Topic: The Magickal Web

Scrying is an old word for the practice of crystal-gazing or using some similar means to obtain clairvoyance. It is akin to the word "descry" which originally meant to reveal, as well as to discover by seeing. Scrying is a more general term than crystal-gazing, because it embraces all forms of developing clairvoyance by gazing at or into some object.

This book is purports to be the results of a journalism assignment given to a Christian writer, to explore why Wicca is rapidly attracting followers, and is written for a Christian audience. The fact that the author is a devout Christian is certainly not hidden; it's mentioned on the back cover and within a few pages of the preface. The inaccuracy of what Wicca is, and how it's practiced, found throughout the book could be -- and I hope it is! -- simply a result of poor research and unfortunate (if understandable) bias on the part of the author. I say that I hope those are the reasons behind the overwhelming inaccuracies, because I'd like to think that an ethical journalist and loving Christian, such as the author portrays herself, would not continually and deliberately misreport findings on another faith, especially with some of the scare-mongering tactics in this book.

Imbolc, (pronounced "IM-bulk" or "EM-bowlk"), also called Oimealg, ("IM-mol'g), by the Druids, is the festival of the lactating sheep. It is derived from the Gaelic word "oimelc" which means "ewes milk". Its the time of Blessing of the seeds and consecration of agricultural tools. It marks the center point of the dark half of the year. It is the festival of the Maiden, for from this day to March 21st, it is her season to prepare for growth and renewal. Brighid's snake emerges from the womb of the Earth Mother to test the weather, (the origin of Ground Hog Day for all you movie goers), and in many places the first Crocus flowers began to spring forth from the frozen earth.

Women have not faired well under most religions for the last five thousand years or so. But let’s take the long view: that’s just a blip on the timeline of human history. Before, and concurrently in many indigenous cultures, the divine was and is pictured in female as well as male form, as the Great Mother who was the creative, regenerative power in nature and life.

The human body is a miracle that allows us to deepen our bond with our environment and ourselves. In my book, Inner Alchemy, I deal with the spirituality of the body. One facet of that spirituality is learning how to work with the physiology of your body instead of being at its mercy.

Critics of the president's war strategy in Iraq and other cowboy "diplomatic" measures said an answer to the partisan way that he has conducted politics may be found in the prayer room of the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

Television viewers, prepare to be shocked when you see what one Wiccan family on the South Shore does virtually undetected.

They go out for ice cream.

Today's generation faces evil like no other in history, with its bombardment by violent, sexual and occult images through our modern mass media. I think perhaps we are so desensitized, we couldn't recognize evil even if it were on the plate in front of us.

The witch school that moved into Hoopeston's elephant building three years ago may soon be the site of a reality TV show on the Sci-Fi channel.

"We're pretty excited even though we don't know that much about it yet," said Don Lewis, who is the Witch School's chancellor.

The Vedas are like a blueprint to existence in many dimensions. Various mantras in the Vedas are just about converting form into sound. If you feed any sound into a sound-measuring instrument, an oscilloscope, it releases a certain pattern Depending upon the sound’s vibration, frequency and amplitude, the oscilloscope creates a certain form.