of my own
personality: sometimes focused, sometimes fanciful,
always fluid. I hope you find this a place of
beauty, wisdom, and warmth.
|
|
Feature
Article
 Creating
Sacred Space: Circle Casting
To create
a ritual that marks or creates meaningful change in
the lives of those participating, it is essential
to mark off the place and time for the ritual and
separate it from the ordinary activities of the
day. How does one go about creating "sacred
space"?
Many
religions have physical churches, temples, or other
structures as places of worship. The repeated,
consistent use of these places for sacred purposes
embues them with a kind of power and energy that
can profoundly effect one's state of mind. Most of
us have felt the impact of walking into an old
cathedral or other place of worship. The impact is
not just a consequence of the architecture and
decoration; the place echoes the thoughts and
feelings of all who have used it since its
establishment.
Modern
Pagans, for the most part, do not have buildings
devoted solely to the performance of ritual. We
happily perform ritual outdoors, to affirm our
intimacy with nature, or indoors in homes or rented
buildings for privacy and comfort. So we transform
mundane space into sacred space as part of our
ritual practice. In most modern Pagan traditions
(and some non-Pagan magical traditions as well),
this is done by casting a
circle....
Read
More
|
 Rune
Lore: Raidho
Raidho
(pronounced RYE-though) was used to
represent the r sound in runic writing in
all the Germanic languages. The name means
riding. The Icelandic Rune Poem
reads
Riding
is
joy of the horsemen
and speedy journey
and toil of the steed.
Before
powered transportation, a rider on a fast horse was
unsurpassable for speed when traveling overland. .
.
Read
More
|
Subscribing to
Starweaver's Gems from Earth and
Sky
If you enjoy the material
presented here and would like to receive each new
issue as it becomes available, you are invited to
subscribe to Gems from Earth and Sky. There
are three formats available:
- email
notice: you will
receive a short text-only email eight times a
year to let you know that a new issue has been
posted on this website (no charge)
- email
newsletter: you will
receive a condensed version of each issue,
including graphics, one or two articles, and
summaries with links to full articles on this
site (no charge)
- print
edition: you will
receive a print copy of the entire issue by
mail. The cost is $20 per year (eight issues) or
$10 for four issues.
To subscribe, send email to
starweaver at thekashi dot net, indicating which
option you would prefer. If subscribing to the
print edition, also include your mailing address
and send payment to
Tom Waters
P O Box 201
Tesuque, NM 87574-0201
USA
Of course, your contact
information will not be shared with
anyone.
If you
intend to read this website regularly, please do
sign up for the email notice - it's simple, free,
and gives me important information about the level
of interest in this project. Thanks!
|
In the next
issue...
The next
issue of Gems from Earth and Sky will be
published on Yule, December 21. Look for a Seasons
of the God story, Celestial Gossip astrological
forecast, Tarot Wisdom, a new installment of Seven
Doors, and more.
|
|
Starweaver's
Gems
from Earth and Sky
Samhain
2007 Issue
The Wheel
has turned once again. The ancient Celts divided
the year into a dark half and a light half, like a
longer, subtler rendition of the cycle of night and
day. They reckoned the new day to begin at sunset,
and the new year to begin now, at Samhain, as we
enter the time of cold air and long nights once
again.
This issue
launches four new regular features: Earth
Powers, Rune Lore, Moon Magic, and Sacred Space.
Seasons of the Goddess / Seasons of the God
continues, as do the Imaginarium and the cooking
and gardening features.
|
 Samhain, A Tale
of Death
At the coming of the dark
of the year, the plants have withered and the veil
separating the living from the dead grows thin. In
this parable of the season, Duskward seeks out the
wise woman Shadecloak to find a cure for his ailing
wife.
Autumn
was waning and a cold wind blew, scattering the dry
leaves. The crops had all withered, and the roots
been stored away for winter. In the village, a man
named Duskward looked up somberly into the bleak
sky. His wife had taken ill, and he feared the
coming of winter.
So
Duskward went to the home of the village healer.
"My wife is ill," he said. "She has a terrible
cough and cannot stand up for long. She eats
little." . . .
Read
More
|
 The
Spirit of Lavender
Lavender
has been used since antiquity for its aromatic and
magical properties. Lavandula angustifolia
(formerly Lavandula officinalis) is native
to the Old World, growing in a wide belt from the
Mediterranean lands to India. It has been used as a
perfume, as a culinary herb, and as a medicinal
plant. In fact, it was the effectiveness of
lavender oil in treating inflammation from cuts and
burns that helped spark the modern practices of
aromatherapy and the therapeutic use of essential
oils. . .
Read
More
|
 Moon
Magic for Winter
Starweaver's
look at upcoming full moons and dark moons and the
energies they have to offer for magic and
ritual.
Dark Moon in
Scorpio, November 9, 4:04 pm
Best
evening for ritual: either November 8 (Thursday) or
November 9 (Friday)
Theme:
Probing the Depths
None
of the other planets are in aspect with one another
at this time, so the energy of the Moon is
dominated by the Moon and Sun themselves. Being
together in Scorpio, they want to get to the bottom
of things, both conscious and subconscious. . .
Read
More
|
Upcoming
Events
Ritual
for Solitaries
a weekend workshop
with Starweaver and Rowan
February 9-10, 2008, $110
at Ardantane near Jemez Springs
The Art
of Divination
a weekend workshop
with Starweaver and Karen Waters
March 15-16, 2008, $110
at Ardantane near Jemez Springs
The Ways
of Magic
a weekend workshop
with InaraMichelle and Starweaver
April 12-13, 2008, $110
at Ardantane near Jemez Springs
Read
More
|
Pilfered
Wisdom
I sometimes
think that never blows so red
The Rose as where some buried Caesar bled;
That every Hyacinth the Garden wears
Dropt in its Lap from some once lovely
Head.
-
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam,
rendered into English verse by Edward
Fitzgerald
|
|
From
the Hearth: Acorn Squash with Apples and
Adzuki Beans
The
Imaginarium: The Crone