The Feast of Hathor

I built a house for the Goddess,Made of the wood of the sycamore tree.Under the leaves of the palm tree,I eat bread in honor of her. Hathor, Hawk of the Sky, Rest in the limbs of my tree.Hathor, House of the Sun,Live in my house forever.— Egyptian Book of the Dead Today is an ancient … Read more

Rose Magick – Calling Your True Love

Rose Petal Love Spellfrom The Spells Bible, by Ann-Marie Gallagher Intention:To help those who are single and ready for true love send out the magical message that you are now ready to settle down with the right person. Ingredients:One red candle (6-8″ in length)Matches/ lighterOne quarter wineglass of pure spring waterPetals from 6 red roses, … Read more

Origins of the Rose

If Zeus had willed it soThat o’er the flowersOne flower should reign a queenI know, ah, well I know,The rose, the rose, that royal flower had been.— Sappho Since ancient times dating back to records from Mesopotamia, the “cradle of civilization,” the rose has been a treasured companion and central to our most enduring myths. … Read more

On the Threshold of Solstice

No price is set on the lavish summer;June may be had by the poorest comer. — James Russell Lowell, The Vision of Sir Launfall This week, we reach one of the major holidays of the year, when the Sun’s arcing path across our skies reaches its highest, or lowest point, depending on which hemisphere you … Read more

Our Guides to Graceland

Illustrious Kharites, mighty named, from Zeus descended, and Eunomia famed [Eurynome], Thalia and Aglaia fair and bright, and blest Euphrosyne, whom joys delight.– from The Hymns of Orpheus, translated by Thomas Taylor (1792) The Graces, also called the Charites (sometimes spelled Kharites), were three beautiful daughters of Zeus, the supreme God of ancient Greece. Their … Read more

Venus Retrograde and a brief departure

And now ‘tis dark, and going I shall fall.’‘In night,’ quoth she, ‘desire sees best of all.’— from Venus and Adonis by William Shakespeare On July 27, we entered a phase in which the planet Venus went retrograde, an event that occurs only once every eighteen months, and this year in conjunction with stern Saturn’s … Read more

The Beauty Path

©2006 Oephebia TarotWhen you have only two pennies left in the world,buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other.— Chinese proverb Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Beauty embodies many of the qualities of the Maiden aspect of the Great Goddess. Not only does She teach us to revere our sacred … Read more