Dorothy: Well, I-I think that it, that it wasn’t enough just to want to see Uncle Henry and Auntie Em, and it’s that if I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own backyard because, if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with. … Read more
They brought me rubies from the mine,And held them to the sun;I said, they are drops of frozen wineFrom Eden’s vats that run. I looked again,–I thought them heartsOf friends to friends unknown;Tides that should warm each neighboring lifeAre locked in sparkling stone. But fire to thaw that ruddy snow,To break enchanted ice,And give love’s … Read more
The linden, in the fervors of July,Hums with a louder concert. When the windSweeps the broad forest in its summer prime,As when some master-hand exulting sweepsThe keys of some great organ, ye give forthThe music of the woodland depths, a hymnOf gladness and of thanks.— William Cullen Bryant, Among the Trees The first day of … Read more
Whenever you have need of anything,once a month, and better it be when the moon is full,you shall assemble in some secret placeand adore the spirit of Me Who is Queen of all the Wise.— from The Charge of the GoddessTraditional by Doreen Valiente This is the Full Moon, when the Sun is in Cancer … Read more
We are the power in everyoneWe are the dance of the moon and sunWe are the hope that will not hideWe are the turning of the tide. — Starhawk As we explore the meaning of magic, it seems impossible to discuss it without also talking about ritual. In the rituals and magic that are woven … Read more
I will keep the magic-The magic that hidesIn the greens of leaves,In the flight of birds,In the smell of fertile earth. I will keep the magic- The magic thatGlows in fire,Falls in rain,Blows in wind,Rests in stone. I will remember who I am and what I keep holy,And that all else will pass like frost … Read more
Beloved, gaze in thine own heart,The holy tree is growing there;From joy the holy branches start,And all the trembling flowers they bear.The changing colours of its fruitHave dowered the stars with merry light;The surety of its hidden rootHas planted quiet in the night;The shaking of its leafy headHas given the waves their melody,And made my … Read more
Summer set lip to earth’s bosom bare,And left the flushed print in a poppy there.— Francis Thompson (1859-1907)Like those moments when other riders are climbing on and off of a Ferris wheel, we have slowly come to the very top of our ride and pause here for a few moments more. We know the descent … Read more
Today is Midsummer Day in many of the Scandinavian and eastern European countries. In Finland, Latvia, and Estonia, for example, Midsummer Day is second only to Christmas as the biggest holiday of the year. Bonfires, feasting, parades, dancing and carousing fill the countryside. All sorts of divination and spells are common practice, and reveling outdoors … Read more
The young maid stole through the cottage door,And blushed as she sought the Plant of pow’r; —“Thou silver glow-worm, O lend me thy light,I must gather the mystic St. John’s wort tonight,The wonderful herb, whose leaf will decideIf the coming year shall make me a bride.”— Old German St. John’s Eve divination spell Today is … Read more